With Celebrity Apprentice dwindling its roster down to the most dramatic of celebs, it’s only natural that Teresa Giudice remain standing.
Teresa recently took time out of her busy schedule to speak with The Huffington Post’s Dr. Shannon Kellog – a psychologist. Why aren’t ALL reality stars speaking to a psychologist? Dr. Kellog doesn’t diagnose Teresa, but she does quiz her about reality TV–most specifically the non-stop arguments that seem to make up Teresa’s chosen profession–and find out how she copes with the drama. An excerpt from the interview is below!
Dr. Kellogg: On Celebrity Apprentice, you seem to have a different approach to getting along with others than we’ve seen in RHONJ. What was your strategy for getting along with the other players?
Teresa: I didn’t really have a different approach. I used the same approach I use in my everyday life: I give people my heart right away, I don’t hold anything back, but if you cross me, you will hear about it. What people forget is that I was on Housewives with some of my best friends and we got along great for the first two seasons. The only drama from me came when I stood up for my friends out of loyalty.
My strategy for Celebrity Apprentice was to go in being myself because I knew that would throw people off, that they would be expecting the table-flipping Housewife, and really, that’s only a small percentage of my personality. I have degree in fashion marketing, was a buyer for Macy’s, and wrote three successful cookbooks.
I think the big difference in the two shows is how they’re filmed. For Housewives, they film us here and there for months and months, and then pick and choose little pieces to show, sometimes out of order. Like someone can pick at your nerves for months, and when you finally blow, that’s the scene they show first. You could take the same 1000 hours of footage and give it to 10 different editors, and you’d come away with 10 different versions of who that person “really is.”
For Apprentice, they filmed us for two solid months, and we did so much during that time, so many tasks, that they have to use a lot more of the footage, and mostly in order. And we all lived together in Trump Tower with almost no breaks so what you see is real: our real tension, our real frustration, and our real bonding.
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Dr. Kellogg: What were the relationship dynamics you noticed on the show? Were there any Leaders? Bullying? A Peacekeeper?
Teresa: Everyone definitely played a different role. I tried to stay as neutral as possible in the beginning. I knew that if I was super opinionated right away, I would be a huge target for the other players to get rid of. So while I would normally be a leader, I was fine with letting the others take the lead. If I wasn’t supposed to be the project manager, I was a worker bee. That’s what being part of a team is — respecting other people’s roles. Some people just wanted to be the boss all day every day, but that kind of attitude won’t win you any friends or allies in the boardroom!
Paul [Teutul] and Michael [Andretti] were really quiet but I don’t think it was because they were weak; they were just allowing other people to be bossy, like I was. In reality, we’re all leaders, we’re all used to being in charge of our own lives and careers. I think it takes more skill to know how to step back than to always be in everybody’s face.
The funniest thing is how many people came in as divas on the first day. Most everyone has personal assistants who cater to them, they get to sleep in — that’s just not my life at all.
You know who makes it the longest? The people who put their heads down and work their butts off. The people who don’t care about how much camera time they get, but just want their team to win every time.
Dr. Kellogg: What has Celebrity Apprentice taught you about relationships that you’d like to bring back with you in your personal relationships?
Teresa: The relationships I made on Celebrity Apprentice were very intense because we weren’t just gossiping or shopping, we were trying to raise money for very real people we cared about. You end up loving the people who helped you raise money for your charity, and being super angry at people who would sabotage a task so that you’d lose. You learn about why each charity is personal and important to them, and it makes you see them in a new light.
I became close with almost everyone on the cast because we were together so much. I’m proud that I was successful on many tasks, but I might be the most proud that I was able to hold my own and make such strong friendships with so many different types of people. I learned a lot about myself and realized that I have always been a caretaker. I was the mama bear behind the scenes and loved cooking for everyone, testing out recipes from my upcoming cookbook, Fabulicious, Fast and Fit and toasting to a long day of work with Fabellini. Being a mom really brings a lot joy to my life and is the most important role. I love taking care of other people.
Dr. Kellogg: What helped you stand out among the other players?
Teresa: I think my heart and my work ethic. I don’t think anyone expected it — they expected me to be a diva or to just throw tables around or something. I’ve only done that one time in my life and I’m never going to live it down! Oh, I did it again on Celebrity Apprentice, but that was for CHARITY! Never again!
Teresa also talked the new season of Real Housewives of New Jersey and she warned – it’s not for the faint of heart!
Dr. Kellogg: Tell us what’s in store for next season of RHONJ?
Teresa: My gosh, what’s not in store? Betrayal, backstabbing, families trying to work things out, friendships falling apart, explosions, reconciliations, RV parties, lots of wine. This is a must-see season! Reality TV shows are our new soap operas, aren’t they? Although I have to say, it might be easier to watch when you know it’s all fake! The tabloids have already started printing fake stories so that is when I know things are starting to heat up for the show. The tabloids are also like soap operas and we don’t read them anymore because they write such inaccurate, absurd and sensational stories. What happens this season on The Real Housewives of New Jersey is very real and still shocking to me. Oh, and lots of Milania! That’s one good thing! That kid always makes me laugh. I love her. I love all my girls!
Dr. Kellogg: What’s you take on seeking therapy from a psychologist for relationship problems or family therapy?
Teresa: Everyone has different things that work for them. I know some people who go to church or temple and confide in their priest or Rabbi, and some people resolve their issues on their own. I think that everyone is different, so whatever works, more power to you. I don’t think there is anything wrong with seeing a therapist at all, especially if it can prevent divorce or help your family grow together both spiritually and emotionally.
Moving on, Dayana Mendoza is speaking out about Lisa Lampanelli mocking her Venezuelan accent on a recent radio appearance. While Dayana understands that making fun of people is Lisa’s schtick – she’s not ok with Lisa’s comments!
Lisa is quoted as saying: “I actually would love to see [Dayana] giving birth. She’s a sp*c! she’s going to do it f***ing soon, anyway. She’ll be knocked up before the end of the week.” Umm… totally inappropriate!
“I understand that it’s Lisa’s job to make fun of people for a living,” Dayana says to HollywoodLife. “If poking fun at me can help her sell tickets to her shows, no problem, I am happy to help her put food on her table. However, when she uses racial slurs, she is not only targeting myself, but degrading an entire Hispanic culture.”
Lastly, Aubrey O’Day is still disgusted by Arsenio Hall‘s rampage against her on last week’s episode. The fiery Apprentice star tells US Weekly (via their print edition) that there’s plenty more where that came from, but she’s used to the entertainment industry being degrading to women! Yikes!
“Arsenio gets worse in the next episode,” Aubrey cautions. “He calls me a ‘whore.'”
“I guess it’s flattering that I upset him so much,” Aubrey explains. Adding that Arsenio “doesn’t want strong women to have too much of a voice. Typical in the industry.”
Finally, tonight marks an all-new episode of Celebrity Apprentice and thankfully it’s not three hours and the feuding continues as Aubrey remains missing, and Lisa and Dayana continue to butt heads. Oh, as for the task – the celebs are responsible for writing, directing, and producing a 60-second commercial for an entertainment website. A preview of the upcoming episode is below!
Celebrity Apprentice airs at 8/9 EST on NBC.
THOUGHTS ON TERESA’S INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEW ABOUT REALITY TELEVISION? WERE LISA’S COMMENTS COMPLETELY OUT OF LINE? DO YOU THINK AUBREY WILL RETURN TO THE SHOW?
