The Real Housewives of New Jersey Sixth Season Premiere Recap: Too Real

The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Episode 1: "What a Difference a Plea Makes"

There isn't a lot of reality in reality television.  It's manufactured.  "The Real Housewives" is no exception.  These women may become friends, but normally their connections to each other are tenuous at best.  Part of the allure of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is the fact that these women have known each other for years and some of them are family.  It lends an authenticity to the show that the other installments of the franchise lack.

Reality has certainly encroached on this season.  Towards the end of last season, it was revealed that Teresa and Joe Giudice were facing federal indictments on multiple fraud charges stemming from falsifying tax documents and bankruptcy fraud.  There's no way that you can film this season and not touch on these issues and how they are affecting the Giudice family, especially since both Teresa and Joe are facing prison time and Joe could be deported.

The episode opens in February with news of the Giudices plea deal and Melissa and Joey G. watching it on television.  Melissa is doing her faux concern thing.  She seems even more concerned with looking good for the cameras.  She calls Teresa to see how she's doing and Teresa does her "don't believe anything you see or read because it's all lies" thing.  According to Tre, they haven't even accepted their plea deal yet.  Once Teresa and Melissa are off the phone, things really start to get real.

Anyone who has read my recaps of last season knows that I am not a huge fan of Gia Giudice.  She comes off as a spoiled brat.  Milania does too, but because of Milania's age, she is able to get away with it.  Watching Gia break down over the possibility of losing both her parents and letting Teresa know that she is able to understand and comprehend what her parents are going through melted my cynical Gia hating heart.  No matter your opinion of the Giudices (and mine isn't high), you have to feel for their children.  Teresa and Joe made their choices and now will have to deal with the consequences, but the girls did nothing.

The Real Housewives of New York City Recap: Return of the Perv

The Real Housewives of New York City, Episode 12: "Requiem For a Poodle"

So far this season, we have sporadically been introduced to the show within a show, "Sonja is Sad," but this episode was basically a backdoor pilot for that show.  So Bravo viewers, is this a show you'd watch on a regular basis.  Sonja planning a doggy funeral, veering wildly between emotions.  First, she's crying and then she's making jokes.  I sort of remember Millou.  I get that the death of a dog is hard on people.  It's probably harder on Sonja, since she has some emotional issues.  It was nice to see the ladies get dressed up in their funeral bests and support their fragile friend.

Summer TV Preview: The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Producers Are Hoping That Fresh Faces and a Blast From the Past Will Reinvigorate Season 6

Last season of RHONJ was boring.  That is not an adjective that you would normally associate with this particular installment of the hit Bravo franchise.  Since "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" launched in 2009, fans have come to expect craziness at every turn.  We've seen table flips, weaves pulled out, brawls at christenings and some the nuttiest Jersey family drama this side of "The Sopranos," but during season five, it just seemed that we were seeing a lot of the same old, same old. There was the re-heated Gorga/Giudice family drama.  Even a brawl between the two Joes wasn't enough to liven things up much.  Also, last season, producers were accused of manipulating things more than they usually are.  The season finale was especially guilty of that.  The scenes filmed at the opening of Posche II were edited so it showed confrontations between cast members that weren't happening, a majority of it was blacked out because troublemakers Penny and her husband Jonny the Greek wouldn't give Bravo permission to show it.  Even the reunion was a snooze.  

Producers knew there was an issue and it seems they've taken steps to try to liven things up this season.  Out are Caroline Manzo and Jacqueline Laurita.  Never fear Manzo fans, the Manzo family and Jacqueline will be returning in the fall with their very own spin-off, "Manzo'd with Children."  Kathy Wakile has been demoted from full-time cast member to "Friend of the Housewives," and I'm pretty sure the only reason she wasn't given the boot entirely is because of fan favorite, Rosie.  

Replacing the departing ladies are Amber Marchese and twins, that's right twins, Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano.  Amber is an old friend of Melissa's.  She was in Melissa's wedding, but they seem to have fallen out of touch, since Melissa had no clue that Amber battled breast cancer.  Her husband is also working with the team that is prosecuting the Giudices.  The twins seem like they will be out of control.  Nicole is divorced and Teresa is married to a guy she already divorced once.  I have no idea how I am going to tell these two apart and having two women named Teresa on the same show.  Oy.  Recapping is going to be a struggle.

Dina Manzo is back!  Now that her sister Caroline is out of the picture, Dina has returned to the show that gave her her start.  You may recall that Dina was an original cast member, but she left the show due to trainwreck, Danielle Staub.  I like Dina.  I always thought she was funny and engaging.  I think her friendship with Teresa helps make me like Teresa more.  It will also be nice for someone to have Teresa's back.  

We can't forget about our returning ladies.  Sisters-in-law, Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, are back and are not fighting.  Let's hope it stays that way.  I'd rather see Teresa and Melissa fight with these new girls, not each other.  I don't want to talk too much about the Giudice's legal troubles.  We all know it's going on and it will be interesting to hopefully see some unguarded moments where they confront the reality of what could happen if Joe is deported.  

All in all, I think we are in for an exciting season that will hopefully wash the bad taste that last season left out of our collective mouths.  We'll find out when the sixth season of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" premieres tonight at 8/7c on Bravo.  You can also read recaps of each episode right here on my blog.  Hit play below for a preview of the season.

The Real Housewives of Orange County Recap: Rich White Ladies Fightin'

The Real Housewives of Orange County, Episode 7: "Choke-Lahoma"

Shannon Beador joining the cast this season has kind of been a gift for producers.  They have finally found someone that really gets under Heather Dubrow's skin.  Heather is normally unflappable, but you can tell there is something about Shannon that really irritates Heather and she has a hard time keeping her cool.  Shannon and Heather should be the best of friends.  They are in the same category financially, they are neighbors, they're lifestyles seem similar.  I mean, look how Bravo kept cutting back and forth between the Dubrows and the Beadors taking their annual Christmas photos, but beyond those minor and inconsequential similarities, Heather and Shannon are just intrinsically different at the personality level.  Shannon is a fancy pants.  She is well spoken and proper grammar is important to her.  She can go out and not get blotto and still have a fine time.  Shannon likes to drink, has a tumltuous relationship with her parents and is like Vicki, if Vicki had been born with money.  They are diametrically opposed to each other and I can't envision any scenario where they would ever be friends.

The 2014 Emmy Nominations Are a Joke.

It's Snubs Galore and Lots of Same Old, Same Old

I have a love/hate relationship with the Emmys.  I am a huge TV nerd.  If you just randomly peruse my blog, you may think that I only watch TV with Housewives in the title, but that's not true.  I love television and I think we are in a golden age where there is quality television wherever you choose to watch from network to basic cable to pay cable to subscription services to the internet.  It's unfortnuate that the Emmys seem to have such a narrow view of what is award worthy.  Just because a show had a breakout first season or stars a former movie star doesn't mean it is deserving of multiple Emmys or multiple Emmy nominations.  It's almost like I (and other TV fans and critics) are gluttons for punishment.  Every year this happens.  Every year we rage.  Every year we say we won't watch, but we do.  Then, the following year rolls around and no matter how we've been hurt in the past, we are hopeful, only to have those hopes dashed again.  After the jump, I'll take a look at the major categories and we'll swap some of the more undeserving nominees with someone who was criminally snubbed.  It'll be fun.

The Real Housewives of New York City Recap: Ramonavention

The Real Housewives of New York City, Episode 11: "The Ramona Trap"

Bravo is holding out on us.  When we left the ladies in the Berkshires, they were having dinner and high fiving as they planned their revenge against Ramona.  The next morning, the ladies stumbling around Heather's kitchen paints a picture of a night of debauchery, that we missed!  What the hell, Bravo?  I want to know what led to Sonja's disheveled appearance, losing earrings down her nightgown.  Lu looking hella rough.  No makeup is not a good look for the Countess, especially if she is trying to shake that "LuMan" nickname.  Then, Patrick, the yoga guy, shows up and none of the women even pretend to do any of the poses.  Carole is annoyed because while she doesn't really want to do yoga, she does enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with it.  It's hard to be zen when Sonja's gas is wilting the grass.  I'm just hoping that when they air the unseen footage episode after the reunion that these scenes are included.  I have to know what happened.  Did the women stumble across a wooden rave, did they eat weird mushrooms.  Inquiring minds, Andy Cohen!

The Real Housewives of Orange County Recap: Hoes Down

The Real Housewives of Orange County, Episode 6: "Showdown at the Hoedown"

For this recap, I think it's best that we start at the end before circling back to the beginning.  I'm sure there are tons of people who watched this episode and thought that Heather turned the bull up and that is the reason that Tamra got thrown off and hurt her arm.  I have watched the sequence multiple times and I'm not entirely convinced that is what happened.  We all know that the producers are perfectly capable of editing things to make it look a certain way, just look at the Jersey finale last year.  They edited the shit out of that.  They were showing people talking to people they weren't talking to, and it looks like they did that here.  You hear Heather saying "Turn it up" and then there is a shot of her with the mechanical bull operator.  Except, it doesn't look like Heather's lips are moving when she is there or if they are, they don't look like they are saying that.  I can't imagine that a trained... they have to be trained, right... yes...  no... maybe... bull operator would just let someone turn it up to a dangerous level no matter how much they were being paid.  The whole thing just seems like the producers were trying to ratchet up the drama and the only way they could do that was with some creative editing.  If  you'd like to hear Heather's side of the story, you can find it here.

Let's be real.  This was sort of a placeholder episode.  It seemed to be setting up more interesting things to come.  There is the escalation of the Shannon/Heather conflict, Vicki agreeing to go to Oklahoma with Brianna and Ryan, more tension in Shannon and David's marriage etc.  These things will pay off in other episodes, but just like a scripted television show, you have to sometimes slog through the boring in order to get to the interesting.

The Real Housewives of New York City Recap: Sorry Not Sorry

The Real Housewives of New York City, Episode 10: "Bon Voyage Ramona"

Ramona Singer is an evil genius.  How else to explain it?  Does she really expect us to believe that her flight from the Berkshires was based simply on the bad memories she experienced as a child.  The abuse that happened to her and her mother in a cabin in the woods causing her to freak out and flee via... chartered plane.  I'm not convinced and neither are the remaining women.  Let's take a look at the evidence.