It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Tamra Judge and Kelly Dodd last season on The Real Housewives of Orange County (see the clip above for some proof). But when the RHOC ladies return next month, Tamra says you'll see another side of the SoCal pal in her sophomore season.

"When people love to hate you, it still makes for good TV but when people hate to hate you, it’s uncomfortable and the line has been crossed. She was really close to that line and I didn’t know if she could redeem herself, but she does this season," Tamra recently told The Huffington Post. "I mean, she’s still Kelly, but you see a softer side of Kelly."

Tamra thinks this shift came after Kelly did some soul searching following her rookie season. "She said outrageous things last season and I honestly didn’t know if she was capable of redeeming herself. She must have internalized, 'I was a bit of a jerk' and reflected. She knew what she had to work on and she is less abrasive this season. Last season she got in trouble for things that she said, but this season she really controlled her mouth," Tamra teased. "She is a great example of someone who learned from seeing her mistakes play back on TV and I was impressed by this softer side of Kelly Dodd."

RHOC returns July 10 at 9/8c. Check out a preview of what's to come, below.