Alexis Bellino held an orange in Real Housewives of Orange County during Seasons 5 through 8. Both she and Gretchen Rossi exited before the ninth season. When Alexis joined the show, she was married to Jim Bellino. She was the model for a traditional marriage and had strong religious views. She showcased her Christian values, along with caring for their family and working on Alexis Couture.
But Alexis and Jim’s marriage wasn’t as solid as it appeared. After being married for 13 years, the couple divorced. Then Alexis became engaged to Andy Bohn, but they eventually split.
While Alexis was already in talks about returning to Orange County to spice up Season 18, she met John Janssen. That’s right – the same John who dated Shannon Beador and reportedly didn’t enjoy cameras.
Alexis’ new relationship certainly ignited conflict with Shannon, and some of the other ladies, too. But she knew the assignment and clocked in to work every day. Here’s why Alexis Bellino should be full-time on RHOC next season.
Alexis Bellino brings the drama with Shannon Beador
Shannon dated John off-and-on between 2019 to 2023. She was at his home the night that she was arrested for DUI. Meanwhile, Alexis and John started dating around five months after Shannon and John split up. During the Season 18 RHOC premiere, Alexis and Shannon had a tense discussion at Heather Dubrow’s party. Alexis seemed convinced that Shannon was upset that she was dating her former man.
“There’s the clip of her going, ‘You’re not going to win my man’ or something. It’s like, I’m not in the competition. Enjoy!” Shannon told US Weekly. But there was another reason that Shannon didn’t want to be friends with Alexis. And it was all thanks to Jim Bellino.
Way back in 2018, Jim filed a defamation lawsuit against Shannon and Tamra Judge, seeking one million dollars. He claimed that Tamra and Shannon made “inappropriate comments” about his divorce and his business during a podcast interview. In 2019, Shannon was dropped from the lawsuit.
During the premiere, Shannon confronted Alexis about the lawsuit. “I don’t want to tear up, but for three years, I went through such emotional and financial difficulties. I lost $300,000 defending myself for something that I didn’t even do,” Shannon told Alexis. “And you started the lawsuit by sending me a cease and desist letter.” However, Alexis denied any involvement and claimed that she and Jim were divorced when he sued Shannon and Tamra.
Alexis is defending her man, John Janssen
Of course, John remained an issue between Shannon and Alexis. At Gina Kirschenheiter’s dinner party, Tamra called out Shannon for alleging that she paid for everything in her relationship with John. Then Alexis chimed in, noting that Shannon owed John $75,000. Apparently, Shannon thought that the money that he gave her for a facelift was a gift. But John disagreed. Plus Alexis had the actual receipts on her phone, which she happily showed to her co-stars. I’ll admit it. I love a housewife (or friend) with receipts.
Shannon was furious and stormed out of the room. When Vicki Gunvalson, who still has no love for Alexis, asked why she was so involved in John’s financial affairs, Alexis replied, “My boyfriend’s reputation has been demolished.” She added, “There’s a lot more, and if she wants to go toe to toe, I’m ready.”
Well, RHOC fans found out that John has footage from his Ring camera from the night of Shannon’s DUI. It allegedly shows Shannon almost hitting his daughter with her car. Yikes! And Alexis shared this information with newbie Katie Ginella, who tattled to Emily Simpson.
Alexis Bellino gets along with most of her RHOC co-stars
Heather and Emily are both friends with Alexis. Knowing that Alexis recently lost her mother, Heather felt like the cast should be supportive of her.
Meanwhile, the way that Alexis met John was … interesting. She met John at The Quiet Woman, which is Shannon’s favorite hang-out. Do they need more restaurants in the OC? Asking for a friend. Of course, Alexis was quick to show off the ring that Johnny J gave to her.
Anyway, while Heather is firmly in Alexis’ corner, so is Tamra. “If you told me years ago that Alexis Bellino and I would be friends one day,” Tamra told People, “I would have told you you were absolutely f*cking nuts. But here we are!”
Bravo’s own Andy Cohen played a part in the duo’s reunion. After Alexis apologized to Tamra for Jim’s actions, Tamra’s heart grew two sizes and she forgave Alexis. “We’ve moved past it. I apologized, she apologized – it was just time to start anew,” Tamra stated.
Meanwhile, when it comes to Shannon, Tamra is still furious that she did not attend rehab after her DUI. So, while Shannon and Vicki were not Team Alexis, at this point, everyone else seemed to be fine with her return.
Alexis Bellino is a housewife vet and has matured
While Alexis returned to a friend role this season, there was a big shift in her personality. During Season 7, Tamra and Heather criticized her for being “materialistic.” Even her friend, Gretchen, stated that she came off as “pretentious.” Of course, Alexis and Jim weren’t shy about showing off their wealth.
And during the Season 7 RHOC reunion, Tamra coined the iconic phrase that has lived on in Real Housewives history. “You are psychotic, Jesus Jugs!” Tamra shouted at Alexis. Wow. Good times!
Now, Alexis is a bit more reserved and doesn’t discuss money constantly. Does she still talk a lot? Yes. But just not all about material things. Since she was last on our TV screens, she has matured.
And she is earning her orange next season by keeping the drama rolling with Shannon. Plus, Alexis is trying to defend the man that she loves from his haters. That must be a full-time job in itself.
Alexis is funny and entertaining
Alexis has a few personality quirks that are hysterical. It takes a good 10 minutes for her to order a drink because she is so particular about her food and beverages. She also tends to talk a lot and her thoughts tend to wander, which is a riot for viewers. In addition, Alexis is also no stranger to mispronouncing words.
During Season 18, Alexis was shocked to learn that Katie didn’t invite her to a golf event because she didn’t want to make Shannon uncomfortable. Cue Alexis’ confessional!
“You invited Debbie Downer over Lexi? I mean, if you’re gonna have a party, whose gonna be more fun?” Alexis asked as she shimmied for the camera. “This one! This one’s more fun,” she exclaimed, pointing to herself. “Happy-go-lucky Lexi!” Look, I’d probably rather invite Lexi to a dinner party. I could marvel at her drink order and take a refreshing nap while she ordered her dinner. Win-win!
Between keeping us laughing and stirring up drama, Alexis has certainly earned her full-time status on RHOC next season.
TELL US – SHOULD ALEXIS BELLINO BE FULL-TIME ON RHOC NEXT SEASON?
