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Vicki Gunvalson took aim at new The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Carmella Garcia after the women visited Carmella’s home in a recent episode.
As 44-year-old Carmella explained why her house contained so few personal belongings, Shannon Beador, 62, and Gina Kirschenheiter, 42, defended her. Vicki, 64, however, criticized the property and accused Carmella of being “inauthentic,” while Tamra Judge, 59, appeared to question her priorities.
During the September 10 episode of the RHOC: After Show, Vicki described what she saw inside Carmella’s home. “The door was open [to the pantry]. I was in the kitchen talking to [Carmella’s partner] Danny, and [Heather Dubrow] wanted a cutting board. There was no cutting board, and the cabinets had dishes in them, but many of the cabinets were empty,” she said. “There was nothing in the pantry but a bag of chips. It didn’t look lived in. She’s got four kids there. It was weird.”
Vicki also questioned whether Carmella belonged on RHOC, claiming that she did not actually live in Orange County and accusing her of being dishonest.
“She lives in Rancho Bernardo, but she’s renting a house in Orange County for a few months while we’re filming. Well, that right there is inauthentic. Either you live in Orange County, or you live in San Diego County,” Vicki said. “I don’t like people not being authentic. But she can lie. She’s been lying all year long, so why not keep lying?”
Tamra, who had also looked through Carmella’s cabinets, agreed with Vicki’s assessment. “There was nothing in there,” she said.
“There was some, like, staging stuff in there for the house, and I opened the refrigerator and there were little … mini bottles of vodka and stuff you get on airplanes; there were a few in there,” Tamra claimed. “She served [Emily Simpson] coffee in a paper cup. So that just shows those things aren’t important to her. Dior bags are.”
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Gina later said Carmella’s explanation for the sparsely furnished home was “understandable” and criticized “delulu” Vicki for not asking more questions. Shannon then revealed that she had experienced a similar situation.
“I have literally been in that situation where you think, I’m only gonna do this for six months and then you’re like, geez, it’s been two years. It all makes sense why Carmella’s house was more sparsely furnished,” Shannon said.
Carmella, meanwhile, questioned why the women were scrutinizing her home in the first place. “Who walks around somebody’s home criticizing? Who goes through your pantry? … it’s bizarre,” she said.
After Jennifer Pedranti, 49, pointed out that one piece of furniture still had a tag attached, Carmella explained that she had hired a party rental company for the cast’s visit.
“I rented outdoor furniture because we were hosting a party. I don’t think that’s something that’s out of the ordinary … I sold my house. It was an off-market deal. I had like 30 days to get out, and I thought it would be a six-month situation,” Carmella explained. “It’s a rental. It’s temporary. And then work got crazy. We started selling a ton of real estate and naturally, your stuff is last. I’m working. I’m busy. I didn’t get a chance to move, and then I got the place in [Corona Del Mar].”
During the RHOC: After Show, Carmella also accused Vicki of “trying to poke holes in [her] story.”
“That’s why I said I would not buy life insurance from somebody as discombobulated as she is,” Carmella said. “I don’t try to control what she does in her home in Mexico. I don’t offer opinions because I don’t know. So it really feels like such a personal attack. What does it matter which night I’m staying at which home? The fact of the matter is I have homes in both places, in Rancho Santa Fe, in Corona Del Mar, and there shouldn’t be an issue with it.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Bravo.