It’s the age-old question: How much do we really know about our neighbors?
The suburban world runs rampant with busybodies spreading secrets even they don’t know the half of. In the land of carpools and cul-de-sacs, it’s not about what you know, it’s about how you present it.
The Real Housewives of Orange County excels in the art of storytelling, whether it’s Heather Dubrow trying to lock Shannon Beador behind some yellow wallpaper or Tamra Judge hiring a psychic to uncover Vicki Gunvalson’s cancer scam. No Housewives are quite as desperate as the ladies of the OC.
After three weeks unveiling the alleged lies told by Katie Ginella, the newest Housewife is finally fighting back, revealing that you can’t quite trust anybody in Orange County—not even yourself. It’s so salacious.
The episode begins where we left off, with Shannon storming off to grab another grilled cheese while Katie tearfully leaves Heather’s birthday party… but not before she can shift the blame to Tamra. Maybe Katie’s getting the hang of things. Outside the party, she runs into Tamra—with Slade’s ex Jo de la Rosa in tow—where Katie’s husband, Matt, launches an attack on Tamra: “You started this!”
“You’re gonna come over and pretend like you care right now?” he says with disgust, while Tamra responds, “So it’s my fault that you recorded Shannon?”
“Like you got caught in something and it’s my fault?” she adds.
Tamra dropping her faux-concern in three seconds flat to eviscerate Katie real quick before entering the party is why she makes the big bucks, and why she’s the longest-running Housewife on the show. That’s just child’s play for her, and it’s so funny given she’s puppeteered the Katie takedown without even hiding her hands.
Of course, the Jo stunt is just that (a stunt), lightly fazing Gretchen—perhaps because her face is too frozen to show emotion, but hey. Not all poker faces are God given.
Who it does really rile up is Jenn, Tamra’s latest, and perhaps greatest, adversary.
“So she’s going through it now, and now we all need to be sensitive—which we will, because we’re human. But this doesn’t feel fair,” she tells Heather. “Why do we keep making allowances? When do we say, ‘We love you. Look in the mirror and now, go fix it.’”
Jenn has learned that it’s much more important to fight Tamra with fire, calling into question the validity of her healing journey in a way only Tamra would. A decade ago, a baptism and #ErasedMom rebranding was all it took to take Tamra out of the hotseat. Now, the student has become the master, calling for a one-on-one and taking the lead. Maybe Jenn stole more than Tamra’s hair extensions. She might have taken her entire playbook.
This leads to an episode-ending showdown that entirely makes up for the sordid solo footage in between. Please Gina, stop mentioning Travis’ balls. (Melissa Gorga voice) Stop hurting us!
I do appreciate that RHOC solo footage oscillates between our court-mandated Gina check-ins, Heather trying to figure out if she’s too rich and perfect over on Million Dubrow Listings, and Jenn revealing something truly scary about her life with a cute little smile. This show has abandoned its docuseries roots quite a bit, but the structural integrity’s still intact if you know where to look.
RHOC is a classic for a reason: It never forgets what makes Housewives so great. And one big thing that keeps the show churning is the tried-and-true one-on-one sitdown. I could—and perhaps should—write an entire dissertation on this artform, but I’ll simply point to the Jenn and Tamra showdown as a masterclass of the genre.
From the scenes of the two discussing their impending meet-up—Tamra questioning why Jenn was so weird and offputting about it; Jenn questioning why Tamra went to therapy only to be even more nasty and evil—to the dinner itself, it’s picture perfect. Jenn is a modern messiah, and we all should worship at her altar (Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill).
Jenn immediately takes the lead, tossing those chips aside to get to the real meat and potatoes.
“I want to ask you so many questions, and I want to know that you’re going to answer me honestly, because-” Jenn says, before Tamra interrupts, “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You just don’t sometimes,” Jenn replies.
Look, whether Tamra’s a liar or not is up for debate, as she does tend to err on the side of some truths (Brooks did fake cancer, Jeana Keough was lowkey anti-woman, Shannon did drink and drive her car into a house), so she can really be faulted for adding some sauce and spice? Maybe a little.
“Tamra sometimes will put it out there and it’s a half-truth, so when you put it out there, they doubt you,” Katie assesses in a confessional. Leave it to a liar to spot another.
Jenn and Tamra have nothing but rage for each other—the beautiful kind of rage where you still want to film together so you can spar. It’s a surprisingly well-matched feud, and the shots are deadly on both sides.
“I’m not the one that got evicted,” Tamra reminds Jenn, before throwing out accusations that Jenn cheated on her ex-husband more than the one time we already knew. Is any of it true? Who knows, but we’ve all heard it now. That’s how rumors work. That’s why PopCrave exists. That’s why our 82-year old grandmothers think The Golden Girls is returning with an elderly Amy Poehler.
Just when you think it can’t get more absurd, Tamra launches into an accusation that Jenn tried to steal her entire life, from her hair, to her face, to her attitude. Funny enough, apparently Jenn did have Tamra’s old extensions clipped in… just for a little bit. It was a joke! Ha ha, laugh funny. I guess humor’s illegal in Orange County.
The fight ends with a truly sinister jab from Jenn: “How’s your therapy?”
“You are f---ing sick and I’ll say it again,” she adds.
Maybe Tamra’s right. Maybe Jenn isn’t the sweet, Southern belle she portrays. But what is Jenn if not a representation of so many suburban women before, voiceless in the face of so much decay until she physically can’t take anymore. Tamra has Frankensteined a monster she can no longer control.
A decade ago, Tamra probably could’ve afforded herself a season-long redemption storyline with therapy sessions sprinkled in between. But just as our attention spans have diminished and the media cycle spins faster than ever, so does the response to such tactics. Tamra got one, maybe two episodes of bliss before the tides turned again, and you better trust and believe she’s ready to fight back (even if she’ll temporarily go running post-New Orleans).
Meanwhile, Katie sits down with Gina and Heather to try to clear the air, once and for all. The latest rumor in the never-ending mill is that Katie met up with Radio Andy personality Kiki Monique to push her into spreading damaging stories about the ladies. Who does the rumor come from? Tamra, but of course.
While a picture of said meeting does exist, Katie denies any wrongdoing. It was just lunch with a friend who just so happens to be a media personality!
That leaves Katie in a precarious situation, one where her sycophantic stans can easily absolve her of wrongdoing, while the cast continue to pull back for fear she’s too closely embedded with the online sphere to be a true Housewife. Whether that’s still a fair concern in the modern age remains to be seen, but RHOC has strived to remain a leak-free, what you see is what you get franchise, and the Reality VonTease of it all isn’t on that wavelength.
Good thing Katie knows it’s more important to shift the blame than truly vie for the ladies’ trust. All the pieces are set in place for a Tamra takedown of the highest order, one that can only hope to live up to Season 9’s Bali dinner. We may not know a lot about our own neighbors, but we’re well-acquainted with the ways of this sunny suburb.
