While last week’s season premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County set up how each Housewife was doing individually, the episode on Monday, June 15, began to dive into where the ladies stand with one another. There seems to be a new status quo in the OC, with some longterm friendships falling apart and some surprising new alliances forming.
So how are each of the women faring as of “Take a Swing”? Read our recap to find out!
Vicki Gunvalson
Vicki has just returned from her Puerto Vallerta vacation with boyfriend Brooks Ayers. In good spirits, she decided to keep that momentum going by throwing a Mexican themed party filled with “tequila and mariachis” back in the OC!
RHOC Housewives past and present swarmed the affair, which maintained a low-key, laidback vibe for a majority of the evening. However, the night was not drama free for Vicki as she and Tamra Judge had an intense conversation about the state of their friendship. Tamra was upset with Vicki for ganging up on her last season, while Vicki maintained her anger at Tamra’s interference in her relationship with Brooks.
The ladies seemed to reach a compromise for the time being, but things look like it may become rocky again in the future, especially with Tamra’s husband thinking that Brooks’ cancer diagnosis may be greatly exaggerated.
Best Moment: When former Housewife Lizzie Rovsek came into Vicki’s party, she asked her what was available to drink. Right away, Vicki pointed to the oversized margaritas. Lizzie proceeded to inquire whether it was appropriate to start drinking the heavy stuff right away. Vicki blew off the trepidation with a simple, “Why wouldn’t we?” Why not, indeed!
Shannon Beador
Shannon spent the majority of the episode continuing to work on her marriage to her husband, David, in the wake of the revelation of his infidelity. Their tough-love marriage counselor made them go through bizarre exercises, such as writing fake eulogies for one another, while also reminding them constantly that their marriage might take up to two years to repair.
The Beadors decided that they don’t need two years though, and jumped right back into the marriage wholeheartedly pretty quickly after David apologized to their daughters for breaking their trust. The renewed couple’s first destination was Vicki’s Mexican shindig.
However, the event did not go as smoothly for Shannon as she may have wanted. For one thing, Shannon still felt uncomfortable whenever someone came over to compliment her on the strength of her marriage, and she spent a lot of time making faces and avoiding eye contact with the people who tried to do so. Even more uncomfortable was when fellow Housewife Meghan King Edmonds came over and reminded her of the time David hit on her at Heather’s hoedown party. Awkward! Hopefully the next event will be easier for the Beadors 2.0!
Best Moment: Shannon decided to keep it incredibly real when talking about her upcoming trip to Napa with frenemies Heather and Tamra. When asked if she was excited about it, she simply answered “No.”
Heather Dubrow
Heather spent the majority of the episode on the sidelines, as she mainly just prepared her fellow Housewives for an upcoming trip to Napa for the launch of her new sparkling wine, “Colette.” She also was a sounding board for Tamra, as she broke down about the status of her friendship with Vicki. Tamra noted Heather has now become her closest confidante out of all the OC Housewives, which is a real change in the dynamic from previous seasons. Will Heather replace Vicki as Tamra’s partner in crime for good, though? Only time will tell.
Best Moment: Heather is friends with many baseball wives, and reckoned that it was because their marriages were similar. Yes, pro athletes and plastic surgeons may not seem like they have a ton in common, but Heather doesn’t see it that way. “They both work in the entertainment business!” she quipped.
Meghan King Edmonds
Meghan continued to work on making new friends in Orange County, especially since her husband, Jim, would be spending so much time away in St. Louis. She made some good progress at Vicki’s party, cementing her new friendship with Heather and forming a rapport with Tamra. One Housewife who’s not a fan, though? Shannon, who was still miffed about the fact that her husband flirted with her at one of Heather’s parties the previous year. Meghan may not be winning Shannon anytime soon, but she can take comfort in the fact that she won at hitting the pinata, a fact she chalks up to her new husband’s baseball prowress rubbing off on her.
Best Moment: Tamra and Lizzie lightheartedly revisit their argument last season about anal sex, while Meghan looks on enraptured. “I love this conversation,” she muttered as she looked on in awe. Welcome to the OC, where talk can get a little randy!
Tamra Judge
Can Tamra get her groove back? Heather seemed certain that Tamra was making steps to becoming her fun-loving self once again. Tamra certainly made strides at Vicki’s party, where she was able to laugh and joke with former Housewife rivals such as Jeanna Keough and Lizzie.
The real issue may not be with her enemies, though, but with her former friends. Former pal Shannon refused to talk with Tamra and spent the majority of the party avoiding her altogether.
Even worse was Vicki, who she had a major confrontation with at the end of the night. Vicki argued with Tamra over the lack of her support for Brooks, especially in light of his cancer diagnosis. Meanwhile, Tamra was angry with Vicki over her inability to move on from their previous feud. For now, the ladies were able to work it out and even had a laugh over the time Vicki peed on Tamra’s bed when they went to Mexico. However, this may only be the eye of the storm for the two ladies, as it only looks to get rockier from here. Will the OC besties friendship survive the year?
Best Moment: Tamra had yet another argument with Brooks. However, this fight had the benefit of being much less dramatic than their usual beefs. While past arguments have dealt with everything from manipulation to abuse accusations, this one was over whether or not Brooks actually farts. Tamra insisted that everyone farts, and had the jingles to prove it too. It was a bizarre moment, but refreshingly so for the twosome.
