In January, Variety confirmed that all of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” cast would return for its milestone 20th season, except Katie Ginella and Gretchen Rossi, the latter of whom appeared as a friend in season 19. That means fans will once again see Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Heather Dubrow, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Jennifer Pedranti back on their screens.
During BravoCon 2025, fans learned that OG RHOC star Vicki Gunvalson would also be returning, once again reuniting with her Tres Amigas. However, fans believe Gunvalson may have taken her excitement about season 20 a bit too far after it appeared she subtly hinted that a new cast member could be joining the ladies.
Vicki Gunvalson Hints at RHOC New Cast Member Carmella Garcia
GettyAccording to Reality Tea, an RHOC fan created a mock image showcasing the cast of the upcoming 20th season of the series. In the photo, fans see Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter, Jennifer Pedranti, and one unfamiliar face.
That woman is Carmella Garcia, a real estate agent with The Oppenheim Group, the same agency from Netflix’s “Selling Sunset.”
The fan shared the image on Instagram, captioning it, “Are you excited at the idea of Carmella Garcia joining #RHOC?”
Interestingly, Gunvalson reshared the image on her Instagram Story before swiftly deleting it, which only fueled speculation among fans that she may have accidentally revealed a potential new cast member.
Looking at Garcia’s Instagram, she follows all of the cast of RHOC, including Gunvalson, who was given back her orange during BravoCon 2025 in November. Her account is mainly photos of her listings, which include several multimillion-dollar homes in California. Fans can also see a handful of snapshots of her family, including her four children.
Heather Dubrow Spotted Filming RHOC With a Mystery Woman
Filming for season 20 of RHOC appears to be underway as X account The Reality TV Guru shared an image of Heather Dubrow mid-conversation while surrounded by cameras and crew alongside a mystery woman with long black hair.
Fans were quick to speculate that the unidentified woman could be Garcia. It would certainly not be unusual for Dubrow to have strong connections in the real estate world, given that the Dubrows are known for living lavishly in multimillion-dollar homes. Could Garcia be helping Dubrow find another perfect mansion for her and Terry Dubrow?
There were also rumblings that former RHONJ star Jaqueline Laurita would possibly join the RHOC cast.
In December 2025, Page Six confirmed that Laurita was approached to join the cast of RHOC season 20. Laurita and her family moved to Orange County in 2023, and she has since shared several photos hanging out with Pedranti, Gretchen Rossi, and their significant others on Instagram.
The outlet reported that Laurita had been asked numerous times to join the series as a “friend of,” but seeing her mingling with the ladies and having moved near Pedranti had producers asking if she could potentially be a full-time cast member. The insider added that Laurita was “undecided.”
