Wife keeping it ‘Real’

It hasn’t been easy for Newport Coast resident Alexis Bellino to get used to the television film crew that has trailed for the past few months as she eats at upscale restaurants, shops for designer clothes, and tends to her three young children.

The 32-year-old, tanned, athletic mom is waiting nervously for her reality show debut as the newest addition to the cast of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

“You’re going to be put in the public eye, good or bad, and you just have to hope for the best,” Bellino said recently during an interview at a local coffee shop. “I’m sure I’m going to be surprised by some of the things I do or say.”

The hit series starts tonight on the Bravo cable network, but Bellino won’t appear until the second episode, when she replaces “Housewives” veteran Jeana Keough, who is leaving the show after four seasons.

Bellino is throwing a big party at her home tonight anyway, to celebrate her outre into the world of reality television stardom.

Her blonde hair perfectly coiffed and lips glazed with pink gloss, Bellino wants the people who watch the show to know that despite all the bling, she’s really a stay-at-home mom with old-fashioned values.

“I hope I can touch people in some way and show them how they can be more Christian,” she said. “We’re in church on Sunday; I stay at home with the kids.”

Bellino hit it off with fellow housewives Tamara Barney and Gretchen Rossi, a Costa Mesa resident, but she has clashed with Vicki Gunvalson, a frenetic, blond life insurance saleswoman featured on the show.

“I don’t have anything bad to say about her; we’re just different people,” Bellino said of her interactions with Gunvalson.

Fans of the show will have to watch this season to see what happens when she and Gunvalson meet, Bellino said.

Rossi, who joined the cast during season four, had advice for Bellino on being the new girl.

“I told her to just be smart, because people might say something different behind your back than what they say to your face,” Rossi said.

Rossi and Bellino hit it off during taping.

“Even when we weren’t filming, we would call each other and go hang out, or I would go to her house and play with her kids,” Rossi said. “It was really nice not having to be the new girl anymore.”

Bellino’s entrepreneur husband, Jim Bellino, used to own the now-closed Margaritaville restaurant on West Coast Highway. He juggles numerous business endeavors these days, including pawn loans and house flipping.

The couple met at a Palm Desert resort six years ago and have never spent a day apart since. They have 2-year-old twin daughters named Melania and Mackenna and a son, 3-year-old James.

Bellino was searching for something new to do with her time when the show came along. She was introduced to the show’s producers through friends.

“This was a way that I could have a career while still being at home,” she said.

Bellino put a career in marketing on hold five years ago to become a full-time wife and mother.

“I’m pretty traditional,” Bellino said.

How To Watch

Visit www.bravotv.com/ the-real-housewives-of- orange-county to view a preview of season five of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

The season debuts at 10 tonight on the Bravo cable network.

A Newport Coast resident will be featured in the second episode of the series Nov. 12.