The Real Housewives of Orange County is a reality television program on the Bravo network. It is the first installation in the The Real Housewives of... series. Created by Orange County producer and Coto de Caza resident Scott Dunlop, the show was initially set primarily in the gated community of Coto and followed the lavish livestyles of five "housewives" and their families who resided within Coto McMansions, with the exception of one housewife (Lauri Waring Peterson), who lived in comparatively reduced financial circumstances in a Ladera Ranch, California townhouse. This housewife exception to the rule was used in season 1 to directly contrast with the money-laden existence of the other four housewives who lived behind the Coto gates. However, the show has since expanded its filming locations to include Rancho Santa Margarita, Ladera Ranch, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Costa Mesa, and Newport Coast, and downplayed the exclusivity of living behind the gates of Coto. For example, the opening credits removed the commentary saying, "There's a mystique of living behind the gates."
History
The show's title and introduction alludes to the ABC show Desperate Housewives as well as the Fox teen drama The OC and touts itself as these two fictional shows' "real-life" counterpart. Unlike a true documentary, however, Bravo has monetarily compensated the show participants for their filming time. The show's first season premiered on March 21, 2006. The five original housewives were Kimberly Bryant, Jo De La Rosa, Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough and Lauri Waring. Season 1 consisted of 8 episodes, including the reunion. The show's second season premiered on January 16, 2007. Four of the five original housewives returned, with the exception of Kimberly Bryant who was replaced by Tammy Knickerbocker. Season 2 consisted of 10 episodes, including the reunion. Season 3 premiered on November 9, 2007 with De La Rosa replaced by new housewife, Tamra Barney. Season 3 consisted of 12 episodes, including the reunion. Additionally, midway through this season, a sixth housewife was introduced to the cast, Quinn Fry. With the introduction of Barney and Fry and Waring's move to San Juan Capistrano, the scope of the show widened its narrow focus that used to emphasize the privilege and exclusivity of living in gated Coto de Caza to purport the general luxury and materialism of living in the Orange County environment. For example, Waring comments in the opening credits of season 3 that she is now "living the Orange County lifestyle again" with her new wealthy fiance. BravoTV announced the series' fourth season renewal with the return of three original housewives, Gunvalson, Keough, Peterson and season 3 housewife Barney. A new housewife, Gretchen Rossi, replaces Season 2 housewife Knickerbocker and season 3 housewife Fry both of whom did not return. To compensate for the mid-season departure of Peterson, another new housewife, Lynne Curtin, joined the cast. This season premiered on November 25, 2008. Season 4 consisted of 15 episodes, including the reunion and a 'Lost Footage' special.. In June 2009, BravoTV announced the renewal of the show for a fifth season with the entire season 4 cast returning. A sixth housewife, Newport Beach resident, Alexis Bellino, will be added to the cast as the newest housewife.
Spinoffs
The "Real Housewives" moniker once synonymous only with The Real Housewives of Orange County now denotes a franchise with a number of spin-off series that air on BravoTV.
In the wake of the success of the original show, the first spin-off, The Real Housewives of New York City , premiered on March 4, 2008.
BravoTV also announced the development of two additional "Housewife" spin-offs called, The Real Housewives of New Jersey , and The Real Housewives of Atlanta , with the latter premiering on October 7, 2008. The Real Housewives of New Jersey subsequently premiered on May 12, 2009.
In the spring of 2009, BravoTV announced the creation and casting of another spin-off called The Real Housewives of Washington DC .The fifth season of The Real Housewives Of OC will premiere on November 5.
Additionally, season 1 housewife, De La Rosa, received her own dating show spin-off ( Date My Ex: Jo & Slade ) in which a group of bachelors competed to become her new love interest. This spin-off premiered on BravoTV on July 21, 2008.
Cast Lists
Cast Members
Current Housewives
- Vicki Gunvalson (Season 1-)
- Tamra Barney (Season 3-)
- Lynne Curtin (Season 4-)
- Gretchen Rossi (Season 4-)
- Alexis Bellino (Season 5-)
Past Housewives
- Kimberly Bryant (Season 1)
- Jo De La Rosa (Season 1-2)
- Quinn Fry (Season 3)
- Tammy Knickerbocker (Season 2-3)
- Lauri Waring Peterson (Season 1-4)
- Jeana Keough (Season 1-5)
Current Housewives
Vicki Gunvalson
Vicki Gunvalson (born March 27, 1962), at age 47, Gunvalson's family includes her second husband Donn and her two children, Michael (who attends the University of Colorado at Boulder) and Briana Wolfsmith (who attends nursing school at Azusa Pacific University located in Azusa, California) from her first marriage.
Gunvalson is the dominant force in her family and has been described by her family and friends as "controlling" and a "workaholic." As she is quoted in the show's opening credits, "I want the power and the money and I want them both!" Her children repeatedly call her "crazy" both to her face and during their camera confessionals during all three seasons. She has worked extremely hard to achieve financial success as an independent insurance agent and expects her family to toe her party line. Gunvalson herself admits to having control issues but maintains it is this very characteristic that has brought about her success and desired lifestyle. For example, in season 1, when the housewives go on a private jewelry shopping spree, Waring laments that she does not have a man in her life to buy her the beautiful jewels in the shop; Gunvalson responds by telling her that she does not need a man to buy her things because they can earn the money independently through their insurance leads and purchase the jewels themselves.
In season 3, Gunvalson and her husband are empty nesters and purchase a smaller home in Coto with the goal to downsize and simplify their lives. However, they still reside in their large residence and Gunvalson expresses anxiety of moving to the smaller home because of her perceived connection between financial failure and downsizing her home's square footage. She explains to the camera, "What will people think?" and eventually decides to sell her smaller house (4,000 s.f. initially listed at $2.1M) through Keough.
Gunvalson appears to have expanded her business to include business associates in Bellevue, Washington and Atlanta by season 3. Michael starts an internship in Bellevue saying that he sees the lucrative income that his mom earns in insurance and wants to make that kind of money. Briana, however, thinks that he is crazy to want to work with their mother. Gunvalson is pleased that Michael wants to follow in her footsteps and looks forward to "passing the baton" if he meets her work standards. She announces to the staff in Bellevue that Michael shadowed his father as a carpenter last summer engaged in manual labor and she is glad that he is choosing to use his brain instead.
Gunvalson's opening scene in season 4 finds her shopping for $1 million yachts with Michael. Her plans include selling the family's Lake Havasu vacation home and buying an expensive yacht that she says could be used more frequently as the yacht will be berthed 20 minutes from their home versus driving hours to Arizona. When she initially tells Donn of her plans, he asks her, "When is it ever enough?" Gunvalson replies, "It's never enough." Gunvalson's season 4 motif revolves around her increasingly distant relationship with Donn and their awkward attempts to reintegrate their individual lives.
Tamra Barney
42-year old Chula Vista native Barney joined the cast in season 3 through a casting call launched on the BravoTV website. She lives in Ladera Ranch with her second husband of 10 years, Simon Robert (born 1964). She recently became a real estate agent in Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch to achieve a sense of "value" in her family dynamic. However, she makes it clear that her job does not provide her family with its primary financial support and that her husband is actually her family's breadwinner. Her family includes three children from her current husband: Sidney, Spencer, and Sophia all of whom are under the age 10. Barney also has a 21 year old son, Ryan, from her first marriage. In season 3, Ryan moved back in with Barney after leaving the family home at age 18 because of his contentious relationship with Simon. Although Ryan's relationship with Simon has not improved, without a college education and a job, he is forced to move back in with Barney and Simon. Season 3 documents the strain that Ryan imposes upon Barney and Simon's marriage. In response, Simon has Ryan sign a contract listing conditions which Ryan must meet to continue living in his house. After three months of living with Barney and Simon, Ryan begrudgingly accepts a parts picker job paying only $
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