Teresa Giudice filed legal documents in which she argued for no jail time. She said the judge should not be influenced by her role in "RHONJ" because "the image is little more than a carefully crafted fiction, engineered by Bravo TV through scripted lines and clever editing." – TMZ, October 2, 2014
Regarding former executive producer Cat Rodriguez sending a tweet to Teresa:
“She would of been asked to make it public by the producers. They are aware of the what is being said on Twitter and blogs. Cat hates Teresa and Teresa knows it. I don’t know for a fact, but I can bet Cat was told to appear mutual to squash the rumors and Teresa would of had to go along with it.” – Former RHONJ Post Production Supervisor, September 23, 2012
Teresa Giudice Teresa GiudiceVerified @Teresa_Giudice @yourfriendkitty Miss you too! 9:54 PM – 21 Sep 12
Are they trying to send a message with the recently changed photo for Cat’s Twitter account (one with a Fabellini backdrop) and the tweet?
Here is Cat’s new Twitter photo (her account is protected) from a screenshot on September 21, 2012 versus her old photo from a screenshot on August 2, 2012:
It makes you wonder if all the cast members are part of the staged drama, if any of the fighting is real, and if they are playing the viewers to drive up ratings and to sell their products.
Why are Cat and Teresa tweeting each other? Did Teresa make her reply public by accident?
Cat also tweeted Teresa in March and May of 2011 but did not get a response:
Teresa Giudice @Teresa_Giudice I’m on the TODAY show with Kathy Lee and Hoda tomorrow morning! Should I bring them wine? xx
3 May 11 Cat @yourfriendkitty @Teresa_Giudice good luck tomorrow. Yes bring wine! Xo
Teresa Giudice @Teresa_Giudice Just dropped off gils at dance waiting with Audriana..beautiful day here everyone enjoy…Xx
12 Mar 11 Cat @yourfriendkitty @Teresa_Giudice miss you guys already! Big kiss to all of you! And Joe!
Pictured above and below is Cat Rodrigeuz, RHONJ producers, with the Gorgas.
AMA: I was a story and field producer for Jersey Shore (seasons 1 and 2)
Posted by u/[deleted]
March 2020
I never worked in production for RHONJ. I worked in a very different capacity.
Q:
I’d like to hear some Housewives of New Jersey stories. What seasons did you work on? Spill the juiciest tea you have on anybody!! Holy moly this is awesome. Thank you so much for doing this.
A:
Production and Andy Cohen mercilessly protect Melissa and Joe Gorga.
I know why but I don’t think it’s worth it.
The skeletons in their closet would make amazing television but producers won’t ever give them a bad edit.
And when they do something bad, you’ll notice that the edit is flipped and diverted, and both Joe and Melissa get an insane amount of talking heads to push their narrative.
When it comes to the Teresa vs. Melissa battles, Melissa was actually the villain. But, Teresa isn’t warm and fuzzy with people, in general… much less production, so she keeps getting screwed over.
Q:
Wow!!! This is great Scoop. Any other inside knowledge about RHONJ? Specifically Melissa and Teresa related. Although you have already provided a lot of interesting information! Much appreciated!
A:
You should read this interview. It’s everything that production already knew but it won’t ever see the light of day on television because Melissa will never get a bad edit. There’s much more than this but this will wet your appetite for a bit!
This article at the end implies Joe has a violent streak… have you witnessed that at all? I NEVER EVER would have guessed that… he always seems respectful of women.
Ps…. this is easily the best reddit post of my life. I could read your answers forever. Thank you SO MUCH for doing this!!!
A:
I haven’t personally witnessed that behavior. But he was very possessive over her. I could chalk that up to being old fashioned and traditional. I really can’t say either way! But a lot of that interview corroborates information that production dug up on them before they even officially joined the show back in 2010.
Q:
Ooh like what?
Is Melissa’s infidelity the only tv gold they’re holding back? Or there something else on blogs spilling other teas ?
A:
Her youngest son is fathered by her ex.
Q:
Does joe know this like is it an open secret?
A:
I don’t think he knows. He’s not smart like the show tries to portray him to be like this “real estate mogul”. But I can’t see how he wouldn’t know. The youngest looks exactly like her ex.
Q:
Omg this whole ass time I’ve been WONDERING for YEARS why the youngest looks nothing like joe.
Oooof that is perfect material for their soap opera vibes in the show
Holy shit! Can you say how you know? Why is Bravo protecting them?
A:
They are extremely tight with producers. One female producer, who no longer works on the show, allegedly would engage in inappropriate relations with the two of them all the time. I’ll just leave that to your imagination.
“Those photos are going to be coming out soon, you know, the ones of her with her ex, while she was married to Joe Gorga. The photos could be with one of the boys from Bayonne, another ex in Lyndhurst, Tommy, Butch/Bulldog, Brian, Ronald aka Gus, MikeC, Freddy, Vinny, or how about ‘group sex pics’ during spring break [in Cancun], OR how about someone that hasn’t been named yet, haha. There is plenty more that hasn’t been put out there yet. Mel has nothing to worry about right………..LOL.” – JanShe, May 30, 2012, AllAboutTRH
JerseyGirl, whose roommate is a producer for WWHL, told FameWhorgas on August 25, 2012 at 12:34 AM:
Well… okay, I don’t have a good full account to give you really, because my roommate is actually pretty tight-lipped about it, as it refers to his job. Andy is supposed to act neutral about all the housewives and is not supposed to play favorites, but it’s just known among the staff that he dislikes Teresa, particularly because of the homophobic stuff her husband has said, and also because he thinks she’s emotionally unstable. I don’t really know specifics. I think he likes the Manzos; when I suggested maybe they could leave the show, my roommate said, ‘OMG! no! They have SO many fans, their fanbase is way too huge, and it would sink the show if they left’.
I can try to ask more. I don’t think Andy sits around bitching/gossiping about the housewives… he has to act professional and is not supposed to play favorites, even though he clearly does. I asked a bit about Melissa going behind Teresa’s back to get on the show and he took the same adamant line that Melissa takes, which was, ‘Teresa knew! She knew they were going on the show! She didn’t go behind her back!’ But I think what Teresa means (this is just my own opinion) is that Melissa had been angling to get on the show for a while, and went behind her back in that aspect, and was not open about her blatant attempts to get on the show… especially when Melissa had to know how damaging it would be to their relationship if she went on the show.
I know they (the producers) have gone out with Dina… Andy LOVES her as far as I know. I’ll try to find out more, I just also don’t want to be rude and prying, since I know there are probably confidentiality things. The only other tidbit I got was that he knew ahead of time (like a few weeks ago) that there was going to be a huge explosion between Caroline and Joe.
END QUOTE
In the photo above, tweeted by Melissa Gorga on December 4, 2011, Joe and Melissa Gorga party with their ‘favorite’ RHONJ producers. Seated between Joe and Melissa is executive producer Cat Rodrigruez, who allegedly was fired for conflict of interest. Cat was a producer for RHONJ from November 2010 – October 2011, according to her website, yet the above photo was taken in December 2011.
“Cat Rodriguez [was the ‘friend’ tweeting Jacqueline and the others, except for Teresa]. She was the only person at Penny’s salon who was also at the fashion show that would tell Jacqueline.” – Will Love, September 30, 2012, Twitter
“Andy Cohen does play a role in the editing process. He has said so directly in interviews. With that said, overall Cat Rodriguez [@yourfriendkitty] and Caroline Self [@carolineself] have the most editing power. They are the executive producers of Season 3 and Season 4 of #RHONJ. They work on location and off location. They send the editors what footage to use as well as tell them what to keep in and what to cut out. Caroline Self is tight with the Manzos while Cat Rodriguez is tight with the Gorgas and Wakiles. Cat edited @PDKhair as well as multiple ex-coworkers of Melissa’s, who were present at the salon and fashion show, completely out of the two-part finale. Their interactions made the Angelo incident look g-rated. Obviously that move was deliberate. Furthermore, Cat held Penny back from defending Kim when Joe Gorga called Kim a drug addict, a cunt and went to punch her. Even worse, as you will see in the finale, Cat completely butchered the conversation Angelo had with a friend at the bar to make it appear as though Teresa masterminded everything. The unprofessionalism of Cat Rodriguez and Caroline Self is disgusting. In this economy, why are these the type of people who have employment? Only a network like @BravoTV would believe that their viewers are so incompetent that they wouldn’t see past the blatant bias.” – Will Love, September 18, 2012, Twitter
It is rumored that Melissa likes to take a dip in the lady pond. From the looks of the photo above and the tweet to go along with it, I wouldn’t doubt that Melissa had an affair with executive producer Cat Rodriguez to secure her spot on Bravo. Joe Gorga flashes the producers and crew and gives lap dances to Andy Cohen to secure his spot.
“Melissa and Joe are extremely tight with producers. One female producer, who no longer works on the show, allegedly would engage in inappropriate relations with the two of them all the time. I’ll just leave that to your imagination.” [Reddit AMA Link Below]
“Cat stepped in at the Posche Fashion Show — something that is a no-no for a ‘reality’ producer — to assist in defending Melissa Gorga when things got a bit rocky after Melissa’s ex-boss from Lookers showed up!” – StoopidHousewives, August 8, 2011
By Jazzyg, FameWhorgas September 20, 2012
I know a friend of Cat Rodriguez who lives here in Los Angeles, CA and she can confirm with me that Cat was let go for her conflict of interest when she produced season 3 and 4 of RHNJ. She was intervening during the PFS blowout, which is what sealed her fate.
Whether Cat Rodriguez and Melissa Gorga were having an affair, and whether that played a part in Jacqueline not showing for the season 3 reunion taping, the friend doesn’t know but it seems like that would fit the equation. The person I befriended didn’t know anything about that. I imagine if that is the case, Cat would keep that as quiet as possible. Being fired and the reasons for it spread out more easily within the industry.
The only reason I was able to confirm this info is because my friend was telling me about having worked on RHOC and other reality shows. She establishes the story lines but she insisted that even then you can’t and should not intervene to change the chain of reactions when filming.
I felt confident enough to ask if she knew anything about RHNJ and she told me about her friend Cat who used to work there but was let go for those same reasons. Cat was in charge of dictating to the cast members when they had to shoot, with whom, and what they had to talk about. But she crossed the line and became friends with some of the cast and was let go after it became a huge conflict of interest and caused her to intervene and change the course of filming (PFS, I assume).
Just to clarify, I do not work in the TV and Film industry but I have met a lot of people in it due to my job. The person who gave me the info is not a close friend or relative. She is someone I’ve known now for about 6 months and has worked for a lot of shows as a “supervising producer”, “creative editor” and as a writer. She certainly has no reason to lie and has good credentials (in my opinion). I believe her 100% and validates everything I’ve read on this site.
REDDIT AMA: I WAS A STORY AND FIELD PRODUCER FOR JERSEY SHORE (SEASONS 1 AND 2)
Posted by u/[deleted] March 2020
I never worked in production for RHONJ. I worked in a very different capacity.
Q:
I’d like to hear some Housewives of New Jersey stories. What seasons did you work on? Spill the juiciest tea you have on anybody!! Holy moly this is awesome. Thank you so much for doing this.
A:
Production and Andy Cohen mercilessly protect Melissa and Joe Gorga.
I know why but I don’t think it’s worth it.
The skeletons in their closet would make amazing television but producers won’t ever give them a bad edit.
And when they do something bad, you’ll notice that the edit is flipped and diverted, and both Joe and Melissa get an insane amount of talking heads to push their narrative.
When it comes to the Teresa vs. Melissa battles, Melissa was actually the villain. But, Teresa isn’t warm and fuzzy with people, in general… much less production, so she keeps getting screwed over.
Q:
Wow!!! This is great Scoop. Any other inside knowledge about RHONJ? Specifically Melissa and Teresa related. Although you have already provided a lot of interesting information! Much appreciated!
A:
You should read this interview. It’s everything that production already knew but it won’t ever see the light of day on television because Melissa will never get a bad edit. There’s much more than this but this will wet your appetite for a bit!
This article at the end implies Joe has a violent streak… have you witnessed that at all? I NEVER EVER would have guessed that… he always seems respectful of women.
Ps…. this is easily the best reddit post of my life. I could read your answers forever. Thank you SO MUCH for doing this!!!
A:
I haven’t personally witnessed that behavior. But he was very possessive over her. I could chalk that up to being old fashioned and traditional. I really can’t say either way! But a lot of that interview corroborates information that production dug up on them before they even officially joined the show back in 2010.
Q:
Ooh like what?
Is Melissa’s infidelity the only tv gold they’re holding back? Or there something else on blogs spilling other teas ?
A:
Her youngest son is fathered by her ex.
Q:
Does joe know this like is it an open secret?
A:
I don’t think he knows. He’s not smart like the show tries to portray him to be like this “real estate mogul”. But I can’t see how he wouldn’t know. The youngest looks exactly like her ex.
Q:
Omg this whole ass time I’ve been WONDERING for YEARS why the youngest looks nothing like joe.
Oooof that is perfect material for their soap opera vibes in the show
Holy shit! Can you say how you know? Why is Bravo protecting them?
A:
They are extremely tight with producers. One female producer, who no longer works on the show, allegedly would engage in inappropriate relations with the two of them all the time. I’ll just leave that to your imagination.
Q:
Was that producer named Cat (I think) and ended up leaving the show because she was so involved and protecting Joe and Melissa? There were tons of rumors about her and how she did everything she could to protect them. Since she’s no longer on the show, why are Joe and Melissa still being protected. If they’ve got these kinds of secrets this could be a HUGE ratings boost for Jersey. Also, there were rumors that Melissa and Joe made a video promising to take down Tre and Joe if they were put on the cast, is that true? Thank you so much for doing this!
Q:
What kind of skeletons are we talking here?
A:
See the link I posted. It’s only the surface but you can get a good idea from that.
I can’t reveal much more because I want to keep my anonymity but also want to protect those who I am close with that may or may not have worked on that show, for Siren, or for Bravo.
Q:
Recently Joe Gorga was destroyed by the media and viewers for posting a fake home flip photo (and pretending it was his work) to promote his company and brand.
He then deleted the photo after the backlash.
Any comment on this? I feel like Joe Gorga is a secret charlatan.
A:
Charlatan, LOL. But you’re not far off. He is a likable guy and very charming but he is disingenuous.
He would always complain about how he misses his life before the Housewives, he hates fame, and he misses how Melissa used to be low maintenance… yet he’s the first husband to always be ready for a talking head, get actively involved in the show, show up to every WWHL taping that Melissa does, and speak to the press.
Nothing wrong with any of that, but own it.
Back in the day, production would call him Giuseppina, the 6th housewife, behind his back.
Q:
About Melissa and strippergate…
A:
She worked at a strip club as a bartender but wasn’t a stripper. The set up wasn’t about exposing Melissa. The real setup was Teresa taking the fall for trying to out Melissa as a stripper. That was false. Teresa didn’t have anything to do with it. But because Teresa is a half-wit and a bad communicator, production always paints her as a villain because it’s much easier work for everyone.
Q:
Any tea on Andy Cohen?
A:
Not really. Other than you can always find out who the favorite housewives are at reunions. He won’t ask them the tougher questions or will sometimes qualify their answers and jump into the conversation.
AllAboutTRH EXCLUSIVE: Jan DeDolce Explains Her Falling Out With Melissa, Exposes The Melissa She Knows!
How did she approach you to film with her and her other friend Maria?
Out of nowhere, she calls me to go meet her for lunch. Again. She wanted to know if I told anybody about the night we were out at Sushi Lounge with Bryan. I said no, but of course there were other people there. And Bryan is friends with Penny!
So she asked me if I would come on and film with her to say that there was no meeting together. I didn’t really want to get involved, but she asked me to film because she needed girlfriends to go to lunch with her. Melissa doesn’t have a lot of girlfriends. If you look at her wedding party, I’m the only friend at her wedding. It was all family. Her two sisters, her cousin, Teresa, me, I think Kathy might have been there too.
She was like “Please, please, please,” so I said alright. Now mind you, I denied a majority of the stuff because I just didn’t want to get involved in this. So we go out to lunch and after that, Kim D and Penny start calling me and my partner. At first, they tried telling me that Teresa had a hair product line and she wanted it in my salon.
Kim D has this guy Damien who was friends with my old partner, set up a meeting behind my back with Penny and they wanted to see if we could get me to come on the show. I said I didn’t want to get involved, but then they said it would only be about the hair products and Melissa wouldn’t be there. Kim D gave me the whole run around.
My partner then begged me and said it’ll be good for the business.
At the time, I was still mad at Melissa because she had used me to get information about Bryan and to deny all that stuff.
So when we get there, they push Malcolm, who is my partner, to the side and they place me next to Penny to make it seem like we came here together.
The night at Bellissimo’s [with Teresa, Kim D, and Penny] I was defending her. They were attacking her and ambushing her. And, once again, I’m sticking up for her and Bravo switched it up because apparently Penny has a lawsuit with Bravo, so they didn’t use her in that scene bashing Melissa. I don’t know, maybe they wanted to make it look realistic. I have no idea. The whole thing was just fake.
They just started bashing Melissa. At the table, when they showed me saying all this stuff. It had nothing to do with Melissa. We were talking about an old boyfriend. It was just stuff that had nothing to do with Melissa. They re-arranged the entire conversation which was really messed up.
So then someone behind the cameras asks me to tell them about how Melissa cheated on Bryan, and I said no. I knew we went to dinner together, but I didn’t leave with them so I don’t know what happened.
So what you know is that you all had drinks with Bryan but you don’t know if she cheated. When was this?
This was right before she got pregnant with her third son.
Did Joe know that she was going out and Bryan would be there?
Absolutely not!
He obviously wouldn’t have liked that.
He would’ve killed somebody! She wasn’t even allowed to go to my bachelorette party, that’s how crazy they are together.
This blog post was originally published on September 23, 2012.
The following transcript is an interview with a former producer for The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The interview was conducted on September 17, 2012 and was first published at FameWhorgas in four parts starting on September 23, 2012. The interviewer, who exclusively shared this with FameWhorgas, was writing a piece on the reality of reality television and forwarded parts of the interview pertaining to RHONJ for the purpose of reading fan comments to get a different perspective on the transcript. I will not disclose the names of the interviewer and interviewee; however, I can say that I received this directly from the interviewer: this person, the one who conducted the interview, is the cousin of the former producer. My source saw that people were doubting the legitimacy of the interview when it was first published at FameWhorgas on September 23, 2012, so he/she wrote the following explanation:
“I was asked by my country’s main news website to write a piece on the reality of reality television. My cousin worked on RHONJ, so I asked for an interview. The interview was only given because RHONJ does not screen in my country, and I promised anonymity. We also don’t have any Bravo shows on television here. I called my cousin in Washington and spoke for 20 minutes before realizing I would have to watch the RHONJ to understand what was going on and who was who. So I went online and watched every episode and called back a few weeks later. The second interview (which was recorded) was an hour and a half and mentioned numerous shows from TLC and Oxygen, but I have edited it down to the relevant parts, mainly due to privacy for my cousin.”
Background Information
Q: “So can you tell me about your role on the RHONJ without giving away who you are”?
A: “It’s fine, my contract has finished. I worked on season 3 and 4 of RHONJ as a post production supervisor for 15 episodes.”
Q: “Can you explain why you no longer work with the RHONJ? Does it have anything to do with the rumors that the production team was fired due to a conflict of interest?”
A: “Not true at all, I can’t speak for everyone, um, there are quiet a few of the same team returning for season 5, but I was offered a role on another show and decided to leave for my career; no one was fired for a conflict of interest though.”
Q: “So how ‘real’ is the show? We discussed before (in a private conversation) about the various blog rumours; can you clear anything up?”
A: “Well, if you give me specifics, I can try.”
Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice’s Feud
Q: “I’m curious about the Caroline/Teresa feud. Was she really that angry that Teresa wrote those comments in her cookbook?”
A: (laughing) “Oh come on, at the start of the season the production team sits down and gives a general overview of where we want the storyline for the show to go. ALL of the wives are in on this. We discuss popular storylines from the season before, storylines that need tying up, and also ways of threading in new storylines that look organic to the story. Do you really think we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on just following these woman around with no plan? No, the season and the storyline has a basic outline from the first day.”
Q: “So you’re saying there is no feud?”
A: “I’m saying the feud you are being fed is for television only and there are bigger issues there.”
Q: “Then why are we not being told what the bigger drama is? Wouldn’t it be better to show that than manufacturing the drama?”
A: “It’s up to the wives what they choose to put out into the public forum; nothing is forced on them.”
Jacqueline Laurita and Teresa Giudice’s Feud
Q: “What about Jacqueline and Teresa?”
A: “We knew at the end of season 3 that their friendship was ending; the main reason, I was told, for the feud was because Jacqueline was offered several endorsement deals (including a teeth whitener and a real fruit-based alchohol), and Teresa organised deals for herself with similar products which turned off the company wanting to invest in Jax and the Housewives’ name.”
Q: “Well, why was this not mentioned throughout the season? Why are we getting this confusing story that makes Jacqueline look crazy? Why not explain this to the viewers?”
A: “Jacqueline’s ‘character’ wouldn’t have endorsement deals; it didn’t feel right for the character. Jacqueline (the character) is a loving home mother who is trying to raise her children; we couldn’t go from doting housewife to celebrity endorsement maker; it wouldn’t feel organic.”
Dina Manzo Quitting the Show in Season 2
Q: “In season 2 you had a change of cast with Dina Manzo leaving; did she really leave because of Danielle?”
Q: “What about Teresa? Did Teresa threaten to walk too?”
A: “No, none of the other wives did; that is why Dina is so angry at her family; I guess she feels like they chose the show over her.”
Q: “Well they did, so why is she speaking to Teresa then and not the others?”
A: “The others were her family.”
The Addition of the Gorgas to the Show and the Christening in Season 3
Q: “So tell me about the casting of the Gorga family? Did they really send in an audition tape saying they would take down Teresa, mafia style?”
A: “They auditioned, as does everyone. Look, it’s not like just because she is Teresa’s sister-in-law we instantly cast her because we had heard of bad blood between them. Teresa’s brother and Melissa were filmed for a short period and that was edited into a small compilation to see if they were interesting enough to be on television. This happens on every single show. Melissa does say that they will take down Teresa in the video, but in a playful manner. I’m also sure it’s been leaked onto the net, so it wouldn’t be hard to find.”
Q: “What can you tell me about the christening episode that introduces the Gorgas?”
A: “Well, I can say I was actually there that day. It was our first full day filming with a large team; we had been filming previous to that, but they were establishing shots. It was much worse than what was shown: the extended family didn’t want anything on camera, so what you don’t see is family members getting violent with the crew and grabbing their cameras and ripping microphone packs off and throwing them across the room. It was chaos.”
Q: “Why did Joe Gorga react the way he did? He was crazy.”
A: “I’ll just say, first day shooting nerves can make some drink and others take….I’ll leave it at that.”
Editing Problems with Season 4
Q: “What is going on with the editing for this season [season 4]?
FAMEWHORGAS 