New Real Housewives of New Jersey star Traci Lynn Johnson is reflecting on her RHONJ debut and giving more details about her tumultuous relationship with “tornado” Teresa Giudice.
Speaking with ET Online, Traci said Teresa can definitely “shock you” and knock her costars off their feet.
“It’s like a Teresa tornado blows in; you never know, just as in a tornado, what kind of weather you’re going to really get,” Traci said.
She also said goes on to say that Teresa’s mostly all bark and no bite.
“She can definitely shock you with things she says,” Traci confessed. “There’s some moments that leave me scratching my head going, did she really just say that to me? But you just have to be ready for all of it and realize her bark is a lot worse than her bite most of the time. She can come off as very loud, but it’s usually not that harmful.”
Teresa has been coming for Traci pretty much all season long, accusing her of having her husband “do her dirty work.” Teresa most recently came for her over husband Tiki Barber’s line of questioning about Teresa’s fiancé, Luis Ruelas, and his alleged physically violent past.
“I’m still in complete disagreement with Teresa,” Traci said. “You cannot be mad at me for something my husband said. I am not Tiki’s keeper. I never tell him what to do — nor would he tell me what to do. I’m sure, 100 percent, he’s heard me talking with all the other girls about these Louie videos and allegations that have arisen in the past. I think he just was like, well, I really wonder what’s going on? “
Traci says that it’s completely “ridiculous” for Teresa to be angry at her over something her husband said — all while everyone else had already been questioning Luis Ruelas looking for answers. She said that it would be odd if people weren’t.
“I think he just was like, well, I really wonder what’s going on? If I’m going to sit here and break bread with someone, and eat with someone and hang out with someone, I want to know what they’re all about and I’m not going to let these allegations linger over everyone’s head. I want to hear what you have to say. So the fact that she’s annoyed at me for something my husband did is ridiculous, but pretty typical of Teresa,” Traci told the outlet.
Traci concluded the interview by saying that she has been able to form real, genuine friendships with costars Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, Melissa Gorga, and Jackie Goldschneider. She’s also very happy with her “friend of” role on RHONJ and would be happy to continue on in that position.
“I don’t have FOMO at all,” she said. “I really enjoy being a friend. I was very grateful just for the opportunity and to be welcomed in this group. It’s kind of nice not to have that anxiety every Tuesday to worry of what’s going to come out.”
If welcomed back for a sophomore season of RHONJ, Traci’s already got the perfect tagline in place by way of her friend and neighbor, Jersey Shore star, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. She gave her advice on joining the show, saying, “Remember, [I’m] here for the wine, not the drama.”
Sounds good to me.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.