Lydia McLaughlin Dishes On Feud With Shannon Beador, ‘Fake Fights’ On ‘Real Housewives Of Orange County’

The Real Housewives of Orange County star Lydia McLaughlin won’t be hanging out with Shannon Beador anytime soon. The last episode of RHOC saw the Season 12 newcomer repeatedly try to be the “peacemaker” between Shannon and Kelly Dodd, which only made things worse. Lydia also denied rumors that there were “fake fights” on the show, saying that everything people see on the hit Bravo series is “100 percent” real.

As Reality Tea pointed out, Lydia McLaughlin played the innocent card yet again on episode 3, “The Not So Quiet Woman.” The RHOC Season 12 newcomer acted all surprised after seeing Kelly Dodd walk in to the restaurant when she was the one who actually invited her the day before. Knowing the history between Kelly and Shannon Beador, Lydia could have at least given Shannon the heads up. Instead of owning up, Lydia said nothing and watched Shannon and Kelly go at it in the restaurant’s bathroom.

Out of all her RHOC co-stars, Lydia told Fox News that she had the most difficult time getting along with Shannon.

“It’s really hard for me to understand her and where she’s coming from. I’m not used to her type of personality. I feel like she’s constantly combative with me… She pushes my buttons constantly and repeatedly,” Lydia explained.

When asked if there’s a chance that she and Shannon could eventually work things out, Lydia admitted that she’s not betting on it. Seeing their feud play out on national television is not helping wounds heal any faster. The Real Housewives of Orange County star added that it was pretty tough to overcome issues when you’re forced to relive it everytime a new episode airs, then again during the reunion. Now that she’s experienced it first hand, Lydia McLaughlin finally understands why Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson still can’t move on from fights that happened 10 years ago.

Lydia added that fake fights never happen on RHOC. She shared that none of them had to pretend that they hate each other for the sake of ratings. In fact, according to her, the fights even “get worse” when the cameras stopped filming.

Lydia McLaughlin also spoke to The Daily Dish about her first fight with Shannon Beader, which interestingly happened the day they first met. Shannon got emotional when Lydia told her that she reminded her of her archenemy Vicki Gunvalson. She shared that she was truly surprised with how upset Shannon was with the comparison. Lydia said that she was aware that Vicki and Shannon had their issues and was trying to be empathetic but Shannon didn’t give her the chance.

“I definitely feel like Shannon and I get off on the wrong start and she doesn’t give me a chance to explain where I’m coming from or even really get to know me. And I think that’s her loss,” she said.

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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