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What happened between Heather Dubrow and Katie Ginella? ‘RHOC’ star throws shade at newbie amid feud rumors

'RHOC' stars Heather Dubrow and Katie Ginella first met at Sutton Stracke's Christmas party

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: In the latest season of 'The Real Housewives of Orange County', viewers were introduced to Katie Ginella, the latest addition cast member and close friend of Gina Kirschenheiter. For those unfamiliar, Katie made her debut on the Bravo show this season and quickly became a hot topic among fans of the popular reality series.

Unfortunately, Katie Ginella has struggled to connect with Heather Dubrow in RHOC Season 18. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Heather opened up about the conflict she has had with the new cast member.

In a recent exchange, Heather threw shade at her new castmate Katie by comparing her to Season 16 star Noella Bergener, whom Heather had previously criticized for allegedly fabricating stories for drama. The situation heated up further when the Season 18 trailer revealed Katie accusing Heather of dishonesty.

Speaking about Katie, Heather commented,  “When you come into a friend group, you should try to make friends, not try to dig stuff up on people, months before you meet them, or look to have problems with people. It’s just all inauthentic. It doesn’t work.” During the interview, Heather referred to Katie as "Noella 1.5," suggesting that she saw similarities between Katie and Noella. 

Currently, fans are buzzing with speculation and anticipation about the looming conflict between Heather and Katie on the popular Bravo series. On X, one fan wrote, "Why does Katie want to come on the scene acting snarky and messy right out of the gate?? Not a good look. It would seem she's clearly here to try to take Heather down. Good luck with that. #rhoc"

Another fan added, "Katie just isn’t landing for me at all. I also don’t trust her pre-meditated hatred to Mother Dubrow. It’s a flop for me! #RHOC."

One fan said, "Hmm, nothing from Katie’s introduction made my ears perk up. She seems pretty normal (except for her clearly building up this feud with Heather.) But, maybe this will evolve over time. #RHOC"

Another fan wrote, "Katie is gonna be interesting to watch. Her and Heather are gonna be battle of the rich bitches lol #RHOC."

'RHOC' star Heather Dubrow compares facing newbie Katie Ginella to 'fighting shadows'

While discussing their feud, Heather Dubrow likened confronting the newcomer Katie Ginella to battling invisible foes. “When someone comes into our friend group and wants to make a big splash, when someone thinks they’re smarter than the show, you’ve lost,” Heather said.

The Bravo housewife added, “This is an authentic friend group. I have a history with all these women, and it would have been nice to have Katie come in and just get to know me. And I’m actually– I’m sad that she didn’t, because maybe we would have been friends.”

“[Katie] just gave an interview and said she hated me,” she continued. However, Heather assured that she has since reconciled with Gina Kirschenheiter, Tamra Judge, and Emily Simpson, with whom she had experienced some drama the previous year.

'RHOC' Season 18 newbie Katie Ginella reveals first impression of co-star Heather Dubrow 

In an interview with PopCulture, Katie Ginella, a newcomer to the Housewives universe, expressed her excitement about the marketing opportunities her new business would gain from being on the show. She also mentioned that meeting her fellow co-stars was a significant moment for her.

Unfortunately, Katie's first interaction with Heather Dubrow was not positive. Katie disclosed that she and Heather had a brief encounter months before the start of filming.

Speaking of their initial meeting, Katie said, “We attended [a Christmas] party at Sutton’s house but a good first impression I had with her [was] at the party when I officially met her for the season … She was lovely at [that] party.”

Things took a turn for the worse in Katie and Heather's budding friendship when Katie came across what she thought was amusing and carefree information. However, Heather did not share the same sentiment, which became a significant source of tension between the two that persisted throughout the entire season.

Who is Katie Ginella on 'RHOC' Season 18?

Katie Ginella is a fresh face on the 'RHOC' scene, coming from a background in golf reporting. She quickly bonded with the group through her friendship with Gina Kirschenheiter. Originally from South Korea, Katie was adopted by a Catholic family in Georgia and now juggles motherhood with raising her four children, who range in age from 6 to 19.

Recently relocated from San Diego with her husband, golf journalist Matt Ginella, Katie is eager to make new friends in Orange County while pursuing her dream of launching a cocktail line.

Wanting to delve deeper into her Korean heritage, Katie decides to explore her adoption history and reconnect with her birth mother. However, upon joining the group of women, she finds herself entangled in drama and quickly learns the complex dynamics of loyalty within the OC social circle.

'The Real Housewives of Orange County' Season 18 airs new episodes every Thursday at 9/8c on Bravo.