They both brought along their significant others, as Jim Bellino and Slade Smiley were also in attendance. According to Alexis, she hit it off with Gretchen and Tamra Barney during the filming of the 5th season. The only housewife she clashed with was Vicki. Alexis has still yet to comment on the starting details revealed by her ex husband in an interview given to Star magazine a week ago.
In a recent interview, Gretchen also spoke fondly of Alexis. “We’ve become really good friends,” she said. “I like her a lot…She’s cool people.”
Before meeting Donn Gunvalson, her husband for the past 15 years, Vicki says her first marriage was fraught with emotional and verbal abuse, nearly getting physical at one point.
In an interview with Life & Style magazine, Vicki reveals she was just 21 when she married her first husband, Michael J. Wolfsmith. By the time she was 23, she had already given birth to a son, Michael, now 23, and was pregnant with her second child, daughter Briana, now 22. According to Vicki, Michael “was an alcoholic. He abused me verbally. He had many affairs during our marriage.” She recalls one horrifying incident while she was holding her baby Michael on her lap, “he went to hit me,” Vicki says. While he didn’t end up striking her, she was consumed with fear. “I was 23 years old and pregnant for the second time,” Vicki recalls. “I was really scared.
Vicki divorced him when she was 29. Vicki explains those six years, “were filled with screaming. I had to be his mother. I’d throw cold water on him to wake him up for work. It was a very hard life.” Vicki had a revelation as she approached age 30. “It was a pivotal point in my life,” she explains. “I didn’t want to live my 30s the way I’d lived my 20s. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t loved.”
Vicki’s ex husband denied the allegations when contacted by Life & Style magazine. “I had bouts with alcohol, but it was not a problem,” he says. He also says he never cheated on Vicki or abused her emotionally or physically.
Slade Smiley took some time out of his very busy schedule to share with us his thoughts on the Real Housewives of Orange County. The blog, which has now been removed from Bravo’s website, was a no holds barrel in regards to Slade’s opinion on some of the OC ladies.
Slade, first appeared on Season One as the fiancé of original cast member Jo De La Rosa, he then briefly dated Lauri Waring, and is now dating Gretchen Rossi.
Some of the highlights from Slade’s rather long blog is below -
His Thoughts onVicki Gunvalson – “For some reason, Gretchen seems to have a soft spot for Vicki [Gunvalson], which I do not share… But that’s what makes Gretchen such an amazing person. Vicki will probably continue to be the same rude, self-absorbed work-a-holic she has always been. It’s her superiority complex that gets the best of her. Vicki has some real balls to say I am whoring Gretchen out. No one has felt the need to talk about all her secret little hotel rendezvous, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself.”
His Thoughts on Tamra Barney - “This girl cannot mind her own business. Do you think Tamra ever once called to check in on G when Jeff was sick? Of course not! Does she care about all the BS being written because of her unwarranted comments? Nope. She knows exactly why it happened and she is actually involved with the tool bag who is behind it. What’s funny is she thinks none of us know what her and Simon are up to. News flash Tamra, we all know and it’s not going to be pretty for you when it all comes out. The world is on to your game honey and Karma is a b***h.”
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH SLADE? SHOULD HE BE BLOGGING ABOUT THE OC HOUSEWIVES?
The Real Housewives of Orange County attended TV GUIDE Magazine’s Hot List Party at SLS Hotel on November 10, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. Jeana Keough, who will be leaving the show after 2 more episodes, was not in attendance. Neither was Alexis Bellino, the newest housewife.
Also in attendance wasSlade Smiley, honorable 6th housewife boyfriend of Gretchen Rossi. You can see more photos of the ladies below. Yikes at Tamra‘s hair, and Lynne‘s plastic surgeon should have his scalpel donated to some sort of plastic surgery hall of fame.
In other news, Vicki Gunvalson will be appearing on the Dr. Phil show on November 12th. No word yet on the reason for her appearance.
In a new interview with TVGuide, Gretchen opens up about the new season and tells us why she is no longer “taking any more punches.” The punches she’s referring to are those of her fellow castmates, Tamra and Vicki Gunvalson.
Gretchen reveals why the first ladies of Orange County will always hold their own among the many new faces of the Housewives franchise. “We are the original housewives, and ultimately people’s hearts are within the story lines of the people they’ve seen forever,” Gretchen says. “Each of us women on the show has a little bit more sophistication and class than maybe some of the other [cities] project.”
Interesting to hear Gretchen talking about class, considering all the explicit photos of her that leaked out this year. Regarding her ongoing tension with castmate Tamra, Gretchen says, “There might be some resolution but ultimately, I just say what needs to be said and I finally stand up for what’s right.” She continues, “I’m back and better this season and I’m not taking any more punches.”
And when asked about her new beau Slade Smiley, “Slade is a part of my life right now and I’m so grateful to have him in my life,” Gretchen says. “I truly feel like Jeff sent me Slade.”
Thoughts on the new season – It came off a bit boring to me, as well as fake and a tad bit sad. The ‘long awaited’ argument between Tamra and Gretchen didn’t redeem the episode for me. Watching the women go through their financial struggles was a bit sad to watch, and somewhat of a downer. Gretchen and Slade’s convenient new relationship? Not buying it, considering there were rumors she was suppose to appear on season 4 as Slade’s “girlfriend.” Arranging for all these ladies who hate each other to come together for dinner? Fake.
Perhaps it’s because I’m coming off the drama packed season of the Atlanta housewives, but this new season of the OC just lacked something. Maybe it’s because most of these ladies are not friends and don’t have the years of history the Altanta ladies have with one another. It’s going to become a tough task for Bravo to continue topping each shocking season of their Housewives’ franchise. It was however nice to see that some things, or people rather remain the same. How classy was it of Vicki to mention the fact that Jeana needed to borrow money from her, and her answer was a big NO! From watching the first episode, it’s easy to understand why Jeana is ready to move on. Quite frankly, I might be too.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW SEASON OF THE OC HOUSEWIVES?
They’re back! The original housewives of bravo are returning for their 5th season tonight.
The Real Housewives of Orange County have pretty much been in the headlines for the past few months. Whether it be Gretchen Rossi’s leaked photos, Lynne Curtin’seviction saga, or Vicki Gunvalson’strashy bar behavior, It’s safe to say these six women will be keeping us entertained for weeks to come.
The DailyBeast caught up with the OC Housewives to discuss their new season, and changes in their lives. Vicki claims the show has negatively affected her insurance business, leading her to almost not return for the 5th season. “I almost lost a very large client of mine—a $2 million client—because he Googled me and said he didn’t like what he was seeing on the TV show,” Gunvalson, 47, told The Daily Beast.
Bravo promises the upcoming season will address the financial woes of some of the ladies, including that of Jeana Keough, who’s divorce and a down real-estate market prompted her to quit the show to focus on work full-time. She will be leaving the show after 3 episodes. Jeana however reveals other reasons for leaving the show, “I just didn’t feel appreciated by the girls or the network,” she said.
Tamra Barney, 42, will be one of the housewives dealing with financial woes. Her home is currently listed as a short sale, and she has had to let both a nanny and a maid go to save cash. This season will also deal with Tamra doing a lot of arguing with her husband Simon Barney. “He did not want to come back this season, and I did,” she said. “He’s very private and conservative. We’re having a lot of financial problems, and he just didn’t want to expose that.”
Tonight’s episode will show Gretchen reflecting on the death of her deceased fiance, and confronting Tamra about the things Tamra said about her last season. It will also feature Vicki skydiving, and Lynn contemplating having a facelift.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TONIGHT’S EPISODE?
It’s obvious to see some of the ladies have spent their summers with their plastic surgeons. Housewife Lynne Curtin is barely recognizable. Based on the bio information, it seems Jeana Keough will be leaving the season early, similar to what Lauri Waring did last season.
Below are the photos and a brief bio of what is to come this season of each housewife -
Gretchen Rossi – In Season 5 Gretchen copes with the death of her finance Jeff, and learns how to move on both professionally and personally. Gretch’s social life heats up when she finds a surprising new love interest (who OC fans may or may not recognize … )
Alexis Bellino – Alexis is the new Housewife on the block. Will former new girls Gretchen and Tamra give Alexis a chance, or combine their forces for peroxide-bleached evil?
The original housewives of Bravo are back! Bravo announced The Real Housewives of Orange County will be returning for their 5th season on Thursday, November 5 at 10 PM ET/PT.
The video preview below also shows us the ladies will definitely be bringing back the drama!
The shocking preview highlights the following about each housewife -
Tamra Barney – Struggles in her marriage to husband, Simon Barney, and even mentions the ‘D’ word – Divorce. She will also be dealing with financial problems as she attempts to sell her house, which is now up for short sale and might be foreclosed on soon.
Lynne Curtin – Will be shown getting a face lift, while dealing with financial difficulties with her husband. Her eviction was made very public in recent weeks.
Gretchen Rossi - Is shown struggling with losing deceased fiance Jeff Beitzel, though she had already moved on with new boyfriend Slade Smiley before this season’s filming started. She is also shown confronting Tamra about the nasty things she said about her.
Vicki Gunvalson – Is shown attempting to mend her marriage after spending all of last season putting down her husband, and continued to do so by being photographed in public giving lap dances to random men, and baring her bottom in a public bar to get a tattoo.
Jeana Keough – Is shown having some difficulty with her real estate dealings.
Alexis Bellino – The newest housewife and a friend of Gretchen’s will be attempting to fit in with the other housewives.
Tell Us – Are You Excited For The New Season of The OC Housewives?
