<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/shannon-beador" rel="">Shannon Beador</a> is "finding humor" in having to exist in the same orbit at her ex, John Janssen, thanks to her new-ish co-star on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/alexis-bellino" rel="">Alexis Bellino</a>.

Alexis starred on the Bravo hit from season 5 through season 8; Shannon joined the show in season 9, meaning the two never shared screentime until season 18, when Alexis rejoined the show (as "<a href="https://www.etonline.com/alexis-bellino-returning-to-the-real-housewives-of-orange-county-for-season-18-as-a-friend-218588" rel="">just a friend</a>," Shannon makes clear) and brought her new boyfriend, John, along with her.&nbsp;

"As I saw as soon as I saw that photograph of them at the Quiet Woman I knew, I knew she is going to be back on the show," Shannon says, referencing a <a href="https://www.etonline.com/shannon-beadors-ex-john-janssen-dating-former-rhoc-star-alexis-bellino-215982" rel="">photo of Alexis, John and a group of friends</a> squeezed into a booth at the&nbsp;RHOC-famous restaurant that went viral across fan accounts. That Kodak moment came just six weeks or so after Shannon says she and John broke up for good, after months of claiming they had taken a step back to just being friends.&nbsp;

"We both knew deep down it wasn't going to work, and we didn't want to admit, you know?" Shannon explains of denying she and John reconciled after they publicly announced a split. "We just didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but we kind of made a big deal out of it by saying we are not back together."

Everything changed with <a href="https://www.etonline.com/real-housewives-of-oc-star-shannon-beador-addresses-dui-arrest-i-made-a-terrible-mistake-216957" rel="">Shannon's&nbsp;Sept. 2023 arrest for DUI</a>. She says John broke up with her roughly 10 days after she crashed her car into a residential building, an accident she pleaded no contest to and is currently serving three years probation for, alongside community service.&nbsp;"Two weeks after the DUI, he called me and said-- he was supposed to take me back to [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/vicki-gunvalson" rel="">Vicki Gunvalson</a>'s house, where I was staying], and he said, 'We are done. You've ruined my life by making it so public, and you've ruined my family's lives for making it so public...' and I knew that our relationship had to be done anyways, so I accepted it and that was that."

Cue Shannon's surprise, though, when John started seeing another public figure, whose profile was recently re-upped into <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/real-housewives" rel="">Housewives</a> fans' consciousness with a&nbsp;surprise appearance at <a href="https://www.etonline.com/event/bravocon" rel="">BravoCon</a> in Las Vegas. It seems that's also where the ball maybe got rolling on Alexis' return to the show.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Alexis Bellino and John Janssen started dating in late 2023." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="8f384555-5459-41d1-9f84-7a0c0fcff382" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I knew it in my gut [after the photo], but I didn't officially find out until right before we filmed [in January]," she adds. "I wasn't happy about it. No, I wasn't."

Shannon and Alexis faced off almost immediately, getting into a heated confrontation in the season premiere over John and a years-old defamation lawsuit Alexis' ex-husband, Jim Bellino, filed against Shannon, from which she claims to have lost upwards of $300K. Shannon's adamant Alexis was involved in the suit ("Tune in," she teases of a would-be reveal), while Alexis has denied having anything to do with it. Shannon's now facing a new legal battle against John, who is <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhoc-star-shannon-beador-reacts-to-ex-john-janssen-suing-her-over-alleged-75k-facelift-loan-222666" rel="">suing her for $75K</a> he claims he loaned her for a face lift and other expenses. Shannon's maintained it was a gift, and that there was never any agreement to pay him back.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I offered him the full amount because I know legal fees will surpass [$75K]," Shannon says. "He said, no, because he refused to sign a mutual non-disparagement agreement, which is industry standard in any settlement case. So, is it about money? Because if it was, you would have taken the money that you allege that I took from you. In addition, he has added a fraud component to the case, which is that I intentionally took money from him and that includes punitive damages."&nbsp;

Shannon calls it "suspect" that Alexis is tied to the two men who have taken her to court, adding an extra layer of distrust between them. Alexis has jumped to John's defense, telling the other women in the circle (and therefore the audience) that Shannon has lied repeatedly about John and misrepresented his character. Shannon's gone as far as labeling him a "monster" on the show, a comment she now says was taken out of context.

"I said that from today's perspective, not from back then," she explains, meaning she currently feels like he's a "monster" due to their ongoing legal situation. However, she believes Alexis -- who's proclaimed she will marry John just a couple months into seeing one another -- has yet to truly meet the man Shannon dated for four years, a time she says was full of peaks and valleys.&nbsp;

"There aren't a lot of stories, there's just details to tell," Shannon says. "At the beginning of my relationship with John, I paid for everything. Yes, I did. Not the entire relationship, but I did at the beginning. So, I don't know what else to say. You know, that happens. Sometimes you have good times, sometimes you don't."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador and John Janssen pose together backstage at BravoCon 2022." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="530db36d-fa94-42f5-ad11-9da095471c20" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I cared about John," she adds. "In at the beginning of our relationship ... within two weeks, I was told a lot of the same things that Alexis was told. I mean, verbatim. So, I thought that this was my future husband, and when you are in hard times, you think about those good times. So it was always my hope that we would get back to that."&nbsp;

On last week's episode, Shannon accused John of "coaching" Alexis, after Alexis threatened to provide "receipts" about the $75K lawsuit. Shannon believes John is feeding Alexis information and giving her talking points, because, she claims, he used to do as much for her.&nbsp;

"Before I would film, especially last year's reunion, I mean, that was just... my head was spinning," Shannon shares. "'You need to say this, you need to do this...'"

Shannon says something <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/gina-kirschenheiter" rel="">Gina Kirschenheiter</a> shared with her also proves her "coaching" theory. Gina told Shannon that when she attempted to explain her own history with John (he once yelled at her at a party), Alexis spoke as if she had been there and defended his actions.&nbsp;

"On that night I said, 'John, why were you so upset?' He goes, 'Well I couldn't find the food, you know, the alcohol hit me, whatever...'" Shannon recalls of information Alexis wouldn't have had. "So, Gina said, 'Alexis turned to me at the luncheon and said, he was hungry.' I said, what? So, he had told Alexis that story, and her response was supposed to be, he was hungry."

As these dueling points of view play out on&nbsp;RHOC, Alexis and John gave a joint interview to reality TV producer Carlos King on his&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ag/podcast/rhoc-exclusive-alexis-and-john-interview/id1614311600?i=1000663796927" rel="">Reality With the King&nbsp;podcast</a>. When asked what it was like to date Shannon, John replied with, "What's it like to fail every day? Every day to fail at everything. That is what it felt like to date her."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-shortcode-id="social-media" data-ctd-shortcode-url="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Qv6Uhi34vcb1ro4cuUKDp?si=286e8a0039b4404d">&nbsp;</div>

"It's like, gosh, John! You're such a good guy, you are such a good guy," Shannon repeats sarcastically. "You are trying all the time."

John also said he doesn't think Shannon could survive without the show. She takes that to mean financially, to which she agrees.&nbsp;

"I would have to find something else to do," she admits. "It would be a struggle."&nbsp;

After this interview, Shannon doesn't have anything more to say about John and Alexis other than that she wishes them well.

"I mean, putting John aside, if she was not dating John, I would have the same conversation with her," Shannon says. "She started the ball rolling. Yes, her name is not on court documents, but she's [Jim Bellino's] ex-wife, and I lost a lot of money and I didn't do anything wrong."&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador poses for her &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Orange County&amp;#039; season 18 cast portrait." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="7b67bc28-7262-4ebb-b7fe-26562123650e" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Still, there's a lot more of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county-season-18-taglines-are-here-exclusive-229212" rel="">season 18</a> to watch and, from what Shannon says, it's a dramatic roller coaster.&nbsp;

"Oh, it's beyond," she quips. "I, for the first time in my life, thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I was told things-- I was talking to my attorney off to the side, and I was told things with the girls that I couldn't believe."

Shannon is referencing a <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhoc-season-18-trailer-is-here-shannon-storms-beador-and-alexis-bellino-go-head-to-head-over-john" rel="">trailer-making moment</a>, in which she appears to hyperventilate while on a cast trip. It all has to to do with John and the legal battle; even worse, she says that near-nervous breakdown isn't her low of the season.

"More happens and, I want to make it clear that I do not want to be portrayed as a victim," she says. "I am not. If anything, I have proven to myself that, in the last year, I am a survivor. I am not a victim."

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo; episodes stream next day on Peacock.&nbsp;

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Brice Sander

field_byline

'RHOC's Shannon Beador Thought She Was Having a 'Nervous Breakdown' Amid John Janssen Drama (Exclusive)

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/shannon-beador" rel="">Shannon Beador</a> felt a little like Wonder Woman filming season 18 of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>.

"There was so much going on there," she tells ET, putting her arms up to deflect imaginary bullets. "Zing! Zing! Zing! With all the things that were coming at me..."

Shannon knew it would be a tough season to navigate, at least initially. Five months before cameras went up, Shannon <a href="https://www.etonline.com/real-housewives-of-orange-county-star-shannon-beador-arrested-for-alleged-dui-and-hit-and-run" rel="">was arrested</a> for driving under the influence (DUI) after crashing her car into a residential building. She broke her nose and arm upon impact. The extent of her injuries came as a shock to viewers during&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/media/videos/shannon-beador-reveals-shocking-injuries-from-alleged-dui-car-crash-228808" rel="">RHOC's premiere</a>, on which she shared a photo of her face completely bloodied in the aftermath of the accident.

"I've heard that certain cast members are thinking that I was looking for sympathy with that," she laments. "I really went back and forth about showing that photograph, because now if someone Googles my name, you know, is that picture gonna show up now, for the rest of my life?"

Shannon hopes by sharing the nitty gritty of what she went through (though, she doesn't remember exact details of the night, other than a fight with her <a href="https://www.etonline.com/shannon-beadors-ex-john-janssen-dating-former-rhoc-star-alexis-bellino-215982" rel="">now-ex, John Janssen</a>, led her to get behind the wheel and angrily drive away from his house, before crashing and briefly going unconscious -- she woke up after being transported to the hospital), others will learn from her mistakes.

"I literally kinda went into hiding, almost," she recalls of the weeks following her arrest. "I still am so humiliated about what happened, and I've still kept my circle very small around me. ... It's just embarrassing."

Shannon pleaded no contest, and is now serving three years probation. She's also enrolled in an alcohol program (she previously completed a separate, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/real-housewives-of-oc-star-shannon-beador-addresses-dui-arrest-i-made-a-terrible-mistake-216957" rel="">28-day treatment</a>) and doing community service as part of her punishment. Shannon considered opting out of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhoc-season-18-trailer-is-here-shannon-storms-beador-and-alexis-bellino-go-head-to-head-over-john" rel="">season 18</a> to focus on rebuilding, but ultimately re-upped for another year.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador poses for her &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Orange County&amp;#039; season 18 cast portrait." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="7b67bc28-7262-4ebb-b7fe-26562123650e" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I wished that I could [take a year off], but I didn't," Shannon says. "You learn when you're on the show for this long, when you don't go to a dinner you are going to be talked about at that dinner, so I needed to be there, too, to clarify, because as you are seeing this season, other people have a completely different narrative about me and it's incorrect."

"For me, a way to move past the guilt and the shame of what happened is to for me is to confront it head on," she explains of laying it all out there this season. "I am so grateful that no one got hurt, because that is something that I don't think that I could have moved past. So, again, I was so grateful, but I am learning from that experience and I am trying. I still have a lot of shame, but I am trying to create a positive out of it, in any way I can."

"I don't need to defend myself," she reflects. "I used to tend to do that, and I feel that now I know who I am, and those close to me know who I am, as well. If the viewers, or the fans, believe the lies that other cast members are saying about me, then I am sorry that they do, but there is nothing I can do about it."

The biggest lie Shannon says is being told about her is that she's an alcoholic. Shannon owns up to previously having an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, using it to "numb" herself from the stresses of major life changes; just before the DUI, she became an empty nester as <a href="https://www.etonline.com/shannon-beador-tearfully-apologizes-to-daughters-for-dui-arrest-in-rhoc-season-18-premiere-228480" rel="">her youngest daughters</a>, twins Stella and Adeline, went off to college; she was also stuck in the loop of an on-again, off-again relationship with her ex. Now, Shannon says, she's figured out new ways to cope, but still imbibes from time to time.&nbsp;

"Today, I go on long walks, I exercise, I put cold packs on, I do breathing," she rattles off. "There's a bunch of different things that I do, but I have learned so many things by going to the program that I went to. I am looking at myself and how I have dealt with things, from my childhood on, by stuffing them inside, not addressing them, so there is just a laundry list of good things that are coming out of what happened."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador and her ex-boyfriend, John Janssen, pose backstage at BravoCon 2022." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="530db36d-fa94-42f5-ad11-9da095471c20" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Shannon says the biggest change she's made is simply a realization: she's OK on her own.

"I am a relationship girl," she confesses. "You could set me up with anybody, and I will be their girlfriend and that is how my life has been so far, and I always feel like I am not worthy if I don't have a partner with me."

"It&nbsp;was very difficult at the beginning, when I finally moved and I was living by myself with [my dog] Archie, and not having my kids there," she continues. "You know, just sitting there with me. It was really hard a the beginning, but I continue to work with my therapist and a psychiatrist from the facility that I went to, so that I am blessed to have them."

Finding strength in herself gave her the strength to face her critics, aka her castmates.

"I knew that <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/tamra-judge" rel="">Tamra Judge</a> was already gunning for me before the season started," she notes. "I have no fear of going against certain cast members, but it's never fun to be up against Tamra."

Shannon says, every time she filmed with Tamra this season, Tamra called her an "alcoholic."

"It's a character damning thing to say to a person, and it's crossing the line," Shannon hits back. "She has no knowledge, especially what I have been doing in the last year. She doesn't know. So, it's not OK with me, and I am not alright with it."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador took the stage together at BravoCon 2023." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="04ca4bfb-98d4-472b-b91e-7cbf28d04586" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Shannon clarifies that she did stay sober for a period of time, especially when she was in outpatient treatment, but she and her doctors determined she didn't have a dependence on alcohol.&nbsp;

"What I wanted to get to the core of was, why do I make toxic choices?" Shannon says. "Choosing alcohol to cope falls in that category, but there was other choices that I was making, too. So this program did have an alcohol component. I had a sober coach throughout the whole thing."&nbsp;

Shannon says Tamra misrepresents their friendship at the time of her arrest; the pair <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tamra-judge-opens-up-about-friendship-with-shannon-beador-and-life-after-rhoc-exclusive-144971" rel="">famously fell out</a> after Bravo fired Tamra from&nbsp;RHOC&nbsp;ahead of season 15. They didn't reconnect until Tamra returned to the show for season 17, and at that time, Shannon says, she kept Tamra at an arm's length. They never got back to the sisterhood they once shared.

"I wasn't willing to bring things back to the way they were," she explains. "I am not going to let Tamra Judge tell me what I need to do. Today, I can go out and have a few drinks. I keep saying two, sometimes I have had three, but I am keeping an eye on it. So, let the viewers watch all of the cast members this year and see their relationship with alcohol, OK?"

"Every single person [on the show] has had a really serious issue with Tamra, that's just what she does," Shannon says. "If Tamra wasn't talking about me this season, what would she be talking about?"

Yes, Tamra's been a vocal critic of Shannon's since the arrest, repeatedly proclaiming that her co-star needed to go to rehab. <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhocs-tamra-judge-fires-back-at-claims-shes-a-bad-friend-after-shannon-beador-dui-fallout-exclusive" rel="">She told ET</a> she's "the best friend" Shannon ever had, but Shannon dropped her because she was afraid of hearing the truth from Tamra.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="994aade7-fd13-4362-a8da-6f901861b23c" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"Wow," Shannon reacts, hearing the comment for the first time. "First of all, she said to me that she didn't know what a good friend was until she had met me and I'm sorry, Tamra, I have other friends that have been true friends for me with me since college."

Shannon and Tamra's 2.0 friendship crumbled in part thanks to a business partnership. They, along with OG Housewife <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/vicki-gunvalson" rel="">Vicki Gunvalson</a>, devised a "Tres Amigas" stage show, which premiered just before Shannon's arrest. They had committed to more dates after her DUI, a concern for Tamra, seeing as the show itself largely revolved around alcohol. Tamra's also said she learned Shannon was speaking ill of her, behind her back (which Shannon's denied).

"[The next show] was over a month, a little over a month from the DUI, and it's actually quite funny, because I had been to BravoCon and I got through it OK," Shannon establishes a timeline. "I'm not gonna hide under a rock. I want to confront the issue so my life doesn't need to end by doing this. I know that [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/luann-de-lesseps" rel="">Luann de Lesseps</a>] did a show a month after her [arrest], so I'm OK doing that. We did two nights in Phoenix, and we took anything alcohol related out of the show. Do you know what happened the second night? Tamra goes, 'We're putting the alcohol song back in,'&nbsp;&nbsp;and I said, 'I don't feel comfortable about that. I just got a DUI.' 'No, it's fine. We're putting it in.'"

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador pose together at BravoCon 2023." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="c5eacb75-e805-42bb-9505-542e98ec65f3" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhocs-tamra-judge-explains-the-tres-amigas-fallout-where-she-stands-with-shannon-beador-vicki" rel="">Tamra's claimed</a> Shannon attempted to sneak a cocktail backstage at the shows, but Shannon says she wasn't hiding her alcohol consumption at all. In fact, she says she made a point to draw attention to the fact that she made herself a drink.&nbsp;

"What did I learn at a facility that helped me create healthy boundaries for myself? I had a toxic relationship with Tamra," Shannon says. "Every year, she had a problem with me, had a problem with something I did or didn't do, and every time, in deference to the friendship, I just kinda brushed off certain things. I'm not going back this time. I'm not, but I mean, watch the show. She says she's done with me. I'm fine with that."

Shannon and Vicki are still close (and have continued the stage show as a duo), despite Tamra's claim that Vicki privately shares her same concerns about Shannon. Vicki, like Tamra, claimed Shannon "ghosted" her when she was also let go from&nbsp;RHOC&nbsp;after season 15. Most recently, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/taylor-armstrong" rel="">Taylor Armstrong</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills" rel="">Real Housewives of Beverly Hills</a>&nbsp;star who joined&nbsp;RHOC&nbsp;as a "friend of" for season 17, shared a similar story on her&nbsp;The Naked Truth&nbsp;podcast, saying she felt abandoned by Shannon when she, too, was not asked back to the series.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-shortcode-id="social-media" data-ctd-shortcode-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/C-SJgYDRG4b/?hl=en">&nbsp;</div>

"I have apologized to Taylor, because, like I said, after my DUI, I really cut most people out of my life," Shannon offers. "It's interesting that Tamra put that bug in Taylor's ear, because we did have lunch plans, and she had guests so she backed out, but I did have her come to my house at Christmas ... but the phone works both ways."

"I really haven't been reaching out to people," she continues. "I don't really go out, either. I don't go to big restaurants, or, 'Let's go to the bar!' I have a few neighborhood spots that I go to, so I apologized, and I apologized to Taylor recently, but it's a good subject matter. I take responsibility. Yes, I was not dialing Taylor off the hook, but I cared about her.... and I apologize for any part of that, you know, for Tamra, too. I apologize to her. If you think that I was ghosting you back then, we were filming again and we all know what happens when you are filming. You're flipping busy."

This season, Shannon finds herself closest to two women she's historically been at odds with on the show: <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/emily-simpson" rel="">Emily Simpson</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/gina-kirschenheiter" rel="">Gina Kirschenheiter</a>. Gina lived through her own DUI ordeal a few years ago, which became a point of contention for her and Shannon, as Shannon would bring it up often, as a dig. Now, Shannon says, she's eating her words. The two shared an emotional moment early this season, with Shannon offering Gina a heartfelt apology for adding pain to her plate.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador chats with Emily Simpson and Gina Kirschenheiter on the season 18 premiere of Bravo&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Orange County.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="97c374d5-127c-4d37-8c9b-abac365ff6cf" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I was overwhelmed with all of a sudden -- you'll see it a few times this season -- all of a sudden, I just get consumed with emotion," Shannon says. "It just floods me, and that happened that day. ... I apologized to her for not being as understanding, because I was the person saying, 'There's no excuse to ever get a DUI!'"

"It's unbelievable," Shannon adds of Gina now being her champion on the cast. "I'm grateful for her being so accepting of my apology, and being able to forgive me and try to move forward."

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.

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&nbsp;

'RHOC's Shannon Beador Hits Back at Tamra Judge's 'Good Friend' Comment and Post-DUI Attacks (Exclusive)

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/rachel-fuda" rel="">Rachel Fuda</a> will soon be a mom of four!

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey" rel="">Real Housewives of New Jersey</a>&nbsp;star made the reveal during Sunday's unconventional reunion, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhonj-special-reunion-first-look-tensions-run-high-as-cast-watches-explosive-episode-in-separate" rel="">subtitled&nbsp;Off the Rails</a>, that she and her husband, John, were <a href="https://www.etonline.com/real-housewives-of-new-jersey-star-rachel-fuda-is-expecting-a-baby-230313" rel="">expecting their fourth child</a>. The pair previously welcomed daughters&nbsp;Gianella and Guiliana together, while Rachel adopted John's teen son, Jaiden, from a previous relationship.

"Jaiden was actually funny," Rachel shares to ET, speaking of her son's reaction to the family expanding. "We sat down, and I'm like, 'We have to talk to you...' and I filmed the whole thing, and it was like the biggest womp, womp, womp! He's like, 'I knew it.' I'm like, 'What do you mean you knew it?' He's like, 'I just knew it. I just knew!'"

Rachel dropped the baby bomb on her castmates in the final moments of episode, eliciting some big reactions from the women she sat down with to relive&nbsp;RHONJ's explosive season 14 finale: <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/melissa-gorga" rel="">Melissa Gorga</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/margaret-josephs" rel="">Margaret Josephs</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/danielle-cabral" rel="">Danielle Cabral</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/jennifer-fessler" rel="">Jenn Fessler</a>.

"I had seen the girls right before we [filmed] together," Rachel recalls. "I was in my backyard, and all the girls were like in my pool hut outside, and [Danielle] yells across the backyard, and she's like, 'Are you pregnant?!' And I'm like, 'No, that is so offensive.' I'm like, do I look pregnant?! Which, like, I'm so bloated that I definitely did at that point. And I'm like, how? Why does she think that I'm pregnant like? Why is she saying that? And she's like, 'I had a dream that you're pregnant.'"

"I went to the bathroom, and I'm like, whoever's telling her, shut up," Rachel continues, miming talking to spirits in the sky. "I'm not telling them yet! Because once you tell one, then they all know, you know? ... So when got together at the reunion special, that's why she is freaking out, because she called it. So, she was losing her mind. ... She is a witch, man!"

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Rachel Fuda shocks her &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of New Jersey&amp;#039; cast with her pregnancy reveal." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="946b7285-942c-431b-9193-e5b28d9eae80" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Rachel was concerned Melissa had caught on, too, after Melissa called her out for not drinking during a night out together.

"I wanted to say it the second I sat down [at the taping], just to get it over with, because I was, like, I was like sweating," Rachel shares. "I don't know why I was nervous, but I just wanted to get it out! Like, Melissa going out to dinner with her, stressed me out. ... She's the one that stressed me out the most because she pays attention."

It was a happy moment to wrap up an otherwise <a href="https://www.etonline.com/interview-melissa-gorga-agrees-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-needs-changes-amid-toxic-season-14-exclusive" rel="">heavy season of&nbsp;RHONJ</a>, which ended with the cast at such divided odds that the network opted out of bringing them together to reunite as it had the 13 previous seasons. Instead, the ladies came together in two separate factions -- <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/teresa-giudice" rel="">Teresa Giudice</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/jennifer-aydin" rel="">Jennifer Aydin</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/jackie-goldschneider" rel="">Jackie Goldschneider</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/dolores-catania" rel="">Dolores Catania</a> being the other group -- to provide commentary on the headline-making finale episode at the scene of the crime, so to speak, Rails Steakhouse.

"I'm not gonna lie, I was a little confused," Rachel says of what all made the final cut. "I feel like I need to watch it again, but I just I think that watching the two rooms, our room felt very like, it was a group of friends watching the episodes together, as we have multiple times, you know, sitting on my living room couch, chatting, laughing. You know, mocking people. Like, that's what we do.&nbsp;And then, the other room is like, 'Why would they do that? Why would they do this? They need to say that. And what? Oh, shut up!' And like, all these very meaningful sentences, like everything was very purposeful, and it feels very manufactured to me."

Two of the most talked-about moments coming out of the&nbsp;Off the Rails&nbsp;episode so far include Teresa still not caring <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhonj-season-14-explosive-finale-jackie-goldschneiders-bombshell-confession-revealed-230008" rel="">Jackie spoke with Teresa's husband, Louie Ruelas', ex behind her back</a> -- Teresa only cared that Margaret had been involved with the woman, and Jackie denied doing anything nefarious with the information she was provided -- and Teresa defending Louie saying he hopes Margaret's son suffers (a comment <a href="https://www.etonline.com/teresa-giudices-husband-louie-ruelas-apologizes-for-wishing-suffering-on-margaret-josephs-son" rel="">he's since apologized</a> for on social media).

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Jackie Goldschneider and Margaret Josephs got into it while filming &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of New Jersey&amp;#039; season 14 finale." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="712da882-48c4-4ff1-b66a-466edc81ad09" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"Listen, Margaret is my friend and Jackie is not, and based on her past behavior, I mean, she literally got called out for having the ex in her house, and lied right to Teresa's face," Rachel muses. "No, I don't believe her [version of events]."

As for the Louie situation, Rachel wants Teresa to realize "it's OK to tell your partner they're wrong."

"It is also OK to apologize on their behalf," she has. "But it takes a fully emotional, intelligent person to do that."

Teresa took issue with Rachel's husband <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhonjs-rachel-fuda-on-feeling-betrayed-by-jenn-fessler-in-season-14-feud-with-teresa-giudice-225597" rel="">throughout season 14</a>, too, their friction coming to a head at that fateful finale, where Teresa once again referenced John's past arrest for drug possession. Since the season started airing, news stories have surfaced about other run-ins with the law John faced in his late teens and early 20s. The revelations left some fans feeling lied to by the Fudas, who had only addressed an underage arrest up until this point.

"We have all made mistakes, and my intention was never to misrepresent," Rachel offers now, "But to expect a 36-year-old man to walk around carrying and bearing the weight of mistakes he made at ages 18, 19 and 20 is comical, because there's people that were criminals yesterday that decide today that they're going to be a better person, you know? Those mistakes that he made have shaped him into who he is. He's again -- I've said this a million times -- not ashamed of it. But he's not walking around with these mistakes, meeting people, saying, 'This is what I did when I was 20. This is what I did when I was 18...' like, it just doesn't work that way. And there's also a lot of missing pieces to those stories, and he doesn't owe any of them an explanation. Sorry."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="The cast of &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of New Jersey&amp;#039; season 14." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="7760d0b9-77e3-447c-b877-39ab2d555a0f" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Rachel's biggest disappointment in the edit was finding out a 20-plus minute discussion over <a href="https://www.etonline.com/teresa-giudice-reacts-to-rhonj-social-media-drama-and-promises-black-and-white-facts-come-out-in" rel="">the social media drama</a>, which&nbsp;exploded ahead of the season and added an additional layer of distrust between the sides, didn't get its due on screen. Before season 14 premiered, screenshots circulated on social media that appeared to show Teresa and Jennifer encouraging at least one blogger to pursue certain information, or post certain information, in order for the women to have a reason to bring it up on camera and push story. Jennifer's owned up to some of this dabbling, while Teresa's denied any involvement and, instead, pointed the finger at Margaret and Melissa for doing it. They've also <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhonjs-margaret-josephs-has-no-regrets-over-jackie-goldschneider-fallout-sounds-off-on-season-14" rel="">denied taking part</a> in the behavior.&nbsp;

"That’s literally one of the main reasons that we're sitting in opposite rooms right now," she laments. "Jen Aydin and I didn't have any issue all season long until all this stuff came out online. ... That was a very important piece of the puzzle, to make sense of it all. But I guess, if the same puzzle pieces aren't fitting back together, then what does it actually matter?"

The one thing the two groups seem to agree on is that there's no moving forward with the other. That's left producers in a precarious place: a big question mark on what the future of&nbsp;RHONJ&nbsp;looks like moving forward. Does the show get a <a href="https://www.etonline.com/andy-cohen-says-bravo-will-figure-out-how-to-refresh-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-229162" rel="">full-on reboot</a>, with an all-new cast, like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city" rel="">The Real Housewives of New York City</a>?&nbsp;Or, does it get&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-miami" rel="">The Real Housewives of Miami</a>&nbsp;treatment, with a half-and-half approach to casting? On Sunday's episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/watch-what-happens-live" rel="">Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen</a>, comedian Matt Rogers pitched Andy Cohen -- who executive produces the&nbsp;Housewives&nbsp;shows -- on keeping the majority of the cast, claiming it's Teresa, Jennifer and Jackie who are holding the show back from being "fun."&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Matt Rogers pitched this group as &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of New Jersey&amp;#039; season 15 cast to Andy Cohen on &amp;#039;Watch What Happens Live.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="c2223e72-dd49-4d4d-b850-749b4dce5a41" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I'd love to see that," Rachel admits. "I think that we are a group, even if you didn't add anyone else to that cast, we could make a show out of us. We could! And I think that we're able to have conflict with each other, and also resolution, which are the two words that go together in these shows. And I think that's a huge issue with our cast is that there's a ton of conflict and not enough resolution. So, there has to be both of those things to make a show work, and it's unfortunate that there's only conflict and no resolution, but we're at the end of the conflict rope now."

Rachel says she's in a good place with everyone she shared her Rails room with -- including Jenn and Dolores -- and "would like to do the show again," but notes there are "factors I would have to consider before returning ... and I think that I think the network knows what they are, for all of us." If this is the end of her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/real-housewives" rel="">Housewives</a>&nbsp;chapter, though, she's OK with that, too.

"I feel great," she shares. "I'm grateful to have had the opportunity, and I've done some really cool stuff along the way, and I've made friendships that I will have forever, and I just feel grateful for it. Whatever is going to happen is gonna happen."

History could repeat itself, though. When she joined the show for <a href="https://www.etonline.com/gallery/meet-the-cast-of-the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-season-13-205568" rel="">season 13</a>, she started filming just two months after giving birth to her youngest daughter. Cameras might go back up on the next iteration of&nbsp;RHONJ&nbsp;just after she gives birth to her next kiddo, though Rachel and John are choosing to keep details about the pregnancy -- including the child's sex and due date -- private for now.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Rachel Fuda and her family did a photoshoot to celebrate her pregnancy." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="22d036c9-30d8-4bbe-ae24-3fe735bad26f" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"We're just enjoying announcing our pregnancy and all that," she explains. "But we did our third IVF transfer, and it was a bumpy road. It wasn't all smooth sailing, like my first two pregnancies, to get pregnant. But, ultimately, everything always works out in the end, and I feel very grateful and I'm very blessed."

Rachel's girls interacting with their new sibling (or siblings -- Rachel's not sure this will be the last!) would surely make for some cute TV.

"They haven't stopped talking about it!" Rachel reveals. "They're like, 'We're gonna have a baby. We're gonna have a baby. I want to feed the baby the bottle. I'm gonna change the baby's diaper. I'm gonna wipe the baby. Mommy, I'll babysit.' That's Gigi's new thing: 'You and daddy can go to dinner, and I'll watch the babies.' I'm like, oh, the babies?&nbsp;... I'm like, what do you charge? She's like $5. I'm like, you're hired!"

All episodes of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey" rel="">The Real Housewives of New Jersey</a>&nbsp;are now streaming on Peacock, including an extended and uncensored version of the&nbsp;Off the Rails&nbsp;special.

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&nbsp;

'RHONJ's Rachel Fuda on Her 'Off the Rails' Pregnancy Reveal and Reaction to Reunion Special (Exclusive)

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/sara-al-madani" rel="">Sara Al Madani</a> wants to hand out awards to her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-dubai" rel="">The Real Housewives of Dubai</a>&nbsp;cast after season 2. Well, one award to one castmate, that is.

"That's an Oscar performance, Lesa should be in Hollywood, acting," the entrepreneur quips to ET.

She's speaking of <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/lesa-milan" rel="">Lesa Milan</a>, who finds herself at the center of the end-of-season drama, after a voice note Sara sent to Lesa in private, discussing the fallout between two other friends in the circle -- <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/caroline-brooks" rel="">Caroline Brooks</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/taleen-marie" rel="">Taleen Marie</a> -- became public within the group, thanks to Lesa sharing it with her bestie, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/chanel-ayan" rel="">Chanel Ayan</a>, who played it for Lesa's frenemy, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/caroline-stanbury" rel="">Caroline Stanbury</a>, and Taleen. The would-be double-sided betrayal surfaced on the cast trip to Bali, where Lesa broke into frustrated tears, proclaiming she felt blindsided by Ayan. Sara says that was all for show, literally.

"When we wrapped up, we found out that Lesa knew Chanel showed the voice note to them," she reveals. "That's why Chanel's reaction was like, 'Why are you crying?' Like, 'Why are you acting like a victim? You knew I showed them the voice note. I told you!' and it's, it's just crazy."

Sara says she's "120 percent" sure Lesa faked, or at the very least embellished, her reaction to dramatize the moment: "People who worked on set with us, they all said she knew about the voicemail."&nbsp;

"They'll take the lie to the grave and believe the lie, and live it," Sara says of the "Oscar performance" she witnessed. "Believe it, and cry about something that didn't happen, and they lied about. So, it's scary. It's like, it's scary. Is it a multiple personality disorder, is it for the camera? Is it... I don't know what it is, but there's a lot of things that we need to clear."&nbsp;

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="The cast of &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Dubai&amp;#039; season 2." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="d7137879-4d7a-4c02-ade9-d1df7b99de44" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

The person who didn't have a reaction in all this, at least not much of one, was Sara. It might be a surprise to the audience, but not to Sara.

"If you can trigger me and control me, then I'm on your leash," she notes. "You can drag me for a walk whenever you want to. So, no."

Lesa shared the voice note with Ayan in an attempt to get Ayan's read on who exactly Sara was talking about on the recording. Lesa supposedly interpreted a comment Sara made about not being someone's "biggest fan" to be about Brooks; Sara says it was obvious she was talking about Taleen, a fact to which the group agreed when they all listened to it together. It's more proof, Sara says, that Lesa is lying, adding an unexpected layer to <a href="https://www.etonline.com/why-rhodubais-lesa-milan-is-both-dreading-and-looking-forward-to-watching-back-chanel-ayan-feud" rel="">the friendship breakup</a> between Lesa and Ayan. However, Sara says she saw it coming all along.

"I've seen it since season 1," she explains. "Lesa is doing exactly what she did to Nina."

Nina is <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/nina-ali" rel="">Nina Ali</a>, an OG Housewife -- and Sara's BFF -- who <a href="https://www.etonline.com/nina-ali-announces-exit-from-real-housewives-of-dubai-after-1-season-198222" rel="">exited the show after season 1</a>, which saw the cast split into two factions: Lesa and Ayan, and everyone else.&nbsp;

"History is repeating itself," she continues. "Chanel is not herself about Lesa, and she's always controlled. I don't like it, and I keep telling Chanel, you are an individual. Just be yourself. You have a personality, you know?&nbsp;Don't let people tell you what to say, how to act and don't water yourself down so you can be digestible. No. Stick in their throats. Let them choke on you, baby."

Ayan finds the split -- which happened nearly a year ago -- bittersweet in a way.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Lesa Milan and Chanel Ayan on season 2 of Bravo&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Dubai.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="fcf0aa88-67c5-4a2e-87f9-3a2a3939f26f" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I don't enjoy friends breaking, for sure, but I also enjoy if friends break, because it's better for the mental health, of who they are," she offers. "I love Chanel now, the headspace she's in. I love how she feels! I love, how she's glowing! She can be herself and all that. So I'm happy for her. I don't know how Lesa's feeling, because I'm not close to Lesa, but I am glad if it makes them happier, you know?"

Both women have maintained they're open to reconciliation, but Sara says if that comes (the cast shot the <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-real-housewives-of-dubai-season-2-taglines-are-here-exclusive-226146" rel="">season 2</a> reunion just after this interview was conducted), their friendship won't be the same as it once was.

"If you put a broken vase back together, it's not gonna look the same. It has cracks," she says. "If it makes them happy, great. Whatever is better, good for them, for their mental health, or how they feel, if it makes them better, I'm for it."

Coming out of season 2, Sara says she found herself closest to Ayan and, somewhat surprisingly, Stanbury. She and the latter butted heads this season, as Stanbury felt as if Sara's attempts to mediate a conflict between Stanbury and Brooks bled into meddling territory.&nbsp;

"She really did not like the fact that I was friends with Brooks, and every time, you know, when your friends do mistakes, you stand up for your friends," Sara muses. "Even though they do mistakes, you call them out when you're alone. But in front of people you go, OK, calm down. It's not that deep. Let it go. Don't fight. She doesn't. She did not like that. I was trying to calm the fire between her and Brooks. You know, she wanted me to take her side blindly, and I won't. I will never do this for Brooks. I'll never do this for her or anybody."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Caroline Stanbury and Chanel Ayan grow close on season 2 of Bravo&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Dubai.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="61b2a05c-4866-47b6-b077-0cbb99bc4f25" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Another unexpected friendship coming out of season 2 is the one between Stanbury and Ayan, given that Stanbury famously proclaimed hell would have to freeze over in order for that to happen. It was a shock to Sara, too, who claims Stanbury kept her post-season 1 bond with Ayan a secret until cameras went back up on season 2 -- so secret, in fact, that she acted as if they were not growing closer when with the other women.

"I don't know why she was hiding it," Sara reflects. "I don't know what the intention was. Maybe it's selfish. Maybe it's mean. Maybe it's malicious. Maybe she doesn't even know that she's doing something wrong. I have no idea, because some people don't even know of their own habits and patterns and behaviors that are bad. So, I don't know, but in the end, I love her, and I love [her husband, Sergio Carrallo], and I think me and Stanbury can fix things, easily. It might not be the same 100 percent, but it will be 80 percent the same. That’s a good bargain."

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-dubai" rel="">The Real Housewives of Dubai</a>&nbsp;airs Tuesdays on Bravo. Episode stream next day on Peacock. For more from Sara -- including her thoughts on Brooks becoming a pot-stirrer, what really happened with her love interest Akin and her one ask for season 3 -- watch the full interview in the player above.

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'RHODubai's Sara Al Madani Calls Lesa Milan an 'Actor' Who Faked Voice Note Drama (Exclusive)

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/katie-ginella" rel="">Katie Ginella</a> is embracing the shade.

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;season 18 rookie's debut season kicked off with a headline-making label from co-star <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/heather-dubrow" rel="">Heather Dubrow</a>, who dubbed Katie "Noella 1.5" <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhocs-heather-dubrow-calls-newbie-katie-ginella-noella-15-weighs-in-on-alexis-bellino-vs-shannon" rel="">while speaking with ET</a>. That's a reference to <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/noella-bergener" rel="">Noella Bergener</a>, who exited the show after just one outing as a 'Wife -- season 16 -- following her feud with Heather over authenticity. Neither woman thought the other was being her real self on camera.&nbsp;

"I actually didn't really know Noella, I only knew some of the things the women told me about Noella and so, when she said that, I had to kind of Google it," Katie confesses to ET. "I think it was meant to be a dig, but I took it as, I don't know? A compliment. Noella's gorgeous, she's funny, she's smart. She owns her business, so I loved it. I embraced it. I called myself 'Noella 1.5' in a post."

Yes, Katie used the comment as the caption for her premiere party pics, thanking fans for the outpouring of love so far.

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"That '1.5' was good," she laughs, teasing another name-calling moment to come on the show.

"I love it, and Noella's&nbsp;hot," she reiterates. "There's one name that I get called in the season, but I kind of think its funny. You'll hear it. It kind of goes on for a couple of weeks, and I kind of love that. But, yeah, so far that Noella 1.5 ... and Noella and I have a mutual friend right now trying to get us together for lunch. So we can get a 'Noella 1 and 1.5' photo, it'll be great."

The reason Heather put Katie in a Noella-shaped box is due to a little drama Katie drummed up just weeks into filming, drama Katie is adamant she thought would be silly and fun, not friendship-ending. As fans will recall, the ladies discussed Heather potentially calling the paparazzi on herself between seasons 16 and 17 while out at Disneyland with her family. Pictures surfaced of Heather and her husband, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/terry-dubrow" rel="">Dr. Terry Dubrow</a>, looking quite loved-up just after gossip reports popped up claiming the couple was headed for a split. Heather and Terry <a href="https://www.etonline.com/media/videos/rhocs-heather-terry-dubrow-respond-to-rumors-about-marriage-and-on-set-drama-exclusive" rel="">denied both the relationship rumors</a> and the paparazzi claims, but speculation persisted online.&nbsp;

"Before I even knew any of these women, I was scrolling TikTok, as one does at night with no kids, and a TikTok came up from GeorgioSays," Katie recalls, referencing a clip posted in October of 2022 -- more than a year before she joined this circle -- of a Bravo fan/content creator who was poking fun at the pictures.

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"He was talking about how Heather allegedly called the paparazzi, so I thought it was funny," she continues. "I screenshot it, sent it to a friend of mine who is in charge of a lot of the paparazzi operations and ... I said, 'Is this true?' Like, 'Settle this for me.' I thought it was funny, because him and I have such a deep relationship -- we're really good friends, we talk about a lot of celebrities that call him -- so it's just banter, and he responded, 'Yes,' and then called me and was like, 'Why do you want to know this?' and I was like, 'I don't know, I thought it was funny,' 'cause we talk about this a lot."

Months later, when Katie met Housewife <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/gina-kirschenheiter" rel="">Gina Kirschenheiter</a>, she remembered the text exchange with her friend and shared it with her soon-to-be co-star.

"It wasn't like I was trying to dig up [stuff on] Heather," she makes clear. "It literally came across my For You Page."

"I wasn't looking for something, I didn't come in with ill intent to hurt Heather or look for information on Heather," she says. "I'm not jealous of her. I'm not obsessed with her. I'm not coming for her. it all just happened, and it was confusing to me all these things that were domino-ing."

The dominoes come crashing down on Thursday's episode, as Katie hosts the ladies for a golf outing gone wrong. Before she has the chance to connect with Heather about the pictures, the women connect the dots for Heather.

"I regret how it was brought up," Katie admits. "I wanted to have a conversation with her like, 'Look, I found out this information. I'm so sorry, but heads up, I kinda told a couple of people...' and instead it did not go that way."

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What happens instead is a heated chat between Heather and Katie, during which Katie presses Heather on lying about staging the photoshoot. Heather stands firm that she did not call the paparazzi.&nbsp;

"I was hoping we would both laugh it off, 'cause it's silly!" Katie laments. "I mean, a lot of celebrities call paparazzi, tell them where they're gonna be, what they're wearing or whatever it is, and not knowing Heather I thought it was gonna be a silly, funny thing. Gina and I discussed it ahead of time and we both thought it was silly and funny. so I thought that's how she would take it... but I don't know Heather very well. She did not take it to be silly and funny."

"From what I hear, from the other women, she doesn't like to be caught off-guard, so I think that me catching her in this lie was more than she could handle," Katie surmises. "Let me just say, if you're not guilty of something, why are you making it such a big deal? If it's not a big deal and it's not ... valid, you would just brush it off and be like, 'That's just not true. I'm not gonna talk about it with you.'"

Katie "more than 100 percent" believes the information her friend gave her and stands firm that Heather is lying.&nbsp;

"I try my best to resolve with Heather and move forward," she previews. "I guess you'll see how that works out for me."

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Heather has painted the paparazzi saga as Katie coming in with a pre-thought-out, calculated agenda to go after her to secure story for the show. She's made mention of Katie cozying up to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/real-housewives" rel="">Real Housewives</a>&nbsp;stars including <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/sutton-stracke" rel="">Sutton Stracke</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/cynthia-bailey" rel="">Cynthia Bailey</a> ahead of signing onto the series as proof that Katie wanted to be in this world at (possibly) any cost. Using Gina, a new realtor in Orange County, to help facilitate a move from San Diego up the coast serves as another piece of Heather's puzzle.&nbsp;

"This was not calculated, this was not something I tried to think of to be on the show," Katie hits back. "Sutton and I have been friends for a couple of years, that's long before I even considered doing Housewives. &nbsp;I moved to Orange County for my business that started, [TeeShots]. My office address is in Huntington Beach, and my two business partners are Huntington and Newport Beach. So, I was driving from San Diego back and forth. I also didn't super love living in San Diego. So, when I wanted to move up to Orange County for my business, my husband was like, 'Yeah, let's do it, that sounds like a great new adventure...' So we were already moving up when I was talking to Housewives about joining."

Katie notes that Sutton (whom she met through the golf world) is the one who introduced her to all the other Bravo-lebs she's now friendly with, including <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/phaedra-parks" rel="">Phaedra Parks</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/denise-richards" rel="">Denise Richards</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/camille-grammer" rel="">Camille Grammer</a>. She didn't go out seeking those friendships, and she didn't use Gina to secure a spot on the show. She was seemingly already in talks.&nbsp;

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"Sutton introduced us," Katie explains. "Gina took me looking for a few houses in her area, and we talked for five hours the first day we met. She was so much fun. There's never a lack of conversation with Gina, she's so great and so, I told her, 'Hey, listen, I might be talking&nbsp; about joining Housewives&nbsp;and she was like, 'That's amazing!' And so, I told her, 'Even if I don't do this Housewife thing, I would still love to be friends,' and she said the same thing. So we went through it like, we're just building a friendship organically."

She, obviously, can't say the same for Heather.

"I don't think Heather and I can care for each other, but we respect on another in a group setting," Katie muses. "She was kind enough for Mother's Day to invite us all to a Mother's Day brunch, all of us -- the whole cast, really -- and I went and, although it can be a little tense, we co-exist OK."

"I'm not sure if I [want a friendship],"she adds. "There's a lot of things said, names called. I don't know if we ever will have a friendship. I mean, hopefully, down the line we would."

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A comical kink is this saga is Heather accidentally tagging Katie in a photo, a social media snafu of which Katie still hasn't gotten to the bottom. Heather claims the woman who helps run her account must've been trying to tag Givenchy, the designer of the dress she was wearing in the post, and somehow accidentally clicked another account with "Gi" in the name, Katie Ginella.

"This is the craziest part: she posted the photo on her birthday, I liked it," Katie notes. "She looked beautiful in the photo, and I woke up the next day and the tag, the timestamp, was 12 hours after she posted the photo. Why'd you tag me? What? ... To do that, you have to be following somebody or you had to have looked them up."

Heather's shot down Katie's assumption that she was somehow sizing her up ahead of starting filming, after Katie felt snubbed by Heather at a Sutton-hosted event they both attended. Sutton also warned Katie not to go up against Heather.

"Well, Sutton gave me that advice kinda after it was too late," she quips.

While she and Heather never quite found their footing, Katie did find the rest of the ensemble more than welcoming. She namechecks <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/jennifer-pedranti" rel="">Jenn Pedranti</a>, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/shannon-beador" rel="">Shannon Beador</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/alexis-bellino" rel="">Alexis Bellino</a>&nbsp;as being especially warm.&nbsp;

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Her favorite moments to film, though, came with her family. Katie is married to golf broadcaster Matt Ginella. Together they have a son,&nbsp;Bandon. Katie is also mom to three other kids -- daughter Kalli and sons Gavin and Maxon -- whom she shares with her ex-husband.&nbsp;

"You'll see [the show's] really cathartic for my daughter," Katie shares. "She had a pretty tumultuous past with my ex-husband, and now considering Matt as her dad, it's good for her to get it out in a way that feels good for her. We only talk about it if she wants to, but this show got her to bring up a lot of things, and you'll see more of that."

"My husband's been on TV for a really long time, so it's pretty easy for him," she continues. "And then my youngest has done a couple of commercials. He loves being on camera, so he thought it was really fun."

Viewers will meet Katie's older son, Gavin, later this season; her other son, Maxon, won't make any appearances, as he lives in Georgia with his father, who opted not to sign off on the minor filming. Kalli and Gavin are both of age and didn't need parental permission to film.

In addition to sharing her children's journey, Katie is, of course, also sharing her own. Adopted from Korea by a white family, viewers will watch Katie explore more of her heritage as she brings some much-needed representation to the franchise.

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"Being the first Korean, I just I take a lot of pride in that," she says. "I remember being a little girl and watching the winter Olympics, and seeing the figure skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi and I was like, 'I want to be a figure skater!' And to see that made me felt good. Seeing someone that looks like you is just so-- it makes you feel like, oh wow! This is so cool. So, that part is awesome for me. I’ve gotten so many DMs from Asian adoptees and Korean-Americans saying how much it means to them to see Asian representation on the screen. That’s huge."

"That's the payment for those times when I’m called a name," she adds. "I'll take the good and the bad."

There's good and bad still to come this season; Katie is bracing for impact until the cast's trip to London airs near the end of the season.

"There's a lot of fun... and then there's a lot of not fun," she reveals. "That was a really tough thing. That was a really tough thing."

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.

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'RHOC's Katie Ginella Responds to Heather Dubrow's 'Noella 1.5' Dig Amid Paparazzi Feud (Exclusive)

It's been said (by <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/heather-dubrow" rel="">Heather Dubrow</a>) that so much happened while filming season 18 of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>, it might not all make it to air.&nbsp;

"It's a good season, it really is," <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/tamra-judge" rel="">Tamra Judge</a> promises to ET. "I think it's a great cast. I think that both [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/gina-kirschenheiter" rel="">Emily Simpson</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/emily-simson" rel="">Gina Kirschenheiter</a>] have really stepped up, really stepped up especially this season."

Gina stepped up and into some mess with season 17 newbie <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/jennifer-pedranti">Jenn Pedranti</a>, who revealed in the premiere she was evicted from the home Gina, a newly licensed realtor, helped her secure by vouching for Jenn in lieu of the landlord doing a credit check. Gina found out about the eviction (in part) after Jenn posted "moving sucks" on Instagram, as the landlord looped Gina into text conversations about months of unpaid rent. Tamra, who is also a licensed real estate agent, lives in the same gated community in which Jenn was renting.&nbsp;

"I found out, actually, from my neighbor," she shares. "My neighbor's like, 'Did you know Jenn just got evicted?' and I'm like, 'No! I didn't, oh my god...' and I thought, that's such a-- I'm not gonna reach out to say, 'Hey, how's your eviction?' Like, I'm letting that one go, and then she started posting that she was moving out of the house. Now the thing is, is like she had only been in that house for four months, so she moved from one house in our community to another rental, but she was only there four months. So I was like, I don't understand... it's very, it's very confusing to me, to rent a house that you clearly can't afford."&nbsp;

In episode 2, viewers watched as Gina confronted Jenn over the ordeal, slamming her for soiling Gina's professional reputation while continuing to spend money on things Gina finds frivolous, like hair and makeup for filming the show. Gina stormed off from the conversation when Jenn didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, briefly breaking the fourth wall to tell production she wasn't going to waste her time talking to someone who didn't want to have an honest talk.&nbsp;

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Jenn Pedranti and Gina Kirschenheiter get into a fiery confrontation on &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Orange County.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="85eb0cf2-5299-41ee-a00c-c1bc325a3885" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"It continues to get nasty," Tamra confirms. "That sit-down, I understand. I understand both sides, but I understand where Gina is coming from, because one thing, I look at Gina as, she was me 15 years ago. So Gina and myself, we got divorced we have kids, and we did what it took to take care of ourselves and our kids. I didn't get child support. I didn't get alimony. Gina didn't for the longest time, you know? I was selling clothes on eBay. I lived in two-bedroom apartments. I wasn't trying to keep up with the Joneses, even though I was on a reality show. I was doing all the things to better myself, to take care of my kids and, with Jenn, like Gina was saying, it's been four years [since you split from your husband]. You haven't done anything! Do something. Support yourself."&nbsp;

Jenn revealed she only makes about $50 per class she teaches at the yoga studio she co-owns; all other money goes back in the business. It's the start of a roller-coaster season for the star, who also got engaged to her longtime love, Ryan Boyajian, this year, just before news broke that he was somehow involved in a $16 million MLB gambling and theft scandal. He's reportedly working with authorities in their ongoing investigation.

"I think Jenn has a history of burying her head," Tamra, a vocal critic of Ryan's, laments.

"I don't know sometimes if it's an act, and that's what Gina was saying, like, 'I can't do you,' like, 'You're so confusing,'" she adds. "It's not good, that's for sure. It worries me for her. If I were her, I would&nbsp;definitely get a career going, because, what's your backup plan?"&nbsp;

Ryan offered up his home to Jenn and her kids after her eviction, but Tamra says the events of season 18 left her feeling "worse" about the guy. <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhoc-to-cover-jenn-pedrantis-fiances-alleged-involvement-in-shohei-otani-mlb-gambling-scandal" rel="">Cameras went back up</a> to capture the aftershocks of the MLB scandal story making headlines.

Gina vs. Jenn isn't the only feud of the season; Heather and season 18 rookie <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/katie-ginella" rel="">Katie Ginella</a> also get into it, with Heather <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhocs-heather-dubrow-calls-newbie-katie-ginella-noella-15-weighs-in-on-alexis-bellino-vs-shannon" rel="">dubbing the newcomer</a> "Noella 1.5," a not-so-nice dig referencing season 16's one-and-done 'Wife <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/noella-bergener" rel="">Noella Bergener</a>, with whom Heather had many issues, namely over what she perceived to be performative behavior.&nbsp;

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"I actually never worked with Noella, so I didn't know what it was like working with Noella," Tamra notes. "I don't know if Noella came in and was very, like, went after Heather immediately. If that is what she is talking about, then yes, she is accurate. Katie came in, and you will see as it plays out, that she has information on Heather that she wants very well known, and it's not information that Heather would ever find funny, but another cast member encouraged her to put this information out there because she thought it was funny."

In sneak peeks at the drama to come, Katie stands firm in labeling Heather a "liar" after Heather asks her to retract the statement.

"Do not call Heather a liar," Tamra cautions, teasing that what Katie brings up isn't exactly new territory for the show, except this time Katie claimed to have evidence to back up the to-be-revealed topic.&nbsp;

"I got crap about this certain situation last season," she muses. "So, there was a part of me like, bring on the proof! Yeah! Right? Just to validate what I said, but then at the end of the day it's not really that big of a deal. It's a thing that a lot of people on TV do."

"It's not that big of a deal, so it was kind of like, 'Oh, this is going to be interesting...' and I thought, it's not going to be good, because Katie was kind of passive aggressive with Heather," she adds. "It's like, 'I have this information about you, but hey, I am going to have a hot-dog stand at my party just for you...' and it's like, did she just-- clearly, she watched the show before."

While she may have a "fan mindset," Tamra gives Katie her stamp of approval as a cast member.

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"I do think Katie's good," she offers. "Your first season is always difficult. Some people get it right off the bat, some people are very outspoken and talkative, and then others are not. She tends to be more on the quiet side, but she does speak her mind. Her confessionals are great, so I'm curious to see how it plays out. I'm watching her as a viewer, as well!"

There's plenty of personal story from Tamra to watch, too. For the first time in nearly a decade, her daughter, Sophia, filmed the show. Prior to turning 18, Sophia's dad, Tamra's ex-husband Simon Barney, refused to sign the release that allowed her to make appearances on camera.

"I was so scared, I was so nervous, because she is my baby and she has such a kind heart," Tamra says. "I left it up to her, do you want to film? And she is like, 'Yeah, I will film...'"

Sophia's an aspiring musician, and the show offers her a platform to showcase her talents. She sings and produces her own tracks.&nbsp;

"She is such a cool chick, and she is so grounded," Tamra gushes. "Everybody seemed to love her [in the premiere], so I just hope it stays that way, because I just don't I don't want anybody to go after her. That was my biggest concern."

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In Sophia's first scene back, she and Tamra visited a local tattoo parlor to each get inked. Tamra selected an angel number design, 111, which she says holds special meaning for her, as every time she sees it, she makes a wish that her older daughter, Sidney, will come home to her.&nbsp;Sidney is Sophia's older sister, who's been critical of&nbsp;The Real Housewives&nbsp;since their parents' divorce. She and Tamra are estranged, and Sidney has repeatedly asked not to be discussed on the show.&nbsp;

"I don't even really want to talk about it, to be honest with you," Tamra says of bringing her up at the tattoo parlor, admitting she regrets doing it.

"Sometimes you get emotional in a scene," she offers. "It opens up a can of worms, and it was my bad, but it is my reality."

Tamra's also looking forward to the cast trips to Big Bear, California (she and her husband, Eddie, own a second home there) and London.

"Heather and I in London, we had so much fun and we were goofy," she smiles. "We shared a big suite together and, oh my god! We were just-- I can't. I don't want to give it away. It's so good, just so much fun that we had together."

It's a nice return to form for the two, who ended season 17 on an odd note.

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"Heather and I, it's funny, because [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/shannon-beador" rel="">Shannon Beador</a>] is&nbsp;saying to Heather, 'The reason why I was hard on you last year and didn't let...' whatever is because of Tamra. It's actually the opposite," she says. "When I came back into this group, Shannon took me aside and told me all kinds of things that Heather had said supposedly said about me, and so that I was like, wait. What? Really? Oh my god. Like, I had no idea, and so that is why I was stepped back and hesitant about everything with Heather. So it was actually the opposite. She was projecting."

There's also a dinner party at some point that sees "some season 17 Tamra" (aka alcohol-induced truth bombing) to come out.

"I was super nervous, super, super nervous about being around this person, and Katie's like, 'Do you want a martini?' And I've never had a martini, I don't think, ever in my life," Tamra previews, confessing she didn't realize the drink was just straight liquor.

"I had three," she confesses. "I don't totally regret what I said, 'cause what I said wasn't a lie, but it's probably something I could have just, you know, just ignored and I didn't."

For more of Tamra's thoughts on season 18, especially those involving Shannon, check out the video and link below.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.

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'RHOC's Tamra Judge Weighs In on Heather vs. Katie, Gina vs. Jenn and More Season 18 Drama (Exclusive)

<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/tamra-judge" rel="">Tamra Judge</a> is adamant she's "the best friend <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/shannon-beador" rel="">Shannon Beador</a> ever had."

"That's the problem," the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;star tells ET, as the pair's most recent falling out plays out on <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhoc-season-18-trailer-is-here-shannon-storms-beador-and-alexis-bellino-go-head-to-head-over-john" rel="">season 18 of the Bravo hit</a>, airing Thursdays and streaming on Peacock.

"She knows that I&nbsp;know so much, and she's so afraid, like, I'm just gonna discredit her and make her look bad, which is horrible. It's absolutely horrible," Tamra says. "You know, she wants to tell lies about me to make me look bad. I had to tell lies about her to make her look good for so many years."

The pair's friendship took a sharp turn nearly a year ago, after <a href="https://www.etonline.com/real-housewives-of-oc-star-shannon-beador-addresses-dui-arrest-i-made-a-terrible-mistake-216957" rel="">Shannon's arrest for DUI</a> in September. Shannon's since pleaded no contest and is serving three years probation for the incident, in which she slammed her car into the side of a residential building while said to be three times the legal limit. While they put on a united front as the "Tres Amigas" alongside <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/vicki-gunvalson" rel="">Vicki Gunvalson</a> at <a href="https://www.etonline.com/event/bravocon" rel="">BravoCon</a> in Las Vegas in November, cracks were deepening behind the scenes.

"Going into this season, we were absolutely not speaking anymore," Tamra explains. "It's hard for the viewers to see .... [because]&nbsp;I was by Shannon's side ... I was crying on the phone with her. I was having hard conversations with her saying, 'This is a wake up call...'"

Tamra, Shannon and Vicki had a stage show together at the time of Shannon's arrest, with a date scheduled just weeks after the DUI made headlines. Tamra wanted to cancel the gig, seeing as much of the show's humor revolved around alcohol. She didn't think it was a good look in the wake of what happened.

"I&nbsp;thought that maybe Shannon needed some professional help, and that she should take a beat from just being on tour, and all that pressure with everything that was coming her way at that time," she says. It's worth noting, Shannon did complete a 28-day program for alcohol before BravoCon.

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Tamra ultimately agreed to continue with the show, seeing as they were committed to a contract. It wound up being <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhocs-tamra-judge-explains-the-tres-amigas-fallout-where-she-stands-with-shannon-beador-vicki" rel="">the final Tres Amigas outing</a> on stage, which was not a total shock to Tamra, who realized mixing business with friendship was going to be tough, long before Shannon's arrest.

"I found out after the first time we did our show in Irvine that [Shannon], that night, got drunk and started saying horrible things about me to somebody I know, and I kind of let it slide," she reveals. "And then, I had told her, I said, 'Listen, I am not going to tell you what was said, but some things were said and I don't appreciate it. If you continue to talk about me like this, I don't want to be involved in this. I don't need to do this show. You need to do this show. So, figure it out. if there is something wrong, tell me. Tell me if you have a problem with me,' and once again, she did it again."

"I just, I can't do this anymore," Tamra continues. "Here I am, helping you. I have been by your side. Nobody knows you better than I do, for the past 10 years. I am trying to help you through this, and you are talking behind my back?"

Shannon's denied talking behind Tamra's back, suggesting Tamra exaggerated comments she did make about small frustrations surrounding Tamra's schedule making it difficult to do their stage show.

"You have to be careful with that Shannon Beador," Tamra warns. "She's very good with her soundbites, and persuading the audience and the viewers into thinking something's happening that isn't."

Tamra points to what she sees as a revisionist history Shannon is writing through this season of&nbsp;RHOC, claiming Tamra abandoned her just after the DUI. Tamra was actually in Scotland, filming <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-traitors-season-2-meet-the-cast-of-reality-royalty-216528" rel="">season 2 of Peacock's&nbsp;The Traitors</a>, when the whole thing played out back home in Orange County.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador pose together at BravoCon 2023." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="c5eacb75-e805-42bb-9505-542e98ec65f3" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I was by Shannon's side, I mean, when she was at BravoCon, she was doing interviews on the red carpet saying that me and Vicki are the only ones that have been there for her and been there the whole way," she notes. "I was keeping [her continued drinking] a secret. She had called me many times after the DUI so drunk, often times calling me, going off on something, hanging up and calling me again, and doing the exact same conversation. Not remembering it!"&nbsp;

Shannon's owned up to being scared in the immediate aftermath of her arrest, and drinking more in the days that followed to cope with the stress. However, she's also shared that she stopped drinking for a period of time, and now maintains a two-drink maximum when she does imbibe. Shannon's made it clear she does not believe she has a drinking problem.&nbsp;

"I just can't do it anymore," Tamra laments. "I&nbsp;thought for sure after this DUI she was going to get help, and I know she is telling people her story is changing all the time. 'I haven't had a drink...'"

Tamra hits back at Shannon's supporters who don't think she has any sympathy for her former friend.

"I do," she says. "I think that people&nbsp;have to understand, if you were in my shoes and here you are trying to help somebody, and all that has gone on in the past 10 years that I had to deal with with this woman was very toxic and exhausting, and then when she got the DUI, I thought-- I was always worried something like this was gonna happen."

"I was worried she was gonna fall down her stairs, get in an accident, something like that," she adds, "and when this happened, I told her, I said, 'This is a wake-up call, you need to get help...' and she goes, 'OK, I know! I know!' And then, went to one of our mutual friends and just laid into me, 'Who the eff does she think she is?!' And I'm like, 'I'm a friend that cares is what I am!' I'm a friend that wants you to get better. You're always sad. You're always depressed. You're always crying. Is this the way you want to live the last half of your life? It's time to make changes."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador poses for her &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Orange County&amp;#039; season 18 cast portrait." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="7b67bc28-7262-4ebb-b7fe-26562123650e" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Tamra's biggest frustration with Shannon's situation is that she doesn't feel like she's taking accountability, nor facing the reality of her relationship with alcohol.

"I think she needs to go to rehab," she declares.&nbsp;"When she got the DUI, she told me, personally, that she is going to therapy to figure out why she is dating the wrong men."&nbsp;

That would seemingly include Shannon's <a href="https://www.etonline.com/shannon-beadors-ex-john-janssen-spotted-holding-hands-with-rhoc-alum-alexis-bellino-216768" rel="">most recent ex, John Janssen</a>, who is now dating <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/alexis-bellino" rel="">Alexis Bellino</a>, the one-time Housewife who returned to&nbsp;RHOC&nbsp;for the first time in a decade as a "friend of" the cast this season. It's the first time Alexis and Shannon have ever been on the show together, jumping straight into a heated confrontation in the premiere.

"I always thought that it would be better to have Alexis come in maybe second or third episode," Tamra reflects. "That way, we can get through all this DUI stuff and what is going on, but now, it's being over shadowed by John Janssen, and everybody is like-- she is the only person I know that can crash her car into a house, three times the legal limit and people are saying, 'I am so sorry this happened to you.'"

"You know, if that happened to me, I would be getting eaten alive!" Tamra says. "Everybody is like, 'Oh, poor Shannon! Oh, poor Shannon! Oh, poor Shannon!' and, let's be honest, if she had a super power, you know what it would be? The victim.&nbsp;She is very good at playing the victim."

The Alexis factor only allows Shannon to do that more than ever this season, at least in Tamra's eyes. Tamra claims Shannon has had it out for Alexis for years, including the night of her arrest, when they were both at the same bar. Shannon's said her issues with Alexis are born out of a lawsuit she and Tamra found themselves embroiled in with Alexis' ex-husband, Jim Bellino, through which both women lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Alexis maintains she had no part in the court battle, seeing as she and Jim were divorced at the time it all started.

"The actual night of her DUI, she had text me from the restaurant -- and I knew she was drunk. I could tell by the way she was texting -- and she went off, because Alexis had walked in the door," Tamra shares. "She goes, 'I am going to go after her!' and I am like, 'Just be nice just be nice. Alexis is not a mean girl. Be nice.'"

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Tamra Judge and Alexis Bellino film season 18 of Bravo&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Orange County.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="30425e4a-cce3-492e-9217-25c64398fd94" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

At the time, Tamra says no one knew Alexis was even in the running <a href="https://www.etonline.com/alexis-bellino-returning-to-the-real-housewives-of-orange-county-for-season-18-as-a-friend-218588" rel="">to return to the show</a>. She also hadn't started seeing John, who was still involved with Shannon at the time of her arrest. Alexis and John wouldn't meet until late 2023, and did not immediately start dating.&nbsp;

"[Alexis] was photographed with John at [RHOC&nbsp;famous bar] The Quiet Woman, the not-so-Quiet Woman, and I sent her a text, I'm like, 'What is going on here? You're not dating him are you?' And she's like, Oh, no, no, no! I just met him for the first time,'" Tamra rattles off. "So, I was at my podcast and I was always defending her. I'm like, 'No, they're not. They're just friends.They just met, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah...' and then at one point, she called me and said, 'I thank you for defending me, and I just want to say that we are dating...' and I just went, oh my god!"

Once she knew Alexis and John were officially an item, Tamra says she reached out to Shannon. It's the text exchange shown, in part, on episode 2.

"I say, 'I know we're not in a good place, but I know this has to feel horrible to you and I'm so sorry...'" Tamra summarizes. "It was right around the holidays, so it's not that I hate Shannon. It's not I don't want her to get better. I want her to get better, but what she does is, when somebody isn't aligned with her or agree with her decisions ... she wants to destroy that person. She got mad at John, she tried to destroy his reputation. She gets mad at me, she tries to destroy my reputation to make herself look better."

Shannon's teased that the world doesn't know the truth about John, and painted him out to be a bit of a fame-seeking moocher. Alexis has defended John as the complete opposite.

"Shannon has called him every name in the book and has said things to go after his character," Tamra reiterates. "If he was that bad, then why did she stay with him for four years?"

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador and John Janssen pose together backstage at BravoCon 2023." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="530db36d-fa94-42f5-ad11-9da095471c20" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Shannon and John are currently in <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhoc-star-shannon-beador-reacts-to-ex-john-janssen-suing-her-over-alleged-75k-facelift-loan-222666" rel="">a legal battle over $75K</a> he says he loaned her for plastic surgery. Shannon says it was not a formal agreement, and that he refused her initial offer to repay him.&nbsp;

"I knew John with Shannon, didn't spend a ton of time with them, but the time that I did spend, he was always very nice to her," Tamra says. "Very nice, and then she would tell me differently."

"Now, Alexis dating him, I mean, it's crazy. It's absolutely crazy," she continues. "I see them together, not a lot. Maybe I have seen them together twice. They seem very happy. I don't know. I don't know what's gonna happen. Who knows? But they seem very happy, and I have never seen him smile so big in my entire life. The guy totally had like a glow up."&nbsp;

While Tamra's learned to never say never in the world of&nbsp;Housewives, she doesn't see her friendship with Shannon bouncing back from <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county-season-18-taglines-are-here-exclusive-229212" rel="">season 18</a>.&nbsp;

"I'm just moving forward," she says. "I don't like to be around toxic people that just talk behind everybody's back all the time."

Her friendship with Vicki is also seemingly over now. Vicki and Shannon have continued the stage show under a different name since Tamra's exit from their group.

"I didn't know that Vicki and I had an issue," she admits. "I didn't know we had a problem. Evidently, she has been saying a ton of horrible things about me. You will see, she is on the show this season. We have a ton of fun. I mean, she had her [and Shannon's] audience chant 'Eff Tamra!' and I was like, we were just texting the week before! What are you doing?"

Tamra's "sad" and "disappointed" to see Vicki turn on her, especially because she says they share, or shared, similar concerns about Shannon.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Shannon Beador and Vicki Gunvalson attended BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas together." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="ae18c045-6110-4b64-adea-15c4e500a9ea" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"You want to stay by Shannon's side, that's fine, but you personally have told me, 'Yeah, she has a drinking problem...'" Tamra claims. "I said, 'If you want to enable her, go right ahead, but I am not doing it anymore.'"&nbsp;

"There's a lot of cattiness that goes on in the show, and a lot of talking behind people's back on the show, but this is this is real life," she says. "This is friendships that have been for decades, and you're gonna do that to me, when all I've ever done is be there for you. In fact, when I left the show, when I was let go, [Shannon] stopped talking to me for two years, did the same thing to Vicki."

Tamra says Shannon likes to make her the scapegoat for her own issues with others, and she's done letting her get away with it.

"This season, we're gonna hear she wasn't friends with [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/gina-kirschenheiter" rel="">Gina Kirschenheiter</a>] because of me, she wasn't friends with [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/heather-dubrow" rel="">Heather Dubrow</a>] because of me," Tamra offers as examples. "Let me just put something out there: I wasn't talking to Heather prior to going on the show last year. We were not speaking, so what information would I know that Heather would tell me, that I told Shannon? The only thing I told Shannon was what happened on the show. That's it! And then, when she says that, I'm just like, name 'em. Name 'em. C'mon. Name 'em, because there's nothing out there. And you can tell when Shannon lies. She looks to the left and does this little voice and I'm like, ugh, she's lying again."

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county" rel="">The Real Housewives of Orange County</a>&nbsp;airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episode stream next day on Peacock.

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'RHOC's Tamra Judge Fires Back at Claims She's a 'Bad Friend' After Shannon Beador DUI Fallout (Exclusive)

Beggar. Liar. Gaslighter.

That's how <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/caroline-brooks" rel="">Caroline Brooks</a> describes her friend -- yes,&nbsp;friend&nbsp;-- <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/taleen-marie" rel="">Taleen Marie</a>. The two women fell out over the course of filming season 2 of Bravo's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-dubai" rel="">The Real Housewives of Dubai</a>, which wrapped nearly a year ago. Now, they're getting to relive their feud and learn new things about it, as they watch scenes they weren't present for and hear confessional commentary filmed in private.

"She is so delusional," Caroline tells ET of Taleen, after <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhodubais-taleen-marie-claims-show-changed-caroline-brooks-were-not-speaking-exclusive-229182" rel="">Taleen told ET</a> that the show had changed the woman she's called a friend for nearly a decade.

"She said, 'It changed her,' as if&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;the season 1 newbie," Caroline scoffs. "Excuse me, I've been at this. I brought you into my friend group, and I brought you onto the show I am on. Don't tell me a camera or something changed me when I'm the very same person. I stuck up for you, and this is what got me to shift, when I saw your behavior being a two-faced person."

Caroline says every narrative Taleen is pushing about her is actually a projection about Taleen herself. She also says the <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-real-housewives-of-dubai-season-2-supertease-shows-intense-feuds-and-new-friendships-223272" rel="">season 2</a> addition is starting to write a revisionist history when it comes to the show.

"She's a liar. She's a liar. She's a liar," Caroline repeats, hitting back at Taleen's claim that she didn't have aspirations of joining&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhodubai-cast-spills-on-their-season-1-drama-and-shutting-down-stereotypes-exclusive-184900" rel="">RHODubai&nbsp;in season 1</a>, because she wanted to see if the Middle East was accepting to a reality show of this style before signing up for it.

"She wanted to be a part of the show from before we even filmed season 1, when I told her, 'Don't tell anyone! I'm going to be on The Real Housewives of Dubai,'" Caroline recalls. "She's like, 'Get me on there! Please, dude! Get me on there.' She's a liar."

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Caroline alleges Taleen "played dumb" on camera when the fourth-wall breaking conversation surrounding her supposedly desperate desire to join the cast came up, after <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/lesa-milan" rel="">Lesa Milan</a> revealed to Taleen, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/chanel-ayan" rel="">Chanel Ayan</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/caroline-stanbury" rel="">Caroline Stanbury</a> that Caroline Brooks had apologized to Taleen for calling her a "beggar." Taleen acted as if it was the first time she'd heard that term.

"Taleen actually said to me that that's what hurt her, is that I called her a beggar," Caroline stands firm, sharing that the term came out of her mouth just after cameras went down at their episode 5 rooftop restaurant confrontation.&nbsp;

"I was going into the elevator shafts after we finished that scene," she says. "I told her, 'You're a beggar.' I said,' You begged me to be on this show.' Ad so she said, when she had called me after that -- prior to seeing each other again -- she had said that that's what hurt, is that I said, she begged, and so I said, 'I apologize for calling you a beggar.' So, for her to act shocked was shocking to me."

"Maybe she's embarrassed of it, and maybe that's why she didn't want me to repeat back what the issue was, because it's an embarrassing thing to say," she continues, "but it was actually show-driven, had nothing to do with [begging for] clothes or money. She didn't beg me for anything [like that]. She has her own lifestyle. It was about being part of my friend group."

The pair's feud hit a crescendo at Stanbury's housewarming dinner, which ended in a screaming match between the two in the driveway. Taleen, cigarette in mouth, spouted about Caroline borrowing her designer duds to dress herself in season 1.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Production separate Caroline Brooks from Taleen Marie on season 2 of Bravo&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Dubai.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="6ebbb8a6-15c4-4ce3-89a0-8a7f2095732c" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

"I have never worn an article of that girl's clothing in my life," Caroline fires back. "I think I have more clothes than anyone I've ever met. So, that was just a throwaway, stupid comment. My entire first season wardrobe is still hanging on racks in my house. I wonder if her season is on her racks."

The fight started inside the house, with Taleen's husband, Raffi, stepping in to, at first, cool things down. His involvement only ramped things up.

"I remember a lot more happening," Caroline teases. "But, of course, the show is not that long enough to show every single bit of it. But reliving it was even difficult watching again."

During the verbal sparring match, Taleen made comments about Caroline not having a husband to defend her.

"Out of line, that was so distasteful," Caroline laments. "You, [Taleen], were around when I was still married to that man, who abused me so badly.&nbsp;And now, you're watching your husband yell at me? It just goes to show who she is as a person. It's more a reflection of her than a reflection of me."

"I think that Taleen's little theater needs to end," she says. "Stop saying I drink too much. Stop saying I'm an alcoholic. ... I don't have a drinking issue. I actually work seven days a week. I own two companies that are thriving."

All that said, though, Caroline isn't writing off her friendship with Taleen.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-shortcode-id="social-media" data-ctd-shortcode-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Co90jqEpt-k/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">&nbsp;</div>

"Can we move on? For sure," she offers. "Will I ever trust her the same? No, but we can get past [this]."

"There's love in my heart for Taleen," she says. "She owes me a a very big apology for all of the games and the gaslighting, and she's continuing to do it, as I can see in interviews."

And despite what some might think (partially by reading <a href="https://x.com/caroline_dubai" rel="">Caroline's posts on X</a>, formerly Twitter), she doesn't regret bringing Taleen into the fold.

"I brought her in with-- every intention was good in my heart," she says. "I know this is something she really wanted, so I would do that for her, or for any friend, for that matter, and I don't regret it. I think that, if anything, she should have a lot of regrets, not me."

Caroline and Taleen's friendship isn't the only one tested by season 2. Fans are gearing up for the big <a href="https://www.etonline.com/why-rhodubais-lesa-milan-is-both-dreading-and-looking-forward-to-watching-back-chanel-ayan-feud" rel="">blow-up between besties Lesa and Ayan</a>, set to play out over the next few weeks. <a href="https://www.etonline.com/the-real-housewives-of-dubai-season-2-mid-season-trailer-is-here-exclusive-228676" rel="">The mid-season trailer</a> featured a snapshot at Caroline's reaction, seemingly delighting in "the house of cards" crumbling.

"They were really mean to Stanbury, myself, [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/nina-ali-announces-exit-from-real-housewives-of-dubai-after-1-season-198222" rel="">Nina Ali</a> and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/sara-al-madani" rel="">Sara Al Madani</a>], season 1 and so, for me, I won't lie, like, yeah, it's childish that I was giggly a little bit, but I'm still traumatized," she explains. "They were really nasty to us. ... They were taking a lot of jabs and blows, season 1, and they made it really hard for some of us on the cast, and they were thickest thieves and didn't actually allow anybody else in, and it felt very like team-y, you know?"

"It gave them a dose of their own medicine, so to speak," she says of the split. "I don't like to see anybody's friendships break up, or any problem like that in the end, because we're all friends, but they had that coming."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="The season 2 cast of Bravo&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Dubai.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="d7137879-4d7a-4c02-ade9-d1df7b99de44" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Caroline is hopeful the duo can repair things at the soon-to-tape reunion, where she knows she'll have to answer for some of her own missteps, too. That includes shading Ayan's makeup line launch, giving all credit to her partner, makeup artist Toni Malt.

"Toni Malt is a legend I, like, stan her," Caroline says. "It was like a little bit of a shade toward Ayan, but, obviously Ayan owns her company. They are business partners."

"What it was is, I heard a rumor that Ayan went around saying that I have business partners in [my salon] the Glass House," she continues. "I do not. I am the sole owner. I'm the founder, owner -- no partners in that business. But in my consultancy firm, I&nbsp;do&nbsp;have a business partner. ... So, when she said that, I said, 'Oh, you got it.' This is before Ayan and I became close. I was like, I'm definitely going to shade her right back, because it's not a bad thing to have a business partner. But ... it's almost like she was&nbsp;discrediting all my hard work, and so I just fired back."

It didn't exactly help Caroline's case, though, that her shade came after Stanbury remarked that Caroline doesn't like to see others succeed.

"That was very rich, coming from her, very rich coming from <a href="https://www.etonline.com/rhodubais-caroline-stanbury-doesnt-want-to-play-in-the-dirt-with-lesa-milan-exclusive-227935" rel="">Caroline Stanbury</a>," Caroline muses. "What a throwaway comment. I support everyone. I support everyone's businesses.&nbsp;I've always been supportive of everyone in my cast, and whatever they have success with, of course, through the confessionals I throw a little bit of dry, light shade. We all shade each other, but I always show up for everyone."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="The cast of &amp;#039;The Real Housewives of Dubai&amp;#039; poses together while filming season 2." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="62274c7f-6a03-408f-a7c4-c38d81c16686" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

The Carolines will surely go up against one another come reunion, too, after Caroline Brooks claimed Stanbury's life is fully paid for by her friend, Michael Davis, aka "Dubai Michael." Stanbury's already denied it.

"Michael's the one that said it, not me," Caroline holds firm. "She should talk to her friend, 'cause he says that a lot -- to everyone. He says it to Ayan, he said it to me, and then, as we hear from each other in our friend groups, we hear that he keeps saying this. So, she should deal with Michael about that comment. Not with us, because we didn't make that up."

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-dubai" rel="">The Real Housewives of Dubai</a>&nbsp;airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.

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&nbsp;

'RHODubai's Caroline Brooks Calls Taleen Marie a Liar and Gaslighter Amid Season 2 Feud (Exclusive)

Six seasons into her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/million-dollar-listing-los-angeles" rel="">Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles</a>&nbsp;stint, <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/tracy-tutor" rel="">Tracy Tutor</a> says she's learned one big lesson: "Do you."&nbsp;

"I might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I'm sure as hell someone’s shot of tequila," she muses to ET. "I think the more authentic you are, you know, the people resonate with you more, and I think being six years on this show, I think you're gonna see a lot more authenticity and more vulnerability from me this season than perhaps ever in the show."

That's saying a lot for a woman who walked through a divorce in her first two years on the show. <a href="https://www.etonline.com/million-dollar-listing-los-angeles-season-15-first-look-breakups-and-turbulent-market-rock-the-cast" rel="">Season 15</a>, airing Wednesdays on Bravo and streaming on Peacock, sees her navigate heartbreak once again, as her relationship with boyfriend Erik Anderson comes to an emotional end.

"This season, I let my guard down a little bit more, and show that not only am I a boss in what I do for a living, but also have some challenges -- and raising two teen girls, and going through a breakup this year was tough," she rattles off. "This wasn't something that happened, and then months later we came back to it. It was, I was living it very much in the moment, and that might be a little painful for me and both my ex-boyfriend to watch."

Tracy and Erik ultimately called it quits after three years of dating due to his desire to have kids of his own.&nbsp;

"I am not raising children again," Tracy declares. Her daughters, Juliet and Scarlet, whom she shares with ex-husband Jason Maltas, are 18 and 15, respectively.

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Erik Anderson and Tracy Tutor pose together at BravoCon 2022 in New York City." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="e7681196-e6c7-48f2-bc42-65f67aacbb93" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

It's been nearly a year since she and Erik broke up, but Tracy says she and the fitness trainer have maintained "a great friendship." However, there's no chance they get back together romantically.

"We've moved forward, and I think we're both stronger for it," she says. "I wouldn't take a moment of that relationship back, but I'm ready for bigger and better and longer-lasting things."

The 48-year-old's No. 1 ask for her next partner is someone that is "in the same place as me, both personally and professionally, and appreciates the fact that I work, and that I am not just going to be on someone's arm."&nbsp;

"I have my own things going on," she adds, confirming she's not interested in an age-gap like she had with Erik, who is 28.

"Nope!" she proclaims. "We are looking north of 40, perhaps north of 45 and, you know, for the right guy, maybe even up to 60? I mean, the door is open."

Tracy notes she's "been with a lot of good looking men," so she isn't necessarily prioritizing attractiveness this time around (though she's not&nbsp;not, either).

"I want someone that inspires me," she says. "Someone that I listen to, and is super smart, engaging, obviously fun and really confident, because I am a confident woman and I need to be with someone that is as confident -- if not more -- and someone that elevates me."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Josh Flagg, Tracy Tutor and Josh Altman star on season 15 of &amp;#039;Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.&amp;#039;" data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="e2f68a18-1446-473d-a37d-5d83be41b9cb" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Viewers will see Tracy dip her toe back into the dating pool this season. <a href="https://www.etonline.com/million-dollar-listing-josh-altman-and-tracy-tutor-call-out-josh-flagg-for-hiring-his-boyfriend" rel="">Josh Altman</a> apparently sets her up, while <a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/josh-flagg" rel="">Josh Flagg</a> suggests she become a gold-digger and go after&nbsp;nonagenarians, which pretty much sums up both men's personalities. Season 15 is the second&nbsp;MDLLA&nbsp;season with just the trio at its center, with Josh and Josh often at odds and Tracy in the middle of their spats.

"Watching them go through their ups-- I mean, it's like a breakup and a makeup!" she laments. "It's like the couple that never stops giving drama ... but I love them both for very different reasons. I mean,&nbsp;Josh Flagg is like a little brother to me and, you know, obviously he went through a divorce last year. I went through my breakup and was with him, actually, in Europe when that decision sort of came to fruition, and he was very much there for me during that process."

It's a nice change of pace for the pair, after season 14 found their friendship fractured when Flagg used a vulgar insult to describe Tracy's daughter.

"When you know Josh as deeply as I do and, obviously, what the fans see on camera is someone who can be a little bit flippant, perhaps a little bit ego driven and a little self serving -- you didn't hear it from me --&nbsp; but really, truthfully he felt horrible," she explains. "[He] spent the next six months making it up to me, getting to know my daughters. It's still the ongoing joke of him remembering their names, but he has made a great effort to be a better friend, not just to me, but to my family, and I respect that and I always believe in second chances."&nbsp;

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Josh Flagg, Tracy Tutor and Josh Altman pose together at BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="ae5c5119-bb06-4b8a-a3e8-2aab1a3bee82" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

The agents need each other now more than ever in the show's history, given the state of the real estate market. New tax laws and unfavorable mortgage rates have made the already competitive industry even more cutthroat. Tracy is excited for viewers to see it all play out on screen, as she feels that&nbsp;MDLLA&nbsp;is maybe the only authentic real estate reality show.

"You know, the truth is, I don't think they're actually following the sale of an actual asset, and that's what we really try to stick to," she remarks, taking a shot at copycat competitors that have popped up in the past few years, including Netflix's universe of&nbsp;Selling&nbsp;shows. She says those series focus more on style than substance.&nbsp;

"Bravo has been really militant about making sure that we follow the truth behind what we're going through on some of these listings," she continues. "You're gonna see me pick up a listing at the beginning of this season ... and when you see how long it takes me to sell it, that's, like, a whole other story."

The more crowded the real estate reality space gets, so does the real estate space itself. More people than ever seem to be getting their licenses, seemingly inspired by the glamour of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/selling-sunset" rel="">Selling Sunset</a>&nbsp;and the like.

"I always say, 'Now? You want to get in now?'" she cracks. "Getting into the industry now, you have to be ready and, I mean, this is a commission-based job. You don't make a dollar unless you close, and when you are competing against people like Altman, myself or Flagg, or anyone else successful in our industry that is a veteran, you are going to lose 99 percent of the time."

<div class="ctd-shortcode" data-ctd-caption="Tracy Tutor poses for her official &amp;#039;Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles&amp;#039; cast portrait." data-ctd-entity-type="media" data-ctd-entity-uuid="9a022dfa-f88b-4071-a5c6-21842d30310e" data-ctd-shortcode-id="image" data-ctd-url="" data-ctd-view-mode="content_in">&nbsp;</div>

Even through the low lows, Tracy feels she's "exactly where I am supposed to be," in terms of both real estate and reality TV -- but she's sticking where those two worlds collide. Despite fan speculation (or maybe, wishful thinking), she was never approached to join&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills" rel="">The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills</a>.&nbsp;

"No, this all was born out of [<a href="https://www.etonline.com/people/andy-cohen" rel="">Andy Cohen</a>] asking me on <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/watch-what-happens-live" rel="">Watch What Happens Live</a> if I would ever do the <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tv/real-housewives" rel="">Housewives</a>, and I just said, '100 percent,' because I ... know the women on the show, obviously just being in the Bravo family, and I thought I would bring something a little bit different," she explains. "But the truth is ... I don't think it would serve me."

She's open to the idea of being "a little friend of a friend," just not a full-time 'Wife. However, if a diamond does land in her palm some day, she's got her tagline at the ready.

"In this silly game of Los Angeles, I'm playing Monopoly and buying Boardwalk," she quips.

<a href="https://www.bravotv.com/million-dollar-listing-los-angeles" rel="">Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles</a>&nbsp;airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock, alongside every other season of the show.

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