Starting off with a bang!
The Real Housewives of Orange County's Emily Simpson and Gina Kirschenheiter exclusively dished to E! News about the explosive start to the upcoming season.
The Bravolebrities teased that there were plenty of confrontations in the first two episodes. "I was going to fight and [Gina] was apologizing a lot," Emily joked while at Sweetfin's grand opening event benefiting the California Innocence Project in Costa Mesa, Calif. "It's been a long time since I've been that mad. I probably said the F-word like 8,000 times that night."
With a few "plot twists" and "stranger than fiction" storylines, Gina added that even she is "not excited" to re-watch the start of the season because she had to "close out" some past wounds.
"It's very hard for me and I wish I could be excited because I actually really am genuinely excited in a way that I have never been before doing this for the entire season, but I know I just have to get through the beginning first and it's hard," she opened up.
Despite the cast fight, Emily claimed this is the first season she found to be "100 percent" fun.
"I felt like I got to by myself. I wasn't worried about trying to make relationships with people or why don't people like me," the attorney said. "I was in a really good place where Gina and I had a very strong relationship. Shannon [Beador] and I had gotten to a good place. The other girls were new so I wasn't concerned what they thought of me."
Plus, the new season also comes with a new Housewife: Heather Dubrow announced she was returning to RHOC in June, following the exits of Kelly Dodd, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, and now, Heather's new co-stars can't stop gushing over her...and her "bad" alter-ego!
"I feel like everyone has given her this personality that she's bougie and pretentious," Emily revealed. "She can be but she also a very normal, down to earth, easy to get along with personality and I don't think people see that."
She added, "Heather is the type of woman that I like to be friends with for real. Heather reminds me of the girlfriends I've had for many, many years who are strong, educated women who are strong in their convictions and beliefs but they're also reasonable and they care about other people. I enjoyed filming with her because I feel like you always want to surround yourself with strong women you can learn from."
According to Gina, Heather's presence was an "easy click" with the cast.
"I adore Heather," Gina raved. "I also like that Heather is super fancy but she can really cut loose. She has her really good moments of being totally uncensored, down to Earth and fun. I call it 'Bad Heather.' I like when 'Bad Heather' comes out."
And, Gina felt like she could entirely trust Heather to be a genuine friend.
"With Heather, I never worried about it because she would come and be so happy for me and supportive that I'm in a good place in my life and I'm somebody who has gone through a lot and has picked myself up and doing good and she sees that," Gina noted. "She's very supportive and she's cool and she's real. I look up to her like I look up to Emily."
Emily agreed and hinted that even though she sometimes butt heads with Heather, they were always quick to find a resolution.
"There were a couple times where we didn't see eye-to-eye, but we can have a thoughtful, intelligent conversation where she can see my point of view and I will see hers and I like to have conversations with people like that," Emily shared. "She is a worthy opponent, intelligent and I enjoy that."
Emily continued, "My first season, I didn't know what I was doing. The second season I was in so much pain. Third season was COVID so that doesn't even count so I feel like this is the first time where I actually am like, this is me, healthy, happy and this is who I am."
And, she hopes this season captures her work with the California Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that works to exonerate the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reform the criminal justice system.
"How does someone end up wrongfully in prison and there is no way to get out and there's nobody who believes them and the system is so bogged down and it's mind boggling. I think that people are unaware of how common it is and what a horrible situation it is and how lives are destroyed by it and I think any platform I can give to it is important," Emily stated. "As an attorney, I feel like I'm in a position in life where I can use my passion and skills to this charity and try to give back and help. Even if it's one person who donates or donates time, it's worth it. That's one more person who wants to make the world better."
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