Don’t Worry, Heather Dubrow Hasn’t Ruled Out A 'Real Housewives' Return

Ring your champagne doorbell, because there's cause for celebration: Queen Fancypants may not be done with The Real Housewives of Orange County after all. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Heather Dubrow said a return to RHOC isn't totally off the table. No, she didn't confirm anything or make any major announcements, but she did use a turn of phrase that both Andy Cohen and former Real Housewives keep in their back pockets. Here's a hint: It rhymes with "schmever schmay schmever." When asked if she’d ever consider coming back to the reality series, Dubrow didn’t solder that door closed. Instead, she told ET,

“Never say never. Real Housewives of Orange County was an incredible experience for me. Five years, made great friends, had amazing experiences, and, quite honestly, it was a terrific platform for everything that Terry and I have done, and for our family, so I’m very, very grateful. As for the future, never say never.”

Is that a savory morsel of hope wrapped in pastry dough stamped with the words “never say never”? Why, it sure seems to be. Again, it's no where near a confirmation, but it's nice to know that there's still a chance.

What would it take to get her to come back? She didn't offer up any specific requirements, but she did say, "I think [returning] would just have to make sense."

After enduring the relentless drama cyclone that was Season 11, Dubrow parted ways from the original Real Housewives series. As she revealed at the reunion, a particularly heated screaming match with Kelly Dodd almost pushed her to quit mid-season, but she stuck around until the end. And so, she was there for the legitimately scary dune buggy crash. She witnessed her co-stars come to blows in the middle of a store in Ireland. She played a significant role in the infamous airport shuttle ride that undid multiple reconciliations in one fell swoop. Needless to say, Dubrow ordering Dodd to leave a restaurant in the middle of a dinner party was merely an amuse-bouche for the rest of the season.

Back in January, Dubrow announced she would be leaving the series after five seasons. She said in a statement to Bravo’s The Daily Dish,

"After a lot of careful thought and deliberation, I have decided not to return to RHOC this season … I have decided to go in another direction and do what’s best for my family and career. Should I change my mind, I thank Andy Cohen, Evolution and Bravo for telling me that the door is always open."

And so, Dubrow was not around for Season 12. Not to belabor a point that’s been made a thousand times already, but Season 12 was strange. Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge spent more time giving Vicki Gunvalson the silent treatment than attempting to put their overdone feud to rest, there wasn’t enough of Meghan King Edmonds’s Season 10 era enthusiasm for mixing it up, newcomer Peggy Sulahian didn’t quite click with the cast, Lydia McLaughlin kept getting left out, and no one seemed to be having that much fun.

Sure, there were some brief shining moments. Beador and Dodd letting it rip at the Quiet Woman was exhilarating. Gunvalson getting wheeled out of a hotel in Iceland with a robe over her face immediately became the stuff of legend. And the drunken shenanigans that took place in that puffin-themed space station of a hotel room? That footage ruled. Alas, the season needed more scenes like those. And while she probably wouldn’t have been able to fix the cast's weird dynamic, Dubrow would've at least brought some more memorable moments to the season.

Dubrow's the person who showed up to an event with leech wounds all over her torso like it was no big deal. She’s the person who had the foresight to record a late-night clash between the Housewives in the hall of their hotel in Ireland. She’s the person who threw a guest out of her party for breaking a fondant bow off of her cake and eating it.

Oh, and never forget that she was the person who battled with then-newbie Beador over who got to sit in which chair at a group dinner. Yes, two adults argued over who got to sit where at a relatively casual event in front of everyone and it was just the best. The closest Season 12 got to Chairgate was when McLaughlin chucked two menus across a table because Judge didn’t include her on a group text. Chairgate 2.0, that quarrel was not.

If she were so inclined to take her orange out of storage and return to the show, RHOC would be so lucky to have Dubrow back. While “never say never” could just be her way of saying “I’ve moved on but I don’t want to burn any bridges,” it could also be her way of hinting that a return is on the table. Cross those fingers for the latter. In the wake of what’s been a hazy season, Dubrow might be just the hexagonal-shaped beam of light the flagship Real Housewives series needs.