Entertainment

'RHOC' Star Brooks Ayers Sits Down With Andy Cohen

by Kristie Rohwedder

I guess it’s the moment we’ve been waiting for? Brooks Tells All , a 30-minute interview with Real Housewives of Orange County ’s Brooks Ayers, aired on Bravo Thursday night. This one-on-one conversation with Andy Cohen was recorded before the Season 10 reunion was taped. Given the information that surfaced on Wednesday (not only did Ayers admit that he falsified medical documents, but City of Hope medical center claims they never actually treated Ayers), I couldn't help myself: I had to see what Vicki Gunvalson’s ex-boyfriend told Andy during the pre-recorded special. Will this do the trick? I asked myself. Will this interview put this disconcerting reality show storyline to bed once and for all?

At the top of the pre-recorded interview, Andy Cohen asked Brooks if he does have cancer. “I do," Brooks replied. "I’ve been in treatment. Chemotherapy, plus a lot of holistic approaches. Alternative medicines to build up my immune system … going on for 11 months. My numbers are normalizing. My lesions in my lymphatic system have now gone. They’re gone. CT/PET scans reveal they’re no longer there.”

When asked why the other OC Housewives are so reluctant to believe him, Brooks replied that they only talked to him about his diagnosis for "10 minutes" and obtained the rest of their information from Vicki. He said that if they were given information that didn't add up, it was because the information was misconstrued by Vicki. For her part, she said during the reunion that "her gut" says that he doesn't have it.

“Quite frankly," Brooks said, "Vicki misspeaks quite a bit to tell people what they want to hear or gain sympathy for us.”

After his special aired, Vicki spoke up on her social media accounts, defending herself and lamenting the relationship in the first place.

Perhaps the strangest part of this strange interview happened when Andy Cohen brought up Shannon Beador's doctor: Why didn't Brooks ever go?

“We were scheduled to go see [Shannon’s doctor]," Brooks explained, "but production got the dates screwed up.” The Watch What Happens Live host asked what production had to do with his treatment, and before I knew what was happening, I was listening to a confusing debate about two flat tires.

How did we get here? I asked myself. What is happening? Flat tires? Is this mess going to last forever or what? I'm not sure we'll ever know the truth of Brooks' health, but honestly I just want the whole thing to go away at this point. Hopefully this special was the last of it.