The 7th Season of The Real Housewives of Orange County

The 7th Season of The Real Housewives of Orange County is set to premiere on February 7, 2012 and the internet is already a buzz about the upcoming season.  First of all, can you believe that the RHOC is already in its 7th season?!  I guess if you look at where the show started and where it is now, it's easier to believe.  When the show started out in Season 1, although it was all about the glamorous lives behind the gates in Coto de Caza, it was a lot less polished.  The women perhaps had the money, the boob jobs, and the Botox, but they still felt real.  As the show has progressed, the women who have been added to the cast (and those that have stuck around) have learned the ins and outs of reality TV.  Everything is flashier and more polished (and I'm not just talking about the massive amounts of airbrushing Bravo does on promotional pictures!).  All you have to do is look at the wardrobe choices from the promotional photos for the show throughout the seasons.  The wardrobe progresses from blouses and pants to cocktail dresses.  That being said, the original of The Real Housewives franchise is still one of my favorites.

The question as the show becomes more polished and the wives become more akin to the ways of reality TV is, is it still real?  According to Bravo and the show's producers, yes.  But that doesn't mean that some of the show isn't manufactured.  Peggy Tanous, who joined the show in Season 6 and will not be returning for Season 7, although clips from the upcoming season implies she will at least be making the occasional appearance, has reported in interviews that she left in part because she felt the show was too manufactured as the cast and production got together to discuss story lines.

Regardless of whether or not it is manufactured, the only remaining original OC housewife, Vicki Gunvalson, has gone on record that Season 7 is the most shocking season of The Real Housewives of Orange County to date.  Bravo has already shocked some viewers in sharing that during the upcoming 7th season, Tamra Barney and Gretchen Rossi are actually friends! Gretchen joined the show in Season 4 and she and Tamra have been sworn rivals/enemies ever since.  However, the apparently kiss and make-up sometime during Season 7 which sends shockwaves throughout the entire cast.  Tamra's new friendship with Gretchen affects her friendship with BFF Vicki and Gretchen's new friendship with Tamra not only affects her friendship with friend and ally, Alexis Bellino, but also hurts her relationship with boyfriend, Slade Smiley.  Tamra and Gretchen have been fighting for over 3 years now, so I question the reality of their friendship and how close they truly have become after saying such horrible things about each other for years.  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out and if we really buy their friendship.

With Tamra and Gretchen buddy-buddy, that leaves everyone to wonder where the big drama for the season will come from--and you know there will be drama! Well that's where a new housewife comes into the mix.  Heather Dubrow, a former actress and now mother of four, joins the cast this year.  Internet rumors are swirling that Heather will brew up some conflict this year.

Other conflict includes Vicki introducing the cast and her family to her new boyfriend, Brook Ayers.  OC fans were devastated when at the end of Season 6, Vicki filed for divorce from her longtime husband and fan favorite, Don.  Vicki and Don had renewed their vows in Season 5 with a commitment to work and focus on their marriage after Vicki proclaimed in Season 4 that Don no longer filled her love tank.  Apparently that renewal was short lived and her love tank depleted within a year.  Vicki is now boasting that Brook fills her love tank, but everyone else does not seem so sure.  Bravo has already revealed that Vicki's daughter, Briana, does not approve of Brook which will cause some drama.  Causing more drama is that Briana runs off to Vegas and elopes!  After Briana's marriage hit the news, the blogs became a twitter that Vicki did not know that Briana was planning to elope in Vegas.  In fact, Briana was married on October 23, 2011 and Vicki announced on November 3, 2011 that she was engaged--1 1/2 weeks after she was married!  We'll have to stay tuned for Season 7 to see how that all plays out.

Sounds like there is a lot in store for the OC Housewives this season.  If you want a sneak peak, check out Bravo's sneak peak of Season 7 below: