Gina Kirschenheiter joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County in early 2018. During a recent interview on the series’ After Show , the mother of three revealed what led up to her decision to become a reality star.
With Tamra Judge at her side, Kirschenheiter spoke to Bravo TV producers, revealing that it was actually Judge who encouraged her to try out for the show after meeting her at a vitamin party in Southern California.
“I met you at a party of a mutual friend. I talked to you for like five minutes. It was off-season. I’m like, ‘You need to try out for the show,’” Judge recalled, per Bravo TV .
According to Kirschenheiter, she didn’t have any interest in the vitamins their mutual friend was selling and admitted that she only attended the friend’s party because she wanted to meet Judge. As she explained, she was once a “real housewife” watching the Real Housewives and had long been a fan of the series.
After hitting it off with Judge, who Kirschenheiter said was “spilling her guts” to her during their initial meeting, Kirschenheiter was informed that there was an open audition for Real Housewives of Orange County cast members, and she decided to attend. That said, she was a bit hesitant to try out because she felt she would be labeled as the “broke” one and judged for driving a minivan.
When asked by a producer why she felt Kirschenheiter would be a good fit for The Real Housewives of Orange County , Judge said it was her authenticity that attracted her to the New Yorker.
“Gina reminded me of me,” Judge explained. “She’s very open. She spoke her mind. Things that came out of her mouth were super raw and I know that works well with the show.”
Although Kirschenheiter then admitted that she isn’t willing to be completely candid about everything she’s going through in her life, she explained that the things she’s withheld from the cameras are things she wouldn’t even share with her girlfriends off-camera. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Kirschenheiter admitted at BravoCon that she hasn’t had the easiest year, especially when it came to the end of her relationship with ex-husband Matt, which was briefly discussed on Season 14.
Despite being a hit on the show, which is expected to begin filming its 15th season next year, Kirschenheiter told her producers that even after appearing on the series for two seasons, she has yet to upgrade herself from her minivan to a more luxurious ride.