Noella Bergener revealed that she met her ex-husband online on Seeking Arrangement on Wednesday’s first part of the RHOC reunion on Bravo.
‘But Seeking Arrangement is typically, I thought, forgive me, for kind of for more of a sugar daddy kind of thing,’ said host Andy Cohen, 53, during the season 16 reunion featuring the cast of The Real Housewives Of Orange County.
‘I mean there are attractive girls, and wealthy men are the standard,’ Noella, 36, said.
Online meeting: Noella Bergener revealed that she met her ex-husband online on Seeking Arrangement on Wednesday’s first part of the RHOC reunion on Bravo
Ex: Noella with her former husband, ‘Sweet James’ Bergener
‘How long were you together before you were married,’ Andy asked.
‘We were five years and then one legal year of marriage,’ Noella said. ‘He was separated when I met him and so once we realized that we could have children and I could start IVF, it was important for me to do the gathering of our family and do the picture of me in the white dress. So we had a wedding ceremony, knowing that it wasn’t fully legal.’
‘Caused he was still married, right?’ Emily Simpson, 45, said.
‘I didn’t care about the actual piece of paper for a divorce,’ Noella said. ‘Anybody who’s out there said I cared about money or gold digging kind of thing.’
Wealthy men: ‘I mean there are attractive girls, and wealthy men are the standard,’ Noella, 36, said when host Andy Cohen said Seeking Arrangement was a ‘sugar daddy site
‘You must have cared about money,’ Andy said. ‘You met him on a website that’s about attractive women meeting wealthy guys.’
‘That wasn’t in my mind when I wanted to build a family and love this man,’ Noella said.
Andy asked about how she told Gina Kirschenheiter, 37, at cryotherapy that she was not considering divorce only to later be served with divorce papers. Andy asked her if that was true because James maintained that she was going to file for separation before he did.
Together again: The season 16 reunion featured the cast of The Real Housewives Of Orange County and host Andy Cohen
‘That’s why he filed in Puerto Rico so that he could get jurisdiction,’ Emily said.
‘And that’s a lie,’ Noella said.
‘It was a race to see where jurisdiction could be established in California or Puerto Rico,’ Emily said.
Divorce jurisdiction: ‘That’s why he filed in Puerto Rico so that he could get jurisdiction,’ Emily Simpson said of Noella’s divorce with lawyer James Bergener
‘That’s a lie,’ Noella said.
‘What happened that made James file for divorce?,’ Andy asked.
‘There was a lien put on the property that my name was associated with and he legally should have told me that,’ Noella said.
Good question: ‘What happened that made James file for divorce?,’ Andy asked.
‘What was his reaction to you joining the show?’ Andy asked.
‘He was ecstatic,’ Noella said. ‘He wanted it.’
‘Because he maintained on social media that part of the problem, in his eyes, was that you went all in on the show,’ Andy said.
Show supporter: ‘He was ecstatic,’ Noella said of her ex-husband’s reaction to her being on the reality show. ‘He wanted it’
‘If he ever took me to the side and said ”’Listen, babe, I can’t do this. It could damage our family”,’ Noella said.
‘You would have chosen staying with him,’ Andy said.
‘In a heartbeat,’ Noella said. ‘I like my plane. I loved my husband. I like my child having a father.’
Family first: ‘In a heartbeat,’ Noella said of choosing family over fame. ‘I like my plane. I loved my husband. I like my child having a father’
‘I don’t believe that at all,’ Emily said.
‘I don’t believe you at all,’ Heather Dubrow, 52, said.
Andy said to Noella that he had been speaking to her in season’s past about coming on the show.
Not buying: ‘I don’t believe you at all,’ Heather Dubrow, 52, said of Noella’s statement
‘And my husband was chartering the chopper and wanted to make sure that I had the best chance possible to have this opportunity,’ Noella said.
‘I think he was on board with it until the tax stuff came out,’ Emily said. ‘I am speculating. But I really feel when the tax stuff came out, I think it was embarrassing for his business. I think he didn’t want to have anything to do with the show. I think he pulled back. And I think you said, ”Screw you. I want to be famous. I want to be on this show”.’
Emily said she believed that Noella was going to file for separation because she wanted to be on the show.
Tax stuff: ‘I think he was on board with it until the tax stuff came out,’ Emily said. ‘I am speculating. But I really feel when the tax stuff came out, I think it was embarrassing for his business. I think he didn’t want to have anything to do with the show. I think he pulled back. And I think you said, ”Screw you. I want to be famous. I want to be on this show”’
‘You are really stretching to get to that point,’ Noella said. ‘We slept together the day before he left.’
Shannon then interrupted.
‘It’s hard for me to sit here because for multiple people now to be telling her what she was thinking, what her intentions were,’ Shannon said.
Speaking up: ‘It’s hard for me to sit here because for multiple people now to be telling her what she was thinking, what her intentions were,’ Shannon Beador said in defense of Noella
Andy asked her when was the last time she saw James face to face.
‘Two days after coming back from New York, right after ‘Watch What Happens Live,’ Noella said. ‘His attorneys reached out to mine. He said he would be in Orange County and he wanted to see his son.’
‘So he saw your son last week?’ Andy asked.
Recent visit: ‘So he saw your son last week?’ Andy asked Noella
Noella said yes. Andy asked her how they came to own a house in Puerto Rico.
‘It was just with all the closures going on in California,’ Noella began explaining.
Emily then said that she wanted to ask a question.
‘Cause his attorney released a statement that said that you moved to Puerto Rico as a family and that you became citizens of Puerto Rico,’ Emily said. ‘You can say whatever you want about attorneys but they aren’t going to put things that aren’t true in writing and disseminate it publicly.’
Question time: Emily then said that she wanted to ask a question
‘My point, I am trying to establish was that they were residents of Puerto Rico,’ Emily said. ‘You did an Instagram post about moving to Puerto Rico. So then I understood why he filed in Puerto Rico because that was where jurisdiction is.’
Noella explained why jurisdiction would be in California.
‘He’s licensed in California,’ Noella said. ‘We live in California. We’re married in California. Our voters registration, our driver’s licenses.’
California jurisdiction: ‘He’s licensed in California,’ Noella said. ‘We live in California. We’re married in California. Our voters registration, our driver’s licenses’
‘So were you guys flying every 10 days for a vacation,’ Jen asked.
‘Yup,’ Noella said.
Andy asked Noella what was the current status of her marriage.
‘We are officially divorced,’ Noella said. ‘California is going to be deciding custody. The cool thing is that I can get married.
Relationship status: Andy asked Noella what was the current status of her marriage
Andy asked her if the rumors were true that she had been dating someone new.
‘His name is Bobby,’ Noella said. ‘He’s 33.’
‘I heard he bought you a company,’ Andy said.
‘Okay fine yes he bought me an adult toy marketplace company,’ Noella said. ‘It’s called Playland and I’m very excited about it. It was my Christmas present.’
Adult toys: ‘Okay fine yes he bought me an adult toy marketplace company,’ Noella said. ‘It’s called Playland and I’m very excited about it. It was my Christmas present’
‘You had been dating for a few weeks and he bought you a company?’ Andy said.
‘What can I say? I’m good,’ Noella said. ‘You know the crazy thing. He considers anything with anybody cheating so I think my stack days are retired.’
Emily had a question about the ‘stack.’
‘Was it just a photograph or did he have sex with all three women,’ Emily said.
Stack question: ‘Was it just a photograph or did he have sex with all three women,’ Emily said
‘No it was for me to have sex with the two other women,’ Noella said.
‘No, I thought she told us she had sex, that he had sex with all of them,’ Heather said. ‘Do you remember that? Am I mis-remembering that? ‘
‘I try to block most of it out,’ Gina said.
Blocks out: ‘I try to block most of it out,’ Gina Kirschenheiter said of Noella’s stack talk
Noella explained that it was a birthday party type concept because it was something that she had to plan for a month in advance.
When the reunion show opened, Andy welcomed Heather back to the reunion portion of the show.
‘Can you believe it’s been five seasons since we sat together at a reunion?,’ Andy said.
Bravo star: When the reunion show opened, Andy welcomed Heather back to the reunion portion of the show
Andy played a clip from 2016 where Heather told him that she took her last two embryos and that they were immortalized in the etched glass window display in her house.
‘Do you know it’s actually the 10-year anniversary of when I started the show,’ Heather said.
‘Well, you look the same, by the way,’ Andy said.
Andy then told Gina that she looked fantastic especially her hair. He also congratulated Emily Simpson, 45, on her 13th wedding anniversary and asked what ‘lucky 13’ had in store for her.
Dressed up: Andy gave the women compliments as teh show started
‘I think it’s going to be great,’ Gina said. ‘Shane and I have had our bumps along the way, but we are in such a great place now.’
Andy also said to told Shannon Beador, 57, that she looked amazing. He then said to Jen Armstrong, 44, that it was great to see her.
‘Everyone was surprised to see that you recently put your house on the market,’ Andy said. ‘Where are you moving?’
‘I’m trying to move back to Laguna Beach, where I grew up,’ Jen said.
Show newcomer: Jen Armstrong revealed that she was trying to move back to Laguna Beach
Andy asked if her husband Ryne Holliday would be moving with her.
‘I mean, time will tell,’ Jen said.
‘But you are joking of course,’ Andy said.
‘We’ll see,’ Jen said.
‘Not joking?’ Andy said.
‘Yeah, it doesn’t feel like a joke,’ Gina said.
Moving plans: Andy couldn’t tell if Jen was joking
Lastly, Andy said hello to Noella and asked her how she was feeling about her very first reunion.
‘Overwhelmed and under prepared but I think that’s a good place,’ Noella said.
‘I hope you brought a stack of receipts and not a stack of vaginas,’ Andy said.
‘I’ll take the latter,’ Noella said.
First reunion: It was the first reunion show for Noella
Andy created a special set for the reunion show of iconic locations from Orange County including the Huntington Beach Pier and the original gate from the show open for 16 years that was from the house former cast member Tammy Knickerbocker had lived in.
Andy then played a montage of Heather with her family. He then read a question from one viewer who asked him what it was like for her when two of her children came out to her.
‘I was surprised that Katarina was so comfortable talking about it,’ Heather said. ‘I’m so proud of how open and honest she was.’
‘Yeah, I thought that was valuable for parents to see,’ Andy said. ‘I remember when I came out, my Mom felt that it was a different time. She didn’t think I would ever be able to have kids, and I didn’t either. And she felt like she was grieving the loss of the life that she wanted for me. Did you go through anything like that where you had to recalibrate what your expectations for your children were?’
‘No, straight people don’t have children either,’ Heather said. ‘I mean you just don’t know.’
Tender moment: Heather got emotional talking about her family
‘Noella, as a bisexual woman what did you think when you saw that motherly side of Heather with her daughters?’ Andy asked.
‘I loved it,’ Noella said.
Andy said to Heather that it was also great to see how well things were going between her and her husband Terry.
‘How did you get to that place,’ Andy asked.
‘You know, I think we’ve worked on our marriage a lot, as you have to, we’ve been together over 25 years,’ Heather said. ‘You have good days and bad days. You have good years and bad years. Our worst year ever was captured on this show. We have just worked on it and we’ve been able to sort of navigate through the years and avoid the reality show curse.’
Long marriage: ‘You know, I think we’ve worked on our marriage a lot, as you have to, we’ve been together over 25 years,’ Heather said. ‘You have good days and bad days. You have good years and bad years. Our worst year ever was captured on this show. We have just worked on it and we’ve been able to sort of navigate through the years and avoid the reality show curse’
Andy then delved into the fights and tensions this season between Heather and Shannon. Andy asked Heather what she did with the $30,000 of sushi that they got for her house party after she threw everyone out.
‘Noella stayed and Jen was there and then we had them all take it home,’ Heather said.
One viewer asked Shannon why she mentioned Nicole James’ old lawsuit against Terry to Gina and Emily just went she was becoming friends with Heather again.
Season tension: Andy then delved into the fights and tensions this season between Heather and Shannon Beador
Shannon explained showing a picture that the Nicole she knew in 2003 did not look like the Nicole of 2021 so she didn’t even know if they were the same person.
‘I was hoping there was no lawsuit,’ Shannon said
‘It was 20 years ago and it was dropped,’ Heather said. ‘Who cares?’
‘It seemed like you were trying to plant or save for later that was going to be a big deal,’ Gina said as to why she encouraged Shannon to tell Heather about it.
Past lawsuit: ‘It seemed like you were trying to plant or save for later that was going to be a big deal,’ Gina said as to why she encouraged Shannon to tell Heather about it
‘Look I get it you think I’m planting things and I’m trying to stir up stuff,’ Shannon said. ‘No.’
‘You think that because you are,’ Gina said.
Shannon then yelled at Emily to stop trying to interrupt her.
‘The two of you always talk over,’ Shannon said.
‘Isn’t telling two people on the show planting the seed?’ Andy asked.
‘You know how this show works,’ Emily said. ‘Did you honestly think that was never going to come up. That’s bulls*** to think that. You know what you did, you pulled the pin out of the grenade and you handed it to Gina and me.’
Grenade analogy: ‘You know how this show works,’ Emily said. ‘Did you honestly think that was never going to come up. That’s bulls*** to think that. You know what you did, you pulled the pin out of the grenade and you handed it to Gina and me’
‘I had no idea it was the same girl,’ Shannon said.
Heather said she wanted to get to the core of why she was upset.
‘And this is where the bulls*** comes in. You could have talked to me. I met with you so many times,’ Heather said. ‘You had ample opportunity to talk to me and say to me ‘ Hey Heather you must know’ and maybe I would have said ‘oh, yeah that was years ago, it was dropped, no big deal.’
‘You would have blown up either way,’ Shannon said.
Ample opportunity: ‘And this is where the bulls*** comes in. You could have talked to me. I met with you so many times,’ Heather said. ‘You had ample opportunity to talk to me and say to me ‘ Hey Heather you must know’ and maybe I would have said ‘oh, yeah that was years ago, it was dropped, no big deal’
‘You broke the code, Shannon,’ Heather said. ‘No careers, no kids. This isn’t a little side hustle. I’m not making trucker hats. This is our bread and butter. You want to bring up some lawsuit that could have been potentially damaging to my husband’s career. Are you out of your mind?’
‘I told two people because it didn’t make sense,’ Shannon said.
‘I felt so betrayed because you were the one person we left on good terms,’ Heather said. ‘I’ve texted you over the years, when you were getting divorced.’
Andy asked her why she didn’t also feel betrayed by Gina and Emily.
On defense: ‘I told two people because it didn’t make sense,’ Shannon said
‘I was angry,’ Heather said. ‘But they immediately reached out to me and said, ‘can we sit down with you? Can we talk to you?’ And I said yes.’
Heather said she didn’t hear from Shannon for over a week. Shannon said she tried to apologize to her right away.
‘You basically left me in the hallway,’ Shannon said. ‘So I did try and apologize.’
‘The reason I was super pissed that night was that eight years ago I protected your family,’ Heather said. ‘I know David was having an affair. By the way, you knew Davis was having an affair. The world knew.’
Old affair: ‘The reason I was super pissed that night was that eight years ago I protected your family,’ Heather said. ‘I know David was having an affair. By the way, you knew Davis was having an affair. The world knew’
‘Wait you are telling me that I knew?’ Shannon said.
Heather said yes and pointed out that Shannon sat at the reunion in 2014 and said her marriage with David at the time was better than ever.
‘How dare you,’ Shannon said. ‘I found out after filming.’
‘That is not true,’ Heather said. ‘You knew at the reunion.’
Not true: ‘That is not true,’ Heather said. ‘You knew at the reunion’
‘Unf***ing believable,’ Shannon said. ‘I did b because we had been to relationship bootcamp and we were working on our marriage.’
‘But you were pretending that it was all fine and I’m saying I could have blown up your family,’ Heather said. ‘I would never do that.’
Andy said that Heather was saying she didn’t blow up her life but Shannon almost did.
‘I didn’t know it was her,’ Shannon said. ‘ I mentioned the possibility, because I was speculating.’
‘So you started a rumor,’ Gina said.
Small break: The women enjoyed a small break in the action during filming of the reunion
‘Just for the record, it is 100 percent my fault that I had too much to drink one night and I told two girls,’ Shannon said. ‘It’s a 100% my fault that you dinner party was ruined.’
‘Nobody is saying that,’ Gina said. ‘I’ve already accepted responsibility for how I misstepped.’
One viewer asked Heather how she spoke to Shannon like a kind of mob boss after Shannon apologized to her.
‘I was very, very upset,’ Heather said. ‘I felt betrayed. When it comes to my family I get insane because this is my life’s blood, and you don’t mess with them and so I’m sorry if I came off sounding like a Mafia boss.’
Accepted responsibility: ‘Nobody is saying that,’ Gina said. ‘I’ve already accepted responsibility for how I misstepped.’
‘But you threatened my family,’ Shannon said. ‘I thought that she would sue me.’
‘I’m a single mom,’ Shannon said, who added that it took her a lot to get where she was now.
‘I would never sue you,’ Heather said. ‘I was upset and felt very, very betrayed by you, and that’s why I spoke like that so I apologize for saying those things and making you feel that way. But I could never do anything like that.’
Never sue: ‘I would never sue you,’ Heather said. ‘I was upset and felt very, very betrayed by you, and that’s why I spoke like that so I apologize for saying those things and making you feel that way. But I could never do anything like that’
Andy then turned his questions to Emily. Andy read a card with a question from one viewer that said ‘Emily was so much fun this season, I was cracking up when she drunkenly agreed to let Shane put it in her butt.’ Andy asked Gina what other wild things Emily does.
‘I think you have seen a lot,’ Gina said.
Andy asked Emily why it was so important for her to be the truth teller on the show.
Truth teller: Andy asked Emily why it was so important for her to be the truth teller on the show
‘If you feel a certain way about someone, then you should say it to them,’ Emily said. ‘I kind of was the bridge. And I know that sometimes it doesn’t look the best. But I really don’t do it with a malicious intent.’
One viewer asked Emily about being a nonreligious person but supporting her daughter’s baptism and whether she worried that her daughter would listen to Mormon teachings.
‘I feel that there are so many great things from the religion that you can pull from it and it can enhance your life.’ Emily said. ‘And the other things that I disagree with, I’m their mother and I’m strong and I’m opinionated, and so they get the best of both worlds. They get some religion from their father, and I feel like I kind of balance that out with another perspective.’
Religion question: ‘I feel that there are so many great things from the religion that you can pull from it and it can enhance your life.’ Emily said. ‘And the other things that I disagree with, I’m their mother and I’m strong and I’m opinionated, and so they get the best of both worlds. They get some religion from their father, and I feel like I kind of balance that out with another perspective’
Andy commended her on her work with the Innocence Project. Jen said she offered her medical expertise on cases if needed. Andy then asked her about her improved relationship with her father.
‘It’s very minimal,’ Emily said as she started crying. ‘As I get older, and I don’t see my Dad very much or talk to him very much, but when I do, it almost makes me more sad because he’s a really cool guy. Like he plays guitar and he has a ponytail.’
‘Could you get to know him better?’ Andy asked. ‘Is he open to that.’
‘It’s just hard because there wasn’t a foundation,’ Emily said.
‘Do you think he watches the show?’ Andy asked.
‘I know he watches the show, so it makes me sad sometimes,’ Emily said. ‘Because I don’t want to hurt anyone but I also want to be truthful about the way I feel.’
No foundation: ‘It’s just hard because there wasn’t a foundation,’ Emily said of her relationship with her father
‘And it hurts her a lot,’ Gina said.
Noella shared that Emily was the first person she texted about her father’s passing because they had conversations about their fathers.
‘I was like please learn from my mistakes and just reach out if you can,’ Noella.
Texted first: Noella shared that Emily was the first person she texted about her father’s passing because they had conversations about their fathers
‘I know you were mourning the loss of what you had as a child but maybe you were meant to come together now,’ Andy said. ‘The fact that he watches the show right now is actually really touching to me because he’s actually getting a window into your life that he never would have. Maybe that really says something.’
‘I would love to have more of a relationship and get to know him more,’ Emily said. ‘It’s hard for me. I think I’m very stubborn. I’m kind of stuck in a ‘you weren’t there’ and it’s hard for me to get out of that.’
Andy asked if she had spoken to him about that.
Show watcher: ‘I know you were mourning the loss of what you had as a child but maybe you were meant to come together now,’ Andy said. ‘The fact that he watches the show right now is actually really touching to me because he’s actually getting a window into your life that he never would have. Maybe that really says something’
‘I’ve never had a conversation with him about anything real,’ Emily said.
‘Maybe it’s time,’ Andy said.
‘Maybe,’ Emily said.
Andy then asked Gina why she sought out a spiritual extraction after she came back from the Cabo trip.
‘The night we came home from Cabo, it was like the middle of the night, and I shot up and I looked over at my door, and I saw something,’ Gina said. ‘I couldn’t sleep and I just knew something was off. ‘
Gina said she really felt better afterwards.
Something off: ‘The night we came home from Cabo, it was like the middle of the night, and I shot up and I looked over at my door, and I saw something,’ Gina said. ‘I couldn’t sleep and I just knew something was off’
‘I don’t want to believe in this stuff, but I do,’ Gina said.
Andy then asked Gina how things were with her and her ex-husband Matt.
‘It sucked and it was really hard and it wasn’t flawless but we both did what needed to be done for our children to get on board,’ Gina said. ‘Things just keep getting better.’
Andy said to Gina that she cannot discount the fact that she had to make a legal statement against him for domestic battery.
‘We were stuck in that time before I made the statement,’ Gina said. ‘ It was the hardest thing I ever had to do but it honestly ended up being the best thing, I think for both of us. I think it’s something I had to say and it’s something he had to hear.’
Improved relationship: ‘We were stuck in that time before I made the statement,’ Gina said. ‘ It was the hardest thing I ever had to do but it honestly ended up being the best thing, I think for both of us. I think it’s something I had to say and it’s something he had to hear’
Gina said it made Matt show up more and be more accountable.
‘It was really brave of you to do,’ Andy said. ‘It shows what a strong woman you are.’
Andy asked Shannon about her relationship with her ex-David.
‘It’s non-existent,’ Shannon said. ‘No communication whatsoever.’
One viewer asked Gina how Matt and Travis get along.
No communication: ‘It’s non-existent,’ Shannon said of her relationship with her ex-husband David. ‘No communication whatsoever’
‘Great now,’ Gina said. ‘Travis helps a lot with that stuff because he’s all focused and dialed in on what’s good for the kids, what’s good for everybody.’
Andy asked Gina what was the timeline for getting married to Travis.
‘Honestly for us, it’s like, we would be married today but we have six kids, and we both went through bad divorces and we have to build back up financially,’ Gina said. ‘We have to pay for this wedding. We have to pay for six kids to go to college. So when we get to that point, it will happen when it’s right.’
Andy then talked about whether Gina and Heather’s friendship made the other housewives jealous. Andy asked Shannon what it meant to her that Gina’s parents thanked her for helping their daughter.
Marriage talk: ‘Honestly for us, it’s like, we would be married today but we have six kids, and we both went through bad divorces and we have to build back up financially,’ Gina said
Shannon said she understood when Gina came up to her and said that it hurt her feelings when she brought up her DUI. Emily interrupted.
‘It’s one thing when her parents thank you and you’re talking about it and it’s another when you’re with Heather and then you tell,’ Emily said.
‘And I apologized,’ Shanon said. ‘Should I do it three times?’
‘Why are you talking to me like that?’ Emily said.
Piped up: ‘It’s one thing when her parents thank you and you’re talking about it and it’s another when you’re with Heather and then you tell,’ Emily said
Shannon then turned to address Gina.
‘I think friendship is a two-way street and you’ve been gunning for me, and what’s so interesting,’ Shannon said.
‘Gunning for you?’ Gina said. ‘I don’t gun for anybody. I mean you sound ridiculous.’
Two-way street: ‘I think friendship is a two-way street and you’ve been gunning for me, and what’s so interesting,’ Shannon said
‘You have not made an effort to get to know me,’ Shannon said. ‘I was going through a f***ing horrible divorce…you made zero effort.’
‘I didn’t have the good fortune like you,’ Shannon said.
‘Oh I had a lot of good fortune,’ Gina said.
Took offense: ‘Oh I had a lot of good fortune,’ Gina said about her split
‘This is what you do,’ Shannon screamed. ‘You always cut me off.’
‘You do the same thing,’ Gina said.
‘I’ll probably lose my voice,’ Shannon said.
‘You are going to lose your voice because you did too many ding-dong things this year and now you’re coming to pay the piper,’ Gina said.
The Real Housewives Of Orange County reunion part two will air next Wednesday on Bravo.
Losing voice: ‘I’ll probably lose my voice,’ Shannon said as she was forced to scream to be heard
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