It’s the most wonderful time of the year, folks. By which we mean Bravocon, the first-ever Bravo convention.
Over the weekend, there were huge announcements, like The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City becoming a thing.
There were also interviews, like the ones that Vicki Gunvalson gave to Entertainment Tonight and then to People.
She spoke about her engagement to Steve Lodge. She shared very strong opinions about Kelly Dodd’s engagement.
She discussed her prescient declaration about Meghan King Edmonds’ marriage being doomed to fail from the start.
Vicki also revealed that if Bravo doesn’t restore her full status as a Housewife, she’ll quit the series and never look back.
Let’s break it all down and more below!
Vicki has made her ultimatum
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at Bravocon over the weekend, Vicki revealed that she feels betrayed: “First of all, when they told me I was going to have a reduced role, I said, ‘I’m never a Friend. I started this franchise. I’m never going to be a Friend.'”
She doesn’t like how things went down
“They said, ‘We’ll never use those words.’ And they’ve been using those words,” the OG of the OC accuses of Bravo and producers.
She’s putting her foot down
“I will never come back part time,” Vicki vows. “I’m either all in or all out. I’m not a part time girl.”
She has her own thing going
“I run a big insurance company and I’m having my best year ever with that,” Vicki affirms. “What gives me more peace, you know,”
No hard feelings … mostly
“I love Bravo and I love my journey here,” Vicki says. “But they’re not ever going to do this to me again, because I don’t deserve that.”
Vicki teases where Season 14 is heading
She admits that she “might have had to bring out a can of whoop-ass” at this season’s Reunion special, which will air next month. Notably, it has already been filmed.
Vicki has some bones to pick
“Kelly [Dodd] and I started off really not good. You’ll have to see what happens,” Vicki teases. “And the new girl, she needs to stay in her lane.” Braunwyn. Her name is Braunwyn.
Andy has also hinted at what’s to come
At Bravocon, Andy Cohen was truly living his best life, and he teased fans that Vicki has the “meltdown to end all meltdowns.”
Vicki addresses that
“Well, I didn’t know they were filming it,” she admits. “Actually, they escorted me off the couch a little early, and I was not told that. So, you’ll see my reaction.”
She points out that she’s been very relevant this season
“I’m not no frickin’ Friend, let’s just put it that way,” Vicki emphasizes.
What does she think of Kelly Dodd’s engagement?
“OK, what about her daughter? I mean, I don’t understand it,” Vicki expresses. “I have two children and my kids know [my fiance] Steve [Lodge]. Steve asked for their permission… I just don’t understand it.”
Is she moving too quickly?
“She’s known him three months,” Vicki says of Rick Leventhal. “Marriage is a huge, huge undertaking and a commitment, and she’s been married two times before.”
Vicki is at a loss
“I don’t understand the reason why they’re rushing,” she confesses. “Is she pregnant? Like, I don’t understand. Take your time, slow down.”
Speaking of Steve Lodge …
Vicki herself is engaged, but as for wedding plans, she says: “We don’t know if it’s going to be us going away or if we’re going to have a small family party, or if our friends — we don’t know yet. I’m all over the place. I don’t know if the viewers need to go into that personal part of our life.”
Vicki reflects on her own engagement
“When he asked me to marry him, I was in my pajamas, at home with a bottle of wine,” she recalls. “He’s very romantic and very private, so for him, that was what he wanted to do. It wasn’t for this show. It was for us, and I love and respect that he was so about us.”
She got engaged for herself, not her reality career
“And that’s — at the end of the day, we’re going to have each other,” Vicki points out. “The show’s not going to last forever. So, if you’re getting engaged for the show, if you’re getting married for the show, I don’t know how long that’s going to last.”
Will Vicki’s daughter Briana join her own the show?
“Well, she just lost 73 pounds. She looks incredible,” Vicki brags. “She’s super happy. I’ll never say never, but she doesn’t like the way I was portrayed or treated. She’s my girl, and you either want all of us or none of us,”
Never say never, but … don’t hold your breath
“We’re a good family, we’re a dynamic family. We have six kids, between Steve and I, and seven grandchildren,” Vicki says. “So, I think I’m going to just wait to see, and then I’ll assess it.”
Vicki has her own goals
“I’m a businesswoman. It’s all about business to me,” she affirms. “If it’s going to bring dishonesty and angryness and drama — I want happy and uplifting. I want to inspire women.”
Vicki also has other projects
“I’m coming out with a podcast about financial fitness and I just started a community on Facebook,” she notes. “So I’m super happy about where I’m going.”
Vicki also has some thoughts about Meghan King Edmonds
Speaking to People, Vicki says of Meghan King Edmonds’ tattered marriage: “I knew they were never going to make it.”
That’s true
Vicki very famously predicted that Meghan’s marriage would be over in 5 years. Well, four years later, and the divorce has begun. By the time that Vicki’s gif has its 5-year anniversary, Meghan will very likely be a divorcee.
Vicki doesn’t feel very sorry for her
“She’s so awful,” Vicki accuses. “She’s not very kind and I just saw them so disconnected.”
She recalls what she thought when she made her prediction
“I thought, ‘you’re newlyweds!’ I can peg people coming down the aisle,†Vicki reflects of the early troubles in Meghan’s marriage. To be clear, Vicki means that she can accurately assess people, not that she engages in the act of pegging. That’s her business.
To Vicki, Meghan’s fate was clear
“They’re not going to make it, they’re not,” Vicki expresses. It’s true and she should say it.
Well, congratulations to Vicki!
She’s clearly ready to play hardball with Bravo. After how central she was to all of the drama during Season 14, are producers willing to lose her? Only time will tell.