Witih so many seasons of the Real Housewives of Orange County, it's easy to forget some of the cast members who appeared on the show back in its early days. But when looking back at some of the couples who used to be on the reality series, fans always remember Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley, as the couple's over-the-top engagement is an embarrassing moment on RHOC.
While fans began wondering if RHOC would be cancelled, the show is coming back for season 16. And while there's definitely lots of drama in each season, it's fun to take a look back at some of the former cast members. Slade was once in a serious relationship with someone other than Gretchen, and that's Jo De La Rosa. Let's take a look inside Slade and Jo's relationship.
Jo And Slade
Fans have been keeping up with the cast of RHOC, which includes Jo De La Rosa.
Jo was on The Real Housewives Of Orange County for seasons 1 and 2 and, according to Us Weekly, she also had a spin-off show called Date My Ex: Jo & Slade. Jo and Mark Lovette got engaged back in 2015 and the publication noted that since Jo got rid of any Instagram pictures of the two of them, it doesn't seem like they got married.
It seems like it would have been tough for Jo to watch Slade and Gretchen begin their relationship, as Jo and Gretchen were pals. Jo talked to Andy Cohen about the relationship and said, "Considering she had met Slade through me while we were dating, it was just kind of interesting to see that once I moved to L.A., they ended up together. But I'm happy for the both of them because I truly feel the two of them deserve each other."
Fans of RHOC will remember that Jo and Slade's relationship was really never in a great place. He thought that it would be a good idea if she stayed home and was a housewife, and she wanted to explore some career options. They weren't on the same page and many of their episodes featured this tension. Fans could tell that they would probably break up and that Jo needed someone would could offer her support since she had big career dreams.
Jo explained to Entertainment Weekly that when she thought about joining RHOC with Slade, "I kind of [wanted] to look at it as an amazing experience we could do together as a couple, having no idea what it would become." Jo also said, "I didn't even know who I was at 23. I was literally growing up in front of America."
Some Drama
Slade Smiley has said that Jo purchased her own engagement ring.
According to People.com, he said, "So apparently my ex is out doing the rounds of press — and this is someone that I have not been in a relationship with for 14 years, at least 14 years. She appeared on a podcast of another Bravolebrity and thought that she would bring up a topic in what she called spilling some tea and she made the accusation that her engagement ring back from the day was fake. I think that’s hilarious because the truth of the matter is that she was so desperate to be engaged for the show that she bought the ring herself. So for some reason, you’re having an issue with the quality of the ring, it’s kind of on you, sister."
This is one of those "he said/she said" situations as Jo seemed hurt that Slade would say this, so fans aren't really sure what the real story is about the engagement ring.
When Jo was introduced on the show as Slade's fiance, she shared with the audience that she had true feelings for him: "I was too busy falling in love and drooling." Slade shared that he was 12 years older than Jo and he said, "I'm eager to teach, she's eager to learn."
Jo also shared that while Slade thought she should make dinner every night, she didn't know how to cook.
In an interview with Reality Tea, Jo shared that she really loved Slade and that her feelings lasted longer than people probably think. She explained, "We were together for five years. Here is the funny thing, some insider information: even though I was on the show; I was still in love with Slade. I was still trying to work things out. It was never really over for Slade and I. Even after Date My Ex, Slade and I were still trying to work it out and then….came Gretchen."
It seems like everything worked out for the best: Slade and Gretchen are happily together and have their baby girl, and according to Bravotv.com, Jo has been working as a marketing and advertising sales executive. Jo also recently got engaged to Taran Gray Peirson. When Taran and Jo celebrated their one-year anniversary, Jo posted a sweet photo of the couple and shared that he was definitely worth waiting for.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGipoaeTYravv8idnGarnJaxpnnSpqClnalirq%2BwjKOmZpyVYrmiedGoqpqrXZm%2FornAraCcZaKauaLAyKilrKCZpXw%3D