I think it was definitely time to let go of Vicki - she thought she was untouchable and there were Nene-levels of behaving like she owned the franchise. I don't think there was a way to save her as nobody liked or trusted her and she believed that the network owed her center stage.

Tamra's interesting in that she IS a top-tier shit-stirrer - few are better than her (even on other cities). But her personal storylines were dead in the water. We couldn't watch her being a mom, her relationship was too stable for a HW storyline beyond Eddie's health scare, her business ventures were not glamourous (gym) and her personal interest stories (bodybuilding/getting baptized) were also beyond snoozeworthy.

I do think the mistake was to cut them both when Bravo had no suitable replacements lined up. They should have wooed the shit out of Heather (she's not my favorite, but she is a top-tier OC HW) and possibly tried to bring in a C-list celebrity's wife or someone from the Bravoverse like Lindsay from Summer House (not her per se, but someone who can bring that level of energy).

And yes - 100% agree that neither Emily nor Gina are remotely acceptable replacements. Emily...could still be HW # 6. But the only screentime Gina should see is as someone like Camille Grammer's assistant/friend Dedra who just sat around and nodded at Camille for 3 years.