RHOC star agrees Heather treats Dubrow castmate ‘like a pet’

Eugene Gologursky / Bravo

Gina Kirschenheiter and Heather Dubrow.

Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow, 54, rejoined the cast of the show for season 16 after a five-year hiatus. During RHOC Season 16, Dubrow developed a close friendship with her castmate Gina Kirschenheiter (38). For example, in Season 16, Episode 11, Dubrow attempted to give the mother-of-three a makeover by dressing her in items from her ShopHQ line, Heather’s Wardrobe. The couple also traveled to New York in Season 16 Episode 12.

Kirschenheiter’s castmate and close friend Emily Simpson appeared on a March 2023 episode of RHOC star Tamra Judge’s podcast Two Ts In A Pod, co-hosted by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alumnus Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave. During the recording of the podcast episode, Arroyave stated that she believed Dubrow’s friendship with Kirschenheiter was fraudulent. She also inquired why she “treats Gina like a pet” and mentioned the season 16 scene with Dubrow’s ShopHQ line. When Simpson suggested she didn’t believe that, Judge interjected that she agreed with her podcast co-host about Dubrow’s treatment of Kirschenheiter.

“I have to agree. It was one thing,” Judge claimed.

The co-owner of Vena CBD then shared that she “really loves[s] Gina” and appreciates that she presents herself authentically.

“I see what [Arroyave is] She said like Heather walked in like, ‘Come on Gina,'” the 55-year-old said.

While taping the Two Ts In A Pod episode, Judge, who is returning for season 17 after a two-year absence, shared that she “feels like Heather has her place on the show.” However, she indicated that she believes Bravo unnecessarily promoted her return.

“I feel like Heather had her time on the show, she was on it for five seasons, then she had five seasons off and then they brought her back. I feel like preparing for her return to the show was too much for fans to even comprehend,” said the reality TV star.

Tamra Judge spoke about her return to RHOC in February 2023

When speaking to OK! Magazine in February 2023, Richter discussed reinstating the cast of the Bravo franchise. She revealed that she was afraid to come back because she didn’t know where she stood with several of her castmates, particularly Shannon Beador. As fans know, the couple were at odds after Judge left RHOC after Season 14.

“I was a little nervous about going back because some of the girls had a lot of things to say about me,” Judge said. “I think someone said they were going to dance on my grave and someone said there was no more room for me on the show. I thought again: ‘Who is my friend and who is not my friend?’ Shannon Beador and I weren’t in a good place, so there’s a lot going on with me on the show this season.”

Shannon Beador opened up about her friendship with Tamra Judge

During an interview with Us Weekly in October 2022, Beador shared an update on her relationship with Judge. She revealed they struggled early in production on RHOC Season 17.

“In the beginning it was a lot. I never thought I would ever interact with her again. So that’s quite a start to the season,” said the Real for Real founder.

She went on to say that she and Judge were “good” and had settled back into their friendship.

“We were two friends for six years and it was almost like that – we went on a trip to film and it’s like bam you’ll be right back you know we weren’t friends for about two and a half years. So we’re right back there,” Beador said.