Earlier this month, Shannon Beador’s reconciliation with Kelly Dodd prompted Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge to unfollow her.
Now, a report shares insight on how that went down — and how the season was going before the pandemic put production on hiatus.
As a quick reminder, a couple of weeks into March, Shannon Beador and John Janssen had a visit with Kelly Dodd and Rick Leventhal.
This was before social distancing was widespread in the US, and nonetheless represented a small gathering between neighbors.
Shannon had previously had serious beef with Kelly. They feuded off and on throughout Season 14.
So how did they make nice?
HollywoodLife spoke to an inside source about Kelly and Shannon patching things up.
"The Kelly and Shannon make-up on RHOC had just happened," the insider begins.
The source continues: "and then everything got shut down" due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"And," the insider dishes, "it’s really, really good TV so far."
"Despite Vicki and Tamra being gone," the insider says, "the cast is really bringing their A-game."
Some might even say that it’s because of their departures from the show that everyone has brought their A-game.
It’s a chance to redefine the show. Besides, firing the two longtime stars was a warning shot to everyone else.
"The remaining ladies are really happy Shannon and Kelly put their differences aside," the source shares.
“Kelly is really in a different place now that she’s engaged to Rick," the insider points out.
‘She’s a little calmer," the source characterizes, "and more open minded."
"It’s definitely a different Kelly this season," the insider adds.
The source continues: "And Shannon has never been happier, either."
After all of their disagreements last season, what made them decide to bury the hatchet?
"Both of the ladies realized it was time to just get along," the insider explains.
The source adds that this seemed like a good idea to them both "especially with Tamra and Vicki not on the show anymore."
"It was just time to move on," the insider states.
This new season — whenever filming can resume — is going to be very different from seasons past.
For one thing, the entire dynamic will be reshuffled in Vicki and Tamra’s absence.
They both have huge personalities, and fans have never seen a season without Vicki before.
There will be a new pecking order, new friendships, and new feuds.
Certainly, that was a factor in Shannon patching things up with Kelly.
Shannon was part of the Tres Amigas for ages. Now, she’s the only one left on the show.
She and Kelly are neighbors and castmates.
Why would she continue to wage a feud against her that was always Vicki’s feud to begin with?
Of course, that means that Kelly has to learn a new way to star on the show, too.
Kelly’s narrative for so long had to do with her feud with Vicki and, by extension, her issues with Tamra and Shannon.
Now, that’s gone, and it’s her chance to show viewers that there is more to her than that.
Her friendship with Braunwyn was a start. Now, she can add a newfound friendship with Shannon, too.
Reports say that Braunwyn Windham-Burke was slated to be the central star of this season.
Notably, she brought a whole storyline to Season 14 that had nothing to do with feuding and yet involved multiple members of the cast.
This was a key element of change that the bigwigs at Bravo wanted to see.
Tamra may end up being invited back to Season 16, but right now, they want to see how Season 15 shapes up without her.
There is no surefire way to predict how the coronavirus pandemic will impact Season 15 until it’s all said and done.
Hopefully, this will just mean a delay in filming and a subsequent adjustment to the TV schedule later this year.
A month or so delay is better than a worst-case scenario, which would be a star or their family members dying.
Let’s all shelter in place wherever possible and flatten the curve to keep fatalities in the "best case scenario" 6 digits, okay?
