Vicki Gunvalson Plans To Stage Her Wedding And Engagement In An Effort To Stay On ‘RHOC’

The OG of the OC isn’t going to let her spot on the show that made her famous get away from her without a fight. According to Radar Online, Vicki Gunvalson agreed to stage her engagement and wedding to boyfriend Steve Lodge as part of last-minute negotiations to keep her as a cast member on the Real Housewives of Orange County.

Several sources close to the show’s production confirmed that Gunvalson has been in negotiations for several weeks about whether or not she would return to the show, and if she did return, whether it would be as a full-time housewife or a in a reduced role as a “friend” of the housewives.

After weeks of rumors, as the Inquisitr previously reported, the 56-year-old confirmed that she was back for Season 14 and had wrapped on her first night of filming the show in a post on Instagram.

Apparently, Gunvalson saved herself from being removed with some shrewd negotiating tactics. For one, she agreed to a massive pay cut, taking her down to 50 percent of what she was previously earning. She also agreed to a contract that had no guarantee of how many episodes of the show she would appear in. But the most exciting part for fans is that the reality star apparently agreed to get engaged and married on the show as part of the deal to stay.

“She saved herself with the engagement and wedding promise for Season 14,” the source said. “Expect her to really whoop it up like never before!”

In a separate story on Radar Online, a source revealed that agreeing to air her nuptials was a major element that convinced producers to keep her around. The offer came after Gunvalson had already missed a week of filming.

“Vicki’s attorney pitched to the show the idea of her getting engaged to Steve as part of a big storyline. That was basically her only leverage,” they said.

“[It’s] too soon to tell whether Vicki will be a full-time member or a part-time member [of the cast],” the source added. “She will, however, have getting engaged and getting married as a major part of her storyline this season. That was a game changer when she brought that to the table.”

Another source confirmed the information. Tamara Tattles said that a source had revealed that Gunvalson had taken a lower salary and agreed to appear part-time on the show if her story line isn’t up to full-time status.

No word from Kelly Dodd, who has previously said that she won’t return to the show if Gunvalson does.