Roxanne 
Vicki Gunvalson is sharing her honest first impression of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island cast.
While chatting with Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea, the Real Housewives of Orange County OG opened up about meeting the RHORI women for the first time — and it sounds like they left quite the impression.
“I didn’t even know who they were,” Vicki admitted. “I was like, ‘Hi, bye. You’re all fighting. I’m staying away from that.’”
Vicki then added, “They’re very aggressive.”
Vicki met the Rhode Island Housewives while filming The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th at Dorinda Medley’s Bluestone Manor in February. The special is celebrating 20 years of The Real Housewives franchise with a cross-country trip featuring 82 different Housewives.
But according to Vicki, the RHORI cast was already bringing the drama even when cameras were not rolling.
“It’s like, ‘The cameras aren’t here. What’re you guys doing? Shut up. This is my show. We are here for Season 20, Ultimate Girls Trip,’” Vicki recalled. “It was just awkward.”
Based on the RHUGT trailer, Real Housewives of Rhode Island stars Kelsey Swanson and Rosie DiMare appear to get into a heated exchange during the special.
Kelsey and Rosie also had tension during Season 1 of RHORI, with their issues becoming one of the show’s major conflicts.
Despite the drama, RHORI had a strong start on Bravo. The show premiered in April and quickly became Bravo’s biggest multiplatform series premiere since 2024, according to Deadline. The series has already been renewed for Season 2.
Still, Vicki admitted she has only watched “a little bit” of RHORI because the show “scares” her.
Her advice for the Rhode Island women is simple.
“Settle down,” Vicki said.
She also encouraged the women to focus on being real instead of forcing drama for the cameras.
“Be authentic,” Vicki added. “Would you do this in real life? Because if you wouldn’t do it in real life, what are you doing it on camera for?”
Vicki’s comments are interesting considering she helped build the Housewives franchise from the very beginning. As one of the original stars of RHOC, she knows better than anyone how intense reality TV can become.
But after nearly two decades in the Bravo world, Vicki seems to believe the RHORI women may be coming in too hot.
Whether the Rhode Island cast takes her advice or not, one thing is clear: Vicki thinks they need to calm down and let the drama happen naturally.
