The Real Housewives Of Orange County Season 17: What We Know So Far

In March 2006, Bravo premiered "The Real Housewives of Orange County," the first of many "Real Housewives" shows. Over the years, the series has featured plenty of loud fights at restaurants, messy breakups, and decadent spending.  Originally, Scott Dunlap, the creator of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," intended for the show to be merely a satirical look at what life was like in affluent communities like Orange County, according to The Orange County Register.

More than 15 years after the show first aired on Bravo, it has maintained its humor but is also considered a trailblazer for other reality shows. "Bravo continues to innovate in the reality TV genre with this riveting series exploring the complicated daily lives of five privileged women and their families," then-Bravo president Lauren Zalaznick said in 2006 (via Reality TV World). 

She continued, "From 'Peyton Place' to 'Desperate Housewives,' viewers have been riveted by the fictionalized versions of such lifestyles on television. Now, here is a series that depicts real-life 'desperate' housewives with an authentic look at their compelling day-to-day drama." The success of "RHOC" inspired the creation of the entire "Real Housewives" franchise which also consists of shows based in Beverly Hills, New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, and more.

At this point, Bravo has yet to announce when the 17th season of "RHOC" will premiere on the network. Season 16 aired during the 2021-2022 season, though, so it's likely that we will be seeing our beloved Real Housewives return to the screen sometime in 2023. There have been rumors that Season 17 has been delayed so that can producers can edit the already-taped season and put Gina Kirschenheiter in a reduced "friend of" role due to allegedly not giving a good performance. 

"RHOC" cast member Tamra Judge addressed the rumors in a February 2023 episode of the "Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge" podcast, saying, "I would be absolutely shocked at this point that they would do that. I think people are just trying to find reasons for it being delayed. So I don't believe any of that. I would be really shocked if that was the case, I think that people are just trying to stir up s*** to try to figure out why the show's delayed."

Suffice it to say, whatever the reason for the delay, fans are getting a little impatient waiting for new episodes to drop, with one writing on Twitter: "What is happening with #RHOC? This wait is absurd." 

The cast of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" has changed quite a few times since the show's first season, which featured Kimberly Bryant, Jeana Keough, Vicki Gunvalson, Lauri Waring, and Jo De La Rosa. Several former cast members have left an indelible mark on the franchise. Perhaps the saddest moment for OG fans of the show came when both Gunvalson, who had a 14-season run, and Tamra Judge, who had a 12-season run, announced that they were officially leaving the show in January 2020. 

After some deliberation, though, Judge announced she would be returning for Season 17. Gunvalson also confirmed a Season 17 return in an interview with E! News, saying, "I'm going to be doing a little cameo — one or two times— that's it this season. It was good." Also joining the Season 17 cast are Heather Dubrow, Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Jennifer Pedranti, who met the group through Judge, per Page Six. 

Noella Bergener and Dr. Jen Armstrong, who joined the show in Season 16, will not return for Season 17. "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum Taylor Armstrong will also join the "RHOC" cast in a "friend of" role, making her the first "Real Housewives" alum to jump to a different show within the franchise.

Throughout multiple seasons of "RHOC," Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, and Vicki Gunvalson were known as the "Tres Amigas." However, that friendship seemed to end after Judge and Gunvalson left the show in January 2020. When asked if she would like to be reunited with Judge and Gunvalson on a future season of the show during an appearance on "Housewives Nightcap," Beador admitted that she was not up for it.

The reality star argued, "[Tamra] was my best friend for six years. After she left the show, she's been out there in the press quite often, saying things about me that are untrue," (via People). Judge responded to Beador in an Instagram comment, asserting: "All I've ever said is that she stopped talking to me shortly after I got let go (Vicki too) & how bad it hurt me when I needed her most. I was always there for you."

She added, "IF THE TRUTH HURTS SO BE IT! You s*** on me! That's why you can't keep friends," (via Page Six). With Judge returning for Season 17 of "RHOC," we may be seeing more of her feud with Beador.

Tamra Judge's return to "The Real Housewives of Orange County" is poised to bring a lot of drama. By Judge's own admission, she didn't go into taping Season 17 with the best attitude. "After two years of sitting on the bench, being on pause, getting fired, I came back with a lot of energy," she told Entertainment Tonight. "I had a lot of built-up resentment and anger, and it might show." Aside from the rift between her and co-star Shannon Beador, she's also reportedly feuding with Heather Dubrow. 

In an Instagram Live that aired after filming Season 17, Judge complained about Dubrow, claiming Dubrow had not invited several "RHOC" cast members to a party. "I didn't get invited to Heather Dubrow's party," she said (via Reality Blurb). "Let me just tell you, I didn't get invited. Shannon Beador did not get invited. And Taylor Armstrong did not get invited. She invited the crew and she invited the other housewives but the only one that she [included] was [Emily Simpson]. So whatever."

Page Six also claimed that, according to insiders, Judge lost it with Dubrow during a cast trip to Mexico leading to a "nasty" confrontation between the two. Moreover, Dubrow was also blamed for delaying the release of Season 17 following a tip to DeuxMoi, allegedly because she was concerned about being portrayed negatively on the show. The reality star quipped in response "Yes, I'm very powerful" (via Reality Blurb). 

In 2022, there were rumors of troubles between Heather Dubrow and her husband, Dr. Terry Dubrow, due to him allegedly cheating on her. There were also claims that Heather took a break from filming Season 17 of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" as the drama unfolded. The couple denied the rumors, with the "RHOC" star telling Page Six, "Success breeds contempt, friend. So no one's perfect, no one's marriage is perfect, [and] lives are perfect. In general, you have to know at the end of the day that you have to go home to your life and your truth."

Likewise, during a chat with Hollywood Life, she reasoned: "People are always going to talk. We laugh about silly things people say about us. But you know, look, we're not unaffected by things." However, Heather also pointed out, "We have children. They read things. Their friends read things. I think people should be careful how they talk about other people." We'll see how the rumors play out on Season 17 of "RHOC." 

In an interview with US Weekly, Dubrow said that her castmates' reactions to the cheating rumors were caught on camera and should prove entertaining for viewers. "I will say you might wanna see how everyone else reacts," she said.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" is the longest-running show in the franchise, so you probably won't have time to watch all 16 previous seasons before the new one arrives. But considering how long of a wait it's been thus far, maybe now is the perfect time for a revisit. According to TV Guide, you can currently stream all 16 current seasons on Peacock, while Hulu has seven available, too. 

Elsewhere, you can buy or rent all available seasons on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, and Vudu. Google Play, meanwhile, has 14 of them. Hollywood Life reported in February 2023 that Season 17 was originally supposed to drop sometime in January but producers are now eyeing a spring release. There hasn't even been a trailer at the time of writing but all signs point to it being a strong season. 

During a March edition of "Watch What Happens Live" (via Instagram), Andy Cohen confirmed: "This next season is really good. I promise it is a return to form." Likewise, Gina Kirschenheiter proudly told Hollywood Life, "It's the first year that I really feel confident that the viewers are going to respond positively. There's a lot of history. And everybody is really friends." We'll just have to wait and see.