(Almost) back on Bravo!
Heather Dubrow exclusively revealed to E! News that she hoped fellow former The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge would have returned for season 16, premiering tonight, Dec. 1.
"I did invite Tamra to a party this season on the show. Unfortunately, it didn't work out," Heather explained.
Tamra parted ways with the franchise in 2020 after 12 seasons, ahead of Heather rejoining the cast again following her 2017 exit after five seasons.
"It was odd, coming back to the show, without her and without Vicki [Gunvalson], because I was on with them for five years," Heather continued. "It was a long time. So that was a little strange. Yeah, I definitely missed them."
While Tamra will not be making an appearance on this season of RHOC, she is starring in the second season of Peacock's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, alongside Vicki and The Real Housewives of New York City alums Dorinda Medley and Jill Zarin and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Taylor Armstrong and Brandi Glanville.
Just don't count on Heather joining spin-off Girls Trip anytime soon.
"I've heard that the girls had a blast, but I don't think that's my thing," Heather said. "I don't know, that sounds like a lot of like anxiety-producing moments."
She added, "But I do love running into girls from other franchises. I feel like we're all in a sorority together, bonded by common experiences."
Among Heather's Real Housewives cross-franchise besties? Fellow SoCal sisters and RHOBH stars Lisa Rinna and Garcelle Beauvais.
And as for which RHOC co-stars Heather hit it off with most, Heather gushed over Gina Kirschenheiter.
"We're both New Yorkers and she just like had a very cool energy about her," Heather stated. "She seemed very authentic."
But when Heather started meeting the other cast members, "things went off the rails pretty quickly," she teased.
"The most surprising thing was Shannon [Beador], because I think that I went into the show—as did Shannon—with the best intentions of sort of rekindling our friendship," Heather noted. "We didn't have any issues with each other. But we really didn't see each other. So I think we both had great intentions of coming back and rekindling that friendship, but that did not go that great."
Despite it feeling "weirdly normal" to return to reality TV, Heather was determined to "show the world our version of what a normal, functioning family looks like" as a mom of four.
"What's cool about this season is it's the 10-year anniversary of when we actually started the show," Heather said of her family milestone. "They are just really cool kids and they're figuring out who they are and where they fit into the world."
As Heather added, "I think that it's almost like a perfect season. It's got everything. What I think is really amazing about the show is, yes, there's all the drama that everyone loves. There's petty drama, which I love the most. But there's also these really wonderful, compelling personal stories from everyone. And I think some people really get to shine this season."
Heather hinted, "The season ends in such a surprising way. I mean, I've never ended a season like this before. So I'm curious to see where it goes from here."
The Real Housewives of Orange County premieres tonight, Dec. 1 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Binge past episodes anytime on Peacock.
(E!, Bravo and Peacock are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)