Here's Why Tamra Judge Finally Reconnected with Vicki Gunvalson in Iceland
She also defends Shannon Beador's fiery comments.
When this season of The Real Housewives of Orange County began, we weren't sure if we'd ever see Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge back to being the BFFs we've always known and loved. So imagine our surprise when Vicki and Tamra not only seemed to be getting along during the ladies' trip to Iceland but also had an emotional breakthrough about their strained relationship (clip above).
Tamra explained why the ice thawed between her and Vicki in Iceland during a recent interview with ET, which took place at The Quiet Woman restaurant, of all places. “Shannon [Beador] and I talked prior and I said, ‘Listen, I can't carry this hostility and this anger,’ especially after I met with Vicki and that didn't go well,” she said. “After that, I sort of knew where my place was. We will never be friends, but, you know what? Maybe we can go out, go to Iceland, have fun, not get too deep about our friendship. That's it. And that's what we decided to do.”
During their discussion in Iceland, Tamra explained how she felt like Vicki chose her ex-boyfriend Brooks Ayers over her when they were dating. “It was a really true moment,” Tamra told ET, adding that she was just trying to protect Vicki from Brooks. "I knew the guy was not good. So, I didn't come after her like, ‘You're a horrible person. Why are you with this guy?’ No. I was like, ‘Vicki, this guy's not good for you.’ I kept warning her and warning her [and] instead of saying, ‘You know what? Thank you so much for being my friend.’ Instead, she just came after me.”
Tamra went on to say that Shannon interjecting into their conversation, calling Vicki a "liar," was just her way of looking out for her friend. “Shannon doesn't have a mean bone in her body,” Tamra shared. “Shannon is the girl that I can call in the middle of the night and say, ‘This is going on in my life,’ and she will be there … She is the girl that will do anything for me.”
Tamra also said that she has formed a closer friendship with Shannon than what she once shared with Vicki. “Shannon's gone through a lot of stuff, and a lot of people didn't know,” she said. “I knew what was going on in her personal life. I got it … I've been in Shannon's shoes before and I know Shannon doesn't mean any harm. Yes, she's expressive. But she has the purest heart, the sweetest person and we will be friends forever.”
Vicki previously told The Daily Dish that she believes Shannon has been influencing Tamra to not be friends with the OG of the RHOC. "Shannon's been in her ear. I don't think Shannon wants us to be friends, for whatever reason," she told The Daily Dish earlier this month. "I don't get it."
Still, Vicki is optimistic that there will come a day when she and Tamra are back to being best buds. "I'm always hopeful because what did I do?" Vicki previously told The Daily Dish. "I just know I have to see her, she lives around me, and we socialize with the same people, and she needs to really look at the big picture, like was it really that bad? This conversation that I had with Kelly [Dodd, regarding rumors about her husband Eddie Judge], was it really that bad? It really wasn't."
The RHOC drama continues in an all-new episode Monday at 9/8c. Check out a sneak peek, below.
