A New Cast Member Is Joining 'Real Housewives Of Orange County'

The Real Housewives of Orange County returns to Bravo for Season 14 on Aug. 6, but it won't be exactly the same show you remember. There have been one or two changes in between the last season and the upcoming one, which becomes clear once you look at the RHOC Season 14 cast. One familiar face is M.I.A. while someone new has joined the crew.

The bulk of the cast remains the same: Tamra Judge, Shannon Storms Beador, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Emily Simpson are all returning as full time cast members. But a new Housewife will be sharing the spotlight with them named Braunwyn Windham-Burke. And Vicki Gunvalson, the O.G. of the O.C., has been demoted from official orange-holder to Friend Of. She'll still be there to whoop it up, but her title is a little different.

On Instagram, Vicki reassured viewers that she would be just as involved as ever despite the demotion. Next to some official promotional photos, she wrote that she would be "back again this season right in the middle of the action in a different role." She'd opened up her life for the cameras for 14 years and she was proud to have done so; she hoped fans enjoyed watching Season 14 as much as she enjoyed taking part in it.

Since Vicki promised the Tres Amigas were still intact, you can let go of that breath you'd been holding. This isn't the first time a cast member has made the jump from official Housewife to Friend Of; the same thing happened with Luann de Lesseps on RHONY, and she was back in her regular spot in the following season. Vicki could be promoted once again when Season 15 rolls around, though that's too far off to really make predications about. Regardless, Vicki isn't going anywhere; she'll still be getting into arguments and having a good time, if the first look at Season 14 is anything to go by.

Braunwyn is something of a wild card because audiences haven't met her yet. That will have to wait for the Aug. 6 premiere. But while it's impossible to tell ahead of time how she meshes with the other women, Bravo has shared some details about Braunwyn's life so that viewers can start to get to know her. According to her Bravo bio, Braunwyn is a friend of Kelly's from the Balboa Bay Club. She's a full time mom with two nannies who help her take care of the seven kids she shares with her husband Sean. Her children range in age from teens to babies: Jacob, Rowan, and Bella are the eldest; twins Caden and Curran are in the middle; little Koa and Hazel are the youngest. Braunwyn has a blog called Barefoot in Heels where she talks about her life; per Bravo, she's hoping to turn it into a book.

The dynamics might shift slightly in Season 14 of RHOC because there's someone new in the mix. But with so many of the same women returning, the show will probably be just as fun as it's been for years.