RHOC: Why Fans Think Heather Dubrow’s Scenes Are Scripted

Fans were excited when Heather Dubrow came back on The Real Housewives of Orange County after taking a break for a few years, but some viewers are not necessarily buying that her scenes are completely authentic. Ever since joining the cast of RHOC season 7, Heather has always been careful to present herself as poised and classy. However, she came across as uptight and a bit snobby, which earned her the nickname “Fancy Pants.” Upon her return for season 16, Heather is still the same housewife with high standards. This time, however, her scenes seem a little too carefully crafted, leaving fans questioning its believability.

From the start, RHOC season 16 started with a lot of drama that may have not been meant to air on the show but ended up being a huge storyline. When Shannon Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Emily Simpson had lunch together, the name of Heather’s friend, Nicole Weiss, came up. Shannon was shocked that Heather and Nicole were friends. After some push, she divulged off-camera to Gina and Emily that Nicole had sued Heather’s husband Terry Dubrow for a botched plastic surgery. She swore them to secrecy, but a producer got the secret out of Gina in an interview. This started a chain of events that caused a lot of heated moments on the show.

When Heather invited the housewives over for a dinner party, Gina confessed that she knew about the lawsuit and asked if Heather was aware that her friend Nicole had sued Terry. Heather became livid that gossip about her family was going around and stormed off to look for her husband. Eventually, Terry calmed her down and they looked for Nicole to straighten things out. Terry seemed surprised to see her and acted as if he didn’t know she and Heather were friends. He then made it a point to say that Nicole dropped the lawsuit and all was well between them. Fans thought the moment was strange and rehearsed, and that the Dubrows were just taking the opportunity to clear his name. They also questioned why Heather was so quick to forgive Nicole but was so hard on Shannon.

Another moment that had viewers’ eyes rolling was when Shannon apologized to Heather for spilling the beans. Heather gave Shannon a threat that could have come from an old gangster movie. Shannon expressed deep regret for sharing private information about Heather, to which Heather responded: “If you ever come after me or my family ever again, you are going to lose a lot more than my friendship. This will cost a lot. And I’m not saying this as a threat. I’m saying it as a promise.” Fans already thought Heather was pretentious, and this particular speech was very condescending. It also came across as contrived and melodramatic. Overall, viewers are also Team Shannon on this fight, touting Heather as a mean girl and a bully.

Fans are wondering if Heather is setting up the stage to have Shannon leave The Real Housewives of Orange County. Heather has been vocal about wanting Tamra back on the show as an ally. Shannon and Heather have had a rocky relationship, which Shannon tried to mend this season. Unfortunately, Shannon’s loose lips caused major damage to the friendship, which seems irreparable at the moment. Heather is quickly losing points with viewers due to her inability to forgive easily and her overly dramatic scenes which look staged. Hopefully, Heather can snap out of the role of “villain” and gain back her fanbase.