Shannon Beador's Drinking Questioned by Costars in 'Real Housewives of Orange County' Season 18 Trailer: 'Not Taking Accountability' After DUI (2024)

• Bravo has dropped the trailer for the new season of Real Housewives of Orange County, which premieres Thursday, July 11
• Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti, Katie Ginella and Alexis Bellino will all be featured
• Vicki Gunvalson, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave and Sutton Stracke also make appearances

The Real Housewives of Orange County might just be primed to give Bravo viewers one of the best seasons of Real Housewives yet.

That's judging from the explosive season 18 trailer, which dropped Thursday, June 6 ahead of the show's official return on Thursday, July 11. Jam-packed with hilarious moments, contentious clashes and emotional milestones, it's a trailer that gives fans the perfect balance of comedy, drama and real-life story they've come to love about the show since its debut nearly two decades ago.

Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and Jennifer Pedranti are all back as Housewives, this time joined by new addition Katie Ginella — a former golf reporter and busy mom of four (ages 6 to 19) who, per a release, "instantly wedges herself into the group along with her opinions." Born in South Korea and adopted into a Catholic family in Georgia, Katie is the first Asian Housewife to appear on RHOC.

Season 18 will also feature guest appearances from RHOC O.G. Vicki Gunvalson and two stars made famous on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave and Sutton Stracke.

A familiar face to fans of the franchise is back in a bigger role, too: Alexis Bellino, who rejoined the group in a Friend role after appearing as a Housewife from seasons 5-8. Though she left the series in 2013 on the outs with Heather and Tamra, Alexis comes back on good terms with both this season — and in a new relationship, with Shannon's ex-boyfriend John Janssen.

PEOPLEbroke the news the two were dating back in early December.The duo met in November through mutual friends at Orange County eateryThe Quiet Woman.

"I love you," Alexis tells John in the trailer. He even bought her a ring, which tells her costars is "just a sign of love" and not an engagement ring (though nods yes when asked by Gina if she thinks she'll marry him).

As one can imagine, Shannon isn't too happy about their coupling. She and John dated for three and a half yearsbefore she claims he "blindsided" her with a breakup in late 2022(a split PEOPLE reported exclusively). The two found a way back to be friends, though ties were cut not long afterBeador's September arrest for an alleged DUI and hit-and-run.

Now Shannon has to come face-to-face with John's new girlfriend — and the ex-wife of Jim Bellino, who famously lost a lawsuit against Shannon before. "Does she want to be me?" Shannon asks in the clip, to which Alexis seemingly responds with a laugh before saying "no." A tearful Shannon then tells Jennifer, "You have no idea about John Janssen," before later crying, "He's a monster."

But Alexis doesn't appear to be backing down. "If she wants to go toe-to-toe, I'm ready," she says in the trailer, later noting, "We never want to take someone down like this. I'm telling you, it will ruin her life."

Shannon is facing another advisory this season in her former friend Tamra, who claims that "Shannon is not taking accountability" for her DUI. "You decided to drive your car into a house drunk!" Tamra bluntly tells Shannon, who later tells Tamra, "You need to stop!"

"I need to stop what? Uncovering your bullsh*t?" Tamra asks.

For what it's worth, Shannon appears to be emotional about what happened to her. She cries to her daughters telling them that she's "So sorry I disappointed you." But she's also seen ordering a co*cktail in the preview, and even blows into a breathalyzer test at one point while sitting behind the wheel of a car.

Elsewhere in the trailer, Gina cries as her longtime boyfriend Travis Mullen moves out of their house — a decision he notes that she made. Though they're still dating, the relocation appears at least motivated by tension between her and his ex-wife. "I want to break up with his ex-wife, not him," she explains.

Meanwhile, Katie, who comes into the group through Gina, appears to instantly hit it off with everyone except Heather. "I can see straight through her," Katie says, after getting into a heated back-and-forth with Heather over Heather's alleged "lie." It's perhaps that accusation that leads Heather to tell Gina later in the clip, "I feel betrayed by you."

Heather is also being questioned by Emily, who admits to feeling distance in their friendship. "I've lost weight but Heather looks at me as if I'm still the big girl," Emily says, tearfully telling Heather. "I felt as though I was singled out."

And then there's Jennifer, who appears to be celebrating highs and lows this season. On one hand, she gets engaged to boyfriend Ryan Boyajian. On the the other, Ryan's alleged connection to the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal puts their romance in the hot seat.

"If she stays with him, it will ruin her life," Gina says, before Tamra asks Ryan, "How's the FBI going for you?"

The engaged pair seem inseparable, however. "Everything is the Lord's plan," Ryan tells Jennifer. "They smear you because that's God plan," she adds.

There's lots more in store on top of that, including trips to Big Bear, Sonoma, Palm Springs and London. Oh, and an event appeared to be inspired by Tamra's time on The Traitors.

Here's the official cast bios from the release:

Following a very difficult year,Shannon Storms Beadoris doing her best to move forward as she faces the consequences from her DUI.With her twins in college, this empty-nester is left trying to mend her fractured friendships. However, she’s continuously in the hot seat as her life choices are questioned. Things get awkward for Shannon when her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, Alexis Bellino, threatens to bring damaging information about her past.

Always on the move,Heather Dubrowand husband Terry find themselves routinely commuting between Orange County and their new estate in Beverly Hills. Their Balboa Bay Club penthouse suite serves as home base with Terry’s practice and his mother around the corner. After many years of friendship, Heather and Gina find themselves at odds over loyalty and betrayal. Heather isn’t quick to warm up to new housewife Katie, and their relationship takes a wrong turn when Katie confronts her about an old rumor.

No longer a Tres Amiga,Tamra Judgeis putting her energy into developing stronger friendships and helping her daughter Sophia, who recently turned 18, navigate her gap year.As Tamra and Eddie enjoy a new home in Big Bear, they also decide it might be time to sell their longtime home in OC. Tamra’s damaged friendship with Shannon is hotly contested as she wonders if Shannon is truly remorseful for her accident. Also, her new improved friendship with Jennifer is put to the test when Eddie and Ryan get into a heated debate.

Gina Kirschenheiterhas leveled up as a realtor, but her professional reputation is called into question after one of the ladies puts her in a sticky situation. Her relationship with Travis takes an unconventional turn when deciding she wants to live separately, but stay together. On top of this, as Gina watches bestie Emily get close to Tamra, she wonders if their friendship will remain the same.

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Emily Simpsonhas gone through an incredible transformation after losing 40 pounds and finds herself trying to adjust to her new healthy lifestyle. Her obsession with the gym has affected her relationship with food, family and friends. When she’s not helping the wrongly convicted as a part of the California Innocence Project, she’s questioning the ladies on everything from integrity to intentions. Her closeness with Tamra causes those around her to wonder if Emily is taking her opinions too far.

Jennifer Pedrantiis ready for a fresh start with Tamra while also trying to prove that her boyfriend, Ryan, is worthy of redemption. She feels a lot of her life is up in the air as she waits for her divorce to be finalized and figures out her financial future. While some of the ladies in the group wonder if she has truly learned from her past mistakes, Jennifer finds some commonality with new housewife Katie. As she strives to make new changes and keep her head afloat, it all culminates when Ryan’s name is involved in a national bombshell that rocks Orange County.

New to Orange County,Katie Ginellaand her husband, professional golf journalist Matt Ginella, recently moved from San Diego. She’s looking to expand her circle of friends while working to launch her own co*cktail line. Now ready to learn more about her Korean heritage and connect to her roots, Katie decides to explore her adoption further and meet her birth mother. After meeting the ladies, Katie immediately finds herself smack dab in the middle of the drama and gets a quick lesson in how loyalty works in the OC.

A longtime friend of Heather and Emily,Alexis Bellinocomes in full force ready to make waves. She finds her footing with most of the ladies and starts fresh with Tamra, but she instantly finds herself on shaky ground with Shannon as they face off in a series of high-stakes disputes.

Previous seasons of The Real Housewives of Orange County can be streamed on Peaco*ck. Season 18 premieres Thursday, July 11 (at 9 p.m. ET/PT) on Bravo.