The June 21 episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County was a fun one filled with a bit of nostalgia, a tearful apology, one awkward reunion, and the start of a few potential new feuds. So when we say RHOC is really good again, we’re not just saying it. It’s firing on all cylinders, and we’re here for it!
This week’s episode started with Heather Dubrow adjusting to what life might look like once her two eldest kids leave for college. She moved to Orange County over two decades ago to become a full-time mom and raise her kids, but now that they’re grown, she’s aching to get back to Los Angeles and explore her acting career again. However, as we learned during a cringey scene with Taylor Armstrong this week, Heather isn’t looking to take on just any roles.
#RHOC Season 17, Episode 3 PREVIEW. All new, Wednesday 8/7c on @Bravotv. (Source @Bravotv @NBCUniversal) pic.twitter.com/ahswXEXAbG
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Then, when Tamra Judge met up with Jennifer Pedranti at CUT Fitness, they did a bit of demolition before talking about the closing party Tamra would be having there later that week. Tamra regretted her behavior toward Shannon Beador on the boat last week, so Jenn urged her to apologize and invite Shannon to the party, and that’s what she did. Tamra called Shannon, cried a little, said she was sorry, and asked Shannon if she’d come to her party. Shannon said yes, but you could tell she wasn’t fully ready to forgive Tamra just yet.
Another interesting thing that came from Tamra’s conversation with Jenn was the reveal that they had a slight falling out after Jenn started dating her current boyfriend, Ryan, in 2020. Tamra and Eddie Judge were friends with both Jenn and her then-husband, Will, so when they learned she was “having an affair” behind Will’s back, they were put an in “uncomfortable position”. Tamra and Jenn’s friendship “spiraled down” after Tamra and Eddie found out about the affair from Ryan, who they were also friends with, instead of Jenn. Things “got ugly”, and Jenn “pulled away”, but once the dust settled, they found their way back to each other and they’re now good friends again.
#RHOC Season 17, Episode 3 SNEAK PEEK. All new, Wednesday 8/7c on @Bravotv. (Source @Bravotv @NBCUniversal) pic.twitter.com/wQEQWzRIFJ
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And speaking of Jenn’s “affair”, a lot more about her relationship with Ryan was revealed during Tamra’s CUT closing party. After Tamra and Heather reminisced about CUT’s opening party 9 years prior, when Tamra kicked Alexis Bellino out and Alexis told Lydia McLaughlin she had to go on Xanax, the group started asking Jenn about her failed marriage to Will and new romance with Ryan.
Tamra revealed that Jenn and Ryan met at CUT Fitness, and things “got weird” when they started dating. Then, when Emily Simpson asked Jenn when she knew her marriage was over, she said she knew when he stopped wanting to spend time with her. Tamra confirmed it was a “bad marriage”, but Gina Kirschenheiter didn’t think anyone should ever be defending infidelity. Especially because she was cheated on during her first marriage. She didn’t say that out loud, but she excused herself from the conversation before she could hear any more of it.
Emily, on the other hand, was fully engaged and she wanted to know more. She asked Jenn about the “timeline” of her relationship with Ryan by inquiring whether she got Will a job with her family in Oklahoma so she could better pursue her romance with Ryan without getting caught. Jenn said no, but Emily said that “didn’t make sense” to her. Jenn also claimed she never slept with Ryan while she was still married to Will, but Tamra’s face said otherwise. Tamra leaned in and told Jenn to “be honest”, but Jenn said she was. Jenn also wasn’t thrilled with the fact that Tamra was implying Jenn slept with Ryan behind her husband’s back.
In Tamra’s private confessional, she said, “Ryan started coming to our gym during the pandemic. I think it was April or May [2020]. Then, by October, her husband caught them in a car together.” Tamra made it seem like they were caught hooking up, but Jenn seemed to claim otherwise. In her own confessional, she said, “I met Ryan. He gave me a gift. There was no sex in the car in the parking lot.”
“I feel like Jenn tells different stories to different people, but I went through it all with her,” Tamra further said. So it’s not clear who’s telling the truth, but Emily thinks the story is “a lot more salacious than [Jenn’s] letting on.”
Want more? New episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County air Wednesdays at 8pm on Bravo.