The power of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is amazing to me. I normally can't stand the Real Housewives series. And, as a lifelong Jerseyan, the Sopranos-esque stereotypes of pampered Bergen County wives initially made me queasy. But dammit, the show hooked me and kept me watching the whole season; it even led me to write the hacky headline above. Why? Because this one had a plot.The story of the creepily over-Botoxed Danielle Staub and how the rest of the Housewives found out about her sordid past was the thread that kept even Bravo-except-for-Top-Chef-averse people like myself tuning in. Oh, and the fact that they teased the "Last Supper" finale all season (showing matriarch Caroline saying "we're thick as thieves" about a thousand times) also kept me watching. And the finale didn't disappoint: people turning on each other, tables getting tipped over, exceedingly mature children horrified at their parents' behavior... it was great.
But if you thought it was over, think again. As the New York Post reports and Bravo has been promoting, the cable net will air four more episodes.
There will be a "director's cut" of the finale dinner, two finale episodes, and a "lost footage" episode. So you can get your fill of the Housewives into July.
You had to know that as they were filming that supper -- the owners of Lu Nello in Cedar Grove, NJ must be proud of being associated with that mess -- Andy Cohen of Bravo was calling up his people to try to lockdown the extra time. Indeed, the much-hyped finale attracted 3.5 million viewers, the most of any Housewives finale. I guess season two -- and I can't imagine there won't be a season two -- will have a lot more than six episodes, huh?
And, judging by the interview Caroline Manzo gave our friends at Pop Eater, this story isn't over: "I'm not a hypocrite. You do what you need to do when you're adults. I made this bed and I'll lie in it," she said about having to promote the show with Danielle. "She will never be a friend of mine."
Boy, do I hate myself for loving this show. But you have to admit that Bravo's hit on a winning formula here.
Is anyone out there like me, drawn to the Jersey wives even though he hates the rest of the series? Let me know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-18-2009 @ 11:55AM
TotalChaos said...
I just like this season because of soprano theme. I just watch it waiting for some one to be whack.
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6-18-2009 @ 12:32PM
Val said...
Love the Jersey Wives and Atlanta is a close second for me.. Never got into the New York cast and Orange county is not my flavor..
I'm with TotalChoas I tune in to see if someone will just not be there anymore because they went against "The Family".. Caroline is damn scary.
I hope Jacqueline makes it to season 2.. she has repeatedly gone against "The Family" I dont know how long her husband can protect her.. RUN JACQUELINE!!
I give this season 4 Horse Heads out of 5
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6-18-2009 @ 12:33PM
Jamie J said...
I admire anyone who admits they love this RHONJ, I still have not been able to make it "out of the closet" and swore initally, as an American of Italian descent, I would never watch this deliberate manipulation by Andy and his crew ate Bravo. But like many of us born and raised in the metro area, I too became hooked.
I tuned in the first time strictly to veg out and allow a mindless stream of other people's messes to remove work worries from my consciousness. But I became so increasingly irritated by the grand narcissist, Danielle, and identified so closely with the Manzo's I couldn't relax. And so it began, my passionate and illogical search for all things RHONJ.
I say just "kill me now" because with this stuff airing into July, I will remain an angry, deranged and irrational hater of Danielle and over-protective of my new relatives, the Manzos, until I leave LA in mid July for my daughter's NY wedding. And when I get there, I will cook sausage and potatoes ala Caroline for my family who will love me for it, so what can I say?
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6-18-2009 @ 12:43PM
dmcpgh said...
I usually catch these in re-runs but I ended up DVR'g them all time and time again. The best of the series is New Jersey (Atlanta a close second). I can't wait to see 4 more episodes and can't wait for the 2nd season. I can't get enough of the drama!
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6-18-2009 @ 1:49PM
mel said...
I am so ashamed. I am Jersey and I am Italian and I KNOW this is in no way representative of my state or the hardworking REAL moms and wives in my neighborhood - but STILL I cannot get enough of this nonsense and I can't wait to watch the trainwreck evolve!
thanks Jamie and Joel for making me feel a little better about myself! ha ha
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6-18-2009 @ 1:51PM
mj said...
I must be the only one who likes Danielle. She and her girls have a great relationship, unlike Teresa and those brats of hers. Jacqueline and her hubby Chris, I admire. They love each other, above the whole "family is first" crap. How dare Dina and Caroline say that she can't have a friend if they don't like her? Twenty first century, guys. And Chris stood up for his wife! Yeah!! I admit, Danielle should NOT have brought the book to the dinner, but in a way, I don't blame her. Why bring up something that happened over twenty years ago? Like NO ONE has done anything bad in their past? And for Caroline to keep mum that SHE did it until the party was oh, so wrong. I was starting to admire her for telling Dina to let Danielle speak, but lost any respect for her not admitting right away.
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6-18-2009 @ 2:13PM
Dani said...
Danielle is awful. She does not have a great relationship with her girls as wvident hen her eldest daughter basically called her a slut that gave it up to all the guys. What type of mother would allow her daughters to be that involved in her personal relationships where they would know about her sexual escapades. She does not treat them as saughters, but as friends.
6-18-2009 @ 2:07PM
jskrunk said...
Okay, Caroline
You don't like Danielle for her past as a prostitution whore stripper we get it. But you are gonna let your own son open a strip club???? Please don't shoot me.
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6-18-2009 @ 2:25PM
deebopalula said...
I'm another Jersey girl - Bergen County, no less - who got sucked in to RHONJ. I never saw the Atlanta version. I watched a couple episodes of the Orange County version but could not relate. I watched a couple episodes of New York, but only for Bethanny. I watched the first episode of RHONJ and bam! - addicted!
I don't hate Danielle. I wouldn't want to be friends with her, but it's fascinating to watch her and dissect her behavior.
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6-19-2009 @ 2:19PM
WineyCougar said...
With the exception of Jacqueline the RHONJ are a bunch of superficial ho-bags that should be dumped in the middle of Camden.
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6-19-2009 @ 12:42AM
wulfn1 said...
what did Camden ever do to you?
6-19-2009 @ 4:33AM
Jersey Girl said...
They are more like NY'ers and are so far north of the state that they should be considered NY'ers. They are faaaaar from being what good Jersey girls are.
I've NEVER been around anyone who has thrown a table or acted like that in a restaurant. Teresa wanted her girls taken out of the room when Danielle started talking about her book but it was okay for them to listen while she told her story about her very early post operative sexy times with Joe. What the????
I want a seed from Teresa's money tree that she MUST have growing in her garden since she doesn't have a job but is the sole owner on her NJ homes. Yeah, THAT'S normal. NOT!
Where the heck is Dina's husband? He can't be shy. He was all over that other reality show about obnoxious weddings when he was marrying Dina. Guess he jumped back into the closet!
Caroline saying that her father in law's murder wasn't mob related and she's appauled at any talk about their being mob ties to her family is hilarious. Palllllease! She doesn't want her family's history brought up but its okay for her to dig into Danielle's. Can anyone say double standard and hypocrite?
Caroline has a hint of being redeemable if she stopped putting her own integrity into question by all the obvious covering up she's doing.
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6-19-2009 @ 2:20PM
WineyCougar said...
LMAO
Good One!!
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6-20-2009 @ 8:27PM
Linda said...
Wow! What a show! I totally enjoyed this. I would not want to be Danielle. I do pity her in some ways. Jacqueline is the dream friend all of us need. Her money and beauty has not gone to her head, can't say the same for Dina who is full of herself. She is far from naturally pretty like Jacqueline, and she needs to fast forward twenty years and hope her husband doesn't dump her without means to live the life she is accustomed to like Danielle. Teresa is a beautiful girl, and needs to stop letting Caroline and Dina influence her way of thinking. I was sorry to see Teresa lose it on the show. She let Caroline and Dina fill her with garbage which led her to be so judgemental about someone else's life. She has it all and can afford to be kinder, which is what I saw in her from the beginning. If Teresa wants to align herself with honest people, she needs to stand beside Jacqueline, and raise her children to do what's right and honest, not what protects those who harm others to protect themselves. Caroline and Dina want to come off as two refined women, who actually operate out of the gutter. Danielle needs to stay out of Caroline and Dina's lives if she hopes to keep Jacqueline's friendship. Stop the drama, and get on to what is important in life, and that surely is not Caroline and Dina!
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6-23-2009 @ 6:23PM
Sue said...
I couldn't agree more. Caroline telling Al to apologize for calling their daughter "stupid" and then you can hear her saying, "you're so stupid" regarding her daughter, after the patio discussion about her cosmetology school. If you listen to her, Caroline says during that rant of hers, "I want you to..." never asking her what she wants. These adults children of hers, seemingly, do not have a say what they get to do for their life's work, evidenced by Al's "this is a dictatorship, not a democracy". How sad it was when Lauren said, "I will go to the school and do what she (Caroline) says or I will be written out". Caroline must get a warm fuzzy over that one! To know that her child values her "opinion" because she will be written out as opposed to just because she loves me. What a shame! Time to cut the cord MOM! Or would that be too frightening to lose that kind of control? Pathetic! What a classic case of an enmeshed family! Bravo Caroline and Al...job well done! Don't get me started on the "guilt" she threw Jacqueline at the "Last Supper" when she said, "you know who you are really hurting...my parents." That was really lower than low!
6-21-2009 @ 1:53PM
Edward said...
Are these idiots Italian or Greek? Please say Greek! I can't imagine Italians being so stupid.
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6-24-2009 @ 9:11PM
Jasmine said...
Caroline and Dina are hateful people with ugly hearts. Especially Caroline. I feel badly for their children. And did anyone see the episode where Jaqueline talked about hitting Dina? Hmmm I wonder about this and if it actually happened? What does anyone else think about this? I know Danielle has made some bad mistakes in her life but somehow I feel bad for her though. I think Theresa is a beautiful Gal and it's nice to see that she and her hubby have such a good relationship.
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6-30-2009 @ 4:43PM
Lynne said...
I LUV THIS STUPID SHOW!
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7-01-2009 @ 7:26PM
Joy said...
I love the Real Housewives of New Jersey! I have never, ever watched any reality TV until this show and I really enjoyed getting to know these gusty, ballsy ladies. It really takes you away from your mundane life and helps you forget your problems, but I also realized that despite their money and advantages, these gals are real people too! Dina is my favorite since she is a "cat person" like myself and I hope to see more of Granny Wrinkles next season.
A great show and a great escape - I'll continue to watch and hope for a second season!
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