Andy Cohen tried his best wrangling the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” for Part 1 of the three-night reunion special, but his Jersey girls were certainly a handful.
Jennifer Aydin was in the line of fire all night long, putting herself there most of the time as she called out costars Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs and Dolores Catania — as well as “Real Housewives of New York” alum Bethenny Frankel.
While the show is clearly saving a few Teresa Giudice bombshells and the appearance of Danielle Staub for Parts 2 and 3, Wednesday still delivered 5 standout moments between the women.
Jennifer vs. Melissa, Round 1
Jennifer wasted no time criticizing Melissa for what she called a “fake ass storyline” involving Gorga considering having a fourth child. “Who are you kidding? She’s not going to have a baby,” exclaimed Jennifer, saying Gorga was “too self absorbed” to have another kid.
After Melissa asked for specific examples of said self-absorption, Jennifer pointed to her “Melissa-themed” birthday party, as well as her “constant” selfies and “self-accolades.” She even accused Gorga of giving herself props while staring at her phone, scrolling through her own Instagram feed.
“This is where I’m gonna tell you you say dumb shit,” Gorga shot back, before Jennifer then accused Melissa of “making a mockery of people who are really going through” IVF issues with her storyline. “I think you were absolutely faking that whole thing,” Aydin added, “Your career is taking off, a baby would halt your journey right now. It’s a selfless thing to have a baby, look what she would have to give up.”
After a viewer also questioned just how real some of Melissa’s storylines were this season, she said everything was authentic — including her search for her third sister, restaurant drama and questioning her future after turning 40.
Jennifer vs. Danielle, Round 2
When asked why she and Jennifer haven’t spoken since going to the Jersey Shore near the end of the season, Gorga said, “Why would I speak to someone who throws shit at me? I think she says really dumb shit.”
If you recall, the two nearly got into a physical confrontation that ended with Jennifer chucking napkins and silverware in Melissa’s direction.
Defending her actions by saying she didn’t actually hit her, Jennifer said, “its not touching anybody.”
“If the glass, the fork you threw, the knife you threw, if it hit something and hit me in my face, we would have a major problem here,” Gorga shot back. After Margaret said they should all “make a pact not to throw anything anymore” — not a bad idea, at all — Gorga said she actually had a lot of fans “very upset” she didn’t retaliate.
“I’m smart enough to know, we don’t put our hands on each other,” she said. “It took everything in my body, I know I can’t touch her, but I wanted to wring your neck. I think you’re an asshole when you do shit like that.”
When Aydin egged her on, saying she was shaking in her boots, Gorga added, “I’m not telling you to shake, I’m telling you I think you’re a f–king asshole.” Jennifer shot back, “Don’t do anything to make me throw an object!”
The back and forth ended with Margaret saying Jennifer was just “starving for attention,” as the rest of the women told her to “shut up.”
Jennifer vs. Dolores
Andy wanted to know where things stood with Dolores and her boyfriend David Principe, after Season 10 showed her getting ready to move in with him.
“I’m ready for him to move into his home. However, I’m not moving in,” she said. “I’m not engaged. I’m good without a commitment right now. He should want it from me. I would have got engaged, I would have got married, I would have been an amazing wife. He’s not a bad guy.”
Jennifer, however, caught Dolores’ ire when she said she thought Catania was “settling.”
“I think she wants to be with him so bad, she’s willing to take him any way he’s willing to offer himself,” explained Jennifer. “I think she’s okay with it for now.”
Dolores said that wasn’t the case. She also said she was “pissed off” because David didn’t make a move when he had the chance — and she’s “a f–king good catch.”
For what it’s worth, she and her ex Frank haven’t hooked up either.
Jennifer vs. Margaret
Much was made of Jennifer’s comment during the season that she didn’t know “what type of mother” Margaret was, while calling herself “a very hands-on mother.” Viewers found it shady and so did Josephs.
“It was very upsetting to me when she said she didn’t know what kind of mom you were, I still am a mother,” explained Margaret. “You are a mother until the die you die.”
Jennifer said she wasn’t being sarcastic with her comment, but said she literally didn’t know what Margaret’s parenting style was like because “I’ve never seen you with children.” After Margaret explained that she raised her son and stepchildren, she told Jennifer to “slow your roll” when she tried to interject.
“I adore stay at home mothers, that is the hardest job in the world,” Margaret added. Looking at Jennifer, she added, “She’s far from the poster child for stay at home mothers. Jen has a staff.”
After Margaret also accused Jennifer of being out “a lot,” Aydin told Josephs to “stop social stalking me” on social media. “Where is it I go other than you women and filming?” she asked, “It’s Insta-sham, it’s all f–king fake and it’s what you want people to see. You don’t know that when I’m posting, I’m posting in real time.”
Jennifer vs. Bethenny?!
Yep, even Bethenny Frankel came up during the reunion, after Andy brought up an Instagram post the former RHONY star commented on in which Jennifer called herself a “comedian.” Bethenny’s comment: “Said nobody funny about themselves ever.”
“By the time I saw it, Margaret had already jumped in on that with her two cents,” Aydin said about the shade. “Every time somebody tries to say something against me on social media, this one is always quick to jump and side with them against me.”
Dolores pointed out Bethenny’s comment came after Jennifer had compared Frankel to the Cryptkeeper on “Watch What Happens Live.”
“When you ask me something, I’m going to have something to comeback with,” she told Andy. Dolores, however, accused her of always taking things “to the next level.”
“I read you all loud and clear,” said Aydin. “They’re angry with me.”
The reunion will continue on March 11th and 18th on Bravo.
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