The teaser trailer for the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey had many fans in a tailspin, as hints at cheating accusations flew left and right. No housewife seemed safe in their marriage or situationship, or at least that's what Bravo was trying to sell. After last night’s episode, fans are in an uproar because it seems Bravo intentionally misled them with supposed scandalous footage of Melissa Gorga.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey trailer saw Teresa Giudice revealing to Joe Gorga that his wife/her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, was texting all day with a restaurant owner – implying that she was being unfaithful. In last night's episode, though, fans learned it was all just a prank as part of their ladies’ trip to Lake George. Reality television can push the bounds of trust with fans only so far, though.
Fans are now slamming Bravo, the network for the Real Housewives franchise, for playing up something as serious as cheating when it was only a prank. One fan said it was “Bravo trolling us again for ratings.” As you can see below, many fans were exasperated that the ladies of The Real Housewives of New Jersey were leaning into it:
Many others were questioning if they could even trust that Bravo was going to deliver any of the drama they initially promised:
Some of the enjoyment for fans, of course, is watching real drama and emotion play out. But, viewers might want to hold their horses (or cocktails) for one second, because the Melissa Gorga cheating prank might be a set up for something more legitimate later in the season. The trailer included a snippet, that is clearly part of a later episode, of Joe telling Melissa in the back of a van, “Be careful what you say, because I’ll never talk to you again.” Melissa Gorga herself told Page Six that her relationship has seen better days:
We’ve hit a couple of bumps in the road and we’re honest about it and we’re fighting for it. We’re fighting for our marriage and we’re fighting to keep it strong. And it’s not easy. It’s really not easy. It’s not. And we’re one of the longest standing ‘Housewives’ couples. So whatever we’re doing, I’m going to pat us on the back. Our kids are happy. Everybody’s living. So we’re doing good. It’s just, it’s a struggle. It’s been a little bit more of a struggle the last two years than it’s ever been, and we’re honest about it.
Maybe there is a hidden motive for the cheating prank switcheroo. It is clear thatcheating is already the theme of the season. We are only three episodes in, and Jackie Goldschneider and Teresa Giudice are not speaking because of Giudice’s accusation that Goldschneider's husband “fools around at the gym.”
For those keeping a tally, that was one actual accusation of cheating. There is also another illusion to cheating concerning Margaret Josephs’ husband.
So, the drama is nigh, but Bravo should know that the fallout of playing around with fans is very swift.
