One reason we love The Real Housewives is that we get a glimpse into what it’s like to live an extravagant and luxurious lifestyle. It’s no secret that the California housewives seem to live just a bit more fancy than the other cities and among those is Ms. Fancy pants herself – Heather Dubrow! We adore Heather for her over the top lifestyle, her class (and love of champs) so when we had the chance to speak with her we made sure to take full advantage of it. Check out our interview with Heather where she dished everything OC, beauty and Château Dubrow related:
AllAboutTRH: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us! We have to ask about your new home as it’s all over the internet. Building a home that’s over 20,000 square feet is quite the task. How did you make it feel like a family home vs. living in a hotel?
Heather Dubrow: Here’s the thing: It’s not 500 rooms. It’s your normal rooms but they are just bigger. I know it may seem excessive to some but in the neighborhood that we built in these are the sizes of the houses that you see. One of the things that we did in the new home that we didn’t have in the old house was the kitchen/family room. It’s really where the family lives. We don’t need a formal living room that’s stuffy and no one will ever go in. This is the place where we cook, eat, hang out and watch TV as a family. We’ve been in the house about 2 months now and it’s been incredible.
We saw some photos on Instagram – it looks amazing!
One thing that Terry really wanted was a huge L-shaped sofa. It’s funny, I got comments saying that everything was so brown. It’s not all brown – maybe it’s the picture. What I like is gray, blacks, whites and different tones. I like texture more than color so there’s a lot of layers of texture in that.
In all honesty I would buy a ticket to tour your home. How are viewers going to get a first glance of it? Will we just see it on RHOC or will there be a special house tour?
Actually I’m not sure yet. We’ve gotten calls from all the big entertainment outlets and magazines. So far we’ve said no to all of that. If anything, I think that the housewives fans deserve to see it first. They’ve been with us on the whole journey of building it, but I honestly don’t know how the reveal is going to happen. Although we’ve been in the house for a few months there’s still 50 guys in there working so even though we’re in, it’s still not finished.
We’re also obsessed with your champagne doorbell. Personally I think every woman should have one. How does it work and how did you think of that detail?
All over Instagram people are posting those photos of champagne doorbells and messaging me saying that I needed one for my house. I thought it was such a good idea so I put it in my closet and when you press it, it will ring in the kitchen. Terry was asking who was going to bring the champagne and I suggested he do it. (we both laugh at the thought of Terry in his scrubs bringing up champagne!)
Speaking of Terry, this was his dream house but you were tasked with designing it. Was he happy with the end result?
He is thank God! When we built the last one it really was Terry’s thing. He loves the process and just watching it come together. Last time, I was nervous because it was my first one from the ground up and so I made him approve everything. Terry approved every tile and every color and he still didn’t like 20% of it. This time I decided to do it the way I liked it as I thought the algorithm would be the same. But I have to say that he loves the house! He had some concerns but now that he sees it all together he loves it. Of course any of his personal spaces like his library or media room, he picked what he wanted to make sure that he was comfortable.
Do you have any favorite details of the home that fans may not know about yet?
There’s so many. I think what I love is that there are a lot of personal touches. You could walk through and just say ‘oh nice house’ but if you walk through with me I could show you the little things that are unique or are personal for family reasons. It just makes the house so much more. Everything is functional – I like things to have a purpose. There are a lot of cool things – but you’re going to have to wait to see them!
We can’t wait – if your house is ever on Airbnb we’ll be the first to book it! 😉
Let’s talk about this season of RHOC. Kelly Dodd has really made a splash and that’s putting it mildly. What are your thoughts on her as an addition to the show?
I mean clearly she’s been great for the show. There’s a lot of drama that people like and the ratings are very good. In that respect – she’s great for the show. Personally I don’t see her being someone long term that functions with this group but, who knows? Time will tell.
It seemed kinda odd that she and Vicki clicked so quickly as Vicki usually is the one that will haze the new girls a bit…
It seemed a little odd that they got close so fast; although Vicki became close with Shannon when she first joined. However, I feel that Shannon and Vicki had a lot in common. With Kelly, I feel that Vicki needed a friend after season 10 as she was on the outs with everyone. Although we were still in contact, relationships really shifted after the whole Brooks thing. Vicki got close with Kelly as she needed a friend and why Kelly got close with Vicki – I think that’s for the audience to decide. It will probably come up at the reunion.
So as of now we’ve seen the 70’s party and the sushi dinner and both were jaw dropping. How would you say the fights this season compare to those in OC housewives history?
It’s vile, vulgar and unacceptable. When I was crying in the car on the way home a lot of people thought it was fake. Trust me, if I wanted to fake cry it would have been a lot cuter than that.
Was a lot of your reaction just not wanting to be associated with that type of behavior?
There is a lot more to it than that and you’ll hear about it at the reunion. Some of it was that, but also the fact that it was a family restaurant and the walls were paper thin. I had other friends in the restaurant as well. The 70’s party was so disgusting and this just pushed it over the edge. Judge me as you may but this was my visceral reaction.
Last season got so dark that people were even debating if Vicki should come back for another season. The cast seems to have a “forgive but not forget” attitude towards Vicki. Would you say this is accurate?
Vicki and I were always in contact throughout the whole thing. Even if we were not happy with each other we would still talk. On my podcast last year, Shannon, Tamra and I discussed filming with her again and of course you say things when you’re upset. However, I wanted Vicki to come back. She’s a big part of this show and I felt that she should have a chance to come back and redeem herself. As far as forgiving and forgetting, I got to a point where I didn’t want to be the judge and jury. If she was in on it and if she knew then God and karma will handle her – I don’t have to. One of the reasons I was so angry last year was because Terry got involved. She said he sent over a doctor and all of a sudden it was affecting my life. I’ve chosen to move on. I chose to accept the apology that she either can’t or couldn’t give.
Do you feel that you got the apology you deserved from Vicki for involving your husband?
I know I didn’t but she is either unwilling to give an apology or for some reason she can’t admit to doing anything wrong. I honestly don’t know but because it doesn’t affect my life, I’ve chosen to accept the apology she didn’t give and move on. As far as forgetting, I don’t think about it ever but I also don’t put Shannon down for how she feels. The two of them were very close. Vicki and I have been friends for five years and I’m fond of her and her children but we’ve never been best friends. We’re very good acquaintances that share the same group.
I don’t blame Shannon for having trust issues with Vicki but also understand your desire to move on. Speaking on moving on, let’s move on to some lighter questions that we’ve been wanting to know.
You and Terry wrote a book titled “Dr. and Mrs. Guinea Pig.” What would you say was the best beauty procedure and the most overrated one that you found throughout your experimentation?
Definitely the leech therapy was overrated – I would never do that again. The bites lasted for months, the procedure was painful and the bleeding was awful! When you talk about procedure you talk about risk vs. reward. That one needs to be thrown away. One of the best that I love is Sculptra. It’s an injectable and was actually created for AIDS patients to re-grow their own collagen. AIDS patients lose facial fat and would get that skeletal look that some of us get as we get older. I’ve always had high cheekbones and am not a fan of fillers but I do use Sculptra in the hollows of my temples and my cheeks when I get real thin. It’s amazing! You can think of it as water with its’ own fertilizer and you grow your own collagen. You don’t need it very often – I do it maybe once a year.
So it’s not like Botox where you do it on a regular basis?
I actually only do Botox once a year. I think it’s the champagne that keeps me young! With Botox you need to use it sparingly or else you will get that frozen face look with that weird, waxy forehead.
Agreed – I think some of the housewives need to take it easy with the Botox. You obviously look great and lead a fabulous life which fans love to see. Most of us have champagne taste on a beer budget but still want some of that ‘housewives’ lifestyle. What advice would you give fans?
First of all the way you dress is important. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to look fabulous. All you have to do is pick clothes with great lines and stay away from really trendy things. If you dress in a really classic way it will automatically look expensive.
If you’re saving money for one luxury item – what is the one thing you should splurge on?
The one thing you should splurge on is a fabulous purse. If you have a gorgeous bag everything else looks great! A nice bag is like your hair. If you have a good hair day it doesn’t matter if you have a zit – you still will look good.
We love a good purse so couldn’t agree more! So what will be next for you? Will we be seeing you acting in the near future?
It’s funny – I’m not against doing scripted but I’m really enjoying the unscripted stuff I’m doing. I love doing my podcast (Heather Dubrow’s World.) We’re the #1 female podcast and now we’re doing a live tour around the country. The next show will be Sept. 8th at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. I’m also loving hosting Botched: Post-Op on E! Things like hosting are making me feel really creative. I love the live feeling of being “on.” The best part is that I can do all of the shows while my kids are at school. At the end of the day my family is the most important thing.
That is a great perk! So, is there a message you want to send to your fans?
I’m loving that the fans are enjoying the show this season and responding. If you’re nearby I hope to see you at a Heather Dubrow live tour show!
Special thanks to Heather for catching up with us at AllAboutTRH! You can catch Heather Dubrow’s live tour by checking the schedule here.
What did you think of Heather’s interview? Thoughts on this season of RHOC?
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