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Who is Nicole James? 'RHOC' star Heather Dubrow's pal was 'demoted' on Bravo show

According to reports, Nicole was introduced to the group by Heather and even filmed a few episodes as a full-time housewife

Although Season 16 of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Orange County' is yet to premiere, the hit reality show and its cast members are already making headlines. Following the mass firing on Kelly Dodd, Braunwyn Windham Burke and Elizabeth Lyn Vargas from the show, there were three vacant housewives spots waiting to be filled. While fans were busy speculating who might get to hold the coveted orange, the network announced that Heather Dubrow would be making her big comeback on the show, following her long hiatus of five seasons.

The showrunners managed to retain an aura of mystery by keeping the names of the two other housewives under wraps. For months hawk-eyes fans carefully scanned the social media profiles of the show's cast members to get any clues on who could be the new housewives. Soon the network once again announced that Noella Bergener and Dr Jen Armstrong would be making their big debut as housewives. If you're wondering where is the drama, then here you go. Before Noella and Dr Jen were formally announced as the new housewives, the grapevine was abuzz with Nicole James being the new housewife as well. According to reports, Nicole was introduced to the group by Heather and even filmed a few episodes as a full-time housewife, but eventually got demoted to a 'friend of housewives'. If you're curious to know more about Nicole and why she was demoted then read on.

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Who is Nicole James?

As mentioned earlier, Nicole James is a friend of Heather's. Heather revealed on the show that she has known Nicole for nearly eight years and that she was drawn to Nicole's good mood and fun personality. While Heather had great things to say about her friend, unfortunately, Shannon Beador doesn't seem to have a great opinion about the newbie. Shannon revealed that she knew Nicole as their daughters were in pre-school together. The housewife also revealed that Nicole dated Kid Rock shortly after his split from Pamela Anderson. 

Was Nicole James demoted to 'friend of housewives' on 'RHOC'?

Radar Online reported that Nicole was roped in as a full-time housewife on 'RHOC' but was demoted to a friend after she reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the surgical work of Dr Terry Dubrow- Heather's husband. A source told the outlet, "Nicole was brought on by Heather but only filmed for a few weeks. A big storyline that will play out (but is also the reason why she's no longer on the show full time) is that Nicole was unhappy with the breast augmentation Terry performed on her many years ago. It started circling around through the group, and Heather found out because Shannon was telling everyone but her. Cue the fight between Heather and Shannon."

The outlet also revealed that when Heather found out about it she was fuming. Looks like there might be some truth to it, as Heather's official bio on Bravo hints at a feud with a close friend. "After many years, Heather and Shannon reunite and instantly find themselves at odds over loyalty and betrayal.  She also introduces a friend of hers to the group only to find out a shocking truth behind who she really is," reads her bio. 

The outlet also stated that it's unclear whether Nicole was actually demoted or whether she voluntarily opted to become a friend of housewives. Considering both 'RHOC' and 'Botched' (Dr Terry's plastic surgery show on E!) are produced by Evolution Media, the outlet quited their source as saying, "So for them to have a Housewife accusing Terry of such a nefarious, scandalous thing could affect their other show that makes them money."

'Real Housewives of Orange County' Season 16 airs every Wednesday at 9/8c on Bravo.