Tamra Judge didn’t hold back when she described how she learned she was being fired from RHOC. While Vicki Gunvalson recalled being stunned and in tears after getting a call about her own exit, Judge says she answered with a blunt, four-letter response. The moment has since been replayed as one of the most real ones in The Real Housewives of Orange Countyhistory.
Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson talk about getting fired from RHOC
The two RHOC castmates recently collaborated for an episode of Vicki Gunvalson’s podcast, where she told listeners that she learned her contract would not be renewed after Season 14 in 2019. She said the call came while she was at an insurance conference in Las Vegas with then-fiancé Steve Lodge.
“It was horrible,” Gunvalson said on the My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast, and recalled standing on a balcony and crying. “I think I just got fired, but I think they have the wrong number,” she added, describing her shock.
Meanwhile, Tamra Judge, who was also fired before RHOC Season 15 in early 2020, described a very different reaction. She said she had expected a meeting about her future, only to get a call that producers “decided to go in another direction.” In her telling, Judge did not hide her anger. “And you know what I said? ‘Go f— yourself,’” she said.
Both RHOC alumnae have reflected on how sudden and painful the news felt at the time. However, Gunvalson, one of the franchise’s original stars, has since returned to RHOC as a full-time cast member. This move seemingly closes a long chapter and shifts the story back toward the series’ early roots.
Judge previously addressed her firing before Season 15 during a panel at BravoCon 2022. “I was like, ‘Oh s—.’ Like, really? This is happening?’” Judge stated. “I got to a state where, the first year, I was in a fetal position crying. I was very sad about not being on the scene, everybody filming, and all that stuff.” (via People)
Notably, Tamra Judge also returned to the show in Season 17. Moreover, her return has reignited one of the key rivalries of Bravo history: her feud with Gretchen Rossi.
Gretchen Rossi was accused of liking posts that were homophobic, transphobic, anti-abortion, anti-vaccine, pro-election denial, and pro-Trump. During The RHOC Season 19 reunion, she apologized for her actions, saying, “there’s no excuse for liking anything that has any sort of offensive sentiment,” and denouncing “anything that seems homophobic or transphobic or anything like that.” She blamed that she was “mindlessly” scrolling at night.
“I gravely apologize if I liked something that was offensive or something like that,” Gretchen told her castmates. “Maybe that’s my mistake.”
What were the Posts That Gretchen liked on TheReal Housewives of Orange County?
A Twitter (now X) user posted a thread of screenshots of Gretchen Rossi allegedly liking racist, anti-COVID vaccine, anti-abortion, homophobic, and transphobic posts on Instagram in 2023.
The homophobic posts include a graphic with the American flag and text saying, “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a whole month dedicated to the people that have lost their lives fighting for our freedom instead of a month of celebrating your preference in the bedroom. Another post written by conservative musician Tyson James, “When you open the door to homosexuality, you opened the door to pedophilia. You’ll never win by normalizing perversion.”
A thread exposing #RHOC album Gretchen Rossi’s problematic views! 🍊🍊🍊(Including: Racism, Homophobia/Transphobia, Covid misinformation, Anti-abortion stances & More) pic.twitter.com/8Rip5PTODe
As for the transphobic posts, Gretchen allegedly liked a post mocking trans influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney, a few which are posted by extreme right-winger Matt Walsh.
Another includes a commentary by Bible activist Allie B Stuckey about a trans activist. She wrote in the comments, “This is the ‘trans’ influencer who went viral for flashing at the White House a couple weeks ago, now attempting to use the Bible to justify identifying as the opposite sex. I think this is the most loving response we can possibly give. By the way: Jesus is very clear about gender – see Matthew 19:4-5” Gretchen allegedly commented praise emojis on another one of her posts where the commentator said, “If, as a professing Christian, your conscience isn’t at least troubled by voting for the party endorsing the abortion of 40 week babies and the genital mutilation of children, I’d like to humbly suggest that’s a problem.
She also allegedly liked a post saying that “neo-pronouns were a joke” with a screenshot of a thread with Elon Musk.
Heather Dubrow and Tamra Judge got into a fight with Gretchen because they had children who were in the LGBTQ+ community. Heather explained to Variety that she told her castmate off-camera that the behavior was dangerous. “Terry’s for you page is cats. Mine is, I like to watch people wrap presents and things like that. But when you follow that many hate accounts, your algorithm has got to be showing you terrible things. And so how do you not notice that?”
“And look, there were other posts that she liked outside of the queer community that I also don’t agree with. But you know, everyone’s entitled to their opinions on things, but when someone starts calling it a lifestyle choice being gay — it’s tough!”
As to where she stands with Gretchen now, she said, “You’ve always been kind to us. I can’t imagine what your for you page looks like, but I hope you use this. Because not just me and my family, but your other friends in the community — this is very upsetting to all of us. So I hope that she takes this moment to really look at what she’s liking and posting.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, The Trevor Project offers 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ young people via phone, text, or chat at 866-488-7386.
The original housewife is returning. Vicki Gunvalson confirmed on November 14 at BravoCon that she will be rejoining the series at the Bravos Award Show with Andy Cohen. “Vicki, would you join us as a Housewife for Season 20?” Cohen asked her during the taping and handed her an orange. Gunvalson teared up as she cheered with a “Yes!”
Deadlinereports that while Gunvalson accepted the offer, she hasn’t formally begun negotiations with Bravo, and it’s unclear if she’s coming back as a full-time Housewife. Gunvalson became one of the first Housewives on TheReal Housewives of Orange County, becoming the launching pad for the Housewives franchise into the Bravoverse; she was on the main cast of the show from season 1-13 until her departure, where she then made brief appearances in seasons 14, 17, and 18.
Thankfully, it seems like other OC housewives are happy for Gunvalson’s return, and it might even lead to a Tres Amigas reunion. “You know, I’m so excited for Vicki,” current RHOC star Shanon Storm Beador shared on a Saturday panel as she realized last night’s proposal was a full-circle moment in many ways. “And it was really funny… Two years ago, when she won the Wifetime Achievement award, [Vicki] came back to the seat and said something like, ‘Oh, why didn’t Andy pull an orange out of his pocket?’ And he did that last night… I’m so excited for her.” Tamra Judge also confirmed that after their friendship breakup, Judge and Gunvalson are amigas once more. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs in our 20 years. I always say we’re like sisters,” Judge told Us Weekly last week, ahead of the announcement. “It’s that love-hate relationship all the time. I’m talking sisterly love, like, you have little arguments. And then, of course, being on a show together, there’s always ups and downs — especially the type of show that we were on together.”
This was something of a strange episode for our orange claspers, as they all had meetings in pairs (and one trio) to discuss Gina’s disastrous dinner last episode. Then, they go on two separate vacations. Tamra takes Katie, Jenn, and Alexis JJ Bellino to her gorgeous red schoolhouse-looking house in Big Bear, and Gina takes Emily, Shanon, and Heather for a night in La Quinta and a house she’s trying to sell that they then spill cocktails all over the white kitchen. Gina is such a girl boss.
The bisected nature of this week’s installment highlighted that this has become a season with one-on-one but intersecting feuds between the women. Rather than looking at the episode as a whole, let’s look at each of these fights and decide whose side we’re on, shall we?
Emily vs. Jenn: As part of Gina’s dinner that we didn’t see, Emily comes after Jenn for wearing a Rolex when she has bills to pay and sings, “I owe, I owe, so not to work I go,” every morning. I was on Jenn’s side on this one. I don’t think Emily is wrong, but there is no reason to go as hard at Jenn, and she goes as hard as JD Vance in a Jennifer Convertibles. I could see Gina criticizing Jenn about this because Jenn’s financial troubles directly impacted Girlboss Gina’s business, but Emily has no skin in this particular game.
Then Emily says that she asked Jenn the time, and she said the watch didn’t even work. You’re telling me you’re poor and you’re wearing a broken Rolex out and about town so that people think that you’re rich when you’re really letting your “entrepreneur” boyfriend pay for everything. Fuck that. Just like Emily says, “It tells me you’re stupid.” (But Heather Dubrow was right, “Don’t yell at someone ‘cause they’re dumb.”)
WINNER: Emily
Katie vs. Heather: Now that Katie’s five-episode grace period is up, I can firmly say that I like Katie. She seems smart, funny, and like she doesn’t care too much about this fame bullshit, and I think those are just the vibes we need right now. Also, when she was describing “Asian flush” to a table of oblivious white women, I felt like her past was retraumatizing her as the only Korean in a white family.
And this “Heather called the paparazzi” nonsense is just the kind of petty fighting I like on my Housewives. I completely and totally believe that Heather Dubrow called the paparazzi, but I also believe that Heather is making a semantic argument that she didn’t. It’s just like Lisa Vanderpump said, “I never sold stories to RadarOnline.” She’s right. She didn’t sell them, she gave them away for free. I also believe that Heather herself did not call up a photographer and had them show up at Disneyland to snap some awkwardly posed photos of Dr. and Mrs. Guinea Pig. So she can say, “I never called the paparazzi in my life,” but you don’t have to be Tree Paine to know that Heather’s publicist (or assistant or hair girl or favorite hostess at Nobu) calls the paps for her. Let’s be honest: that is the kind of housewife Heather has always played, and that’s fine. That’s part of the game. No one cares.
WINNER: Katie
Katie vs. Gina: Katie is upset that when Heather found out what Katie said about the paparazzi, Gina didn’t have her back. Gina hung Katie out to dry like a damp bikini bottom the minute Fancy Pants took umbrage with Gina not defending her. This is the thing about Heather: she wants us to think she’s so demure, but everyone on the cast is scared of pissing her off. If she’s so sweet why is she so scary?
If I were Katie, I would be pissed that Gina at least didn’t say, “Heather, she didn’t mean it to be that bad. Let’s cut her a break with this one,” but she didn’t. When Katie talks about the fight with the women in Big Bear, Tamra says, “You were set up.” Tamra is a little too used to playing a dirty game and sees one wherever she looks. I don’t think Gina was plotting Katie’s demise; I just think she’s way more scared of Heather — and also of losing her job, should she run afoul of Heather — than she is of Katie.
WINNER: Katie
Heather vs. Gina: Heather is pissed that Gina didn’t shut down Katie when she brought the paparazzi stuff up. This one is a little hard for us to adjudicate because Heather’s whole argument hinges on the idea that she didn’t call the paparazzi and, I’m sorry, I just don’t believe that to be true. (For what it’s worth, I also believe Katie when she says weeks passed between when she told Gina about the paps and when Gina told her not to say it.)
Where Heather loses me, though, is talking about how much this upset her children (two of whom are college-aged) and comparing it to when Gina got upset at the last reunion when Shannon was talking about her children. Okay, Shannon said that Gina’s kids were going to be taken by CPS, which is something directly about Gina’s kids. Heather’s children were only obliquely affected by this whole thing in a way that everything that comes up on the show could obliquely affect her kids. If she doesn’t want stories about her or her relationship in the press because the kids might see it, well, maybe don’t be on a reality show.
What’s weird about this is how wrong Heather is playing it. If she said, “Yes, there were rumors about Terry cheating and us splitting up. The kids heard about it and were upset, but it’s really not true. We all know how the tabloids make up stuff up. So, did I pose for pics with Terry to get Page Six off our backs? Yes, I did, and I have no problem with that, but I don’t want this bad part of my life to keep coming up all the time.” Everyone in the audience and Gina would have totally understood and dropped it. Because Heather’s fighting it, we’re all stuck in this mire pretending like Heather didn’t call the paparazzi like she’s Lady Gaga’s fourth-best song.
WINNER: Page Six
Emily vs. Gina: This one was overshadowed by the Heather and Gina fight over half-eaten chili dogs (brought to you by Ozempic). Shannon pulls Emily aside and says, “I don’t want to make you mad, but…” and then tells her about how Gina was telling the ladies that Emily has gotten meaner now that she’s spending all of her time up Tamra’s ass. Yeah, Shannon didn’t want to make her mad except, um, to totally make her mad.
Emily then becomes passive-aggressive with Gina, not telling her what is wrong when something is very wrong. I see where Emily is coming from. She feels like she and Gina are the ones who say that kind of shit to each other about the other ladies, she doesn’t like to be on the receiving end from her best friend. (I would love to be on the receiving end from my best friend if my best friend was Pedro Pascal.) I know these two are going to work it out. For stirring up drama and then getting out of the way, I have to go with…
WINNER: Shannon Storms Beador
Emily vs. Shane’s Car: Shane (who probably needs a step ladder to get into the giant truck that he loans Emily for their road trip) was very clear that he doesn’t want any eating in his car. I was really on board with Emily when she was like, “Yes, Shane, we won’t eat in your car,” and then pulled out a Costco-sized bag of Twizzlers as soon as she rounded the corner. That is a great car snack: no crumbs, no Cheeto dust, no lingering odor. Genius.
She lost me though when she pulled into Jack in the Box and they all ate fast food sitting in that pickup. There isn’t an outdoor picnic table? They couldn’t eat inside? And why is Heather telling us their tacos are popular? Why are they all talking about how much they liked it? Is this like a stealth Lisa Barlow Wendy’s commercial? What is even going on here?
WINNER: Sponcon
Elizabeth Vargas vs. Obscurity: Why do Housewives shows pretend like the women who were in previous seasons don’t exist at all? Gina is like, “Oh, my friend, Elizabeth Vargas.” Yes, we all know. We watch this show. We know that she was the one in a cult who only lasted one season. Can’t the chyron be like, “Fired Housewife”? Just acknowledge that we know!
WINNER: Cults
Alexis vs. Decency: The whole way up to Big Bear, Alexis is talking about just how great her Johnny J is. “He’s so sweet and decent and pays for everything and has a huge schlong, and we went to two different Christian services on Christmas because that makes Jesus even happier and, oh, since we’re on our way to Big Bear I should mention that he can hang a television in about 7 minutes. Can you believe it?”
Then she’s on the phone with him talking about how he gets a night off from having sex since she’s away and crowing about how if she was there with him she would only be wearing her high heels and then pulled up her leg to make sure her Faux-bitan was in the frame. God, it’s so gross. Just as Heather didn’t call the paps, I firmly believe that John is only with Alexis to attack Shannon on the show and that Alexis is only with John for some good D and to get back on basic cable. Shannon deserves hazard pay for this.
WINNER: The memory of Scheana’s ex-boyfriend, Rob
Shannon vs. The Forces of Evil: At the very end of the episode, Alexis says that John has videos of Shannon from the night she endangered Archie Beador’s life driving drunk. She says if Shannon doesn’t stop “lying on” John, then he’s going to release them. This guy already sued her for the facelift money he lent her. Isn’t that humiliating enough? What’s next? Telling everyone she got an enema stuck up her ass, and he had to dig it out. Oh, wait. That already happened. Anyway, as Jenn points out to Alexis, “When do you stop the fight? You’re on such a hell path.” It just all seems so base, so tawdry, so Teresa Giudice coded.
Anyway, Alexis says, “Johnny is ready to talk.” Okay, then why isn’t he on the show? Why is he making Jesus and her Juggs take all the bullets here when he’s just hiding behind FaceTime and a smile? And just what can be in those videos? If it’s just Shannon drunk, well, we all know that. Even if she is more wasted than all the girls during Bama Rush, we wouldn’t be surprised. Unless she’s dropping the N-word or talking shit about her supposed friends on the show, I don’t see how these videos could hurt Shannon any more than she’s already hurt. Also, it’s gross to come on her show and hold her hostage. God, this guy is grody.
WINNER: The rest of this season because, girl, this is gonna be good.
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She lives her life in HD, and by that, we mean “high drama.” Heather Dubrow has found herself at the center of the drama again on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 after her cast mate and new Housewife, Katie Ginella, claimed to have evidence that Dubrow called the paparazzi on herself and her husband, Terry Dubrow, to take photos of them at Disneyland in 2022.
The story first surfaced on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 17 when Heather’s cast mates — which also include Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Jennifer Pedranti — brought up the paparazzi photos as a way to accuse Heather of using the paparazzi to deflect rumors that she and Terry were divorcing at the time.
Heather denied the claims and the story died down… until Katie claimed at a girls night out in Season 18 that she had proof that Heather, in fact, called the paparazzi on herself. Heather, for her part, isn’t sold on Katie’s so-called evidence.
“Her proof is some rando text message from someone named ‘Mark,’” Heather told StyleCaster at her annual Champs Event in New York City on July 31. “I swore on the lives of my children that I’ve never called the paparazzi. I would like to be emphatic about that. Just so there’s no misunderstanding. There are no semantics involved in that statement. I didn’t tell anyone to call the paparazzi. I didn’t wink at someone. I didn’t have knowledge of someone. I had nothing to do with it.”
She continued, “If I had, I would’ve said it. People do that kind of thing all the time. I just did not. This is a character assassination that I will not stand idly by. For someone to come into our group, have this weird vendetta against me. I met this girl two or three times, and there’s this laundry list of things. It’s weird.”
Heather cited her feud with Katie as an example of why Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Sutton Stracke told Katie earlier in Season 18 that she “wouldn’t want to go against Heather Dubrow.”
“Sutton texted me that night and she was like, ‘Why do people think that’s weird I said that to her? I wouldn’t go against you, and they shouldn’t come against me either,’” Heather recalled. “I think the bigger question about the whole thing is why does [Katie] care so much?”
Despite her drama with Katie, Heather explained what hurt her even more was watching her co-star’s Tamra and Emily’s conversation about the paparazzi rumors later in the episode and Tamra’s “glee”-ful reaction to Katie’s claims on the cast’s night out.
“My first reaction was obviously not good,” Heather said of how she felt when she watched the scene. “To be honest with you, I understood at the bar why the girls reacted that way. They were at a bar, they were drinking, and they were presented with some salacious-sounding information, so I understood that. I mean, do I think it’s weird that no one asked to see the proof? Yes”
Heather went on to reveal that, while Tamra texted her to explain her reaction to Katie’s claims, she’s still not over her hurt feelings.
“The thing that hurt me the most was the scene between Emily and Tamra. That was very hard to watch. I don’t even know if I’ve really processed it yet,” she said. “Tamra texted me today. A very appropriate, very nice text, but it doesn’t mean I’m over it. That was tough to watch. It’s tough when your friend’s knee-jerk reaction to something negative about you is glee.”
It’s one of the biggest plot points in RHOC. ICYMI, Shannon Beador was arrested after she was driving under the influence in Newport Beach. However, her mugshot seems to be wiped from the internet’s existence.
In September 2023, Shannon Beador was arrested after she drove her car into a residence and drove away before eventually pulling over in the middle of the street. She was charged by the Orange County District Attorney — one count of DUI and one count of hit-and-run, both misdemeanors. Law enforcement sources told TMZ she blew a .24% BAC after the crash. She was released after she paid $2,500 bail after having left a written promise to appear in court.
Does RHOC’s Shannon Beador have a mugshot from her DUI?
Press sites like Page Six did not obtain Shannon Beador’s mugshot due to the Newport Beach Police Department saying that releasing it would “endanger the successful completion of the investigation or a related investigation.” Dashcam footage nor the 911 call was available for distribution either.
The Real for Real founder was sentenced to three years of probation and 40 hours of community service. She is also required to complete nine months in an alcohol program, and has paid restitution for the damage she did to the home she hit with her car. She revealed at BravoCon that she completed “28 days of behavioral wellness” counseling with an alcohol specialist, and said she was “able to focus on elements of my life that are unhealthy and toxic. I’m moving in a good and positive direction.”
“It’s been a tough six weeks,” she said back in October 2023 at the convention. “I believe that today I’m in a good and positive [place] — going in a good and positive direction, so thank you… and thank you all for the support.”
In the season 18 premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra Judge did not condone Shannon’s choice to drink after getting a DUI. In a response to Tamra, Shannon told E! News that her former BFF “has no right” to say that. “She has had no part of anything that I have done since my DUI. None. In fact, she left town the day after my DUI. I hear that she’s saying, ‘I was there for her and I did this.’ No, you weren’t.”
“Who made you the judge and jury of what I should and shouldn’t be doing in my life?” Shannon added. “Focus on yours, because I’m focusing on mine.” She continued, “After it happened, I was so grateful that no one was hurt because that that would have been just unbearable. I was using alcohol as a coping mechanism. I have in my past in different periods in my lifetime, like when my marriage was ending.”
Back in 2019, Braunwyn Windham-Burke was starring on The Real Housewives of Orange County with her businessman husband, Sean Burke. The seemingly perfect couple lived in a mansion with stunning ocean views, threw booze-filled parties for friends and traveled the globe with their seven children (Bella, 23, Rowan, 21, Jacob, 18, Caden and Curren, both 10, Koa, 9, and Hazel, 6.)
Five years later, Windham-Burke’s life couldn’t look more different. In 2020, she got sober and came out as gay. She’s been engaged to Jennifer Spinner since July 2022 and finalized her divorce from Sean last November following 23 years of marriage. She and Spinner left the OC and ventured to the small town of Franklin, Tennessee, where they now reside in a modest townhouse after briefly living with Sean in a “nesting” situation.
It’s a fresh start for the reality TV alum, who’s currently working as a recovery coach and had to save for months to get a car. “I had it all, but I wasn’t happy,” says the 46-year-old. “Turns out I didn’t want any of that. Things are really different now, but they’re also really good.”
Windham-Burke opens up about what the future holds in Us Weekly‘s newest issue:
Every orange can’t last forever! Following exits from OG star Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Jo De La Rosa, Us Weekly is revisiting favorite former Real Housewives of Orange County stars. After 14 seasons on the Bravo series, Vicki announced in January 2020 that she was leaving the show. The news came after Tamra was […]
Why did you leave the OC?
I was having a hard time after Real Housewives and coming out and getting sober. I went to junior high school and high school in Laguna Beach. Everyone knew everything about me. I’d have panic attacks when I went to the grocery store.
Courtesy of Braunwyn Windham-Burke
Why Tennessee?
I never found Orange County to be the wholesome environment I wanted for my kids. I had sober friends out here, [The Hills alum] Jason Wahler, and he was like, “Move to Franklin.” We came here and the first house we saw, I was like, “This is it. This is the life I want.”
And Sean was OK with the move?
He said, “Yes, you can go as long as you put my name on the lease, too.” He wanted to know that he had a place to stay with the kids. He was only supposed to be there for a little bit. I said, “We can go back to nesting, where you can stay in our guest room 10 days a month to be with the kids.” It worked well for a while, [but in the end], I had to be the one to leave. I actually had to have my psychiatrist write me a letter to get off the lease and say this is not a healthy living environment.
(When reached for comment, Sean Burke denied creating an unhealthy living environment and stated that he was a “supportive and caring husband through the course of the marriage.”)
Your life has changed a lot since your RHOC days…
It’s a riches-to-rags story. I have less than I did when I was 18. I have to work, which is hard after you’ve never been in the workforce. I’m lucky I was able to go back to school with my parents’ help.
Do you wish you’d been involved with your family’s finances?
Any woman should be seeing her bank account. She should be paying bills, too. I fell into the trap of easiness. I had a credit card and it worked, and that’s all I needed to know.
Courtesy of Braunwyn Windham-Burke
Would you say you lost your identity during your marriage to Sean?
I met Sean when I was 18. Then I was so busy being a stay-at-home mom and wife that I never asked myself, “Who is Braunwyn?” When I got older, I realized I had wanted all the wrong things.
Do you have any regrets?
It’s hard not to be positive when you have an amazing fiancée and four little kids who are so cute running around with our puppy. Do I wish I stayed in school [and] got a job? Yes. But when you have children, you can’t have regrets because you love your kids.
No remorse about doing RHOC?
[No], for one reason — without the accountability, I don’t think I would’ve stayed sober. I remember Kelly Dodd saying I was faking being an alcoholic. There were times I wanted to drink so badly but didn’t want to give her the satisfaction. I was like, “I dislike her more than I want to drink.”
Rife with scandal or just the right time to walk away? Stassi Schroeder, Lauren Conrad and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi are among the reality stars who left their shows in surprising fashion. Schroeder, for one, was fired from Vanderpump Rules after eight seasons alongside costar/frenemy Kristen Doute. Bravo confirmed their departures in June 2020 after their past racially […]
Have you finally found yourself?
Courtesy of Braunwyn Windham-Burke
I’ve found my voice. For so long, people told me to be smaller and quiet. I was put down a lot during my marriage … To find someone who fully loves you for who you are is magical.
What’s your message to other women who are struggling?
You have to take charge of your life and control your situation. If you’re going through a divorce or considering it, at the end of the day, there is freedom. There is an empowerment. And it’s going to be OK.
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Filming has only just started on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18, but Heather Dubrow promises that there hasn’t been a slow day yet.
“Usually filming starts a little slow and takes some time to catch up. Not this year,” she told StyleCaster at the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection Concert in New York on January 31. “This year, truth is stranger than fiction. You can’t make this stuff up. I think the audience is going to be very happy.”
One thing Bravo fans have to look forward to is the return of Alexis Bellino, who is set to come back as a Friend Of for Season 18, according to TMZ. Alexis, who previously starred on The Real Housewives of Orange County from Seasons 5 to 8, has been the talk of the Orange County ever since news broke in December that she was dating current RHOC cast member Shannon Beador’s ex-boyfriend, John Janssen.
“We’ve only just begun, so time will tell on all of that,” Heather said about how Alexis has fit in with the cast so far. “But I just think she’s terrific. I’ve known her for 13 years. We’ve only become closer over the last couple of years, so I’m really excited to have her back and I’m excited for the audience to see Alexis as who she is today, as an independent single mom. Her glow-up has been really great.”
Heather and Terry Dubrow.Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection Concert.
When asked if she’s nervous for Alexis and Shannon’s first time filming together, Heather simply smiled and said, “I have no comment.” Of course, Alexis isn’t the only thing fans have to look forward to on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18. In early January, the Tres Amigas—consisting of Shanon, current RHOC cast member Tamra Judge, and RHOC alum Vicki Gunvalson—made headlines when Tamra revealed that she had fallen out with Shannon and Vicki, as well as quit the trio’s Tres Amigas comedy tour. The tour has since been rebranded as Shannon & Vicki Live!
“Listen, I think a lot of that stuff is really fluid. We’ll see what happens,” Heather said when asked whether she thinks the Tres Amigas can repair their relationship. “I think everything is possible. When you’ve had friendships for that many years and you’ve been with their families and seen them have children and marriages, you have history together. I don’t think you can toss that away so easily.”
Heather, who is married to Botched star Dr. Terry Dubrow, joined The Real Housewives of Orange County in Season 7. She left the series in Season 11 before returning in Season 16. Along with Heather, Shannon, and Tamra, The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 cast is also expected to include returning Housewives Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, and Jennifer Pedranti. Alexis replaced former Friend Of Taylor Armstrong after her exit following Season 17.
Heather and Terry made headlines in August after Terry revealed in a virtual appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that he suffered a mini-stroke due an anatomical defect in his heart, which Heather forced him to check out at the time, consequentially saving his life.
“After Terry had his stroke last summer and it made some headlines, we have been very interested in keeping the conversation going in other people’s homes about cardiovascular health, knowing what the warning signs look like and trying to save some lives,” Heather said at Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection Concert.
Terry added, “We have great cures and great treatments, but if you don’t get an early diagnosis, they’re not effective. It’s the number one cause of death in men and women. Go to the doctor, get your heart work up for any age, and make sure you’re not at risk for a cardiovascular event.”
Heather and Terry also advise anyone over the age of 30 to be “surveyors” of their bodies and check up on their heart health. “We try to exercise every day. We do surveillance. We know exactly how much blockage there is in our coronary arteries, our carotid arteries, we know what our cholesterol is, we try to keep our body fat low. We’re very precise surveyors of our own bodies and we recommend that everybody do that starting at the age 30,” Terry said.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is available to stream on Peacock.
It was a different scene for Real Housewives of New York City alums Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan when they arrived in Benton, Illinois, to film their spinoff series, Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake. After years of private jets and luxury yachts, the duo found themselves in an unairconditioned sedan, driving sans chauffeur to the Benton Motel, a one-story lodge without any of the charm of the Hamptons hideaways to which they’re accustomed. Would these two city slickers crash and burn once they left the Upper East Side?
The answer, shockingly, was no. De Lesseps and Morgan started to fit right in within days, engaging in all kinds of activities you absolutely can’t do in Manhattan: mudding (off-roading in a mini monster truck), bull-testicle eating (what it sounds like) and noodling (catfish hunting with your bare or possibly gloved hands).
The surprisingly heartwarming Crappie Lake became an instant hit with fans and even critics, who don’t normally pay much attention to Bravo’s wares. New York magazine called it “the best show on Bravo” in July. TIME, meanwhile, hailed it as a “captivating comedic masterpiece” and a “refreshingly conflict-free return to form.”
It’s that last notion that seems to have proliferated across the Housewives universe of late, a welcome respite following a few years where the shows had turned relentlessly grim. After the coronavirus pandemic made filming extraordinarily complicated, some of the franchise’s brightest stars were hit with serious legal allegations. Erika Jayne of Beverly Hills was accused of embezzling money from families of plane crash victims (she’s in the clear for now), while Salt Lake City’s Jen Shah was arrested for wire fraud (she’s in jail for the next six years).
Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan.Nick Fochtman/E! Entertainment
Housewives has always trafficked in these women’s woes — see any number of messy divorces and Teresa Giudice’s 2012 prison stint — but to many fans, these developments felt different. Ripping off the IRS is one thing, but allegedly scamming retirees and plane crash victims is quite another.
“Some of our shows have gotten very dark in the past few seasons, and it’s not that surprising,” says Sevin Cavusoglu, senior vice president of unscripted content at NBCUniversal. “These dynamics have been going on for 15, 16, 17 seasons. It’s good to counter that with some Crappie Lake silliness.”
Across the Housewives board, much of the action has gotten a lot more low-stakes. During RHONY’s first season with an all-new cast, the biggest blowups involved a prank war gone wrong and the question of whether it’s weird to serve a cheese plate at a house party. Over on Salt Lake City, which in season 2 featured an actual FBI raid, the gals are having it out over whether Meredith Marks should have invited Angie Katsanevas to her Palm Springs getaway — and whether Angie should have crashed the trip when she didn’t.
If you hadn’t heard of Ariana Madix before this year, you definitely have now. Already a beloved star of Bravo’s long-running Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spinoff, Vanderpump Rules, she became a household name this past spring after uncovering her boyfriend’s infidelity with her best friend — both Pump Rules costars. Madix was cheered for […]
Cavusoglu points to the RHONY’s women’s fight over a bleeped-out restaurant (later confirmed to be fading Manhattan hotspot Catch) as the perfect example of what embodies this current era of Housewives. “In a way, it’s a throwback to OG RHONY, because I feel like those are the conversations that Luann used to have — etiquette and where you won’t be seen, where you need to be seen and where you want to go,” Cavusoglu explains. “There’s just something so fresh, yet familiar about it.”
The RHONY revival represents one of the biggest swings Bravo has taken in years. After a lackluster season 13 that was so poorly received it didn’t even get a reunion — a depressing Housewives first — the network decided to wipe the slate clean and reboot the franchise in another first. Some viewers were angry to see favorites Morgan and de Lesseps swept out like so much trash after a roaring ’20s party. Others theorized that executives overhauled the cast rather than fire controversial OG cast member Ramona Singer, whose fights with RHONY’s first Black Housewife, Eboni K. Williams, crossed the line from thought-provoking to offensive. (A source told Us in October 2021 that Bravo launched an investigation after a crew member and Williams accused Singer of making racially insensitive comments. “For the first one filed by the crew member, the findings were corroborated,” the insider said at the time. “[For] the second one filed by Eboni, the findings were not corroborated.”)
Brynn Whitfield, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Ubah Hassan.Gavin Bond/Bravo
Bravo eventually confirmed that Morgan, de Lesseps, Singer and three other “legacy” Housewives would participate in an all-RHONY season of Peacock original Ultimate Girls Trip, but fans remained skeptical of the new cast, which Andy Cohenannounced at BravoCon in October 2022. It didn’t help that one of the new stars, Lizzy Savetsky, quit during filming. “The beginning was scary,” Cavusoglu admits. “Even within Bravo, there were a lot of skeptics because people are so loyal to the OGs.”
Within a few weeks of the show’s July premiere, though, the tide of public opinion had turned. Bravo stan accounts were fully on board, while legacy media outlets couldn’t stop gushing over bona fide fashion legend Jenna Lyons (the former fashion director of J.Crew who revitalized the brand in the early 2010s) emerging as the mysterious and refined elder stateswoman of the cast. Still other fans were pleased to see Brynn Whitfield and Sai De Silva speak honestly about their difficult childhoods in unusually moving moments.
In honor of Us Weekly’s first-ever Reality TV Stars of the Year issue, we’re rounding up the moments that had Us shook in 2023. As the year of Scandoval, it was no-brainer to name Ariana Madix the No. 1 spot — and give the jaw-dropping, three-part Vanderpump Rules reunion a spot on the list. Thank You! […]
“I’m beyond thrilled,” Ryan Flynn, senior vice president of current production at NBCUniversal, says of the show’s reception. “The RHONY audience has been one of the most passionate and most vocal and probably most strident in their love. Love to watch, hate to watch, love to hate-watch — all of it, but very vocal. It was not surprising when we were met with skepticism.”
By fall, the skepticism had melted away and been replaced with fierce debates about favorite Housewives and the ethics of gifting friends your sponsored products. “Very honestly, I feel very elated and vindicated in a way that we got to show everyone, ‘Give us a chance,’” says Cavusoglu. “We love and respect this show just as much as you all do. We’re not going to steer you wrong, and we want to do right by RHONY’s legacy.”
A similar trajectory took place on Orange County, the 17-year-old workhorse of the Housewives firmament and the one that started at all. Fans were again skeptical when Tamra Judge announced her return to the series in summer 2022, as a returning cast member usually spells doom for fresh ideas. In this case, though, Judge’s splashy homecoming added a much-needed jolt of low-stakes drama. With the addition of newbie Jennifer Pedranti and former Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong, season 17 proved there was still plenty of juice in the orange.
“It was a bit stale. We were kind of stumbling around for a bit,” says RHOC star Gina Kirschenheiter, who joined the show in season 13. “This year, everything clicked into place, because there was just good synergy with this cast. Whether we were really happy and having fun or really angry and having issues, it was real.”
Flynn, who first started working on RHOC in season 6, agrees. For season 17, producers decided to change “everything” — the graphics, the opening, the theme song, the showrunner. “After the last season where it felt like, ‘God, we’re just not moving the needle enough,’ we knew we needed to take — in Dorinda [Medley’s] words — a pause and not get right back on the same sort of schedule,” Flynn says.
Nicole Martin, Guerdy Abraira, Lisa Hochstein, Julia Lemigova, Alexia Nepola, Larsa Pippen.Gizelle Hernandez/Stephanie Diani/Bravo
For Flynn, a full-on break in filming is the first step when a franchise needs a shakeup. In the case of The Real Housewives of Miami, that break lasted a full 10 years, but the decision to revive the show seems to be paying off. After two seasons that streamed exclusively on Peacock, Bravo will be airing season 6 on linear TV starting November 1. Among fans, there’s talk of Miami being the strongest entry across all the Housewives cities right now. This is thanks in part to plenty of kooky drama — arguing over Brazilian butt lifts at a dog’s birthday party — but also the real, relatable experiences these women are having. Viewers saw the shocking breakdown of Lisa Hochstein’s marriage in season 5, while season 6 will track Guerdy Abraira’s fight against breast cancer. Critics love to brush off the Housewives as frivolous trash, but there are a scant few shows on TV that prioritize the real struggles of women in their 30s, 40s and above.
“You see people going through growing pains with their marriages. You see friendships really tested,” says Kathleen French, senior vice president of current production at NBCUniversal. “The women are beautiful and they have these wonderful high-end lifestyles, but they have real-life problems.”
Mention it all — in a book! Plenty of Real Housewives have started their own beauty brands and clothing lines, but there’s no more common pastime in the franchise than writing a book. More than 40 Housewives past and present have become authors over the years, writing everything from self-help guides to children’s books and […]
French, a self-described member of the “Miami Fan Club,” was one of the execs instrumental in bringing RHOM back in 2021. The show is notable for being one of the most diverse entries in the Housewives franchise, featuring cast members from Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, Russia and Canada. “It’s a beautiful show. Miami is such a great international city at this point, and I think this cast reflects Miami,” French tells Us. “It’s a microcosm, I think, of what is actually going on in Miami right now.”
This may sound like PR spin, but diversity is obviously something French and her colleagues are thinking about when casting these shows. For the revamped RHONY, Cavusoglu was passionate about making sure that the show was a better reflection of the real people who make up New York City. “We wanted to diversify in terms of neighborhoods, in terms of professions,” she says. “I’m an immigrant woman myself, and one of the things I love about New York is you hear so many different accents and different languages when you walk down the street. It was like, ‘Where do we find that New York?’”
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There’s no pleasing everyone, of course, but for the moment, plenty of fans are happy with what they’re seeing on RHONY, as well as RHOSLC, RHOC, RHOM and the rest. Real life may not be all diamonds and rosé, but on Bravo, the dream is still alive — so long as you pay your taxes.
