In this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, the ladies explore Bali, but reviews are mixed. Shannon and Lizzie continue to campaign against Tamra. And Vicki and Tamra’s friendship takes a hit.
Last week, after being as boring as a can of white paint all season, Lizzie finally got out her big wooden spoon and started to stir the pot. Holding a grudge against Tamra for not attending her anemic birthday celebration and for supposedly criticizing the buxom brunette’s fashion sense (lots of cleavage, not much material), she went to work on Shannon.
Previously, in Paradise…
Shannon, wary of Tamra herself, got an earful from Lizzie exposing just how backstabbing Mrs. Judge can be.
On top of that, Tamra’s pissed at Heather for showing Lizzie some support. And just to make things a little more interesting, Lizzie and Tamra have totally different accounts regarding an event that conveniently happened off camera at Heather’s Valentine’s Day party.
All of this, and the girls have only been in Bali for 24 hours.
It’s Okay to Disagree
The next morning, Tamra gives Heather the cold shoulder. Heather questions what’s with the attitude, and Tamra says she thinks Heather was trying to start trouble by saying that Tamra had made fun of Lizzie’s dress. Heather doesn’t consider it shit stirring since she didn’t even make the accusation in front of Lizzie. She also apologizes to Tamra if what she said came out wrong. But Tamra’s not letting this one go without a little more sulking. Heather feels that in order to be friends with Tamra, she has to agree with everything she says.
Tamra’s reserving most of her venom for Lizzie. She’s spinning like a top over the whole “Marry, Kill, Shag” game. This controversy has come out of left field. It’s like a mint on a hotel pillow — a special treat during a getaway.
Zen and the Art of Getting Banged by Monkeys
If you’re going to travel halfway around the world, you should take some time to enjoy the local color. So the girls put their grievances on the back burner to do just that. They pay a visit to a 19th century temple. The richness of tradition is lost on Vicki. Tamra’s not the least bit moved by the spirituality or the scenery. To her, it all looks like inventory from Pier 1.
Next up, the ladies get an unusual pedicure: tiny fish eat all the dead skin off their feet. Shannon, Tamra and Vicki are all traumatized, especially Shannon who has an intense dislike of fish.
On to see some monkeys, and Vicki starts screeching before they even get out of the car. Heather may be the fancy pants of the group, but she’s the one telling the others to “chillax” and enjoy the experience. Vicki and Tamra can’t even emotionally reconcile with the idea of using the public toilets.
Come to the Dark Side
Shannon and Vicki hit the spa assuming it to be a safer, more relaxing way to spend their time in Bali. C’mon, ladies, you can get a massage in the OC. No sooner are the mud masks off does Shannon start flinging it. She tells Vick about her conversation with Lizzie and that she believes Tamra is playing everybody, including Vicki. This shouldn’t come as news to the insurance magnate since she herself has said she doesn’t fully trust her “friend.”
Danielle and Lizzie join in the conversation, and things go from bad to worse. The ladies blame their mistreatment or misconceptions of Shannon on bad intel from Tamra. God forbid they take any personal responsibility. Can’t think for ourselves, ladies? Vicki jumps on the bandwagon and says she didn’t like Lizzie at first because of Tamra. Vicki never likes anybody, so that’s a load of crap.
Vicki bellyaches about what she perceives as Tamra’s sabotaging her relationship with Briana as well as her lack of support regarding her romance with Brooks. She believes Tamra has a dark side, and she just can’t have peace.
While Vicki thought Tamra had come around to the idea of “Bricki,” the ladies let her know that nothing could be further from the truth. In their attempt to take down Tamra, they mercilessly trash what is a genuine bond between their enemy and Vicki. Vicki is just as guilty of being a frenemy as Tamra.
Tamra and Heather go for a bike ride, during which Heather disproves the old adage “It’s like riding a bike.” Unbeknownst to her, Tamra will be returning to a vipers’ nest, so it’s a good thing she finally gets to enjoy some of the beauty Bali has to offer. And no, Tamra, rice doesn’t come from a tree.
Fool Me Once
Night falls, and like sharks circling, Shannon and Lizzie are ready to take a bite out of Tamra.
Vicki is quiet, and since she’s been screaming at full lung capacity the entire trip, Tamra is tipped off that something is amiss.
There is, of course, the calm before the storm. Shannon thanks Heather for including her on the trip, and even Heather appears to think the two might be able to put their checkered past behind them. She apologizes for discussing publicly Shannon and David’s marital woes.
Another previously unaired grievance is brought to light. It turns out that Terry is peeved at David for telling Heather to spread her legs when riding the mechanical bull at the hoedown. And we’re just hearing about this now?
Shannon blames her husband’s inappropriate comment on one too many tequila shots and is contrite on his behalf. She feels that she and Heather have made enough progress that if David apologizes, their relationship will continue to move in a positive direction.
Tamra tries to get to the bottom of what’s up with Vicki. She tries to lure Vicki to the restroom but fails and goes alone. As soon as she leaves, Vicki tells Heather how upset she is to find out that Tamra has been bashing Brooks behind her back when she’s been telling her to her face that she’s supportive. I never got the impression Tamra had done anything more than just agree to disagree, but whatever.
The time comes, and Shannon goes in for the kill. Since she repeats verbatim what Tamra has said to Lizzie, Tamra knows the source. Instead of being apologetic, Tamra thinks Lizzie is trying to take the heat off herself for supposedly, according to Tamra, accusing the blonde for being jealous that Eddie said he wanted to sleep with her. This was in the context of a game, not just some arbitrary realization on Lizzie’s behalf.
Lizzie swears to Tamra that she said Eddie wanted to marry her, not know her in a carnal sense. Tamra flips out, adamant that Lizzie is lying. She looks around for support, and Heather backs her up, stating that both she and Terry heard Lizzie say the “F” word.
Shannon intercedes and continues to confront Tamra. She says she no longer believes that Terry said he wanted to take down the Beadors, and that Tamra was just starting trouble.
Tired of being attacked, Tamra literally flees the table, saying, “You’ll never see my face again.” Well, there is the flight home and the reunion.
Vicki dissolves into tears making it all about her, and Heather notices there’s a lot of she said, she said going around. Shannon takes the opportunity to try and turn Heather against Tamra by saying Heather’s involvement in Tamra’s wedding was for show, that their friendship isn’t genuine. Lizzie throws in that Tamra’s called her anorexic for good measure. More champagne, anyone?
Heather is skeptical and goes to find Tamra. Tamra is more forgiving of Shannon’s behavior because she believes it is a way to cope with the problems in her own life. But she thinks Lizzie is simply a manipulative bitch.
Heather questions Tamra about the genuineness of their friendship, and Tamra assures her it’s solid. She maintains she’s being taken out of context.
Tamra’s on the outs with pretty much everyone, and it will take nothing short of a three-part reunion and a lot of clips to possibly get her out.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Mondays at 9pm on Bravo.
(Image courtesy of Bravo)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
