For an entire decade, audiences of The Real Housewives of New Jersey looked on in horror as Teresa Giudice gave her entire life to a man who would ultimately land her behind bars. From cheating scandals to family rifts, Joe Giudice was anything but a good husband and father to Teresa Giudice and the couple’s four children. Finally, when the pair decided to call it quits in 2019, fans thought that maybe not only would Giudice’s love life turn around but also the strained relationship with her brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Melissa Gorga. While it did appear for a bit that the family drama had come to an end, with cameras showing the Gorgas stepping up to the plate during the Giudice’s time in jail and separation, as soon as Teresa Giudice met her next beau, Luis Ruelas, everything was sent spiraling back to square one.
Giudice and Ruelas met one another where all dreams come true — the Jersey Shore. During a walk, the two crossed paths, and their relationship began to unfold. This “chance” meeting alarmed a lot of Bravo fans, specifically ones who remembered Kim Richards meeting her toxic ex Ken Blumenfeld when the latter just happened to be by the former’s mailbox but Giudice was immediately hooked and the pair struck up a courtship. And, while she revealed to Andy Cohen during an episode of Watch What Happens Live that she and Ruelas were taking things slow, the couple’s social media accounts were blowing up with pictures of them out and about, traveling around the world together.
It was during this time that friends and family members shared their support for the fresh relationship with many of them happy that Giudice had begun to move on with someone seemingly more suited for her than her ex. For those who may need a refresher, Giudice has always been a bit of a hot head — and that’s why we love her. From the infamous Season 1 table flip to her shoving Cohen during a heated moment at the Season 2 reunion, she’s never been one to shy away from making her feelings heard and sometimes felt. With Ruelas, it seemed that Giudice was turning over a new leaf. Coming from a place of meditation and spiritual awareness and enlightenment, it appeared as though the couple were the perfect fit - a real Yin to Yang.
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Drama is in the Air
Unfortunately, things would soon begin to surface that would paint Ruelas in a much darker light. The first offense that would act as a strike against Giudice’s new beau was a road rage incident that happened back in 2018 — a full two years before they began dating. The short story is that when another driver gave Ruelas the middle finger for trying to pass him, Ruelas hopped out of his vehicle and threw his aggression at the driver’s side door, first in a verbal altercation and then hitting the driver on the head while he scrambled to roll up his window. The victim filed a police report which resulted in Ruelas pleading guilty to “disturbing the peace” and paying a fine.
As if this confrontation wasn’t enough, the possibly more troubling allegations began to pour out from Ruelas’ ex-partners. In 2020, one of his exes filed a lawsuit against him which claimed that he locked her out of her apartment, statements that were followed up by claims of love bombing and emotional abuse which forced her to stay in the relationship. She would also say that he tried to separate her from her close relationships with family and friends, something that became a major red flag to not only Giudice’s brother and sister-in-law but also to fans of the show who have since watched the family’s relationship crumble even more.
And, this ex wasn’t the only one to come forward with these disturbing allegations. Another woman with whom Ruelas had dated also shared her story of the troubling relationship that she had with him, citing that he would demand sex and when not given what he wanted he would treat her in degrading and abusive ways. This, paired with shots taken at her career is yet another big red flag when it comes to Ruelas’ past.
It was around this time that the video from the “Warrior Camp” made its way into the public eye. No words other than “bizarre” and “jaw-dropping” can properly encapsulate the video that sees a shirtless Ruelas surrounded by a gaggle of other muscle-bound shirtless men as he talks directly to a camera, apologizing to presumably one of his exes for how she was treated. One week into the camp and Ruelas is referring to these men as his “brothers” and pouring his repentance into his message while the man behind the camera shouts expletives at him. The unhinged video which is a red flag in and of itself became a talking point for the next season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey during which many of the cast members came forward with their questions surrounding Ruelas’ past.
Margaret Josephs was one of the first to voice her concerns with not only the unnerving video but also the rumor that Ruelas had been physically abusive toward some of the women in his past. In the series, audiences watched as Ruelas slammed the claims, referring to his ex-partners as “angry” and “thirsty for attention.” It was around this point that the cracks began to show with viewers starting to see through the man who seemed to be a calm, meditative, yoga practicer and instead seeing the controlling and manipulative person underneath.
A Family Divided on 'RHONJ'
In the latest season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Giudice and Ruelas planned out their wedding and did indeed end up tying the knot. Throughout the season, the Gorgas are constantly painted as the bad guys, but a revealing moment in the car shows that this may not be the case after all. The narrative presented to the audience is that Giudice and Ruelas have done everything in their power to fix the family ties but in this one moment, we see that that might not be the case at all and that Ruelas’ presence may be further driving them apart.
By the time the latest reunion aired, Cohen was rightfully anxious about how things would go down, hoping to not have a repeat of the Season 2 reunion. While no physical blows were exchanged, plenty of hurtful words were, with many wondering if there’s any moving forward for the separated families. Although some speculated that either Giudice wouldn’t be asked back or the Gorgas would no longer be a part of the show, it was recently confirmed that both would return for the show’s fourteenth season. With more red flags than we can count, it will be interesting to see how Giudice continues to stand up for her husband and if there’s any way the bond between her and the Gorgas will be healed.
