Season 19 of The Real Housewives of Orange County is off to the races now that Gretchen Rossi has re-joined the series as a friend. Gretchen and veteran Housewife Tamra Judge have been feuding since Gretchen first joined the group in Season 4. Now, years later, the two squared up in front of Bravo’s cameras for the first time in years.

Gretchen left the series after Season 8, and was allegedly fired, according to Us Weekly. The source told the outlet, “They just had run their course. Gretchen has been on the show a long time, and it was the same old story.” Over a decade later, Gretchen has re-joined the cast as a friend and is ready to face Tamra head-on in this new phase of life.

Gretchen Rossi And Tamra Judge Are Back On Screen Together

The second episode of Season 19 of The Real Housewives of Orange County got juicier as soon as Gretchen Rossi appeared on the screen. Gretchen was clearly added to the cast to stir the pot with Tamra Judge, especially when she met with Katie Ginella and Jennifer Pedranti to discuss Tamra’s alleged villainous ways.

Tamra and Gretchen face each other for the first time in years when they both arrive at Katie’s hot pot meal. The two were shockingly cordial, with both women re-introducing themselves to each other in jest. According to Bravo, even though Tamra told Gretchen that she looked “beautiful,” Gretchen felt the compliment was coded with an ulterior motive.

Tamra noted before dinner that she was happy to squash the beef between her and Gretchen, as long as Gretchen felt the same. However, Gretchen still had a few things to get off her chest before playing nice.

• Tamra mentioned that Gretchen contacted her estranged daughter, Sidney Barney, when they were feuding.
• In retaliation, Gretchen shared that Tamra’s words about her fiancé being a deadbeat dad were defamatory, especially after they lost his son to brain cancer.

“It’s not the same thing,” Gretchen told Tamra. “You really wanna play this game? Because it’s not the same thing. I made a comment on a public Facebook post that your daughter made.”

Although Tamra admitted that speaking poorly about someone’s child was off-limits, Gretchen didn’t hold back and made sure Tamra knew how she felt about her. “So, you can spin your little lies and do all of your manipulation, like you always do. You are the liar beyond liars.”

The other Housewives sat back and let the two women hash things out. Eventually, they decided to cool down and start fresh again. “It’s just about having accountability for the things that happened. … You and I need to talk ’cause I think that you and I have a disagreement about where we feel like that level is,” Gretchen screamed. Tamra replied, “I agree with that. But you can’t, like, hold onto that s***. It, like, kills you.”

Season 19 is bound to be an emotional journey for Tamra. The premier showed Tamra going to therapy to dissect some of her anger issues and friendship troubles. After all, she was arguing with Shannon, Gretchen, Jennifer, and Katie before the second episode rolled around.

The Ins And Outs Of Tamra Judge’s Feud With Gretchen Rossi

Gretchen Rossi and her fiancé, Slade Smiley, were ready for their close-up against Tamra Judge. Gretchen held her own against the iconic Housewife, but Tamra goes for the jugular. For new viewers, it’s easy to get lost in their arguments.

Tamra Judge and Gretchen Rossi’s History

Gretchen and Tamra started on good terms, but things got complicated when Tamra learned of Gretchen’s much older boyfriend, Jeff Beitzel. Tamra felt that Gretchen was only using Jeff for his money. In return, Gretchen thought Tamra was jealous, trying to manipulate the girls to disown Gretchen.

Many presumed that the rumors and allegations that Tamra threw her way stemmed from jealousy. And things grew worse between the two when Gretchen started dating Slade Smiley after her fiancé died.

Slade was no stranger to RHOC after having been part of the series when he was engaged to former Housewife, Jo De La Rosa, and later dated another Housewife, Lauri Peterson. Because of his reputation around the Housewives, it was fuel to the fire for Tamra.

Both women dug where it hurt most for the other: their children. Gretchen brought up the fact that Tamra had a poor relationship with her daughter Sidney, and Tamra drove home issues that Slade had as a dad.

Gretchen was eventually fired from the series. There comes a point where the same song and dance is no longer enjoyable to watch.

Tamra told The Daily Dish that she didn’t feel Gretchen “grew” as a person after being fired. “It’s really sad. Like, [Gretchen’s] really still stuck in 2010 or wherever it was, you know? I keep growing and thriving and building businesses and all this and she’s still stuck on, ‘You called Slade a deadbeat dad.’ I’m like, girl, listen — why are you even talking about this because all they’re gonna do is flash back to all this stuff, and it’s not gonna be pretty for you.”

As of the publication of this article, the feud between the women remains very much alive.