“A Scheme That Todd Set Up” — Unpacking the Meaning Behind the Hilarous ‘RHOA’ Quote

While every show within the Real Housewives franchise has its fair share of funny and witty ladies, there’s just something about The Real Housewives of Atlanta stars’ quips. The Bravo series has given the network some of its best quotes, from NeNe Leakes’ “the ghetto” comment over Kenya Moore’s apartment and white refrigerator to Kenya delivering memorable lines such as “I’m gone with the wind fabulous.”

Some of the series’s most hilarious moments have also come from the RHOA star’s family. Viewers of the series know that Kandi Burruss, who was on the show from Season 2 until Season 15, introduced us to her entire family during her reign. Since 2014, her family has included her husband, Todd Tucker.

Before Kandi filed for divorce from Todd in November 2025, their relationship was constantly under scrutiny. Eventually, his name made its rounds on social media with the meme-worthy phrase “a scheme that Todd set up.” But what does the saying mean? Let’s break it down.

“A scheme that Todd set up” has made its rounds on both and online for over a decade. The phrase stems from Kandi and Todd’s 2014 wedding special, The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kandi’s Wedding.

In a scene from the wedding special, Kandi’s mother, Mama Joyce, and her aunts Nora and Bertha, expressed their concerns about Kandi marrying Todd. Mama Joyce was so concerned that she had a family friend investigate Todd to confirm her suspicions that he cheated on Kandi with her best friend, Carmon. Kandi confronted her mother and aunts about it and said it resulted in her not finding anything.

After Kandi told Mama Joyce that Todd told her what she did and didn’t find anything, Aunt Bertha’s spidey senses kicked in. She told Kandi that she believed Todd delivered the information to Kandi wrong to manipulate her, hence the “scheme.”

“Maybe it was a scheme… that Todd set up… to come at you with the bulls—t,” Aunt Bertha said, followed by her turning around in her chair.

Aunt Bertha’s hilarious prediction seemingly wasn’t true, but that didn’t stop Kandi’s friends and the rest of the world from quoting her whenever there was space to blame Todd for something.

Much like other RHOA quotes, “a scheme that Todd set up” has lived on and on in the Bravosphere and beyond. The quote circulated even more after Kandi filed for divorce from Todd after 11 years of marriage.

"After deep thought and a lot of prayer, I’ve made the decision to move forward with a divorce," Kandi shared with People on Nov. 21. "This is a difficult and emotional time, but my focus remains on protecting my peace, being the best mother I can be, and co-parenting with love and respect."

Following Kandi’s announcement, Todd made light of their separation by posting a selfie and stating that fans haven’t seen the last of his schemes.

Fortunately, though they couldn’t make their marriage work, Todd and Kandi seem to be scheme-free IRL.