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This ‘RHOC’ Star Is Back for Season 19—And I’m Thrilled!

The last time we saw the blonde bombshell Gretchen Rossi on Real Housewives of Orange County was back in 2013 during Season 8. Throughout her time on the show, Gretchen went through a lot. She lost her fiancé to cancer, fell in love with serial Housewives’ dater Slade Smiley, and tried to run a purse empire. However, since her departure from the show, she’s hidden in the shadows. She made her Bravo comeback when she filmed The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls’ Trip in Morocco. However, the season was never aired because of an alleged incident between Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo.  

Bravo shared the news that Gretchen will return in a post on Instagram, and although she’ll only be a “friend of,” I couldn’t be more excited to see Gretchen back on my screen. Drama seems to follow Gretchen. Her relationship with Slade was and will probably continue to be a major topic of conversation, and she will likely confront Tamara Judge after their tumultuous friendship and falling out. But most of all, Gretchen’s return makes me hopeful that we’ll get to hear some insider information on what went down on the Ultimate Girls’ Trip in Morocco.

Gretchen Rossi’s Love Life Was And Will Always Be The Talk of The Town

Gretchen’s love life has always been the talk of the town. During her first season on the show, she was with her late fiancé, Jeff Beitzel, who was 24 years older and a wealthy self-made millionaire. That created its fair share of gold digger rumors, which were quickly debunked when he passed away, and she was left with virtually nothing.

Then Gretchen started dating Slade. Slade has dated his fair share of Real Housewives. When the show premiered in 2006, Slade was dating Jo De La Rosa. Within the two seasons they appeared, they broke up and got back together multiple times. Slade then moved on with Lauri Peterson before beginning his relationship with Gretchen in Season 5. Slade proposed to Gretchen in Season 8, which was her final season on the show. The two had their daughter Skylar in July 2019 but have yet to get married.

When Gretchen and Slade got together, the other ladies attacked their relationship, and I don’t expect Season 19 to be any different. They will probably get questioned about why they aren’t married after being engaged for almost a decade. However, I’m excited not only about watching the drama that unfolds but also about seeing their dynamic as a couple. We’ve only seen the very early stages of their relationship, so I’m interested in getting a glimpse into what their life looks like now.

Tamara Judge and Gretchen Rossi Will Finally Have to Confront Each Other

I’m excited to see Gretchen facing Tamara after everything that happened between them. The two have a long-standing feud. When they began, Tamara was jealous of Grechen’s life and would do anything to attack her. They pretended to reconcile and be friends during Seasons 7 and 8, but it was quickly revealed that the two never actually patched things up.

Since Gretchen left the show, they haven’t talked in years. In an interview with Us Weekly, Gretchen spoke about her thoughts on Tamara, saying, “…I think a lot of people just thought, ‘Oh, it’s just Gretchen and Tamra that have issues.’ But clearly, she had issues with, like, almost every single other person on that show.” She added, “After a while, you start to look at the common denominator, and you start to go, ‘OK, well who’s the problem here?'” Clearly, time hasn’t healed any wounds, and the two are still very much on the outs. With things between them getting progressively worse, I’m looking forward to seeing them finally confront each other in person.

Can Gretchen Say What Went Down On ‘Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip’?

Image by Peacock.

Gretchen’s return may mean we could hear what went down on The Ultimate Girls’ Trip in Morocco. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never see the footage, as the season was supposed to air before The Real Housewives of New York City Legacy trip. However, it never did and likely never will. Besides Gretchen, the cast included Brandi and Caroline, Vicki GunvalsonEva MarcillePhaedra ParksCamille Grammer, and Alex McCord. Exactly what happened is a mystery, but there was allegedly an altercation between Brandi and Caroline. In January 2024, Caroline sued Bravo over claims that Brandi sexually assaulted her on the trip. If Gretchen decides to talk about it, I’m interested in hearing her point of view on what happened since she will have details about that trip that we’ve never heard before.

All things considered, I’m excited to see Gretchen back for Season 19 of Real Housewives of Orange County. Although she’s only coming on as a “friend of,” I’m sure she will deliver plenty of drama. With her relationship with Slade, the building confrontation between her and Tamara, and insider information on the trip to Morocco, I don’t think the blonde bombshell will disappoint.