A small part of me wonders if all the drama on Real Housewives of New Jersey is a publicity stunt. I just cannot believe family members and friends can be so vitriolic towards each other. After some serious drama during the taping of The View last week, Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga continued their escalating drama on Twitter AND in their personal blogs.
On her Fabulicous website, Teresa told her side of the story about why she demanded a solo taping on The View. Teresa explains that she wasn’t aware of what Melissa and cousin Kathy Wakile said during their segment until watching it from her Miami hotel room yesterday.
Excerpts from Teresa’s blog are below:
“It’s hard to get your thoughts straight when you’re being interviewed for TV — especially when you’re trying to talk to 5 women at once like on The View and there are no ‘retakes.’
I only heard today that Melissa called me a liar or a fibber or whatever, when the press started calling me for my response. I’ve been telling the same story–the truth–since it happened. Suddenly Melissa has a new answer for it, fresh from her new PR people: it’ a lie and it’s my ‘crutch.’ Are you kidding me?”
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“Here’s the absolute truth: I had no idea Melissa or Kathy were joining RHONJ until the day a Bravo producer called me and told me. And I was shocked almost out of my mind because I literally had no idea… not even the tiniest hint. The two of them can split hairs all they want and dance around the exact when/how/why, but the fact is you don’t get cast on the show overnight. It takes interviews, phone calls, meetings, contract negotiations, etc. However much they did for however long I don’t know because it was all behind my back.
After Dina [Manzo] and Danielle [Staub] left in Season 2, there were two open spots on the show. None of us knew who they would pick. The producers interviewed tons of people in NJ. Every time one of my friends or even acquaintances got a call from producers for an interview, they called me immediately to tell me. Why would anyone who knew me interview for a show I had been on for two years and keep it a secret from me???
I got my contract from Bravo for Season 3 and just a few weeks before we were scheduled to start filming, I got a call from one of the producers saying: “By the way, the new Housewives are your sister-in-law and cousin Kathy.” Total shock. Never in a million years was that even a possibility to me because I’d never heard anything about it from them. In fact, when I was filming, Kathy would put the show down and say she could ‘never’ be on TV like that.
I called Melissa and Kathy to ask if it was true. They did not call me. They confirmed that yes they’d ‘interviewed’ but said ‘nothing was set in stone yet.’ They said they were still thinking about the offer and going to make family decisions about it. Um, what? *Family* decisions?!?
Melissa‘s very good at giving you carefully selective answers. ‘I interviewed on a Friday and told Teresa about it that Sunday’ is technically true, but far from the complete story.
Why is this important at all? Because the shock and betrayal I felt by my family joining the show behind my back (during an already hard time in my life) is why I was so obviously miserable during Season 3, and continued to affect my relationships with them into Season 4 (which you all know we filmed back-to-back).
I have fully admitted I’m not proud of everything I did and said in Season 3, but I was in a bad place and feeling very betrayed. I wasn’t excited going into filming with them because of how they joined the show. I worked through it slowly, and you see me now in Season 4 doing better with them (or you will very soon!).”
Teresa also addresses all the rumors about Melissa contacting Danielle to get on the show!
“I heard from many people inside the process that Melissa campaigned hard to get on the show from the first season and they didn’t want her. Melissa contacted Danielle during Season 2 when Danielle was still filming with us. Why? Danielle claims Melissa wanted to film with her (as a “friend of Danielle”???), but that Danielle turned her down (my guess is Danielle was afraid she was being set up).
I had no idea at the time, so when Danielle brought up Melissa‘s name and an accusation about the birth of Melissa’s baby during the Season 2 Reunion, you saw my response (and poor Andy felt it!). Never did I imagine she would have tried to work with Danielle behind my back to get on too.
I asked Melissa directly if she talked to Danielle, and she admitted it. Ask her yourself. You’re likely to get a typical half-truth, glossed over answer, but I’m pretty sure Danielle was smart enough to keep any of the evidence so she should be careful… There are just no words for how crazy this is to me, especially when you know, like Melissa did because I told her when it was happening, how much pain Danielle caused the Manzo/Laurita family — publicly and behind the scenes. In my mind, there is no innocent explanation for contacting Danielle. Period.
Melissa could have told me the truth from the beginning, and we could have worked together. Once she was for-sure on the show, I talked to her and my brother about exactly that: putting it all behind us and teaming up to take over the world together. They turned me down. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it’s because that wasn’t their plan…
I was told over a year ago by several different people behind the camera that to clinch their spot on the show (well before that one Friday interview I’m guessing), Melissa and my brother made a Godfather-style video where they acted out different crazy parts and talked about how they would “take me down” if they were cast and sent it to Bravo.
Apparently lots of people saw it and they all laughed about how ridiculous and pathetic it was, and that it was of course “TV gold.” I’ve never seen the tape. Does it exist? I have no idea. Maybe someone should ask Melissa.”
Teresa is adamant that she has “made peace” with Melissa and Kathy joining the show and has “accepted” it, despite the turmoil it has caused her and her family.
“After finding out about the possible tape and the definite Danielle connection, I STILL made peace with Melissa and Kathy. Then, after filming Season 4, we filmed the Season 3 Reunion in September, and they all came at me. I thought we were in a better place, and then bam! That’s when I stopped talking to them.
Since September I haven’t heard from Melissa or Kathy personally. I did send my brother and Melissa an invitation to Gia & Milania‘s birthday party in January. They didn’t respond, so I was surprised when Melissa showed up alone, posed for photographs, and left.
So when I got a call this week that suddenly Melissa and Kathy wanted a big reunion on The View, I’m sorry, I passed. Not because I thought anyone was going to attack me. Because we have a lot to resolve, and I didn’t think it could be done sitting on a couch in front of an audience for a few minutes. That’s not honest or real, and both things are very important to me.
Everything I’m seeing on Season 4 now I’m actually seeing with you all for the first time too. I had no idea everyone was talking and plotting behind my back… I can’t wait to start filming Season 5 so we can finally deal with everyone’s crazy face-to-face. It’s easy enough to be a tough guy behind my back, but let’s do this out in the open.”
And Teresa says she still wants to find a resolution and rebuild her relationships.
“Yes, I love my family, but I don’t like them very much right now. I can’t change the past, but in the present they continue to retweet bad stories about me and threats to my husband, they accuse me of planting every bad story that’s ever written about them, and they lie about everything. It’s not cool, not if you really want to move forward.”
Next up, Melissa has decided to take it upon herself to dispute Teresa‘s so-called lies. Taking to her personal blog, Melissa asks us not to believe Teresa’s take on things, because, well she’s a liar!
Some excerpts from Melissa’s blog are below:
“Bravo called me and said the View wanted Teresa and I to come on. I said I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea and I asked what Teresa thought. They told me she said yes already. So I said OK, I have nothing to hide, its fine.”
“The View wanted Teresa, Kathy and I to go on together in one segment. We knew this for weeks. The day before I got a call saying Teresa refuses to go out with us and she is demanding her own segment. I didn’t [sic] understand why, but I said fine. The producers gave us all our own dressing rooms.
We did not see Teresa the whole entire time we were there, not even for a minute. The producers came in and told us that all the women would be with Teresa because there was room on the couch. Kathy and I would have everyone minus Whoopi and Sherri. This was pre planned. Mind you Whoopi and Barbara both said they were not familiar with the show and don’t[sic] watch it.
Teresa did her segment and I was watching the screen from the hair and makeup room. I found her excuse really lame for not wanting to go on with us because she had just written us an apology in a national weekly magazine, but you thought this had to be private. You don’t want to talk in public? Is she kidding me? She is the QUEEN of telling the story in public.”
Melissa also insists Teresa wanted her own segment so she could badmouth Melissa and Kathy without interruption!
“I think we all know the Truth is that she wanted to be able to go out there and bad mouth us for being on the show without us sitting there and being able to correct her. She also went out there and said we all talk behind her back. Are we watching the same show?
Or is she constantly trying to ruin my marriage and my character behind my back? This is why she wanted to go out alone. Please don’t [sic] believe any of the victim crap she pulls saying we were going to attack her. This is why I called her a coward!”
As for Teresa‘s allegation that she hasn’t seen her family since the season 3 reunion taped, Melissa disputes this as well.
“The last lie is that we haven’t [sic] seen each other in 9 months, I went to Gia‘s Birthday party in February. I was invited and I came, I stayed until the very end and enjoyed it with the kids. These stories could not be more false. They were planted in the press and the press went with it. Me and my team don’t [sic] lie and don’t [sic] play dirty like this.”
And Melissa claims Bravo approached her to join the show and Teresa was aware from the very beginning!
“Lastly let me once and for all clear up the rumors about how I got onto the show. I was called for an interview on a Friday afternoon. Just an interview, Saturday the producers must have called Teresa to tell her they were interviewing me, Sunday, Teresa and I talked, yes she was mad they wanted to interview us but she knew about the interview. I was not asked to join the show until 3 months later.
She knew the first day we all went to film that we were all going to be there together. She was so mad that she wouldn’t[sic] sign her contract because she didn’t [sic] want us on the show.
The statement she put out in the press is a complete lie! To every extent of the word. Lies, lies, lies. If she wants to lie about her own life I will never correct her or get involved, if she lies about me, I will correct her.”
Well, if writing the War and Peace of reality television weren’t enough, Teresa and Melissa CONTINUED (caps more than necessary to express outrage and disgust) their feud on Twitter. And yes, ReTweeting a fan’s nasty comment is the same as saying it yourself! If ever two people needed a live-in psychiatrist…
Next up a fan complained to Melissa that her blog was full of errors. Melissa decided to use this as an opportunity to snark at Teresa!
Well, obviously Teresa wasn’t going to take that! Oh, no…
Our source tells us EXCLUSIVELY that Teresa definitely has Heather MacLean, her co-author for all three of her cookbooks helping her with other writing assignments. “Teresa has her friend and author Heather Maclean write all her blogs. Heather also does some of Teresa’s tweeting. Heather writes her Bravo blogs each week as well as her website entries.”
Our source adds that despite what she says Teresa has no interest in trying to get along with her family and is only looking out for number one now! “Teresa is done playing nice and doesn’t care to mend her family relationship right now. Her goal is to stay relevant, make money, and win over everyone playing the victim.”
Well, for all three of you that aren’t totally exhausted by the Gorgadice drama there’s an all new episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey tonight. Jamie Laurita exchanges vows, Caroline‘s head explodes over Teresa annoying her. And Melissa unveils a new song that autotune produced.
A preview of the episode is below! Reality Tea will be live-Tweeting during the 10pm EST showing, so don’t forget to join us and partake in the action!
My take: With all the carrying on and nonsense in the media, don’t they wonder we’ll be so sick of them we’ll stop watching the show? Andy Cohen owes these crazy girls a serious thank you for the enormous raise he no doubt received as a result of the ratings boom RHONJ has been experiencing.
Personally, I think there’s a bit of truth to both sides of the story, but I wish they would continue their issues away from TV!
WHOSE VERSION OF THE TRUTH DO YOU BELIEVE? ARE YOU TIRED OF THE FAMILY DRAMA?
