Season 7 of the American reality TV series “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” on Bravo has been put on hold following the imprisonment of the Teresa Giudice, the show’s main star for bank fraud-related charges.
The reality TV series normally airs from summer to fall, but it did not happen this year because Giudice is serving a 15-month prison sentence at the Danbury Correctional facility, reports the Latin Post.
Teresa Giudice is expected to be released around Christmas time this year and it is likely that the popular reality show would air after that.
However, in order to quench the fan thirst and anticipation over the Season 7 of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” Bravo will reportedly air a spinoff TV series starting this October officially titled “The Real Housewives of New Jersey: Teresa Checks In.”
Instead of focusing on the lives of the New Jersey housewives, the spinoff TV series will focus on Teresa’s husband Joe trying to manage their family of four daughters. Accordingly, it will feature daily check-in calls from Teresa Giudice and family prison visits too.
Garnishing her salary
The spinoff reality TV show would provide the family sufficient income to tide them over during their time of tribulation.
Despite being in prison, Teresa has recently signed a sign a six-figure deal with Bravo, granting the network the rights to her first post-prison interview when she comes out in December.
Giudice will apparently receive $200,000 for the sit-down interview and the deal was apparently agreed upon because Teresa’s contract with Bravo to film “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” does not include her post-prison interview.
It was actually Teresa’s lawyer who brokered the deal with the network and was able to get $200,000 because several entertainment news programs also bid to get the same post-prison interview.
Giudice still owes the government some $214,588 in restitution as a result of her fraud case and the authorities are slated to garnish up to 25% of her salary with Bravo until the debt is completely paid off.
There are also reports saying that Giudice is asking network officials for an advance payment of her salary from the post-prison interview for her family to pay off some outstanding bills, but it was turned down because they are still uncertain if she can indeed grant the interview by December.
The spinoff TV series will be more than enough for the family to defray their payables and other living expenses while Teresa Giudice awaits completion of her sentence.
It is normal procedure or routine to put those released from prison on a halfway house before returning home to help them transition back to civilian life, but it seems that it would not be the case for Giudice as she will reportedly skip the process.
Confirmed for Season 7
Meanwhile, casting for Season 7 of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” is set to be finalized within the next few days and filming will begin shortly afterward.
Cameras will also be rolling when Teresa Giudice returns home from her 15-month prison sentence on December 23, so it is expected that the reality TV series would start airing before the end of the year, notes ET Online.
In addition to Teresa, Melissa Gorga is almost confirmed to return for Season 7 of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and so is Jacqueline Laquita.
New additions Amber Marchese, Teresa Aprea, and Nicole Napolitano, who all joined the show during Season 6, have not been asked to come back. Dina Manzo, who was turned into a series regular during the past season, will no longer return.