Welcome to the recap for Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition Episode 2! Last week, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Angie Katsanevas swapped lives with someone who lived off the grid. Now, how will Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga fare? Will the sprinkle cookie maven survive to bake another day? Here’s exactly what went down in Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition Episode 2: “Too Cool for Gabagool.”
What happened in Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition Episode 2?
Melissa’s OCD cleaning lifestyle was turned upside down when she swapped lives with Michelle, who favored family fun time over chores. As Melissa spent time with Michelle’s family instead of cleaning, she realized she wasn’t spending enough time with her own. And Michelle learned that too much family time wasn’t great either. A little alone time was needed to help balance things out. And also sneak in a much needed nap.
Melissa hoped to learn to let things go
Welcome to Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, where RHONJ star Melissa and her husband, Joe Gorga, live. They have three teenagers: Antonia, Gino, and Joey, who are hardly around. And Joe is gone all day too. Melissa is also too busy keeping a clean household and running her businesses to get quality time with the family besides at the dinner table.
While Melissa’s goal is to keep things “neat and clean,” it’s a bit much for Joe. He said, “She’s so OCD on everything. It’s too much.” Melissa noted, “What I hope to get from this swap is to just let some things go.” But in order to do that, she would need some help.
We then headed down south to East Point, Georgia, to meet the Clark family. Michelle and Sean loved to be together all the time with their three kiddos, Sean Jr., Phoenix, and Maverik. Michelle joked, “I don’t need any personal space.”
The couple runs a Double Dutch aerobics business and keeps healthy with a vegan lifestyle. But “joy and fun” were their priority, not keeping things clean. Michelle hoped she would learn to understand what a more organized life could be like. So, she was sent to New Jersey to find out!
The big modern home was a bit of a change for Michelle. Not only because of the size, but also because it was spotless. So much so Michelle wondered if anyone even lived there. But there was evidence of some life when she spotted a bedazzled bottle of olive oil.
Meanwhile, Melissa toured Michelle’s home and was curious as to why there was so much fruit in the fridge. The dirty dishes also sent her anxiety through the roof. She joked, “They’re not neat freaks, so that’s refreshing.”
Michelle’s meatballs and sauce passed the test
Now it was time to learn the house rules. And Michelle was not about cleaning all by herself. And much to her dismay, she learned after meeting Joe and the kids that she was also expected to be the one to change the dog’s diaper. It was a bit much.
And she had to do the cooking too. Meatballs and sauce most definitely were not vegan. However, Michelle was a trooper and cooked up the beef. Joe said in his confessional, “You know, if you’re cooking vegan, you don’t know how to cook for an Italian.” Still, the fam liked Michelle’s version of sauce, even though it wasn’t Mom’s.
The next day she was again doing everything alone. As she snapped selfies at Melissa’s boutique, she realized Melissa got to focus on herself, which was a good thing. But the family time was lacking.
Food was also an issue for Melissa. A vegan lifestyle seemed impossible for her, but she was going to try. Michelle’s rules also included no cleaning up and no bedtimes. Her nightmares were coming true.
But when she met Sean and the kids, she instantly fell in love with them and realized she missed having little ones around. Sean then gave her the tour and showed her were she was sleeping, with security, of course. He said they do everything together as a team. Melissa joked that Joe never even changed a diaper.
The next morning, as the dirty dishes still lingered, Sean took Melissa out to loosen up and have some fun. They all did Double Dutch and Melissa was a pro. She noticed what a hands-on dad Sean was. Melissa realized that he never got a break and promised that was about to change.
Phaedra Parks popped on by
And that change took place as soon as the rules changed. Melissa was in charge now, and that meant a homemade sauce for dinner. But the kids’ excitement was quelled once they learned there was a bedtime. Boo!
However, she turned things around when she took them shopping and gave Sean some alone time. As he took a well-deserved nap, Melissa met up with Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks. Phoenix marveled that Phaedra looked like Elsa from Frozen.
It was a productive trip, as they picked out a dining room table for the family to eat at instead of on the couch. Phaedra was not a fan of being vegan either. She told Melissa, “I can’t get enough meat in my life!”
Sean loved the table and understood why it made a difference as the kids sat there making jokes over dinner instead of watching TV. He shared, “This was what was missing. Very simple, but I guess I never thought it was important.”
Over in Jersey, it was time for “Michelle style!” That meant they were by her side day and night and eating raw vegan food. Everyone’s jaws dropped as they exclaimed, “Raw?” Michelle went into mom mode. She said, “You can change your faces because you’re gonna like it!”
They all gathered round and helped cook some kale and vegan cheese. The food was a miss, but they were fans of leaving the mess behind.
Michelle then brought everyone outside to do some Double Dutch. She wanted the kids to see their dad having fun too. As Joe killed it, Melissa’s family stopped by. They were all horrified at the kitchen.
But Joe felt the opposite. He said, “My whole life I’ve been told what to do. I love Michelle.”
Melissa wanted to spend more time with her family
The next morning Melissa enacted her rule to keep it clean. And the kids actually had fun organizing. Melissa also enjoyed making vegan sprinkle cookies with them. It reminded her she needed to spend more time with her kids too.
Soon it was time to go. Melissa said her goodbyes as everyone teared up. Sean predicted Michelle would want to keep up the new clean lifestyle and give each other a little space to get some rest. Well, we were about to find out.
Before Melissa came home, Michelle told Joe she and Antonia were going to work with him. Joe said, “I like my wife but, I just don’t want her to work with me … You’re very needy.”
Michelle took it in stride and jumped right in to help dig up a pipe at the construction site. This impressed Joe. He said, “A real woman says, ‘I’m getting in the mud and the dirt with you.’”
Luckily mud and dirt wasn’t all over the house when Melissa came back. But she was not a fan of the clothing thrown everywhere. Michelle joked the space looked “lived in.” Melissa sighed.
Still, the two bonded right away. Michelle was inspired to keep the cleanliness up and give Sean some alone time. She advised Melissa to focus more on intentional family joy.
And Melissa did. She said about her family, “It’s not just about being with them; it’s about what are you guys talking about when you are together.”
Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. It can be streamed on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF WIFE SWAP: THE REAL HOUSEWIVES EDITION EPISODE 2? DO YOU THINK JOE WILL HELP MELISSA AROUND THE HOUSE MORE?
