The Real Housewives of Orange County — Season 5

The fifth season of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County kicks off with Vicki Gunvalson enjoying life, traveling, working hard and strengthening her relationship with her husband, Donn. Jeana Keough's business has collapsed under the weight of the sagging economy and she's forced to economize – something she admits she's not very good at doing. Tensions between Tamra Barney and her husband, Simon, are high as they also deal with financial woes including the possible sale of their house. Gretchen Rossi is trying to move on with her life in the wake of her late fiancée's death and is dating again. Everyone is on edge as the ladies come together to support Lynne Curtin's private jewelry show. Though both Tamra and Gretchen vow to get along, it doesn't take long for the name-calling and insult hurling to get under way.

Lynne Curtin's private showing for the ladies of her cuff line comes to a screeching halt thanks to a heated fight between rivals Tamra Barney and Gretchen Rossi. The camps divide, with Tamra unloading her feelings on her friend, Vicki Gunvalson, while Gretchen tells her side of the story to Jeana Keough and Lynne. Lynne is feeling her loyalties pull in two directions now that she and Tamra Barney have grown closer. Meanwhile, Simon sells a luxury car to an acquaintance and his wife – Jim and Alexis Bellino – and he invites them on a double date so Alexis can meet Tamra.

Jeana Keough makes the gut-wrenching decision to pull back from spending so much time with the Housewives in order to concentrate on her real estate business, which is struggling in a sagging economy.

As Vicki Gunvalson's daughter, Briana, recovers from her breakup with her high school sweetheart, Vicki tries to set her up with the son of one of her insurance colleagues. Simon and Tamra Barney attend a BBQ party at the Gunvalsons. Meanwhile, Gretchen Rossi flies to Michigan to visit with her deceased fiancé's kids. Back in Orange County, Lynne Curtin and her family settle into their new home in Laguna Beach. New housewife, Alexis Bellino, and her husband, Jim, have their weekly date night to reconnect with each other, and he surprises her with a special gift.

Vicki Gunvalson is focused on repairing her marriage to Donn and schemes a big surprise to celebrate their upcoming 15th wedding anniversary. To teach her 20-month old twin girls the importance of keeping up their good looks, Alexis Bellino takes them for their first mani/pedi at a nail salon. It's plastic surgery day for the Curtins when Lynne undergoes a face-lift, while her oldest daughter Raquel has a bump removed from her nose. Meanwhile, Tamra Barney jumps back into the real estate game by showing her first house in several years. Vicki travels to Florida for an insurance convention and invites all the Housewives to join her for a ladies-only getaway. Alexis tells Gretchen that if she goes on Vicki's trip, Jim will definitely be accompanying her. Gretchen begins to wonder about everyone's confining relationships.

The ladies pack for their upcoming girls' weekend in Florida. Gretchen Rossi wishes that her boyfriend, Slade Smiley, was coming with her. It's shaping up to be the perfect girls' weekend getaway, until Gretchen suspects that Alexis Bellino's husband, Jim, and Tamra Barney's husband, Simon, will not allow their wives to travel without them. Tamra, Simon, Gretchen and Lynne Curtin arrive at the hotel and meet Vicki for drinks. Everyone is shocked when Slade strolls in to surprise Gretchen. Vicki can't hide her displeasure at yet another man crashing her girls' weekend. Meanwhile, Alexis is still at home packing, planning to join the ladies a day late because she and Jim refuse to leave their three kids with nannies for that long. Alexis finally makes it to Florida and joins her new girlfriends for dinner. The conversation at dinner takes an uncomfortable turn when Vicki confronts Gretchen about why she is dating Slade. A divide also begins to form between Vicki and Tamra, who is torn between her husband and her friend.

After a tumultuous year, Vicki Gunvalson has a romantic surprise in store for her husband, Donn. Alexis Bellino and her husband, Jim, get their three small kids ready for church. Although they enjoy the finer things in life, they feel justified because they are very generous with their donations to their church and a number of charities. Tamra Barney and her husband Simon, rehash their recent trip to Florida and disagree about whether or not Tamra should let Gretchen back into her life. Lynne Curtin agrees to allow Gretchen to take her teenage daughter Alexa shopping.

Lynne Curtin meets Gretchen Rossi to discuss the conversation she had with Lynne's teen daughter Alexa about her alleged drinking and depression. Vicki invites Tamra to a girls slumber party at her house. Vicki is excited to host the "girls-only" slumber party to make up for the fact that the men crashed the recent girls trip to Ft. Lauderdale. Later, Vicki surprises her friends by bringing in a psychic who reads their auras. The ladies are caught off guard by some of his insightful readings.

Alexis Bellino and Tamra Barney continue to grow closer and meet for a game of tennis. After the match, the ladies talk about Gretchen Rossi's upcoming Tupperware party and Alexis is shocked to learn that the two are still feuding. Later, Gretchen and her boyfriend, Slade Smiley go to the Del Mar races with Alexis and her husband, Jim, where the discussion turns to the ongoing argument between the ladies which Alexis is determined to mediate.

The summer is coming to an end and the Barneys are getting their children prepared for another school year. Tamra Barney shares that she wants her trouble marriage to Simon to work, fully aware that their kids are feeling the tension in the home. Gretchen Rossi is preparing for an upcoming trade show where she will debut her new make up line, Gretchen Christine Beaute. Gretchen shares that she is nervous about all the money she is spending on launching this business and decides she needs some professional career advice so she meets with Vicki Gunvalson. Vicki asks Gretchen if Slade has a job and is bringing in money. Then, Vicki asks how much money Jeff left her. An upset Gretchen quickly ends the meeting. Meanwhile, Lynne Curtin visits her mom to get some advice on her teen daughters, particularly her 16-year-old, Alexa. Lynne's mom says that Lynne is just too nice and laid back with her girls, who need discipline. Later, Lynne and Alexa have an emotional argument and the relationship between mother and daughter continues to unravel.  Alexis Bellino tells her husband, Jim, that she would like to throw a cooking party for the Housewives, admitting that the party is just an excuse to get Tamra and Gretchen in the same room and see is she can convince the ladies to finally be friends. But at the party, it's Gretchen and Lynne who end up in a heated argument over Gretchen's newfound concern over Alexa.

Now that Tamra Barney's marriage has stabilized, she decides to get Simon's name tattooed on her ring finger. Simon is surprised when Tamra reveals the tattoo during a Harley ride to Balboa Island. Simon comments, "That's the first unselfish thing you've done in a long time." Vicki Gunvalson and her husband, Donn, weather a date night filled with typical Vicki mishaps, including a bee in Donn's drink and spilled red wine on Vicki's top. However, it's Donn's romantic surprise that trumps every distraction and leaves Vicki completely overwhelmed. Lynne Curtin calls Alexis Bellino to apologize for her recent behavior at Alexis' cooking party.  Lynne invites Alexis to a housewarming party she and her husband, Frank, are throwing in their new Laguna Beach home. After the debacle at Alexis' cooking party, Gretchen Rossi and her boyfriend, Slade, discuss the state of her friendship with Lynne and whether or not they should attend the Curtins' housewarming party. Gretchen decides to stand by her friend, and Slade reluctantly agrees. The Curtins' housewarming starts off on a good note, but the good mood turns sour when a heated argument breaks out between Simon and Vicki. Tamra is once again stuck in the middle of a crazy triangle between her husband and best friend. The next morning after the party, the Curtins are delivered devastating news in the form of an eviction notice.

Lynne Curtin's daughters, Raquel and Alexa, are home alone when a stranger knocks on the door and hands Raquel an eviction notice. Vicki Gunvalson receives terrifying health news about her daughter, Brianna. Alexis Bellino and Gretchen Rossi meet for dinner and discuss Lynne's housewarming party the night before. The ladies head to San Francisco for a girls weekend away. At dinner that night, everyone is annoyed by Alexis' non-stop phone calls and texting with Jim at the table. The ladies begin the next day with a round of shopping followed by a beautiful waterfront lunch. Vicki takes a business call at the lunch table, which rubs Alexis the wrong way. Alexis confronts Vicki regarding her comments about her repeated phone calls to Jim.

The ladies do lunch in San Francisco. What started out as a fight between Alexis Bellino and Vicki Gunvalson ends up with everyone taking the opportunity to tell Vicki just what they think of her. Back in Orange County, Lynne's daughter, Raquel, tells her friends about the family's eviction. Tamra Barney and Vicki try to figure out where their friendship stands. Alexis and her husband, Jim, invite their pastor and his wife to breakfast. They talk about the role of modern day Christians and how Alexis feels judged for her beauty and looks. Gretchen and her boyfriend, Slade Smiley, are off to Palm Springs for a weekend getaway with her parents. It's Tamra's 42nd birthday and her husband, Simon, takes her out for a romantic dinner.

After the tongue-lashing Vicki Gunvalson felt she endured from the other girls during their San Francisco trip, she seeks comfort from her old, tattered friendship with Jeana Keough. Lynne Curtin is staying with her mother while she sorts out her marital issues with Frank. Gretchen Rossi and Ronn Ann, Gretchen's makeup artist and current business partner, discuss preparations for the upcoming Women's Empowerment Expo where Gretchen will unveil her new makeup line.

It's the final party of the summer and the tension between Tamra Barney and her husband, Simon, reaches the breaking point. Is this the end of the road for the Barneys? Vicki Gunvalson's relationship with her husband, Donn, is stronger than ever and as they ride to the party they discuss the carats in the rings they gave each other to commemorate their renewed love. Housewives past and present gather to celebrate the end of another beautiful Orange County summer. At the party, the alcohol is flowing, especially for Lynne Curtin's teenage daughters, Raquel and Alexa. The two girls arrive drunk. Their limo was so long that Lynne claims she was unaware they were even drinking in her presence. Gretchen Rossi and her boyfriend, Slade Smiley, show up at the party wearing coordinating white outfits. The question everyone wants answered is: are they getting married? Alexis Bellino and her husband, Jim, invite the Curtins to join them at their church, hoping it will help the situation with their daughters. Meanwhile, Gretchen looks at Tamra's ring finger tattoo of Simon's name, which is very similar to the one Gretchen has on her own ring finger. As the party continues Tamra is in the midst of a major meltdown and pulls her friend, Vicki, aside to fill her in on her blowup with Simon. She admits that she can no longer tolerate his controlling behavior. What does the future hold for the Barneys?

In Part 1 of a two-part reunion installment, the Orange County wives reassemble to comment on all the hissing, dissing and dishing of Season 5. Andy Cohen hosts.

In the conclusion of a reunion episode, the reconvened Orange County wives recall the good, bad and ugly of Season 5. Andy Cohen hosts.