The Bravosphere continues to buzz with excitement over the return of “OG of the OC” Vicki Gunvalson to The Real Housewives of Orange County, sparking speculation about potential conflicts among the cast.

Gretchen Rossi, in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly at BravoCon 2025 held in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 15, revealed, “Just over the summer, Vicki was texting me with all sorts of stuff, saying she was going to keep quiet about certain things.”

Rossi elaborated, sharing that Vicki’s texts included some shocking insights about her long-standing friend and fellow RHOC cast member, Tamra Judge.

“It’s definitely going to be intriguing to watch how the dynamics play out,” Gretchen remarked.

Vicki Gunvalson’s much-anticipated comeback to The Real Housewives of Orange County for its 20th season was made official when Andy Cohen surprised her on stage during The Bravos at BravoCon in Las Vegas on Friday, November 14. Vicki, now 63, who was part of the original cast when the series launched in 2006, is ready to stir things up once more.

Vicki’s official return to reality TV was announced at this year’s three-day fan convention in Sin City on Friday, November 14, after Andy Cohen surprised her on stage with an orange during The Bravos awards.

“Vicki, would you join us as a housewife for season 20?” Cohen asked Vicki, who became visibly emotional on stage. (Vicki helped launch the reality TV show and appeared for 14 seasons before walking away from the cameras in January 2020.)

After her onstage BravoCon moment, Us caught up with Vicki, who exclusively shared what the surprise experience was like for her.

“When I went out there, Andy wanted me to give Kandi Burruss the Wifetime Achievement Award, and he gave me a week’s notice,” Vicki explained to Us on Saturday. “I prepared a speech, and I went up on stage, and it wasn’t on the prompter.”

She continued, “When he asked me about season 20, I was really somber going out there because I thought, ‘This is my last time on stage. This is my last time with BravoCon. They’re putting me out to pasture. I’m going to kick and scream the whole way out, but I’m going to do it.’ And then, when he asked me, it took a while for me to understand that this is my next life now for at least a year. I’m so grateful and thankful. I’m just going to be me and have fun and encourage women.”

While Gretchen seemed to allude to some possible bad blood still lingering between the pair, Tamra told Us that while she was surprised to hear that Vicki was returning to the show she is excited for the upcoming season.

According to Emily Simpson, Vicki Gunvalson’s The Real Housewives of Orange County return brought an underlying animosity. While speaking with Us Weekly at BravoCon 2025 on Friday, November 14, Emily, 49, revealed that she recently ran into Vicki, 63, on the red carpet. “She was, like, ‘Well, I still don’t trust her. I don’t trust […]

“No, I did not know it was gonna go down,” Tamra told Us on Saturday. “I’ve been, you know, spending a little time with Vicki lately and talking with her. And I’m like, ‘Have you got any news? You know, normally we don’t get news about next season till about December or January. So she’s like, ‘No, I haven’t heard anything.’”

She continued, “So yeah, she was totally surprised. Totally surprised.”

Tamra later told Us that she “was so happy” to see her friend on stage accepting her orange, adding that her husband, Eddie Judge, was sitting next to Vicki’s boyfriend, Michael Smith, as the moment played out on stage.

“He’s like, his jaw dropped,” she dished to us of Michael’s reaction to his girlfriend having her BravoCon moment. “And he’s like, ‘Oh my god, this is happening.’ Because he’s much like Eddie, where he’s like, ‘OK, you do your stuff. I’m gonna go sit over in the corner.’ So now, Eddie will have somebody to hang out with.”