RHOC: Tamra Judge & Kelly Dodd Call Out Low Ratings After Gina Diss
Tamra Judge and Kelly Dodd called out The Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter on social media after she dissed them on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. The call-out comes years after Tamra and Kelly were fired from the long-running Bravo reality series. Tamra was fired after season 14, despite being asked to return as a friend of. Kelly was let go from RHOC a year ago, along with former co-stars Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Elizabeth-Lyn Vargas, ahead of season 16.
In Kelly's place, Heather Dubrow made her return to RHOC after a five-year hiatus, along with new castmates Noella Bergener and Dr. Jennifer Armstrong. Gina returned to season 16, her fourth season, along with Emily Simpson and Shannon Beador, who is on her eighth season. While the current season isn't doing as well as RHOC used to do when Vicki Gunvalson was around, the current cast seems to think the show is doing just fine.
During the March 23 episode of Watch What Happens Live, the 37-year-old received a question from the virtual audience asking her what she thinks of Tamra stating that Gina and Emily aren’t "Housewives material." Gina, who called out Braunwyn, replied with a shrug, "Well, I mean, I’m here, and I’m on the show." Andy, who dissed Kelly, then read a question from a fan on social media, where they asked about Kelly calling Gina a "charity case," who doesn’t host events on the show. "I don’t even care — I mean, she didn’t host anything either," Gina stated. "My argument would be, ‘OK I didn’t host anything, so I guess you’re saying I’m just enough. Without hosting anything or the money or the over-the-top stuff.’" While the talk show was airing, Tamra and Kelly fired back at Gina and the RHOC season 16 rating.
Tamra said on Twitter, "You’re right. You’re on the show and I’m not. And the ratings show." Kelly had a similar sentiment to the clip, writing, "Just because you’re still on the show doesn’t mean you’re good TV. Sorry but this season sucks !! The numbers don’t lie …" While this was the first time Tamra has called out RHOC for its decline in ratings, Kelly is no stranger to dissing the show. In December 2021, Kelly called out the show for its lowest rating in RHOC history, which Andy immediately shut down. The late-night host told the former housewife to look at the "delayed" numbers, not what is live. RHOC season 16 has received under a million views per episode, compared to past seasons when every episode received a least a million, if not more, viewers per episode.
While Gina is still on RHOC, Tamra and Kelly do have a point about the ratings. Even though the viewers that watch are enjoying the show and its new vibe, RHOC isn't what it used to be. Fans have asked for Tamra to return and are hoping she does once The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip season 2 begins airing later this year.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Sources: Watch What Happens Live/ Twitter, Tamra Judge/ Twitter, Kelly Dodd/Twitter