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Katie Ginella returned to The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19 with a full-circle update on her friendship with Tamra Judge.
As seen exclusively on Peacock’s extended and uncensored version of the RHOC Season 19 Reunion Part 1, host Andy Cohen pointed out how she and Tamra “got closer” at the end of the season, before asking Katie to “describe the evolution” of their friendship.
“It was nice to finally feel heard and for somebody to see my side,” Katie answered, referencing her and Tamara’s controversial meetup during Episode 14. “She’s been great. She’s been very helpful.”
Emily Simpson, meanwhile, remarked that she was still struggling to understand why Tamra wanted to sit down with Katie in the first place:Â “It didn’t make sense because, at my house, when I had the Persian New Year party, Tamra made it clear. She said, ‘Katie is dead to me.'”
RELATED: Tamra Judge and Katie Ginella Shed New Light on Their Controversial Meetup (EXCLUSIVE)
That’s when previously “unseen footage” from Emily’s party — which included the infamous polygraph test that preceded Katie’s departure from the group — rolled, confirming that Tamra, indeed, declared that Katie was “dead to” her.
Tamra explained that her comment was a result of her believing that Katie was “behind” drama involving Gretchen Rossi, at the time.
Tamra’s statement prompted Emily to further ask, “Didn’t you say you were going to sue her?” (More unseen Season 19 footage showed Tamra shouting at Katie, “You’re lucky that I don’t press charges against your ass!”)
However, that wasn’t exactly news to Katie, who chimed in, “She did, yeah. And we talked about it.”
How Tamra Judge supported Katie Ginella at the RHOC reunion
Katie and Tamra’s new bond seemed evident at the reunion, even outside of the aforementioned unaired moment.
When Katie got into an argument with Shannon Storms Beador over a secret recording from the previous season’s gallery shoot, for example, Tamra quickly came to Katie’s defense.
“Haven’t you filmed people without their knowledge?” Tamra asked Shannon, who immediately suggested they “drop it” altogether.Â
Later, Andy questioned why Tamra had brought that up about Shannon, prompting her to explain, “Because she’s going after Katie about it, when she’s done the same thing. That’s being a hypocrite.”
RELATED:Â Tamra Judge Defends Katie Ginella to Producer: “Double Standards Make Me Sick”
The Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen host also referred to a “feeling within the group” that Katie was “tougher behind everyone’s back than at group events.” He, then, read a viewer-submitted question asking why Katie doesn’t say the same things to the women that she does in her confessionals.
“I should,” Katie responded, at which point Tamra also jumped in to add, “A lot of people should.”
You’ll have to tune in for the rest of the three-part Season 19 reunion to see exactly where Katie’s friendships land with the rest of the RHOC cast, but when Andy asked her if there is “a place to move forward with someone the people in this group,” she replied, “I hope so.”
Katie Ginella teased what more to expect on the RHOC Season 19 reunion
The Season 19 reunion trailer already teased plenty more conflict to come between Katie and some of her castmates. Thanks to comments Katie made on the Oct. 30 episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County After Show, viewers got an even better idea of how she might handle the drama that’s still to come.
“A lot of people have been messaging me, ‘Come with receipts! Come prepared!’ But my goal is not to take anybody down,” Katie teased. “My goal is not to expose something about somebody, because I was on the receiving of that last year, and it felt horrible, you know? I just hope I can move forward.”
When an After Show producer playfully pressed Katie on whether or not she planned to bring any lie-detector results, she joked, “You’ll see,” before cryptically adding, “FedEx Kinko’s knows my name.”
In the meantime, go inside Katie and Tamra’s plans to watch the RHOC Season 19 reunion together.
