ET speaks with 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Melissa Gorga about the new spinoff on Peacock, 'Ultimate Girls Trip.'
Peacock's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip is apparently going to live up to its name, delivering ultimate experiences, ultimate fun... and ultimate drama!
"It got tense hour one!" The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga confesses to ET. "Hour one there was tension immediately in the room. Listen, it's a lot of big personalities. They brought their A-game. Everyone brought their A-game, Bravo put in their strong personality girls, and we made a great show. We really just authentically played off each other super well. And it was so good not to just have Jersey -- I love my Jersey girls -- but it felt good to mix it up a little bit."
The new mash-up series sees 'Wives from all over the Bravo universe -- Melissa and sister-in-law Teresa Giudice from RHONJ, The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore, Ramona Singer and Luann de Lesseps of The Real Housewives of New York and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills OG Kyle Richards -- descend on Turks and Caicos for a fever dream of a made-for-TV getaway.
"What surprised me the most?" Melissa ponders when asked. "You know, I think that I thought that we wouldn't get along as well as we did -- but there was drama! It was just a different kind of drama. It was different, it wasn't as deep-rooted. We laughed, we cried, we laughed. We just bonded as women, but you're gonna see a couple throw-downs in there, as well."
Kenya makes waves in the recently released trailer, facing off with Ramona more than once in the short sneak peek. Melissa seemingly found herself in the middle of that, seeing as she's friendly with both ladies.
"I definitely bonded with Kenya the most," she reveals. "Kenya's my girl! Kenya and I had so much fun, we both are just, like-- and I'm surprised by that, because I know she's supposed to be big drama, but I felt like Kenya was the one everyone was worried about, but I loved her! Her and I got along amazing. Amazing! I was worried about Ramona a little bit, because I have a, you know, personal liking to Ramona, and I know she can get under people's skin, and I was like, I'm gonna have to defend this woman every single day. I know it."
"A couple times I had to step in and say, 'Ramona, I'm gonna need you to behave today. Ramona, I'm gonna need you to act properly today,'" she adds. "She listens to me a lot. She also listens to Kyle. And she listened to Cynthia a little, too. ... We were the three that got her to, like, pay attention."
The show goes where most Housewives shows have never gone, breaking the fourth wall and letting the women discuss being on the shows that made them famous. As teased in the first look, Melissa and Teresa will break down the long-standing drama of Melissa's casting on the show.
"I think just breaking the fourth wall in general just makes everyone so excited, we all have so much to say, and I think Bravo finally let us break it a little bit, starting with the Ultimate Girls Trip, and now we have this book," she notes, referencing Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives From the People That Lived It, Bravo's authorized oral history about the franchise. ET spoke with Melissa on Tuesday night in New York City at the release party for the tell-all tome.
"Bravo fans are really getting the inside scoop at this point, which I feel like they have been asking for, for years," she says. "I skipped right to [the section on RHONJ] -- and I got pissed off as I was reading it! I'm like, wait a minute. I went very easy on everyone in this book and I felt like some of the past Housewives were, like, going in. I was like, oh my god! I didn't realize it was this kind of book! I mean, listen: Was I a little annoyed? Yes. But the fans are going to love it. They're gonna love it."
After Ultimate Girls Trip, Melissa will be back on TV with season 12 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
"Oh my god, it is crazy! I will say that. Crazy!" she admits. "Like seasons back kinda crazy."
"I'm gonna give you a little of the Christening, a little of the table flip," she teases, calling back to a couple iconic moments from the show's past seasons. "And then we're gonna jump ahead to, like, season 6 when we had the crazy Amber [Marchese] and the twins come in? We're gonna give you a little of that, too!"
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip starts streaming Nov. 19 on Peacock. Not All Diamonds and Rosé is available now, wherever books are sold.
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