We knew it was coming, but we’re surprised we have confirmation this soon.
Vicki Gunvalson is officially returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County, with the original star getting back to work this week to bring the Tres Amigas feud to the small screen.
TMZ first reported the news, but there’s a significant caveat:
Gunvalson will not reclaim her orange. In fact, she won’t even be a friend of the housewives.
Instead, the 61-year-old has been drafted in for an on-screen takedown of onetime friend Tamra Judge.
The outlet notes that producers were interested in capturing their feud’s fallout after they were both revealed to be at odds earlier this year.
Who brought Vicki Gunvalson back to RHOC?
According to the bombshell report, Gunvalson’s longtime friend and fellow Tres Amiga Shannon Beador was the one who pulled strings to make the comeback happen.
She invited Vicki to a group event that was filmed on Thursday.
Producers hoped the women would make it nice, but sadly, things went awry when Gunvalson, Judge, and Beador got into an “explosive fight.”
It certainly seems like the show is setting up Gunvalson as more of a recurring guest because viewers will want a resolution to these arguments.
TMZ also teased that Gunvalson recently filmed a lunch date with Heather Dubrow, and they had plenty of words about Judge.
Will Beador, Dubrow, and Gunvalson team up against Judge?
As you’ll recall, Judge and Dubrow didn’t have the best of times with each other on RHOC Season 17 but seemingly hashed out their differences at the recent reunion for the show.
Could the meet-up with Gunvalson hint at more unrest between Dubrow and Judge? Definitely.
There’s also a chance Dubrow was trying to play mediator because we sincerely doubt she’d be interested in the petty drama between these three grown women.
Speaking of petty drama, we know the show has signed up former star Alexis Bellino in a friend role.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Bellino is dating Beador’s ex-boyfriend, John Janssen, so producers thought bringing her back would be a good idea.
Of course, that will lead to tension between Bellino and Beador, but we’ve yet to hear anything about their dynamic as filming continues.
RHOC Season 18 sounds like a crazy season
Filming spoilers recently leaked have shown Judge having a lot of fun dancing on a bar – and a Cameo from RHOBH’s Sutton Stracke.
There’s no telling how RHOC will pan out, but it certainly sounds like we’re in for an action-packed season of arguments.
Will that help or hinder the show? It depends on how it all plays out because while we enjoy the intensity of the drama, we also want the lighter moments between the women.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus at Bravo. Season 18 is set to premiere in late 2024 or early 2025.