The Real Housewives of Orange County episode featuring Tamra Judge’s adult son in a therapy session has spawned a lot of controversy. Ryan Vieth doesn’t have the best reputation in reality television, but to be fair, neither does his mother. Fans of the show have watched Ryan go from the tortured stepkid of Simon Barney who didn’t want a desk job to a somewhat troubled father of one, who still doesn’t want a desk job.
There has never been a great deal of sympathy for Ryan, but the public tends to root for someone who fights to change their situation instead of complaining how they got there. Ryan has also displayed some less than acceptable behavior towards the mother of his child. In addition to his relationship woes, Ryan is very vocal about his political stance, which is a polarizing subject on most occasions. Now Tamra’s resident sycophant co-star Gina Kirschenheiter shares her thoughts on Ryan and wants viewers to know he is a pretty good guy.
Ryan has traveled some winding roads. Right now his life is lacking employment and a positive female partnership that would provide a stable platform in which to raise his daughter. Pro-tip, don’t hook up with people who DM you on Instagram. Naturally, Ryan blames all of this on Tamra and said as much during his perfunctory counseling session.
Wouldn’t life be great if we could just blame all of the world’s issues on Tammy Sue? Tamra is the cause of many things, but Ryan’s downfall is probably not one of them. All mothers face a certain amount of guilt regarding their children and Tamra is no exception, she just happens to use hers as a storyline. Tamra and Gina sat down with Bravo’s The Daily Dish and discussed the results Ryan is seeing from continuing his therapy.
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Tamra shared, “In his [Ryan’s] own mind he thinks he’s a loser and nobody likes him, it’s really a dark place to be.” Ryan may feel like no one likes him because he is very opinionated on social media, as well as on camera. Sharing one’s opinion leaves the door open for people to disagree with you… As for feeling like a loser, if Ryan found himself gainfully employed and earning a paycheck, he might develop some self-worth.
Tamra mentioned how different Ryan’s upbringing was compared to her children with Simon. She said, “I was graduating high school three months pregnant. We had nothing, Ryan looks at Spencer [Barney] and sees like he’s going to a big university and thinks I never even had that chance.” Certainly Ryan harbors resentment because his half-siblings were raised in an environment different than his own, but once again, there is something to be said for the age of accountability. Translation, get off your butt and stop complaining. Even Tamra’s husband Eddie Judge thinks Ryan is more a victim of himself than any perceived “mental illness”.
RELATED: Eddie Judge Posts Statement After Fans Bash His Comments About Tamra Judge’s Son Ryan Vieth; Says “Ryan Is Not Mentally Ill”
Gina also shared her opinion of Ryan. She explained that some people react differently to situations and being followed by a camera crew. In Gina’s opinion, Ryan gets a bad rap. “I think he gets a bad rap. I don’t know Ryan very well but I have hung out with him a handful of times and he’s like a really nice, sweet, polite guy… Very good dad.” In defense of viewers, he gets a “bad rap” because of what he makes public. This has nothing to do with a fickle fan base or his mother not having money during his childhood.
Tamra agreed with Gina and said, “He’s super nice, polite, just a homebody. Doesn’t even really drink, hardly ever. Doesn’t do drugs.” She noted a lot of his great qualities today are a result of going to therapy, which we saw this season.
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Let’s hope the benefit of counseling affords Ryan the opportunity to stop blaming his upbringing for his inability to move forward. With some effort, he could begin taking accountability and responsibility for his own life. Because even though it’s fun to blame Tamra for everything, we might not be able to blame her for Ryan.
TELL US- DO YOU THINK RYAN WILL IMPROVE WITH THERAPY? DO YOU AGREE WITH GINA’S STATEMENTS ABOUT RYAN?
[Photo Credit: Phillip Faraone/Bravo]