Vicki Gunvalson was and always will be the OG of the OC.
Love her? Hate her?
During her lengthy reign on Bravo, most viewers have done both at one time or another.
The same is true of Tamra Judge, who has starred on The Real housewives of Orange County for almost as long.
All of that changed after Season 14, when Bravo decided to reshuffle the cast.
But just because they’re not on the show for Season 15 doesn’t mean that they’ve faded into obscurity.
Vicki and Tamra are very much part of the Real Housewives world, as far as fans are concerned.
And they have had a lot to say about their former castmates.
Much of it ranges from uncharitable to shady to downright harsh.
Take a look:
It’s truly the end of an era
Vicki Gunvalson was on The Real Housewives of Orange County for fourteen years, since its inception. Tamra Judge was on the show for 12 years. Then, suddenly, they were both gone from the series.
Gone, but not forgotten
Both reality TV staples have had further projects lined up since they stopped filming, though of course the COVID-19 pandemic has interfered with most people’s 2020 plans.
And neither of them are known to hold back
Since departing from the show on less-than-happy terms, Tamra and Vicki have both had a lot to say about their former friends, former castmates, and not-so-former enemies.
Emily Simpson
Emily was castmates with Vicki and Tamra for a couple of years, bringing her ongoing marital tension to the show. Many viewers have found her relatable. Vicki and Tamra? Not so much.
Here’s what the ex-OGs had to say
“Emily Simpson? I never got to know her really well,†Vicki admitted on Instagram Live in May of 2020. Tamra then responded: “Lucky you.” She didn’t explain the snark, but she didn’t need to. Ouch.
Shannon Beador
Ex-bestie Tamra has reflected: “Normally, we would talk every single day, multiple times a day,†Tamra told Us in May 2020. “And if I didn’t call her or call her back right away, she’s like, ‘Where are you? How come you haven’t called me?’ And then all of a sudden it was like I don’t hear from you.”
There are a lot of hurt feelings
“I said, ‘I felt like, honestly, I’m going through the hardest time in my life right now. So many changes at once. And I can’t get a hold of you. You’re not calling me or you’re not calling me back or you’re not taking my calls.’ That’s what hurts is I just want my friend there,” Tamra continued.
That’s only part of the story
In public, we saw the hurt play out between the ex-Tres Amigas after Shannon publicly reconciled with Kelly Dodd, Vicki and Tamra’s enemy. But apparently this was only after weeks or even months of ghosting Vicki and Tamra.
Fairweather friends …
Some fans have wondered if Season 15’s rough ratings will mean that Bravo reconsiders letting one or both of Vicki and Tamra go. If, say, Tamra returns for 16 or 17 (if the show lasts that long), will Shannon go back to calling her and chatting with her?
Shannon says she’s better than they are
“I am not the person to sink down to a level to argue with people — that I consider close friends — in the press or on social media,” Shannon insisted later in 2020. “That’s not who I am, that’s not what I’m made of, so I just feel like I have a little bit more decorum than they do. I don’t wanna engage with them, except to say that the things that they’ve been saying, especially Tamra, it’s a laundry list of things that aren’t true.â€Â
Tamra clapped back
“No sweetie I was a good friend to YOU!†she proclaimed on social media, also alleging that Shannon had once called her crying when David Beador’s new lady, Lesley, had signed that month’s support check. Oof. You know that a friendship has gone sour when the receipts come out.
Braunwyn Windham-Burke
Vicki’s earlier attempts to brand Braunwyn as “Boring-Wind” didn’t work, largely because Braunwyn is anything but boring. After going her separate way, Vicki came up with another nickname.
“Browned Wind?”
“Browned Wind is very crazy and Browned Wind was a closet watcher. She didn’t know any of us and then she came on and was like ‘I don’t like you. I have a bad feeling about you.’ And I’m like ‘Who are you?’†Vicki accused.
Even Tamra chimed in
“She played that one wrong with you,” Tamra, who certainly appeared to get along well with Braunwyn during their time sharing the screen, told Vicki. “So many people come on the show and they are fans of the show. It doesn’t make for a good Housewife. Ever. The problem is that the show’s been on for so long that everybody has seen it. So, it’s hard to come on the show with no expectations.â€Â
Covidiocy
Kelly is the reigning champion in this department, but she’s not the only Real Housewife who made some serious mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic this year.
Oh no
Tamra Judge responded to this image with the “facepalm” emoji, something only used when witnessing absolute stupidity. In this case, it was Housewives pretending to follow COVID safety guidelines … but masks are not the same thing as being 6 feet apart. Clownery.
And it got worse
Kelly Dodd, no friend to Tamra or to Vicki, was also no friend to herself or her loved ones. As the pandemic went on and was more and more politicized by fringe extremists and their followers, she made a show of flauting safety guidelines as a form of what can only be described as “malice signaling.” Worse was the things that she said.
Kelly Dodd got nasty
She called the pandemic “God’s way of thinning the herd.” She made dangerously false comparisons to the flu. She mocked the death toll. She lied about the death toll. She flet back and forth from LA to New York at a time when New York was digging mass graves for their COVID deaths. Kelly got into trouble on social media for spreading malicious misinformation.
Tamra said that Kelly should be fired
“Even if she did think that way, you shouldn’t publicly say that because there are a lot of people that are missing their father and their grandfather and their uncle and their aunts and their mothers because they have passed away,†Tamra remarked in June as Kelly kept doubling down on being awful.
It’s just no good
“It’s such an insensitive thing to say, especially with Andy [Cohen] having [had] coronavirus,” Tamra remarked. “You think you’d be a little bit smarter than that.â€Â
Did Kelly learn her lesson?
In a word, no. Shortly before Thanksgiving, Kelly’s mother had to go to the ICU. She had COVID-19. And Kelly was continuing to spread thoughtless misinformation in the comments on Instagram. Truly, her brainrot has no limits.
Also?
Tamra roasted Kelly for marrying a much, much older and older-looking man. Tamra did it very shadily, with a “to each their own” kind of attitude. It had us in stitches.
“Chanel vs Yard Sale”
Vicki shared a meme that she herself did not create, one that contrasted Tamra, Gretchen Rossi, and Heather DuBrow to Season 15 cast members Kelly, Emily, Gina, and Elizabeth. The “Chanel vs Yard Sale” caption was HARSH but it made Vicki laugh.
Shorter season … less content?
“There’s no more Tres Amigas. … In fact, they filmed the season finale two nights ago and oddly enough, we weren’t invited. We just weren’t invited!†Tamra noted on Instagram Live late in the summer of 2020. Vicki then chimed in with: “And guess what? The episodes are down to 12 vs. 22. Maybe there’s no content because they’re all fake bitches!†To be clear … that is likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.