'Real Housewives of Orange County' Star Tamra Judge on Angry Viewers: 'I Can't Please Everyone'
"Real Housewives of Orange County" star Tamra Judge became one of the most condemned housewives in the show's history last year, with viewers of the hit reality TV show growing tired of her constant clashes with others cast members, and she recently opened up about what she believes caused her to have "bad rap."
This season Judge, known for her sharp zingers and feisty attitude, is expected to turn over a new leaf and reveal her "softer side" with her storyline set to include her becoming a grandmother and getting baptized, among other things. During a recent interview, the married mother of four reflected on season nine and shared why she believes viewers failed to connect with her.
"Well, I think that last year was — I hate to blame it on the editing but I'm going to blame it on the editing big time," Judge told The Christian Post. "Every year there's somebody that has a really bad year and I think last year was my year. You'll see this season there's some light shed on that. You're like 'wow she didn't do that, wow she didn't say that.' We filmed things that clarify certain situations."
Last year, Judge found herself at the center of drama with her co-stars at one point accusing her of backstabbing and gossiping and as a result, tensions were raised and friendships were tested. At one point, she was accused of betraying her best friend and veteran housewife Vicki Gunvalson.
"I think that Vicki's very good at collecting friends that support her relationship and poisoning them with things about me," she said. "Because I have never been accepting of [her boyfriend Brooks] she likes to gather the new girls up and say things to them that weren't necessarily true."
She continued: "So you'll see her and I talk about that this season, for me, it was very difficult to film this year because of [my difficult year] last year, and you know what? People will have an opinion about everything; I can't please everyone. You have a good year, you have a bad year, and that's what I get for opening up my life to people. I do feel I got a bit of a bad rap last year."
This season, viewers will witness the Bravo TV star getting baptized as part of her quest for a fresh start and even though critics have openly questioned her decision to accept Christ into her life, the born-again Christian insists that her Christian conversion is genuine.
"I got baptized on the show and [Bravo] has been using that for all their commercials so I talked with my pastor about it and he said 'listen, being on a reality show and showing this, you're probably going to get a lot of negative feedback,'" Judge recalled. "And I said 'I know; I don't know if I want to do it, because there could be a lot of negative about it and people can say she's just doing that because she had a bad year last year.'"
The Cut Fitness gym owner said that since being baptized, her life has changed for the better and viewers will get to watch these changes.
"I think in the past six months I've felt like a new person, but it's just one of those things where I wanted to make it right with the Lord and I knew the journey I was on," she said. "I'm not saying like, I'm perfect and I'm not saying I'm at church every single Sunday. I try to go every Sunday, I'm joining a Bible study. As you know, your mindset changes [after being baptized]."