One of Bravo’s challenges after two decades is finding those genuine characters, not women acting the way they’ve been led to believe Housewives behave. “Some people feel like they have to do a different personality when they’re on,” Gunvalson said. “I don’t, because I can see right through it.”

Though she was a “Housewives” pioneer, Gunvalson was benched after her story lines stalled and two newbies, Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson, proved they had staying power. “We got very expensive,” Gunvalson admitted on her podcast in 2020 while discussing her and Judge’s ouster from the series. (Bravo doesn’t comment on “Housewives” salaries, but in his 2021 book, Moylan reported that most repeat cast members make between $300,000 and $500,000 per season, with the highest earners pulling in over $2 million.) She theorized that Bravo believed viewers “were ready for younger blood.”

But in the great tradition of “Real Housewives,” a reconciliation was in her future.

Next week, viewers will see Gunvalson — now in a happy relationship with a developer named Mike Smith — reunite with Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Jennifer Pedranti, Judge (who returned in 2023), Kirschenheiter and Simpson, and meet a new castmate, Carmella Garcia.

Though Housewives are known for well-intentioned but rarely executed promises to change (on “Orange County” alone, there’s been an adult baptism and three vow renewals for marriages that ultimately failed), Gunvalson has real reason for things to be different this time.

“I had sepsis last year and they put a tube down my throat and it ruined my vocal cords,” she noted at the start of the interview, indicating her slight rasp. She later revealed she was unconscious for 10 days and was told she had a 5 percent to 10 percent chance of survival. A knee injury from a gym incident also caused relentless pain during filming. Her Season 1 tagline was “I don’t want to get old!” Now, Gunvalson said, “We’re all gonna get older if we’re fortunate enough,” and lamented how time “goes by fast.”