Katie Ginella is still recovering from the “brutal” Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 reunion.
“Holy s—. I survived,” Katie, 40, exclusively quipped to Us at the Us Weekly + Pluto TV Reality Stars of the Year Party at the Dream Hotel on Thursday, October 10. “No battle wounds, but I laid in bed for two days recovering.”
She added, “Nobody could have told me how brutal it would be. It is brutal. It was, like, the Super Bowl of the season. It was good, but it was really hard.”
Season 18 was Katie’s first season of RHOC and she filmed the reunion special with costars Gina Kirschenheiter, Heather Dubrow, Emily Simpson, Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Jennifer Pedranti and Alexis Bellino earlier this week. The Bravo star further teased to Us that she was “probably” in the hot seat the most along with the most surprising moments.
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“What I’d say surprised me is that some people say things to you off camera, and then they’re different on camera,” Katie coyly explained without offering further details or names.
The season 18 reunion was also surprising for Housewives producer Andy Cohen, who moderates all of the tell-all specials.
“I don’t know when we’ve ever shot a reunion on Sunday. It just so happened that that was the day that we could all do it, I guess,” Andy, 56, said on his Radio Andy show on SiriusXM earlier this week. “We did shoot the OC reunion on Sunday. It was a very — we did what we had to do. I think people will be surprised. I think people will be surprised by what I liked.”
According to Andy, the cast “worked through a lot of things.”
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“It wasn’t people ripping each other’s faces off,” Andy added. “I think when you see the last few episodes of Orange County, which get especially heated.”
Katie, for her part, joined the show in season 18 as a friend of Gina, 40.
After a difficult reunion roundtable, Katie remains undecided about returning for a potential season 19.
“We’ll see; to be determined,” Katie quipped to Us at the Los Angeles bash. “[The reunion] was tough, and also I need to talk to my family because they’re just as involved with this as I am. I need to just have a family meeting.”
Despite the roughness of the reunion, Katie still enjoyed her time on RHOC as a whole.
“I’m so thankful, actually, because you never know if they’re gonna love you or hate you or what. I’m really appreciative,” she gushed of positive fan reception to her arrival. “The best part has been Jennifer Pedranti! We even said yesterday, when we were together, that if we don’t do another season, we’re still gonna be best friends. That’s been kind of the best and also being able to be the first Asian American on Orange County, the first Korean American on Bravo Housewives.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
With reporting by Mike Vulpo
