Real Housewives Of New Jersey: Melissa Gorga admits to ‘feeling really scared’ about marriage to Joe

Melissa and Joe Gorga’s marriage seemed to crack irretrievably on the season 11 finale Wednesday of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey.

The long-married couple had recently been fighting more as Melissa, 42, sought more independence while building her fashion retail brand, Envy.

Joe, 41, felt he was being left behind as she gotten bitten by the ‘bug’ of fame, money and power, and carped that she needed to pay more attention to him.

As their friends started to catch on, even calling Joe ‘a chauvinist,’ Melissa became more miserable and had a harder time defending him.

‘I don’t want to die unhappy,’ she said in a confessional. ‘I want to feel fulfilled, not just as a mom. And I’ve never seen Joe fight so hard against something that I want. I am feeling really scared about our relationship, because I’ve never felt this exhaustion and feeling of giving up.’

The episode titled House Of Horrors opened where it left off last week: with Joe’s sister Teresa Giudice, 48, on a date with her new man Luis Ruelas, 46, whom she called ‘very easy’ to be with.

Compared to her sister-in-law, Teresa was feeling positively thrilled about her relationship.

‘Joe, he just didn’t know how to act,’ Teresa said in a confessional of her ex-husband Joe Giudice, 48. ‘But with Luis, I smile every day. He makes me laugh all the time.’

The pair went out for dinner and Teresa said she liked that he was ‘an amazing dad’ to his two sons, adding, ‘There’s just so many qualities that I love about him.’

They each agreed that it was hard to trust people and both said they thought they’d be alone for a decade, so they were surprised to meet each other.

‘You really are amazing,’ Luis cooed, and Teresa replied, ‘So are you.’

‘I love that Luis gets me,’ Teresa told the cameras. ‘I don’t know what the future holds, but this is the best I’ve felt in a really long time.’

She was back home with her daughters Milania, 14, and Gia, 19, when Joe texted her.

She’d avoided him ever since he discussed his girlfriend on The Wendy Williams Show, she said.

‘I don’t need people to know my business,’ Teresa noted, wanting to take things slow with Luis.

‘If I was to think about two years ago you and Dad dating new people, I’d be like, ”Excuse me?” Milania said. ‘But like, ”Do what makes you happy. Live life”.’

Teresa marveled at her daughter’s maturity and said, ‘It turns out that I’m more scared than my daughters to make room in my life for someone.’

In a phone call later in the show, she told Luis she loved him and Luis said he was with Teresa ‘for the long haul… until her boobs sag to the floor.’

As she and her girls made apple pies at home, everyone was enjoying fall and preparing for Halloween—putting up decorations, carving pumpkins, and putting costumes on their dogs.

Margaret Josephs, 54, threw her husband Joe Benigno a Halloween themed 65th birthday party, to which the entire cast was invited.

She hosted as Addams Family matriarch Morticia Addams, with Joe as her husband Gomez.

She recalled how they met while they were in relationships ‘that weren’t the best for us.’

‘When we found each other, we knew how precious and special it was,’ she told the cameras.

Teresa, who understood, came to the party dressed as cotton candy, but kept Luis at home.

Jackie and Evan Goldschneider, 44 and 46, dressed up as Sonny and Cher; Dolores Catania, 50, played an accident victim, while Frank Catania went as Joe Exotic.

Jennifer Aydin, 44, was Jennifer Lopez to Bill Aydin’s Prince, while Joe went as a merman to Melissa’s mermaid.

Dolores was on her guard around Joe after he called her ‘broken’ at a recent party, just because she wasn’t getting married to boyfriend David Principe, 50.

At that event, Melissa polled her pals about whether David had given Dolores a Porsche to avoid getting engaged.

Dolores recalled how tough her marriage to Frank had been because it centered around him, and said she was in no rush to get married again.

She wasn’t angry at Joe for his comments though, saying, ‘He doesn’t discriminate. He speaks to his own wife like that.’

‘I’m not gonna let him speak that way to you, or anybody else,’ Margaret promised.

The hostess spoke to Joe and called him a ‘chauvinist’ for what he’d said to Dolores.

‘I think some men think your happiness stems from a relationship, and it doesn’t,’ Margaret affirmed. ‘It’s a very antiquated way [to think].’

‘Same with Melissa,’ she added. ‘You’re like, ”She’s changed, she’s different”.’

Things had indeed been ‘tense’ between Melissa and Joe, who’d been fighting lately.

‘As much time as you put into your brand, you have to put the same time into your relationship,’ Joe told her earlier.

‘When I was sitting home for 10 years, I could have said the same to you, but I let you fly, honey,’ Melissa pointed out. ‘Could I do a little something for myself?’

‘Your thought process has to evolve,’ Margaret chided Joe.

‘It’s evolved,’ Joe balked. ‘I live in 2020.’

‘You might live here, but your mind lives in 1985,’ Margaret replied.

Melissa saw the two squabble, and confessed, ‘I’m actually sweating right now.’

She loved her friends backing her up, she said, but didn’t want to see them attack Joe.

Dolores said she also found Joe ‘chauvinistic,’ noting, ‘Anybody normal would feel that way.’

‘I’m not saying he’s right,’ Melissa replied. ‘But did you guys meet Joe yesterday?’

Dolores said that her poll at the previous party had been ‘f***ed up,’ and Teresa chimed in, ‘If someone took a poll about me, I’d be p***ed.’

‘Right under the bus,’ Melissa grimaced as her sister-in-law added her opinion.

Dolores asked Melissa how she’d feel if she’d had a poll taken about her marriage to Joe.

‘Honestly, whatever battle I’m going through, I’m handling,’ Melissa stressed.

‘I know where this comes from,’ Dolores warned. ‘Don’t take as long as I did to find your voice.’

Getting annoyed, Melissa blurted, ‘I have been battling this for years. If you guys can’t feel what I’m going through… I don’t need anyone calling my husband a male f***Ing chauvinistic pig. That’s first of all. He acts like it sometimes, but I don’t want to hear you f***ing two say it.’

‘Give me a little f***ing slack,’ she added. ‘Cause whatever you think I’m dealing with, it’s probably more.’

Joe came over to investigate, and Dolores asked him, ‘Do you think because I’m independent, I’m not happy?’

He said he didn’t, and Dolores continued, ‘I need my independence, Joe. And you get nervous, and you get insecure when your wife wants to do her thing.’

Joe privately admitted he was sick of people telling him he was holding Melissa back.

He asked Melissa if she felt that way, and she just told everyone to stop interfering.

‘If you’re real friends, let me get into an argument with my husband and don’t judge,’ she cried, walking away.

When they were alone, Joe told Melissa he was upset she hadn’t defended him, and she murmured, ‘I’ve said plenty. Realize that you’re very lucky.’

‘Teresa says she would never go to back to this,’ Melissa considered. ‘We live very old-school.’

‘I don’t think so,’ Joe replied, offering that ‘old-school’ women would ‘never leave the house.’

‘I think you’re in La-La Land,’ he went on.

In a confessional, Melissa said, ‘It’s my own fault. I created this life, ”keep your man happy.” My mother believed in that; my mother-in-law believed in that. And I don’t believe in it. Anymore.’

Asked if she thought the Gorga’s problems were serious, Dolores said, ‘It’s serious. I know the end to the play, and it could turn out bad.’

While everyone argued, Jennifer got drunk at the party, ordering tequila and declining food.

‘These shrimps are f***ing jumbo!’ she screamed, and dropped her whole plate.

Her marriage to Bill seemed on much-surer footing than her pals’ unions.

The pair celebrated their 18th anniversary with a lavish dinner at home, attended by four of their children.

Bill had never officially proposed to Jennifer, so he proposed at dinner and gave her a nine-carat yellow diamond ring.

‘No f***ing way,’ Jennifer blurted. ‘Oh my God baby. Is this for really mine? I’ve always wanted a yellow diamond. Yes! I do!’

At the end of the episode, there were follow-ups on all of the cast members.

Teresa’s said she and Luis had bought an investment property together, while Margaret’s said she completed home renovations, and Dolores’ said she’d had a thigh lift.

Jennifer’s said she was still not speaking to her mother, and Jackie’s update said she had thrown her boys two bar mitzvahs.

Melissa’s follow-up said she had recently launched a new workout line, ‘but her hardest job is still being the wife of Joe Gorga.’

The first part of the RHONJ reunion will air next week on Bravo.