Real Housewives Of New Jersey Fraud
08/05/2013 08:45
It is so hard to write this. It is almost as hard to write this as it was to watch it last night.
Of course we are all now watching this television show through a different lens. This past week, the very real Federal government handed down a 39 count indictment of Teresa and Joe Giudice. This news has been everywhere from Entertainment Tonight to the Wall Street Journal. The indictment is real and very serious. Most, if not all, serious news journalists are predicting prison time for both Joe and Teresa. (I do not consider Kim D or Big Ang reliable experts in this field)
As I tried to watch the show last night, all I could think, in every scene, was “This is all fake, it is a bigger fraud than that bankruptcy” All the petty fighting seems stupid and tired. The meddling, the conversations, the trumped up meetings and meals - its all just another fraud. This time the fraud is being perpetrated on the viewer. Yes, I know reality tv isn’t really reality, but it just felt ridiculously, pointlessly fake last night. I could find no humor in it at all. I was just bored and saddened by it all. I felt so much overwhelming sadness for those children. They are all being used to actively perpetuate this fraud. And sadder still, they have no idea about what is about to hit their family. I felt dirty and complicit in this fraud. I didn’t like the feeling.
I also found it very odd that Teresa is continuing life as usual. As if she can write her own reality. If she is smiling for cameras, then she is happy and life is good. It is all still one big photo-op for her. She went to her beauty award event the night of the indictment. She went to the Hamptons to be with her friend Dina (another reality star) to tweet pics. She made a statement that she plans on continuing her appearances. I fear she is listening to her fans and still thinks this is all just part of the fame game. I think she lives in a world that is just not based in actual reality. I think she really believes her own hype. I think she is able to do this to a dangerous and delusional extent. I feel really sad to think of her realizing this only as they take her off to jail. And yet, I can still imagine her doing jailhouse interviews. Can’t you? Maybe it is a blessing that she will never really grasp the magnitude of this. Maybe it is a blessing for her….it won’t be for her kids. When/if Teresa and Joe go to jail, it will be very real for those 4 girls. I think Gia is old enough to be pissed. Being a teenager is hard enough. To be a teenager and come to the realization that your parents didn’t put your best interests first, is devastating.
Those are the kind of thoughts that kept entering my mind as I tried to watch the show and give a rats ass about their petty (staged) squabbles. Admittedly, I have had a tough week and I can’t say my own personal crisis isn’t also influencing my viewing experience. I hope that is part of the problem. Otherwise, I don’t see how I can continue to watch this show. I do not want to be a participant in what is going to be a devastating end for these kids.
Did anyone else feel this? Do you still care about anything that is happening on the show? Are you listening for things that could be used against them in court?
You can read the full indictment here . Of course the lawyers will make out like bandits with this case. They will take everything like vultures fighting for every scrap. The lawyers are always the big winners. I read that Joe and Teresa have been stockpiling money in Italy. (They certainly have not been using all their income to pay creditors according to all reports I have read) For the kids sake, I hope its true. It wouldn't break my heart to see them all leave New Jersey. It possibly could be the best thing they could do for thier girls.
Has any other reality "star" ever been indicted on more than 39 charges? Has any celebrity? I would be very interested in learning this. I do know, celebrities have been jailed for less.
Did you view the show differently last night? Are you concerned for the children? Do you think they will serve time? Are they stockpiling money outside the USA? Should Teresa continue her appearance? What are your thoughts on last nights show? Please share your thoughts on all of this.
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