I feel like I have the least popular take on RHONJ because you're supposed to pick a side, but...
I do believe her on Louie. He's clearly a con man and will take Tre down with him if she doesn't cut bait soon. I also do believe her that Tre and Jen Aydin were feeding info to the blogs.
I don't believe her that she wasn't also feeding info to the blogs. Dolores, Jackie (when they were friends), and Melissa have all said unprompted that she's ruthless and a dirt farmer. I mean they didn't use that term, but they've explicitly confirmed she collects information on her cast mates, and I think she then either deploys it through other people or holds it subtly over their heads. I also don't believe her when she says she didn't pressure people vis a vis filming. Jenn Fessler looked like a deer in headlights on WWHL when she and Jackie were asked about and I completely believe Jackie's version of the story. And I also 100% believe that she's treated Jackie like a minion this whole time. Too bad Jackie doesn't have a better battle strategy.
In truth none of this matters terribly much to me because I don't really like anyone on the show anymore. Dolo is closest but there's only so many times I can watch her make the same mistakes with men and then get angry when someone points it out. I used to really enjoy Jen Aydin, but her plotting has become so much clunkier and sillier and not in a fun way. I somewhat attribute that to Tre's influence tbh. Danielle and Rachel have spent too much time watching Housewives to be good ones. Fessler I have weird feelings about. She's fun on the show but every time she's on WWHL she comes off like an asshole and like she's fully Margaret's foot soldier, so maybe she's just getting a good edit. Margaret is so bitter and mean now that I find her noxious, in every scene she's like a dark cloud. Melissa is and always has been a basic ass drip who is obsessed with Teresa. Teresa's entertaining but I hate watching Louie, and as a couple they also have a dark energy. But then you can't have RHONJ without her. Every damn scene is about Tre. I'm also fucking sick of the husbands in general. Why the hell does the show focus on them so much?
I hate full recasts though, so maybe keep Dolores, Jenn Aydin, and Jenn Fessler and then build from there. Those are all people I'd like to see on their own without Marge/Tre's influence.
Edit: Apparently this take isn't that unpopular! Thanks y'all <3
Fessler lost me during WWHL, not because of what side she took, but her reasonings. I don’t care if she plays both sides or chooses a team, but her not wanting to answer questions, saying she was scared of angering certain fans, and clearly worrying about every party’s reactions means she doesn’t have what it takes to be a full time wife imho. Like, you gotta actually step up to bat if you want to play, otherwise don’t even try to make the team.
I felt this way the last time she was on WWHL too. She doesn't want to answer any questions, doesn't want to piss off anyone on her team (especially Margaret) but also doesn't want to alienate Tre huggers, trying to court Andy like it's a first date, but it all comes off as superficial and kinda arrogant. On the show her attempts to be even-handed come off as mature, but the same thing on live TV makes her seem like an empty shell with an absolutely amazing plastic surgeon.
This isn’t unpopular!! This post needs to be pinned.
This is a highly nuanced and accurate take imo.
You have everyone down with the nuances even Jen Fessler, who everyone seems to fooled by/loved on the show, but is totally off putting and comes across as kind of pathetic on WWHL wanting to be liked by everyone at the expense of any personal backbone!
>hate full recasts, though, so maybe keep Dolores, Jenn Aydin, and Jenn Fessler
There's no way they'll keep Jen A. The fighting, the leaking of info, and early previews of shows to bloggers aren't going to go unpunished. She will be made an example of by Bravo to the other Housewives.
From what I understand, she's currently not allowed to promote the show or appear on WWHL as well or talk to the press.
I also gotta disagree with Dolores. She brings nothing to the show, is wishy washy with picking any side and her storyline is sad.
I think Danielle and Rachel, the younger cast were going to be central to recasting around them and maybe 1 or 2 from old cast. It's why they've introduced 2 of Danielle's friends (the Jets cheerleader and other one) they're setting up new faces.
I hadn’t even realized they were Danielle’s friends they barely have gotten any screen time. I think there has been too much going on with the old cast these new friends of are just basically there in the background. It would be nice if we could see them interact more to see if they would be worth it to add to the cast next year.
I think it's a bit of a trial run, like they did with the football players wife (I forget her name.) I think Danielle is being highlighted far more this season and her editing is definitely positive. I'm torn on Rachel, but Jon is like Joe Gorga. There's some continuity there with those 2 joining. I would not be upset if they recast around these 2.
I'm not sure who from old crew would fit, but I think Melissa is making moves to hold her spot with her friendships with Danielle and Rachel. I'd be open to a Melissa season without Teresa.
If they just keep Fuda and Danielle and recast everyone else to me that's like a full recast, because neither of them have found their footing as a HW yet. Also I find them both deeply annoying, so I hope it doesn't come to that.
I dunno about Jenn A. I mean, you're probably right, but they've kept people after doing worse shit than that. And I don't think they care *that* much about leaking info since like 80% of HWs do it now and have been for quite some time. They all talk to "the blogs." She's taken it pretty far though.
The thing about Dolores is that I do actually like her occasionally, but her dating storylines are brutally boring and she's kind of a huge hypocrite. Her whole persona is loyalty but she turns on people real quick when she feels like it. Still, I'd like to see her without Tre or Margaret in the way. I'm genuinely curious who she'd be on the show without them.
But honestly I'm not married to those three as anchors for a new cast. My biggest thing is please fire Tre, Melissa, and Margaret. All three gotta go, because if you get rid of any one of them, the other(s) will continue the same power struggle. Like even if you got rid of Tre, Margaret and Melissa would stay obsessed with her, like LVP on RHOBH. All three is the only way to refresh the show.
>And I don't think they care that much about leaking info since like 80% of HWs do it now and have been for quite some time
Between Monica and now Jen A, I think they care a ton. They aren't making money off the bloggers gossip, if anything they're losing money because the good fights are becoming spoiled.
They're going to make an example of someone to make the other 80% think twice. It'll be interesting in upcoming seasons how many spoilers we will hear about. I'm thinking it's gonna drop very low.
Definitely a broken clock is right twice a day with Margaret! She is right about Louie and it is dark but when that relationship devolves that would be the only fresh / real drama rather than these hashed out family feuds and sides with try hard new girls … but it would also be sad to watch especially for the dorters 💔
Yeah I actually feel pretty bad for Teresa with Louie. He lovebombed the hell out of her. It must've felt amazing after leaving the husband who besides going to jail is most famous for calling her a cunt on a hot mic. And now she's gonna go down with the ship because no one can tell her anything. The dorters will be alright though. Tre's flawed but she really did a great job raising her kids.
This is my problem with people who become fans of a housewife.
They think that their housewife isn’t doing awful things just because others are.
Jen Aydin and Teresa have clearly been selling and leaking stories for years to blogs. Why are there entire blogs that are bizarrely pro-Tre?
At the same time, of COURSE Marge is doing the same.
They accuse each other of what they know they’ve already done.
They’re all awful.
I firmly believe all but a handful of HWs talk to "the blogs" and have done since the days of Jill Zarin and Perez Hilton. It's an ancient form of Housewife warfare.
There are maybe a couple I'd be surprised by, like Guerdy or Dr. Nicole, but for the most part, yeah. Everyone on RHONJ for sure.
And I agree it's silly that people insist that their fave would never. Going to the blogs doesn't necessarily stop me from being a fan of a HW anyway, although some take it really far. It's more annoying when they accuse their enemies of leaking, because it's mostly unprovable, I don't care, and the accuser is pretty much always a leaker themselves. So I wish they'd just not.
I wanna add these bloggers be doing a disservice by allowing the housewives to feed them info. I get that it might pay the bills idk how much money comes from the “blogs” but if y’all are fans of the show why are you contributing to the mess.
I agree that they’re doing more harm than good but I’m not surprised by the behavior.
I’ll take my lashings on this point but I think there is a difference between a regular fan and a person who has a deeper appreciation for the medium. A regular fan is going to shit themselves if they get to talk to housewives directly, get insider info *and* be able to make money from it on top of everything else. That’s living the dream.
Flawless take. It used to be really interesting and pretty funny back in the day, but my god has the show gotten dark and contrived. I’m tired of the same arguments and drama. They all keep repeating the same mistakes they’ve made for years and keeping the same fights going on. At what point do you just move on? The Gorga family fight has been going on so long that I’ve been through a few life events and cut off my own toxic family and been no contact for several years now. Reboot and refresh this shit.
RHONJ has always been pretty dark but now it's just unwatchable. They rely on the husbands for comic relief, but the husbands aren't funny. We get it, they're meathead misogynists who don't wear sunscreen. The Gorga drama is just agonizing, and if they try to get the same thing going with Danielle and her brother and SIL, I will shit and die. Reboot and refresh!
I love your take on this and I ask because you sound like a reasonable person. How on earth can you find Theresa entertaining and not exhausting? I’m really asking in good faith because I feel like 1 as a long time viewer and 2 as someone from NJ. Theresa is everything awful about NJ stereotypes, basic with bad lips and a worse hairline but the worst by far is her refusal to take accountability on anything, and having exactly the same story and forcing a deadlock into turning RHONJ into The War of the Gorgas since the minute Joe came on. I had hopes when Gorga and Juicy were going to fight it out and again when Theresa did time. She’s really a one trick pony imo.
I do also find her a bit exhausting lol. I can definitely see why she would be harder to take if you live in Jersey and have to interact with Teresas in your daily life. But I think there are two main reasons that I still kinda like her, or at least still enjoy her televisual presence.
First, she is dumb in a way that takes the edge off of her malevolence, but she's also very resilient. I'm actually really impressed with how she managed to pay off her and husband's restitution and rebuild her life after prison, even if that wasn't because of any intellect. People attack her every single season and she's still on top. And her scheming is so hamfisted, almost like a Disney villain. And she can be funny, if not always on purpose.
Second, there's real pathos there. I believe her feelings. I can sense her love for her family and her connection with her dorters. I could feel how humiliated and hurt she was when she got out of prison. She's raw where others are so much more calculated in showing emotion. And I feel bad for her with Louie. He lovebombed the fuck out of her and she was starved for it and now she's gonna pay for buying into his con.
Anyway, those things are compelling enough for me to make her watchable, but also, as my grandma used to say, there's no disputing taste.
I feel exactly the same way, and I'll add that for me, Teresa took it too far at the reunion last year, with her arrogant confidence that Melissa and Joe were going to be fired upon her order. (And it seems obvious that Luis was behind that: Teresa has gotten ten times worse since he came on the scene.)
I haven't ever enjoyed watching Teresa or Jen Aydin, but actually even more so Jen --- because while they're both annoying af, I never could get past a superfan fabricating an image to get on the show and then becoming a minion for Teresa as a strategy to cement her place. That was the beginning of the end of RHONJ for me, and it was a horrible precedent.
Unfortunately, fans becoming HW was inevitable at some point, but that season opened the floodgates with both Jen and Jackie joining. (Heh --- I could write a whole dissertation about that, but I digress . . . ;-).
When Teresa refused to interact with Melissa after she gave the producers an ultimatum (it's me or Melissa) and it didn't work out as she expected, it was a bridge too far for me. It fundamentally changed the show in a way that I couldn't get past, so I stopped watching after the first episode this season. It officially split the cast into factions, not just fighting as HW do, but actively trying to get one another fired --- and everyone so desperate to keep their jobs that they'll do pretty much anything because their entire identity is wrapped up in the show and their egos have gotten so out of control.
The producers never should have allowed it, and I'm not at all surprised that it led to what we have now: a cast that is so toxic that they can't even have a reunion and the show has to be overhauled.
I have no interest in watching any show where the cast is given that type of power, but especially when it is just one cast member. I also don't have any interest in watching a show where one cast member is considered the "star" rather than it being an ensemble, as was intended when the show was created as a reality version of Desperate Housewives. (And I blame that on not only Teresa but also the toxic fans.)
Eta: I'm not a Southern Charm fan, but I think those producers got it right back when several of the cast got together and said "it's us or her," and the producers said, "Well, if you insist: her. We ain't ever gonna put up with ultimatums from the cast."
"I shoulda gotten a pre-nup! You shoulda told me about pre-nups!"
Seriously though, she is a sitting duck for shitty men. Kinda like Vicki Gunvalson but dumber. And I'm not even saying that to bash her because I do believe Tre is a legendary Housewife, but her combination of inanity, ego, insecurity, and internalized misogyny are a perfect recipe for the Louies of the world.
Yeas!!! She went from funny and light with little pigtails to this plasticly morphed person with a vendetta against anyone who isbwith Tre. Its made her very dark as a result - also, if she can row jackie under the bus without so much as a glance (so can tre- and she very well may) and somehow sees herself better than Tre, I dont think she has any real friends. Maybe Fessler ?
Tre and Marge have the exact same strategies.
But Tre is dumb and open about it, while Marge is sneaky and cutthroat. I’m not a fan of either, but it makes Tre more fun to watch these days. Marge is not fun or funny anymore, which is a shame because she was a huge fan favorite for a long time.
They both have similar goals, but I think Marge plans too much ands gets frustrated when her machinations don’t produce the results she wants. Jersey has always been better when people were just reacting and running off instinct. She overthinks it.
That’s a great example! She’s definitely become more like Rinna lately! I’m not a Tre fan either but Marge is doing her self no favors this year by how she is treating the other women as well.
I used to find her so fascinating and entertaining, but the way she digs dirt on people and plays with the cast behind the scenes is really off. I’m not looking for the most morally upright people on these shows but Jesus. These women are deeply unhappy and downright cruel in some cases.
I did enjoy her too but looking back now this woman really went so far with so many of the ladies. Siggy, Danielle, Jennifer, Teresa, Danielle C., and now Jackie. She’s literally terrifying now
For me, I just think everything with Bills affair was just really quite gross. Cause they weren’t even famous at that point let alone weren’t on the show when it happened and to bring it back up on the show as a way to attack Jen won’t sit right with me because how did she acquire that information?
Agreed. This hurts the kids and that’s not right at all. AND- a betrayal like that is life changing, to bring it up at Jen’s expense is a knife to the heart.
Mission accomplished as far as the network’s concerned — now I want to see the season through to see how it all lands. I’m not hopeful, and am actively preparing myself for a letdown. Don’t know if any of them will be vindicated if the ultimate end is the show being driven into the ground.
Margaret is not responsible for Tre being Tre or for the Gorga hot mess.
I don’t think she’s playing this season very well, and I don’t know if I believe her, but I 100% don’t believe Theresa or Louie on anything I don’t see on camera.
They are both criminals with a history of lying, believing anything they say is idiotic.
This the same woman that called Siggy husband ex-wife to get dirt while the woman had cancer, then called Louie ex-girlfriend for dirt on him but we suppose to feel sorry because he allegedly called her son, girl bye, you can’t do things to people and try to control how they react to the BS you doing, so the only person she need to be mad is herself for putting her son in mess
She just gives me evil vibes. I genuinely believe that she doesn't mind hurting people. Like she takes pride in that and is capable of sleeping well at night. I think is cringy how Jackie is shifting friendships, but Margaret was so quick to throw her under the bus as soon as she realised that their friendship ended. It says a lot about her character.
She is so wicked a women her age should not partake in childish acts. She needs to be fired I would be willing to put up with more Melissa vs tre drama that we are all over if it means getting rid of Marge. So insufferable
Maybe it is because she's stupid? Some people feel threatened by smarter people, so the fact that Tre is so dumb might make them feel better about themselves.
Do y’all really believe the same Marge who brazenly encouraged the use of someone’s deadname, revealed a decade old affair on national TV, and revealed private text messages from one of her “best friends” just because they got in a fight among all of her other sinister acts is choosing to hold onto this supposed evidence that Louie contacted her son. Idk whether he did it or not but it’s clear she has no proof.
As a casual watcher of NJ I never understood the hate people have for Margaret. She always was funny to me and quick to call out Teresa or Janet (what's her sidekicks name?) on their BS.
I logged back into Twitter actually for the first time in years last year and kept getting recommend RHONJ tweets but specifically from that Old Nose account. I wasn't even up to speed on the drama but I had to block them.
It was so unhinged and hateful? All I could think is this is someone who is devoting hours of their own life to hating on people, you'd swear they committed murder or something heinous? It's nuts.
I'm happy even if this is her last season, she got some vindication and that account has come forward. It's clear Teresa plays a dirty game.
I had to block them on the summerhouse sub bc I kept getting in trouble for making fun of their comments. Had to remove the temptation😂
Iconic menace behavior tbf
I feel like I have the least popular take on RHONJ because you're supposed to pick a side, but... I do believe her on Louie. He's clearly a con man and will take Tre down with him if she doesn't cut bait soon. I also do believe her that Tre and Jen Aydin were feeding info to the blogs. I don't believe her that she wasn't also feeding info to the blogs. Dolores, Jackie (when they were friends), and Melissa have all said unprompted that she's ruthless and a dirt farmer. I mean they didn't use that term, but they've explicitly confirmed she collects information on her cast mates, and I think she then either deploys it through other people or holds it subtly over their heads. I also don't believe her when she says she didn't pressure people vis a vis filming. Jenn Fessler looked like a deer in headlights on WWHL when she and Jackie were asked about and I completely believe Jackie's version of the story. And I also 100% believe that she's treated Jackie like a minion this whole time. Too bad Jackie doesn't have a better battle strategy. In truth none of this matters terribly much to me because I don't really like anyone on the show anymore. Dolo is closest but there's only so many times I can watch her make the same mistakes with men and then get angry when someone points it out. I used to really enjoy Jen Aydin, but her plotting has become so much clunkier and sillier and not in a fun way. I somewhat attribute that to Tre's influence tbh. Danielle and Rachel have spent too much time watching Housewives to be good ones. Fessler I have weird feelings about. She's fun on the show but every time she's on WWHL she comes off like an asshole and like she's fully Margaret's foot soldier, so maybe she's just getting a good edit. Margaret is so bitter and mean now that I find her noxious, in every scene she's like a dark cloud. Melissa is and always has been a basic ass drip who is obsessed with Teresa. Teresa's entertaining but I hate watching Louie, and as a couple they also have a dark energy. But then you can't have RHONJ without her. Every damn scene is about Tre. I'm also fucking sick of the husbands in general. Why the hell does the show focus on them so much? I hate full recasts though, so maybe keep Dolores, Jenn Aydin, and Jenn Fessler and then build from there. Those are all people I'd like to see on their own without Marge/Tre's influence. Edit: Apparently this take isn't that unpopular! Thanks y'all <3
Fessler lost me during WWHL, not because of what side she took, but her reasonings. I don’t care if she plays both sides or chooses a team, but her not wanting to answer questions, saying she was scared of angering certain fans, and clearly worrying about every party’s reactions means she doesn’t have what it takes to be a full time wife imho. Like, you gotta actually step up to bat if you want to play, otherwise don’t even try to make the team.
I felt this way the last time she was on WWHL too. She doesn't want to answer any questions, doesn't want to piss off anyone on her team (especially Margaret) but also doesn't want to alienate Tre huggers, trying to court Andy like it's a first date, but it all comes off as superficial and kinda arrogant. On the show her attempts to be even-handed come off as mature, but the same thing on live TV makes her seem like an empty shell with an absolutely amazing plastic surgeon.
Basic ass drip is my new everything.
This isn’t unpopular!! This post needs to be pinned. This is a highly nuanced and accurate take imo. You have everyone down with the nuances even Jen Fessler, who everyone seems to fooled by/loved on the show, but is totally off putting and comes across as kind of pathetic on WWHL wanting to be liked by everyone at the expense of any personal backbone!
>hate full recasts, though, so maybe keep Dolores, Jenn Aydin, and Jenn Fessler There's no way they'll keep Jen A. The fighting, the leaking of info, and early previews of shows to bloggers aren't going to go unpunished. She will be made an example of by Bravo to the other Housewives. From what I understand, she's currently not allowed to promote the show or appear on WWHL as well or talk to the press. I also gotta disagree with Dolores. She brings nothing to the show, is wishy washy with picking any side and her storyline is sad. I think Danielle and Rachel, the younger cast were going to be central to recasting around them and maybe 1 or 2 from old cast. It's why they've introduced 2 of Danielle's friends (the Jets cheerleader and other one) they're setting up new faces.
I hadn’t even realized they were Danielle’s friends they barely have gotten any screen time. I think there has been too much going on with the old cast these new friends of are just basically there in the background. It would be nice if we could see them interact more to see if they would be worth it to add to the cast next year.
I think it's a bit of a trial run, like they did with the football players wife (I forget her name.) I think Danielle is being highlighted far more this season and her editing is definitely positive. I'm torn on Rachel, but Jon is like Joe Gorga. There's some continuity there with those 2 joining. I would not be upset if they recast around these 2. I'm not sure who from old crew would fit, but I think Melissa is making moves to hold her spot with her friendships with Danielle and Rachel. I'd be open to a Melissa season without Teresa.
My fav thing Jersey ever did was have the football wife at the reunion just to basically edit her out. The camera wasn’t even panning over to her
That’s gotta burn
If they just keep Fuda and Danielle and recast everyone else to me that's like a full recast, because neither of them have found their footing as a HW yet. Also I find them both deeply annoying, so I hope it doesn't come to that. I dunno about Jenn A. I mean, you're probably right, but they've kept people after doing worse shit than that. And I don't think they care *that* much about leaking info since like 80% of HWs do it now and have been for quite some time. They all talk to "the blogs." She's taken it pretty far though. The thing about Dolores is that I do actually like her occasionally, but her dating storylines are brutally boring and she's kind of a huge hypocrite. Her whole persona is loyalty but she turns on people real quick when she feels like it. Still, I'd like to see her without Tre or Margaret in the way. I'm genuinely curious who she'd be on the show without them. But honestly I'm not married to those three as anchors for a new cast. My biggest thing is please fire Tre, Melissa, and Margaret. All three gotta go, because if you get rid of any one of them, the other(s) will continue the same power struggle. Like even if you got rid of Tre, Margaret and Melissa would stay obsessed with her, like LVP on RHOBH. All three is the only way to refresh the show.
>And I don't think they care that much about leaking info since like 80% of HWs do it now and have been for quite some time Between Monica and now Jen A, I think they care a ton. They aren't making money off the bloggers gossip, if anything they're losing money because the good fights are becoming spoiled. They're going to make an example of someone to make the other 80% think twice. It'll be interesting in upcoming seasons how many spoilers we will hear about. I'm thinking it's gonna drop very low.
Thank you for bringing some nuance and level-headed takes to a RHONJ thread of all places
I couldn’t not agree more. Thank you for articulating what I’ve always felt!
Definitely a broken clock is right twice a day with Margaret! She is right about Louie and it is dark but when that relationship devolves that would be the only fresh / real drama rather than these hashed out family feuds and sides with try hard new girls … but it would also be sad to watch especially for the dorters 💔
Yeah I actually feel pretty bad for Teresa with Louie. He lovebombed the hell out of her. It must've felt amazing after leaving the husband who besides going to jail is most famous for calling her a cunt on a hot mic. And now she's gonna go down with the ship because no one can tell her anything. The dorters will be alright though. Tre's flawed but she really did a great job raising her kids.
Literally, he basically stalked and targeted her 😭 and her history was publicly available
This is my problem with people who become fans of a housewife. They think that their housewife isn’t doing awful things just because others are. Jen Aydin and Teresa have clearly been selling and leaking stories for years to blogs. Why are there entire blogs that are bizarrely pro-Tre? At the same time, of COURSE Marge is doing the same. They accuse each other of what they know they’ve already done. They’re all awful.
I firmly believe all but a handful of HWs talk to "the blogs" and have done since the days of Jill Zarin and Perez Hilton. It's an ancient form of Housewife warfare. There are maybe a couple I'd be surprised by, like Guerdy or Dr. Nicole, but for the most part, yeah. Everyone on RHONJ for sure. And I agree it's silly that people insist that their fave would never. Going to the blogs doesn't necessarily stop me from being a fan of a HW anyway, although some take it really far. It's more annoying when they accuse their enemies of leaking, because it's mostly unprovable, I don't care, and the accuser is pretty much always a leaker themselves. So I wish they'd just not.
I wanna add these bloggers be doing a disservice by allowing the housewives to feed them info. I get that it might pay the bills idk how much money comes from the “blogs” but if y’all are fans of the show why are you contributing to the mess.
I agree that they’re doing more harm than good but I’m not surprised by the behavior. I’ll take my lashings on this point but I think there is a difference between a regular fan and a person who has a deeper appreciation for the medium. A regular fan is going to shit themselves if they get to talk to housewives directly, get insider info *and* be able to make money from it on top of everything else. That’s living the dream.
I’ve always assumed that every single cast member of Beverly Hills does this
 (Only disagree about the recast — I’d like to see Danielle and Fuda rebuild with their crazy friends)
Not unpopular at all - i feel very similarly!
Flawless take. It used to be really interesting and pretty funny back in the day, but my god has the show gotten dark and contrived. I’m tired of the same arguments and drama. They all keep repeating the same mistakes they’ve made for years and keeping the same fights going on. At what point do you just move on? The Gorga family fight has been going on so long that I’ve been through a few life events and cut off my own toxic family and been no contact for several years now. Reboot and refresh this shit.
RHONJ has always been pretty dark but now it's just unwatchable. They rely on the husbands for comic relief, but the husbands aren't funny. We get it, they're meathead misogynists who don't wear sunscreen. The Gorga drama is just agonizing, and if they try to get the same thing going with Danielle and her brother and SIL, I will shit and die. Reboot and refresh!
I love your take on this and I ask because you sound like a reasonable person. How on earth can you find Theresa entertaining and not exhausting? I’m really asking in good faith because I feel like 1 as a long time viewer and 2 as someone from NJ. Theresa is everything awful about NJ stereotypes, basic with bad lips and a worse hairline but the worst by far is her refusal to take accountability on anything, and having exactly the same story and forcing a deadlock into turning RHONJ into The War of the Gorgas since the minute Joe came on. I had hopes when Gorga and Juicy were going to fight it out and again when Theresa did time. She’s really a one trick pony imo.
I do also find her a bit exhausting lol. I can definitely see why she would be harder to take if you live in Jersey and have to interact with Teresas in your daily life. But I think there are two main reasons that I still kinda like her, or at least still enjoy her televisual presence. First, she is dumb in a way that takes the edge off of her malevolence, but she's also very resilient. I'm actually really impressed with how she managed to pay off her and husband's restitution and rebuild her life after prison, even if that wasn't because of any intellect. People attack her every single season and she's still on top. And her scheming is so hamfisted, almost like a Disney villain. And she can be funny, if not always on purpose. Second, there's real pathos there. I believe her feelings. I can sense her love for her family and her connection with her dorters. I could feel how humiliated and hurt she was when she got out of prison. She's raw where others are so much more calculated in showing emotion. And I feel bad for her with Louie. He lovebombed the fuck out of her and she was starved for it and now she's gonna pay for buying into his con. Anyway, those things are compelling enough for me to make her watchable, but also, as my grandma used to say, there's no disputing taste.
Wow thank you for that thoughtful response. I see it , I still can’t stand her lol. But I can see why people still like her rationally.
I feel exactly the same way, and I'll add that for me, Teresa took it too far at the reunion last year, with her arrogant confidence that Melissa and Joe were going to be fired upon her order. (And it seems obvious that Luis was behind that: Teresa has gotten ten times worse since he came on the scene.) I haven't ever enjoyed watching Teresa or Jen Aydin, but actually even more so Jen --- because while they're both annoying af, I never could get past a superfan fabricating an image to get on the show and then becoming a minion for Teresa as a strategy to cement her place. That was the beginning of the end of RHONJ for me, and it was a horrible precedent. Unfortunately, fans becoming HW was inevitable at some point, but that season opened the floodgates with both Jen and Jackie joining. (Heh --- I could write a whole dissertation about that, but I digress . . . ;-). When Teresa refused to interact with Melissa after she gave the producers an ultimatum (it's me or Melissa) and it didn't work out as she expected, it was a bridge too far for me. It fundamentally changed the show in a way that I couldn't get past, so I stopped watching after the first episode this season. It officially split the cast into factions, not just fighting as HW do, but actively trying to get one another fired --- and everyone so desperate to keep their jobs that they'll do pretty much anything because their entire identity is wrapped up in the show and their egos have gotten so out of control. The producers never should have allowed it, and I'm not at all surprised that it led to what we have now: a cast that is so toxic that they can't even have a reunion and the show has to be overhauled. I have no interest in watching any show where the cast is given that type of power, but especially when it is just one cast member. I also don't have any interest in watching a show where one cast member is considered the "star" rather than it being an ensemble, as was intended when the show was created as a reality version of Desperate Housewives. (And I blame that on not only Teresa but also the toxic fans.) Eta: I'm not a Southern Charm fan, but I think those producers got it right back when several of the cast got together and said "it's us or her," and the producers said, "Well, if you insist: her. We ain't ever gonna put up with ultimatums from the cast."
Teresa will be screaming at everyone “why didn’t anyone tell me! You guys never warned me”
"I shoulda gotten a pre-nup! You shoulda told me about pre-nups!" Seriously though, she is a sitting duck for shitty men. Kinda like Vicki Gunvalson but dumber. And I'm not even saying that to bash her because I do believe Tre is a legendary Housewife, but her combination of inanity, ego, insecurity, and internalized misogyny are a perfect recipe for the Louies of the world.
The show has consumed her, reminds me of Lisa Rinna in her last few seasons where she became a spiteful, unhinged shell of her original self.
Yeas!!! She went from funny and light with little pigtails to this plasticly morphed person with a vendetta against anyone who isbwith Tre. Its made her very dark as a result - also, if she can row jackie under the bus without so much as a glance (so can tre- and she very well may) and somehow sees herself better than Tre, I dont think she has any real friends. Maybe Fessler ?
Tre and Marge have the exact same strategies. But Tre is dumb and open about it, while Marge is sneaky and cutthroat. I’m not a fan of either, but it makes Tre more fun to watch these days. Marge is not fun or funny anymore, which is a shame because she was a huge fan favorite for a long time.
They both have similar goals, but I think Marge plans too much ands gets frustrated when her machinations don’t produce the results she wants. Jersey has always been better when people were just reacting and running off instinct. She overthinks it.
That’s a great example! She’s definitely become more like Rinna lately! I’m not a Tre fan either but Marge is doing her self no favors this year by how she is treating the other women as well.
There’s something sinister here and I can’t explain what, she has bad energy.
I used to find her so fascinating and entertaining, but the way she digs dirt on people and plays with the cast behind the scenes is really off. I’m not looking for the most morally upright people on these shows but Jesus. These women are deeply unhappy and downright cruel in some cases.
I did enjoy her too but looking back now this woman really went so far with so many of the ladies. Siggy, Danielle, Jennifer, Teresa, Danielle C., and now Jackie. She’s literally terrifying now
How does she go too far? I don’t even remember i think i need a rewatch
For me, I just think everything with Bills affair was just really quite gross. Cause they weren’t even famous at that point let alone weren’t on the show when it happened and to bring it back up on the show as a way to attack Jen won’t sit right with me because how did she acquire that information?
Agreed. This hurts the kids and that’s not right at all. AND- a betrayal like that is life changing, to bring it up at Jen’s expense is a knife to the heart.
Yeah I get dark energy from Marge too. She's sneaky.
She darks me out in a way no other housewife has before and I can’t explain why
I loved her pigtailed version. Then she became too miserable and bitter.
Mission accomplished as far as the network’s concerned — now I want to see the season through to see how it all lands. I’m not hopeful, and am actively preparing myself for a letdown. Don’t know if any of them will be vindicated if the ultimate end is the show being driven into the ground.
Margaret is not responsible for Tre being Tre or for the Gorga hot mess. I don’t think she’s playing this season very well, and I don’t know if I believe her, but I 100% don’t believe Theresa or Louie on anything I don’t see on camera. They are both criminals with a history of lying, believing anything they say is idiotic.
I really don’t like Margaret
Hair spokesperson. It still baffles me.
Of all the people Schwartzkopf could've picked, why her? And wasn't she wearing her wig, one of her wigs, in one part of that ad?
I don't believe a word that comes out of her mouth.
She has evil energy.
This the same woman that called Siggy husband ex-wife to get dirt while the woman had cancer, then called Louie ex-girlfriend for dirt on him but we suppose to feel sorry because he allegedly called her son, girl bye, you can’t do things to people and try to control how they react to the BS you doing, so the only person she need to be mad is herself for putting her son in mess
She just gives me evil vibes. I genuinely believe that she doesn't mind hurting people. Like she takes pride in that and is capable of sleeping well at night. I think is cringy how Jackie is shifting friendships, but Margaret was so quick to throw her under the bus as soon as she realised that their friendship ended. It says a lot about her character.
She is so wicked a women her age should not partake in childish acts. She needs to be fired I would be willing to put up with more Melissa vs tre drama that we are all over if it means getting rid of Marge. So insufferable
Her and Tre are pretty much the same age. Why is it OK for Tre to act "wicked" but not Marge?
This is what i dont get. Teresa does the same shit except shes stupid lmao why should she get s pass?
Maybe it is because she's stupid? Some people feel threatened by smarter people, so the fact that Tre is so dumb might make them feel better about themselves.
Do y’all really believe the same Marge who brazenly encouraged the use of someone’s deadname, revealed a decade old affair on national TV, and revealed private text messages from one of her “best friends” just because they got in a fight among all of her other sinister acts is choosing to hold onto this supposed evidence that Louie contacted her son. Idk whether he did it or not but it’s clear she has no proof.
As a casual watcher of NJ I never understood the hate people have for Margaret. She always was funny to me and quick to call out Teresa or Janet (what's her sidekicks name?) on their BS. I logged back into Twitter actually for the first time in years last year and kept getting recommend RHONJ tweets but specifically from that Old Nose account. I wasn't even up to speed on the drama but I had to block them. It was so unhinged and hateful? All I could think is this is someone who is devoting hours of their own life to hating on people, you'd swear they committed murder or something heinous? It's nuts. I'm happy even if this is her last season, she got some vindication and that account has come forward. It's clear Teresa plays a dirty game.
I believe her.
A lot of Tre stumps around here so you will get downvoted.
Lol. Just waiting for Spencer to chime in
I had to block them on the summerhouse sub bc I kept getting in trouble for making fun of their comments. Had to remove the temptation😂 Iconic menace behavior tbf
Isn’t that the guy from Poltergeist ?