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Gretchen Rossi is back to defending Slade Smiley after he ended up at the center of even more drama on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19.
When word got back to Gretchen that Katie Ginella had supposedly given Tamra Judge new “intel” on her “life partner” during their Episode 14 meetup, the Season 19 friend was taken aback, but more or less unsurprised.
“There’s always something about [Slade],” Gretchen declared to Jennifer Pedranti at Emily Simpson’s fundraising event. “I’m gonna go ask Tamra what information she got about us with Slade.”
Though Shannon Storms Beador encouraged Gretchen to confront Tamra by herself, she shot back, “It’s about Slade, so I’m having Slade go.”
RELATED:Â Gretchen Rossi Speaks Out on Criticism Over Slade Getting “Involved” in RHOC Drama (EXCLUSIVE)
In a confessional, a RHOC producer prompted Gretchen, “I guess the question is, really, Slade loves to get involved. Is that, I mean, right?”
Gretchen’s response? “Well, no, but, like, here’s the thing: He doesn’t love to get involved. Like, I know that you guys all think this. Slade gets involved because the women start talking about Slade. But, somehow, Slade and I are the bad guys in the situation.”
Inside Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley’s attempted confrontation with Tamra Judge
Just as Tamra was explaining to Emily that she’d kept her distance all night in an attempt to avoid Slade, he and Gretchen approached them. Before Gretchen could say anything more than hello, Tamra shut down their attempted confrontation, saying, “No. This is not happening.”
As she walked away, Slade simply asked, “Why?” while Gretchen laughed and remarked, “Look at her run!” As Tamra grabbed husband Eddie Judge and made a beeline for the exit, Gretchen continued to shout at her.
“I’m not just gonna disengage,” Gretchen explained to a producer. “Typically, people that run are hiding from the truth. And I think it obviously proves that Tamra’s guilty that she’s talking s–t about stuff she doesn’t know. If you have something to say about what supposedly Slade said, then address it with Slade. The guy’s right here.”
Afterward, the couple separately unpacked the drama that had just gone down at the event.
“Why can Tamra say whatever she wants about Slade, and then he can’t address it?” Gretchen asked some of her castmates. “I don’t understand that.”
RELATED:Â Gretchen Rossi Makes a Damning Declaration on Slade to a Producer: “Guy’s in the Doghouse”
Slade, meanwhile, vaguely admitted to Terry Dubrow, Travis Mullen, and Ryan Boyajian that he “really messed up,” adding, “It wasn’t my intent to, like, drop a bomb or anything.”
The two eventually reconvened and when Gretchen brought up that Emily thought they “were aggressive walking up to Tamra,” Slade replied, “I’m happy to stay out of it. Then, don’t talk about us.”
As Gretchen concluded, “I’m just over it.”
Outside the party, Tamra, for her part, vented to Eddie, “They always gotta jump in and do something. They antagonize me, they make fun of me…”
In a producer interview, she continued, “If she would’ve walked up to me and apologized for what she did, then go for it. It was all for attention.”
What Katie Ginella told Tamra Judge About Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley
In light of Gretchen and Slade’s new allegations that Tamra had an “affair” with a boy bander roughly 15 years ago, Tamra had met with Katie earlier to further investigate the validity of other accusations involving the couple that came to light in New Orleans.
During their meetup, Katie insisted that “Gretchen lied” when she denied telling a story about Tamra from years ago at an off-camera group dinner with her, Jenn, Slade, Matt Ginella, and Ryan Boyajian.
What’s more, Katie further accused Slade of referencing a possible “legal issue,” if she didn’t “stick to the story” that he and Gretchen had allegedly concocted. Katie further produced a text exchange with Gretchen as evidence that she was being truthful.
“I thought I was gonna get in trouble,” Katie explained to Tamra, before elaborating in a confessional, “I was being lied to again by Slade. He’s at the root of this tornado. He is the eye of the storm for sure.”
After Tamra speculated that Slade “was trying to shut [her] down,” Katie confirmed that she was “correct.”
Don’t miss why Gretchen was “mad” at Slade after he reignited her drama with Tamra.
