The Real Housewives of Orange County traded manufactured drama for organic friendships last season, delivering a comeback that didn’t seem possible a year ago.
If reports are to be believed, The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 will force Shannon Beador to go up against former star Alexis Bellino.
Now, you’re probably wondering why these two women would go head-to-head because they were never on the show simultaneously, but Bravo producers pay attention to the headlines.
If you keep up to speed with your favorite Bravolebrities, you’ll know that Shannon was in a relationship with John Janssen for several years. Still, it all came crashing down in November 2022 when he dumped her days after Season 17 wrapped filming.
On the show, Beador and Janssen’s relationship raised plenty of questions because it was evident he wasn’t interested in being seen on camera with her.
Some people are private, and going from a private life to a public one has to be a tough transition, but things got super interesting last year.
Shannon Beador’s DUI arrest is expected to be a major storyline
Shannon was arrested in September for a DUI, and John was photographed supporting her in the aftermath.
That is until he got into a relationship with Bellino, who hadn’t been on the long-in-the-tooth series since 2013.
It’s quite the web to untangle, but recent reports suggest that Bellino has been handed a formal offer to reclaim her orange and shoot the upcoming season.
Beador has a legion of fans who are invested in her storyline, as evidenced by her recently announcing she’d be returning for her 10th season on the show.
With cameras picking back up, many thought the upcoming season would chart Shannon in the aftermath of her DUI arrest and her sobriety journey.
If the reports are to be believed and producers have cast Bellino, it would effectively make the series a toxic place to work for Shannon, and it’s hard to imagine watching this person she had a deep love for now in a relationship with a co-star.
We should get more clarity on whether Alexis is back very soon, but there is a chance that Shannon would put herself first and quit the series before it got to that stage.
Shannon Beador posted and deleted a filming photo
It may already have gone down because Beador shared a photo of her with the show’s filming crew and her family last week, only to purge it from existence shortly after.
It certainly makes us wonder whether she’s at odds with producers over Alexis’ imminent return, and perhaps it will come down to producers choosing between the two women.
As a longtime viewer, I’d go with Shannon because there’s plenty of storyline potential. In contrast, Alexis’ relationship probably won’t get much screen time if John evades the Bravo cameras as well as he did when he was with Shannon.
There’s no telling what might be in store for Shannon, and now that she’s had another falling out with Tamra Judge, it doesn’t sound like she’s starting filming in the best place.
Adding Alexis Bellino into the mix would be difficult for Shannon Beador
Adding Alexis to fuel the fire wouldn’t make the show more interesting because it feels like producers are taking advantage of Shannon’s current situation.
Perhaps if this relationship with John blossoms into something long-lasting, Alexis could be added to the mix again a few years later. Still, if this plan goes ahead, it will feel like she’s been shoehorned in to terrorize Shannon.
That would make the show uncomfortable rather than interesting, so respectfully, let’s keep Alexis off the show — for now.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is on hiatus but is expected to return to Bravo in late 2024.