Fall TV Blog

After New Jersey’s table-flipping, New York’s power-promoting and Atlanta’s “unbeweaveable” wig-yanking, are we really ready to head back west for season 5 of The Real Housewives of Orange County? Yes!

With the return of Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Barney, Jeana Keough, Gretchen Rossi and Lynne Curtin — plus the addition of someone to take on Vicki, new Housewife Alexis Bellino — Bravo is banking on its first ladies to keep it real and deliver the drama. And based on Thursday’s season premiere, it looks promising.

But first, here’s where we left off:

Tamra may not have flipped a table but she did get Gretchen “naked wasted” and sent her own son to seduce her during a dinner at her house. And she followed up at the reunion with the accusation that Gretchen was cheating while caring for her then-ailing, now-late fiancé Jeff. (more…)

There’s a new girl in town!

As production gets underway for a new season of Bravo’s original, The Real Housewives of Orange County, Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Barney, Jeana Keough, Lynne Curtin, and Gretchen Rossi will have to contend with a new drama-starter.

Alexis Bellino, a blond stay-at-home mom, is joining the cast, according to a press release from the network.

Bellino lives with her husband Jim, an entrepreneur, and their three children — 3-year-old James, and 20-month-old twins Melania and Mackenna — in Newport Coast, Calif.

“Originally from the small town of Hannibal, Mo., Alexis is now living the Southern California dream in one of the most prominent and envied areas of Orange County,” the press release reads. “Alexis keeps herself busy by being the best wife and mother she can, and when she does have a free moment, she likes to work out to keep herself looking and feeling her best.”

Described by Bravo as a “spicy blonde who unabashedly lives life on her terms,” the network promises that she’s already stirring up buzz — and drama — in the O.C.

Tell us: What do you think of the newest cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County? Can she stand up to Vicki and Tamra?

Kelsey McNeal/Bravo

From Franklin Lakes, N.J., to Orange County, Calif., New York City and Atlanta, The Real Housewives franchise has brought out the best — and worst! — of housewives across the country. (And now they’re looking in Washington D.C.) But if New Jersey’s Danielle Staub is correct, Bravo’s leading ladies are “just allowing everyone to see what goes on all over the place” — which begs a very important question:

Michael Caulfield/WireImage

They were spotted recently snuggling at L.A.’s Gen Art Fall Fashion show. Now Real Housewives of Orange County star Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley have taken to cuddling on the open seas. The two were snapped Wednesday on a boat in Newport Beach, Calif., applying suntan lotion on each other and smooching.

Housewives fans will remember Slade as former O.C. Housewife Jo De La Rosa’s ex-fiancé. He also dated another ex-O.C. Housewife, Lauri Waring.

Gretchen is also no stranger to romantic entanglements. After costar Tamra Barney called her out on the season 4 reunion, Gretch denied cheating on her late fiancé Jeff Beitzel (who passed away in September) with a man named Jay Photoglou.

Tell us: Do you think serial Housewife dater Slade will be making a cameo as Gretchen’s new guy on season 5 of the Real Housewives of Orange County?

Michael Becker/FOX

Gretchen Rossi, one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Orange County’s season 4, says she was loyal to her late fiancé Jeff Beitzel, who lost his battle with cancer following the show’s taping.

On Bravo’s recent reunion show, her Housewives costar Tamra Barney accused Gretchen of cheating on Beitzel with a man named Jay, who once threatened to “out” Gretchen.

Web reports have identified that man as Jay Photoglou.

Gretchen, 31, tells PEOPLE she did go on “a couple of dates” with Photoglou before she started seeing her late fiancé, “but it really wasn’t a romantic, serious relationship,” she says.
While Rossi was engaged to Beitzel, [Photoglou] became a close friend and “confidante.” But when he wanted to take things further, she says, “I was not even going to consider that with him.”

After Beitzel died in September, Rossi and Photoglou continued hanging out, she says, often running into each other at parties because they share many of the same friends. (more…)

Gathering together one last time, the ladies of The Real Housewives of Orange County joined host Andy Cohen for a reunion special filled with tears, stunning accusations, more tears and a bevy of fake smiles.

The most enlightening moment was when Tamra brought to light her reasons for accusing Gretchen and her late fiancé Jeff of having a “relationship of convenience.” Tam told a fairly convoluted story about a man named Jay — who claimed to be dating Gretchen — calling her cell phone late one night and demanding to get in touch with Gretchen after she’d left him on the side of a road. If Gretchen didn’t come get him, Tamra told the story, he’d go to Del Mar and “out her” immediately. According to Tam, the next morning Gretch dismissed the man as a “stalker.”

(more…)

In the season finale of The Real Housewives of Orange County, viewers learned that Gretchen Rossi’s fiancé Jeff had lost his battle with cancer. Ahead of Tuesday’s reunion show, PEOPLE spoke with Rossi on the phone to find out how she’s doing now, what she thinks of the comments from Housewives Vicki and Tamra that she’s attention hungry and a stalker, if she’ll do another season of Housewives — and whether she’s riding that red hot Harley-Davidson.

How are you holding up?
Every day is a different emotion. I wake up and either I’m happy or I’m really sad so it really just depends on the day. It’s kind of like a moving river … there’s always something new that has come to the surface.

What’s your support system?
I have a really great family. They’ve been the ones that have been my main support system and I have a large group of friends that have really been there for me and have helped me through a lot of things as well.

(more…)

In last night’s season finale of The Real Housewives of Orange County, the ladies did what they do best: they threw a full-fledged fiesta.

Reuniting with friends like Lauri, Jo and Slade — who Tamra said looked like a “homo” — the ladies and their families mixed and mingled and sipped on fancy cocktails with the ocean as a beautiful backdrop.

Jeana waltzed in with her temporary-beau Alan, after he treated her to a lovely birthday dinner. “Jeana’s date was great, and Tam made a comment that she is no longer ‘Bitter Jeana’ so I think there might be some hanky-panky,” a solo Gretchen said. Her fiancé Jeff was still in the hospital.

In the middle of the party, Gretchen pulled the Housewives aside to present them with a small gift — Coach coin purses — to thank them for their friendship. While Lynne and Jean appreciated the gesture, it didn’t exactly go over so well with everyone.

“I don’t know if it was sincere,” Tamra said.

“I just didn’t get it,” Vicki added. (more…)

Perhaps last week’s Vegas weekend was a bit too much bonding on The Real Houswives of Orange County because in Tuesday’s episode, the ladies went their separate ways.

Vicki boarded a cruise ship with her husband Donn, her son Michael and his friend, and headed out to sea where lucky passengers could take part in Vicki’s new seminar series, L.I.F.E. (Living Inspired & Fully Engaged). But Donn, Michael and his friend did everything they could to stay away from Vicki’s lessons, opting instead to drink at the bar. The only problem was that Vicki brought them along with the understanding that they’d attend the seminars and learn something.

Tamra traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to visit her estranged father. The reunited duo sat by the lake and shared words. Trying to comprehend how her parents’ happy relationship could fall apart when she was 25-years-old, Tam broke down and told her father that she probably loved him more than anyone. At a Japanese dinner later in the show, Tamra’s son Ryan bonded with his older (and married) cousin Nancy. “Ryan! She is related to you,” Tamra yelled across the table at her son, who was getting too close to Nancy. (more…)

After dealing with the ups and downs of ill-behaved children in last week’s episode, the Real Housewives of Orange County were in dire need of a vacation — and so the ladies hit Sin City to get into some trouble of their own.

The gals checked into a $5,500 a night presidential suite at the Red Rock Las Vegas — complete with an eight-person Jacuzzi, full bar and pool table — and immediately toasted to a weekend “truce” over champagne before heading to the pool.

There, a fully clothed and unhappy looking Jeana moaned about wanting to find a man. Gretchen, who flitted about between the pool and bar in a yellow bikini and oversized hat, purchased a “hottie whistle” and presented it to Tamra. Lynne sat on as the girls hurled insults her ways. This time the main perpetrator was Jeana. “Lynne and I are past the ‘hottie whistle’ age,” she explained. Meanwhile, Vicki went back and forth between being on the phone — her daughter was having boyfriend issues (maybe she should talk to Jeana?) — and flirting with the idea of — well, flirting with other men. (more…)