Real Housewives of Orange County OG Vicki Gunvalson spills all on her return to Bravo next year with a brand-new show. Keep reading for all the exciting details and to find out when you can expect her back on your screens.
Andy Cohen Reveals Huge RHOC News For Milestone 20th Season
Vicki Gunvalson was an original cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County. She was with the show from the beginning when it premiered in 2006. It was the first in the franchise that expanded to New Jersey, Miami, and beyond. She was demoted from main cast member to a “Friend Of’ role after Season 13.
The OG of the OC left Real Housewives after the shocking demotion. She returned as a guest star in Seasons 17 and 18. Andy Cohen presented Vicki Gunvalson with the first-ever Wifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 BravoCon fan convention. But in a 2024 expose about the reality show, she said she would “never” forgive Bravo for exploiting her mother’s death.
That’s why fans were shocked when Vicki Gunvalson made an appearance at BravoCon in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November 2025. They were even more shocked when Andy Cohen finally gave Bravo fans what they wanted and gave Vicki her orange back for the upcoming season. The OG will join the returning RHOC stars for a milestone Season 20.
Vicki Gunvalson Spills On Bravo Return With Brand-New Show
Vicki Gunvalson happily accepted her orange. She returned to Bachelor Nation star Nick Viall’s podcast to spill all about her return to RHOC and her role in a brand-new Bravo show. The Real Housewives star previously had a hot-mic moment on the podcast but there were no hard feelings.
In addition to Vicki Gunvalson’s return to RHOC, Andy Cohen shared plans for another Housewives spinoff with the OG as a leading cast member. Peacock previously aired several seasons of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. The spinoff featured an unaired season with an alleged altercation between Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo that sparked an ongoing lawsuit.
RHUGT‘s future is in question, but Bravo revamped the spinoff with a new name and idea. Real Housewives Ultimate Road Trip takes the cast on a cross-country road trip with stops at iconic locations featured on the Bravo show. Vicki Gunvalson spilled to Nick Viall that she’s part of the RHURT cast.
“I think it’s mid-February. We don’t have an exact date yet. But it will be mid-February. And I’m going to do the girls trip like four days before that,” she said.
The RHOC alum added, “And a little caveat, I’m going on the girls trip January 18th through the end of January.”
Vicki Gunvalson will be filming both Bravo shows around the same time in early 2026. The network has yet to reveal when the shows premiere. They did, however, reveal a franchise spinoff. The Real Housewives of Rhode Island will premiere sometime in 2026. Tell us your thoughts on Vicki Gunvalson returning to Bravo.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger