The cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County has changed profusely in the recent years since several women with the longest run decided to leave the show, for example, the iconic Vicki Gunvalson. The show has managed to maintain similar levels of drama, petty gossip, funny one-liners, and never-ending marital issues. The cast currently comprises of six women who we love to follow in their fabulous day-to-day lives.
Some women might have the smarts on the show, but they fail to utilize their intelligence due to their explosive and reactive personalities. One thing is for certain, though, they all create a very good show at the end of the day.
Kelly Dodd
Fans tend to associate intelligence with grounded and composed behavior. Since Kelly Dodd is one of the most intense and mean cast members, the general impression seems to be that she is not among the more intelligent women on the show.
She even had beef with Vicki, despite the fact that they were one of the rare duos who were friends before the show. Many fans believe that she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, an opinion that was recently solidified when she declared that she considers the COVD-19 pandemic over. Every reality TV show needs a villain, ideally with seniority. Not everyone likes Kelly, but she definitely makes the show interesting to watch.
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas
The newest addition to the cast is Elizabeth Lyn Vargas who joined the housewives on the current season. She's obviously no average woman: she is worth $30 million and is the CEO of Edge Music Network. She recently got divorced from Bernt Bodal, a fellow multi-millionaire. Fans of the show will definitely learn more about her love life on the show. Since we haven't seen much of her yet, it's hard to speculate just how smart and likable she is compared to other women.
Vargas has called Edge Music a failure recently but is planning to generate wealth with her newest venture, Vargas Vodka. On Instagram, she wrote that "Vargas Vodka is inspired by the first Spanish explorers [...]". If she knew her history, she would know that's not the best unique selling point.
Gina Kirschenheiter
A flight attendant turned a reality TV star, Gina is a genuinely nice person who has been through a lot in her life. We have seen her weather a difficult divorce when she first joined the show. She was honest about her abusive ex-husband Matt and the reality of her marriage.
Gina's story mostly revolves around her personal life rather than her professional endeavors. When arguing, she typically makes really good points. Since speaking up for herself is a relatively new thing in her life, she is yet to show all aspects of her personality.
Braunwyn Windham-Burke
Braunwyn might not be among the most popular cast members and many fans find her lifestyle questionable, but she is by no means dense. The way she goes about generating drama is very calculating rather than chaotic. While most women were careful around Vicki, Braunwyn called her out and didn't shy away from having conflict with her. Their dispute went down as one of Vicki's most memorable fights on RHOC.
Say what you will about the lady, but her marriage is one of the most functional ones on the show. It's definitely not easy to raise seven children while keeping the spark alive. It definitely requires a fair share of intelligence.
Shannon Beador
Shannon joined the crew in season 9. Despite being a smart woman, she comes across as outright helpless. Her lack of self-awareness and agency is hard to watch sometimes, but she probably knows what she's doing. After all, she is making $800 000 per season, way more than other cast members.
In 2018, she started her own business, an award-winning line of prepared frozen meals called Real for Real Cuisine. She knows how to play her cards in order to succeed.
Emily Simpson
Emily went from rags to riches, which is a clear indicator of both resilience and intelligence. She is an attorney and a party planner, but she is often unjustly reduced to a housewife with a lousy husband. Furthermore, she attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, which has a really bad reputation. Regardless, her career is thriving.
Since most women on Bravo's most popular franchise are emotionally unstable, to say the least, Emily stands out as one of the brightest and most grounded individuals in the entire franchise, not just the O.C. one. Those who like her energy should probably watch shows that resemble The Real Housewives that aren't as over the top.