Bring On The Drama! ‘Wacky’ New ‘RHOOC’ Star Shannon Beador Reveals She Had Her ‘Ups And Downs’ With Her Orange County Costars: 'Friendships Are Clearly Tested!'
April 14 2014, Published 6:44 a.m. ET
Out with the old and in with the new! The Real Housewives of Orange County slashed series vets Gretchen Rossi, Alexis Bellino and Lydia McLaughlin ahead of this upcoming season to make room for two new gals who promise to more than fill their shoes: Shannon Beador and Lizzie Rovsek.
RadarOnline.com recently got the chance to chat with Beador about her eccentric lifestyle and what fans can expect from her during her first season of RHOOC.
Radar: What was your experience like filming as a new cast member?
Beador: So far so good. … I think it's a good opportunity to see the good parts of my life, my family’s life, and the things we all have to work on.
Radar: How did you get involved with the housewives?
Beador: I actually had the same architect, builder and designer as Heather Dubrow did in her prior house that she sold. So I know her from that process.
Radar: What was your relationship like with Heather this season?
Beador: We’ve had our ups and downs through the season. Friendships are clearly tested and I’m a completely honest person. Whether the cameras are rolling or off, there’s not an off-camera Shannon versus an on-camera Shannon. I don’t know if that’s the case with all the women all the time.
Radar: How did you click with the other new girl, Lizzie Rovsek?
Beador: We get along. There’s clearly an age difference between us. Rovsek is 34 and Beador is 49. But I think she’s a very authentic person as am I, so that’s been a nice addition to the cast this year.
Radar: How did you click with Tamra Barney?
Beador: My initial impression of her was that she was a lot of fun and down to earth. My husband and I connected with her and her husband EddieJudge very quickly.
Radar: What did you think about Vicki Gunvalson?
Beador: I had my doubts about Vicki at the beginning because I was a viewer, but I was very pleasantly surprised that she and I are quite similar. I’m glad I got the chance to get to know her.
Radar: What were your impressions of Danielle Gregorio?
Beador: She was just very quiet. She doesn’t really say that much and is a tough nut to crack.
Radar: In the trailer for the upcoming season, it shows this explosive fight where you end up walking away from the table and Heather is in tears. Can you give us a tease about what that’s about?
Beador: I’m honest. I don’t fight with women. Yet if you try and cross me or someone in my family or a close friend, I’m absolutely going to stand up for myself. My 12-year-old daughter has a little saying. She says, ‘DMWSB.’ And that’s, ‘Don’t mess with Shannon Beador.’ There was an instance where a lot of these women might have walked away from filming and have concocted in their head what happened and it’s not necessarily accurate. When someone’s going to try and do that to me, I’m going to point out that’s not what happened. You can’t just pull stuff out of the sky and say that it happened.
Radar: Viewers will soon find out that you’re adamant about maintaining a “green” household. Why?
Beador: When I had children, I just wanted to have the healthiest environment possible. And as I started to do more research, I realized how toxic certain materials are. We have little kids with little lungs. You don’t want them breathing that stuff in, so I became obsessed with it.
Radar: In the premiere episode, you met with a holistic doctor. How did get involved with holistic healing?
Beador: When I was in college, they said I had Epstein-Barr and my doctor said, "Don’t eat pizza." That was his cure. So I started seeing a holistic MD and I got better. And I know my mom came from an era where she’d give me an antibiotic for any little ailment I had. And I think it kind of screwed my body up, so I didn’t want to do the same for my kids.
Radar: How does your husband feel about that kind of lifestyle?
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Beador: He was a little hesitant at first. But I think that now, healthier living has gained a lot more attention in the last five years or so and he is realizing that some of my wackiness might not be so wacky. And I think he appreciates it.
Radar: Do you and your family see Western doctors too?
Beador: Absolutely.
Radar: Did your co-stars ever tease you about your lifestyle?
Beador: Not to my knowledge, no. But we shall see.
Radar: Were you hesitant about having your kids on TV and opening up your lifestyle to criticism?
Beador: We had a discussion about it. I’m hopeful that it’s just going to make my children into much stronger women.
Radar: How would you describe your personality to fans who’ve yet to get to know you?
Beador: I don’t sit by. If I see someone is treating another person in a way that I consider not to be kind, I’m going to voice my opinion. So I’m very opinionated and I’m very direct.
