The man who’s been talked about all season was finally seen in the flesh on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18, Episode 13.
Yes, we’re talking about John Janssen, who was conspicuously upstairs as his then-girlfriend Alexis Bellino filmed an eventful scene with Katie Ginella and Jennifer Pedranti.
Given that John had been adamant in the past about not wanting to be on the show, you can only imagine our horror when he appeared in what can only be described as a jump-scare during a confessional with Alexis.
In that scene, he detailed his rationale behind going after Shannon Beador for money he claims she owes him.
John said the statute of limitations was running out, compelling him to take legal action while he could.
When a producer wondered if Shannon knew the money he gave her was loaned, John claimed he had proof in emails.
Even worse, John claimed that his ex-girlfriend has “an interesting relationship with the truth.”
John wanted an opportunity to give fans his side of the story
John saw this cameo as a chance to show the RHOC audience that there’s far more going on than what the cast and media have explained.
It makes sense that he would grab this opportunity to try to sway the fans who have been gunning for him for years.
The broader problem is that Shannon has been a cast member on the show for a decade, so she has these fans that will blindly follow her.
Given how Alexis has been on hand to drag Shannon throughout RHOC Season 18, fans voiced their displeasure that Bravo would allow John to air his side of things.
Fans previously accused the network of allowing Shannon to be extorted by the pair on-screen, so it’s no surprise that viewers had some things to say about John’s return.
One fan called out the network directly, imploring it to “stop giving John Jansen a platform to hurt Shannon.”
“We don’t want to see him in confessionals with Alexis,” the viewer doubled down. “He’s a loser, just like her.”
Like John, Alexis has been feeling the heat due to her continued attempts to discredit Shannon’s commentary on her time with John.
“It seems clear to me that alexis and john thought all this mess would guarantee her an orange,” another fan complained. “With Shannon successfully having her left out of events and now the big international trip, she realized that wasn’t happening and broke down.”
“Fame w****s,” the viewer added.
John Janssen will be back on-screen this season
Another critic wondered why John would participate in filming if he wanted to be away from the public eye.
“John doing confessionals just proves Shannon’s point that he secretly wants the limelight,” the critic wrote.
John is set to appear on the show again before the season ends because the midseason trailer teased him showing up at an event and Shannon storming out and saying she’s done.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo on Thursdays at 9/8c. Stream Seasons 1-18 on Peacock.