Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Alexis Bellino is reportedly in jeopardy of being fired from The Real Housewives of Orange County ahead of its upcoming 19th season due to her intense feud with Shannon Beador.
Following the filing of John Janssen‘s $75,000 lawsuit against Shannon, 60, and his August engagement to Alexis, 47, the two women remain at odds, with Alexis facing both major backlash over what she has claimed was a bad edit on the show and an alleged exit.
“Bravo is so happy with how this season turned out and they know that adding Alexis is a big part of what made it such a success,” one insider told the Daily Mail on October 18. “Everybody brought their A game this year but it’s really the drama between Shannon and Alexis that’s made this season a blockbuster hit.”
Although producers don’t want to change a thing about the cast, it doesn’t seem feasible to welcome both Alexis and Shannon back to the show.
“They don’t want to film with each other and the audience hates Alexis so much that Bravo may have no choice but to let her go unless something changes,” the source noted.
According to the report, things were tense between Alexis and Shannon after filming wrapped on season 18. Then, things got even worse after Alexis “did everything she shouldn’t have done” at the reunion.
That said, another production source claimed Alexis’ return was still possible.
“Nothing has been decided yet and casting won’t officially begin until this season has finished airing, so nobody has been fired or rehired,” they shared. “With that said, there’s a lot of people who do want Alexis back next year. She’s easy to work with compared to some of the other women and she’s authentically friends with the cast, which is hard to find.”
“Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Jennifer Pedranti, Katie Ginella all want her back. Shannon and Emily Simpson would be happy to see her go… and Gina Kirschenheiter doesn’t care either way,” the insider added.
While Alexis reportedly wants to return, she is hoping to get redemption after becoming “really upset” by how she was portrayed on season 18.
“[She] even considered quitting at one point, but she eventually decided that it would be better for her to return and show viewers more of her real life,” the source stated. “Alexis also believes that Shannon’s true colors will eventually come out and that she’ll be vindicated, so she wants to be part of the show when that happens so everyone can see that she’s not the bad guy in this.”
If Alexis is let go, the insider said it won’t be due to the backlash she received.
“Bravo has fired plenty of great people due to audience backlash before and it usually just makes the shows boring and leads to even more complaints from fans,” the source stated. “Alexis could easily come back, but she and Shannon are going to have to find a way to coexist for that to happen. They can’t just rehash the same fight forever and refuse to film together – nobody wants to see that.”
The insider then noted that prior to season 18, it was actually Shannon who was on the chopping block.
“Everybody thought Shannon would be phased out after her DUI and Alexis would replace her, but things played out in such an unexpected way that now Shannon is arguably the most popular person on the show,” one source said. “Everybody hates Alexis and Tamra, but it’s not always a bad thing to be hated as a Housewife. It’s better than being forgettable.”
As for Katie Ginella, 40, who feuded with Heather Dubrow, 55, and Gina Kirschenheiter, 40, after being added to the cast for season 18, the insider said that although some of the cast has been trying to “ice her out,” producers are happy with her performance on the show.
“She’s been well received by fans, but some of the other women really have it out for her,” the source revealed. “Heather never got over Katie accusing her of staging paparazzi photos and was furious about it all season, and Gina says she now regrets bringing Katie into the group.”
“Some of the women think Katie moved to Orange County just to get cast on the show and they don’t trust her, but Katie feels like she’s being hazed and iced out as the new girl and just wants to move past all this petty drama,” the insider added.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
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