After weeks of rumors, Alexis Bellino is officially returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County.
A decade after she was fired, the 46-year-old has closed a deal to film the Bravo series again.
TMZ first reported the news, but it seems Bellino will have to clock in for the cameras to reclaim her orange.
The outlet states that the mother of three will be filming as a friend of the housewives.
At the time of her departure in 2013, Bellino’s storylines had run out, and producers felt that she’d run her course on the show and replaced her the following season with Shannon Beador, who remains a cast member today.
Bellino is now dating Beador’s ex-boyfriend, John Janssen, which should make for an interesting dynamic.
Can Alexis Bellino make the cut to reclaim her orange?
John Janssen rarely appeared on-screen when he was in a relationship with Beador, so perhaps producers are trialing Bellino to see what she brings to the table and whether she should reclaim her orange in the future.
It’s also possible that the drama between her and Beador will be so intense that she is elevated to housewife status before filming wraps.
Bravo rarely comments on casting, and in this case, it would make sense for her to land a promotion down the line.
The sad part of her casting means that Beador will be forced to face the woman who’s now in a relationship with a man she still had a lot of love for when The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 17 wrapped filming.
Producers are hoping Alexis Bellino and Shannon Beador have a feud for the ages
Shannon Beador didn’t have the best 2023, and it all came to a head when she was arrested for DUI.
Now that filming is picking back up, the show will likely chart the aftermath of that scary incident and how it helped change her perspective on life.
Bellino and Beador have never filmed before, so perhaps they won’t have this fiery feud the producers anticipate, which could also explain the latter’s “friend” title for now.
After staging a return to form last year, Bravo and producers will want to capitalize on that, even if it means terrorizing Beador with Bellino’s return.
As for Bellino, seeing how she immerses herself back into the friend group will be interesting.
RHOC season 18 filming is underway
With filming now underway, updates about any arguments and casting details should be coming in hot.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Beador was spotted filming with Jennifer Pedranti.
Beador has had a falling out with longtime friend Tamra Judge, and with filming picking up, we expect the aftermath to be caught on camera.
Beyond that, details are scarce.
With Judge, Beador, Bellino, and Pedranti back, Heather Dubrow, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Emily Simpson are also expected to be on the cast.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus but is expected to return to Bravo in late 2024.