'Real Housewives' star Emily Simpson predicts if Heather Dubrow will move to 'RHOBH'

According to Emily Simpson, Season 17 of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” is her best season yet.

After joining the cast of the “RHOC” full time in Season 13, Emily has traversed four seasons full of life challenges, including struggles in her marriage to her husband, Shane Simpson, and conflict with her revolving door of castmates on “Orange County,” all solidifying her place as a mainstay on the show.

In Season 17, Emily reunited with her one-time enemy Tamra Judge, who rejoined the cast after two seasons away, as well as Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow and Gina Kirschenheiter, all who appeared last season. New “Housewife” Jennifer Pedranti also joined the group, and former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Taylor Armstrong appears as a “friend of” the cast, bringing an old-is-new-again vibe to Orange County.

TODAY.com recently caught up with Emily to hear her takes on Season 17 — and what’s to come.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

You’re in your fifth season of “RHOC,” how has this season been different than the rest?

This is by far my best season, just because I struggled finding a place on the show in my first two, then the third and fourth seasons were really hard for me because I don’t think the cast was great. I think that was just a struggle for all of us because they were trying new people, Tamra and Vicki (Gunvalson) were fired, and when you bring in three new people that didn’t know anyone and we didn’t know anyone, so there was just this disconnect.

I feel like this is by far my best, funniest and most amazing season because I’m on a cast with women that I’m actually friends with, that I know, that I feel comfortable around. There’s a history there, there’s things to talk about. I can be myself, I can speak up and I can have an opinion.

At the beginning of your time on “RHOC,” you found yourself at odds with the Tres Amigas — Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Shannon Storms Beador. Now that they’re all on the show again, are things different?

It’s different because Vicki’s not full time, so the Tres Amigas aren’t a lot of the season. It was just constant when she (Vicki) was full time: It was the three of them all the time. It was like, "OK, this is an ensemble cast." … I think that they actually respect my position on the show (today), well maybe not Shannon, but I think they actually respect my position on the show now and do think that I add value to the show. Tamra and I are friends and I think she knows I add value to the show, and I think Vicki would even admit that, too. I mean you’d have to hold her down and torture her, but I still think that she would admit that.

Year after year, fans have said that you and Gina don’t fit in with the cast, but now you’re in your fifth season. What’s your response?

When people say things like that, sometimes I think it’s a phenomenon where one person says that and then everybody just jumps on it. If someone posts something on Instagram and they put a positive comment or headline, then everyone will say something positive, but if they put something negative, everybody will jump on that. So I think that’s just something that goes on on social media where people just like to repeat things that they see and they like to jump on a bandwagon.

I think also it was hard for Gina and me to come on during Season 13. Any of these new girls that have come on after us, they have no idea what we went through when we came on. It was the Tres Amigas, Kelly Dodd and then Gina and me, so it was difficult. It was a difficult season to come on to, so I think it’s been hard for us to find a place and they’ve switched the cast around a lot. Now, I feel like there’s a fit: The puzzle pieces fit together and it’s good.

Your storyline this season largely focuses on your family. How’s your daughter doing with her modeling career?

She’s doing really well. She did a job a couple of weeks ago and she’s done stuff for Target recently, but I think she needs to go more towards acting. She has a very big personality, so I think we need to focus on getting her an acting coach or something. With modeling, she’s like, "Why am I not talking and telling everybody what to do?"

What are your other kids’ aspirations?

My son Luke is a great artist. He’s very detailed and amazing at art, so I see him doing something like that. My other son, Keller, is obsessed with presidents. I don’t know why, but you could give him a number. … You could be like “36,” and he’ll tell you who the 36th president is.

Shane has had quite the trajectory — from one of the most disliked "Househusbands" to becoming a fan favorite. Why do you think it took a bit for people to appreciate him?

I think anyone who knows Shane goes on that journey. I have real-life friends that I’ve had for years, and when they first meet Shane, they don’t like him. They’ll say things to me, like, “Why doesn’t your husband like me? Why is your husband rude to me?” And then give them like a year, and they will be like, “I love your husband. He’s so funny.” So I think he’s … I don’t know what you call it … an acquired taste? Shane is just Shane. Shane never gives a crap about being polite or saying what he should say. He just always does him, and then he grows on people. He’s like mold!

Tamra, Shannon and Heather all previously gave TODAY.com their takes on this: Who has more of a friendship “alliance” for the show — Tamra and Shannon or Heather and Gina?

I would actually say Heather and Tamra.

Why is that?

I feel like Heather sometimes tries to align herself with whoever she thinks is popular on the show. She’s opportunistic, so I think she would just go along with a friendship if she thinks that’s good for her on the show, or good for her career.

Do you think Tamra and Shannon dropped Heather after they mended fences?

I think that would be more Shannon because I know Heather and Shannon were close before we went into filming the season. They would run into each other, and they would have dinner together and stuff. I think once Shannon and Tamra kind of mended their relationship, I think Shannon was fine with just being like, “Buh-bye Dubrow.”

Heather and Gina have gone back and forth this season. Do you think Heather is too hard on Gina?

I think Heather is hard on everybody, but I don’t think she recognizes that.

I feel like you really give it back to her this season.

Yeah … it gets worse.

Heather sold her home in Orange County and reportedly bought a place in Beverly Hills. Do you think she’s trying to move to “RHOBH”?

I think if she could move to "Beverly Hills," she would get in her private jet and fly there as fast as she could, then parachute down into a scene with caviar and a bottle of Champagne, like, “I’m finally on the mothership.”

Watching the season back, do you agree with how Gina has treated Jenn?

I do understand where Gina was coming from. I think that Gina didn’t really process her feelings about everything that happened with Matt (her ex-husband), and I think that she also stopped drinking. When you’re not suppressing your feelings anymore, they come to the surface. I think Jenn was just bringing up a lot of things that Gina hadn’t processed, so I think she had to go through that process. And then I think she does realize that it’s on her, it’s her own feelings, and Jenn is not responsible for that.

Do you think Tamra is coming too hard for Jenn?

I think there’s a lot more to the story (about the inception of Jenn’s relationship). I think the story is very convoluted, and I think Tamra knows a lot of things. I like Jenn a lot, I think she’s a very good, solid human, but I think Jenn also tries to create her own narrative about things. She tries to control the way it looks, and Tamra knows things that are different than what she’s trying to portray, so then I think that makes Tamra really mad. Note to self, if you’re going to tell Tamra things, keep your story consistent.

Tamra told TODAY.com that your friendships with former "RHOC" stars like Gretchen Rossi and Lizzie Rovsek impacted your ability to be friends with her. Are you still friends with them, and how have you navigated those friendships with your newfound friendship with Tamra?

I’ve been friends with Lizzie for years, and I’m still friends with her. I don’t think it bothers Tamra now because I think she knows that me being friends with Lizzie has nothing to do with her. Lizzie is a nice girl, she never even talks about the show. I don’t think she gives two s---- about anything that has to do with the show and Tamra’s life. I think Tamra realizes that now.

Now I know Tamra and Gretchen don’t get along, but Gretchen and I are friendly. I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw her in person, it was probably three years ago. So I think you can do both. If I saw Gretchen, I would say hi and be nice. … Now if I went to Gretchen and said a whole bunch of crap about Tamra to Gretchen, now that would be a s----- thing, but I wouldn’t do that.

What are you most excited for viewers to see the rest of the season?

The rest of the season is really fun, and it’s intense. I think there’s so much more to come. I feel as if the season so far has been very well-received. Everybody loves it, they’re happy and they like the cast. So I think it’s just going to get better.

Who gets into it the most the rest of the season?

The Tamra and Jenn thing just doesn’t die. Heather and I get into it, and I think Gina and Heather and Shannon and me. Everyone!

Who will you have the most to confront about at the reunion?

It would probably be Heather.

What place are you and Heather at today?

We’re friends, that’s where I think you get a good show, too; a good cast, when you fundamentally can stay friends, but you can get really pissed off at each other, really irritated with each other and be honest with one another. At the end of the day, it’s never so toxic that you wouldn’t talk to each other again or go to lunch or be supportive of one another. So I am friends with her, and if she called me right now, I’d answer, and if she asked me to go to lunch, I would go.

Would you do “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip”? Who would be on your dream cast?

I would always pick Gina just because we’re so close. When I’m with her, we have fun together. … Lisa Barlow from Salt Lake City. I know her pretty well: We talk pretty often, so that would be fun.

Who’s the last housewife you spoke to that’s not on your cast?

Oh goodness, probably Lisa Rinna.

I didn’t know you were friends!

Yeah, she DMs me, and she’s always been very kind to me — always.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com