At Bravocon, Vicki Gunvalson admitted that she felt betrayed by Bravo when she was demoted to a mere “Friend” of the Housewives.
She is, after all, the OG of the OC.
Now, RadarOnline reports good news for Vicki’s fans — and earthshatteringly bad news for enemies like Kelly Dodd.
Vicki will be returning as a Full Housewife.
Take a look at the details below and find out how Vicki forced Bravo to meet her demands:
The OG of the OC!!
It turns out that Vicki will be returning as a FULL Housewife next year.
It started with a shocking demotion
In January 2019, reports came out that Vicki was still desperately negotiating for her role on the new season
The other ladies were already filming
Vicki missed the first two weeks of filming, reportedly, while she fought against her demotion.
It was a shock
Vicki was on the show from the moment that the franchise launched. Sure, some fans wanted to see her go after a string of bad behaviors, but others couldn’t imagine the OC without its OG.
She’s been at the center of drama all season
Vicki was there to wage war against Kelly Dodd in Arizona after Kelly played whack-a-mole with Shannon Beador’s head. The two hugged it out, but …
Peace didn’t last …
After sneaky Tamra let it “slip” that Kelly had said that she would rather attend Vicki’s funeral than her tea party, the fragile peace was destroyed.
And Vicki hit back, hard
It was Vicki who infamously claimed that Kelly Dodd had once pushed her mother down the stairs — a claim that Kelly has since denied.
It wasn’t all negative, either
Early this spring, Vicki became engaged to boyfriend Steve Lodge! That is such happy news!
But it wasn’t on camera …
Notably, Steve proposed to Vicki in private, where they were feeling both comfortable and romantic. That’s a far cry from the on-camera proposal that Bravo would have liked to see.
She appeared on the season a lot …
At least, for a Friend of the Housewives. But she was clearly not part of the main cast, and wasn’t happy about it.
Vicki was mad
She made it clear at Bravocon, Bravo’s first-ever convention, that she felt that she’d been double-crossed by producers and by the network.
She wasn’t going to do THAT again
Vicki had filmed and produced drama like a Real Housewife only to get treated like a Friend. She announced at Bravocon that she would return if and only if Bravo fully restored her Orange.
And it worked!!
“Vicki is going to be coming back as a full-time housewife next season,” an insider reveals to RadarOnline.
Her ultimatum forced their hand
“She gave Bravo an ultimatum,” the source confirms. “She said she would only come back if she were full-time, and they agreed.”
As fans may recall …
Kelly referred to Vicki as a “con woman” at one point on camera, and Vicki filed a lawsuit against her, claiming that it would damage her business. Then, days later, Vicki dropped the suit.
It wasn’t an act of mercy
“One of the reasons Vicki dropped the lawsuit was because she negotiated a deal that she would return to the show,” the insider explains.
As part of the deal, her status was restored
“She was told that she could have her old job back,” the source continues. Nice!
Also, Vicki just makes for good television
“Her episodes did very well this season, and that’s the deal she brokered,” the insider shares.
Some of her best work has yet to air
“Vicki really brought the heat with her full-fledged meltdown,” the source recalls. As we have previously reported, Vicki apparently lost her s–t at the Reunion taping, and claims that for part of it, she did not even realize that she was being filmed.
Vicki knows how to play the Reality TV game
“They really want her to be a part of the show,” the source concludes. “And she forced their hand.”
Exciting news for Vicki’s fans!
Her critics will say that her authentic storylines have played out, but her fans can’t imagine the show without her, especially in light of the Tres Amigas.
Vicki’s more than just a reality star
Vicki made it clear that she has her fiance, her business, her family, and other ventures — like her new podcast — to keep her entertained even if Bravo walks away.
So she’s returning, for real
That said, we cannot confirm this report just yet. We haven’t spoken to RadarOnline’s alleged inside source, after all, and sometimes reports like these can be wrong.
Although …
It was RadarOnline who first reported that Vicki was losing her orange, back in January. If they were right about this specific topic then, they may be right again.
Soon, we’ll know for sure
Vicki may not be allowed to announce it yet, but someone will confirm it long before the season airs. It always helps when someone is spotted filming.