10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Real Housewives Of Orange County
Published on July 8, 2015. Updated October 27, 2016You’d think after ten seasons of putting it all out there, viewers would know every single tidbit there is to know about The Real Housewives of Orange County. But don’t bet on it. From the show’s origin to filming with not-quite-healed nose-jobs, here are ten things you didn’t know about The Real Housewives of Orange County.
10. A Satirical Look at The Housewives of Orange County
When the Real Housewives’ creator Scott Dunlop first came up with the concept for the show, it was originally called “Behind the Gates” and was intended to take a satirical look at life in affluent communities (i.e. where houses sell for an average of $1.6 million).
Peter Tangen / ©Bravo / courtesy Everett Collection9. The Real Housewives Were Inspired By The Original Housewives
When the Real Housewives was pitched to Bravo back in 2005, it was described as being inspired by the hit series Desperate Housewives: “From Peyton Place to Desperate Housewives, viewers have been riveted by the fictionalized versions of such lifestyles on television. Now, here is a series that depicts real-life ‘desperate’ housewives with an authentic look at their compelling day-to-day drama.”
Moshe Brakha / © ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection8. The Real Housewives of Coto de Caza?
Before it was called The Real Housewives of Orange County, creator Scott Dunlop had originally planned to base the show in the gated community, Coto de Caza, California. “I wanted to open the show with time lapse footage of Coto as it was 40 to 50 years ago, a barren valley then show the suburbanization of it. My friend and I put together a trailer we shot in Coto de Caza with several of the ladies and sent it off to Bravo. We met with the head of programming and was asked if people in the community would be willing to do this. The ladies agreed and off it went.”
Dave Bjerke / © Bravo / Courtesy: Everett Collection7. There Are Now 13 Housewives Shows Around the World
The Real Housewives of Orange County has been such a success that it has spawned multiple installments of the show based in cities around the world. To date, there are seven domestic installments and six international installments, including The Real Housewives of Athens, Me’usharot (The Real Housewives of Israel), The Real Housewives of Vancouver, Les Vraies Housewives (The Real French Housewives of Hollywood), The Real Housewives of Melbourne, and the Real Housewives of Cheshire (UK).
Source: YouTube6. A Pair of OC Housewives Spin-Offs
Along with the internationally reaching installments, The Real Housewives’ of Orange County has also branched off into two spin-offs. Date My Ex was the first and featured Jo De La Rosa’s attempts at dating after moving to Los Angeles. It only lasted one season in 2008 and ended after nine episodes. The next spin-off was Tamra’s OC Wedding, which focused primarily on the star’s wedding preparations in September 2013.
Bravo Photo: Mike Ruiz5. There Have Been 17 (!) Real Housewives of Orange Country
Although the series only focuses on a handful of women at a time, there have in fact been 17 housewives featured during the show’s ten season run. See if you can name them all and the check with this list. Ready for it? Here we go… Kimberly Bryant, Jo De La Rosa, Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough, Lauri Waring-Peterson, Tammy Knickerbocker, Quinn Fry, Tamra Judge, Lynne Curtin, Gretchen Rossi, Alexis Bellino, Peggy Tanous, Heather Dubrow, Lydia McLaughlin, Shannon Beador, Lizzie Rovsek, and Meghan King Edmonds. Did you get them all?
Mitchell Haaseth / © Bravo / Courtesy: Everett Collection4. Meghan Edmonds’ Family Relations
Much had been made already about the fact that Meghan Edmonds is only a few years older than her stepdaughter; she’s closer in age to the girl than she is to her husband. But did you know that, along with being married to the former Major League Baseball center fielder and current broadcaster for Fox Sports Midwest, Meghan’s sister, Julie King, is also a professional baseball player, and her brother, RJ King, is a well-known model.
Source: Bravo3. Show Vicki The Money!
One fact that’s sparked the interest of Housewives’ viewers is just how much the multi-faceted Vicki Gunvalson is worth, especially after news broke that her assets would be divided in half as a result of her divorce and the possibility that she may even have to pay spousal support. Although she doesn’t in fact owe her ex monthly checks, sources say that she was awarded nearly $1 million in assets after the split, as well as the ex-couple’s $2 million home. As it stands, she is said to currently be worth approximately $7 million, with the majority of that coming directly from her business ventures. Cha-ching!
Emiley Schweich/Everett Collection2. Vicki’s Nose No-No
The doctor may suggest up to 12 weeks to fully recover from a nose job, but how about appearing on camera and in front of a national audience? After Vicki Gunvalson had her nose “redone” between season six and seven, filming on the show started sooner than she had expected and she ended up on camera looking “very swollen.” “I remember showing up to shoot at Heather’s house and looking like a moonface,” she said.
Photo by REX/Broadimage1. Real Housewives’ Creator Sued for $5 Million
Not all of the Real Housewives’ drama involves the ladies on-screen. Behind-the-scenes, creator Scott Dunlop faced a whopper of a lawsuit back in 2014 when two of the shows’ producers alleged that they had co-created the series and were being excluded from the massive profits. Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman sued Dunlop for $5 million for fraud claiming that they had developed and sold the show along with Dunlop and then had been pushed out. Sounds like the kind of spat that might get the Housewives riled up on a feisty season-peaking episode.
Source: The Guardian