Tamra Judge previews the ups and downs to come on season 18 of Bravo's 'The Real Housewives of Orange County.'
It's been said (by Heather Dubrow) that so much happened while filming season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County, it might not all make it to air.
"It's a good season, it really is," Tamra Judge promises to ET. "I think it's a great cast. I think that both [Emily Simpson and Gina Kirschenheiter] have really stepped up, really stepped up especially this season."
Gina stepped up and into some mess with season 17 newbie Jenn Pedranti, who revealed in the premiere she was evicted from the home Gina, a newly licensed realtor, helped her secure by vouching for Jenn in lieu of the landlord doing a credit check. Gina found out about the eviction (in part) after Jenn posted "moving sucks" on Instagram, as the landlord looped Gina into text conversations about months of unpaid rent. Tamra, who is also a licensed real estate agent, lives in the same gated community in which Jenn was renting.
"I found out, actually, from my neighbor," she shares. "My neighbor's like, 'Did you know Jenn just got evicted?' and I'm like, 'No! I didn't, oh my god...' and I thought, that's such a-- I'm not gonna reach out to say, 'Hey, how's your eviction?' Like, I'm letting that one go, and then she started posting that she was moving out of the house. Now the thing is, is like she had only been in that house for four months, so she moved from one house in our community to another rental, but she was only there four months. So I was like, I don't understand... it's very, it's very confusing to me, to rent a house that you clearly can't afford."
In episode 2, viewers watched as Gina confronted Jenn over the ordeal, slamming her for soiling Gina's professional reputation while continuing to spend money on things Gina finds frivolous, like hair and makeup for filming the show. Gina stormed off from the conversation when Jenn didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, briefly breaking the fourth wall to tell production she wasn't going to waste her time talking to someone who didn't want to have an honest talk.
"It continues to get nasty," Tamra confirms. "That sit-down, I understand. I understand both sides, but I understand where Gina is coming from, because one thing, I look at Gina as, she was me 15 years ago. So Gina and myself, we got divorced we have kids, and we did what it took to take care of ourselves and our kids. I didn't get child support. I didn't get alimony. Gina didn't for the longest time, you know? I was selling clothes on eBay. I lived in two-bedroom apartments. I wasn't trying to keep up with the Joneses, even though I was on a reality show. I was doing all the things to better myself, to take care of my kids and, with Jenn, like Gina was saying, it's been four years [since you split from your husband]. You haven't done anything! Do something. Support yourself."
Jenn revealed she only makes about $50 per class she teaches at the yoga studio she co-owns; all other money goes back in the business. It's the start of a roller-coaster season for the star, who also got engaged to her longtime love, Ryan Boyajian, this year, just before news broke that he was somehow involved in a $16 million MLB gambling and theft scandal. He's reportedly working with authorities in their ongoing investigation.
"I think Jenn has a history of burying her head," Tamra, a vocal critic of Ryan's, laments.
"I don't know sometimes if it's an act, and that's what Gina was saying, like, 'I can't do you,' like, 'You're so confusing,'" she adds. "It's not good, that's for sure. It worries me for her. If I were her, I would definitely get a career going, because, what's your backup plan?"
Ryan offered up his home to Jenn and her kids after her eviction, but Tamra says the events of season 18 left her feeling "worse" about the guy. Cameras went back up to capture the aftershocks of the MLB scandal story making headlines.
Gina vs. Jenn isn't the only feud of the season; Heather and season 18 rookie Katie Ginella also get into it, with Heather dubbing the newcomer "Noella 1.5," a not-so-nice dig referencing season 16's one-and-done 'Wife Noella Bergener, with whom Heather had many issues, namely over what she perceived to be performative behavior.
"I actually never worked with Noella, so I didn't know what it was like working with Noella," Tamra notes. "I don't know if Noella came in and was very, like, went after Heather immediately. If that is what she is talking about, then yes, she is accurate. Katie came in, and you will see as it plays out, that she has information on Heather that she wants very well known, and it's not information that Heather would ever find funny, but another cast member encouraged her to put this information out there because she thought it was funny."
In sneak peeks at the drama to come, Katie stands firm in labeling Heather a "liar" after Heather asks her to retract the statement.
"Do not call Heather a liar," Tamra cautions, teasing that what Katie brings up isn't exactly new territory for the show, except this time Katie claimed to have evidence to back up the to-be-revealed topic.
"I got crap about this certain situation last season," she muses. "So, there was a part of me like, bring on the proof! Yeah! Right? Just to validate what I said, but then at the end of the day it's not really that big of a deal. It's a thing that a lot of people on TV do."
"It's not that big of a deal, so it was kind of like, 'Oh, this is going to be interesting...' and I thought, it's not going to be good, because Katie was kind of passive aggressive with Heather," she adds. "It's like, 'I have this information about you, but hey, I am going to have a hot-dog stand at my party just for you...' and it's like, did she just-- clearly, she watched the show before."
While she may have a "fan mindset," Tamra gives Katie her stamp of approval as a cast member.
"I do think Katie's good," she offers. "Your first season is always difficult. Some people get it right off the bat, some people are very outspoken and talkative, and then others are not. She tends to be more on the quiet side, but she does speak her mind. Her confessionals are great, so I'm curious to see how it plays out. I'm watching her as a viewer, as well!"
There's plenty of personal story from Tamra to watch, too. For the first time in nearly a decade, her daughter, Sophia, filmed the show. Prior to turning 18, Sophia's dad, Tamra's ex-husband Simon Barney, refused to sign the release that allowed her to make appearances on camera.
"I was so scared, I was so nervous, because she is my baby and she has such a kind heart," Tamra says. "I left it up to her, do you want to film? And she is like, 'Yeah, I will film...'"
Sophia's an aspiring musician, and the show offers her a platform to showcase her talents. She sings and produces her own tracks.
"She is such a cool chick, and she is so grounded," Tamra gushes. "Everybody seemed to love her [in the premiere], so I just hope it stays that way, because I just don't I don't want anybody to go after her. That was my biggest concern."
In Sophia's first scene back, she and Tamra visited a local tattoo parlor to each get inked. Tamra selected an angel number design, 111, which she says holds special meaning for her, as every time she sees it, she makes a wish that her older daughter, Sidney, will come home to her. Sidney is Sophia's older sister, who's been critical of The Real Housewives since their parents' divorce. She and Tamra are estranged, and Sidney has repeatedly asked not to be discussed on the show.
"I don't even really want to talk about it, to be honest with you," Tamra says of bringing her up at the tattoo parlor, admitting she regrets doing it.
"Sometimes you get emotional in a scene," she offers. "It opens up a can of worms, and it was my bad, but it is my reality."
Tamra's also looking forward to the cast trips to Big Bear, California (she and her husband, Eddie, own a second home there) and London.
"Heather and I in London, we had so much fun and we were goofy," she smiles. "We shared a big suite together and, oh my god! We were just-- I can't. I don't want to give it away. It's so good, just so much fun that we had together."
It's a nice return to form for the two, who ended season 17 on an odd note.
"Heather and I, it's funny, because [Shannon Beador] is saying to Heather, 'The reason why I was hard on you last year and didn't let...' whatever is because of Tamra. It's actually the opposite," she says. "When I came back into this group, Shannon took me aside and told me all kinds of things that Heather had said supposedly said about me, and so that I was like, wait. What? Really? Oh my god. Like, I had no idea, and so that is why I was stepped back and hesitant about everything with Heather. So it was actually the opposite. She was projecting."
There's also a dinner party at some point that sees "some season 17 Tamra" (aka alcohol-induced truth bombing) to come out.
"I was super nervous, super, super nervous about being around this person, and Katie's like, 'Do you want a martini?' And I've never had a martini, I don't think, ever in my life," Tamra previews, confessing she didn't realize the drink was just straight liquor.
"I had three," she confesses. "I don't totally regret what I said, 'cause what I said wasn't a lie, but it's probably something I could have just, you know, just ignored and I didn't."
For more of Tamra's thoughts on season 18, especially those involving Shannon, check out the video and link below. The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.
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