There\u2019s nothing easy about The Real Housewives of Orange County<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u2019<\/i>s vacation to the Big Easy.<\/p>\n While watching the Thursday, August 6, episode of Bravo\u2019s hit reality show, viewers were treated to a preview of next week\u2019s episode where Tamra Judge<\/span><\/a><\/strong> decides to briefly leave New Orleans and quit the show<\/span><\/a> halfway through the cast\u2019s trip.<\/p>\n According to Gina Kirschenheiter<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, the decision wasn\u2019t entirely unexpected.<\/p>\n \u201cI was kind of surprised that she just released it out to the world like that because it seemed very definitive, which I didn\u2019t think she would do,\u201d Gina, 41, exclusively shared with Us Weekly<\/i>. \u201cBut also, Tamra really was having a rough year. I\u2019ve never seen her like this before. I just kept saying, \u2018Tamra\u2019s being weird, Tamra\u2019s being weird.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n From Gina\u2019s perspective, Tamra, 57, struggled with the fact that her close friend and \u201cTwo T\u2019s in a Pod\u201d podcast cohost Teddi Mellencamp<\/strong> was battling cancer in the middle of filming.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously with Teddi, that\u2019s heartbreaking,\u201d Gina explained. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the closest person to her. I think it was very difficult for her to navigate through that. And then she really did for the first time start going to real therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n While some cast members like Jennifer Pedranti<\/strong> and Gretchen Rossi<\/strong> have questioned if therapy is making a difference in Tamra\u2019s life, Gina believes big changes don\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n Instead, it\u2019s a process that she hopes viewers will get to see as the season progresses.<\/p>\n \u201cI think people don\u2019t understand,\u201d the Gated Group realtor<\/span><\/a> told Us<\/i>. \u201cIt\u2019s not like you go to a therapist, you sit on the couch and then you\u2019re fixed. They crack the door open, and it gets way worse for a while because you\u2019re just now looking at things you don\u2019t want to look at. You don\u2019t want to admit it. I think it\u2019s a little bit unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say Gina didn\u2019t have some questions about Tamra\u2019s behavior in season 19.<\/p>\n \u201cI get it. I even say it where I\u2019m like, I don\u2019t really understand how this is a positive change when she\u2019s acting like this,\u201d Gina recalled. \u201cBut when I go back and I look at it, I\u2019m like, but is that a realistic expectation that somebody would just start to try to identify the things that are going on emotionally and then start behaving immediately wonderful?\u201d<\/p>\n Back in March, Tamra seemingly announced her departure from The Real Housewives of Orange County<\/i> when she shared a cryptic post via her Instagram Story.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a long run!\u201d she wrote<\/span><\/a> on March 9. \u201cWhen life gives you real problems this reality s*** doesn\u2019t make sense. Peace out \u2026 I\u2019m out.\u201d<\/p>\n Although she ultimately returned to film<\/span><\/a>, Tamra admitted that she was going through a difficult time on and off camera.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I just hit a wall. There\u2019s so much going on in my life and it\u2019s just I don\u2019t know,\u201d she told Dolores Catania<\/strong> on her iHeartRadio podcast<\/span><\/a>. \u201cI just hit a wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Gina Kirschenheiter and Tamra Judge<\/span> Griffin Nagel\/Bravo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"RHOCs](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rhoc-gina-kirschenheiter.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Gina Kirschenheiter<\/span> US Weekly<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n