The Real Housewives of New Jersey is back!
Wednesday’s season premiere of the Bravo hit started the process of filling in the blanks for fans and set up the season’s big villain: Danielle Staub.
Teresa Giudice, in particular, was all about switching up her look for a bikini fitness competition and that meant doing some exercising and clean eating.
“With Joe being away right now, there is a lot of stress raising four daughters on my own, and working out is a great stress relief for me,” she explained to viewers, adding:
“So I definitely kicked it up a notch and entered a bikini fitness competition.”
Teresa was visibly more toned than she was when we last saw her, so she’s definitely doing something right.
And while many have been quick to claim Teresa’s relationship with Joe is on thin ice, then the premiere may have proven just that.
“I wanted to do this when Joe was home, and he always said to me, ‘You’re not doing that.’ He was like, ‘You’re not going on stage in a bikini,"” she said to her personal trainer.
“It’s another year until he comes home, so I was just like, ‘I’m just doing it. I don’t care what he says."”
“So have we told him yet?” her trainer questioned.
“No,” Teresa responded with a grin.
“Since Joe’s been away, I have gotten used to my independence. I haven’t been independent like this — I don’t think ever, but I am doing this fitness competition for me,” Teresa said in a confessional.
“I don’t care what anybody thinks — my husband or anyone. Sorry, Joe!”
It’s certainly intriguing that Teresa managed to adapt without her husband, and her wording does seem to imply that it’s her way or no way going forward.
Now that we know Joe is facing deportation from the United States, it certainly raises questions about whether Teresa would go to Italy with him.
This is all assuming the appeal is denied, of course, but still, there’s going to be a lot of drama on the new season of this series if it chronicles Teresa continuing to veer away from married life.
Teresa is the woman who is prone to lash out when her buttons are pushed, but this new iteration of her was sober and very empowering.
How long will that last? We give it a handful of episodes.
Elsewhere, we finally got some much-needed insight into Dolores Catania’s relationship with her ex-husband, Frank, who was allegedly disbarred as an attorney.
If you watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey online, you know that Andy Cohen quizzed Dolores on the most recent reunion episode, and Dolores had no clue what he was talking about.
“Frank broke my trust 20 years ago when he cheated on me, and over the past 20 years, Frank and I have built that trust again,” Dolores dished in a confessional.
“But now it’s gone, because when Frank was disbarred, Frank didn’t tell me about it, and I found out in the most public way possible,” she continued.
“I was embarrassed, and I looked like a liar. And that’s what pissed me off the most.”
“Since Frank lost his law license, I worry. Are we financially okay? Because we have two kids in college,” she added.
And while Dolores is still mad at Frank, they have a new business venture that’s helping them out.
“Our gyms do great, but that’s not stable. So now, Frank and I are flipping houses together. We’ve done this in the past.”
“Frank hires the people to do the construction, and I would sell them. I was the realtor. Right now, we’re on our second flip. The first one sold, and the money’s good!”
Oh, and if you’re wondering, Dolores is still dating her boyfriend, and he’s totally not concerned about Frank.
If the boyfriend were not part of the equation, one would think that Dolores and Frank were still an item. They live together, have a lot of chemistry, and still have the arguments people in love have every other day.
Hell, even someone as wild as Danielle Staub picked up on it last season and used it to her advantage multiple times.
Danielle is the type of person to cling to a storyline for dear life in order to get her face back on the small screen again.
Her antics last season never landed her the regular cast member status, so look for her to amp up the crazy a few notches this year.
The good thing here is that everyone seems to be picking up on Danielle’s stirring. Teresa and Margaret were open and honest with Dolores about Danielle quizzing them about Frank being disbarred.
Dolores seemed like she was going to flip the eff out at Melissa Gorga’s 39th birthday party, but the new house flipper left the situation entirely and stood at another part of the room.
Oh yes, this feud is going to be fun!
What are your thoughts on the premiere?
RHONJ Continues Wednesdays on Bravo!
