Katie Ginella may have been iced out on of “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” season 19, but Bravo isn’t done weighing her fate just yet. With season 20 looming, insiders say producers are split on whether Katie should stay or go — and both options come with baggage.
Bravo Weighs Two Scenarios for Season 20
According to an insider who spoke to OK!, Bravo has “two ways” to handle season 20. One option is to keep Katie, who has built a “huge, loud fanbase online” and is close with Tamra Judge.
Adding Vicki Gunvalson back into the mix alongside Katie — plus possibly one more friend of hers — is reportedly on the table. The source added it would also “make sense” for Heather Dubrow to stay on board given the milestone season, while producers could bring in some fresh faces for balance.
The other scenario? Cut Katie loose. But according to the insider, this move could backfire. “The problem is… they’d then have to start turning on each other again,” they said. “And as it stands, they made a storyline out of turning on Katie, so it wouldn’t really make sense to suddenly turn on each other.”
Another insider pointed out Katie’s online popularity, noting that Bravo monitors fan chatter closely.
“If Bravo decides to let Katie go, there’s going to be a multi-level PR nightmare,” they warned. “Her fans are very vocal online, and the positive comments far outweigh the negative comments.”
Even Jennifer Pedranti has been caught in the crossfire, lashing out at fans for supporting Katie and telling them to unfollow her instead.
One source went further, calling Katie’s ousting “very much like bullying.” They added, “People have done SO MUCH WORSE and been allowed to stay.
Even Kelly Dodd taped Shannon Beador — and Shannon didn’t freak out on her like this. Meanwhile, for whatever reason, they decided to systematically bully Katie and victimize her into not filming the last third of the season.”
Want even juicier Bravo tea? Sign up for Cocktail Party here!
