It is the top of a (short-lived) period.
Roughly a yr after reconciling with Shannon Beador on season 17 of The Actual Housewives of Orange County following a years-long feud, Tamra Decide has as soon as once more reduce her co-star out of her life, together with the third member of the “Tres Amigas,” Vicki Gunvalson. It is largely performed out on social media over the previous week, as Tamra ramps up for the premiere of Peacock’s The Traitors — the primary three episodes begin streaming on Friday night time — and Vicki dubs her a “traitor” in actual life.
“There’s some things I don’t want to talk about, because … we go into production [on season 18] next week and, obviously, it’s gonna be talked about,” Tamra tells ET, sitting down to talk at a Scotland-themed activation in Los Angeles placed on by Peacock to advertise season 2 of the hit competitors collection, which movies within the UK nation.
“I backed out of the Tres Amigas for some reasons that you probably will hear about on Orange County Housewives,” she teases. “You know, it’s tough. It’s so twisted, and there’s so many layers to it, it’s hard for me to explain everything — but I didn’t do anything to either one of them.”
After discovering their method again to friendship, Tamra, Vicki and Shannon went into enterprise collectively, launching a collection of stay comedy exhibits themed round their trio. They solely did a pair performances earlier than Tamra says she began questioning whether or not this was the suitable transfer for her. Immediately, she’s not chatting with both lady, save for social media sparring matches with Vicki.
“After we did the Phoenix show, the agent called me and said, ‘Would you like to do another show?’ and I said, ‘You know what? I really, I can’t right now. I have too much, too many things on my plate, I can’t go on this tour with them,” she recollects. “They had already known that, they know my schedule’s super busy.”
Tamra cites her podcasting schedule — she at present hosts two exhibits with former The Actual Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp, and is quickly to launch a 3rd with fellow Bravo-lebrity Kate Chastain — as her major purpose for backing out.
“I just didn’t have a lot of time to go traveling, and I guess Vicki didn’t like that and now she’s calling me a traitor,” Tamra provides.
Tamra’s emotions in regards to the stay exhibits, which have been themed as a sort-of celebration, turned much more difficult after Shannon’s September arrest for a DUI, which occurred earlier than the Phoenix efficiency.
“It’s difficult,” she says. “I think that people are gonna understand my concerns and, you know, as far as the Tres Amigas show, I felt like we should not have done it right after her DUI. I felt like she needed to concentrate on herself. … Conversations were had between us about it, and how I felt… and I don’t want to give too much away.”
On prime of that, Tamra says she caught wind of some backstabbing habits from her so-called mates.
“There were some things they had said about me behind my back that got to me, and it didn’t sit well with me,” she says. “In 2024, I’m not going to be around toxic people that are, you know– if you’re my friend, be my friend. If I’m doing something or saying something you don’t like, come to me and tell me. That’s what Teddi does with me. We hold each other accountable.”
Tamra factors to a dialog she had with Teddi behind the scenes at BravoCon for example of what she means.
“I told Teddi, ‘You shouldn’t have done that with the Vicki situation on Squash the Beef,'” Tamra shares, referencing the second Andy Cohen introduced Teddi and Vicki nose to nose on stage in Las Vegas to settle their variations. Vicki’s made her disdain identified for Teddi ever since Tamra teamed up with the previous actuality star for his or her podcast.
In the course of the section, Teddi instructed Vicki, “I originally thought that maybe you had issues between me and Tamra being such close friends, then I realized you were probably just triggered by someone who actually has cancer.” Teddi, who’s change into an advocate for pores and skin most cancers consciousness after personal prognosis, made the remark as a jab at Vicki’s darkest RHOC chapter, throughout which she dated a person who the ladies believed faked most cancers for consideration.
“[I said], ‘You weren’t right,’ and she’s like, “Okay, you are proper,’ and people are the kind of mates that I need,” Tamra says. “I do not need mates which might be stabbing me within the again, and speaking behind my again. So, I want them each all of the success on this planet, however till issues change, you understand, I do not should be part of it.”
Shannon and Vicki are continuing with their tour, now as a duo with special guests, while Tamra is set to start doing live shows with Teddi to promote their podcast. When the announcement for Two Ts‘ first theater date hit socials, Tamra says Vicki freaked out.
“However let me simply inform you, they knew I used to be doing that!” Tamra says. “I instructed them months in the past that I used to be doing it. It is a one-time factor that was placed on by [our podcast company] iHeart. So it wasn’t to take [the Tres Amigas show’s] place…”
Tamra says she’s “so pleased” Vicki and Shannon are continuing with their tour, and even offers her blessing to internet speculation they’ll replace her with former RHOC star Kelly Dodd to form a new iteration of the “Tres Amigas.”
“Good for them,” she says. “I hope they promote a number of tickets with that.”
Kelly entered the conversation about the friendship fallout on her YouTube show, Rick and Kelly’s Daily Smash, slamming Tamra’s social media posts about the feud, including one comment comparing cutting Vicki and Shannon out of her life to taking ” the most important dump.”
” what? That is Devil doing its work and that is who she is,” Kelly said. “I imply, have a look at her eyes, they’re darkish black. You may’t even see. Like, she’s evil. Pure evil.”
“Nicely, Devil was saying that,” Tamra quips back. “So, Devil was telling you this.”
“We’re arrange for a extremely good season,” she half-jokes, offering some hope for the future.
“Hear, I by no means say by no means,” Tamra says of potentially mending things. “I do not like the way in which I used to be talked to; I do not just like the issues, the textual content messages that have been despatched to me. I have been nothing however supportive.”
There’s also the Alexis Bellino factor. The rumored-to-return orange-holder — who reentered the Bravo-verse with a surprise appearance at BravoCon — is now dating Shannon’s ex, John Janssen, a pairing reportedly upsetting to Shannon.
“I do not even know if Alexis is coming [back] on the present,” Tamra confesses. “I imply, there’s a lot stuff on the web saying that she has a contract. I don’t know any of this.”
“There is no lady code [violation],” Tamra adds in Alexis’ defense. “They do not know one another. They didn’t work collectively. I imply, is it ironic or is it karma? The night time that Shannon received her DUI, she was texting me that Alexis was within the bar on the restaurant she was at and … she goes, ‘What do I do if she goes after me?’ And I mentioned, ‘Simply be good to her.'”
At the time of Shannon’s arrest, she and John were still talking, but no longer officially dating. By November, she told ET she had ceased contact with him following the voluntary completion of a 28-day treatment program. Weeks after that, he was photographed with Alexis, sparking romance rumors between the two.
“It wasn’t a calculated transfer,” Tamra says. “I really was on my podcast and I mentioned, ‘Hear, they ran … into one another. Why is the press leaping to the conclusion that their courting?’ Like, simply because somebody takes an image collectively doesn’t imply they’re courting. And so, a couple of … week glided by and she or he known as me and she or he goes, ‘Thanks a lot for sticking up for me, that is precisely what it’s. We took an image collectively…'”
Tamra says Shannon stopped talking to her after she publicly showed support for Alexis. Not long after, news broke that Alexis and John were officially dating. By Christmas, Alexis was posting about being in love with him, leading some to question whether she got with John to reclaim her spot on RHOC.
“After which a month later, we began seeing extra footage and [Alexis] known as me and mentioned, ‘We’re courting now…'” she says, “and I used to be floored. I had no concept.”
The complicated social web Tamra finds herself in on Housewives seems like the sort of thing that would prepare her for the game of lies and deceit that is The Traitors, but Tamra says she went into the experience questioning if she could handle it.
“I used to be scared to go!” she admits. “I’ve by no means been away from my household for that lengthy, and to not have a telephone and have contact… my husband and my youngsters, that was, like, actually laborious for me, and I virtually backed out as a result of I used to be like, ‘I do not know if I may do it, I do not know if I may do it.’ And I feel that, I psyched myself out a lot that once I received there, the very first day we received into it and we received into the fortress, I am like, ‘Holy moly, that is wonderful!’ After which, by day three, I ended up getting sick.”
“I received severely sick, from head-to-toe chills, sore throat — I misplaced my voice, I used to be really out, like, 4 days,” she continues, though notes she missed minimal filming.
Going into production, Tamra had no clue who else would be joining her in Scotland. Season 2 switches up the format from season 1, with an all-celebrity cast instead of half famous faces and half civilians. Tamra says the casting team led her to believe she was the only Housewife this time around, which turned out to be the first bit of trickery at play in the game. Fellow Housewives stars Phaedra Parks, Shereé Whitfiled and Larsa Pippen were all part of the ensemble, along with Bravo fan-favorite Mercedes ‘MJ’ Javid of Shahs of Sunset fame.
“So, going into it, I used to be somewhat bit scared,” she says. “Now, I am on the aircraft to Scotland — which is an extended flight — and a pal of mine mentioned, ‘I’m listening to they’re leaking who’s on the market, that is who it’s… now hear, if there’s Johnny Bananas, be careful for him. If there’s Dan [Gheesling], do not belief him. He is good at this…’ and all this data and I am like, oh my god. I do not know who these folks.”
After meeting Dan, the winner of Big Brother 10, Tamra says her friend was right to warn her about him.
“That man is vindictive,” she says, going on to name-check Survivor champ Parvati Shallow, Big Brother legend Janelle Pierzina and Phaedra as the other players to watch out for as the season unfolds.
“Phaedra, I imply she actually fooled us all,” Tamra says. “She would by no means discuss recreation technique with anyone. She would pray for us, which everybody’s like, ‘Oh, Phaedra’s so candy! You are praying for us on a regular basis…’ I am like, yeah, you are praying for us, however why aren’t you speaking recreation technique? What’s going on?”
Followers can tune in to see how Tamra fares on The Traitors when the present begins streaming on Peacock on Friday. The primary three episodes of season 2 debut at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, with new episodes premiering on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
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