Season 18 of Real Housewives of Orange County was jam-packed with drama. And this time, every cast member had a part in the chaos. RHOC alum Alexis Bellino returned in a part-time role, which upset Shannon Beador. Of course, Alexis was dating John Janssen, who happened to be Shannon’s ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, Gina Kirschenheiter brought newbie Katie Ginella on the show.
I liked Katie from the jump. She is open about her family and has an interesting backstory. Somehow, Katie formed relationships with most of her co-stars. However, her relationship with Gina was rocky, and Heather Dubrow never really gave Katie a chance, which is fair after the whole rumor thing.
Still, Katie knew the assignment and wasn’t afraid to dive into the drama, which I applaud. If you’re going to be on Real Housewives, show us that you are clocking in. Otherwise, you are probably a one-and-done. Naturally, Katie doesn’t deserve that fate. Here’s why Katie Ginella deserves a second season of RHOC.
The way that Katie Ginella confronted Heather Dubrow
Katie revealed to the ladies, sans Heather, that she had proof that Heather called the paparazzi to let them know her location. As one does. Of course, this dredged up Heather staging photos of herself and her husband, Dr. Terry Dubrow, at Disneyland. While some of the cast felt vindicated, like Tamra Judge, others were a bit more reticent. But Katie claimed that she had proof.
Meanwhile, Katie held a golf event for the ladies. To make sure that Heather stayed happy, Katie got her a hot dog bar. However, when Tamra shared what Katie had revealed, Heather was furious. So, Katie and Heather discussed the allegations. “I know you lied,” Katie told Fancy Pants.
“Show me the proof. On the lives of my children, I have never called paparazzi,” Heather replied. Of course, Katie had that “incriminating” text message, and Bravo showed it. “Settle this for me. Did Heather Dubrow call paps to come take pics of her and her husband in public?” Katie asked. Someone replied, “Yes.” According to Katie, this person works with the paparazzi.
At the time, Heather wasn’t just angry at Katie. She was big mad that none of her co-stars asked to see the proof or defended her. Plus, Katie told Gina about this two months prior, and Gina neglected to tell Heather. Oops! That made Fancy Pants question her friendship with Gina.
However, Gina managed to throw Katie under the bus a little bit. She sided with Heather in the drama, stating, “I have a friendship with Katie at this point, but I don’t have a hundred percent trust. I think Katie knows that and understands that.” Still, kudos to Katie for confronting Heather. Unfortunately for Katie, that led to a season of being dismissed and ignored by Heather, who has no interest in a friendship with Katie.
Plus, Katie defended Alexis from all the online negativity that she was receiving. I love that Katie isn’t afraid to take a stand. Even if she is advised against it by more seasoned housewives, like Sutton Stracke on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Katie is open about her life
Katie is married to Matt Ginella, who worked for the Golf Channel. Plus she is a former golf reporter. I picture them both whispering to each other a lot.
The couple said ‘I do’ in 2015, and their wedding was featured in the series Say Yes to the Dress in 2017. They welcomed their son, Bandon, the same year. Katie also has three children with her ex-husband, Andrew Sundseth: Kaili, Gavin, and Maxon.
This couple is a breath of fresh air. They are completely into one another. Plus, I loved Matt’s reaction to the screaming at Katie’s couples’ dinner party. He looked like he didn’t know what to do but was friendly and handled himself with grace.
I found it moving when Katie opened up to the group about her plans to meet her birth mother. She was adopted as a baby, but she spent time searching for her mother. Katie’s birth mom was 15 years old when she gave birth to Katie. So, for Katie’s 40th birthday, she, Matt, and her daughter Kaili planned to go to South Korea to meet her.
“All I want to do is say like I had an amazing life, and I’m fine. You know, I’m like super thankful,” Katie told her co-stars. Since filming, Katie’s plans changed, sadly, due to the death of Matt’s father. “My husband and I, right now, are still planning our trip,” she explained. “My father-in-law passed away, so we kind of had to put it off for a little bit.”
Katie Ginella’s legal woes
Well, Katie is following in the tradition of many Real Housewives due to her colorful legal history. In March 2016, Katie was sued by Sidnei Silva. According to the lawsuit, Sidnei claimed that in April 2015, he had an altercation with Katie on the highway. He reported that she followed him to his home, and allegedly “parked her vehicle behind” his van. “Katie exited her vehicle and confronted Sidnei aggressively,” according to the legal documents. After he began to film Katie with his cell phone, she called emergency services. Then, Katie allegedly “falsely” reported a crime, stating that Sidnei was blocking her from accessing her car to leave the scene.
The legal documents read, “The police initially arrested Sidnei for false imprisonment, disorderly conduct, and reckless driving.” Later, the police realized that “Katie was the primary aggressor and that her allegations against Sidnei were false.” Sidnei claimed that Katie’s false accusations caused him to be “thrown to the ground, injured and arrested.”
He is also suing Katie for his legal fees and slander. Sidnei requested over $100,000 in damages. Since the RHOC star never responded to the case, a default judgment of $112,945.00 was entered.
Katie Ginella’s messy divorce
Unfortunately, Katie was also involved in a bitter battle with her ex-husband, Andrew. Their divorce was settled in 2016. While Andrew was awarded legal and physical custody of their three children, Katie was given visitation.
At the time, Andrew earned $6,995 per month, while Katie made $3,750. Somehow, Katie had to pay Andrew $1,220 in child support. She also had to pay for the $500,000 life insurance policy. Plus, Katie still owed Andrew $5,000 for his legal bills.
In 2018, Katie filed legal documents to change the custody agreement, alleging that Andrew was emotionally abusive to their children. She also objected to Andrew’s after-school schedule for their kids. Katie asked for legal and physical custody of their kids and to terminate the child support. In response, Andrew filed a countersuit. It seemed like he accused Katie of not paying child support. However, those documents were sealed,
Finally, in March of 2019, the former couple entered a consent order over support and custody of their children. Katie no longer had to pay child support and was given primary custody of their daughter, Kaili. And Andrew was given primary custody of Gavin and Maxon.
Someone else took a legal swing at Katie Ginella
If you thought that was the end of Katie’s legal saga, you would be wrong. Chad Ruskey is suing Katie’s company, Tee Shots, and her business partners for a cool $5 million. His legal documents claim that the defendants breached an implied contract, and also accuse them of fraud. Chad claimed that he designed a “golf ball-shaped shot glass” that holds “a shot of alcohol.” He called his alleged creation a “Golf Shot.” Then Chad filed a patent with the working titles Tee Shots and Golf Shot.
He approached Katie’s business partners, Dolores and George. Chad alleged that they decided to partner with him. Afterward, Chad claimed that George and Dolores obtained the name Tee Shots, and brought Katie onboard instead of him. Yikes!
When all is said and done, most housewives are eager to make a return the following season. But Katie isn’t like most housewives. “I think I want to get through the rest of the season, watching and filming the reunion, and then make a decision. I don’t know,” Katie stated. “I’m kind of 50/50 right now.” Well, I admire her honesty.
Her ability to be open, along with the way she didn’t back down from Heather and Gina, are all reasons why Katie Ginella deserves a second season of RHOC. I hope that she returns!
Real Housewives of Orange County is currently streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THAT KATIE GINELLA DESERVES A SECOND SEASON OF RHOC?
