RHONJ Premiere: 80’s Roller Skating Party & “Hot Guys” Photo Shoot Drama!

From the ’80s-themed rolling rink party to a “hot guys” calendar shoot, the RHONJ is back! As the episode title says, it’s “new friends, same Jersey”! Viewers are introduced to two new “friends of” the cast: Danielle and Rachel and their “hot” husbands. Throw in a nasty argument between Dolores and Jennifer, and you have all the elements for an action-packed season premiere!

Teresa and Louie are settling in with their blended family while pushing themselves further away from Joey and Melissa. Viewers learn that Joey and Melissa have not spoken to Teresa since the reunion and did not attend her 50th birthday celebration. Melissa did invite them to her 80s roller skating rink party with the rest of the friend group.

Everyone is decked out in their best 80s attire, but the tension is heavy in the air between Dolores and Jennifer. Jennifer – who is wearing a boot because she broke her toe at Teresa’s birthday party – avoids conflict by walking away from Dolores twice. Margaret will soon join Jennifer in the “broken bone” club: she breaks her wrist falling while roller skating at Melissa’s party.

Teresa realizes she needs to work things out with Margaret and takes the opportunity at the party to invite her over to her new house to work things out. Margaret and Joe B head over, and despite a few bumps in their conversation, Teresa and Margaret agree to work things out and move forward.

This episode also brought the introduction of new friends and significant others. First, there is Danielle Cabral, originally from Staten Island. She says having the “cojones” of being from Staten Island and the sass living in New Jersey makes her the perfect combination. She also has a Manzo family connection, as she explained below.

Then there is Rachel Fuda, whose son is best friends with Melissa’s son Gino. Rachel and Melissa struck up a fast friendship through their son’s friendship. Frank brings his girlfriend Brittany along to the roller skating party. It must be serious since Frank has introduced her to viewers once before. Dolores knows Brittany and likes her a lot. Rachel and Brittany trained together for bodybuilding competitions, and Frank was their trainer. Viewers met Dolores’ new man Paulie at the “hot guy” calendar event.

Speaking of the “hot guy” calendar shoot, this is where the major drama went down between former “besties” Dolores and Jennifer. Dolores saw her charity softball was a hit last year. She decided to raise money for her breast cancer awareness charity. She decided to round up all the “hot guys” for a calendar shoot this time.

There was Joe B as the motorcycle dude. Joey was serving up hot dogs as a “hot chef.” Louie was sexy and namaste at the same time. Danielle’s husband Nate – turned up the sexiness as a “sexy gardener.” Newbie Rachel’s husband turns out to be an old pro at modeling. The “sexy lumberjack” even appeared on “Law & Order.”

Of course, Bill was the “sexy doctor” to check all Jennifer’s aches and pains. Dolores’ new man Paulie made quite a splash as “Paulie the Lucky Bartender.” Even though Frank wasn’t there in person, his “Easter Bunny” clearly wins hands down for the sexiest of the “hot guys.”

While the sexiness overflowed at the photo shoot, so did the tension between Jennifer and Dolores. Jennifer attempted to explain her feelings to everyone but Dolores. Hearing Jennifer do this infuriated Dolores even more, causing her to exclaim more than once, “what is this? Third grade?” Dolores decided to approach Jennifer, and that’s where it all imploded.

Jennifer and Dolores argued over the meaning of a true friend. Dolores insisted she was an excellent friend to Jennifer even though she was “indefensible.” Jennifer insisted they have two different definitions of friendship: she is “nice,” and Dolores isn’t. Jennifer then walked away -again- shouting insults at Dolores. She compared Dolores to an “old f*&%King handbag” among the insults she hurled on her way out. Later on, in an appearance on WWHL with Andy Cohen, Dolores revealed Jennifer is not a better friend than Teresa.

Speaking of Teresa, her car was recently stolen from her driveway. It is unclear whether the Mercedes-Benz stolen from the driveway was the one recently gifted to her by Louie. The police are working to find the suspects and return the vehicle to her.

Teresa’s wedding seems to be the penultimate moment of the season. The fact that Melissa is not a bridesmaid will be a big thorn in Joey’s side as he tries to navigate his complicated relationship with his sister. Dolores – a good family friend – has her own opinion on the matter.

This season of RHONJ indeed started with a bang! What are you looking forward to most this season? Do you think Teresa and Joey will finally work things out as siblings? Will Dolores and Jennifer be friends again? Please drop me a line below and let me know what you think!