Paul Drinkwater/BravoVicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers spent this season of The Real Housewives of Orange County defending themselves and Brooks' supposed cancer battle. The reality star showed E! News his so-called medical records, but later copped to faking them after E! confirmed he had never been treated by City of Hope. So…what did Vicki really know?
We're not sure, but here's an account of all the times she seemed to be lying about Brooks' cancer treatment—whether she knew it or not.
1. Throughout this recent season (and even before it aired), Vicki has spoken publicly about Brooks' alleged battle with cancer. During the Real Housewives of Orange County reunion, Vicki said she was with Brooks at City of Hope while getting treatment, but she never saw him getting treatment. "I was only at City of Hope once," she said during the reunion. "I only know what's been told and what I've witnessed. Period," she later said, confirming she went to City of Hope and spent four hours there while Brooks was getting treatment. "He was sitting there with the bag," she said.
"Could it have been the blood donation that I saw?" Briana Culberson, Vicki's daughter, said.
"It doesn't make sense that Vicki would say she spent four hours with Brooks for chemo at the City of Hope when he was never treated there. The truth always comes out," RHOC star Shannon Beador told E! News in a statement.
2. And then there was the whole IV story, which Vicki actually admitted to fabricating.
"I fabricated [the story], because I really was looking for compassion from somebody," she said during the reunion. She also took to her blog to address what happened. "After Brooks' first treatment in October, he was extremely sick and dehydrated. I talked with one of my friends who said he should get an IV with fluids to hydrate him and she had a doctor friend that she was going to call for me," she wrote. "I told her not to do that, as I was going to call Briana to get her opinion if she thought Terry Dubrow would know of someone that could come to the house. I told Briana when I hung up with her and I was going to call Terry to ask him. When I asked Brooks if it was okay to call Terry, he said 'no and that he would call his own doctor in the morning.' I failed to tell Briana that I didn't call Terry and she assumed I did."
3. Throughout the summer while Bravo aired the series, Vicki spoke about scans and Brooks' progress. "We are hopeful, promising on his health. He had a recent scan last week," she told Extra in July. "The lesions are decreasing and his blood work is coming back better, so everything we're doing is working." As for the other women questioning Brooks' sickness, Vicki told Extra, "It's so filthy, that I thought, if this is what you girls need for a story line, I'm out. I'm out because no way could anybody fake what he's been going through, unless the doctors are in on it too, 'cause I go to the doctor visits and they're reading his scans."
4. In October 2014, Vicki tweeted that Brooks was starting his first round of "chemo infusion." On the same day Brooks tweeted a photo of him (since deleted) saying he was getting chemotherapy. Briana, Vicki's daughter, said it was blood work. In December 2014, Vicki posted about Brooks' treatment again, but has since deleted that Instagram too. "Feels good to get Brooks up and out and enjoying the holiday season. Round 2 chemo behind us," she said in a tweet.
These tweets came before Bravo started filming. When the couple announced their breakup, they said filming took place between January and May in 2015.
5. In her blogs, Vicki wrote about how cameras didn't show Brooks struggling with the treatment.
"What you don't see are the struggles Brooks has gone through by making the decision to reveal this season that he even has cancer. He did NOT want to, and I told him it was a way for us to show how we can inspire others who have cancer and how couples can ban together during this time. I had no idea it was going to be the focus this season," she wrote. "What you don't see is the new treatment he is doing is actually working. His blood levels are improving and he is feeling better. What you didn't see are the numerous doctor visits and scans that Brooks has done, it has become a big part of his life to beat this cancer and it's working. What you don't see are the night sweats, the high fevers, and the vomiting after his chemo treatments. What you don't see is how sick he was earlier this year from doing chemo."
6. During the reunion, Tamra Judge shared a story from season nine of the reality series where she and Vicki were in Hawaii with Heather Dubrow. Brooks said he had been diagnosed with cancer and they had been going to City of Hope for tests. He then refused to answer whether or not he had cancer until she landed and was in the car on the way home. He didn't. "I feel like he throws that cancer card out to get sympathy," Tamra said.
"I do," Vicki said when asked if she thinks he really has cancer this time. "I don't have any proof that he doesn't have cancer and he won't give me enough proof that he does have cancer. It's so disgusting, this whole thing." By the end of the reunion, Vicki said, "My gut says he doesn't have it."
7. Brooks told Andy Cohen his battle with cancer, this time around, had been ongoing for 11 months. Throughout their time on the show, Vicki was promoting Club Detox OC and the company's juices and remedies with raw juices and antioxidants. "This is not the only thing that Brooks is doing, however his primary focus is boosting his immune system," she wrote. "Without having a strong immune system, the body will continue to break down. He is also being overseen by his oncologists and is finally seeing positive results on his recent scan which is very encouraging. Lenka the owner of Clubdetoxoc has a membership program available where you can join and receive more information on how to get your body healthy through plant based food." She posted links in her blogs and on social media encouraging others to sign up, including one in October 2015 that says a recipe can "help prevent breast cancer." Vicki also used Brooks' battle to encourage others to sign up for insurance with her company.
"This year for me has been filled so many people I know either dying or getting diagnosed with cancer or some other type of disease. Please everyone, if you care about your loved ones, make sure you have the proper amount of Life Insurance Coverage on them. It makes the world of difference to those you leave behind. There is 100% chance we will all die someday, buying life insurance will ease the financial stress that will be placed on the family when you are no longer there to provide for them. Coto Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. www.cotoinsurance.com," her company posted on Facebook, leading many to question if she was profiting from Brooks' cancer battle.
Vicki's future with The Real Housewives of Orange County is up in the air. The show is not currently filming and the other ladies have publicly stated filming with the original series star is not something they want to do.
"I'll tell you coming from my perspective and sharing what I did this season on the show, I think that when someone comes into a reality show fabricating their reality, it damages my authenticity and my credibility and it basically damages the whole concept of reality television," Shannon said on Heather's podcast. "So I have a huge problem returning and filming with someone who is not truthful at all."
8. Vicki broke her silence about Brooks' City of Hope lies on Twitter when she responded to a fan who asked, "why do u still talk to brooks, now that you know he lied to u and made you look like a fool?" She tweeted back, "I don't talk to him nor will I ever speak to him again. This man is sick." In response to other fans on Tuesday, she said, "I am not the one who was untruthful - I loved a man and believed him just the way they believe their spouses."
However, a source told E! News Vicki is still in contact with Brooks. "They have texted a lot in the past few weeks and they've spoken a couple of times," our source revealed. Another source said they think Vicki is still in love with Brooks. "She talks about missing him," our source said. "She's dating other people here and there, but she's not over Brooks."
"I think she feels terrible about everything that's happened. If it weren't for her position in the spotlight, Brooks' character would never have been called into question so publicly," the source continued. "When things were good with them, she was really happy and they had a lot of fun. She's sad that its over."
As for her recent tweets and deleting photos of him, like the Instagram posts about his chemo, our source said, "She's angry and she feels stupid. But she still has feelings for him."
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)