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Jan 18, 2024

RHOC Premiere Recap: Tamra Slams Shannon as “Self

Buckle up — Tamra is back for season 17 of the Real Housewives of Orange

Buckle up — Tamra is back for season 17 of the Real Housewives of Orange County. Many may be less than thrilled to have her gracing our screens again. And Shannon may be the most worried about this return, considering things have been sour with the once-besties (or should I say amigas) who have had a rocky go over the past few years. Can these ladies figure out a way to move on, or will history continue to haunt the group?

Tamra makes a grand reentrance on her motorcycle like a real bada*s, and we get reminded of her flirty relationship with Eddie. Tamra swears she is back with a "different perspective" after her *pause* from the show. We learn that Tamra has moved back to her OG house and that Sandy, her mother, has moved into her casita. Threes a company, or something like that… We learn wayyyy too much information about Sandy's sex life, and it is evident that although years have passed, not much has changed with Tamra, except that CUT Fitness is closing.

Emily and Shannon meet up for a [dog] hike (yes, Shan brought Archie) and they talk kids… but mainly this segment focuses on Tamra. Reality Blurb gets mentioned as Shannon discusses the recent things Tamra has said about her. Shannon reminds us that she has a long history with Tamra — Tamra helped her with her divorce, they’ve traveled together, etc. Shannon explains that they called each other and missed each other, and ever since then, Tamra went on to bash Shannon and spread untruths about her on various platforms. Shannon believes that Tamra just likes to push her buttons, and because of this argument, Tamra has become relevant again. Those are some fighting words.

Emily is momming with her brood, and she realizes that since Shane has [finally] passed the bar exam, she is stuck doing a lot more of the responsibilities solo. Emily discusses the difficulties of being a SAHM, and her buddy Gina can understand since her divorce. Luckily, Gina is in a good place with her ex now, and things have been working out with their modern family.

Enter Fancy Pants, Heather. Her focus is on Terry, her husband, who is wheelchair-bound since he has torn his meniscus. As Terry lies in bed and gets nursed back to health by Heather, they discuss how their eldest are heading off to college and how things are changing. The topic focuses on Heather's "friendship" with Gina. Heather claims that things have fizzled out with Gina, and Heather is confused, considering that at one point, she had considered Gina a friend.

Ever the modest one, Terry suggests that maybe people like Gina don't invite her because they "think it's not fancy enough for us? You flew on that G4 to New York…" In the end, Heather wants to keep being friends with Gina, but she refuses to chase after her.

Eddie and Tamra head out to bowl with her friend Jennifer and her boyfriend, Ryan. Tamra explains that Jennifer was trained by Tamra and CUT Fitness for a fitness competition, and she won! If only these ladies were as good at bowling as they are at lifting weights. Jenn talks about her yoga studio retreat, and Tamra discusses her concern for Eddie closing CUT Fitness because it was his life. Jenn shares that the gym was her place, and in fact, that is where Jenn met Ryan. A real love story!

Finally, Gina phones Heather to say she just so happens to be in Heather's neighborhood with a going away gift for the twins before they head to college. Gina is aghast at Heather planning her kids’ dorm rooms, and they head outside to talk about what is going on in their lives. Gina shares that she is planning on getting her real estate license, and hilariously, Heather chimes in that Nicky, her son (who is, like, a teen), is also doing real estate.

Heather cuts through the BS and calls Gina out for "disappearing," and Gina claims she had "a lot going on." Gina then does just that — she goes on and on… and on… about where she was, but Heather feels as though Gina is avoiding the conversation. Heather is more concerned about not getting invited to Gina's charity event, and believe it or not, Terry was right. Gina shares that she did not invite Heather because it was not a big fancy thing. They agree to move on and be friends again — mainly so Gina can mooch off of Heather's lifestyle.

A glimpse into Jenn's life shows us that she is currently running a "three-ring circus." She's got kids galore that range from pre-teen to nearly adult, plus animals… and "a partridge in a pear tree." Jenn explains that she "shares a house" with her ex-husband, Will, who also happens to work for her family's business. When Will is out of town, Jenn's boyfriend stays there. Totally normal.

Heather plans a pickleball day with Gina and Tamra (the "friendly ghost," according to Gina). After a grueling game, the ladies sit down for a pre-packed picnic courtesy of Heather, and they talk about Jenn's upcoming outdoor yoga retreat. Heather suggests she bring Shannon, but Tamra is unsure how that will go considering Shannon "ghosted" her when she really needed her. Tamra calls Shannon self-centered, but Heather tries to show Tamra that people can evolve. Take their friendship, for instance, since they are now friends again. Tamra makes it clear that if Shannon goes, she has some things she needs to talk to Shannon about…

Jenn is ready to share her love of yoga with others, and so she has decided to hold this outdoor retreat. The girls trickle in despite not all of them being "yoga people." In the car on the way there, Heather does her best to calm a nervous Shannon, who has not seen Tamra in quite some time. Shannon and Tamra do an awkward hug hello (ya know, the kind you give when you haven't seen a person for two and a half years). Shannon struggles throughout the flow workout, and the gang is "intuitively matched up" for some partner exercising. Emily and Tamra get paired up, and they realize that they may actually like each other since they are both "scrappers." They decide to move on from the past and try to really form a friendship.

After yoga, we learn more about Jenn's relationship with her ex-husband. Her family had an intervention with Jenn because they could not believe she would leave her then-husband. Jenn really fought off any familial disappointment and did what she needed to in her heart: divorce her husband. However, Emily shares that she has heard from Gina that Jenn was not faithful to her husband, which changes the narrative a bit…

Shannon overhears Emily and Gina giving Tamra a pep talk about how to approach the awkwardness. Tamra breaks the ice and gets teary-eyed. She lets Shannon know that she misses her best friend, that her dog died, and that they closed their gym. Shannon remains relatively stoic upon hearing this news and suggests they get together to start talking through the rough times.

A week later, Shannon and Tamra DO sit down, but do they settle their differences or do the grudges remain? Seems like old habits really do die hard…

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