The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 episode 12 recap: Tamra foreshadows Ryan's FBI raid

The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 episode 12 aired on September 26, 2024, at 9 pm ET on Bravo TV. During the previous week's episode, tensions rose through the roof as Jenn hosted a pool party at Ryan's place while Shannon skipped the event altogether. Emily felt that she was being fat-shamed and she also stormed out of the party.

The official synopsis of the episode states:

"Tamra and Jenn try to find common ground between their men. Gina reflects on her ex-husband's new engagement. Shannon is rocked by a bombshell article about the lawsuit. Heather accompanies Terry to get rhinoplasty. Katie hosts a couples' dinner party where Ryan finds himself in the hot seat with Tamra."

The cast members for this season's The Real Housewives of Orange County include Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Shannon Storms Beador, Katie Ginella, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, and Jennifer Pedranti with recurring stars Alexis Bellino, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Sutton Stracke, and Vicki Gunvalson.

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The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 episode 12: What events unfolded in the episode?

In The Real Housewives of Orange County, the drama continued as the ladies discussed the dress issue, criticizing Alexis for repeatedly hinting that "something is going to come out tomorrow." Meanwhile, as Heather and Terry sought treatment for Terry's nose, Heather expressed her frustration with trying to understand what her friends, including Gina, wanted.

Terry explained that Heather had tried to resolve things "once, twice, three times... ad nauseam," which upset her. Meanwhile, Jenn and Tamra had a heartfelt conversation about their friendship, but Ryan's past comments about Eddie being unlikable had caused tension between them.

Shannon confided in her daughter via a video call on The Real Housewives of Orange County about the ongoing lawsuit regarding the blackmail by John. Shannon stated that she felt like "being at rock bottom" when an article about the lawsuit came out which shocked her to the very core.

Gina got a friendly visit from her ex-husband Matt along with Matt's current girlfriend, Britt. They shared the news that they were getting engaged but Gina took the news in the best way possible as she wanted the kids to have some stability, especially given the circumstances that Travis and his ex’s situation was not improving.

“When it affects him, it affects the family. I want it to be easy and okay. It feels unfair that somebody would work to take it from us,” stated Gina.

Gina updated her husband about the latest news regarding The Real Housewives of Orange County castmates since she invited them all to a get-together. Ryan and Eddie met each other after months and the situation immediately heated up as Eddie refused to hug Ryan. Emily was reveling in the conflict as she wanted to see the guys fight in an actual ring.

As the title of the episode, The Elephant in the Room, suggests, Tamra brought up the topic of Ryan talking about Tamra and Eddie in a bad light. Ryan defended himself by suggesting he never talked about them, but it was the host who mocked them. In the heat of the moment, Tamra mocked Ryan about the FBI raid to the shock of the rest of the cast.

Although Eddie stopped her wife from saying anything further on The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra stated in the confessional about the controversial information.

"I have known for six months that Ryan was raided by the FBI. It was some kind of illegal gambling and Jenn knows all about it," stated Tamra.

Former lawyer, Emily, also noted she had heard the rumors about Ryan. While back at the dinner table, Ryan called Eddie and Tamra's marriage "a sham" as they stormed off the venue.

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The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Thursdays at 9 pm ET on Bravo TV.