Heather Dubrow is still trying to fully understand everything that went down in New Orleans.
On the Thursday, August 14, episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, a shocking rumor rocked the Big Easy when Tamra Judge alleged Katie Ginella was spreading gossip that Gretchen Rossi thought she was roofied in season 4.
“Well, I was 100 percent sure there was no truth to the rumor,” Heather, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, August 14. “This predated me. It’s a long time ago, a long time ago. I promise you had that been even an inkling of a story, it would have come out already. I knew that it wasn’t a thing. Then the question was, ‘Where’d that come from?’”
“I can’t really tell you the answer to that,” she continued. “You’re going to have to keep watching. But it is quite interesting.”
There’s nothing easy about The Real Housewives of Orange County’s vacation to the Big Easy. While watching the Thursday, August 6, episode of Bravo’s hit reality show, viewers were treated to a preview of next week’s episode where Tamra Judge decides to briefly leave New Orleans and quit the show halfway through the cast’s trip. […]
Katie, 41, denied spreading the rumor while Gretchen, 46, claimed she was never roofied during season 4 when she got “naked wasted” at a cast party.
If that story wasn’t enough to cause some ruckus on the cast trip, Tamra, 57, shocked the cast yet again when she briefly quit filming.
Tamra Judge and Heather Dubrow Griffin Nagel/Bravo
“Tamra was going through a very, very tough period,” Heather shared. “I’ve known her for almost 15 years. I’ve never seen her like this before.”
During Thursday’s episode, Tamra expressed how hard it was to film a cast trip in New Orleans while her close friend Teddi Mellencamp was battling cancer.
When attending a group dinner with her costars — including Emily Simpson, Shannon Beador, Jennifer Pedranti and Gina Kirschenheiter — Tamra was accused of being “sloshed” and not herself.
“That whole night, I literally thought I missed something,” Heather explained to Us. “I kind of thought I missed something. I kept saying to Gina, ‘But what happened?’ She’s like, ‘Nothing! You saw. You were there.’ But I feel like I missed something because how did that all take a turn? It gets even more bizarre, so you’re going to have to keep watching.”
Heather Dubrow Courtesy of Us Weekly
After leaving the cast dinner, Tamra took to social media and told the world that she was done filming the show.
“It was a long run!” she wrote via her Instagram Story in March. “When life gives you real problems, this reality s*** doesn’t make sense. Peace out. I’m out.”
According to previews, however, Tamra is expected to return later in the season.
“I just want my friends there for me and understand, ‘No, I’m not perfect,’” Tamra said in a confessional. “I feel not loved and not wanted.”
Gina, however, saw things differently.
“You claim you’re working on yourself, and you claim you’re working on your temper, and you claim you’re having personal growth,” she said on the show. “This behavior is absolutely not acceptable.”
While Heather has faced some criticism from fans who claim she is too loyal to Tamra, the host of iHeartRadio’s “Between Us” podcast said she’s just trying to be a good friend.
“When some of the girls are like, ‘Why are you always defending her?’ and I see some comments from audience members like, ‘What does she have on you?’ Nothing,” Heather said. “We’ve known each other a long time. We’re friends, and when you see a friend really in trouble emotionally, you care for them and you want them to be better.”
Getty Images (3) Gretchen Rossi is returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County with some friends — and an enemy. After Us Weekly confirmed that Gretchen will appear as a “friend” of the cast for season 19, many costars were quick to welcome her with open arms. “Welcome Back @gretchenrossi!” Heather Dubrow wrote via […]
When asked if she really thought Tamra was quitting for good, Heather wasn’t sure.
“My knee-jerk is yes, but no,” she explained. “I’ve known Tamra a long time. I was there in Bali. ‘You’ll never see my face again.’ … I was so confused as to what had happened.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.