If you guys are anything like me, you’ve seen every Real Housewives of Orange County promo for this new season. You feel almost like if you piece them all together, you’ve watched the whole premiere, but there’s more… so much more.
Just 10 days after the reunion, Shannon drunkenly crashed her car into a home and then left the scene. We see a picture of her bloodied face, and we fast forward to five months later. Seems like Shannon’s drinking is the main storyline, although she claims to be a two-drink max kinda gal and denies any allegations of a problem.
Since last season, Tamra and Jenn have decided to keep things between light and easy. They meet up at the gym with the new gym rat, Emily. Emily shares that she has lost about 40 pounds through Ozempic, liposuction, and “busting her a*s” at the gym — good for her keeping it real.
They get to talking about Shannon, and Jenn shares that Shannon came to her yoga studio. Jenn is happy to be Shannon’s friend as she attempts to turn her life around, but the same cannot be said for Tamra. Tamra actually dropped out of the Tres Amigas live show. She didn’t think it would be a healthy space for Shannon since she caught Shannon sneaking booze AFTER she claimed not to be drinking…
Speaking of Shannon, she is in a new rental and is now an empty nester, although all three of her daughters are home with her, which is rare. Her daughters are all over (Texas, New York, and Paris) and she gets a bit emo thinking about her “mistake” (aka her DUI). Shannon is humiliated that she disappointed her kids at the age of 59, and she goes on to tell us what really went down that night in September.
She explains that she got into a fight with John after he called her a drunk, and she revved up the engine so he could know how mad she was, which caused her to lose control immediately — with Archie, the dog, in the car. Shannon’s world shattered in those 10 seconds, but her girls are proud of Shannon for “taking more initiative.”
Shannon no longer wants John in her life, but she is hurt by his new, very public relationship. John told Shannon he was cutting ties with her due to the “publicness” of dating her, yet John quickly dove into a relationship with Alexis Bellino. Yes, THAT very public Alexis. Never forget that, in 2018, Alexis’ ex-husband sued Tamra and Shannon for defamation. However, according to Tamra, Alexis did not agree with the lawsuit. Shannon chooses to forget that part of it, but she refuses to be a victim. So, she WILL be talking to Alexis.
Heather is in a new brand new place in Beverly Hills that cost a cool $16 million, but there’s still sooo much work to do. Heather explains they plan on taking the house down to the studs because why not? Until then, Heather put out some staged furniture, and she is living there with Terry, Katarina, and Ace while her twins are away in college. Heather decides that her life is not chaotic enough, and so she will be throwing a party at the Balboa Bay Club… with all the girls, including Alexis.
Gina heads over to Emily’s place, and she talks about her real estate job. Gina then goes on to say that someone saw Shannon in the market with a shopping cart full of booze. Gina has no relationship with Shannon, but she believes this is an eye for an eye since she gave Gina a hard time about her DUI. Now look at Shannon. Emily goes on to state what we’re all thinking: SAVE ARCHIE!
Gina gets serious about her relationship with Travis. Life with her ex Matt is going great, whereas Travis is still getting dragged down by his ex. The baggage that Travis brings is a lot, especially as the kids are getting older. Gina feels like she needs to live separately from Travis to see where the chips land. Something tells me Gina is outgrowing more than her house, but she needs time apart from Travis to see what happens in the end.
Jenn is STILL with Ryan, the charmer that he is. Jenn had to get out of her initial rental, and Gina actually helped her find a new place, but now… Jenn is getting evicted. Her ex-husband Will has not been paying rent, and things with Will have made no progress with the divorce. Ryan claims that the most logical move would be to move in with him, but Jenn comes with a LOT, and she worries if they take this step their relationship will fall apart.
Heather and Emily meet up for some drinks, and they’ve invited Alexis to tag along. Heather has a long history with Alexis, and she is glad that Alexis is finally happy after losing her mother. The happiness in Alexis’ life stems from her new relationship with Johnny J. (her nickname, not mine). On November 18, she met him at THE Quiet Woman (gasp), and she refused to fight her feelings toward him on account of Shannon.
Emily makes it clear that for three years Shannon has been painting a picture that John never paid for a thing, but of course, Alexis is blindly defending her new man. Funny that Emily has legit known Johnny J. longer than Alexis, and that Alexis has love blinders on.
Shannon has a meeting with her lawyer, and we learn that Shannon was sentenced to three years of probation. The goal is to get the case dismissed, but Shannon doesn’t want any special favors. She goes on to say she is a hypocrite for drinking and driving, but she is trying to grow from this mistake and hold herself accountable.
Tamra’s daughter Sophia is back on the show after 10 years. Now that she is 18, she has made the choice to grace our screens since Simon can no longer block her from that. Speaking of Simon, Tamra gets upset thinking about her oldest daughter, Sydney, as she is on Simon’s side and does not speak to her.
Gina has an awkward talk with Travis about an available house and states that this is all temporary. Travis points out that they worked hard to build their non-traditional family for four-and-a-half years, but Gina feels like she needs this space. Gina doesn’t necessarily want to lose Travis with these living arrangements, but time will tell.
Shannon has decided to attend Heather’s luncheon since she doesn’t want to “appear weak,” and Jenn is prepping for the party with glam… although she cannot pay her rent. Tamra feels like her relationship with Jesus Jugs, aka Alexis, is okay, but Eddie warns her to be careful.
Gina brings her new friend Katie to the event, and we learn that Katie is friends with Sutton. Sutton put them in contact through real estate, and Gina is thrilled to have another young friend coming into the group. Gina gives Katie the low down on the Shannon/Alexis love triangle, and Katie is wowed.
Heather’s party is a true Dubrow event.… In the words of Gina, “You gotta be prepared to work when you come to a Dubrow party.” Katie states that she has met Heather before, but this is the first time “she has said hi back.” LOL. And Gina is stressed out because she vouched for Jenn, and now she is falling behind on her rent. Gina wants to ask her about the eviction, but she understands this is not the time or place.
Alexis arrives with Emily, and Emily spills that Shannon claims to have a max of two drinks, to which Tamra asks, “Per hour?” Zing. Shannon isn’t sure where everyone stands with her, and she is not comfortable walking into the unknown. Yet she repeats once again that she is NOT afraid, which appears to be her new mantra.
Funny that Heather’s party is called New Year, New Me. Shannon greets the group rather awkwardly and meets Katie for the first time. Shannon claims to “not care” and that she is happy her relationship with John ended. Shannon apologizes to Gina for “any and everything” she ever did to hurt her, and Gina is caught off guard with this new version of Shannon.
After a bit, Shannon walks up to Alexis and asks to have a chat with her outside. The girls inside are doing their best to lip-read their conversation, but Gina is over the way that Johnny J. worked Alexis and Shannon.
Shannon decides that her beef with Alexis is about the lawsuit brought on by Alexis’ ex-husband that happened years ago, not the fact that Alexis is currently dating her (very new) ex. Shannon goes on to say she didn’t do anything to be sued for $300,000, and therefore, she is not interested in being “best buddies” with Alexis. Alexis understands that this is an uncomfortable situation, but she points out that she was not involved in that lawsuit, as she had not been with her ex for six months when the lawsuit came out.
Shannon keeps bringing up the cease and desist letter that Alexis signed to get the ball rolling on the lawsuit, and she wonders if Alexis is going to write her a check for $300,000 to pay her back. Alexis gets down to it and refuses to talk about the court case. She tells Shannon, “If you don’t like it, there’s the door, Shannon Beador,” and Shannon then thanks Alexis for taking John. Alexis is thankful he left Shannon. Messy, messy, and interesting that Shannon didn’t initially lead with the fact that Alexis has her sloppy seconds. To be continued….
