Gina Kirschenheiter is admitting it can be daunting finding one’s self on the wrong side of Heather Dubrow.
After newbie Katie Ginella embarked on a feud with Heather, 55, on a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, amid warnings from Sutton Stracke, 52, about going up against her, Gina, 40, described Heather as “formidable” as she opened up about the “[spankings]” she’s received from her castmate, teased their upcoming drama, and more.
“Dubrow is formidable,” Gina told Decider on July 29. “You know when you’re in trouble with Dubrow and it is not fun to be on the receiving end of a Dubrow spanking. And I have had several.”
“Heather is not like a scary person, but she is a strong woman and when she feels attacked, she will let you know that that’s not OK. She’s not afraid to tell you what time it is,” she continued.
According to Gina, it probably wasn’t “the best tact” for Katie to take on Heather so early on in her run on the show.
“But, you know, there’s a learning curve here,” she noted.
As for her relationship with Heather, Gina confirmed the two of them faced drama amid season 18, but she clarified that they are in a good place today.
“I love Heather, I really do and you do see us get into it and scrap through this season, last season, the season before,” she said. “But at our core and our root, we do have a good, solid friendship and we care about each other.”
During another interview, Gina admitted it was “so hard” navigating the drama between Shannon Beador, 60, and Alexis Bellino, 47, after Alexis returned to RHOC after striking up a romance with Shannon’s ex-boyfriend, John Janssen, 60.
“It was so hard, honestly, for all of us, and mostly, obviously for them, it was tricky,” Gina admitted on the July 25 episode of New York Live. “It was a tough thing to navigate as a group and I think that both Shannon and Alexis were trying to be understanding of that but then obviously emotion gets in the way and it was tough.”
As Shannon and Alexis butted heads on the first few episodes of the season, so did Gina and Jennifer Pedranti, 47, who Gina helped secure a rental before Jennifer fell behind on payments.
“We are okay. Me and Jen are okay and at the root of it, Jen and I really are friends. We have a friendship and I think that’s why I was hurt,” Gina explained. “And honestly, I live in Orange County and I am in Orange County now but I am a New Yorker. We run a little hot.”
Regarding her relationship with boyfriend Travis Mullen, who moved out of her home as the season began, Gina said that while many questioned her decision to live separately, she still feels “that it was the right decision” for the two of them.
“It was a really tough time for us. We had a really hard year last year,” she revealed. “[And] we are still living separately”
Gina also spoke of Heather and Katie, saying, “I think that Katie made some choices coming into [the show] that I think given a second opportunity, she may not have [chosen] the same path. But I think she did okay for her first round. She survived it.”
Looking back at her first group event with Vicki Gunvalson, 62, Gina said that while she “pissed off” her co-star, they are currently friends.
“Vicki loves me now. We’ve come a long way,” she stated.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.