BrindaWalsh

It pained me to see Jackie's kids there, thinking that their mom looked beautiful all dressed up for prom, followed by Jackie talking about how the next day she went on a diet. her dad saying how much weight she had lost, Jackie saying she had almost died, that for 20 years all she did was diet, etc. And they just thought their mommy looked pretty. In that moment they learned that there was something "wrong" with how she looked. I get the lesson that she's trying to teach about eating disorders, but in the process, she is inadvertently teaching her kids, ESPECIALLY her daughter, another lesson and it's a sad one. It's not easy to grow up in a household where your mother is obsessed with her weight, it has the potential for real negative consequences. And if Jackie has truly gone through recovery, if she has paid attention to what healthy body image means for kids, etc. then she should know better to film that scene and to have said the words she said. OMG that easter dinner. Poor Audriana. She's only 9. Her asking if daddy was being deported was the saddest little thing. Clearly somebody said something to her. And her mother is an idiot. Audriana may not have social media, she may not go online, but plenty of kids around her age do. What did Tre think was going to happen? Joe was right - tell her before somebody else does. I can't get a handle on Melissa. I was watching season 3 and it really struck me how much the people around her really wanted to dig at Teresa and how obvious the Gorga and Wakile intent was. And honestly, I always liked season 5 when they worked through so many issues because the emotion seemed really raw and legitimate. But this Melissa. Again, she's so measured - I mean, even Joe Gorga seemed stunned by the news and upset about what is happening around him while Melissa neatly dabs at the corners of eyes....I mean, it is nice to see Tre and Melissa get along, I suppose, but I honestly think that they secretly can't stand each other.

I don't know that I understand this statement. They say there are no plans for divorce. It's not an actual legal separation. They were already separated anyway. What has changed? Did they basically just each give each other their blessing to go out and screw other people?

Money, honey.

I'm going to guess they have also already heard from the courts but havent announced it yet.

Melissa has become much more measured and "polished". I kind of miss the spoiled and gaudy "Thank you JEEZUS!" and "we pay our bills!" Melissa of season 3. I didn't necessarily like her, but she was a better reality show character than boring Melissa. When Caroline left, Melissa somehow started to morph into the moral center of the show. It's odd.

But she didn't stop paying to appeal -- it's still going on, as far as we know there has been no decision, but it went to the higher court. Somebody had to pay that bill (I know, I know...).

https://extratv.com/2019/12/15/is-teresa-giudice-headed-back-to-italy-for-christmas-she-answers/ Honestly, I don't know why I care about this, but I'm so curious as to what Tre & Joe are going to do. I know that she has said that they will probably split, but I'm not sure I'm buying it. The back peddling is already happening.

I feel like people stiff contractors and business a lot more than we realize. I know a woman who just moved into a McMansion and is in the process of decorating and buying furniture. She told me that after each piece gets delivered, she finds a "damaged part"(i.e. an imperfection), calls the company and raises so much hell that she eventually gets it for free. I know a local mason who did a huge paving job on one of the largest houses in town. Driveway, patio, pool deck, and I want to say he even some kind of custom basketball court or something like that. He got his deposit, they didn't pay him the rest. They said he didn't do what they asked for and when he kept pushing for payment they sent their lawyer after him. He backed off, they got a beautiful masonry job for half price. My landscaper says he has to chase down the payments from the richest people in town. He says he doesn't have to worry about the average homeowners. It's the people in huge houses. I live in the same area as the NJ housewives and I've often wondered how so many people can afford these multi-million dollar homes, the property taxes (which are insane up here), vacation properties on the hamptons or down the shore, elite summer camp, trips to europe, boats, cars, club memberships, etc. I used to think people were living outside their means. Now after hearing all I've heard, I wonder if there are just a lot more people like the Giudices, but the Guidices just got caught. The rich stay reach because they don't pay for anything? Dolores still irritated me this episode. Christ that woman is unpleasant. You can tell she was EXCEPTIONALLY uncomfortable with her apology discussion with Jackie. So if I understand it correctly Dolores can scream and yell and talk about nothing but surface idiocy, but when it comes to sincerity, thoughtful dialogue, and meaningful discussion she's too old school. Yet Jackie is the one who was raised in a way that lacks warmth? Yeah. B.S. And speaking of Dolores, I think David is on the payroll. I see no love coming from him, whatsoever. AND she needs to lay off the spray tan and piles of makeup. She looks absolutely horrible. Perhaps Jennifer can give her a gift card to Aydin plastic surgery and he can help her out. The dolphin excursion was horrible. I literally hated seeing that. I always thought - before I realized what animals in captivity really meant - that swimming with dolphins would be fun. This just made me so upset. I wanted somebody to grab a dophin and run him to the ocean. Free Willy, housewives style. I felt bad for the Giudice family when they were looking at the pictures and when Teresa was speaking with the lawyer. I thought she legitimately looked completely stunned by what had happened. I feel terribly for those girls. Especially Audrianna.

So can we talk about the guys and their "we have sex 100x a day, every day!" schtick? My friends and I are all in our 40s. We have kids ranging from elementary aged all the way up to high school. Some of us work full time, some of us stay home, but all of us work hard and lead busy lives. Our husbands all work hard - at the point in their careers when the big management jumps are happening. And NONE of us are having sex every day, let alone multiple times a day. At the end of the day we are tired, we sometimes want to read, watch a movie or relax. I'd say the sex frequency is probably a couple of times a week to a couple of times a month. And none of us feel unfulfilled or like there is something missing in the marriage. So I find it amazing that these bravo shows find so many people who boink like rabbits all day, every day. Or they are overcompensating for other.....inadequacies. JoeyG I'm looking at you. I'm just saying. I think he doth insist too much.

@LibertarianSlut No. I'm in PR. We do represent a law firm though, does that count? Something about the dinner exchange just really bothered me, especially when Jackie leaned in and simply asked how and why she was different and Dolores just got even more bitchy. You could literally see how deeply that had cut. I agree about Jennifer. She is real housewives gold.

You don't like her because you think she is thirsty, desperate, and thinks she is better than anybody else. Those are stated reasons. It has nothing to do with what you said before about the different upbringing. It is not because she is "different." There's a distinction there. I could be wrong. Maybe Dolores was caught off guard. Maybe she couldn't articulate her reasons, which would surprise me. I don't like Dolores I find her dull and I'm not sure why she is on the show, but I've always found her able to speak thoughtfully, even in anger. This was just bizarre and the only thing that stood out to me. I'm not even sure if she realizes what she was, and was not, saying. I'm not sure I would accuse her outright anti-semitism but more of deep rooted prejudices that she might not even be aware of. But at the core, I think that is the reason.

Ah - I primarily skipped the Siggy years. I still think there is something off-color about her dislike. In my experience when you are that emphatically don't like somebody, but speak in these generalities, it is because of something you aren't saying AND can't say. Perhaps her friendship with Siggy is a case of "what do you mean, I have a problem with Jewish people? I have Jewish friends!" - similar to Joe Giudice and his "but my best friend is gay" statements of season 1. If it was because of Teresa, I feel like Dolores would say that and not care if people thought it was ridiculous. I think Siggy is more of an exception than a rule. To me it was SO obvious what she couldn't actually say. Jackie is "different" and that's why she doesn't like her. When you don't like somebody because they are "different" it's usually code for ignorance and lack of acceptance.

I'll say it. Jackie is not "her cup of tea." She is "different." "Cut from a different cloth." "She was raised different." That's not about being sensitive. That level of hatred doesn't equate with sensitivity and a more rigid lifestyle. So instead I'll call it like I see it - Dolores doesn't like Jackie because she is Jewish. I also think she doesn't like her because she is intimidated by her. Let's call a spade a spade. She is smart - she can outsmart everybody at that table. She is educated. She was successful both before and after her kids. She has a respectable husband and 4 seemingly polite children. She is pretty. She represents a lot of what Dolores doesn't have. But, I also think she doesn't like her because she is Jewish. Simple as that. Dolores was an asshole tonight. I don't love Jackie but Dolores was just nasty. And does anybody besides me think that Jen's husband is secretly gay?

She is in her early 50s. The other HWs are in their 40s. She would probably look better if she didn't fry her hair, lightened up on the makeup and dressed a bit better for her body. She falls into the "just because it is trendy, it doesn't mean it looks good on everybody" camp. A dumb question. We are seeing Jennifer slim down this season and get some plastic surgery. From her husband. Isn't that considered a big no-no in the medical world? Jackie posted a thanksgiving family photo on her instagram - which is beautiful - but she is looking REALLY thin. Maybe it is just the angle? With the focus on the rigidity of her life this past episode it kind of concerns me. There has definitely been a weight loss since season 1. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

I don't think it is terrible to want even your parents to give you a heads up before coming by. It is not a fault, it is a preference. I'm the same way. I would like to make sure everybody is fully dressed (ex. Not have mr.walsh laying in his boxers and a tshirt watching football) and the house at least moderately presentable. Some people are not naturally neat and so that means - and yes, even with your own parents- that you want a bit of leeway before anybody comes into your home, rather an an always open door. To me that's just an issue of respect of ones home life, not a lack of closeness of family. Dolores was incredibly bitchy this episode and her trying to flip it to something wrong or different about Jackie wasn't cutting it. She should have just owned her shit.

How old did the boys turn? 11? It is entirely possible that they said that they wanted to play basketball, have cake and pizza with their friends. And that is fine. What Jackie failed to do was consider her full audience. Put out a table and chairs for other guests, consider that there may be kids that don't want to do basketball and offer other options. As far as the goodie bags and the table cloth, okay, yes, it was a bit underwhelming, but I say that as a person who puts takeout chinese on the table in real serving dishes instead of takeout containers, so I might have a bit of a higher bar for presentation than some. I do agree that there is a bit of reverse snobbery going on. She really has no idea what it is like to raise kids and work a 9-5 job, day after day, and have a modest birthday party because to you that modest party IS special. She is saying all the right things on paper, but I firmly believe that if the boys said they wanted to go to Mexico for the weekend for their birthday, for example, they would go to Mexico. That said it is clear she is odd man out this season and that she is very uncomfortable. To me, her extreme control of her food intake on that trip is to compensate for feeling out of control, out of the inner circle, and out of touch with the others. So instead she controls her food. People with eating disorders battle those issues forever and will have tough periods. I suspect we are seeing Jackie in a bit of a rocky time. I've long said that I bet Jackie was queen bee in her local circle, and I bet she assumed that's what would happen on the show, especially considering that she is close to Melissa. But it isn't happening that way this season and I suspect it has thrown her off and she is just trying to feel in control.

Yup. I was in college. It was lunchtime when the word came around that the verdict was going to be in and everybody ran back to their dorm rooms to watch. The next round for classes started around 1 and literally campus was dead at the time that people would normally be walking to class. Then there was a collective yell/roar across campus and then you saw people pouring out of the dorms and running across campus to get to class about 5-10 minutes late. Now, as for my initial reason for posting here. I just read a 2020 home design trends article on elle decor, and literally EVERYTHING about Kim's new home is considered out dated and off trend (bible!). After all that money and all that time lol. My favorite line? "“The world is harsh and cold enough these days, so people are looking for spaces that nurture and envelope them." That includes industrial design, concrete, white, gray, etc.

She has gotten boring and overly measured. I miss the "and we pay out bills!" Melissa of yester-year.

Mark my words - the FBI will be raiding this place in about 25 years or so.

My god Jackie is getting tedious.

Back when I was in high school, the same thing applied. For instate it was fine. It had a stronger out of state reputation. However, I think that's changed and it's gotten more competitive instate. It used to be that Trenton State (now TCNJ was considered the best and most competitive of the state schools. I think it all goes to Rutgers now, and if you look at overall college rankings, it comes in #2 after Princeton (yes, there's a big gap). But my point about Gia staying and choosing Rutgers to be close to home in case her father gets out being pure convenience is me saying that I don't think she sacrificed her education for the sake of staying in NJ. She could have just as easily been at Rutgers if Juicy wasn't in jail. When comparing it to Quinnipiac and Bama, it's the stronger of the three. I can't remember which other schools she applied to, those two stand out. It's not like Victoria turning down UMD for Caldwell (which I actually took as code to mean she didn't get in to UMD or that mommy and daddy wouldn't let her move away), or Gia turning down Bama and Quinnipiac and going to CCM. There's nothing wrong with Caldwell or with a community college system, but they are different.

It seems like Gia visited and was accepted by a lot of the popular schools in the area for those students who are carrying around a high B+ GPA and decent SAT scores, probably a couple of honors/AP courses, etc. She could have very easily chosen Rutgers without Joe going to prison and it would have been a perfectly sound academic choice for her. Yes, she's not as far away from home to keep Tre from popping up on her doorstep whenever she wants to, but I don't get the impression that's what's happening. Speaking of Gia, OMG I wanted to smack her. Are all 18 year olds that "know it all" and irritating? That Gia thinks that somehow she's the one that's been impacted the most by all of this is incredibly self-centered, insensitive, and egotistical. How about sweet little Audriana whose memories of her father when she will get older will be him in prison and most likely in Italy, as opposed to the childhood of memories that Gia has, for example? Joe has been gone for 3 years. He has missed milestones that are big deals for all of the girls. Yes, Gia wanted him there for her high school graduation. I'm sure Gabriella wanted him there for her middle school graduation or her drivers test or some such thing. I hate people who think that their grief and struggles are somehow greater and more deserving of sympathy than others who are impacted by the exact same things. Shut up, Gia. I really want to like Jackie. I mean, I really do. She's clearly the one on the show with a legitimate brain. Her 4 kids seems normal enough. Her husband seems like a decent person who isn't breaking the law in his day to day life. She's boring, but whatever, not more boring than Dolores. I don't like her mean-girl-you-can't-sit-with-us vibe she puts out there, but the rest of them probably do the same, except perhaps for Dolores. But I noticed two things. One is very shallow and that's about the obvious "season 2" work done (happens to most reality people!). I know she says she got lips, but something else is going on there, it looked like she was having trouble moving her face. Or perhaps the makeup was that caked on. Or maybe it is something with her eyes. But the other thing I noticed was how clearly calculating she became and the total hypocrisy. Jackie is just as bad as the rest of these people. For example, if she was that upset about the video, and truly felt like she and Jennifer had gotten close, then call her and talk about it. Don't save it for the party and the cameras. Another example, if you think that accusing somebody of infidelity over wine at the dinner table with two close friends while the cameras role is somehow acceptable behavior and not as sleazy and trashy as Jen in that video, try again. Just because you're less "expressive" about it than Jennifer doesn't make it innocent. Just ask Melissa how she feels about such statements. And 3rd, calling Jennifer Teresa's soldier only proves that she's watched the show more closely than she admits and doesn't know her audience - nobody wants to revisit the "Teresa's army trying to bring us down!" bullshit of a few years ago.

How is it that they are already filming the interview? This is still an active case, and to our knowledge the final ruling is expected in Nov (thank god). They won't be able to comment on anything other than hypotheticals.

Prison aged him significantly. The parted and smoothed down hair also makes him look older. The weight loss has made his nose more pronounced. But the smile and facial symmetry and eyes are the same. I'm assuming it's Thanksgiving in Italy for the Giudice family. And quite honestly, I'm not convinced he and Tre are going to split. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that he's coming back to the US, but I don't know. Now that he's out, I'm not sure she would go through with the divorce. Her mother is gone. I honestly don't think her father has that much time left. She has her brother, but you know, he has commitments to Melissa's family and I don't think Teresa particularly cares for any of them. She is SO intertwined with the Giudice family, I think when push comes to shove she wouldn't go through with it as it would become incredibly isolating for her. I think she will stay married to him, visit on holidays with the family, 2 weeks in the summer or some such thing, but will ultimately live separate lives. At least until Milania gets to college.

Agree, but I can suspend a bit of reality in this case to say that I think the children of Gilead have been terrorized into being completely obedient. Somebody says quiet, you be quiet. Somebody says run, you run. Somebody says pray, you pray. Don't put a toe out of line. Otherwise, you may find a body swinging from your chandelier or some such thing. Again, I can get behind this one as according to the Gilead law, there is no before. You don't talk about it. Period. The little girl didn't know who June was, just that she was asking about the time before that the girl has been trained/terrorized into stating she has no memory of because it didn't exist. Now - the rest of the show doesn't adhere to that. But the kids probably would under the current regime. AND...That's all I've got.