There must be something about the sunny suburbs that acts as a magnet to drama. From day one, the ladies of The Real Housewives of Orange County have faced evictions, cancer scams, philandering husbands, and now FBI inquiries.
Yet, the drama in Orange County always feels surprisingly grounded. It’s the rare Real Housewives franchise where it’s easy to believe each storyline would happen with or without the cameras, even when things lean into chaos, proven by a chaotic dinner party disaster that carries the season into its final stretch.
No other franchise could pull off a season-long arc like Alexis Bellino stealing Shannon Beador’s ex and terrorizing her while an FBI takedown brews in the distance. Here in the OC, that’s just par for the course.
Even when Alexis misses an entire episode, she’s still the name on everyone’s lips. That’s in large part due to Johnny J’s vicious vendetta against Shannon, as news of his $75K lawsuit hits People magazine. The jabs just keep on coming for Shannon, who spends this episode in utter disarray, complemented by the choice to isolate her from the rest of the cast.
She’s not at Katie’s couples dinner party, as Shannon is single and alone. Her only filming partner is the dog who was in her passenger seat as she crashed into a house the night of her DUI. If you storyboarded Shannon’s arc, a writers’ room would likely say it’s a bit too on the nose. Sometimes life lacks subtlety.
Just when you think things can’t get worse, Shannon butt-dials Tamra while crying about the People article. Tamra smiles, thinking to herself: “It’s going to be a good day.”
(l-r) Emily Simpson, Tamra Judge, Jennifer Pedranti, Heather Dubrow, and Gina Kirschenheiter.
Casey Durkin/BravoShannon does receive an assist from her daughter, though, FaceTiming in as an act of charity. The Beador girls are some of the funniest Housewives children, and our update with 19-year old Adeline reveals two things: She thinks John is weird and gross, and she wants to be taken to Carbone on a date. Queen.
Meanwhile, Heather Dubrow has again provided a hilarious contrast to Shannon’s dismal life. This week, she’s accompanying her husband Terry to get an elective rhinoplasty because he snores. But shh, he’s going beyond his Botched costar’s back to do it, using a different plastic surgeon! Heather is once again in a cute little sitcom while Shannon’s on the set of Big Little Lies.
At least, this time we see some cracks in Heather’s facade. When Terry points out that Heather’s M.O. is to hash things out “ad nauseum,” Heather snaps, reprimanding Terry in a hot-mic moment. Heather is a fantastic Housewife but she also hates airing out anything real or negative about her life—and that’s why she should stay put in Orange County. We don’t need another image conscious Housewife in Beverly Hills.
The real event of the episode isn’t Terry’s rhinoplasty or John’s lawsuit, though, but a return to Jenn vs. Tamra. Or, rather, a return to Tamra vs. Ryan, after Jenn’s boyfriend talked about Tamra on a podcast. Here we are again, fighting over a podcast. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Salt Lake City or Orange County, the ladies hate when you open your mouth on a podcast. That’s even true for Tamra, who has found a second life opening her mouth on a podcast.
In preparation for Katie’s couples dinner party, Jenn and Ryan go shopping together. It’s a great little scene as the two are just so bizarre together. Ryan gets his underwear tailored and always dresses like he’s a club promoter in Miami.
Thanks to a messy sales associate, we find out that Tamra and Eddie shopped at that same store and bought the same jacket as Ryan. Who is this lady? Is she the Orange County Kim D?
Later at the couples dinner, things immediately become tense as an enraged Tamra enters furious at Ryan. And for once, her husband Eddie’s actually on the same page.
(l-r) Heather Dubrow, Katie Ginella, Alexis Bellino, and Jennifer Pedranti.
Casey Durkin/BravoEddie hates Ryan, declining to even make nice with a hug. It’s not exactly a great sign if Eddie, the husband who never has an opinion, dislikes Ryan. But he also was a David Beador fan. Maybe he doesn’t have his finger on the pulse.
Before they get into it, Tamra offers the table an agreeable palate cleanser: Wasn’t Alexis Bellino a weirdo the other night? When in doubt, throw Alexis under the bus. Clearly no one likes her. I mean, Tamra’s claiming to be one of her only allies and even she isn’t hiding her disdain. It’s rough out there for Alexis.
After the amuse bouche, Tamra dives right into her issues with Ryan. It’s a game of telephone—and God knows no one actually streamed this alleged podcast to know what Ryan really said—but Tamra claims he bashed Eddie as a businessman and Tamra as a mother. The clips we do hear don’t exactly support that. While Ryan says he heard nothing positive about Tamra and Eddie, he doesn’t specify that it’s about their business. He probably just thinks they suck as people!
Not to mention, Eddie said that Ryan goes after married women last year. That’s obviously true, given Jenn was married when they got together, but he did throw a dart.
Tamra’s biggest reach comes in the form of “attacking” her children. The clip is so funny, as the parasocial podcast host rips into Tamra’s family life and says Tamra just wants what Ryan and Jenn have, which is… unlikely. But Ryan doesn’t even comment on that, going as far to dismiss the claim.
I do not think Tamra actually listened to this podcast. I’m not even sure Jenn did.
The cherry on top? Ryan posted “Worry about your own Ryan” on his Instagram story, referring to Tamra’s 30-something son, while linking merch to his dick pick store. Tamra, somehow, takes this as a shot at her son’s leaked nudes from two decades ago? First of all, Tamra’s son has been an adult the entire time this show has been on the air. And more importantly, no one even knows about his nudes. This must have broken in the Orange County Register in 2007, if it ever happened at all.
It’s so hard to watch Tamra throw these ridiculous arguments at the wall when Ryan is such a clear grifter. To lose an argument with him is just a sad showing for a woman who’s typically a star performer. What happened to the queen who wrapped Brooks Ayers up after giving him the evil eye? Where’s the diva who scalped Slade Smiley for neglecting his son?
What’s actually interesting about the scene is the reveal that Eddie has an evil within. As a desperate Jenn pleads and begs for him to step in, Eddie looks coldly at Jenn and says, “What am I, her keeper?” It’s chilling. Jenn has to learn the hard way that no one has her back here, and she has to fight for herself.
Finally, Tamra gets one good gag in, letting slip that she knows about the FBI’s inquiry into Ryan. If you’re lost, Ryan allegedly was illegally wired $16 million as part of a major gambling scam. That didn’t come out until just after the season wrapped filming—although cameras picked back up to catch the fallout—but leave it to Tamra to get a mention in.
Even when she’s striking out, Tamra still bunts the ball and makes it to first base. Don’t get it twisted: She’s most certainly right about Ryan. She’s just going about it all wrong. Of all the things for Tamra—head czar of the Housewives podcast industrial complex—to get upset about, one measly podcast isn’t it.
But I’m not Tamra, nor am I Ryan. So why care who’s right and who’s wrong? It’s easier to just enjoy the mess served at this suburban dinner party. Oh, and pray for Jenn. She needs it.
