The Real Housewives of Orange County wrapped up Season 18 with the final part of the reunion special on November 21, 2024. Typically the reunion special would mark the end of filming but this season, the cameras had to be picked back up 36 hours after the reunion to film one last scene.
Several cast members including Heather Dubrow, Emily Simpson, Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, and Gina Kirschenheiter gathered at Emily's house as Heather and Tamra had something they wanted to share with the group.
Heather told the group the night they filmed the season finale, she and her husband, along with Tamra and Eddie Judge went out to dinner with Alexis Bellino and John Janssen where Shannon's ex-boyfriend John revealed he had heard Shannon crash her car.
Fans of the Bravo reality show reacted to the post-reunion revelation online and felt Tamra and Heather were trying to change the public's opinion about them. They criticized the two cast members. One person wrote on X:
"The after-reunion scene is jaw-dropping. Not because of what John said, but because Heather and Tamra knew and didn’t say anything. Shannon stupidly gave Heather and Tamra an opening to stay on the show, and they ran with it."
"Heather and Tamra keeping this information a secret until after the reunion is so strange and disingenuous. Y’all attacked her the whole season and even at the reunion and y’all just sat with this? They are terrible friends," a fan commented.
"C’mon what in the manipulation tactic was this? Why did Heather & Tamra even agree to go to dinner with the awful John Janssen? Then conveniently forget to tell Shannon what he said. This was fake AF! Tamra is saving herself Shannon not your friendship!" a tweet read.
Fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 felt Tamra and Heather were trying to change the public's opinion:
"What was that after reunion scene? It felt like Bravo covering Tamra's and Heather's ar*e to put them in a positive light. And WTF wasn't Jen there? She was the breakout star of the season. Those biatches be jealous," a person wrote.
"The last scene felt so planned by Tamra and Heather. They know the audience was not rocking with them and they came up with a plan to turn their image around. If Alexis comes back next season Tamra is turning on her," a fan commented.
"Tamra and Heather are full of it! They waited till the 11th hour to pull a stunt for the sake of winning the audience back. Shannon don’t take the bait," a tweet read.
Fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 further said:
"I wish Heather & Tamra brought that up at the Reunion. It would’ve been an explosive revelation & Alexis would’ve scrambled to deflect or justify it. I’m glad they brought cameras back up to tell that final detail of the story," a person wrote.
"This looks so staged It’s like quick let’s do something so that we can all secure our checks next season. So phony! How the hell can Tammy Sue and HD flip so quickly to now Shannon being the best person ever?!? And there goes Shannon Exhausting!" a fan commented.
The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 star Heather shares information after the reunion about John and Shannon's DUI
As The Real Housewives of Orange County reunion wrapped up, Gina and Emily discussed what Heather had told them after the reunion and wondered why she kept the information from Shannon for months. As Shannon and Heather arrived, Heather recalled the night of the Season 18 finale.
The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 star told Shannon that she and Tamra went out for dinner with Alexis and John with their husbands and assured her that she was not the topic of conversation all night. She added she didn't remember how it was brought up.
She said that John told her that he had heard the crash. The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 cast member added that she and Tamra asked him what he was talking about and Shannon got emotional. She told the RHOC star that when she had told her the previous night, she felt "numb."
Heather asked Shannon if she should not have told her and The Real Housewives of Orange County star said "No, no." Gina assured her that she did the right thing. Tamra joined in soon after and revealed what else John had said.
Tamra said that John told the group five months prior that when he heard the crash, he wanted to go and check but his daughter told him not to. She reminded him that it was not okay since he and The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 star were fighting.
"He said it wasn't a good night," Heather added.
She further said that John said "things were said and done to each other." Tamra added that John said that The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 celebrity had an "altercation" with him and that she had hit him.
Fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 chimed in on the post-reunion conversation online and were upset with Tamra and Heather for keeping information from Shannon.