Welcome everyone, It's I Do Part two. I made you roback alongside TJ. Holmes.
Just a couple of your hosts here and we are back with some more Teresa Judais and Louis Ruelas from Real Housewives Up New Jersey and Teresa is fresh off of the latest season of Special Forces where Teresa, you made it to episode two.
Congrats, thank you, thank you.
Wow, that was really not very enthusiastic appause, everybody, thank you. It's hard to do credit.
I know, listen if you were there and then you would see how hard it was. Like, I'm not cured. You don't even see half of not even a quarter of what we've done. Yeah, it was intense.
Can we go back to the decision. What convinced you to do it? And what was your role Louis in that decision?
Well convinced me Well, at first they just asked me to do it, and then I was just like, oh my god. And I watched a few episodes and I'm like, there's a lot of water, I don't know how to swim, I'm gonna drown. I'm like this is not good. So I was having like, oh, then I got to be able to do this, and then they came back at it at me and they're like, we would like you and Ga to do it mother daughter duo. And then Jia heard and she's like, mow, we have to do this.
It's gonna be like you know, it's like, you know, so fun for us to do it together. And I was just like, oh, yeah, I know. So no, I was like, you know what, I have to do this with my daughter. It's something that she'll never forget. I'll never forget, and it's like, you know, it's amazing for us to do this experience, you know, experiences together. Her sisters were jealous that we were doing it together. So and that's why I.
Said, yeah, okay, all I'm hearing is now I don't have not just one loved one going out there and risking health. I got two loved ones going. Louis. That's that's what I'm all I'm hearing When she said that.
Yeah, that's uh what it did feel like that, But you know what they they're they have a really amazing bond Ge and Teresa for a long time obviously, and it was you're you're you're like, if anybody could do it, it's you because you've had challenges in your life, like, she's Teresa's strong.
She's Teresa has been to prison and came back like a bigger badass than she already was.
Yeah, my son and I talked about all the time, even on the way here in the car because.
He's like, Dad, did you see the way Teresa kissed.
Me this morning?
Do you remember that?
Or no?
Because you're hugging him and you can you like that? Grandmother has a big kisses like ring your ears ringing right, so like and but then you're you're then she's like, you know, like can you're the couch and you get home and then you come home and the couch has aready moved. It's like, how did you do that by yourself? It's like Teresa's very strong, you know, physically, emotionally and and all her girls are like that, you know. So
so I wasn't. I wasn't. I was afraid for you, but at the same time I knew you were going to be amazing. And why you ended up you know, what are you called d qing yourself or or.
Was it volunteering withdraw?
Why you did that was like the was like was was even more powerful? I don't know if everybody really knows why you did that and what sparked that and what created that.
But that was like, that was something that was you know that you you you taught a lot of people, told the whole family, you know, something really.
Important that was going to be our next question because no, no, but you just led perfectly into it because you know you are so strong in all of the ways that Louie just mentioned. And so what was it about that moment?
Was it did it accumulate and that was your breaking point or was that just a moment or watershed moment?
Yeah, I mean, like I said, me and g we spoke about a lot of things, you know, you know when we first got to we were in America in the beginning, and then we went to North Africa and then you know, we just talked about a lot of things. And as a mom, I'm always a mom first, so I was thinking in my head, like you know, I was like, we're going to fight now, and it's like, of course I would never I can never see my
daughter get hit. Like did you see the first episode when Billy grabbed Billy was grabbing GA's head and dumping it in the water. I wasn't there. When I watched that on TV, I was so angry. I was like, oh my god, Billy's lucky I wasn't there because I would have said something like get off my kid's head like that, like dumping it in the water, like I thought that was so harsh, and like they didn't do
that to us like they did me. Then, you know, did you see when I rolled over in the mud my hair went down like this so they couldn't see that my face didn't go in the mud? Ha, yes, right, And then I took the mud and I put it on my face, and I'm like, if they see I don't have mud on my face, they're gonna freak. They do that because they were doing it to other people, but then do it to me, thank God. But my thing is that I didn't first I would never be
able to see my daughter get hit. And I didn't want her to see me fighting, like fist fighting, because I think it would probably make her upset too. And I don't know, there's a lot of things going through my mind, just like that I've been fighting, you know, defending myself on TV for the past ten years. That it was like post traumatic stress that was came in effect. There was just a lot of things that came into play.
What are you surprised this was something that got the type of criticism that it did well. People are thinking how you left the show in some way as.
I mean, listen, you're going to have like a lot of nothing. You no, Like the whole cast were telling They all were saying, like they knew why I left. They thought, you know, they the first thing I said, like, as a mom would never be able to see her child get hit. So the whole cast was saying that, and then even the because they make you speak to a psychologist every time, Yeah, we'll always speak to psychologists because that's how intense it is. And even the psychologist
totally got me. You know, keep watching the show. There's it's pretty amazing. I can't say. I'll say that at the end.
But Gia obviously continued and you left. Did you all have a chance to say goodbye? You care because it shows out you don't see you didn't even get to say goodbye.
I did not get to say goodbye to her. I cried that whole night in the hotel. I cried going home in the airport, you know, because it was a decision I had to make, and I know in my heart to heart sets so I you know, at the end, I'll give you know, the whole show is over. I'll give another interview, and there's like more to come. But I know, I mean, I cried even when I came home, like cry till Gia got home and he was like, you came home different, he said to me, because I
was really upset. But there was it was a decision I had to make, you know, and g understood why I did it, you know, And but you.
Couldn't explain it to her in the I It's got to be so hard you couldn't communicate with her.
Yeah, no, no, you can. Like that show. No producers come in while you're working, like everyone that one, because like you know with Housewives, they come in this show. They you don't see producers when you see in the beginning, and then at the end they don't.
Ever you feel like you're in actual boot camp.
Oh my god, it was going to Special Forces. Was worse in prison? Yeah, it was worse in prison. Yeah, and like that's totally post traumatic stress for me. I was worse. It was worse in prison.
You you had to know you're in pretty good shape to even agree to go on to it, right.
I work out all the time. I'm really strong. I'm really but it's like, but that was a different stroke.
It was the heart. Like for me, the air airplane underwater challenge, that would have been like and we're done. And especially when you saw Eva right right before.
Right before she was unconscious, so then you had to go next.
What were what was going on?
I tried to stay I tried. Oh I got swimming lessons before I went. If you just check out gas TikTok, she posts my swiming lessons.
Thank god, it's still a new swimmer. That's still very scary.
No, trust me, and I try. You see, I was pretty calm. I tried to stay calm because I was like, I have to stay com for Gia too, because I don't want to get Gia like, you know, nervous, because you know, and I'm sure she was nervous for me because she knows I can't swim, but she knew I took swimming lessons before, so I did feel comfortable and so I just I tried to stay calm. And now it's all for one hundred degrees out, so you have all those clothes, and then all of a sudden, when
the water starts coming up, it's freezing cold. So I'm like trying to stay calm. So I stayed calm until the water came up to here, and then I panicked. And that's what I do. If I'm in the water and I don't touch the ground, I panick. I was just I panicked. I tried to stay calm as much as I could, and then I panicked at the end.
But thank god I didn't drink any water because they said to us, I had to get all these shots, both of us, she and I, everyonoe had to get shots before going to Africa because they said, don't drink the water. The monkeys piss and poop in the water, and they're like, if you drink the water, you can get really sick. And I was like, oh, this is the first time I'm saying this. Thank God I didn't drink any water. I made sure I held my breath and I didn't drink any water.
Had the fighting thing that happened, how long do you think you could have lasted all?
Yeah, I would have stayed longer if the fighting thing didn't They should have made that little later I because like as a mom, just because of what G and I talked about and everything. And I was just like, yeah, that's why I voluntel. You were true. Otherwise I would have been there.
But given what you were experiencing, do you think you could have? You were tough enough to hang in there, possibly to the end.
I mean, I don't know if I would have to the end, but like, I'm pretty.
You were locked in.
Yes, And not only that, it's mentally, it's mental and physical.
You've been through it.
And like the mental part I totally got it. It was like the physical part that was like did you see those stairs?
Yes?
Oh yes, you talk about those stairs? Oh my god. Billy pushed me to go like and finish those stairs. But those stairs were.
Oh my god.
It was intense. Like I was like, and then carrying I'm not kidding guys, thirty pounds on my back like that was And I thought. I worked out this morning with my trainer, and I have to say, coming back, I feel stronger than before.
That's cool.
I do because even my trainers like and I told her, oh I lost weight there, but not them. She lost more weight than me. Yeah, but but.
You've said, the whole cast, because of perhaps this collective torture that you all were going through, have truly bonded, like you have a group chat. Y'all are all texting one another.
Yeah, Like Randall Cob he's like he mentioned the other day, He's like, he's like, they don't even show half we went through or like, you know, even a little bit. It's like we went through like so much because it's only an our episode, so they can't. It should be instead of ten episodes, and she would kind of be twenty episodes.
How much shooting during the day to get one out?
Like even the producer called me yesterday and she's like, so, how did you know? She's like, what do you think of the show? Because I say, you know, I get along with everyone, like you know, off my cast now again you know what I mean? She called me, she's like, how you doing? And she was just reaching out and she's like, you guys were shooting just what she told me, twenty hours a day because they woke us up. We
don't we're going to sleep. The first night they woke us up, we had to do burpies, like jumped in the pool, you know, jump in that tub whatever. It was like huh yeah, like the plunge, yeah, the ice plunge, jump in that and then do burpies like lunges like lifting stop. I was like, oh my god, I understand. Then they wake you up early in the morning like it was like I was. I felt like I was in the army.
That's what they want you to feel, right, Louis. If they they had couples on the show, they've had married couples on the show. If asked would you have done it? Would you do it?
I would have done it with you. Yeah.
Yeah, it's a good test, you know. But he doesn't like the more the deep ocean. Well you learned how to swim and you and Louis has done things like this. He's done in California, like men's retreats, so he's.
Like used to that. Okay, test yourself. Yeah, I don't know about these men's retreats where you test yourself.
What are these They're like like quasi Navy seal programs.
Wow, Well they'll go and they'll break you down as a guy, you know, and build your back up and you could kind of see, you know, where you're short falling in.
Life without enlisting exactly exactly exactly.
I don't know why you would want to go through that torture pay all that money like he was doing that back then.
How was the food. I'm curious.
The food was not bad because I'm I did a fitness competition, so I'm.
Like used to eating clean food.
It was just very clean, Like it was like baked chicken, but like like not even baked, like no breadcrumbs are like baked in the oven. Very clean potatoes, very simple, and that's what I pretty much remember. I was only there two days, so like, yeah, no, but it was like very clean, very clean food.
What was the reunion like with your daughter when you finally guy back together or even talks for the first time. Were you trying to apologize? Was she annoyed at all?
Was all?
She totally got it. She already knows my kid, my child, my kids. I'm very close to all my four daughters, like and like they we totally understand each other. Yeah, because he kept saying to her, You're you know your mom's holding you back, and she's like, no, she's not.
My mom's not holding me back, Like and I know I wasn't holding my child back, like so we you know, we were good, you know, so yeah, because that's what they were saying that they were telling her that they're like your mom, you know She's like, no, my mom's not holding me back, you know.
And when the show started, last thing for me here when it started, and you can answer this too, when you saw who the competition was, did you already figure out that person's going to be a problem that one's strong don't have to worry about. Did you already see and who did you think we're going to be the toughest one?
Yeah? You know what. Luckily our cast we were so amazing, Like everybody was great, like our whole cast. Everybody was helping each other, and the men were gentlemen, like if we like going up the hill carrying those things, like they would help us, like if we had our backpack, like just like lift up my backpack and help me
up to Like Nick. Me and Nick Young we were at the end like running the two of us, like he was like my like he was my buddy because we were like everybody else was in front of us. Me and him were like trying to catch up. But I had to say, all the guys were gentlemen helping the women, and like nobody like the women. Nobody was bitchy or anything like that. We all were like a team, like you know in the army, like everybody's supposed to help each other. That's how we were here.
That the experience is very much like what you would get it. It's not about the TV and the and the production value. It's truly about actually having this unique experience.
Yeah, and like helping each other like that, that's like a bonding experience, like not just worrying about yourself, like because that's everyone called me like a I was like the mama bear, you know, like you know, looking at you know, asking everybody they're okay, wiping the dirt off, like you know, their face.
You know.
I don't know if you saw that, like but you know, oh yeah, because.
You do poopy in here, just let me know and I'll come clete it.
Yeah, I know. Jesse mother was like love that. He was on his podcast and he said he loved when I said that. He thought that was so funny. But I was just like because because I was on bathroom duty, and I was like, it was the best day to be on bathroom duty because nobody goes to the bathroom the first day. That's so everyone said that to me. I'm like, They're like, you're so lucky you get it the first day. And then I was like, so I
didn't know if they were watching me. So I ended up using all the cleaning supplies because all I did was pour it in there so it smelled good. I was like, I didn't know if they were looking at me cleaning, so I wanted to make sure I did my job like I follow rules.
Yeah, all right, last question for me. You went out after two days. If they asked you or you both think about would you do it again?
Teresa? Yes, I would do it again. Yeah, I would do it again.
That's very cool redemption And I could see couple's edition.
Yeah, I would do it again. Hi you way?
Yeah?
Oh yeah.
Well Teresa, Oh my goodness, and Louis, thank you so much for being with us. This has been a well just blast actually, and we could keep talking. We were just saying for hours and this would continue. But we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. If you have questions you would like us to answer, or you're looking for some advice, you can always call us or email us. All the info is in the show notes. Please follow us on socials and make sure
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