15 Reasons Why Season 7 Of 'Real Housewives Of NJ' Is The Best Yet

If you're a reality TV fan, you've probably seen and loved The Real Housewives. Literally, any one of the Real Housewives franchise is your favorite, you just can't wait to see which place they will film in next. It's hard not to fall in love with this juicy and super entertaining series about a bunch of women who are really good friends… but who get on each other's nerves every day of their lives. There are fights, catfights (yup, those are two different things!), conflict and dramatic tension galore. Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up, which makes you realize that while of course reality television is edited and crafted, these ladies and their lives are the real deal. It's no secret that the New Jersey version of the popular franchise has received a ton of attention in recent years, thanks to star Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe's legal troubles that sent them both to jail.

15 Jaqueline's Back

Years ago, Jacqueline and Teresa were super good friends. They were so close, in fact, that they were practically sisters. They were always at each other's houses, they were a part of each other's lives and families, and they shared secrets and random thoughts. It was basically living the friendship dream. You probably always loved Jacqueline because honestly, what's not to love?! She's super kind and adorable, and she's pretty funny, too. She's also relatable because she's gone through a bunch of struggles in her life. Before she married her current husband and love of her life, Chris, she was a young mom and had to work several jobs to pay the bills and take care of her daughter, Ashley. Now Jacqueline and Teresa are trying to repair their fractured friendship and you don't want to miss a single second of it. Nothing like an old friend reconciliation to have us watching!

14 It's About Real Issues

This year, things are looking a lot different for the ladies. Jacqueline, for one, is in a bit of a personal and financial crisis. Her husband lost his job a while back and they've had to cut back on their lavish and sophisticated lifestyle. In the season premiere, he tells the camera that it proved he married an amazing woman since Jacqueline never made him feel bad about it, never complained for a single moment, and has been really supportive. Aw, how cute. Of course, then there's Teresa, who is now acting as a single parent for a while since Joe is now serving a 41-month sentence in jail. She and Joe have basically switched roles since he just did that for her. The interesting thing about season 7 is that it's not all hairdos and fashion and drinking and fighting. The women are going through real things and they have actual problems, and that makes a huge difference in the viewing experience. It's still super entertaining but it's a lot more relatable and real, too.

13 It's Feminist

Yup, it really is. Why? Because Melissa's going to work for the first time ever! Okay, maybe not the first time ever… but we're pretty sure that's the truth because it seems like she met her husband Joe right out of college and started being a housewife and mom. But this is definitely the first time that Melissa has tried to have a real career and do something outside the house that doesn't involve cooking and cleaning. Welcome to the 21st century. She's opening up a boutique and is super psyched about it. But who's not that excited? Joe, of course. He's super traditional and wants her to stay home and raise the kids, and he's not excited about dinner being late or Melissa spending too much time working. She doesn't seem to really care, though, and she's going ahead with her dreams, which is pretty awesome and inspiring.

12 There Are Two New Housewives

Get ready! Things are about to get crazy. That's usually what happens where there are new ladies on the scene, after all. You already know that having a new housewife on a new season of your fave franchise is amazing news because that means the drama is going to go through the roof. On season 7 of RHONJ, you get two new housewives! Double the drama, naturally. The two ladies are Siggy Flicker and Dolores Catania, and we haven't seen much of them yet, but time will tell how they fare with the rest of the women. Our guess is not very well and it's probably yours too. It's also interesting to see how new people fit into a dynamic -- it can be really tricky since when a group of women has so much history like Melissa and Jacqueline and Teresa does, bringing new women into the mix can really make things super complicated.

11 It's Comforting

There's something about the New Jersey version of the franchise that's just really special. Maybe it's because it seems like a really nice and chill place to live (well, besides the drama that seems to lurk around every single corner!). Or maybe it's because it always looks like it's winter when they're filming and if you live in a similar North American climate, you can totally relate to those days of snow and cold and slush. Whatever it is, the NJ version is total TV comfort food, and so you should gear up for another amazing serving. It'll right any wrongs in your day and put you in an instant good mood. Sure, you can always watch Orange County since that's airing at the same time on Bravo as well, but there's just something magical about RHONJ. Sometimes you just can't explain something but you know that whatever the reason behind it, you adore this show.

10 It's Heartwarming

It's really amazing to see Teresa back with her friends and family after her time in jail. She was gone for 13 months -- it was originally supposed to be 15 but she got out earlier, which was definitely a total relief for her and her fam. She has the most adorable daughters who are just the sweetest things in the world. In the season premiere, the kids got together to write hilarious and cute welcome home cards and signs for their mom, and of course, Teresa got super choked up reading them. You did too, don't even try to deny it! There was no way not to tear up when watching this episode. So if that's any indication of what's in store for fans this season, that definitely proves it's going to be an awesome ride. You're probably not going to cry over a lot of other summer entertainment, so go ahead and enjoy the emotional release. It's good for you. You're probably not used to crying when watching the Housewives but hey, there's a first time for everything!

9 It's About Family

The reason RHONJ is always such a fascinating show is that it places such a massive emphasis on family. Teresa and her brother Joe are often fighting and even more often not speaking -- there was basically an entire season a few years back where all they did was cry and scream and fight -- and it's interesting to see how their relationship progresses. You always like to see where your fave cast members end up and whether or not they're doing better from previous seasons. Often they're the kind of people who take two steps forward, three steps back, but it's always good entertainment since you can probably relate, at least a little bit. No one's family is perfect by any means, and if you've ever had issues with any one of your siblings or another relative, then you know how awful it really is and your heart probably goes out to Teresa and Joe.

8 It's Hilarious

You have to admit, you totally watch these shows for the comic relief. And season 7 of RHONJ has it in spades, so don't worry about all the other serious stuff! You're definitely going to crack quite a few smiles and laugh pretty much the whole time. Okay, maybe not when the ladies are chatting about prison or financial troubles, but the rest of the time for sure. It's amazing when Melissa tells the story of how she brought sugar cookies to Teresa's house for Christmas Eve once and Teresa threw them in the garbage. You can totally relate to Melissa because you know that she's honestly trying her very best to make sure that her family sticks together and doesn't fall apart all over again. But you also find this so funny since it's amazing that Teresa would get so upset over sugar cookies!

7 It's Got Christmas

Christmas only comes once a year… and if you're anything like us, you're absolutely obsessed with the holiday. How could you not be?! It's a time for baking cookies, attending holiday parties with your loved ones, baking cookies (did we say that already?!) and, of course, getting presents. And giving them too. But you always remember being a kid on Christmas morning and you still care deeply about your presents even though you're supposed to be an adult (or at least attempting to be one). If you love Christmas, then you definitely have to watch this season because most of the season premiere and the second episode are all about Christmas. Jacqueline hosts a holiday party, which is fun to watch, but the most important thing is that Melissa is hosting Christmas and Teresa was granted permission to go. So naturally, drama ensues and lots of emotion, too.

6 It's Got Cute Kids

If you think you've seen cuter kids than Teresa's five daughters, you're honestly nuts. They are the sweetest and most adorable children out there. First of all, it's amazing how much they love and care about their mom, and that's just really nice to see. You don't expect to see adorable children on a juicy reality TV series so that's definitely a bonus of this season of RHONJ since the kids are featured so prominently and so often. That only makes sense since Teresa's getting back to her daily routine and her normal life, and of course, that includes being a mom to her sweet girls. So if you need a pick-me-up or want to laugh at some antics, go ahead and tune in. You'll definitely see her kids being silly and hilarious at least a few times in every episode. Who wouldn't want to see that?!

5 It's Romantic

No doubt about it, some of the couples on reality shows aren't the greatest. They can be really silly (and that's putting it nicely!) and sometimes, of course, they fight all the time and are clearing headed for a divorce. And then, naturally, they get divorced once the season stops filming. But there's one couple on The Real Housewives Of New Jersey that is super in love and absolutely adorable, and that would be Melissa and Teresa's brother Joe. They are clearly really well-matched and watching them is both heartwarming and hilarious, since he's always trying to get her into bed and she's always brushing off his advances. It's honestly pretty funny and he gets away with it since he's so good-looking and charming. When you need to watch a love story unfold right before your eyes, skip the Nicholas Sparks films and check out the latest season of RHONJ. Joe and Melissa have got you covered.

4 It's Nostalgic

When you're a fan of any show, you get pretty attached to the characters. That's no secret, right? You love them so much you figure they could totally be your best friends and family, and you sometimes even wish they were real so you could hang out with them. Reality TV stars are no different. Sometimes you wish even more than they could be your BFFs since they actually do exist in real life and they're not totally fictional people! RHONJ is definitely super nostalgic for fans since you remember all the things that the ladies have gone through -- their fights, friendship break-ups, romantic break-ups, struggles, how they've found themselves, how they've lost themselves, etc. You bring all of that memory and experience when you watch the new season, and it's definitely an interesting thing. If you want to get your nostalgic on, definitely check out season 7. You won't regret it!

3 Your Faves Are On It

Remember Teresa's cousin Kathy? She was featured on the early seasons of the show but stopped filming for a while. Well, she's back this season… at least in a few episodes. So consider her a guest star of sorts. So that basically means that all your favorite housewives, from Jacqueline to Melissa to Kathy, are on the show and that's just constant entertainment. It really sucks when your fave housewives leave a show or aren't featured as often as you want them to be, so consider this your dream season because the gang is totally back together again. The early days were definitely the glory days for RHONJ since the original ladies were so intertwined in each other's lives and those connections made for great TV: Teresa had her sister in law, brother, and cousins on the show, not to mention her old and dear friends, sisters, Caroline and Dina, along with her other friend Jacqueline. Now everyone but Caroline and Dina are back in business and it's awesome.

2 It's Unpredictable

If there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that you never know what those housewives are going to get up to! That's especially true of New Jersey since let's be real, that's the show that gave the franchise its crazy and dramatic reputation. Remember the table-flipping episode? Exactly. So you totally want to watch this season because who knows what crazy antics could happen? You just never know and you can never, ever predict it. Sometimes TV and other forms of entertainment can be so predictable -- we've all seen way too many medical dramas where the doctors hook-up, and we've definitely heard enough cheesy love pop songs in our time on this earth so far. So go ahead and bask in the glory of surprise, because there are definitely going to be more than a few shocking moments on this season. There's no way that wouldn't be true.

1 Teresa's Back

Of course, this is the number one reason that you definitely need to tune into season 7 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey! If you're a super fan, or even just a casual viewer (even though there really aren't any casual viewers of a show like this, so if you feel that way you're probably lying), you were counting the days until the season premiere because you just couldn't wait any longer to see Teresa. You couldn't even handle watching the reunion between her and her girls when she finally walked in the door around 5 in the morning a few days before Christmas back in 2015… and of course, it was super sweet and romantic watching her and Joe reunite as well. As of this writing, only two episodes have aired, so what are you waiting for? Catch up so you can enjoy this season and remember why this is honestly the best reality TV franchise that there ever could possibly be.