Lara Sophia 
For Season 13, the Real Housewives of New Jersey welcomed two new ladies into the mix, Teresa Giudice.
During episode one, Melissa Gorga introduced fans to her good friend Rachel Fuda while Danielle Cabral also joined the cast as a friend of Teresa Giudice.
With Teresa and Melissa at odds for much of season 13 it’s not surprising that their friends would side with them amid the drama.
Melissa and Teresa drama caused some issues when it came to the newbies getting to know some of their counterparts. It’s pretty obvious from social media that the RHONJ cast is divided with Melissa, Rachel, Margaret Josephs, and Jackie Goldschneider on one side and Teresa, Danielle, and Jennifer Aydin on the other. As for Dolores Catania she’s caught somewhere in the middle.
Despite the obvious teams on RHONJ, OG Teresa Giudice insists she gave Rachel a “fair chance” despite her friendship with Melissa.
“When I first met Rachel, I definitely gave her a fair chance, but you’re gonna have to see how the season plays out, to see where that falls. But I just wanted to put that out there,” Teresa said on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast.
However, Rachel sees it another way. The newbie insists that she was “written off automatically” by Teresa and some of the other women due to her friendship with Melissa.
“So, coming on the show as Melissa’s friend … I personally felt like I was immediately polarized — even without polarizing myself,” Rachel shared.
She added, “Just put Melissa next to me and I’m, like, written off automatically, which sucks for me because I would have liked a fair chance to have gotten to know Teresa and maybe flourish our own friendship.”
While Teresa didn’t exactly bond with Rachel, the same can’t be said about Danielle, as their friendship flourished during season 13.
Teresa praised Danielle’s ability to mesh with the cast and get to know all the ladies on her own accord.
“What I love about Danielle is that she’s a leader. She’s definitely not a follower. I brought [her] on as my friend, but, like, she’s not my bestie yet. Meaning, she made her own opinion [on the others],” the mom of four explained.
“She got to know the whole group and I respect that so much about her. She made her own opinion based on how she met everyone. So it’s not like she’s like, ‘I’m gonna be Teresa’s friend only, and that’s it,’” Teresa added.
While friendship take center stage during the season 13, the real star of season is the showdown between Melissa, Teresa, Joe Gorga, and Louie Ruelas.
Naturally, Teresa couldn’t give any spoilers about the drama to come between the Giudices and Gorgas, she did wish her brother and sister-in-law well.
“I wished them well. I wish, you know, my brother and his family, just, I wish them well. I guess you’re gonna have to watch the season to see how it plays out,” Teresa hinted.
Thoughts on this all? Sound off below!
The new cast members in Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey are Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral.
In Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Melissa Gorga, Rachel Fuda, Margaret Josephs, and Jackie Goldschneider are on one side, while Teresa Giudice, Danielle Cabral, and Jennifer Aydin are on the other side. Dolores Catania is caught in the middle.
Teresa Giudice insists that she gave Rachel Fuda a fair chance despite her friendship with Melissa Gorga. However, Rachel felt that she was immediately written off by Teresa and some of the other women due to her friendship with Melissa. On the other hand, Teresa praised Danielle Cabral for her ability to mesh with the cast and form her own opinions about the other ladies.
