‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Recap: Jennifer vs. Margaret and That Weird-Ass Luis Video
Grab your sprinkle cookies and self-tanners, because The Real Housewives of New Jersey is back.
The 12th season of the Bravo series premiered Tuesday night, featuring a familiar roster of Jersey girls: Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, and Jackie Goldscheider are all back for the fourth season in a row. In a franchise where Housewives are swapped as often as Lisa Rinna changes wigs, it’s quite a feat to keep a core cast for so long. That said, after watching the first episode, it seems RHONJ could have used a refresh.
On the one hand, Tuesday’s slow-moving premiere felt like a welcome moment of respite in the current state of the Housewives universe. There was a time when the ladies of the Garden State were the blueprint for over-the-top drama, back when Tre flipped tables and became the first Housewife to be charged with a crime. But the currently airing season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has set a new precedent for controversy, with federal authorities crashing a girls’ trip to arrest Jen Shah, allegations that Mary Cosby is running a cult, and, in the latest episode, a hot mic moment that has to be heard to be believed.