The 'RHOC' Season 14 Finale Took Place At Vicki Gunvalson's Engagement Party

Many, many tequila shots were had at Vicki Gunvalson’s engagement party on the ‘RHOC’ season finale

What a finale. When Andy Cohen teased that the Real Housewives of Orange County reunion will feature “a meltdown to end all meltdowns,” he didn’t mention anything about this dramatic end to Season 14 of RHOC — one that involves an inebriated Tamra Judge crying and hiding in the bushes.

But let’s start at the top of the episode.

We technically begin with Shannon Beador going on a date with Duff Evans, but we’ll circle back on Duff and who he is a little later. Instead, let’s skip ahead to Braunwyn Windham-Burke and her mother, Dr. Deb, chanting their way through Bhakti yoga in her backyard on an overcast day. It was… something else.

“I’m so glad we’re where we’re at right now,” Dr. Deb tells her daughter, to which Braunwyn says in a talking head, “This might be the most complicated relationship in my life. So, if my mom thinks we’re in a good place, then we’re in a good place.”

Emily then heads to the doctor to check out her “chronic, arthritic” pain in hopes of getting relief. “It makes me irritable; it ruins everything,” she says.

“The left hip doesn’t look so good,” her doctor tells her. “Your sockets are a little shallow. The cartilage is wearing out; this is arthritis. You’re going to need a hip replacement. It’ll be a life-changer for you. You’ll be able to walk; you’ll be able to exercise.”

Emily reacts to the news with tears and immediately calls her husband, Shane. True to form, Shane doesn’t seem to care at all.

It was even difficult for Kelly to watch.

After taking one anger management class three days prior, Kelly Dodd ultimately decides to go to Vicki Gunvalson’s “country western chic”-themed engagement party last-minute — though she wasn’t originally invited to it. “I don’t think no mantra-schmantra is going to help this,” Kelly says.

At the engagement party, Shannon lets the ladies in on a little intel that she went on a date with Tammy Knickerbocker’s ex, Duff, who also shows up to the soirée. “But you know what’s interesting? He had a child with Tammy Knickerbocker, who used to hang out with this group of people,” Shannon says during the episode. “So he knows a lot of people here.” What a throwback to the early seasons of the OG of the Housewives franchise, right?

Don’t worry, we won’t see much of Duff after this episode, though. Shannon has been dating John Janssen for a few months now.

We then watch everyone line-dance and take many, many shots. “I’m very, very, very horny,” Vicki says to her guests in a moment so cringeworthy, I actually screamed at my TV, “Why?!”

Kelly also gives Vicki an engagement gift, complete with a handwritten note wishing her “happiness and health.”

And it only gets more uncomfortable, you guys.

After a few more tequila shots and “seeing Kelly’s smug face,” Tamra can’t contain her anger — and the drama really begins. As the inebriated Tres Amigas (Tamra, Shannon, and Vicki) discuss how angry they are over the lawsuits both Shannon and Tamra were and still are involved in, respectively (lawsuits that Kelly also talked to the other women about), Shannon’s hair not only catches fire(!), but Tamra also ends up bolting over to the rest of the RHOC women. Instead of confronting Kelly, she picks a fight with Gina. “You’re really hostile right now; you’re overreacting,” Gina says.

“There’s only one person out of line here, and that’s Kelly Dodd. The nuke that she threw went too far,” Shannon says.

Braunwyn also seems to take the other women’s side, telling the camera that she now sees the side of Kelly the women warned her about. “When she lashes out, she lashes out hard and deep,” she says.

“Kelly’s a bully. These two are hurting financially because of what Kelly put them through,” Vicki says.

Tamra continues to yell at Gina in the parking lot that she doesn’t understand what she’s going through and then cries in the bushes — in the bushes! “I love Tamra,” Gina laughs, “but I don’t love that I’m pulling her ass out of a bush.”

In the end, though, Kelly doesn’t believe for one second she’s at fault for what Shannon and Tamra are going through.

“You did this to yourself,” Kelly says. “Everything is everyone else’s fault except their own. Take responsibility for your own shit.”

It goes back and forth and back and forth in the middle of the street — and abruptly wraps up with the usual season finale wrap-up of what the women are up to now, including the fact that Tamra’s lawsuit is ongoing.

Phew! Get some rest, my fellow RHOC viewers; you’ll need it for part one of the reunion next week.