Joe Gorga & Louie Ruelas Hosted Simultaneous RHONJ Guys' Nights: "Try to Top That!"
On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the husbands kicked back with steaks, shots, and surprises.
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The 'Wives were planning a girls' trip to the Berkshires on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but in Season 14, Episode 12, it was guys' night out. Well, guys' night in. And if we're getting technical, it was guys' nights in, as two separate parties took place at once. Both would prove memorable, though only one included an appearance from local first responders.
"I texted everyone to come to a guy's night," Melissa Gorga's husband Joe said while organizing the event, suggesting that they'd "Get a steak guy [and] play some poker." In terms of the guest list, he remarked that Dolores Catania's boyfriend Paul Connell gave an answer that was "a little wishy-washy," and Jennifer Aydin's husband Bill responded that he was scheduled to perform surgeries.
"Who has surgeries on a Friday night?" Joe wondered to Melissa.
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He was onto something, as it turned out that those were polite excuses from Paulie and Bill. As Bill later explained to Jennifer, by the time Joe sent "a group text with everyone except Louie Ruelas" inviting them over, he had already committed to a get-together with Teresa Giudice's husband. "I said I was in surgery for that night," he admitted, "But I have plans at Louie's!"
Joe's setup included a grill master with meat and seafood, and plenty of fellas. Margaret Josephs' husband Joe Benigno, Dolores' ex-husband Frank Catania, Rachel Fuda's husband John, and Jennifer Fessler's hubby Jeff were all in attendance.
Across town, Louie was hosting a guy's night of his own with Paulie, Bill, and Danielle Cabral's husband, Nate. "What we chose to do with the guys here tonight is just be easy," Louie told his dad, who was also part of the festivities. He continued, "Because we work hard! Food, maybe have a drink, talk, you know...[and] I have a surprise for the guys later."
He offered his guests a fresh taco buffet (and yes, it included steak). When everyone was fed, they headed into his "man cave" to film heartfelt "devotionals" for their wives to watch when they hit the road.
Back at the Gorgas', the men were enjoying shots of alcohol served with style — specifically, through a leftover bone from dinner. When they went to settle in for poker afterwards, John realized he may be experiencing an allergic reaction.
Ultimately, everything ended up okay, and the men even thanked the EMT team that arrived to treat him with some of the remaining catered meat.
"Hey Paulie, it's Frank, how's things going at Louie's? We just had John almost die, just to let you know," Frank joked into his phone, "Try to top that!"
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RHONJ airs Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
