You know the old saying: a tiger doesn’t change his stripes. On this episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra can say she is sorry all she wants, but Shannon continues to be wary of her, knowing that ultimately, Tamra will just stab her in the back again. The ladies split up and head to two different overnight locations, making for two very different trips.
Tamra has decided to host *some* of the ladies on a quick getaway to Temecula. Her guest list is strategic, as she is intentionally trying to solidify and rebuild friendships that are still a bit rocky, even after her recent apologies. Tamra plans on using Gina as a bridge to gap Jenn and Shannon to her, but Shannon is unsure if she will attend. She is worried which version of Tamra she will get.
Emily and Tamra get together to shop and commiserate over mom-life duties. Emily worries if she is giving her other children the necessary love and attention as she navigates her son, Luke’s, issues and Tamra chats about Shannon.
It’s interesting that Tamra is quick to call Shannon out for being a grudge holder, yet Tamra does not hold back when picking apart Shannon’s hot-mess appearance. Although it is a bit shocking that Tamra invited Shannon along for this trip, Tamra is not going as far as inviting Gretchen and Katie.
Gina and Jenn attempt to get Shannon on board for the Temecula trip. They pass it off as a good time and ultimately Shannon decides that she will go since it is clear Tamra is trying to better herself.
Heather is loving her LA podcasting life. As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, Heather hosts Dylan Mulvaney. Heather talks about her four children and she continues to support the trans community by being an ally.
Jen and Emily discuss their love of fostering animals and lend a hand at a nearby shelter. After cleaning up a cattery and playing catch with some puppies, Emily opens up about her son Luke. She admits to coddling him and realizes that Shane parents a completely different way. Jenn talks Emily off the ledge by reminding her she is a wonderful mother to all of her children and that there will always be different seasons with her kids.
Not to be left off of the episode, or something like that, Heather decides to host a sleepover with Emily and Gretchen while the rest of the crew is off at Tamra’s Temecula apology tour. Tamra is busy packing the shade in the form of a large print book called “How Not to Be a Miserable Cow” which she will gift to Shannon should things go sideways.
The ride to Temecula is full of Shannon tales (her dad owned an avocado mountain?!) and once they arrive to the destination, Tamra butters Shannon up by letting her stay in the primary room. She sure knows the way to Shannon’s heart… Shannon unpacks what appears to be her entire kitchen while the ladies look on in confusion and partial disgust.
In the meantime, Gretchen and Emily arrive at Heather’s Beverly Hills sleepover. Emily wonders how long this Tamra/Jenn friendship will last, considering Jenn is still angry at Tamra for showing the “fat photo.” Gretchen is getting tired of Heather’s refusal to call Tamra’s actions out.
The Temecula crew is out for a motorcycle ride that leads to a winery. After getting Shannon’s snot all over them during the ride, they are ready to sip some wine. On the flip side, Heather, Gretchen, and Emily are all dolled up prancing around Rodeo Drive with Heather’s black card ready to shop on her dime.
The most hilarious part is a “random paparazzi” out on the corner to confirm that Heather did NOT in fact call the paparazzi on herself. Curious timing…
Heather explains that being in LA has really reignited her love of acting. She is busy taking improv and comedy classes. Because the conversation seems pretty boring, Emily tells Heather that Jenn feels like Heather just pacifies Tamra. Heather denies being scared of Tamra and reminds us all that she was the only person who told Tamra how she truly felt after New Orleans.
As Emily and Gretchen get wined and dined by Heather, the other girls sit down for a nice outing. Tamra is thrilled to see that Shannon is giving her a chance, making Shannon even more uncomfortable.
Jenn seems like she is ready to move forward; however, she is still upset about the fatty photo. Gina lets Tamra know that she is not out of the woods with Jenn because of this. Gina then throws Heather under the bus and claims that Heather presented it as a fat photo. Tamra is now annoyed with Heather, but that’s not really what happened as per the video tape shown.
Tamra points out that Jenn doesn’t seem totally resolved with her. She feels like Jenn has changed. Jenn admits that food made her happier when she was married, but Tamra wonders if she is just trying to be Ryan’s “tits on a stick” kinda girl.
Tamra explains that Eddie felt dirty knowing that he was hanging out with Jenn’s (secret) boyfriend, Ryan, while she was married to her (now ex) husband Will. However, Shannon wants Tamra to remember that she had an affair with Eddie when she was married to Simon, so there’s that…
Jenn wonders why Tamra always has to go so low. She feels like Tamra has low self-esteem and points out that she believes Tamra doesn’t like this new version of Jenn. Even though Tamra tries to make it right, Jenn needs Tamra to mature first.
Shannon jumps in and reminds Tamra that she doesn’t take accountability and goes low when she is mad. Tamra says that Shannon is just as bad, but she just does it behind other peoples’ backs. Tamra reminds Shannon that she has been there for her, but Shannon points out that Tamra complained Shannon sucked the life out of her.
Then, Shannon says that her life is better without Tamra. Shannon is tired of Tamra throwing her drinking in her face, but Tamra does what she does best. She throws Gina under the bus and tells Shannon that even Gina is concerned about Shannon’s drinking. A shocked Shannon looks wounded. To be continued…
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