Celebrity Apprentice



Teresa, Teresa, oh, Teresa. I feel slighted, as if I was in the presence of greatness knowing that the Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Skinny Italian was mere ninety minutes away from me, answering questions openly and honestly (ahem) in my tiny home state’s capitol. Maybe she will, as she recently opened up about her husband’s dinner date at TGIFriday’s!

Not only that, mob princess Victoria Gotti teases about a Celebrity Apprentice blow-up with the Bravo housewife that puts Nene Leakes beef with Star Jones to shame. Add all of this with the fact that Teresa Guidice’s nemesis sister-in-law Melissa Gorga won’t be breaking bread with her husband’s sister this holiday makes for a very Merry Jersey-style Christmas.

Going on The Wendy Williams Show recently, Teresa isn’t just defending herself, but also her marriage and finances. When questioned about whether she was the only housewife in financial strife, Teresa took the high road refusing to speculate about the business of her cast mates (and former friends). Of Juicy Joe Guidice’s and her situation, she explains, “Joe and I are both hard workers. We just withdrew from bankruptcy.”

Wendy Williams then asked about those dreaded rumors of infidelity, sparked by pictures of Juicy dining with another woman at TGIFriday’s. That Joe is one big spender, eh? Teresa assures Wendy, “That was a friend of ours.” She continues, telling a story about dining recently with a hot male companion who is friends with the couple. Teresa was thankful she wasn’t photographed with him to start the gossip mill swirling. “It’s not fair that just because you are out with a friend, you are cheating on your spouse,” she tells Wendy. Teresa loves her Juicy Joe.

You know who else she loves? Donald Trump, the man that is helping her expand her brand on Celebrity Apprentice. You know who she may not love as much? Her rumored co-star and competitor on the upcoming season, Victoria Gotti. Not to be outdone by Teresa, Victoria showed up on The Wendy Williams Show hinting about a brewing feud between Mrs. Guidice and herself. While never out-right confirming her spot on the reality competition, Gotti teases, “I recently worked with someone on a project, and that person is a fellow Italian woman …” Follow-up questions from Wendy made it pretty clear that fellow lady was Teresa.

A shocked Wendy admits, “In my mind you guys would be friends,” to which Gotti replies, “In my mind we were too. But then there comes a scene… when my mind gets completely blown… So you’re going to see this on TV, it’s a quite a blow-up… I thought it was gonna get a little physical there. Nene and Starr, I mean, that was like nothin’.'” I honestly can’t say I’m surprised to hear that. I’d kind of like to see Teresa and Nene go head to head!

While Victoria Gotti may not be hanging out with Teresa anytime soon, the same may be said for Melissa Gorga. The upcoming holidays always bring together fun, family and lots of stress, and Melissa and husband Joe Gorga may be choosing less stress over more family time. In a recent interview, Melissa admits that Christmas plans have yet to be made. She says, “It’s yet to be determined. Sometimes when something stresses you out and when you have to think to hard about something, sometimes it’s better to stay away for a little while.”

While Melissa would love for the cousins to enjoy the holidays together, it seems that Teresa may be the roadblock. Melissa reveals, “If it were up to me, we would be together every single Christmas Eve. Our children would be opening presents together. We’d be sharing every single Christmas together.”

Joe Gorga agrees. When it comes to his sister Teresa, he knows she can bring unwanted drama. Joe concurs, “There’s certain things you just can’t forgive and forget. It’s a holiday. You want to enjoy it. You want to be happy. You don’t want to be aggravated. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I want to be happy.”

Melissa, however, remains hopeful. “I just really hope that we can all work this out. We all have such amazing opportunities here. We’re all great people.” She continues, “Everyone’s talented. Everyone has amazing families. We all just need to let it go and work it out. It’s the holidays and that’s it. I don’t want to say anything else. We really need to work it out.”

And finally, last night, Teresa spoke at a library benefit (of all things!) in Columbia, South Carolina. In an interview prior to her appearance, Teresa was asked about her reality star status. Teresa reveals, “I’m really humble and really down to earth. I don’t walk around saying that. I’m still true to who I am.” Cough, cough. She continues, “I’m still the same person. The way they portray you on TV, that’s not who you really are. I’m really, real, and I think my true friends know who I really am. They’re just really protective of me.”

However, Teresa admits she has a feisty side (table flipping, anyone?), but she explains, “I stand up for myself if I believe in something. If I have to state my case, I have to state it. If I’m wrong, then I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Is that how it works? Even when discussing Bravo’s Andy Cohen and his not so gentle ribbing of she and her husband, Teresa laughs, exclaiming, “[T]hat’s his job. And I love Andy. I’m a big girl and I can defend myself.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TERESA’S INTERVIEW? ARE YOU SHOCKED THAT SHE AND VICTORIA GOTTI WILL SPAR ON THE UPCOMING SEASON OF CELEBRITY APPRENTICE? SHOULD THE GORGAS AND THE GUIDICES CALL A TRUCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS?