Just hand Tamra Judge a spoon and she will have no problem stirring the pot. Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson voiced (several times) that they are having a tough time befriending Shannon Beador, so Tamra told them about Shannon not checking in while her husband was in the hospital. She complained about Shannon’s complaints. She told them that Eddie Judge think she “enables” Shannon. She admitted that she puts up with Shannon because she “feels sorry for her.”
How would you feel if someone’s close friend described them in those terms? Would it make you think that she’s a good friend or someone you actually want to be friends with? Probably not. During a cast dinner, Shannon claimed “I’m never not fun.” That is a statement that many viewers can disagree with. Tamra picked up her metaphorical spoon and stirred things up when she pointed to Gina and declared with “You might want to ask this one.” And then Gina called out Shannon for being a bad friend to Tamra. Then Tamra did not speak up after Shannon claimed to be such a good friend. She said nothing and silence speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
Now that the episodes have aired, Tamra is trying to redirect the narrative in a Bravo blog post.
Tamra explained, “Shannon tends to close people out when she is upset. That is why it’s difficult for me to always let her know how I feel, because I always have that fear of her icing me out. It was difficult to have Shannon shut us out. We were coming from a place of concern (not gossip), AND nobody wants their friend to be alone in a foreign country. But that concern became frustration and anger when she wouldn’t respond to any of us.”
Before getting into the conversation that instigated Shannon’s meltdown in Jamaica, she took a little stroll down memory lane to the Bali trip, i.e. the trip where Tamra literally ran away when the conversation at dinner was not in her favor. She wrote, “Trust me I know exactly what it’s like, does Bali ring a bell?” Pretty much no one had sympathy for Tamra in that moment, so it really isn’t the best anecdote to bring up, but go ahead, Tamra.
Tamra wrote, “Not only was I alone after that dinner in Bali, but I also flew home by myself, and NO ONE CARED! I was going through the hardest time of my life. My ex-husband was trying to take away my kids, and I was devastated and scared. I wish I had a friend like ME to chase after me and make sure I was OK and let me know what I was doing to cause them concern.” Tamra wishes she had a friend like Tamra? She is very patient with Shannon. No one can deny that, but personally, I could do without the instigation of drama.
Tamra began her damage control: “I was upset that she treated me like that, just because I didn’t respond to Gina’s stupid untrue statement.” She continued, “To be honest, I was kind of in shock that Gina even went there! It was extremely mean of Gina to say Shannon was not a good friend to me. I wish I would have spoken up sooner!” What is so extreme about that? She was basing her claim on Tamra’s own words. Was it a very harsh conclusion to draw? Yes, but Tamra gave her those bullets and Gina just pulled the trigger.
RELATED: Lizzie Rovsek Says Fight With Tamra Judge In Bali Was “So Much Uglier” Than That Was Shown On Real Housewives Of Orange County
Tamra explained why she didn’t defend Shannon… or even say anything at all: “My hesitation had nothing to do with what kind of friend Shannon is to me. Just pure shock of being put on the spot and that Gina would say something like that after I’ve been trying to help her become better friends with Shannon.” Tamra was trying to help Gina become friends with Shannon? Tamra’s description of a friendship with Shannon was not at all appealing. How is that “helpful to facilitating a friendship between Gina and Shannon? It’s just not the best marketing tactic.
Tamra continued, “The whole fight never had to happen. The discussion was supposed to be about Shannon not warming up to the new girls. Shannon apologized to both of them at that dinner for not having the time to get to know them, which should’ve been the end of it.” Then why did Tamra bring Gina into that conversation? Tamra is the one who put Gina on the spot, which set off the whole argument.
Tamra concluded, “I have learned a big lesson from all of this. I will NEVER vent to another friend just because I have a hard time communicating with another. You never know when it will be thrown in your face or used against you. The best part of this show is watching yourself from the outside and fixing the things you don’t like about yourself.”
TELL US- IS IT FAIR FOR TAMRA TO PUT THE BLAME ON GINA FOR ACTING BASED ON COMMENTS TAMRA SAID ABOUT SHANNON?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
