Just a few short months ago, it looked like there was a pretty decent chance that RHONJ was going to be shelved while Teresa Giudice spent 15 months in prison. Apparently, those focus groups Bravo conducted made it realize that with a little freshening up, the reality show could be successful again, so it is putting out a casting call for fresh housewife blood. For a minute there it looked like Giudice's sister-in-law Melissa Gorga might find herself on the chopping block, but from what we are hearing now, just the opposite has happened. Can Gorga take over as the housewife leading the show as Giudice once was? Well, from what Bravo is reportedly going to pay her for Season 7, she better: According to a report by Radar Online, Gorga is getting a hefty raise, and it matches Teresa's old salary.
"Melissa has been given a raise in her new contract. Her new salary now matches Teresa's old one. Melissa has always been highly paid, but now she's getting the same amount of money that Teresa used to get," said the insider.
Just how much money are we talking about here?
Well, Gorga's salary will now reportedly match Giudice's, and she was raking in $750,000 last season! The question here is how Gorga can possibly be worth that much when most of her storylines over the past few years involved her feud with Teresa. It has been reported that neither Gorga or her husband Joe -- Teresa's brother -- are on her list of prison visitors, so any information they are getting is second-hand at best now.
Do you think Bravo is purposely keeping Gorga around because it gives it a clear, live connection to Giudice that may come in handy next spring when she is released from prison? Will Gorga be the connection to the old Real Housewives of New Jersey cast that helps to bring in a bunch of new ladies? How do you think Season 7 of the series will ultimately turn out? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
