Shannon Beador is coming off her most personal season of The Real Housewives of Orange County to date, and while all eyes are on the reunion, the 60-year-old is mulling her future with the show.
In a new interview with PEOPLE, the longtime cast member has admitted that Season 18 “was very difficult” for her because of the amount of things going on in her life.
Filming picked up in the aftermath of her DUI arrest and split with her longtime boyfriend, John Janssen, and the hits just kept on coming for her as filming proceeded.
Alexis Bellino returned to the cast, and thanks to her new relationship with Janssen, Shannon was put in countless difficult spots.
Her friends even started turning on her, with Tamra Judge calling her a “drunk” at every opportunity and Heather Dubrow implying that Shannon had been using her for sympathy.
In addition, she was embroiled in legal drama with Janssen, who came after Shannon for money he said he had loaned her for a facelift.
Given the severity of the drama, it’s a miracle that Shannon even attended the reunion because we can’t even begin to imagine what she went through reliving the season.
Shannon is ready for the Season 18 reunion
Shannon admitted she was in a better place before this RHOC reunion than the last one.
“I really was a hot mess at the end of last season,” Shannon explained to PEOPLE, admitting she was “totally focused on” clearing Janssen’s name.
Shannon added that she’s happy that people will see a different side to her at the upcoming reunion.
“I’m going whatever I can in my power to better my life to become a better person,” she stated.
Shannon revealed that she’s unsure about returning to the show because she doesn’t know which other cast members will return.
“[It] depends on who I would be on the season with,” she confessed. “And I’m not saying that in a threatening way. I experienced some time with people that were very unhealthy for me to be around.”
The RHOC star wants to prioritize the important things in her life and “separate” herself from “toxic situations.”
Shannon could work with many returning cast members
Shannon is in good standing with the rest of the cast, including Katie Ginella, Gina Kirschenheiter, Jennifer Pedranti, and Emily Simpson, so there’s a way forward for her on the show.
It will all come down to what producers have planned for Season 19 because there have been rumblings that we could be in for a slight shakeup.
Alexis and Katie are thought to be at the most risk of going, but the three-part reunion will likely be the deciding factor.
Bravo went public with the trailer for the event this week, showcasing Alexis arguing with Shannon and Emily, Tamra giving Shannon a half-hearted apology, and Katie and Heather’s feud.
It should be an interesting event because of the level of drama this season.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo on Thursdays at 9/8c. Stream Season 1-18 on Peacock.