Reality TV showdown? ‘RHOC’ season 20 and Big Brother 28 premiere tonight

By Elizabeth Elizalde

Reality TV fans will face a serious dilemma tonight as two of the longest-running iconic reality shows will premiere at the same time. 

Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County” will kick off its milestone 20th season on Thursday, July 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Meanwhile, the “Big Brother” house will open its doors for its 28th season on CBS in the same primetime slot. 

A Milestone in the OC

The franchise that launched Bravo into a reality empire first premiered in 2006, and will now feature the OG who started it all, Vicki Gunvalson, as a full-time housewife again. We know she’ll “whoop it up” this season to bring back more excitement to the group. 

Aside from Gunvalson, “RHOC” veterans Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, and Shannon Beador are returning, along with Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter and Jen Pedranti. New housewife Carmella Garcia will make her season debut. 

Where to watch? Watch it on Bravo, Thursdays at 8 p.m., and stream new episodes on Peacock the next day.

"Big Brother" Makes TV History

During its 28th season, "Big Brother" will become the first American primetime television series to broadcast its 1,000th episode.

Hosted by Julie Chen Moonves, the show will feature a "Time Trip" theme in which the house will transport its 14 houseguests back to the 80s, 90s and Y2K eras. The cast includes a former contestant from RuPaul’s Drag Race, an MMA fighter and a rocket scientist.

Moonves also reportedly hinted that “controversial” reality TV veterans could be brought into the mix. We’ll have to wait and see tonight as the contestants battle it out for the $750,000 grand prize.

Where to watch? New episodes air on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays on CBS. Live feeds will stream on Paramount+, and you can watch the episodes there as they air live on CBS.