With the 100th season of the Real Housewives franchise airing – and it aptly being a new season of the show that started it all, The Real Housewives of Orange County – Reality Tea has been looking back at some of the most memorable moments of all time. While many would claim Teresa Giudice’s table flip, the Scary Island chaos with the New York Housewives, or even Monica Garcia’s unveiling as having a hand in the Reality Von Tease account should be at the top of that list, we went with something entirely different. The moment that Tamra Judge asked the new kid on the block, “Did you go to Bass Lake?” From that point on, the Real Housewives landscape changed forever.
Tamra Judge shifted the goalposts of Real Housewives entertainment, whether you like it or not
With the backdrop of the Great Recession, RHOC Season 4 was sure to be unlike anything viewers had seen. The wealthy women audiences had grown accustomed to could have been struggling to stay afloat; a depressing watch if it was to take a central focus point. Especially since most of those watching would also be struggling financially, and without having led a life of luxury and excess beforehand.
Producers brought in new cast member Gretchen Rossi, who was engaged to a man 23 years older than herself. That man – Jeff Beitzel – was suffering from a rare form of leukemia, but that didn’t stop him from lavishing his fiancée with expensive gifts. This left a sour taste in the mouths of the other women, who already felt some sort of way towards Gretchen due to her being a lot younger than they were. To them, she was a gold digger using an older man to continue living a lifestyle she had quickly grown accustomed to despite the recession.
The writing was on the wall as the Housewives gathered in Episode 6. Tamra was muttering about how she disapproved of Gretchen’s decision to go on vacation in Bass Lake, but it was all hushed tones; that is until Gretchen caught wind of her name being brought up.
Tamra Judge asks Gretchen Rossi, “Did you go to Bass Lake?”
“What did you say?” Gretchen asked, and with a smile on her face, Tamra pointed across the table and asked that now-historic question: “Did you go to Bass Lake?” There was no screaming or shouting, but the rules of the Real Housewives franchise had just changed. Now, digging into a castmate’s life was on the table, and audiences felt empowered to judge from the sidelines.
At the time, it was shocking. Looking back, it feels like an extremely tame exchange. We’ve become used to a lot more vitriol, laced with a lot more venom. But this is where it all began.
As the lavish living of the Housewives became secondary to their drama in the coming years, it only became clearer that Tamra had set the wheels in motion not only for RHOC, but the entire Real Housewives franchise. Whether you like Tamra or not, you cannot deny that influence. And, for her services to entertainment, I for one am thankful.
Would Real Housewives still exist without this moment? I’m not so sure. Bravo, Tamra. Pun intended.
