The Real Housewives of Orange County marked its 20th season at a premiere party, setting up a milestone run that begins Thursday, July 9. Heather Dubrow was among the returning cast members on hand as the show prepared to launch Season 20.
The anniversary matters because this is not just another cast refresh. The series debuted on Bravo on March 21, 2006, began with five women living in Coto de Caza in Orange County, and has now reached 19 seasons and 350 episodes, according to Frances Berwick. She said the franchise had grown into a broader world of housewives, but the Orange County version still carries the weight of the original idea.
This season brings back Tamra Judge, Shannon Storms Beador, Dubrow, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter and Jenn Pedranti. Carmella Garcia is making her housewife debut, while Vicki Gunvalson returns after several years away. That return gives the season its sharpest edge, because Gunvalson was one of the five original women and, before the show took off, told Scott Dunlop, “I wouldn’t be on television. … You should leave,” only to become one of the franchise’s defining figures.
Dunlop said he saw in Gunvalson the frenetic, obsessive energy that ran through her business and her life, and he believed she needed to be part of the show after meeting her. He also said that in a final meeting at 30 Rock he made the case that if the format worked in Orange County, it could work elsewhere, a bet that helped turn a local idea into a lasting franchise. For Season 20, the main question is not whether the show still has a formula; it is how much mileage it can get from bringing Gunvalson back into the mix.
