The hit series starts tonight on the Bravo cable network, but Bellino won’t appear until the second episode, when she replaces “Housewives” veteran Jeana Keough, who is leaving the show after four seasons.
Bellino is throwing a big party at her home tonight anyway, to celebrate her outre into the world of reality television stardom.
Her blonde hair perfectly coiffed and lips glazed with pink gloss, Bellino wants the people who watch the show to know that despite all the bling, she’s really a stay-at-home mom with old-fashioned values.
“I hope I can touch people in some way and show them how they can be more Christian,” she said. “We’re in church on Sunday; I stay at home with the kids.”
Bellino hit it off with fellow housewives Tamara Barney and Gretchen Rossi, a Costa Mesa resident, but she has clashed with Vicki Gunvalson, a frenetic, blond life insurance saleswoman featured on the show.
“I don’t have anything bad to say about her; we’re just different people,” Bellino said of her interactions with Gunvalson.
Fans of the show will have to watch this season to see what happens when she and Gunvalson meet, Bellino said.
Rossi, who joined the cast during season four, had advice for Bellino on being the new girl.
“I told her to just be smart, because people might say something different behind your back than what they say to your face,” Rossi said.
Rossi and Bellino hit it off during taping.
“Even when we weren’t filming, we would call each other and go hang out, or I would go to her house and play with her kids,” Rossi said. “It was really nice not having to be the new girl anymore.”
