Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion: Is Teresa The New Danielle?

Last night, Bravo aired Part 2 of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" Reunion special. The taping was done at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank...and as much as I love the show, I wish they had filmed elsewhere, because that theatre has played host to too many greats to now be home to the Cattiest Show on Earth. The reunion show was 2 hours worth of Teresa Giudice vs. Everyone Else.

I have never been so uncomfortable watching a television show in my life. I love all franchises of "Real Housewives"...seeing my faves from New Jersey behave they did though, I felt as if I was watching a car accident in slow motion.

I'm going to put this out there, and I'm sure many will disagree, but I really think Teresa is getting a bad rap this season. Lord knows, I have ALWAYS loved Caroline, felt as though she was most relatable, and thinking her family traditions were most similar to mine...but towards the end of the season, Mama Red seemed more interested in playing the role of High and Mighty Preacher than being the voice of sanity (the biggest reason I loved her).

I think the fame has gotten to EVERYONE this season, which is a shame. I think we all know someone like Teresa...very over-the-top, very loud, someone who hears but doesn't necessarily listen...but is deep down a good person. I think she probably did at some point say she didn't want to make up with her brother, but ALL OF US (especially us stubborn Italian ladies) have probably said something we didn't mean when we were angry. The problem here is that instead of standing by friends and family, these ladies are attacking each other, and at times being downright mean.

And Caroline, Melissa, and Kathy are clearly all very close now, but if what they say about Teresa is true, they are acting no better by ganging up on her.

Editing plays a huge role in all of this, and who knows how much of any of what we see is real, but I do know that watching this show makes me never want to be on a reality show. The environment is clearly toxic for relationships of all kinds.

It's easy to say from watching the show that Person A is a vicious backstabbing gossip, or that Person B is always lying...but how many of us have gossiped or made not-so-nice comments about a friend? How many times have we lied about something for whatever reason? The difference is, we aren't being filmed, our gossip and lies won't necessarily be exposed, and for the most part, people see ALL sides of us. Yes, Person B might be seen lying a lot, but the show takes 4 months and condenses it into 14 hours. If someone only took the mean things I said and stupid things I did and made a show of it, I wouldn't look too great either. (Let's move on!!!!)

It's really easy to make snap judgments about people when you don't have the whole story. So as much as I think Melissa is fake, and Caroline is a bully, and Teresa is too stubborn for her own good, I know that they all have other sides to them, and that in the end, this is just a tv show.

But seriously, if you watch it, grab the antacids...it gets ugly.

Do you think there's any 'reality' in reality tv?