The stars of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County have fought, talked about divorces, thrown drinks in each other’s faces (okay, that was just a few times), and generally lived super public lives. But you have to draw the line somewhere, and an OG cast member shared that the network made a baffling decision to air a devastating moment in her personal life.
According to People, Vicki Gunvalson explained in an episode of the Vice series The Dark Side of Reality TV that Bravo’s producers acted poorly when her mom passed away. When Vicki’s daughter Brianna, who fans have gotten to know since the show’s premiere in 2006, attempted to phone Vicki, the star didn’t pick up since she was shooting a scene. After an hour had passed, producers agreed to let Brianna talk to Vicki, who wasn’t pleased about that.
Vicki said, “Let me scream and cry on my own and be mad.” She added, “It was very, very traumatic. I will never forgive Bravo for that.” Vicki also said the producers were “out of line” as they shouldn’t have sat on this tragic news for 60 minutes before relaying it to her.
RHOC fans posted on X that this was a disturbing scene to watch and that Bravo never should have aired it. As People reported, Vicki said back in 2015 when she was on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, “I don’t blame Bravo.” She explained, “I signed up for all areas of my life to be exposed, the good and the bad.” However, given what she’s saying now, it’s possible she changed her mind about that.
Some viewers shared on X that, after this scene aired in 2015, Vicki continued on the show for several more seasons before leaving after season 14. She also appeared as a “friend” on seasons 17 and 18. A few fans think, if Vicki really hated the way that Bravo handled this storyline, why not quit and never look back?
As a huge fan of most Real Housewives cities, I’d argue that perspective is unfair. Agreeing to star on a reality series doesn’t mean wanting every single thing that you go through to be captured on camera. It makes sense that Vicki wanted to hear and process this heartwrenching news in private. I remember watching RHOC season 10, episode five, “Game Changer,” when Vicki got the call about her mother Joanne Steinmetz while at Shannon Beador’s home. It felt wrong to watch Vicki’s emotional response. I’m sure Brianna would have rather dealt with this without a camera crew as well. It would have been fine to cut the scene and then explain what happened later.
Vicki has been criticial of Bravo’s producers other times. She spilled her POV on a RHOC season 18 scene and said on her My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast that they asked if she would tell Katie she shouldn’t have been gossiping about Heather DuBrow. Vicki said, “Not going to do it. Not my business.” She also said she was “freezing” so she she went home early from the engagemnet party celebrating Ryan Boyajian and Jennifer Pedranti, even though producers hoped she would stick around.
Vicki has talked at length about her distressing health news, her feelings about the current and past Real Housewives of Orange County cast members, and the ups and downs of her dating life. Whether she’s your favorite Housewife or not, it’s hard not to empathsize that this was a painful moment that didn’t need to be part of an otherwise fun episode.
Published: Oct 28, 2024 02:58 pm