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What I Believe…

Regina | September 24, 2012 | 30 Comments More

(September 24, 2012) – While I couldn’t care less about this, I believe Melissa Gorga was a dancer at Lookers, the “gentleman’s club” in Patterson, New Jersey. The reason I believe this is based partially on the phrase “set up.” I believe that if someone asserts something that is not true, it is called “a lie.” I believe that if someone says something to embarrass you that is actually true, it is called ” a set up.” The other reason I think this is true is that Melissa went quietly bananas when she heard that Creepy Angelo was telling people she was a stripper and she called in her husband to amp up the drama.

I believe Melissa did in fact amp up the drama. She can say, as she did in the bathroom when she was talking to Teresa Giudice, that she didn’t understand why Teresa was so upset about what a stranger said, but it was Melissa who was upset enough to call in her husband as a reinforcement. Initially Joey G. didn’t get the magnitude of what Melissa was saying. He said he doesn’t believe she was a dancer because Melissa won’t even dance for him.

To ensure her husband got the picture, Melissa painted one for him to appeal to his protective machismo. She told Joey G. that she doesn’t want to confront a man without her husband at her side. Seeing in his mind’s eye that his wife may be on her way to confronting a strange man, Joey G. got wound up and wanted to know where the fashion show was. Melissa then said “I don’t want you to get involved.” Well that is not true. She would not be talking about confronting the man without her husband by her side, if she were not trying to lure Joey G. to do just that: stand by her in a confrontation.

That right there is one manipulative woman. Melissa is the kind of woman who gets her boyfriend or husband in a bar fight. And she is the kind of woman who could get her husband killed or arrested – especially if he is not particularly bright, or if he has little control over his actions when he is angry.

I feel sorry for Joey G. I do not believe he has any idea what is going on in this show. He operates exclusively on instinct and emotion. Being manipulated by Melissa is going to be the death of this man, unless she gets exactly what she wants.

And in this case Melissa wanted Joey G. to show up and express her feelings of rage that she was being exposed on television. This is why she lured him there. She knew exactly what to expect . She told us this in her video diary when she said her husband “has a temper. There is no denying Joe has a temper.”

I believe that either intentionally or unintentionally, Jacqueline Laurita was sprinkling gasoline on smoldering kindling when she showed Caroline Manzo and her daughter Lauren the texts from her “friend” who said Teresa and was part of the “set up” to make Melissa’s dancing past the subject of the Real Housewives of New Jersey finale. I used to like Jac. I thought she knew the difference between right and wrong. I am not so sure about that now.

What I am sure about is that she’s an hysteric, who does not adequately question information before drawing conclusions and sharing them with other people. She did this many times last night and she did this a year ago when she took to Twitter after this Posche fashion show and blabbered her head off well into the morning hours, before finally refusing to attend last season’s reunion.

I believe that very intentionally Caroline went out of her way to amp up the drama. Maybe not for the benefit of this episode, or to get attention for herself as Melissa did. But there is no real reason that Caroline needed to show Melissa the text messages on Jacqueline’s phone the minute Teresa left the table to do a shot with her brother-in-law. The only purpose that could possibly serve is to convince Melissa that Teresa was out to get her. That was pretty much all Melissa needed to begin her campaign against Teresa. And she had plenty of help in the parking lot outside were Jacqueline was spreading the idea that there was a “set up” and that Teresa was part of it.

I have no idea if Teresa had anything to do with the “set up.” I sort of doubt it, and I sort of believe it, but I do not “know” anything about the set up. One thing I am positive about is that there was no way Teresa could win in this situation when her brother stormed into the scene. She knew he was “going to take it to another level” because “he’s crazy.” And all around him are a pack of women repeatedly saying his sister was involved in the “set up” to embarrass his wife.

It reminded me of a brain washing where someone who is not particularly intelligent, who is operating purely on his reactions, is riled up to the point where he’s going to lash out on anyone in his path who he believes is responsible for his feelings, never realizing that it was his own wife who got him into this situation where he is strutting around a West New York parking lot enraged.

And who strolls over? None other than Kim D. who simply loves being on camera so she flashes a verbal red flag in his direction and escalates the scene by asking, “what’s the problem?” Joey G. then calls her “the scum of the earth,” “a slut” and accuses her of being drunk and using cocaine. What an ugly conversation on both of their parts. That Kim D. is really nuts. And Joey G is out of his league on this show. He has no real idea what is going on.

But Jacqueline does. She has to know that she’s stirring the pot as she is endlessly poisoning everyone’s impression of what is happening. She goes so far as to tell Melissa and Joey G. that Teresa was standing next to Angelo when he said he was trying to embarrass Melissa. I do not believe this is true, but I have no proof either way.

What I do have proof of is that as Mr. and Mrs. Gorga were driving away she mentioned that she doesn’t know for sure that Teresa was involved in the set up. That was just what her text messages said. After all the stirring Jacqueline did that night, it strikes me as a little too late for a “that’s just what I heard” disclaimer.

Near the end of this heinous episode, Teresa theorized that Melissa was not the person being “set up.” She suggested that in fact she herself was being set up and that Jacqueline was in on it. Jacqueline was outraged at that suggestion and asked “how dare (you)?” I could ask that same question of all of them, considering they’re all accusing someone of setting someone up.

At some point much earlier, Angelo said that both Kim and Teresa were in on his plan to expose Melissa. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is true about Kim, but I do not know if it is true about Teresa. I really cannot imagine why she would want to tell viewers that Melissa used to dance in a bikini bar. And I think that if she had a burning urge to share this information, she would have done it already. After all she’s had two solid seasons to tell us this. And considering how she allegedly controls the gossip in supermarket weeklies, she certainly could have leaked this information before the night of the annual Infamous Posche Fashion show.

While I cannot imagine why Teresa would do this, or how it would benefit her, Melissa can. She thinks Teresa needs a reason to explain why she’s been “tormenting” Melissa for the last eight years. The logic here is so outside of my realm that I simply cannot understand it on any level. Is Melissa suggesting that Teresa thought, “Eureka! I know what I’ll do! I’ll get someone to say my sister-in-law used to be an exotic dancer. That will justify my cruelty to the mother of my niece and nephew!”

I think that suggestion is just preposterous and serves more to make me wonder why Melissa is on this show if she truly believes Teresa is her tormenter. If anyone were tormenting me, the very last thing I would do is go out of my way to insinuate myself into his or her workplace.

I am so glad this show is over. After Russell Armstrong’s suicide there were rumors that Bravo would be giving psychological testing to all future cast members. After this season of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, I hope they add character evaluations and an IQ test to their vetting process because this show has become unwatchable.

And the sickest thing of all is that I will watch next week when the reunion begins. I planned to watch two installments of it, assuming they’d drag it all out for two episodes. Then last night I heard there will be three. I just don’t think I can hang in here that long because this cast is just too nuts, too illogical. For proof of this you need look no further than Jacqueline Laurita’s newest blog where she criticizes Teresa for remaining friendly with Kim D. even though everyone knows Kim was behind the set up. And yet Jacqueline also admits she is friendly with Kim D, too.  These people are just bonkers.

All photos are courtesy of BravoTV.com

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Category: Real Housewives of New Jersey

About the Author (Author Profile)

I am a New York City publicist who specializes in promoting luxury products and experiences and occasionally moonlight as a journalist.

Relatively new to the world of blogging, I have watched and enjoyed Bravo’s Housewives shows since the first season of the Real Housewives of Orange County. I created this blog over the 4th of July holiday of 2011 because I enjoy writing and love to figure out how to blend images and words to create something that is both visually compelling and interesting to read.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jayne.melton Jayne Haney

    It was all too much, somewhere during the fashion show my ADD kicked in and I lost interest in who set who up. I just wanted the episode to end.
    Did you catch WWHL? That was interesting, it really felt like damage control. (I am drawing a blank on the cute blond lady’s name) She said Caroline had acted like a bully, but was not really a bully and implied that Kim D was the one who set it all up. I was pretty crazy to watch the spin, actually I found that much more interesting than whether or not Melissa was a dancer.

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      I loved that WWHL. That cute blond is Kelly Ripa. I thought she was playing a diplomat by saying Caroline came off like a bully but that she wasn’t actually a bully. Still I like Kelly and I loved her husband, Mark Consuelos’s impersonations of Teresa and Juicy. I thought they were lovingly hilarious.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jayne.melton Jayne Haney

    It was all too much, somewhere during the fashion show my ADD kicked in and I lost interest in who set who up. I just wanted the episode to end.
    Did you catch WWHL? That was interesting, it really felt like damage control. (I am drawing a blank on the cute blond lady’s name) She said Caroline had acted like a bully, but was not really a bully and implied that Kim D was the one who set it all up. I was pretty crazy to watch the spin, actually I found that much more interesting than whether or not Melissa was a dancer.

  • FireFly

    Teresa is arrogant. Never listening or considering anyone else’s opinion or argument because SHE is the only one who can possibly be “right”. It’s a mindless ping-pong match. No one walks away any more enlightened than the way they came in.
    Teresa lies. She will deny . . . . deny . . . deny . . . . any involvement in negativity because it’s more important to her to be correct than to be happy.
    Teresa DID have a contract with a magazine that paid her for interviews. Teresa and her husband DO use the “c-word”. Teresa IS still friendly with Kim De Paolo. Teresa STILL won’t admit to any responsibility in the destruction of her family and friendships.

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      I have to look up the word “arrogant” to really agree or disagree. Still I must say that my sister insists that Teresa’s inability to say she’s wrong is huge in all of this. I saw her do something similar on Anderson Cooper today and he shut her down.

      He said, and I agree, that even if someone says something horrendous to you, it doesn’t make it right to retaliate by saying something cruel to them. They were talking specifically about what Teresa will say to Caroline at the reunion.

      I’m not sure why, but I don’t care about her supermarket magazine contract. What I do care about is that BOTH Teresa and Jac are friends with Kim D. I cannot tell you how odd I find that.

  • DeAnne Daniel

    As you said earlier – all this is about a ‘meant to be funny’ but ‘not funny’ comment in a cookbook? Then all this is about Teresa ‘setting up’ her sister-in-law? Doubtful. She is not that good of an actress. It’s WAY too much of my time to watch virtually nothing.

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      That’s such a good point. To quote Quincy it is much ado about nothing. A few days ago in the subway, I heard someone ask, “Is this really all about a meatball contest?” I am not sure what they were talking about, but I have my theories.

      It all makes me think there is no point in watching this show. At best, it is not interesting. At worst, it is rubbernecking the orchestrated demise of a family.

  • Jess

    Wow, we did not watch the same episode, or season, for that matter. Teresa was in on it from the get go. And if you were Jac, and someone was telling you something was going to happen to a friend, you wouldn’t warn them? Really? My husband thinks Teresa is too dumb to pull it off. I think she’s smart enough to attempt it but too dumb to not get caught.

    • Bk

      you would warn someone you had just met that your long tie friend was setting her up? NO. I wouldn’t. First, I think I would have the decency to ask the person I’ve known for more than a decade if it was true. The season showed nothing to suggest T was setting anyone up. No idea where that came from. The season showed T being treated like a rabid dog for the most insignificant, unbelievably reasons that it wouldn’t be difficult to believe she was the one being set up. In fact, have you heard of Mel’s PR team? They have quite the reputation.

      • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

        There is a really great blog, written by Quincy, that theorizes about what Teresa’s role was. I read it after I wrote this post and it makes sense to me. Here is the link: http://foralltrekkies.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-finale-teresa-falls-on-her-sword/

        After reading it, I now do not think Teresa set anyone up, but I do think she played a role in carrying the storyline from point A to point B. Jacqueline also had a HUGE role in all of this. By doing nothing so did Caroline and Lauren.

        • embee

          I agree with much of what you said. I think Teresa moved the story forward being a “good employee” of Bravo as she has mentioned. But Caroline did escalate the drama by taking Lauren’s or Jacqueline’s phone and showing Melissa the text messages while they were at the table. Lauren protested and tried to stop her mother but Caroline was determined.

          • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

            You’re right. Caroline definitely escalated it. I didn’t notice Lauren trying to stop her from showing the texts, but I’m not surprised I missed it. The truth is my TV is 18″ big and I sit too far away from it to catch lots of the details others brilliantly observe. Thank you for mentioning it. I’m going to look for that next time it comes on.

            If any one of these people (Jac, Caroline, Lauren) wanted to warn Melissa they would have done that, to the extent they had information that they chose to share with others.

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      Hi Jess,

      Thanks for commenting. My only question is ‘did Jacqueline warn Melissa?’ I am not the most attentive viewer but what I remember is that she texted with Caroline and Lauren, or at least showed them the texts from her friend.

      After a few days to think about this, I wonder why she didn’t send Melissa those texts or chase her into the bathroom to warn her about what she was hearing.

      As much as I used to like and defend Jac, I cannot help but notice that in this episode at least, her entire role was to define what was happening as a “set up.” As far as I can remember she warned no one and she did not tell Melissa anything.

      Did you see something different? I do not ask that in a nasty way. My TV is 18″ big. I miss things.

  • 2tall4u

    Tre was in on the set up. Why else would her BIL congratulate her “on a job well done” and toast her with a round of shots? Come one and wakey wakey. Tre still has a chip on her shoulder because Kathy & Mel were brought on the show. She was out for revenge and when Mel wouldn’t bite, she went into panic mode to try and cover her involvment. smh

    • Huh?

      Are you kidding? You have NO idea what her BIL may have been talking about. It could have been her book, she may have made them dinner the week before, etc. etc. You truly don’t trust Bravo’s editing do you? And just how was this a job well done anyway if he was talking about the “set-up”? Everyone accused Teresa of the set up so if she did do it, how was it well done if she was caught? And if your answer is that she didn’t care if she was caught – then why wouldn’t she have just admitted she knew the guy and knew that Melissa was a dancer? And wait, what’s the big deal anyway? Isn’t that what Melissa is doing now? Isn’t that why she hired Chris Judd? And now she is a mother of three and married so if it’s not a big deal now, how could it possibly be such a big deal then? If you’re answer is she wasn’t a dancer she was a stripper well you are wrong. In NJ you can’t have strippers in places where alcohol is served. And bald guy said “dancer” not stripper. Teresa said “dancer” not stripper.

      • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

        Hi Huh,

        I am not sure if you are responding to me or 2tall4U. Just in case you’re writing to me, I will answer.

        No I’m not kidding. I could make up many reasons he was congratulating her. And you’re right, I do not trust Bravo’s editing even slightly. I’ve been watching these shows too long not to recognize how manipulative that network is. And I’ve recently come to realize that I cannot trust this cast either. I believe they will say anything that Bravo tells them to say. If you want me to give you examples, I will.

        As for the idea that it is against NJ law to remove your clothes in places where alcohol is served, I think it is important to recognize that people break the law every day. In NYC there was (and possibly still is) a strip club where the dancers went into a stretch limousine with customers so they could do whatever they wanted without worrying about those pesky laws. Yes, eventually they were caught, but lots of people skirt the rules, especially in that kind of business.

        Thanks for reading and commenting. I hope you return soon. :D

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      My sister and I had a disagreement about this today. I would have a huge problem if someone in my family sought out a job where I work. My sister thinks it’s wrong to try to limit someone’s opportunities. I agree, but I don’t think everyone has to work at the same place.

      We’ll never agree about that, but I think you’re right Teresa is mad about this. I am not sure I’d still be, but I might be.

      With the meddlesome editing I do not know if her BIL’s congratulations are related to Teresa setting up anyone. Could be true. But I am not sure about that. What I am pretty sure about is something went very wrong and Teresa was trying to save herself from her brother’s wrath.

      I just wonder why Melissa called him. When I asked my sister that, she said Melissa didn’t know who she could trust. I do not believe that’s true.

  • misszippity

    I think the BIL was there bec. JoeGui couldn’t be – and that he was congratulating her for being able to get through the evening w/ the vipers w/out flipping a table or two: nothing to do with Angelo. But, Teresa is smart enough to know anything like this would make Melissa the center of attention and sympathy – come on, it weas a no-win situation for her and a win-win situation for Melissa bec. it is all old news anyway.

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      I can make up dozens of explanations for why Juicy’s brother was there and for the nature of his congratulations.

      The more I read comments and blogs, the more I recognize that if you want to prove something, you can use lots of circumstantial details to bolster your argument.

      Ultimately, I think that nearly everyone on this show is awful. If you pick sides, it’s very easy to prove your case against anyone.

  • beokay

    Teresa was basically blackballed from Jacqueline’s life for replying to a tweet from Danielle? Yet, Jacqueline remains friends with, Kim G, who accompanied Danielle in court after she pressed charges against Ashlee. The same, Kim G, that tweeted – Caroline is a dyke, who’s husband has a gf, etc… That’s all fine and dandy in Jacqueline’s eyes, Km is a good person? (she’s wealthy, immoral, miserable, arrogant, wealthy, wealthy) However, Teresa best walk a fine line if she wants to remain pals with the Manzo/Laurita bunch. Jacqueline, Dina and Caroline spent the first two season playing with Danielle’s emotions before ripping the rug out from under her on national TV. I don’t know… but I think they might have embarrassed her and her children. Just a wee-bit. Melissa is different though, right? Anyone know why? Maybe it’s not Melissa who is different, but the standards J & C hold for Teresa are very different than those they have for themselves. They chased down and met with Danielle’s ex, he took a polygraph at the request of J and C. The way I see it, I watched the entire cast degrade T all season. If she was in on the ‘set-up’, it’s because she saw her family destroying her friendships, along with everything she had worked for for four seasons. She wants Melissa off the show, and who can blame her? Kathy is chasing Teresa’s dream. She chases down producers begging to be on the show Teresa is already on, and now she is selling the same product. That is disgusting, IMO. Teresa waited for 10 months to sign the Bravo contract out of fear of what the show might cause for her family. Melissa and Kathy knew going in what it would do to their family and they chased down the producers anyway. Actions speak louder than words. People don’t want to think about that, but if you were ‘feuding’ with your family members and they brought it to your work place, you would be just as furious. Much less, if your workplace aired your family drama for millions to see. We aren’t talking about a healthy family relationship here. I wish people would cut the crap. What Melissa did to Teresa, and their entire family to get on that show is sickening. One more thing to consider – this show is known for it’s drama, the fights, the table flips, yada yada blah blah blah. They cannot turn into the NY hw now. They have to keep the drama going. Someone has to be responsible for creating the drama. Whether the set-up/lie/accountability-call was created by Melissa, Teresa, or Bravo, it was done for the show. Why is anyone shocked? The Marco’s have been on twitter amping people up for this very moment for over a year. Sorry. I fail to see how it’s such a big deal. I think Joe’s tantrum was the worst part of the event.
    I can’t possibly make people believe what I already know, but I will say one last thing before I leave this well articulated, perfectly thought out blog. Who is benefiting from what happened on Last nights episode? Melissa is. No-one else. Only Melissa. And who have we seen the cast breaking down all season? Teresa. Why would the target suddenly change? And why isn’t Teresa getting all of those pity-promotional deals if her PR team was behind this? And why doesn’t Jacqueline make any sense what-so-ever? :)

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      Thanks for your comment. You offered so many great thoughts. I will respond in no particular order.

      Jacqueline makes no sense because she is irrational. She draws conclusions without having enough information. Plus she has married into a very aggressive family. One false move from her, that shows any disloyalty (based on the Laurita’s definition of that, and she’s toast with her in-laws. She’s not strong enough to stand up to that.

      I do not think Melissa benefits from anything we saw this season or during this finale. Of course everyone sees everything differently based upon our own lives, experiences and unique point of view, but for me at least, Melissa seems single mindedly fame-obsessed. And her husband looks like a man who will sell his wife’s sexuality because he likes other people looking at her. Now this is just me, but the way I see this, it makes me think he is horrendously insecure and as a result does not see the world through his own eyes, but rather through the opinions of others.

      Plus, and completely parenthetically, he sees sexuality as violent and dirty. The whole “poison” thing is repulsive and telling, if you ask me.

      Caroline is a fraud morally. She has one set of rules for herself and the people she likes, and a completely different one for those she wants to destroy. I do not know why she is so angry. It is very possible this is because Teresa is the star of the show and she’s enraged she didn’t get that title. She once had a very strong control over this cast, but she lost it. I have no idea how this happened or how Teresa became the star. But I do know that the minute Caroline put Teresa in the scope of her shotgun, people like me, who never really cared for Teresa began to question Caroline more than I had already.

      She told us for at least a year it wasn’t about the ridiculous meatball contest or the comments that Teresa made about her in the infamous cookbook. She promised us that we’d soon enough find out what the real problem was and still to this day I have no idea what the problem was. But this is Caroline’s MO. She made that speech to Danielle Staub in a reunion long ago about “What you did (choking back tears)” and then she never said what Danielle did. I do not think Caroline faked those tears, but I am not Jacqueline. It is very difficult for me to get behind anything with zero details/facts.

      I don’t blame Teresa for wanting her family off this show. Even if none of this had happened, I really get wanting something for yourself without your relatives jumping on board. Obviously Teresa cannot and could not stop adults from doing what they wanted to do, but I really get why she didn’t want them to join the cast.

      The one thing I do not find disgusting is Kathy making desserts. All things considered I think Kathy has taken the high road on this show. To a great extent she’s stayed out of the more brutal aspects of all of the drama. As a result, I think she’s at risk for being canned for next season.

      And although both are trying to make names for themselves in the world of food, Teresa’s thing is skinny food. Pastries do not fit that definition. And I think Kathy is actually limiting herself dramatically by focusing on that.

      You’re 100% right and I’m glad you said it that this show cannot now become like New York. But what I wish they’d realized that there is a way to be relevant on one of these shows without being scorched-earth nasty. For proof of that, you need to look no further than Sonja Morgan. She has storylines. She’s an essential cast member, but no one who is honest can say she’s ever been cruel.

  • Tuzentswuth

    Priscilla, good analysis and insight. I don’t like any of the NJ cast, I only started watching after S2 or 3 because of blog discussions. I admit this so no one thinks I am ‘team anyone’. I was disturbed by the sometimes smug, sometimes delighted faces of Jac, Lauren, Caroline as they watched this. I think Jac wouldn’t show up for the reunion because she didn’t want to be asked who this “texting friend” was, so she hid. No one could call her out for whatever knowledge she had. Look at your screenshot above, Jac’s face doesn’t look like a distraught person as we were led to believe by Caroline at the reunion. Jac seemed to enjoy the whole situation very much.
    Now onto semantics…..”dancer”, “going away”….. These people need to grow up.The words they are looking for are “stripper’ or “exotic dancer” (very different from a dancer, Nureyev and Baryshnikov are examples of dancers), and ‘”jail” or “prison”. Going away is different, I recently ‘went away’…to DisneyWorld. LOL…because I wanted to and I left when I wanted to.

    • Jeannie5233

      Hi Tuzentswuth – first of all, I like your username – very imaginative! I agree with most of everything you said. Being married into a very, very “old school” Italian family, I have heard the phrase “going away” used for “jail” or “prison”. If you have watched MOB WIVES, you may hear it. Just wanted to let you know, respectfully.

      • Tuzentswurth

        I know they say that, I think it is ridiculous. I really enjoy your blogs, have for a long time. I always read even when I get too busy to comment. I comment more on FB b/c it’s quick and easy. I started using Tuzentswurth long ago when I wanted to add mine to an early blog and have always stuck with it. it takes some people awhile to figure it out. People have shortened it to Tuz, wish I could change my logins b/c now it just seems loooong to type. ;-)

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      Hi Tuz,

      Thanks for your generous words. Like you I have never been Team Anyone. And in fact, I’ve always had a problem with Teresa – especially during the first 3 seasons.

      Maybe I am someone who roots for the underdog (possibly true), maybe I am someone who hates a pile-on (definitely true), but this season I have grown sympathetic to Teresa. I’ve noticed this in myself in the last few months, but never did I think it’d compromise how I saw this show. Looking back on how I initially saw the last episode makes me realize that it did.

      Yes, Jac loved the drama. Yes Jac and Caroline and Lauren were just as guilty as Teresa for not warning Melissa about what they suspected was going on . (I’m being lazy in explaining what I mean because I have tried to explain this in other comments. If I was not successful I am happy to explain it).

      Still, despite all of them being guilty of amping up the drama and not warning Melissa, I now cannot gloss over what happened in that bathroom. Teresa actively introduced the idea of dancing to the screen during that last episode. If Melissa didn’t want that to be the subject of this show, and if she were smarter, she would have continued with her contention that it was not true and that she didn’t care what a jerky stranger was saying. I’m not saying I could have done it, but I am sure that attitude would have diffused the conversation, especially if she said, “sure I danced in a bar; all of the bartenders did.”

      But instead she lured her hot tempered husband into the scene. That, and everything that ensued in the parking lot, ensured that Melissa’s past would be front and center in all of the drama.

      The debate about “going away” vs. “jail” is not my world, but I do understand why Teresa preferred a euphemism. Just like Melissa doesn’t want her dancing past on this show, Teresa does not want her very real problems to be out there, unless she controls the message. I think that anyone who is honest would admit they would like to control their own image rather than leaving it all up to their frenemy.

      While watching Judge Judy (yes I love her) I heard about something called the Clean Hands doctrine. I am not a lawyer, but it sounds to me like it means that you cannot come to court saying someone has wronged you, unless you are completely free, in that incident, of having wronged the accused.
      (Clean Hands Doctrine: http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=211)

      If you look at that Posche fashion show as an isolated incident, I do not think the Clean Hands doctrine applies, but if you look at this show, and the last two seasons as a whole, I think Melissa’s hands are less than immaculate.

      In that way, I think Teresa and Melissa are birds of a feather. I think they’ve both proven that they’ll compromise each other and their family in order to be employed by Andy Cohen. I find this all very sick.

  • http://twitter.com/PreppyMeetsRedn PreppyMeetsRedneck

    I hate Teresa. HATE. I hate even more Caroline, Jac and Melissa for making me side with Teresa.
    From all the interviews I’ve seen since the first season, and all the footage of Teresa, the chick can’t tell a lie to save her life. Its quite obvious where Gia gets her over the top acting skills. Teresa had no idea who Angelo was when she met him at the salon and had no idea what he was going to do at the show. Teresa is 99% visceral. She is an in the moment kind of gal, who doesn’t plan, she just reacts. And Melissa seemed completely scripted to me. She’s calling Joe to come down, says she can’t find her car and then we find out he is right next door?
    And Jac’s big issue is that her past comes knocking at the reunion, that’s why she didn’t show up. Cocktail waitress my ass. She is my least favorite of all the housewives. She bailed on Ashley – tried to be her friend all those years, pretends to put her foot down and then send Chris in to do her dirty work. Then she undermines her husband. If she comes back next year and tries to use her son’s autism as a storyline, I’ll puke. I suspect she drank heavily or was trying to find the correct dosage for anti-depressents while this season was filming.
    What I find most interesting is that these women turned on Teresa because of the money and fame she managed to secure for herself. She became the breakout star that Caroline has assumed would be her role. And they hate her for it. Teresa’s likability was on a downward spiral – they should have left well enough alone. She was getting the shitty edit from Andy (and the producer who it has now been confirmed was the “friend” texting Jac at the fashion show!) and Joe’s antics were getting her bad press. Then, they ganged up on her. And no one likes to see that happen. Ever. People who hated her suddenly saw them do to her what they had done to Danielle and her kids. And the tide is turning and Teresa is going to come out of this cleaner than anyone else – she may even be the only one Andy keeps.

    • Tuzentswurth

      Amen and hallelujah PMR. I felt terrible for Danielle’s kids, the NJ gang are a bunch of dumb, nasty thugs. Best line? “Cocktail waitress my ass” lol
      Now Teresa’s daughters get to see their mother eviscerated (much the same as Tre did to Danielle for her daughters to see), Caroline gets to see her daughter act like a petty, mean, mindless thug with no goals or aspirations other than to scream and wave her pointing finger around over nothing that really matters in life. Jac gets to see her daughter wander aimlesly and whine and gosh knows what that girl will get mixed up in.

      • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

        Lauren’s personality and character were destroyed this season. I hate to say this word, but I must say that “twat” comment was much, much too vulgar for me to forget. Unless she does a 180, I will never be able to see her as anything but outrageously gauche.

    • http://www.facebook.com/priscilla.wasilla Priscilla Wasilla

      Was Joey G. really next door? That’s wild. And I know I shouldn’t care that he asked Melissa where the fashion show was, but I do. It is just more proof of how the cast will fudge the dialog to suit the plot.

      I used to like Jac. I could see she is overly dramatic and loves to be in the thick of it all, but that didn’t bother me. I know lots of people like that. But Jac is not harmlessly dramatic like some people I know. She allowed her daughter to be filmed looking like an ass. And she waffled back and forth all season long, disowning Teresa and then wondering why their relationship had changed. Sure there might be editing issues here, but in the parking lot where she defined the scene as a “set up” changed how the cast was seeing the events. And then to read her blog now! I just cannot take her. She criticizes Teresa for remaining friends with Kim D., while simultaneously admitting that she is also friends with Kim D. I just cannot take her seriously on any level anymore.

      You are 100% correct that viewers do not like a gang up. Without trying to get too deep here, I think that is a central characteristic of Americans. We just don’t like to see a pile on. By doing that to Teresa, her colleagues succeeded in getting people like me and you to see her in the most favorably light possible (granted it is a dull light), even though we do not actually like her.

      I have a feeling lots of the cast will be canned. Teresa has to stay. She’s the star of this show without whom there is no story. But the rest of them are very vulnerable. I like Kathy, but she has no storyline. Neither does Caroline or Jacqueline. Melissa, as much as I do not like her, does because she’s willing to go toe-to-toe with Teresa, even if it hurts her and her family deeply. If she were smarter, she’d walk away. But I am sure she’ll be back.

  • http://twitter.com/TalesFanGirl TalesFanGirl

    I’m so glad that you also saw how manipulative Melissa was, and how Caroline and Jacqueline inserted themselves into this drama. When an intelligent person like you has noticed this, you know that the Gorgas and the rest of the cast haven’t fooled as many people as they would like to believe. Even if I didn’t like Teresa, I still would have found it impossible to believe that she had anything to do with the “set up”, because she just isn’t smart enough to come up with an elaborate plan like inviting Melissa’s old boss and then pretending that she had nothing to do with it. The anti-Teresa crowd admits that she’s stupid; so how could she have had anything to do with the “set up”? She couldn’t even hold her own against Lisa Lampanelli on Celebrity Apprentice, how could she possibly feign ignorance in that had nothing to do with the “set up”? It’s because she had nothing to do with it, that’s why.

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