The Real Housewives of New Jersey made quite an incredible debut on Bravo last Spring and this spring, you can relive it all on DVD!
In The Real Housewives of New Jersey – for the first time in the history of the series — the ladies are more than just friends, as the cast includes two sisters (Caroline and Dina Manzo), who are married to two brothers, and one sister-in-law (Jacqueline Laurita), bringing a whole new level of familial drama to the table. Raising the emotional stakes and making things even a bit more volatile is Danielle Staub, the most controversial cast member with an ugly secret that ultimately tests alliances and friendships. And, while family remains a priority for each of these women, their shopping, decorating, dating and even fighting are all over-the-top in an explosive, bling-filled season you’ll not soon forget.
Release Date: April 6, 2010
Rating: N/A
Running Time: 7 hrs, 52 mins + extras
The Real Housewives of New Jersey follows 5 women in Northern New Jersey who aren’t exactly as entertaining as Bravo’s other housewives and don’t exactly make Jersey proud with their words and actions. Three members of the cast are related, as Caroline and Dina are sisters and Jacqueline is their sister in law. There is no doubt about it that Jacqueline seems the most sane of all of the housewives. She tries to avoid confrontation so socially she is a smart cookie but with her child…she needs to put her foot down more. Caroline is the “mama bear” but I don’t recall reading about mama bear’s son opening a strip club in my childhood storybook.
Dina is quite self centered, so the only time viewers can really appreciate her screen time is when she is with her daughter and transfers the focus. Then there is the family friend, Teresa who is loud, aggressive, and the all around stereotypical Jersey girl. She’s a stage mom to her daughter Gia (who is going to need a lot more acting classes if she wants to make it in Hollywood). Viewers watch her in her stage mom mode and her new house mode. Though Teresa may have all the money to build her dream house…she has no decorating taste. It hurts seeing such a beautiful house decorated in such a distasteful way.
Lastly, there is Danielle who is Jacqueline’s friend and her story line seems to bring the main drama to the show…being as how Caroline and Dina have it out for her since they have so much time on their hands apparently. This was quite unfortunate because their dislike for Danielle pretty much was the main focus in every episode, leaving not much room to see these housewives in their true housewife lifestyle. Unless drama is their lifestyle. If so, that is just sad. This drama is quite petty for grown adults so it’s a bit pathetic to see these ladies ganging up on one. Aside from the drama…while this is an over-hyped also known as not a very accurate representation of the real housewives of New Jersey, this is very well edited and entertaining…this is good reality television. So reality TV junkies, this is a must see!
Bonus Feature:
Quiz: Are You a Real Jersey Girl? – Viewers answer 10 questions to test if they are a real Jersey girl, however you have to pick the stereotypical answer for each question to be considered a “real” Jersey girl. I was born and raised in Jersey and my result was, “Have you even been to Jersey?”
Own The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 1 on DVD today.