While the Bravosphere is still buzzing over “OG of the OC” Vicki Gunvalson’s return to The Real Housewives of Orange County, potential drama between the cast is already brewing.
“Even just, like, over the summer, Vicki was, like, texting me stuff and saying, like, oh, I’m just gonna keep me mouth shut [about] what she said,” Gretchen Rossi exclusively told Us Weekly on Saturday, November 15, while attending BravoCon 2025 in Las Vegas.
“She was telling me some insane stuff,” she continued, claiming that Vicki was texting about her longtime friend and RHOC costar Tamra Judge.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be interesting to see the dynamics,” Gretchen said.
Vicki’s official return to reality TV was announced at this year’s three-day fan convention in Sin City on Friday, November 14, after Andy Cohen surprised her on stage with an orange during The Bravos awards.
“Vicki, would you join us as a housewife for season 20?” Cohen asked Vicki, who became visibly emotional on stage. (Vicki helped launch the reality TV show and appeared for 14 seasons before walking away from the cameras in January 2020.)
After her onstage BravoCon moment, Us caught up with Vicki, who exclusively shared what the surprise experience was like for her.
“When I went out there, Andy wanted me to give Kandi Burruss the Wifetime Achievement Award, and he gave me a week’s notice,” Vicki explained to Us on Saturday. “I prepared a speech, and I went up on stage, and it wasn’t on the prompter.”
She continued, “When he asked me about season 20, I was really somber going out there because I thought, ‘This is my last time on stage. This is my last time with BravoCon. They’re putting me out to pasture. I’m going to kick and scream the whole way out, but I’m going to do it.’ And then, when he asked me, it took a while for me to understand that this is my next life now for at least a year. I’m so grateful and thankful. I’m just going to be me and have fun and encourage women.”
While Gretchen seemed to allude to some possible bad blood still lingering between the pair, Tamra told Us that while she was surprised to hear that Vicki was returning to the show she is excited for the upcoming season.
“No, I did not know it was gonna go down,” Tamra told Us on Saturday. “I’ve been, you know, spending a little time with Vicki lately and talking with her. And I’m like, ‘Have you got any news? You know, normally we don’t get news about next season till about December or January. So she’s like, ‘No, I haven’t heard anything.’”
She continued, “So yeah, she was totally surprised. Totally surprised.”
Tamra later told Us that she “was so happy” to see her friend on stage accepting her orange, adding that her husband, Eddie Judge, was sitting next to Vicki’s boyfriend, Michael Smith, as the moment played out on stage.
“He’s like, his jaw dropped,” she dished to us of Michael’s reaction to his girlfriend having her BravoCon moment. “And he’s like, ‘Oh my god, this is happening.’ Because he’s much like Eddie, where he’s like, ‘OK, you do your stuff. I’m gonna go sit over in the corner.’ So now, Eddie will have somebody to hang out with.”
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