TLDR:
- Vicki Gunvalson earned $0 for RHOC Season 1, $5,000 for Season 2, rising to seven figures by Season 13
- She describes signing up for Real Housewives as “a deal with the devil” and didn’t have legal representation for her initial contract
- The show contributed to her divorce from Donn Gunvalson in 2014
- Production filmed her reaction to learning about her mother’s death, despite knowing about it an hour beforehand
- Despite criticisms, she continues to make guest appearances on RHOC and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at BravoCon
Original Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson has revealed she received no payment for her first season on the show, which launched in 2006. Speaking on Vice TV’s “The Dark Side of Reality TV,” the 62-year-old reality star detailed her journey from working for free to earning seven-figure paychecks.
During the October 29 episode, Gunvalson explained that when the show first started, neither the network nor the cast members knew what the series would become. For the entire first season, she worked without compensation, and in season two, her earnings were minimal at just $5,000 for the whole season.
The Coto Insurance founder entered the agreement without legal representation.
“I didn’t even have an attorney look over my contract. I had no idea what I was doing,”
Gunvalson admitted during the interview. This decision would shape her reality television career for the next decade and beyond.
As the Real Housewives franchise grew in popularity and expanded to other cities, Gunvalson’s compensation increased substantially. By her final season as a full-time cast member in season 13, she was earning over seven figures. “My final full-time season was seven figures. I never really thought I would make the number I was making,” she revealed.
The financial success came with personal costs. Gunvalson’s marriage to Donn Gunvalson ended in divorce, with the reality star filing in 2010. The divorce was finalized in 2014 after a four-year process. “With Donn, 100% the show had an impact on our relationship,” Gunvalson stated. “Being on TV 100% had a role in our divorce because it puts a lot of pressure on a marriage.”
Looking back on her decision to join the show, Gunvalson compared it to “a deal with the devil.”
She believes her marriage might have survived if she hadn’t been on television. “I think we would’ve survived if I wasn’t on the show. So that I regret,” she said.
One of the most challenging moments of her reality TV career came during the filming of season 10, when she learned about her mother’s death while cameras were rolling at co-star Shannon Beador’s home. According to Gunvalson, the production team knew about her mother’s passing for an hour before informing her.
Her daughter Briana had been trying to reach her with the news. “Briana had been calling, calling, calling, and they kept telling her, ‘Well, she’s filming right now,'” Gunvalson recounted. Instead of pulling her aside, production set up cameras in Beador’s wrapping paper room to capture her reaction to the news.
The moment was filmed in its entirety, showing Gunvalson collapsing to the floor in grief upon hearing about her mother’s passing. “They were out of line, and I think they should have taken me aside and said, ‘Your mom has passed. Talk to your daughter off-camera,'” she stated.
Gunvalson expressed her continued anger about the situation. “Let me scream and cry on my own and be mad,” she said. “It was very, very traumatic. I will never forgive Bravo for that.” When reached for comment, Bravo representatives declined to respond to these allegations.
Despite her criticisms of the show and its impact on her personal life, Gunvalson has maintained a connection to the franchise. After leaving her role as a full-time cast member, she appeared as a “friend” in season 14 and continues to make guest appearances, including in the current season 18.
Her contributions to the franchise were recognized at the 2023 BravoCon in Las Vegas, where Andy Cohen presented her with The Wifetime Achievement Award. This acknowledgment highlighted her role in helping launch what would become a global reality TV phenomenon.
The financial progression of Gunvalson’s career on RHOC mirrors the overall growth of the Real Housewives franchise. What started as an unpaid venture in Orange County has expanded into a multi-city empire, with cast members now commanding substantial salaries from their first seasons.
Gunvalson’s revelations came as part of Vice TV’s broader examination of reality television’s impact on its participants. The episode, which aired on October 29, 2024, also featured insights from other Real Housewives alums Cynthia Bailey and Aviva Drescher.
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