Emily Simpson Challenged the RHOC Cast to an Epic Flag Football Game: "Get the Tension Out"
Things got competitive with The Real Housewives of Orange County ladies faced off in carefully-selected teams.
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On The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18, Episode 3, the 'Wives found a new way to spend time together: With an competitive game of flag football organized by Emily Simpson.
Emily first introduced the idea during the July 18 episode, when she brought Shannon Storms Beador and Gina Kirschenheiter to the gym to work with some trainers, putting together a few plays for the game. They were in it to win it!
As Emily explained in a interview during the episode, she recently discovered that the sport is an excellent way to bond with family members and friends. "Over the summer, I played flag football with Annabelle, and she was so good," she said. "It was so fun, so I thought... Why not just drive someone into the ground?"
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When everyone got together in Episode 3, the game was on. The 'Wives taking the beach included Emily's friend Jodie Silver, as well as Gina, Shannon, Tamra Judge, Katie Ginella, Alexis Bellino, and Jennifer Pedranti. Heather Dubrow got out of her comfort zone by rocking a "polyester" shirt (over designer duds, of course) and a whistle, posing as the official referee for the event.
"Flag football is a great way to get all the tension out," Emily said in a interview. "Clearly, the way women do it is not working."
Team captains were Emily and Tamra, who did a "junior high-style" pick for their squads. Tamra chose Jenn, Alexis, Katie, and two more friends, while Gina, Shannon, and others went with Emily.
"I wasn't planning to have everyone who has an issue with the other person to be on the opposite side," Emily continued, "But I figured if they were on the same side, that would be really awkward."
Tamra shared her team-selection strategy: "I'm just looking for really cute girls, that's all!"
Next up: Coming up with names, and of course, creating a uniform. Finally, Emily's team, The Destroyers faced off against Tamra's crew, Team Love. After some clarity on whether tackling was allowed (it was not), the 'Wives went for it. Both sides played to win, with The Destroyers even running some plays the ladies had practiced at the gym the day before.
There was only one "injury" timeout necessary (Gina broke a nail), and a dash of biased refereeing from Heather allowed a Shannon touchdown to stand. Ultimately, The Destroyers prevailed over Team Love, with a final score of three to zero.
"Love sucks," Emily joked in her confessional, "So f-ck love!"
Emily even brought awards for the ladies, including one "Least Valuable Player" trophy, which she hilariously presented to Heather. (To be fair, Heather was technically not a player, as she was the referee, and she took the new title with a sense of humor.)
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New episodes of RHOC air Thursday at 9/8c on Bravo and stream the next day on Peacock.
