GRIF MAG

A major recall of frozen chicken and rice products has now grown to more than 46 million pounds.

• Products sold under Trader Joe's, Kroger, Ajinomoto, Ling Ling, and Tai Pei are included.

• The recalled foods may contain glass fragments, and shoppers are being told not to eat them.

Earlier this year, Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.recalledmore than three million pounds of chicken fried rice products over foreign material contamination—specifically, glass fragments. The initial recall covered just two products after multiple consumer complaints alleged glass was found in the food: Ajinomoto Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-Style Fried Rice and Trader Joe's Chicken Fried Rice.

A few weeks later, the FDA announced the recall had expanded to include additional ready-to-eat chicken products sold at popular grocery stores such as Trader Joe's and Kroger. Now, the recall hasexpandedagain to include nearly 10 million pounds of Trader Joe's Vegetable Fried Rice.

The latest expansion brings the total to17 recalled products, including both ready-to-eat and not ready-to-eat chicken, pork, and vegetable fried rice, as well as ramen and shu mai dumpling products. That pushes the total recall to a staggering 46,872,815 pounds of food.

The products were made between October 21, 2024, and February 26, 2026, under the brand names Ajinomoto, Kroger, Ling Ling, Tai Pei, and Trader Joe's, and have best-by dates ranging from February 28, 2026, through August 19, 2027.

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The affected products have establishment numbers P-18356, P-18356B, or P-47971 and were shipped to retail locations nationwide. The newly added Trader Joe's Vegetable Fried Rice also has the UPC code 00521482. Select Ajinomoto products were also exported to Canada and Mexico.

According to the recall notice, the issue was discovered after numerous consumer complaints about glass in the food. "Upon further investigation, the establishment determined that a vegetable source ingredient, specificallycarrots, was the likely source of the glass contamination, which also impacted the additional products subject to this expanded recall," the notice stated.

The latest expansion also gives more detail about the glass itself, noting that the fragments are 1-3 centimeters long and 2-4 millimeters wide.

So far, there have been no confirmed injuries linked to the recalled products, but consumers are still urged not to eat them. Instead, throw them away or return them to their place of purchase.

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President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that the United States has "won" the war against Iran, despite ongoing fighting and the Strait of Hormuz largely remaining closed.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said Iran's military has been destroyed and that regime change has been achieved.

On the first day of joint strikes with Israel, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed. His son has since assumed the leadership role.

RELATED STORY |Strikes pound Tehran, missiles hit Israel as US seeks Iran talks

Trump's comments come as his administration is reportedly negotiating to end the war. However, several questions remain, including who the United States is negotiating with and where those talks are taking place.

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Trump, however, expressed confidence that the U.S. is dealing with the "right people," citing what he described as a "gift" from Iran.

RELATED STORY |US sends 3 warships, 2,500 Marines to Middle East amid escalating Iran conflict

"They gave us a present and the present arrived today," he said. "It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. It was oil and gas related. And it was a very nice thing they did. But what it showed me is that we're dealing with the right people," Trump said.

The president indicated that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance are all involved in the effort to end the war.

Trump has maintained that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon in any deal to end the war.

Travel upheaval continued at some ofthe nation's airportson Tuesday as people were forced to navigate long security lines despite President Donald Trump deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to help cut down on wait times.

One of the longest security waits on Tuesday was at Bush International Airport in Houston, where travelers stood in a line stretching from the airport subway to the security check-in gates, according to ABC Houston station KTRK.

As of 11 a.m. local time in Houston, the wait time to get through security was estimated to exceed four hours, according to an advisory posted on the Houston Airport System'swebsite.

The airport disruption in Houston even delayed a member of the National Transportation Safety Board team who was flying to New York's LaGuardia Airport to investigateSunday night's deadly crashbetween an Air Canada jet and a Port Authority fire truck, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference on Tuesday.

"Our air traffic control specialist, who was in line with TSA for three hours until we called in Houston to beg to see if we can get her through so we can get here," she said. "So, it's been a really big challenge to get the entire team here, and they're still arriving as I speak."

Airport security lines are growing nationwide as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, who haven't received a paycheck for over three weeks, continue tocall in sickor quit amid apartial government shutdownover funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The TSA reported that about 40% of its workers at Bush airport, whose duties include staffing security lines and running X-ray machines and magnetometers, called out sick on Monday. Houston's other airport, William P. Hobby Airport, reported that about 40% of TSA personnel called out sick on Monday, according to the TSA.

Across the nation, more than 3,200 TSA officers called out sick on Monday, according to data released by the agency on Tuesday. The numbers weren't as high as Sunday, when 11.76% of the TSA officers scheduled to work called out sick.

Other major airports were also seeing a high level of absent TSA workers on Monday. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport both reported that over 30% of TSA workers called out sick on Monday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lauren Bis, the DHS acting assistant secretary for public affairs, said the partial government shutdown over DHS funding has caused "more than 450 TSA officers to quit and thousands have called out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent."

Over the weekend, Trump announced he woulddeploy ICE agentsto at least 14 of the nation's busiest airports to assist TSA workers coping with long security lines.

Those agents began showing up at airports on Monday. The White House's border czar, Tom Homan, told ABC News on Monday that the agents will be directed by the TSA administrator on how they will best beused to "plug holes in security."

Both Homan and Trump said the agents will still be responsible for enforcing immigration laws if they come across violations or spot people in the country illegally while at the airports.

Trump said on Monday that if the help from ICE isn't enough, he'll deploy the National Guard to airports.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest travel hubs, security lines seemed to be thinning out on Tuesday morning compared to Monday, when lines stretched out terminal doors.

During the peak travel period at 5:30 a.m., ABC News observed a few long lines at Hartsfield-Jackson, but by 7:30 a.m., wait times fell to below normal. But on theairport's websiteon Tuesday, travelers were being advised to allow at least four hours or more for domestic and international screening.

Hartsfield-Jackson Manager Ricky Smith told ABC Atlanta affiliateWSB-TVthat, with about 40% of the TSA workers calling out sick on Monday, travelers need to allow plenty of time to get through the airport.

"As we progress through this shutdown and call-outs increase, that means TSA can't process as many passengers as quickly as they can," Smith said on Monday. "Some passengers are missing flights and so they're coming in the next day. So, all of that is adding to more congestion, adding to longer lines."

One traveler, Jason, told WSB-TV that he got to the Hartsfield-Jackson airport seven hours early on Monday for a flight home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after waiting at the airport to until 1 a.m. Sunday without ever making it past the TSA security checkpoint.

"I'm already missing a day of work right now, and my bosses are not pleased," he said.

Democrats have blocked funding for DHS, which oversees the TSA and ICE, in an effort to push for policy reforms at ICE, whose aggressive tactics in enforcing immigration laws have prompted protests and lawsuits across the country.

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DHS reforms that Democratic lawmakers have proposed include requiring ICE agents not to wear face masks, be equipped with body cameras and have warrants signed by a judge before entering homes and businesses.

Republicans have, so far, rejected those proposals.

Transportation Secretary Duffy says ICE agents are trained and can assist TSA at airports

Senators on both sides of the aisle have told ABC News that they arefeeling increasingly optimisticthat a deal to fully fund DHS is on the horizon.

"We do," Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, a key negotiator for the Republicans in the DHS funding battle, told reporters on Monday when asked if there was a solution in the works.

Britt's comments came after she and a group of Republicans met with Trump to discuss a possible solution.

"Democrats and Republicans have been trying to come to some negotiation, and I'm hearing that there is a potential solution," said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia.

The lawmakers are scrambling to find a solution before the end of this week, when they are scheduled to go on recess.

Potential DHS funding deal taking shape, but roadblocks still ahead

In an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that if a deal is not struck this week, conditions at airports will get worse.

"If this Homeland Security funding isn't resolved, I think you're going to see more TSA agents as we come to Thursday, Friday and Saturday of next week, they're going to quit, or they're not going to show up," he said.

On Tuesday, Delta Air Lines announced it is temporarily suspending "specialty services" for members of Congress -- including airport escorts -- due to resource constraints from the ongoing partial government shutdown.

"Next to safety, Delta's no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment," the company said in a statement.

In an interview with ABC News at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby had more bad news for the flying public.

He said consumers should be aware that ticket prices are rising and will need to increase about 20% to cover the surging fuel prices.

How to find airport security wait times, plus tips to mitigate long lines and save time amid TSA staffing shortages

As United braces for oil prices potentially reaching $175 a barrel due to the conflict in Iran -- it stood at $104 on the global market on Tuesday -- Kirby urged travelers to lock in planned trips now to take advantage of current fares. United expects fuel to cost the airline an additional $11 billion year over year.

Kirby said the airline is cutting flights with lower demand to offset the increased costs brought on by the war.

Asked about long airport security lines and the deployment of ICE agents to airports, Kirby said he is heading to Washington on Wednesday to push for TSA funding. He believes a deal is very close and that the issue should be resolved soon.

He noted that, despite calls for airlines to fund the TSA themselves, federal law prevents them from doing so. Still, Kirby said he is confident Congress will approve funding imminently.

The White House didn't immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

ABC News' Alex Stone, Ayesha Ali and SteveOsunsamicontributed to this report.

Alan Ritchson's body camera footageshows hispoint of view of the street fightwith his neighbor,Ronnie Taylor, that went viral over the weekend.

The pair first engaged in a verbal spat on Saturday, March 21, with Taylor complaining about the actor speeding on his sports bike and revving his engine in their quiet Tennessee suburb.

The matter escalated when he confronted Ritchson again on Sunday, as he rode his bike alongside his two sons this time.

The bodycam video, shared on TikTok on Tuesday, shows Taylor deliberately stepping in front of Ritchson's bike in an effort to halt his ride.

According to the footage, Ritchson believed Taylor was intoxicated when he approached him

Image credits:Kierra Thorn/Getty Images

The three-minute-long clip begins with Taylor jumping into the middle of the road to block Ritchson and his kids from driving theirmotorcycles, which caused the actor to fall off his ride.

"You threatened my f***ing safety, bro!" Ritchson, 43, tells Taylor, who repeatedly says he called thecops.

"You were driving around this f***ing neighborhood like a f***ing lunatic," Taylor adds.

Ritchson goes on to ask his neighbor if he's "drunk" as they continue to argue.

Image credits:frankpsyhogios6/TikTok

Then Ritchson gets back on his motorcycle and revs the engine multiple times before asking Taylor to "f***ing move" out of his way.

With Taylor refusing to comply with his request and pushing his bike twice, the actor shoves him to the ground, as seen in the video.

He then kicks and punches Taylor, asking him to "stay down!"

Image credits:frankpsyhogios6/TikTok

After Taylor gets up, he yells at Ritchson, "By the way, all on camera. You a**aulting me is all on camera."

Ritchson then speeds away on his motorcycle.

TMZwas first to report on the violent altercation between Ritchson and Taylor.

Law enforcement told the outlet that the incident was under investigation, with the actor's representative refusing to comment.

Ronnie Taylor, in his interview with the outlet, corroborated that Ritchson inflicted serious blows on him

Image credits:frankpsyhogios6/TikTok

Taylor spoke toTMZon Monday and said he himself is an "experienced motorcycle rider," adding, "I've been riding most of my life."

He claimed that after Ritchson first passed through the neighborhood on Saturday, he respectfully asked him to "slow it down."

He noted he "didn't know" Ritchson was a known personality.

The following day, when he was cleaning his bike outside his home, the actor rode past him twice, Taylor said.

"On the second time, I walked outside and said, 'You've got to stop.'"

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Taylor then admitted to pushing Ritchson off the bike but said he only did so because the actor "was coming towards" him with his vehicle.

He added that he pushed Ritchson "a second time," which led the actor to "kick the c**p" out of him.

"He hit me in the back of my head [and] I went to the ground and covered myself," Taylor added.

In a picture of himself that he shared with the outlet, Taylor appeared to have sustained bruises on his forehead, left jaw, and chin as a result of the scuffle.

Alan Ritchson seemed to address the fiasco with an Instagram upload

Image credits:alanritchson/Instagram

On Monday, the actor posted, "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake," a quote attributed toNapoleon Bonaparte.

This came after he had declined to discuss his fight when speaking withThe Daily Mailearlier in the day.

"I can't answer questions about that right now," Ritchson told the outlet, asserting, "There's an active investigation."

While the actor refrained from commenting on the incident, his fans left supportive messages under his Instagram post.

"He gave you the win in court when he did that interview, admitting he approached you and your children and proceeded to push you," one wrote.

Another added, "This fight is not on you. You just showed yourkidshow to stand up for themselves with restraint."

Image credits:James Devaney/Getty Images

A third agreed, saying if anyone comes for them in front of their family, they will give it "back with interest" too.

"Pretty sure the neighbor made an attempt at a money grab," theorized a fourth.

"We got your back," said a fifth.

"I knew Alan Ritchson was a nice guy," the next added

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Roughly 13.8 billion years ago, the universe began from an infinitely hot and dense single point, then expanded and stretched — otherwise known as the Big Bang Theory. But 20 years ago, students of the Bravo school of science witnessed an explosive moment emanating from Orange County — specifically a wealthy enclave known as Coto de Caza — with five women forming a fireball of aspirational intrigue and drama that, over time, spawned an ever-expanding reality TV universe — otherwise known as "The Real Housewives."

The first episode of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" premiered on Bravo on March 21, 2006. The series followed the lives ofJeana Keough, Vicki Gunvalson, Lauri Peterson, Kimberly Bryant and Jo De La Rosa. The first season of the series was just eight episodes, but over time it expanded and morphed into a franchise, spreading to 12 other U.S. locales, fromBeverly HillstoNew Yorkto Rhode Island, the latest entrant premiering next month. It's also produced more than 30 international editions across 20 countries, a dozen spin-offs (with mixed results). Its aim was to provide an anthropological look at the lives — and perceptions — of affluent and unfiltered women that has become a prototype other programmers strive to emulate (see: Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.")

To mark this month's 20th anniversary of "Orange County," the one that started it all, the Times spoke to the original cast members, as well as key players in its origin story, about how Bravo's long-running franchise came to be.

'A not great version of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"'

WhenScott Dunloplived in Los Angeles, he spent his days working in sales, and his nights as a performer with the Groundlings. He held a mix of above and below the line roles on projects, including the low-budget feature "Tag: The Assassination Game," starring Linda Hamilton andRobert Carradine. Then he got married and, in the late '80s, moved to Coto de Caza, a gated community that boasts million-dollar estates and is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. Right away, he was fascinated by his neighbors.

Dunlop (original producer, Season 1):Jeana [a former Playboy Playmate of the Year] was the first person I met in Coto. I was moving on a very hot August day. And she comes walking down the street and says, "What are you doing here?" I said, "Well, I'm moving in." She goes, "Who are you?" It was the third degree. It was funny. But I got to know Jeana and her late husband, Matt [Keough, then a retired baseball player], and family [they had three kids] very well.

As Dunlop settled in, an idea for a TV show took shape. He had been struck by the archetypes around him: the "tennis bitches," as he puts it, men of leisure, boomerang kids. Initially thinking it had the makings of a short film, Dunlopthoughtthe reality formatwas something to consider as the genre gained traction in the early aughts.

Dunlop:I was just watching and observing here in Coto. The ladies were here; the men would leave the ranch, as we call it. The original vision I had was to do a parody of life in affluent suburbs, but with plenty of reality in it.

Keough:Every time Scott came over, he would say, "Who's that guy in the living room?" [I'd say] "Well, that's a director, David Goodman, from New York. It's cold there, so he's out here writing his next screenplay." There was always this fun group of people at my house. It was like "Cheers" or something. Scott said, "I want to do this show about your family, kind of like 'The Osbournes'; I want to do a 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.' He had all these different ideas, so he shot a sizzle reel with us, and another great young actor [Ryan Eggold] who ended up doing a lot of shows.

Dunlop:Ryan was studying acting at USC, and he lived down the street from me with his folks. He called me up and said, "Is there any way I could be on this show you're doing?" I said, "I'll tell you what, for the sizzle reel, we'll do this: You are the son of two doctors. You are 'the boomerang kid.' So, next time you're back home, we'll shoot a scene with you, as you normally are — in a robe, drinking a beer, kind of walking around outside."

Bryant:I was approached by Scott — we lived in the same community and he had eavesdropped in the workout room; he heard me making fun of the fact that I had gotten these breast implants. He talked to a friend of mine and said, "Do you think she would do it?" I was not interested. I really am a stay-at-home mom for a reason. It's a busy life. The whole family voted on it and we said yes. I remember thinking, "There's 200 channels of nonsense, nobody's going to be watching this, so it's not a big risk."

Dunlop wrote up a one-page treatment and, by 2004, began piecing together a sizzle reel for his idea, "Behind the Gates,"to shop to networks. At the time, Bravo was forging a new identity in reality programming after years as a niche cable networkthat aired highbrow art films, opera and ballet. Its programming roster included breakout hit "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," "Project Runway," "Battle of the Network Reality Stars" and "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List."

Frances Berwick(then-executive vice president of programming and production, Bravo):He had come in with this pitch saying, "I think it'd be interesting to basically film my neighbors. We all hang out in the country club — there was this hospitality place where they were congregated. There are cute pool boys. And this teenage son of this woman is flirting with somebody else's mother." He painted a picture of what the community is like.

Andy Cohen (then-vicepresident of original programming, Bravo):I just remember there was a VHS tape on my desk and Amy Introcaso-Davis [then-head of development] said: "Look at this. We want to do something with it." I wish I still had the tape. It was weird. There was some narration on it. I was really intrigued by the fact they all lived in this gated community and that was very soap opera-y to me.

Berwick:The show nearly didn't make it to air. We started to see the cuts of the show. And we thought we had a vision for it, which was very much fly-on-the-wall look at people living their lives. We started to see it; the producers were trying to cut it for comedy and it felt more like they were leading it into a not great version of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" because these are not improv comedians.

'We were interested in the women'

Bravo gave Dunlop some notes.

Cohen:We were interested in the women. We were not interested in the husbands.

Shari Levine(then-executivevicepresident ofcurrentproductions, Bravo):Although it's hard to imagine that people talking about breast enhancement surgery would be shocking/surprising, back then it was. And Kimberly was talking frankly about that, which caught my attention and made me think they would say things out loud that most people only spoke of privately. And I was intrigued at that possibility.

Dunlop put out local newspaper ads to look for more subjects.

Gunvalson:Michael [her son, then a teenager] wrote a letter to Scott. Mike went off to school and didn't hear anything but said there might be a call coming in. I'm like, "I'm too busy. What are you talking about?" Next thing you know, Scott called and said, "Can I come over?" He ... was like, "I'm thinking we should do a reality show in Coto because you're kind of like the "Desperate Housewives.'" And I said, "I'm not interested." I shut the door in his face. I'm like, "I have a headphone in my ear and I'm really busy working. You're kind of bugging me right now." He knocked on my door again. Here we are.

I have two children from a previous marriage. And Don [her then-husband] said, "I don't want to do this." And I said, "You can't tell me what to do." Therefore, we did it. We're from Chicago. We're nothing special. Brianna [her daughter] was cheerleading. Michael just went off to college. Don was working for Home Depot, not retired. I'm working from home [with her insurance business] at that time. Lauri was working for me.

Peterson:I was in such a transitional period of my life — recently divorced, trying to raise my three children and support them all on my own. I feel like I had spent pretty much all of my life as a married person. I had just had my second failed marriage. I'd never really done anything on my own and I felt like I needed some excitement. It was good for me at the time.

DeLa Rosa:When this opportunity came around, I was literally in college. I was almost graduated from UC Irvine and I was studying English and comparative literature. My goal was to go to Harvard Law School. Maybe go into entertainment law. Then Slade [Smiley, her then-boyfriend] came home one day and let me know that he had gone to a charity event and they were looking for a fifth couple to cast — they loved the idea that he was 15 years older than me. They loved the idea that I didn't come from money, yet I was living in this community of wealthy. He obviously wanted to do it. So, I was like, "OK, let's do it."

'It was going to be $400,000 to kill it'

Shooting began in 2005, but the initial footage did not thrill executives.

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Cohen:I will never forget the meeting. I remember where I wassittingin the meeting. Shari and I were kind of hoping that we were going to come out of that meeting with the news that the show was going to be killed. When I look back on it, that meeting became probably the most important meeting of my life because if it had been killed — I think it was going to be $400,000 to kill it.

Berwick:Shari Levine ended up going into the edit bay and overseeing a complete recut of it. At the time, that was considerable overage for us. But we did have the debate: Is it worth spending all this money on overages? Should we just write the whole thing off? We ended up not, and the rest is history.

Levine:That first season was really hard to make. There wasn't a template or guide to follow. We had shot a lot of footage and moments of these women's lives, and finding the right way to weave them together wasn't really clear. The rough cuts were not good. No one was happy. I come from a news magazine/documentary background and am used to looking at material and working with editors to craft a story. So it was natural for me to want to be in the edit room and see what was going on. I went to L.A. and spent days looking at the footage, talking about what we had and rethinking how it was being used. It was a process and we came up with a different plan.

'We didn't even have a pool, so why was I sitting in a bikini?'

Finding a catchy name that would capture the spirit of the show was key and Bravo executives didn't feel "Behind the Gates" delivered on that. Since the show was, in some ways, a nod to "Desperate Housewives," then a massive hit for ABC, that was set in the world where "The O.C.," Fox's popular teen soap, takes place, the title changed to "The Real Housewives of Orange County."

The first episode opens with a montage of shots that feature lavish estates, tennis courts, expensive cars and jewelry whileavoice-over setsthe scene: "Life is different in a gated community"; "The land here is $1 million an acre"; "When you're not behind the gates, you don't know what you're missing." Titled "Meet the Women," it introduces viewers to the women and the lives they're leading.

Gunvalson:I don't have butlers. I don't have a private jet. I'm just a Midwestern girl transplanted to California. I have a gardener that comes once a week. That's it. I do my own laundry. I'm very involved in my kids' lives. I think viewers could relate somewhat to the struggles you have when you're a working mom. I like it. I want to control my own money. I want to do what I want to do.

De La Rosa:Because I didn't have an example of what this was going to be, there was no element in my mind to self-produce myself. I was a little over the top. I don't know about sitting in a bikini with a dog doing a [confessional-style] interview. We didn't even have a pool, so why was I sitting in a bikini?

Much of Keough's story in that first episode was focused on her eldest son, Shane. He was facing the stress of finishing high school — the episode shows him choosing to miss the ceremony as Jeana attended a fundraiser — and the waiting game ofabaseball draft to continue his father's legacy.

Keough:Not going to graduation was because I had had a fight with the baseball coach at Tesoro [High School]. So, I switched [Shane] to another school. He didn't know that many kids there and didn't have a lot of friends there, so he didn't want to go. He just wanted to have a bunch of friends over to the house. So, that wasn't really a cringe moment. My cringe moment — and Vicki's too, we would laugh about it — was the wardrobe. We have no idea how bad some of this stuff looks. I had started going through menopause, so in the first or second season, I kind of blew up like a little balloon. I didn't look so cute. And the rest of them, were all so tiny. They worked out like crazy.

From her opening shot, Gunvalson is hard at work in her home office, fielding calls — her workaholism would become a signature aspect of her personality throughout her run.

Gunvalson:Back then, there wasn't the lights and there wasn't all the filters. It was a small camera crew, two or three people, and they were in my space and in my way. It was annoying more than anything since I didn't know what they wanted from me. To just be me? I'm like, "OK, let's go. I got dinner cooking. I got a headset on. I'm working, I'm making money."

For Peterson, who was living in a townhome with her three children, a key scene involved visiting the lavish homewhere she used to live beforeher divorce.

Peterson:I hadn't actually been back into that neighborhood since I left. It was such a great community. Safe, secure, guarded. I felt like the house changed so much. It was sad and I was sad. When it was my house, it was this bright white house with black trim, super pretty, with hydrangeas everywhere. I remember seeing a Porta Potty out front — obviously they were doing some remodeling. But it was very symbolic to the way I was feeling.

The first moment we see two of the Housewives interact is when De La Rosa, who still wants to enjoy her youth while her older partner wants her to settle down,bashfully approaches Bryant, sitting with friends, at a restaurant. De La Rosa is seeking advice.

De La Rosa:I truly considered Kimberly to be my Yoda. She was the quintessential housewife — from how she looked to what she did on a day-to-day basis, taking care of the home and her family. I was born in Peru, having come over to America very small, 3 years old — there was no example of a stay-at-home mom or a housewife living a life of luxury like that. The housewife stereotype is you get to shop and you get to have tea and you get to do all these things. So, I'm fluffing pillows and I'm making the bed, doing all these things. Kimberly was like, "Oh, honey. You're doing it all wrong. You need to come hang out with us, and I'll show you how to be a housewife." She became my guiding light.

Bryant:I remember thinking that it didn't feel very natural, the way she approached us, but once she was there, it was very natural for us all to gab. Those women at that table were my friends that I had invited. And Jo comes up, and she's just beautiful and young. And I just wanted to go, "Oh my God, what are you doing in the suburbs? When I was your age, I was living in New York City." I couldn't imagine how awful it would be to be in a suburb, not even knowing if you wanted your own kids with some old, weird guy. So my thought was, "OK, I'm going to play along with this." Because this is what we're supposed to be doing, inviting her in. But the whole time I wanted to go, "Get out of here! Go, go! This is formative years."

The episode closes out with De La Rosa, taking some of Bryant's advice, doing a lap dance on Smiley while swirling a hot pink boa.

De La Rosa:I would like to blame it on the wine. Inhibitions were fully down. I look back at it now and I cringe to myself whenever I've seen that episode. Maybe I was feeling pressure to maybe push to be interesting — that's all I can attest it to. And the other half of it is just age. I was finding my sexuality and discovering myself literally on camera.

I think I probably got a check for like $1,200-$1,500 total for the entire season. It was not a lot. Also, there wasn't anything to compare it to.

'They were the uniform of these women'

As the series found an audience, a fashion staple that was as lavish and exaggerated as the women emerged from the shadows: the Sky top.

Cohen:I was obsessed with the Sky tops. I couldn't believe it. They were the uniform of these women. I think they were all designed by this one woman that they all went to and they all had zillions of Sky tops. They were these blouses that really accentuated their implants, they gathered in the middle with this jewel piece. I don't know that they were in style then, but they were in stylethere.

Keough:Oh, they were so fun. We wore them to the "Today" show and Al Roker was like, "What is this?" There's this massive plate on your chest. It's like, we're strong, powerful working women. These are our shields.

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This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.