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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Did Luis Ruelas Try to Pursue Another Real Housewife Before Dating Teresa Giudice? She Says…

Teresa reacted to the claim that her husband “wanted to go out with” someone from a different Real Housewives city during the RHONJ Season 13 reunion.

By Shannon Raphael

May 30’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion brought the ladies of the Garden State series together one final time before Season 13 officially concluded, but why exactly did the name of a ’Wife from The Real Housewives of Miami pop up on Part 1?

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 14 premiere May 5th at 8/9c on Bravo and stream next day on Peacock.

Well, it involves sisters-in-law Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, who reignited their feud at the reunion after spending several months apart. The two were arguing about some of the details surrounding Teresa’s August wedding to Luis “Louie” Ruelas, and at one point, Melissa claimed that Louie actually got to know a different Housewife before he met the RHONJ OG back in 2020.

“He knew who you were when he met you… He knows Alexia too,” Melissa said, referring to RHOM’s Alexia Nepola. “He knew you guys.”

Teresa denied Melissa’s comment by saying “his son told him” who she was. As fans may recall, Teresa made a similar remark on an episode of her Namaste B$tches podcast in 2022, explaining, “When I met [Louie], his son [Louie Jr.] told him, he’s like, ‘Dad, [do] you know who you just met?’ And that’s when, afterwards, when he googled me and looked me up. Because, at first, he didn’t know who I was.”

As for Alexia, host Andy Cohen asked for some clarification about Louie’s connection to The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Season 3 cast member. “He wanted to go out with Alexia from [The Real Housewives of Miami]?” Andy asked, to which Margaret Josephs responded, “Yes.”

“It was before he met you,” Melissa said, addressing her sister-in-law, who had her own thoughts on the matter.

“You’re a liar!” Teresa responded. 

While Melissa and Teresa may not see eye-to-eye on how Alexia and Louie know each other, Teresa has long documented her tight-knit friendship with the Miami resident.

In fact, as Alexia herself shared with E! News on the red carpet for BravoCon 2022, Teresa influenced her decision to become a cast member on RHOM.

Daily Dish Teresa Giudice Alexia Echevarria

“All of my friends [were] like, ‘Oh my god, if there’s ever one in Miami, you have to be part of the show… You are like her,’” Alexia recalled about watching the moment when Teresa flipped the table on Season 1 with her close pals. “I’m like, ‘I am.’ Oh my god, I never saw myself that way.”

That may have been the first time Alexia was compared to Teresa, but it certainly wasn’t the last. Fans have pointed out the similarities between the RHOM and RHONJ OGs over the years, and it turns out that Alexia is flattered by the comparisons.

Teresa Giudice and Alexia Echevarria Share New Details About Their Weddings

“What a lot of people don’t know about Teresa is that she’s very nice. She’s very kind. She’s very sweet, she’s very loving. I think what attracts — why we’re both so attracted to each other — is that we’re strong women, that we’ve had so much adversity and controversy in our [lives], but we still stand back up on our feet,” Alexia added on the red carpet. “I think that’s why [it] was love at first sight when we met each other.”

Alexia reiterated that sentiment when she appeared on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in February 2023.

“I’ve been called that a lot, and I actually think it’s a compliment because I happen to know her and we’ve become very good friends,” Alexia said about how she really feels about hearing that people think they are alike. “I know she’s very passionate — so she’s like me in that way — but she has such a good heart.”

See what happens next with Teresa on Part 2 of the RHONJ reunion, which airs on June 7 at 8/7c and next day on Peacock

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