Lydia is doing a feature for Nobleman magazine and the women are tagging along. The first stop? A store for cold weather gear, because Lydia, and probably the insurance company that holds the policy for this production, cannot trust Southern Californians to bring appropriate clothing.
Lydia plans so many beautiful adventures: zipping around a black sand beach on ATVs, hiking a glacier, and tasting fermented shark with Friðrik, the dapper and charming owner of Hotel Rangá. But the 20 hours of sunlight does Vicki in.
Not only is it too many hours of unflattering brightness, but she parties all night, crashing a class reunion for the class of 1987. Her poor body breaks down, and she ends up taken away in an ambulance. Shannon is deeply concerned until she cracks up laughing at the sight of Vicki being taken out on a stretcher with a robe covering her face, Michael Jackson style.
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This is a COVID vacation, which means no private chefs or butlers. In fact, Shannon and Emily can’t even come because they actually have COVID. Braunwyn is nervous about her first sober girls trip, but she perseveres, shouting to her husband Sean over her shoulder as she gets in the van, “If I call you, answer the phone.
Thank goodness the women are split into two different villas (and two different cars) because Vicki and Kelly are not speaking, and when they are speaking they are screaming. With the Tres Amigas of Tamra, Shannon, and Vicki (and sometimes Gina) on one team, they are given the moniker of Senior Citizen Team.
Shannon Beador is the queen of alternative healing. She has crystals buried in the foundation of her hospital-grade air-filled home! She’s marketing a home enema kit with Dr. Moon! So obviously Miraval is her shit. She jumps at the chance to be in the middle of a sound bath ceremony, complete with a bowl balanced on her head like a hat.
Of course the OC ladies are only in Jamaica for a few minutes before doing something culturally insensitive. They arrive with novelty dreadlocks in their carry-on and “yeah mon!” on the tips of their tongues. It’s not a great trip for Shannon - she is going through a divorce, and new girls Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson are ready to confront her for the frosty reception she has given them.
The OC ladies may have been a little too inspired by the Fighting Irish on this trip. No sooner has the first pub crawl started than Kelly annoys Vicki by flicking her nose. Tamra interjects to say “She doesn’t like that” and Kelly yells at her to “keep walking.”
Sleeping in vans and roaring around the dunes in dune buggies and ATVs, has any vacation ever been more on-brand for Tamra Judge? Technically it’s her husband Eddie’s trip, for his birthday, but if you invite Housewives on your trip, it’s a Housewives trip.
Lizzie “feels'' pregnant and isn’t drinking, a clear violation of the “whoop it up” mandate. Vicki and Shannon are not having it. They order a pregnancy test to her room so that they can all take it as a group. It’s negative, so poor Lizzie must commence with taking shots.
Heather Dubrow is a woman whose brand is Champs, so it makes sense that she is developing her own champagne, or “méthode champenoise” with Gallo.
A gorgeous resort, in one of the most beautiful countries on earth. A spiritual retreat most Americans could only dream of. What a perfect setting to argue about Lizzie’s birthday party. You see, Tamra didn’t attend the party, canceling at the last minute because her daughter was sick.
The Beadors are in trouble. Everyone in the OC knows that David sent Shannon an email to soft launch a divorce, but Vicki is coming to the rescue. She invites the Beadors to hang out in her home-away-from-home Puerto Vallarta (her dad was one of the “first owners” there) with her and Brooks, so they can be positively influenced by seeing a “healthy couple.”