njbchlover

I agree. Seeing the houses all completed and not space by space, there was A LOT in each of those homes that I did not like at all!! And, I didn't catch the floorplan for the homes in the beginning of the episode, but is there only ONE bedroom in these houses?

I had one of these, only I think it was back in the late 1960's!!! I played 45's on it!! I guess I'm old - or should I say "vintage"? 😂

That's pretty interesting, but that photo of Teresa and the girls looks "off" for some reason. There's a weird grey area in between Gabriela and Gia. Either way, I still think that somehow, Joe Gorga screwed over Louis and Teresa in this business deal. Personally, I wouldn't trust Joe Gorga with any type of business - he's had so many failed ones - either because he never followed through or was too stupid to understand the intricacies and legalities of said business. I wouldn't give him 25 cents, let alone thousands of dollars. And, I can totally see how something like this could be the final breaking point for Joe and Teresa. Didn't their father stop speaking to Kathy and Rose's Mom (his sister-?) and Dad over some small loan of a couple hundred buck for a business?

I posted this in the media thread, but here's my thoughts regarding Paul: This could be the reason why Paul doesn't seem to want to do too much group filming. Obviously, he's seen the show, so maybe he doesn't want to associate with these aged-out frat boys while they are pouring alcohol straight from the bottle down each other's throats, drinking out of fake penis straws, constantly talking about sex (that they probably are NOT getting) and just acting like immature fools. Paul has what seems to be a legitimate high-end business and maybe he's being a smart businessman and doesn't want to jeopardize that. Or, maybe he simply doesn't like, or want to kiss the feet of, the apparent insipid leader of the pack, Joe Gorga. For what it's worth, I think Paul is making a good decision.

And, THIS could be the reason why Paul doesn't seem to want to do too much group filming. Obviously, he's seen the show, so maybe he doesn't want to associate with these aged-out frat boys while they are pouring alcohol straight from the bottle down each other's throats, drinking out of penis straws, constantly talking about sex (that they probably are NOT getting) and just acting like immature fools. Paul has what seems to be a legitimate high-end business and maybe he's being a smart businessman and doesn't want to jeopardize that. Or, maybe he simply doesn't like, or want to kiss the feet of, the apparent insipid leader of the pack, Joe Gorga. For what it's worth, I think Paul is making a good decision.

I liked Page and Mitch's house, too. I kind of liked Michel and Anthony's, but was disappointed that they chose not to include a grill or outdoor kitchen area and they didn't get dinged for that. Plus, that double faced fireplace was just way too tall. (Although, if there will be more homes built behind these houses, that may become a blessing and design advantage.) I didn't like much of the Baumler's, but I don't know if it's because I don't really them, or I'm just not into the "hotel as a home" design aesthetic. The movie screen/pergola/climbing wall was just okay, how much use would you really get from the movie screen? The weather must get fairly cold in the late fall/winter/early spring, so even if you had the firepit going, you'd still be cold out there watching a movie. Plus, if this is going to be an development with an HOA, the HOA may have restrictions on that. Also, I didn't notice any soft landing/safety ground cover on the side with the climbing holds. That didn't appeal to me, as it was a safety hazard. I was surprised that none of the teams mounted an outdoor TV in the covered patio area of their homes, which would be more useable and more cost effective than that retractable theatre-style screen. I also loved the chess board - you could purchase large checker pieces so that those that don't play chess or younger children could also play. The parkour thing just looked like a lawsuit waiting to happen - I wouldn't have given the Baumler's the win just for that alone. Although, I feel like this show likes to make a basically "even" playing field going into the finale, so it was their week to win.

I really dislike black or charcoal grey exterior finishes, but expecially black. It just looks so dreary and not welcoming. There's so much natural beauty in that area - to just put a big black box in the middle of it is distracting - even with the small area of contrasting wood/stone. I do wonder if any of them will have any money remaining. At this point, they all seem to have low remaining budgets to do the rest of house, unless they are only going to pick one or two rooms. Although, if they are doing everything through Wayfair and they are going to put together a couple of kids/guest bedrooms, they can use lower-end furnishings, linens and accessories and it won't eat into their remaining budgets too much.

Oh, well that explains it all! Thanks for the clarification!! In that case, I would not be surprised if Louie was the one to write that reply to Melissa!! Either way, it seems that there is more to the story than what we are seeing on TV. And, I feel like Joe Gorgo is perpetuating this whole family feud thing just to stay relevant and give him and Melissa a storyline.

I agree, but her sleeves did kind of remind me of Muppets with those stupid maribou feathers. I wonder if she planned that, or am I giving Raquel credit for something that is above her intelligence level?

I'm not so sure about the validity of these text messages. Why would Teresa (supposedly that's her response, correct?) be listed in Melissa's phone as "Mi Amore Amore"? So many questions about this. First, "Mi Amore Amore" translates to "My Love Love" - makes no sense grammatically and makes absolutely NO sense that Melissa would have Tre listed as that in her phone, considering that there has NEVER been any love at all, let alone a double love, between Mel and Tre. I can understand Melissa possibly giving Teresa some kind of code name on her phone, but why, when she doesn't do it for other housewives (we've seen their names come across her phone when showing incoming calls. Second, this text is really just too well written to have come from Teresa. I just can't see Teresa, who can barely string two coherent sentences together when she speaks, transcribing this very eloquent and mostly correctly written text message. I just don't know if this is a fake story or not.

Most 25 year olds' boobs do not hang down to their waist. Gravity doesn't start to affect us until probably sometime in our late 40's and up. Of course, that is dependant on breast size and whether any surgical enhancements or lifts have been done. Even with implants, it seems Marge can't fight gravity that comes with age. I've said it a million times - she would look so much better with the correct undergarments and wearing clothes that aren't cut down to her navel.

That coffee reader was the fakest of all the fake psychics/tea leaf readers/fortune tellers, et al, that have been on all iterations of the Housewvies shows!! But, if anyone else here is a Harry Potter fan, I kept expecting her to look in someone's cup and scream "You have the GRIM!!!!"

You may be on to something here!! This sounds like a very plausible explanation of the chain of events. I also remember Teresa saying that the wedding would not be filmed for Bravo, so I guess the money paid was worth more than the privacy of having a private wedding (of course it was!!). I think you're right on target with Dina bowing out when she found out about the fliming and Bravo required that some cast members being in the wedding, so they can make it worth filming. I totally agree with you about the Gorga's. I think they were gobsmacked when they had already started the "wedding fight" and then found out they would be missing an opportunity to be on camera. Now, what do they do? They're such total camera-whores, but they've been pushing their feud with Teresa all over the place, so how do they attend without looking like total camera-whores after everything else they've said and done? I'm also wondering if that was the first time Melissa heard about the change to the bridal party when Dolores and Jennifer made that announcement. The wheels must have been spinning in her head ("Wow - so now it's going to be televised! How can I weasel my way back into this?) Melissa looked absolutely dumbfounded when Dolores and Jennifer announced their bridesmaid status. Also, I think the producers had to scramble to come up with a believable idea of this change, although, having a vision while "meditating" is a pretty lame idea. I think there was another way already plannedfor Teresa to ask Dolores and Jenn and then let the other housewives know, but they had to scrap that due to Teresa contracting Covid. Either way, I kind of enjoyed the theater of it all, seeing Melissa inwardly seething and outwardly flustered that she won't get a chance to be on TV for a focused special event.

I thought I remembered that, but wasn't sure, so didn't want to put it out there.

Well, Margaret would not be happy you said that - according to Wikipedia, she is only 55.

I also didn't like that Rachel went into such detail regarding her step-son's bio Mom and his visits with her. That's his story to tell, not hers. There has to be something that happened with Jaden's bio Mom for the courts to award full custody to John with no court appointed visitation with the bio Mom. Personally, I don't need, nor do I want, to know. Obviously, in the Real Housewife world, this is the story that has more to it rather than Danielle and her brother. I hope that Jackie and the other women don't go in on Rachel for the "whole story". And, while I really try not to go in on someone's looks (unless they screw up with bad plastic surgery), seeing photos of John Fuda when he was younger, he really is most unfortunate looking.

According to this article, Paulie's house (more of a condo) is in Edgewater, NJ. The last real estate transaction was in 2018, with a sale price of $2.3 million. https://www.realitytitbit.com/celebrity-gossip-and-news/paul-connells-house-on-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-compared-to-the-taj-mahal

Someone mentioned here in a previous episode's comments that Rachel went to her plastic surgeon and asked for the "Disney princess" makeover - that is the best description of Rachel's nose that I've heard so far! Now, every time Rachel is on my screen, I imagine her as a cartoon character, dancing in the woods with the birds and woodland animals. (Too bad her husband didn't go and ask for the "Prince Charming" makeover!)

What I'd like to know when it comes to all these Housewives taking Ozempic is - who are their doctors who are prescribing this for these women, who clearly are not obese. Ozempic is used to control Type 2 Diabetes and to assist those who are morbidly obese. I can't believe there are reputable doctors out there that are writing scripts to people because they suffer from "Extreme Vanity Type 1" and only want to drop 10-20 lbs. quickly. Plus, I believe that Ozempic injections for this type of weight loss would not be approved by any health insurance companies, so the out of pocket expense without insurance is approximately $1,000.00-$1,300.00/monthly. That is a lot of money for a "magic bullet" that, when you stop taking it, you're pretty much going to gain the weight back pretty quickly. If there is anyone on the RHNJ who should be taking Ozempic, it is Dolores' Mom, because she looks like she is borderline morbidly obese and I believe that Dolores, at one point, said that her Mom had elevated sugar levels. For some reason, this bothers me so much more than all the fillers, botox, liposuction, implants, etc., that these women do.

And blowery! (I know it's not a word - just seemed appropos) 😂

I don't think that Louie is really abusive to Teresa, but he does come off as controlling. That, I think, is due to the fact that he is trying to get her to change her usually explosive manner over stupid things. So, he basically reprimands her like a child and often seems exasperated with her because she doesn't heed his advice. (I could be completely off base on all of this, though.) I do agree that Teresa has her own "daddy issues" as she mentioned about Melissa. I get the feeling that when Teresa and Joe were growing up, the Gorga household was probably what we would now consider an abusive one. I think Nonno was an angry man and took it out on Teresa's Mom and Teresa and Joe. Not in a physical sense on them, but more verbal and perhaps a lot of shouting, throwing of things and slamming of fists on tables (Teresa said that her Dad did that). Teresa married Joe, who was probably brought up in a similar household and continued those patterns. Joe Guidice is very much like Teresa's father, in my opinion. Edited to add - So is Joe Gorga - they all seem to have the same temperament. So, Teresa doesn't really know anything other than living with that type of man, and accepts that. You're right - THAT is exactly what her therapist should be focusing on with Teresa.

I think that if Andy lets Teresa, Joe or Melissa explain any of this at the reunion, they will, as you say, talk around the issue because I don't think any of the Gorgas are good at actually explaining things clearly and concisely because they all get caught up in feelings, emotions and stupid, unnecessary details based on those feelings and emotions. I also think that none of them really understand and comprehend the intricacies of a "legal" business partnership. Louie, even though I'm not completely sure about his businesses or how I feel about him personally, at least seems like he would be able to explain things and keep emotions out of it.

Here is an interesting read on the whole "pizzagate" issue (why is Melissa calling it "pizzagate" when it is really about pizza ovens??): https://www.allabouttrh.com/2023/03/29/lets-breakdown-the-truth-about-rhonjs-pizza-gate/ I'm sure there are other stories out there that will have an opposing opinion, but this one sounds fairly plausible to me and I almost never believe this gossip sites.

I think that the pizza ovens were ordered from the same "manufacturer" that supposedly manufactured Sonja's (RHNY) toaster ovens, and they are all sitting in some secret warehouse somewhere, on shelves side by side. 😂 I agree with you both that we need more information and proof!!! Especially since Teresa is really very smart when it comes to promoting herself. We would have definitely seen something on either her or Joe's social media regarding a "big" announcement of a family business. Also, Teresa really takes advantage of any opportunity to post a photo of her girls (or herself). That's why I'm calling some kind of bullshit on that story that Joe Gorga is telling. Again, I'm not saying that Teresa's version is gospel truth, but obviously, something happened. And now, with the gag order issued by Bravo to the RHNJ cast, we probably won't hear about it until the reunion.

Here's my understanding, based on what I've read. Melissa and Joe were doing their podcast, and I guess questions were coming in regarding things that have yet to be aired on the show. Melissa was kind of dodging the questions or giving non-answers. Joe chimed in and basically said that they are not allowed to answer the questions because Bravo issued gag order letters not only to them, but to all the NJ housewives, telling them that they cannot discuss events on the show on podcasts or social media. My opinion is that Bravo/producers are just tired of dealing with the fallout from these people continuing to play out their fights and feuds on social media without any control over the narratives. Then, when it comes time to tape the Reunion, the Reunion revolves more around what was said and done outside of filming - it becomes all about who said what to whom on Twitter or Instagram and who unfollowed whom, etc. I think that Bravo and the producers want to sort of keep a lid on things until they air, and even then, control the narrative that is displayed to the viewers based on the way the scenes are edited. Supposedly, this is the first time that Bravo has ever handed down cast-wide gag orders. I actually don't think this is a bad thing. So much stuff goes on outside of the show with all the back and forth on SM and often, the realities of the stories get skewed. Personally, I don't do that much social media and I don't "follow" any of these people, so I'm often out of the loop until I read about it, either here or in another outlet. Maybe they should go back to when the housewives were required to write blog posts about the episodes on Bravo's website. I actually enjoyed those blogs back in the day. They gave insight into what they were feeling at the time of the show taping.