Tamra Judge Closed Her Gym, CUT Fitness, Before Her ‘RHOC’ Return — Here’s Why
Published June 16 2023, 2:10 p.m. ET
Whether you love her or love to hate her, no Bravo fan can argue that Tamra Judge doesn’t bare all when she’s in front of a camera.
For 12 seasons of The Real Housewives of Orange County, the vibrant reality star has had some incredible experiences while battling real-life setbacks. However, one of Tamra’s most significant lows occurred after she was fired from RHOC.
During Tamra’s hiatus from the show, she and her husband, Eddie Judge, made a drastic career move that possibly led to Tamra’s return to RHOC in Season 17. After nearly a decade of them running their gym, CUT Fitness, Tamra and Eddie closed the doors on the popular facility.
Since closing CUT Fitness, the Bravolebrity has shared on RHOC how the decision affected her marriage and their future. So, why did Tamra close CUT Fitness? Here’s what we know.
Why did Tamra Judge and her husband close CUT Fitness?
When Tamra and Eddie began dating after her divorce from Simon Barney, the pair bonded over their love for fitness and looking and feeling their best. So it didn’t surprise many of their fans when they decided to open a gym together in March 2013, just a few months before their wedding on June 15, 2013.
Located in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Tamra and Eddie’s gym, CUT Fitness (short for Cardio Unique Training), was an intentional “micro gym” with no more than “50 people” working out in the facility at a time. Due to Tamra and Eddie’s RHOC fame, the gym ran smoothly until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Just two months after Tamra announced her departure from RHOC in January 2020, she admitted that the COVID-19 lockdowns, which began that March, impacted CUT’s clientele. While the lockdowns eventually ended, Tamra still struggled to keep the gym open, even after selling a piece of the space to a chiropractor to make ends meet.
In August 2022, Tamra and Eddie shut CUT’s doors down for good amid ongoing financial woes. Tamra briefly discussed closing her gym on her and Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave’s podcast, Two T’s and a Pod, and said the pandemic mainly caused the decision. According to the RHOC star, the business was “doing good” prior to COVID-19.
“Listen, we almost made it to [10] years,” Tamra said on her podcast. “I’m proud of what we did, what we built.”
“It is what it is,” she continued. “It’s sad. It’s a loss. It’s 100 percent a loss. It’s hard.”
Tamra denies that her ‘RHOC’ return had anything to do with her gym closing down.
Before they closed CUT Fitness, Tamra and Eddie publicly sold most of the gym’s equipment on its official Instagram page. Once eagle-eyed fans noticed that the couple was selling their items along with the fitness center and some threw shade Tamra’s way.
During the same Two T’s and a Pod episode where Tamra confirmed CUT was closing, Teddi addressed a comment Tamra received from a fellow small business owner. The owner wrote on Instagram that Tamra’s return to RHOC was way too convenient and stated she only came back to the show because “she has no money.”
Tamra refuted the user’s claim and said Bravo hired her back after she closed CUT.
“We decided to close our gym down way before I got asked back to the show,” Tamra declared, per Page Six. “So that had nothing to do with anything that's going on right now.”
In Tamra’s first scene of RHOC Season 17, the Vena Wellness CEO said her reasons for coming back to the show were more personal than financial. After her meltdown in the bushes during a fight with Gina Kirschenheiter in Season 14, Tamra said she wanted to redeem herself and show her calmer side.
Tamra did admit, though, that CUT’s closing has been incredibly difficult for Eddie since the gym was his “baby” and he loves helping others get fit.
While CUT Fitness is no more, many RHOC fans are delighted to see Tamra back on the show and will likely support whatever she does next.
Watch new episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.
