Who Is Elizabeth Lyn Vargas From Real Housewives Of Orange County?
Real Housewives of Orange County will be a very different show when it returns for Season 15. The OG of the OC, Vicki Gunvalson is off the show. Tamra Judge is also gone. This leaves Kelly Dodd, Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, and Braunwyn Windham-Burke as the only returning cast members. Joining them is a brand new Housewife, Elizabeth Lyn Vargas. (No, not that Elizabeth Vargas.)
The season starts in October 2020, and fans caught an early glimpse of Elizabeth and her boyfriend Jimmy in the trailer. In one clip, she says, "Jimmy and I have a very intimate relationship, we just don't have sex," which is very intriguing. Elizabeth's cast member bio teases that "her lifestyle as well as her complex and sexless relationship with boyfriend Jimmy creates a lot of speculation." Apparently the cast members "start to scrutinize who she really is," which is standard procedure for the Housewives.
Kelly introduced Elizabeth to the group while she was in the midst of her divorce from Bernt Bodal, which was finalized in July 2020, according to Us Weekly. In her Instagram Stories, Elizabeth said, "You know, I don't know how I'm feeling today. I'm excited but I'm sad." She shared, "20 years total of my life and I'm happy but it's a failure... I paid an arm and a leg to get divorced and to get what I thought I needed... and here we are transitioning to a new phase in my life and I'm excited." And that new phase includes her first stint on reality TV.
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas has multiple business ventures
Us Weekly reported that Elizabeth Lyn Vargas is the CEO of Edge Music, an online music company. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, her company has been struggling, which she opened up about during some Instagram Stories she posted in July 2020. She shared, "Edge Music was a failure." She added, "It's not quite a failure yet but it's on its way. I'm gonna pivot my life to a new direction to generate revenue – you know from things that I acquired – I can repurpose and you know."
Although she was super honest in her Instagram Stories, she wasn't letting struggles discourage her from trying to turn things around. Elizabeth told her followers, "Anyone that knocks you for trying to be successful or being a serial entrepreneur or trying a new venture, don't listen to them." She said that there are people in her life "constantly throwing [her] under the bus" and "constantly trying to put [her] down." In response, she has decided to "just do you and be happy." And part of that includes launching a whole new business.
On her personal website, Elizabeth teased a new company, Vargas Vodka. She promoted the launch on Instagram in September 2020, describing the product as "rich in heritage" and revealing that it is "inspired by the first Spanish explorers lured by the legend of Queen Califia, the emperor of the fabled island of California blessed with an abundance of gold protected by soldier griffins — guardians of the divine."
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas is an animal activist
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas has a dog named Coda, who she posts photos of all the time. She is also very involved with the We Care Rescue Ranch, which is included in her Instagram bio. She doesn't share a lot on Instagram (which will probably change once her season of Real Housewives of Orange County gets going), but in November 2019, she shared that she's helping the organization look for the perfect property. In September 2019, she shared that the We Care Rescue Ranch's website was "live and under construction." In that post, she revealed, "I personally will be investing in the lawyer fees, start up costs, website/mobile buildout, marketing, time and any other fees that come along with starting this project."
Elizabeth also said that she would need help purchasing the land when the organization finds its ideal property, adding, "We will be applying for a 501.c3 so all donations will be deductions." Elizabeth revealed that she would provide money for the "build out of the facility with volunteers and staff."
Coming into RHOC as a friend of Kelly Dodd, Elizabeth is bound to make a splash among the cast members... and viewers. She runs multiple businesses, she's a philanthropist, and she has an interesting love life. Will Season 15 mark the start of a long tenure as a Housewife? Or will Elizabeth join many others as a one and done cast member? Only time will tell.