Jim Spellman/Getty ImagesWelcome back to Real Housewife of New York Bethenny Frankel's exclusive blog about The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Bethenny's blogging exclusively for E! Online every Wednesday, dishing about the craziness that goes down with these Jersey girls each week. Here's her new installment, for last night's special The Last Supper.
Take it away, Bethenny...
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On last night's first of four Real Housewives of New Jersey post-finale specials, I can now I see why the ratings were so high. Perhaps if I mud wrestle one of my castmates at Madison Square Garden, then I will feel complete and validated.
It really seemed like much ado about nothing. Am I missing something? Some girl, who doesn't know five other girls, did some creepy stuff 25 years ago, and is now on a reality show with said five girl Italian Stallions, who are "thick as thieves" and won't tolerate her criminal past.
Now the "criminal in question" wants to pull out a book at an orchestrated dinner to clear the air with the same people she doesn't know, definitely doesn't like and who want nothing to do with her and never will.
The core issue is that Danielle was publicly humiliated because of some salon visit by Dina and Caroline. Um, you signed up for a reality show with a past like that? I'm gathering that Bravo is a bit more public than Le Chateaux salon in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
Whether she actually came to the restaurant with that book folded into her tiny clutch, or if the Bravo producers had that book hidden under the table, is neither here nor there. In any case, it seemed premeditated. I mean who brings it out at a dinner party?
Look, Danielle, face it, they hate you. You tried to get them to like you, and you're now the center of attention so you feel a little powerful, but they still hate you. My advice, stay home with your beautiful girls and camp out on your therapist's couch for a long while. You've destroyed your own life and now you're on the road to destroying your girls'. Her ex-husband should come get them stat.
There is more to this than we see, though, because Danielle wanted to be Dina's friend so badly at the season's beginning and now is hating her so vehemently. Dina's nervous pacing and body language, as Danielle astutely noticed, were telling.
Caroline and Dina keep talking about how Danielle wants the attention and now, mission accomplished. She's splashed all over magazines for her visit to the big house and a sex tape. Bravo, Danielle, I'm sure your girls are proud. Now, the toxicity of actually shooting a reality show, coupled with this scandal is beyond damaging to those kids. It's the whole Jon and Kate controversy. Those kids shouldn't be working in this way or exposed to this.
As for Teresa, she was quite proud of her behavior, and in general, really wanted to glorify the table flipping as an Italian, Jersey right of passage. How embarrassing, seriously. It seems that Teresa's lack of vocabulary led her to express herself physically. She made it clear that Danielle doesn't know who to mess with, but Danielle didn't seem too frightened. I will give Teresa credit for finally using an SAT word correctly: audacity. Congratulations, T!
Incidentally, Danielle did look great in that dress, and what is insane is that she came off better than most of the group, which shows what we're dealing with.
Thankfully, Teresa's husband was so turned on that they got it on that night. I guess they did it four times that day, rather than the three times daily she boasted about earlier.
The wisest comment was when Danielle's daughter said that how Teresa behaved was the opposite of a lady. Smart little girl.
The running assessment from the kids was entertaining, which ranged from comments that their father would never tolerate this and Teresa is a feisty little Italian-tempered girl, to the comments of Caroline as the lioness of the crowd. It became comical actually.
I still like Caroline a great deal. I loved when she laughed—thought it was rude when she texted—but I appreciate her ability to form a grammatically correct sentence, which is more than I can say for Teresa, Dina and Danielle. Actually, Danielle sounds articulate compared to the others, and that's including her pronunciation of caw-fee and taw-king.
Jacqueline was a star, a class act and she became my fast favorite. She is actually a strong woman who stood up for someone, right or wrong, because she believed in her. Very nice. Congrats on your baby, Jacqueline. Your husband, Chris, is a lucky man.
And lastly, as for Dina blogging that TV isn't just for money and that I should apologize by donating "some of that Skinnygirl money" to her charity, here is my response: Dina, I happily donate my time and money to the Children's Tumor Foundation, Camp Confidence and the Step Up Women's Network, just to name a few.
Dina, for you to insinuate that you did this reality show for charity, I will quote my friend Kathy Griffin and say, "That's a bag of bulls--t."
I'm thinking I'll lock my doors and seal my windows after this one.
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Check back here, same time, same place, for a recap of next week's The Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion special. Bethenny Frankel is the inventor of the Skinnygirl Margarita and author of the New York Times best-seller Naturally Thin, available everywhere books are sold. Information, updates and recipes can be found at www.bethenny.com and www.skinnygirlcocktails.com. And you can catch Bethenny guest starring as herself on IFC's Z Rock show this Saturday at 7 p.m.