Real Housewives of New Jersey Blame Viewers for Their Continuous Fighting

“Doubt this article from the Associated Press (see below) gets posted, but I’m putting this on each of the Housewives Bravo blogs. Seems us viewers are not ‘loved’ like the cast mates always make out LOL. They kind of blame us for their fighting!! The ladies don’t seem to mind the money they’re making! Why don’t we boycott the RHONJ so that we don’t contaminate their getting along? I hate to think I’m the one making them fight or hurting their families!!!” – Katie1958, Housewives’ Bravo Blogs, June 11, 2013

‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ find peace

By ALICIA RANCILIO, Associated Press
June 11, 2013

Fans of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” may find this hard to believe, but the ladies are getting along.

The show, which airs Sundays on Bravo (8 p.m. EDT), has returned with new episodes, and as this fifth season progresses, viewers will see the five women and their families work on their relationships.

Of course, the road to peace wasn’t easy for Teresa Giudice, her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, cousin Kathy Wakile, and castmates Caroline Manzo and Jacqueline Laurita. As Manzo describes it:

“One step forward, 10 steps back.”

The New Jersey “Housewives” gathered at a New York City restaurant recently to talk about family dynamics and relationships playing out on TV and how the show has affected them.

AP: When a new season starts airing, do you dread it or look forward to it?

Wakile: Dread! (Laughs)

Gorga: I think it’s a little of both. It’s crazy when it comes on because there’s a lot said that you don’t see that’s filmed, and then we’ve come so far from where we were in the beginning, so it’s very hard to re-watch the beginning, but you just have to remember it was before the makeup and before everything got better in all of our situations.

Manzo: There’s also the social media aspect. The assumption viewers make not really knowing what’s going on, not really knowing how things played out, and they’re not very forgiving in what they have to say. For me, it’s all encompassing; and we film for six months. We don’t know what’s gonna make it on the shows. We see it three days before you do. The anticipation for us is, ‘When that DVD comes, what’s on this?’

Laurita: It’s not always our full conversations. It might be a snippet of it.

Wakile: The whole conversation can’t possibly make it. We’ve done so much work and the episode will air, and it will be something that happened so long ago, and our good feelings will get ripped apart by everybody making comments, and you start to question your relationships again. You’ve got to be really confident and know in your heart that you did come to a good place.

AP: What did it take for all of you to find peace?

Laurita: The show might be responsible for some of the fighting, but the show is also responsible for bringing us together, because if it wasn’t for the show and having us there, we would’ve probably gone separate ways and that would’ve been it.

Gorga: That’s the truth, I believe that.

Laurita: Because you’re on a show together, you’re kind of forced to face it and get deep to the roots.

AP: Do some viewers prefer to see you fighting?

Manzo: Oh, they love it.

Laurita: They do, but then when you fight they’re like, ‘Why can’t you guys get along?’

Gorga: When you’re fighting they don’t like it, and when you’re getting along they’re like, ‘Boring!’

Wakile: It’s what makes us different than the other (‘Real Housewives’) shows because these are our lives and our families as well. You may not know why we feel the way we feel. You may see some of what we’re feeling, but you don’t know where it stems from.

AP: Do people on social media sometimes add fuel to the fire?

Giudice: Sometimes they twist it and make it worse than it is.

Manzo: And it’s crazy because I don’t pay attention to it, but it’s such a huge part of what this show has become.

Laurita: It’s like, ‘You don’t know the full story.’

Manzo: You have to have a hard shell around you. For me, five seasons in, I’m bulletproof, but somebody that’s new in the game, it’s very distracting.

Wakile: And you’d hate for it to chip away on the work that you’ve come so far, and then these people start getting in your head.

AP: Did you ever think it’s never going to be fixed?

Gorga: Oh, yes.

Laurita: When you’re angry and you’re in it, you don’t see the light at the end.

AP: Has filming affected your marriages?

Gorga: It’s definitely pressure, but only the strong survive.

Giudice: It’s made ours stronger, definitely, because people are trying to come after my marriage and say that my husband is cheating on me blah, blah, blah, and I’m like, ‘All right, whatever. OK.’

Gorga: This whole season my marriage is under attack basically.

AP: Teresa, your husband seems like he shrugs off that stuff.

Giudice: Oh, he don’t care. It doesn’t really bother me because I know he’s not cheating. I don’t want my kids to hear.

AP: Has this experience made you look at other reality shows differently?

Manzo: When you’re watching it, you know (what’s real and what’s not). It’s very obvious to us now. It’s like a trained eye.

AP: By the time we see the reunion episode do you think you’ll all still be friends?

Manzo: We’re hopeful but we don’t know what lies ahead of us. We know how our last few weeks of filming was, we know what our final scene was, but we don’t know if any of that’s gonna make it on. We don’t know the story that’s gonna be told. So to say if we’re gonna be in this same place four months from now, it’s an impossible question to answer.

Gorga: We’ve come this far. It would be really sad to go backwards.

Giudice: I never want to go backwards.

Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar

“How many times has Caroline said in recent weeks ‘Who knows?’ That tells me alot – this ‘good place’ is not as good as we are being led to believe and very tenuous at best. IMO, these replies of ‘who knows’, ‘we’ll see’, etc. is to protect the storyline for Season 6. IF there is a next season. This is the approved Bravo response. If the ratings increase with everyone getting along, they may stay with that storyline, with only some minor tiffs here and there. On the other hand, if the viewer response is negative, then Bravo has the option to go back to all the backstabbing and cruelty. It’s all about the storyline. I keep thinking of Fredo saying, when he and Messy went to Teresa’s Milania Launch, that it was only for show, but then it came out that they were in a good place. He goofed by saying that. Apparently he didn’t get the feel-good memo. I always wonder if, in reality, they have always been on good terms and are simply playing the character they were hired to play. Then I think of the pain on Gia’s and Teresa’s faces and that pain is definitely real. – TNMom, June 12, 2013, Fame-Whorgas

In season 3, when Joe and Teresa were discussing the tabloid headlines, Joe Giudice said, as a matter of fact:

“This is what we signed up for.”

And they are paid accordingly — why else would the cast keep coming back?

Hat Tip: mzjulesaz, thanks for the tip on the AP article and comment by Katie1958

Insiders and Eyewitnesses Say RHONJ Cast and Producers Fake and Stage Scenes; Season 5 Premieres June 2, 2013 With the Same Cast

Insiders and Eyewitnesses Say RHONJ Cast and Producers Fake Scenes

In the photo above, Teresa Guidice, Melissa Gorga and Jacqueline Laurita go to Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City on Thursday, March 28, 2013, to support Kathy Wakile and her Dolci Della Dea cannoli making kit. The following is a report by Naughty But Nice Rob about the event and how they faked and staged the scenes:

If you are expecting to see all the ladies gang up on Teresa Giudice, think again – so far the producers want them all to get along.

“I saw Teresa arriving and saying hello to all of the other ladies, kissing them, and acting very friendly. So that confirms that they are, or at least, were all getting along as of last Thursday,” one source at the taping tells Naughty But Nice Rob. “I took footage on my iPhone and you can clearly see the producer guiding them through conversation and orchestrating the situations. It was kind of disheartening to see how involved the producers get. I over heard them say many times, “make sure you talk about this” – and literally direct people when to walk into certain conversations.”

Another eyewitness confirmed the account adding,

“The producers forced Teresa to have a 20 minute conversation with Kathy Wakile’s mother. They also forced Teresa and Kathy to talk about some incident with Kim D. I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but I think it had something to do with Kim D insulting Kathy’s appearance on QVC and making fun of her business venture with the cannolis. Melissa Gorga and Jacqueline Laurita also had a long conversation about some situation unfolding with Kim D. I did hear them specifically talk about the upcoming hair salon opening.”

However the biggest moment that was staged was when the women were running late to meet Kathy and the producers told her she needed to act upset and mad that they didn’t show up.

“I have video of one producer basically telling her that if she didn’t cause a scene, they would have nothing to use from that night. So, they made her and Richie have a 10-minute conversation about how annoyed they were that the other housewives didn’t show up, while Richie called all of them on the phone.”

The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 5 Premieres June 2, 2013 With the Same Cast

According to BravoTV’s website, RHONJ will premiere June 2, 2013. The following is part of Bravo’s “overview” of season 5:

• A sense of communal rebuilding encourages Teresa to rise above the past drama with her brother and sister-in-law, Melissa, and mend her family for good.
• Jacqueline struggles to cope with her son’s autism diagnosis while tensions from her fallout with Teresa push her towards her breaking point.
• Caroline fights to shed her reputation as a bully.
• Melissa strives to break free from the weight of her husband Joe’s family drama.
• Kathy attempts to step out of her husband’s shadow to find her own voice and launch her career.

Here is the other part of the “overview” of season 5:

Season 5 welcomes back the entire cast as Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, and Kathy Wakile pick up right were last season’s contentious reunion left off. This season they are on a mission for redemption, scrambling to pick up the pieces of their fractured relationships. The women also find themselves shifting through rubble after Hurricane Sandy leaves much of the Jersey Shore in ruins, including some of their homes.

“Bravo wouldn’t do bodily harm but it’s completely taboo to say anything [about the upcoming season] and you have to respect the position you’re in because they are my employers. I understand where they are coming from. There’s a lot of money put into these shows and they don’t need a housewife running rampant telling story lines, it’s the last thing they need.” – Caroline Manzo, Naughty But Nice Rob, April 1, 2013

From BravoTV’s website, Teresa Giudice’s biography:

“Teresa Giudice is a true Jersey Girl born and raised. The daughter of Italian immigrants, she grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, where she met Joe, her loving husband of 13 years. Teresa devotes herself to her four beautiful daughters — Gia, Gabriella, Milania and Audriana. A graduate of Berkeley College with a degree in Fashion Marketing and Management, Teresa is an inspirational working mom. She launched her own professional hair care line, Milania, and a line of bottled bellinis, Fabellini, and will soon introduce a line of ready-to-use gourmet foods straight from Italy, Skinny Italian-Fabulicious Foods, as well as Fabulicious Desserts. Teresa has also taken the publishing world by storm with her three New York Times bestselling cookbooks Skinny Italian, Fabulicious! and Fabulicious! Fast & Fit. Her fourth book, Fabulicious! On the Grill will be released in May. In 2012, Teresa showcased her business savvy by starring on NBC’s hit show Celebrity Apprentice where she raised $70k for the charity NephCure.”

From BravoTV’s website, Melissa Gorga’s biography:

It’s all about family for sassy Italian Melissa Gorga. She and her husband Joe Gorga have been married for eight years. They have three beautiful children — Antonia, 7, Gino, 5, and Joey, 3. A housewife and proud of it, Melissa blends old school Italian values with a modern lifestyle that allows her to follow her passion. She turned her dream of becoming a recording artist into a reality with multiple songs breaking the top ten Dance/R&B charts on iTunes, including On Display and How Many Times. Melissa is just getting started. Along with her blossoming music career and chasing after three high-energy kids, Melissa has written her first book, Love Italian Style: The Secrets of My Hot and Happy Marriage, coming out in September 2013. Little Miss Everything (as Joe calls her) has a lot going on. It’s hard work juggling career(s) and kids, but somehow Melissa makes it all look easy!

From BravoTV’s website, Jacqueline Laurita’s biography:

“Jacqueline Laurita, one of the original cast members on RHONJ, has been married for more than 11 years to her husband Chris, who is also the brother of another original cast member, Caroline Manzo. Chris is president and CEO of BLK Beverages. The couple has two sons, CJ, 10, and Nicholas, 3, and Jacqueline has a daughter, Ashlee, 22, from a previous marriage. Jacqueline has been a cosmetologist for over 20 years. Aside from spending time with her family, Jacqueline continues her passion and career in the beauty industry as an owner of a beauty Medspa in Oakland, N.J. called, “Altruistic Beauty Medspa” that should be opening late summer/early fall 2013. The spa is dedicated to those who are unselfishly devoted to the welfare of others. This sanctuary is all about giving back. Jacqueline always tries to see the good in people, but can hold her own when challenged. Jacqueline does not take anything for granted and believes that true wealth is about love, family, friends, personal growth and helping others in need. As a Warrior Mom, her mission is not only to recover her youngest son, Nicholas, from Autism, but also to help many other families by becoming an active advocate in the Autism community. You can follow her Autism Journey in Parenting Magazine from February-July 2013 as she is a contributing editor for the magazine as well as having an online blog on their website as well as her own.”

From BravoTV’s website, Caroline Manzo’s biography:

Caroline Manzo is the epitome of a strong New Jersey woman. Always putting family first, she is a devoted wife and mother of three children, Albie, 27; Lauren, 25; and Christopher, 24. Caroline has been married for more than 29 years to her husband Albert who runs The Brownstone, a very successful catering facility in Paterson, NJ. The business has been with the family for over 30 years and is one of the premiere event spaces in the state. Although Caroline spends the majority of her time managing the household, her family has been known to run her ragged as she supports BLK Water, Brownstone Sauce, and Cafface Beauty Bar. Caroline also has a new Podcast on iTunes, “Let Me Tell You Something,” which is a Manzo family roundtable each week. Caroline is affiliated with several charities including SCTNOW, a foundation dedicated to stopping child trafficking within our own borders, CROC, a foundation dedicated to helping cancer survivors, Best Friends Animal Society, Wounded Warriors Project, and The PG Chambers School, a NJ facility dedicated to educating children with physical and mental disabilities. Often described as a feisty spitfire, Caroline manages to have it all — family, friends and a career. In her opinion, that is what makes her a “Real Housewife” of New Jersey.

From BravoTV’s website, Kathy Wakile’s biography:

Since last season, Kathy has developed her hobbies into a career as a domestic diva. Juggling home, career, and family she manages to find time to be involved in raising brain tumor awareness, a cause close to her heart. Her Goddess Eye jewelry line gives a portion of sales to the National Brain Tumor Society and The Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation. Kathy’s dessert line called “Dolci della Dea” — Goddess Sweets — launched its debut product the Cannoli Kit on QVC and is aspiring to branch out to other retail venues nationwide, including Dylan’s Candy Bar in NYC, LA, and Miami. Kathy believes in having your cake and drinking it too. She has found a way with her “Red Velvet Cosmo” cocktail. She resides in Wayne, New Jersey with her husband of 21 years, Rich, and their two children, Victoria,19 and Joseph, 17. Despite all the changes in the last year, Kathy still loves to party and live life to the fullest. While keeping her finger on the pulse of so many different things she effortlessly continues to find the balance in everything she does.

Related:

• AllAboutTRH EXCLUSIVE: Producers Remind Teresa And Kim D What To Say While Taping RHONJ!

“In a recent episode, when they show Kim D with Teresa, they edited it to make it seem like she was leaving St. Josephs hospital in Paterson after her father’s heart surgery. This is not true. That morning Teresa and Kim D met at Kafe Neo in Totowa for breakfast. I work there, so was allowed to come with family in order to fill the restaurant without having random customers disturbing the shoot. From what I overheard at my table, it was a conversation about Teresa’s new fitness endeavors and obsession. She was dressed like that because she was shooting a fitness class that morning. Coincidentally, Caroline and Melissa and Jacqueline were also shooting at a gym in the area that morning. So expect for Melissa to play up a new fitness storyline this season to compete with Teresa’s.

“And also Kim D was consoling her about her father, in my opinion, as a way of proving why her and Teresa are still friends. They both were actually very nice and funny, making all of us laugh and taking the time to small chat with everyone there.

“A little insight into their filming: they had to re-film them both coming into the restaurant and eating breakfast. The producers had to keep reminding them to ask about certain things and make sure the conversation was going in the right direction. If Teresa stumbled her words too bad, they would start over and reenact the scene.

“Just like Teresa and Joe at dinner, this part of her filming was entirely cut out. The producers seemingly just wanted her to be with Kim D when she got the text from Caroline, which is such a ‘coincidence’ considering everyone holds Teresa’s continuing friendship with Kim D against her (Caroline even brings it up at their confrontation in the same episode). This is only one of probably multiple incidents where Teresa and Kim film together, for it to only meet the cutting room floor.

“I just found the whole thing quite funny, because the producers promised my employers camera time and exposure for at least our restaurant logo, and instead nothing but the parking lot made the final cut.”

Kim D gives a totally different account in her blog

• AllAboutTRH EXCLUSIVE: Teresa Giudice’s BFF Heather Gives Insight into What Goes on Behind the Scenes

Heather Maclean met Teresa five years ago, a few months after RHONJ started airing. Here are some highlights:

I helped Teresa get an agent and a book deal, and she told the publisher she wouldn’t write the book without me. It’s been 4 books now and we’re still best friends! I don’t ghostwrite Teresa’s blogs. I don’t ghostwrite anything. A ghostwriter is a secret, uncredited writer, and I’m credited on everything I write or edit. Teresa knows every word of her blog is going to be scrutinized though, so she does run her thoughts and ideas past other people to make sure they sound good… She talks about what bothered her in the episode, if she’s being too sensitive, whether she should say something this way or that.

I worked with a lot of different networks, but they’re all pretty much the same: they want great entertainment as cheaply as possible.

I was at the Posche Fashion Show where Teresa was forced to confront Danielle (I was crying in the corner).

I think the best way to describe reality TV is “real people put into unreal situations.” They cast interesting people, but filming them in their normal lives is never going to be interesting enough, so the producers amp up the drama. They’ll tell you, “This is boring! I’m falling asleep! No one’s going to watch unless you guys do something dramatic!” They don’t necessarily give you lines, but they will definitely give you suggestions, or tell you want they need you to say “for storyline,” but to go ahead and “say it in your own words.”

To be fair, the producers try and get as much of a real story as they can, but it’s almost impossible. Have you ever heard of the Heisenberg effect? It’s the idea that nothing can be purely observed because the very act of observing something changes it. The minute a camera shows up, reality changes… Not everyone in a cast member’s life will agree to be on TV, so you’re never going to get a true and complete picture.

Every relationship, especially with in-laws, is going to have its up and downs, but I think Teresa’s and Melissa’s differences have been greatly exaggerated for the show. Before the show started taping, they never missed a single Christmas together.

Penny Drossos Karagiorgis Tapes Scene with Joe and Melissa Gorga; Joe Gorga Defends Melissa Against Cheating Allegations; Teresa Giudice Calls Truce with Melissa Gorga; Joe and Teresa Giudice Double Date with Chris and Jacqueline Laurita

Angela ‏@angelacalce80
@JohnnyTheGrk say it aint so.. You and ur wife are now team melissa and joe

John Karagiorgis ‏@JohnnyTheGrk
@angelacalce80 It Ain’t So!!!
2:33 p.m. – Mar 3, 2013

On February 28, 2013, Joe and Melissa were photographed having a conversation with Penny Drossos, which suggested a reconciliation was in progress. In the photo above from Bergen.com, Penny is seen talking to the Gorgas at Chakra in Paramus. According to Bergen.com, “Melissa Gorga and her husband Joe Gorga stopped by with a few friends while filming a scene for the upcoming season of RHONJ.” [Click here for more photos from the event.]

A source told Fame-Whorgas that during the Bravo-arranged meeting Penny had with Joe and Melissa Gorga at Chakra in Paramus on February 28, 2013, Joe and Melissa were making accusations against Teresa in an attempt to get Penny to say that Teresa was complicit in arranging the phone call at the Holiday Posche Fashion on December 3, 2012, the call where a friend of Penny’s tells Teresa that he witnessed Melissa cheating on Joe Gorga. According to my source, Joe and Melissa told Penny that Teresa is calling her a stalker, and Penny, trying to protect Teresa while also defending herself against the accusations, took out her cell phone to show Joe that she has Teresa’s home phone number, cell number and text messages between them – Penny’s husband John communicated via text with Teresa during her run on the Celebrity Apprentice because he made a donation, and Teresa and Penny would communicate via text about event schedules and invitations. In addition, my source said Penny told Joe and Melissa that she’ll have to take up the accusations with Teressa; and, based on hearsay on Twitter, “it’s deemed accurate that Teresa called her a stalker, and Penny won’t stand for false accusations.”

Also, in a conversation that Penny had with Teresa about a week earlier, on February 18 at the Milania Hair Care launch party, Teresa asked Penny in front of Joe and Melissa, “Are we friends?” to which Penny replied, “We are cordial.” Teresa asked her what she meant, and Penny explained that they don’t go to each others homes, etc. and added, “We are acquaintances.” Teresa responded by saying, “Like when you come to my events,” and Penny interrupted her and said, “No, Teresa, when I come to the events you invite me to.” It seems that Teresa was trying to prove to Joe and Melissa that she was not speaking to Penny other than at the events Penny attended for season 5 but, according to my source, it can be proven that Teresa is misleading Joe and Melissa as well as others.

On February 27, 2013, Life & Style reported, exclusively, that Joe Gorga is defending his wife against the cheating allegations. About Byran ‘Bulldog’ Bowen,’ the magazine reports that Joe said: “Ha, ha, ha” and explained, “If there were skeletons in my closet I would never have gone on the show.” He also told Life & Style: “The poor girl keeps getting all this abuse for no reason. They find a good mom with a good image, and it’s like, ‘How can we take her down’?” [It is odd that he said “my” closet instead of “my wife’s closet” since the cheating rumors are about her, not him.]

On February 28, 2013, Starcasm reported that Teresa Guidice and Melissa Gorga called a truce and that Joe Gorga is ready to move on too. Teresa was quoted as saying: “Everything is good” and “you have to let things go.” According to their source: “The two attended a cast retreat in Lake George, NY were they hashed things out and agreed to put the past in the past for the sake of their family — especially their children.” [The cast trip to Lake George was February 10-12, 2013 — click here for the season 5 shooting schedule.]

However, on February 15, 2013, just days after the cast returned from their trip to Lake George where they supposedly worked out their differences, Melissa retweeted the RumorFix article that blamed Teresa for Melissa’s cheating scandal:

Furthermore, the February 28th Starcasm story contradicts a story by RumorFix on February 20, 2013. Acccording to RumorFix, they spoke exclusively to Joe Gorga, who said: “It’s a dirty situation right now.” He also said the women agreed to do another season of RHONJ together, but “they are not in a good place.” Joe stated that fans will see pictures of Melissa and Teresa posing together, but they are only doing photo ops for the show. “We’re family,” an emotional Joe told RumorFix. “She’s my blood, my sister … My heart is always open for her. When she’s really ready, without any of the bulls**t, I’m waiting for her.”

On a related topic, according to RadarOnline, Teresa and Joe Giudice recently double dated with Jacqueline and Chris Laurita, but it may all have been for show since it was taped by Bravo. Their source said: “Teresa knows what makes for good TV, and that is fighting. She’s been trying to get more people to be friendlier to her this season, but she knows she has to bring the drama for the ratings, and she’s definitely planning on doing that this season.”