This summer, The Real Housewives of Orange County continued to film even while Shannon Beador battled COVID-19.
Now, Bravo has released the Season 15 trailer.
One of the silver linings of a reality show being interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic is the hindsight element.
So having this trailer start with Shannon talking about how excited she is for 2020 makes for amazing juxtaposition with, well, everything else.
It was January. COVID-19 was known, but none of us knew how bad this deadly virus would get.
At one point, Shannon declares that she herself is not going to be a coronavirus statistic.
This is of course a declaration that will prove to be untrue, as she contracted COVID-19 this summer.
Fitting that she is standing beside Kelly Dodd for this, because Kelly made it adamantly clear this year that she does not care enough about other people to take virus safety seriously.
We also see Shannon weeping and complaining over the phone, while clearly recording herself, about being angry with her kids.
We know that her daughters also tested positive, so we have to wonder if she contracted it from them.
Remember, Shannon has weak lungs. As the staggering death toll continues to loom, we know how vulnerable people with preexisting conditions can be.
After we see Shannon recording herself on her phone, the footage backtracks to happier times … sort of.
After all, the show had filmed a lot before the pandemic struck the US.
One such event was what looks like a family birthday party at Emily Simpson’s house.
You know, Emily told me, personally (via Instagram reply) this year that her husband Shane kind of looks like Apolo Ohno.
I have to say that I can kind of see it.
Speaking of Emily, when the "rewinding" segment is done, we also see her and Gina Kirschenheiter chilling in a large, empty bathtub and asking for shots.
Remember human contact with people who don’t live with you? What was that like?
Anyway, it looks like "fun Emily" is coming out to play during some of the segments from this simpler, happier time.
Emily and Gina do shots with Elizabeth Vargas, the newest addition to the cast.
Emily isn’t the only one having fun.
Braunwyn Windham-Burke (I cannot emphasize enough how much I love that she’s on the show) sees her son’s drag transformation.
When his amazing new look is revealed (it’s in the video, folks), her face lights up with delight.
Also speaking of fun, Shannon comments to Gina about how fun Elizabeth is.
Elizabeth is still adjusting to the new dynamic.
After spending some time with her, Shannon is really liking her — an attitude that will apparently change as the season goes on.
As for Elizabeth, we see her kiss her husband.
Elizabeth chooses to share that while her relationship with her husband is "intimate," they do not have sex.
This seems to lead to some confusion among her castmates, but whatever, it’s her life and her marriage.
Speaking of marriage, Kelly goes to try on dresses.
She is engaged to Fox News’ Rick Leventhal, a relationship that some fans fear has made her into a worse person.
Are we talking about the same Kelly? She has chosen to be who she is for a long time. Rick just helped a little.
Kelly is unsure about wearing white, since white is allegedly supposed to represent virginity.
Obviously, a tiny percentage of people getting married even for the first time are actually virgins, so that symbolism is long gone, and likely was always a lie.
That’s okay. Virginity is a social construct with no moral or biological significance whatsoever.
The ladies chat about sex a little and hey, good for them.
It appears — though the context is not immediately evident — that Gina is feeling left out.
She feels dismissed as a Housewife. From the start, she has feared that her lack of affluence would set her apart from her castmates.
Now, if the narrative in the trailer is to be believed, Braunwyn tells Emily that it was Shannon who is pushing Gina away.
This leads to a confrontation between Shannon and Braunwyn, with the former saying: "Don’t you dare accuse me of something that I did."
Freudian slip or careful editing? Only time will tell.
But Elizabeth is bewildered by having witnessed a sudden change overcome Shannon, asking if she’s always turning on a dime like that.
Yes, Kelly assures her.
Comically, this leads to the other Housewives immitating the way that Shannon moves her hands when angrily speaking.
On a more serious note, Shannon cries about how no one seems to be respecting COVID-19 rules.
We see Kelly wearing a mask that is worse than useless. It has a big hole in it and is designed to have it. Kelly sticks out her tongue through it.
Kelly decided that playing Russian roulette with the lives of her castmates and her family was worth it for her own amusement. Kelly spread lies about COVID all year long, so this is no surprise.
And again, we see Kelly seeming to not take things seriously. She and Elizabeth had to be prompted to sit apart from each other.
Spite and obstinance can help you in some areas of your life, but they won’t stop you or those around you from getting a deadly, highly contagious virus.
We hope that Kelly’s brainrot does not lead to anyone dying or suffering prolonged complications.