
Lauri Waring Peterson is the newest ex-housewife
Lauri Waring aka,”Mrs. George Peterson,” has left The Real Housewives of Orange County in the middle of the fourth season. Bravo TV had preempted this episode as “shocking,” but Lauri exited quietly to spend more time with her family. From the previews, I was expecting Vicki to have a hissy fit and leave the show amid some kind of scandal, but that didn’t happen.
I think Lauri’s reasons for leaving Housewives are similar to Tammy Knickerbocker’s; she and her kids need time to deal with things privately. She said that she hopes she doesn’t offend anybody by leaving, but why would she? Lauri has been an easy target of criticism by fans of the show, yet any negative remarks probably stemmed from jealousy.

Vicki, Quinn (a one season housewife) and Lauri at last season's cocktail party
Even during the first season Vicki remarked that it is easy to be jealous of Lauri because Lauri is prettier, skinnier, and has bigger boobs. But Vikki goes on to say, “I’m rooting for her..I just want her to succeed in life.” At the opening of the first season, Lauri had been working for Vicki’s insurance company for 3 years. Newly divorced and living outside the gates in a townhouse, Lauri said she didn’t need to work when she was married, but now she had to work to support her family. We all could see that Lauri wasn’t happy with her change in lifestyle, especially when everyone around her seemed living on easy street. But I had to give her credit for making the best of her situation, and striving to be a good parent to her less than perfect kids, and many viewers could relate to Lauri’s day to day adversities. But when Lari met her soon to be husband, real estate developer, George Peterson, the collective claws came out and Lari was labeled a “gold digger.”

This photo is from "georgeandlauri.com"
Lauri’s wedding was beautiful, almost dreamlike in atmosphere, and George remained laid back and in love throughout. Their married life seemed so serene…I would love to stop over to Georges unpretentiously decorated house for ice tea and prune roses with Lauri before heading out their ranch to ride horses. I think fans were waiting for change in Lauri, and she has changed a little bit. On the first episode of this season, while she was eating dinner with George at The St. Regis and calling him “Babe” every other breath, she said that she didn’t want to go to Dubai for their honeymoon because it was “too commercial.” (Gag) The titanium credit card (another gift from George) was another vapid moment.
However, Lauri has remained true to herself: honest, humble, strong, beautiful, and in my opinion, the one of the more REAL housewives in Bravo’s Housewives series. I will miss her and I wish her all the best with her family.
PJ