Whoop it up! Almost everyone was still talking about Shannon Beador’s big surprise birthday celebration and vow renewal on the Monday, August 29, episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, but that didn’t stop Vicki Gunvalson from making sure her own birthday was great, too! She rented the estate of Merv Griffin in La Quinta, California, to enjoy herself, but as usual, there were some shocking moments involved. Elsewhere, Shannon was enjoying a honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which she filmed herself!
Reunited and It Feels So Good
Tamra Judge and Kelly Dodd showed up to the estate ready to help Vicki celebrate! Since the OG’s daughter, Briana Culberson, had a birthday coming up, too, she brought along her two sons, and together the four ladies and two kids got ready for a good time.
Meghan King Edmonds revealed to her husband that she had been invited to the party, too, and she was debating going. Heather Dubrow, on the other hand, declined the invitation.
While her mom was having fun, Briana was chasing her sons all over the place. The perpetually sick young woman moved back to the OC to be closer to her doctors but had to leave her husband, Ryan Culberson, behind in Oklahoma until the military would let him leave. Needless to say, single parenthood wasn’t treating her well.
Luckily, back in the kitchen, Vicki was whispering to Kelly that Ryan was going to show up and surprise Briana that night! After Vicki and Kelly chatted about that surprise, Tamra told them about the one Shannon had gotten the night before when David Beador took her to renew their vows in front of family and friends. Considering Vicki and Kelly weren’t invited to Shannon’s surprise party, it was awkward, and since Vicki had a marriage fall apart after a vow renewal, it was doubly awkward.
Kelly asked Tamra if Heather had mentioned her at the party, and poor Tamra had to explain that yes, Heather mentioned her, and no, Heather didn’t like her. Kelly proceeded to rudely imitate Heather’s speaking style (again!), and so it was probably for the best that the brunette wasn’t there.
It turned out that Heather was skipping the party to go on a date with her husband, Terry Dubrow. For the millionth time, they talked about how Terry needed to make more time for family events and stop prioritizing work over everything else. She had the exact opposite problem that Briana was having at that moment, as Ryan walked through the door of the estate. Briana started to cry as he picked up their kids and gave them a long hug.
Mama Drama
In Cabo, Shannon and David opted not to have their second honeymoon filmed, but luckily, Shannon provided the producers with home videos. The footage was shaky, but it showed how happy the couple were as they goofed around together on the beach and in the pool.
Briana and Ryan were happy, too, and as they walked around the estate and Kelly watched their kids, Tamra shared her fears about an upcoming trip with Vicki. Tamra was planning a trip to Glamis, California, for her husband’s birthday, but was on the fence about inviting Kelly. After all, Kelly was fighting with Shannon and Heather, and those two were planning to bring their kids along on the trip.
“Kelly’s a mother herself,” an annoyed Vicki told the camera. “She knows how to act around children.”
Vicki took the concerns straight to Kelly, who promised that she would be on her best behavior. Kelly was furious that anyone would believe she would curse in front of kids, so she spent the rest of the day loudly complaining about it while she drank champagne.
Meghan showed up during all that, serving as a momentary distraction by announcing that she was pretty sure her IVF worked, and she was pregnant, but wouldn’t know for another five days.
Tamra called Heather to report that she didn’t think Kelly would be an issue in Glamis, then offered to take the two of them out to bury the hatchet. What could go wrong?
Throwing Up a Deuce Truce
A few days later, Heather went to grab dinner with Kelly and Tamra, telling the camera, “I’m not excited …”
Heather wasted no time laying into Kelly, telling her that her behavior at Meghan’s sushi party was appalling. Kelly explained that she was ashamed of how she acted, but that she was surprised Heather took it seriously when she wasn’t even the one who had been yelled at.
Heather confronted Kelly about her unflattering imitations, so Kelly countered by telling Heather she was hurt after hearing she wasn’t wanted around anyone’s kids. Tamra — who was the reason Heather knew about the imitations, and the reason Kelly knew she was considered a bad influence — sat awkwardly, later telling the camera she needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
Ultimately, Kelly started sobbing, and Heather seemed touched. After an uncomfortable reconciliation during which everyone promised to just have fun together, it looked like the trip to Glamis was set, and all of the Housewives would be attending after all.
Tell Us: Is Tamra right to not want Kelly around the kids?
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
