“Andy’s comments made them all nervous and they were told awhile ago a cast shake-up was coming,” a source close to production told HollywoodLife. “All of the ladies [of ‘RHOC’] are saying they’re confident they’re coming back, but nobody knows for certain.”
“They will be notified in a few weeks but nobody knows who’s in and who’s out quite yet,” the source continued. “The reunion just ended so it will be looked at in the new year but they’re always interviewing new ladies and they’ve got their eye on a couple, it’s just still too early to tell what’s exactly happening. Everyone’s just waiting though some of the ladies have been asked to film things in their lives here and there since filming wrapped officially just in case they are asked back.”
“Nobody wants to go anywhere and the ladies would find a way to film together if they had to,” the source said. “Vicki wants to be full-time again very, very badly but she doesn’t want Kelly on, neither do Tamra or Shannon. It got very bad at the end of filming, but Vicki would put her differences aside to be back full-time as would Kelly and Tamra. They all love doing the show.”
Meanwhile, another source is sharing new casting rumors about the show's upcoming new season. Apparently, producers are seriously considering rehiring Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Vicki Gunvalson, and Kelly Dodd, “but they don’t want the show to become redundant and stale,” an insider told Radar Online.
“The drama was good with Tamra, Shannon, Vicki and Kelly,” the source continued. “But do viewers want to keep seeing the same thing over and over?”
The source also noted that Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter and Brauwyn Windham-Burke were all possibly on the chopping block.
“The viewers don’t connect with the new ladies as much as the longer-existing ones,” the source explained, adding, “A few new ones will return but the viewers are invested in the main four.”
But the source revealed that the execs were hoping to maintain strong ratings. “People tuned in for the Vicki drama, but they also watched when she wasn’t on,” noted the source, insisting the OG of the OC “doesn’t drive the whole show.”
The news comes after Andy Cohen shared last month on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live about the possibility of shaking up the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County for the show's upcoming fifteenth season.
“The casting for next season is some of the best casting we’ve had,” Cohen said, adding that he “[has] not been this excited about casting” in a long time, according to PEOPLE.
When asked by Lewis who would be getting axed, Cohen wouldn’t say, but he did stress that he thought Braunwyn Windham-Burke was “a great” addition.
“She’s got a lot going on,” Cohen said, nothing Windham-Burke’s seven children, her eccentric mother, and her and her husband’s sex-pad. “You’ve got Dr. Deb, you’ve got the kids, you’ve got the other apartment …”
“Unfortunately, you’re going to have to get rid of one of the Tres Amigas and break it up,” Jeff told Andy. “You got to keep Kelly Dodd though. I mean she’s just a wild card and I love her. And I would give Braunwyn another season. I like her.”
Cohen assured that fans will be happy with the outcome. “No matter how it shakes out, it’s going to be great because we have great casting. It’s hard to make moves when you don’t have a bench, both on the show and casting wise,” Cohen said.
Photo Credit: Bravo/ Nicole Weingart
