When Alexis Bellino returned to the Real Housewives of Orange County this season, she was in a good place with Tamra Judge.
It was a surprising development because they hated each other during their last stint on the show together.
There has been much debate about whether they strategically mended fences to take down Shannon Beador because Season 18 has featured them both making damaging accusations about their co-star.
As a result, Alexis and Tamra have faced neverending backlash because viewers struggle to understand how they became friends and, more importantly, why they have it out for Shannon.
It hasn’t been a good season for the ladies, and Alexis’ ex-husband, Jim Bellino, is questioning whether they are even friends.
“Do I think they are truly friends? No,” he declared in a recent episode of The Sarah Fraser Show podcast.
“I think that is a relationship out of convenience for the show.”
Tamra and Alexis are seemingly close friends
Jim’s sentiments on the situation make sense because he was still married to Alexis when she was on the outs with Tamra, so he knows much more than audiences about how deep their hatred for one another ran.
Tamra has continually defended Alexis on screen this season and in interviews since filming wrapped. Still, the reunion will likely tell us whether their friendship is genuine.
According to Andy Cohen, Alexis activates and disrupts the calm tone of what is typically a season-ending screaming match between the ladies.
There are reports that Tamra and Shannon managed to repair their friendship, which indicates that Tamra has reflected on the backlash that has shown her that she was too hard on her former friend.
Tamra patching things up with Shannon wouldn’t sit right with Alexis because, as we’ve witnessed this season, Alexis has complained when she’s been shut out of certain cast events.
Jim thinks Alexis deserves an orange and a big salary from RHOC
Jim also spoke out about his confusion about why Alexis only returned as a friend of the Housewives.
He feels she should have given it her all and returned with her orange.
Jim, who was married to Alexis for 14 years, believes she could have commanded a healthy salary from the show because she was crucial to this season’s biggest storylines.
We may have had a more boring season without Alexis, but the last couple of episodes have had no Alexis and a lot of drama.
At this point, there’s no confirmation of whether Alexis will return for Season 19.
A recent report indicated that her job was in jeopardy because producers worried about whether she and Shannon could coexist and film together.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream Seasons 1-18 on Peacock.