The ninth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, an American reality television series, was broadcast on Bravo. It aired from April 14, 2014 until September 8, 2014, and was primarily filmed in Orange County, California. Its executive producers were Adam Karpel, Alex Baskin, Douglas Ross, Gregory Stewart, Scott Dunlop, Stephanie Boyriven and Andy Cohen. The Real Housewives of Orange County focuses on the lives of Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Shannon Beador and Lizzie Rovsek. It consisted of 21 episodes. Production and crew In November 2013, Lydia McLaughlin revealed there would be a ninth season after announcing her departure from the series. In March 2014, the official cast, trailer and premiere date of the season were announced. The season premiere "Hawaii 5 Uh-Oh" was aired on April 14, 2014, while the eighteenth episode "All Apologies" served as the season finale, and was aired on August 18, 2014. It was followed by a two-part reunion that aired on August 25 and September 1, 2014, and a "Secrets Revealed" episode on September 8, 2014, which marked the conclusion of the season. Adam Karpel, Alex Baskin, Douglas Ross, Gregory Stewart, Scott Dunlop, Stephanie Boyriven and Andy Cohen are recognized as the series' executive producers; it is produced and distributed by Evolution Media. Cast and synopsis Three of the six housewives featured on the eighth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County returned for the ninth instalment. In September 2013, it was revealed that Gretchen Rossi and Alexis Bellino had not been asked to return for season 9, despite Bellino's willingness to quit prior to season 8. In November 2013, Lydia McLaughlin announced her departure from the series, saying, "I never wanted to make a career out of being a housewife. That's never really been a dream of mine", and "I want to build my brand outside of the Housewives. I've always been really honest with the producers about that. I knew that while I was filming it that I probably wasn't going to be doing it again." In 2015, McLaughlin said she would be open to returning to Bravo on her own show. Recurring cast member and former housewife Lauri Peterson also leaves the series. Joining the series in the ninth season are two new wives, Shannon Beador and Lizzie Rovsek, and recurring cast member, Danielle Gregorio. Beador is described as "quirky yet fearless," and Rovsek an "opinionated former