Credit: Bravo
Theresa Judge was invited to “ambush” and “suck-punched” by his brother and sister-in-law Joe and Melissa Gorga, and he revealed what it was like watching the episode for the first time. The Gorgas, who allegedly joined The Real Housewives of New Jersey Teresa’s friend who returned in 2011, has bounced off the rollercoaster of the feuding family.
Recently, their tension reached a boiling point when the couple did not marry Luis Ruelas after Teresa allegedly discussed false rumors about Melissa’s relationship. Now, family members don’t talk anymore.
“I’m from a small family and we’re really close. Then for something like this to happen, it’s really hard for me,” said Teresa in an interview with PEOPLE, dealing with ongoing disputes.
According to Teresa, the new drama is heavy for her, and she has been experiencing this for months because she was “ambush” by Joe and Melissa when they entered the show.
“Since my family came to the show, it’s been hard for me to enjoy being on TV,” Teresa said. “Here I am, it’s just raining, I’m having fun and then bam. I was knocked out, heartbroken by my family coming to the show behind me.
He went on to say, “The reason why I’m still talking about it now, and it’s been 10 years, is because it was so traumatic… I’ve never been on a TV show with my family. This is my thing. I’m excited about it. It’s something new for me, and it’s like project, and I was happy, then suddenly I was bombarded and ambushed by my family. And it was very sad, because I felt like my dream was destroyed.
“I would never screw up like that,” Teresa said, “because that’s not how I play. If she was on the show, I would never go and hurt her like I did. That’s not my style. That’s not who I am. If something- what, I always have my own thing, because that’s how I am. I always like to be different.”
The 50-year-old also shared, “I’ve always tried to keep my peace and that’s why I kept my mouth shut for so many years… because of my parents, they live for me and my sister… it’s heartbreaking. No parent I want to see my son fight.”
“But now, unfortunately, my parents are no longer here,” said Teresa. “That’s why I will do what is good for my family, good for me, good for my children. And I just want peace. And therefore any toxicity, [I have to] stay out…. I will not accept this poison again. I will be a mother bear, protecting my family.
Teresa claims, however, that she will not quit the franchise. “I’m not going to stop. I started the show. I’m not going to give that to anybody because I started the show,” he explained. “Other people try to put it in there, like, ‘Oh, Teresa wants to go.’ I think it’s crazy how people are trying to plant the seed that Teresa wants to leave the show…the game people are playing. Not. I started this. I don’t walk until Bravo wants me to go.
He also told the outlet that he has yet to watch an episode of the show — until 2022.
“I watched the show for the first time because I never watched it. And if you notice, when I was at the reunion, Andy Cohen would ask me and I wouldn’t know what they were talking about,” the star said. “Everybody knows I don’t watch the show.”
Regarding her change of heart, Teresa said, “I just want to learn by myself and see what my brother and sister-in-law say about me.”
“I’ve seen all this on Instagram, this account that posted the last episode. And I’m watching it and I’m like, ‘My brother said that? My sister said that?’ And then I started watching it and I was like, ‘Now, I got an answer,'” he continued.
“But I can’t watch it [initially] because I’ve had a hard time getting back to life. And luckily I didn’t watch it before, because now I see what my brother and sister say about me, oh God. It was like a knife right through my heart. I think my reaction would be different if I watched the show.
Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 is set to premiere on Saturday, February 7, on Bravo.