It’s no secret I am a bravo tv addict and I was so glad to learn many of you are too!

In my local Facebook mom support group, a former producer for the Real Housewives of New Jersey and Miami kindly offered to entertain everyone and answer any questions people had. It was so much fun to read through the Q&A and learn some real housewives intel. I shared a few snippets of the q&a on IG story and received so many messages that I thought it would be fun to put all of my favorites in a blog post. Enjoy!

Q: Are Teresa and Dolores really good friends?
A: Dolores has always been around! If you remember that trip to the cabin in Season 3 with Teresa, Joe and the Manzos she was there! She is actually good friends with the cast. They go way back to Patterson etc.

Q: On a scale of 1 to table flip….how crazy is Teresa in real life?
A: Oh man. This is a hard one. She is definitely one of the most interesting people I have ever met. She tries to be calculated but is scatter brained. She also doesn’t use logic very much. It wasn’t possible to explain anything to her rationally. We went through some dark times when they were indicted etc. When they were being investigated she was reeling it in and not flipping any tables but she didn’t lose that quirky, funny personality that people love watching. When she was released from jail I thought she would change but other than developing a love of yoga she stayed the same!

Q: Will Teresa and Juicy Joe get divorced when he gets deported?
A: I don’t know! I think she does genuinely love him but their Italian is rudimentary at best and their daughters’ Italian is non-existent. I don’t know what they would do there! But if they do go I imagine Bravo will follow them.

Q: Did the Manzo’s spin off show get cancelled?
A: It was a mutual decision. I think they were tired of being on TV. BUT I just heard that Caroline could be coming back to Bravo a la Bethenny… but this is really top secret and not final.

Q: What is the juiciest piece of info you can give us on RHONJ?
A: You will be shocked to learn that Jacqueline is by far the most complicated, difficult person I have ever met. You wouldn’t think that by watching the show BUT she would send a text message to the producers and cast that you had to scroll and scroll and scroll just to get to the end. She would spin a web for herself into these intense and complicated theories of what producers were trying to do and nothing could have been further from the truth. She would sit there and plot and scheme to make every season go her way (rather unsuccessfully, I would say.)

Q: Is Danielle as crazy as she seems, or is she playing up for the cameras?
A: I’ve never met Danielle. I worked on the show in later seasons but my friends who have worked on it have confirmed that she is incredibly difficult. She also is waaay more trouble behind the scenes. What you see on camera is the best version of herself. She is very vile to the producers but thinks the way she is on camera will attract fans. This is true of a lot of the housewives!

Q: How much do the ladies earn each season?
A:  When you start as a housewife it’s very little considering the time commitment. An entire season (3-4 months of shooting a few days a week) is about 20-40K. If you become very popular (Nene, Teresa, Lisa Vanderpump etc. you make upwards of 1mil.) Nene was the first to negotiate.

 

Q: Of the current NJ Housewives which is the worst behind the scenes and which is the nicest?
A: I don’t work on current seasons but my favorite has always been Dina Manzo. The qualities I loved about her were that she was whip smart, funny, irreverent and just a good person. However, this made her quite “boring” on TV because she could control herself! You normally want to cast people that lack any sort of impulse control… I will visit her in June when I am in LA (She lives there w/ her new boyfriend!)

Q: When the housewives go on trips while filming how much do producers influence location, activities, meals out, etc…
A: UMMMMMM… we do it all! That is why I am the best travel agent for my family. Of course the trip had to make sense (Italy for the Italian cast of the Giudices or Boca because Siggy had a house there etc.) but after that it’s all on the producers. Trips are great because they produce so much content. A very short amount of time yields several episodes but they are so so exhausting because you have to shoot basically 24/7 as not to miss any action.

Q: Have there ever been any conversations about Real Housewives Chicago?
A:  I have always wondered why there hasn’t been a Midwest version. From what I understand there has been casting attempted but the midwest is a place where people will not say what they actually think. People here avoid confrontation at all costs. I have been tempted to put together a tape and pitch it to Bravo, though, because there are definitely some interesting characters here!

Q: Are they really that rich? I mean in NJ they have mansions cars and then go to jail! Lol
A: Sigh. They weren’t truly that rich in the liquid sense. All of them had money issues. I credit working on the show with making my lust for material possessions almost non-existent. *Although I will not turn down a Golden Goose sneaker I pretty much stopped caring about watches, shoes, boats, luxurious hotel suites etc. I saw the cast want those things and then get them (usually arranged by producers) want the next thing and then the next but never be satisfied. It truly opened up my eyes to the fact that relationships and experiences are what is ultimately going to create a fulfilling life.

Q: Did Melissa and Teresa really hate each other or was it story line? Joe an Teresa were so close!
A: This was so real. Tre was legit mad about sugar cookies. And everything else. I think she was just jealous of Melissa, tbh. She can be petty that way.

Q: This is amazing!! How much of it is really reality, and how much is scripted? Like are the woman encouraged to be  cray cray, or are they truly that way all the time?
A: I get this question a lot. I would say that it’s more of a casting thing! If you cast the right people and put them in certain situations you will get a really interesting result. Also, in real life if you didn’t like someone you would likely never talk to that person ever again. But these people are being paid to be on a TV show together so whether they like it or not they have to discuss whatever it is that is bothering them and see each other.

Q: Out of all the housewives you worked with, who was “faking it ‘tlil they made it” the most?
A: I would say Bethenny Frankel is truly the master of this! She had nothing when she became the first single “housewife.” The producers needed her to have a storyline, not just a personality so they pushed her to actually act on and produce this half baked idea that she had called Skinnygirl. I think she owes her success to needing a story and being pushed to do what she loved. Those producers were my former bosses on Jersey and they were incredible.

Q: What is Andy Cohen like in person?
A:  I’ve only met him a few times (reunions and WWHL tapings) and he is basically like any other celebrity. If I saw him with Baby Benjamin I would say hi but he is known for being a bit aloof.

Q:What is Melissa Gorga like in real life? How is the dynamic between her and Teresa? Are they all a size 00? Do they actually work out or is at all zapped out of them??
A:  So Melissa is 1000x worse than Tre in my opinion because Tre tries to be calculated and fails but Melissa knows exactly what she is doing. She knows what buttons to push and she is not innocent. Melissa is incredibly protective about what she does and says. She has this image she is cultivating but I think people see through it and rightly believe she is fake. Melissa does work out a lot but had a nose job (that Jacqueline outed her out on) and breast implants. The rest of them do love a good procedure or two.

Q: Who is the smartest housewife?
A:  Lea Black from Miami. She is a powerhouse and always impressed me. But I would say Dina from Jersey.

Q: Are Melissa and Joe Gorga the real deal? I think she is gorgeous. What’s she like?
A: Joe is my favorite. He is so sincere and hard working and wears his heart on his sleeve. He also couldn’t have been nicer although he couldn’t remember my name for the entirety of the time I’ve known him.

Q: Why is Miami no long on?
A: Ratings! It never really found an audience.

Q: Do they get to watch any of the footage before they shoot their testimonials? Also do any of the housewives get special treatment from production for positive storylines, final cuts (I thought I read that Kyle on BH was allowed to cut out unflattering body shots)?
A: The post producers watch footage as it comes in from the field and write the interview questions based on the sound bytes they need to craft the episode. I worked in the field! Umm.. no special treatment. They sign that right away and get paid well do so.

Q: Are the fights real?
A: YES! We never staged anything. Didn’t have to!

Q: What really happened between Dina and Caroline Manzo? Are they still not speaking?
A: The Manzos have 11 siblings in that family. Side note- I actually shot Jamie Laurita’s wedding here in Barrington!! In any family that large personalities will clash. They still don’t speak but it was never clear why! I’m not sure if Dina fully understood why.

Q: Do bravo-lebrities get paid to appear on watch what happens live? I assume it’s in the contract for appearances. Do other celebs get paid to be on WWHL?
A: They get a car service, makeup, hair etc. but don’t get paid. They want to appear because it’s good for their image/brand/setting the record straight/meeting other actual celebs etc.

Q: Teresa and Joe’s marriage going to survive or do you see a shift with her independence and anger with him?
A: I think they were co-dependent and finally grew up and became adults when they were separated from one another by prison. Weirdly, she blames everyone else for the struggles except for him.

Q: What was it really like between Joanna and Roman?
A: They were more like BFF than a romantic couple. They were two of the most attractive people in the world and would talk about not being attracted to one another!

Q:  I feel like jersey is notorious for crazy public fights… what is the reaction of restaurants goers when these types of fights happen and how do you not get kicked out? Do you warn the restaurants beforehand that there might be excessive commotion?
A: Great question! HONESTLY – we got an appearance release from all the people around them so we could capture their reactions! That was the best part. People had amazingly genuine looks of horror on their faces when things got heated. It was mortifying for producers but all real.

Q: Did Joe and Theresa cheat on each other ?
A: I don’t know for certain. I think because they have known each other their entire lives they are very juvenile around one another and don’t do a lot of work to sustain the relationship. They sort of lived day to day. They both put up with a lot and have the very old school mentality of putting up with crap for the sake of the kids/family.

Q: As a native of NJ always wondered – Siggy is from Tenafly and Margaret is from Englewood. The other girls live in a different county in or near Montville. Those towns are about an hour apart. How often do they actually have to get together every week for filming?
A: Melissa is in Montville, Tre around the corner, Caroline & Jacqueline were in Franklin Lakes, Kathy was in Wayne (but has since moved to Franklin Lakes.) They meet in the middle when we go to restaurants for a two person lunch etc. or go to each other’s houses and just drive a long way! Often scenes are of one family at home so no travel involved. We would always shoot in NYC because that’s where we the producers lived! When we did Season 6 Amber and the twins lived in Colts Neck, which may have well been Florida, it was so far south! That was the worst. Logistics were always a consideration when planning our shoots. I spent my 20’s in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.

Q: Never understand why any of these women would be friends – they are so mean to each other.
A: Even mean people want meaningful friendships.

Q: Who gave the best gifts when the seasons wrapped?
A: Depends on the wife! Some were more generous than others. Teresa did gift me her cookbooks. Melissa gave me a couple things from Envy! Who wants a t-shirt? I can’t fit into it anymore lol

Q:  How could Jackie want to contact her sister she didn’t speak to for 16 years the exact same time as she filmed? Seemed so staged!
A: Producers push the wives to tie up loose ends in their lives, try new things etc. She could have been wanting to contact her and just got the push to do it! Her sister clearly didn’t want to be a part of it bc when she called her we didn’t hear her voice. Also Roman Jr. is an amazing sleeper thanks to you!

Q:  Is Jennifer all the way up Teresa’s ass to stay relevant on the show?
A:  I believe they truly clicked! When you cast you make predictions about alliances but they could have easily hated each other too! Reality is often more interesting than what we think will happen as producers.

Q: Was Siggy really that up and down? She was just all over the place! I’d love her one second and then be so annoyed with her the next. And was she fired?
A: You guys. SIggy is a LOT. Her first season was my last as a producer on Housewives. But she is really that talkative and a ball of energy. But honestly, if my friends were having fun and some cake fell on the floor who cares? I think she got caught up in how it would look on TV! The wives that just live their lives and don’t think too deeply about how things will look are the ones that are the most well liked.

Q: Are any of the scenes shot multiple times? Is it actually authentic?
A: It’s not staged… but I’m sure they do put them in interesting situations!