RHOC’s Gina Kirschenheiter Talks Tamra Judge’s Brief Exit From Show

There’s nothing easy about The Real Housewives of Orange County’s vacation to the Big Easy.

While watching the Thursday, August 6, episode of Bravo’s hit reality show, viewers were treated to a preview of next week’s episode where Tamra Judge decides to briefly leave New Orleans and quit the show halfway through the cast’s trip.

According to Gina Kirschenheiter, the decision wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“I was kind of surprised that she just released it out to the world like that because it seemed very definitive, which I didn’t think she would do,” Gina, 41, exclusively shared with Us Weekly. “But also, Tamra really was having a rough year. I’ve never seen her like this before. I just kept saying, ‘Tamra’s being weird, Tamra’s being weird.’”

From Gina’s perspective, Tamra, 57, struggled with the fact that her close friend and “Two T’s in a Pod” podcast cohost Teddi Mellencamp was battling cancer in the middle of filming.

“Obviously with Teddi, that’s heartbreaking,” Gina explained. “And that’s the closest person to her. I think it was very difficult for her to navigate through that. And then she really did for the first time start going to real therapy.”

While some cast members like Jennifer Pedranti and Gretchen Rossi have questioned if therapy is making a difference in Tamra’s life, Gina believes big changes don’t happen overnight.

Instead, it’s a process that she hopes viewers will get to see as the season progresses.

“I think people don’t understand,” the Gated Group realtor told Us. “It’s not like you go to a therapist, you sit on the couch and then you’re fixed. They crack the door open, and it gets way worse for a while because you’re just now looking at things you don’t want to look at. You don’t want to admit it. I think it’s a little bit unfair.”

That’s not to say Gina didn’t have some questions about Tamra’s behavior in season 19.

“I get it. I even say it where I’m like, I don’t really understand how this is a positive change when she’s acting like this,” Gina recalled. “But when I go back and I look at it, I’m like, but is that a realistic expectation that somebody would just start to try to identify the things that are going on emotionally and then start behaving immediately wonderful?”

Back in March, Tamra seemingly announced her departure from The Real Housewives of Orange County when she shared a cryptic post via her Instagram Story.

“It was a long run!” she wrote on March 9. “When life gives you real problems this reality s*** doesn’t make sense. Peace out … I’m out.”

Although she ultimately returned to film, Tamra admitted that she was going through a difficult time on and off camera.

“I think I just hit a wall. There’s so much going on in my life and it’s just I don’t know,” she told Dolores Catania on her iHeartRadio podcast. “I just hit a wall.”

In Thursday’s episode, the cast — which also includes Heather Dubrow, Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson and Katie Ginella — were able to have some good memories before things got dramatic.

“I’m having so much fun,” Gina shared during a group dinner. “I know some of us might have our differences but I think it’s really nice that everyone can be around the table, and I’m personally happy that you’re all here.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.