Our favorite ladies are back!

Courtesy of BravoTV.com

It's that time again - the New Jersey Housewives are back, and I am PUMPED.

(lol GET IT? New Jersey? Fist pumps? Okay, anyway.)

So let's recap: the last time we saw the ladies at the reunion, things were no good. Teresa was still acting like a petulant two year old (yo girl, when your nine year old daughter is more mature than you, it's time to take a step back, ya dig?) and hurling insults at anyone she could. Jacqueline had revealed that her son had been recently diagnosed with autism and had lost his ability to speak, Kathy was looking to start her own catering company, and Caroline and Dina were no longer speaking.

As far as Teresa and Melissa's relationship goes, it looked like things had started to look up towards the end of season four, but at the season four reunion, we saw that that definitely wasn't the case.

This season will be interesting, because a lot of it is happening almost two years after the events we saw in season three and season four. The season three reunion show, that Jacqueline was so famously absent from, occurred the day after the Posche Fashion Show where Teresa set up the whole stripper situation with that dudebro Angelo.

The season is starting off with coverage of Hurricane Sandy, which I think is interesting because these women live lives that most of us only dream of, but they're prone to the elements just like we are. Is featuring Hurricane Sandy and their efforts to rebuild their lives a nod to the fact that this season will feature the ladies trying to rebuild their relationships? I think it might be.

I'll tell you guys: Teresa is far and away my least favorite housewife. She always has been. To me, it always felt like she was trying to force the appearance of wealth onto the viewers - always making a point to spend large amounts of cash on furniture and her daughters, and saying things like "we can afford to have another baby, so why not?" (We know now that their in vitro treatments were part of the debt that they owed, so you know, they couldn't REALLY afford another baby. But that's irrelevant.) However, from the things that we've been seeing and reading about season five, it looks like she's finally realizing that this belligerent, stubborn, immature attitude is pushing everyone away, and she's working to make amends. Hopefully she and Melissa can finally turn over a new leaf.

There will be more "friends of the housewives" too, but these ladies might cause more trouble than the Housewives themselves: Kim DePaola, Jennifer Dalton, and Penny Drossos. I'll tell you guys: I absolutely HATE Kim D. I don't think she adds anything but drama, and the ladies have enough of that as it is. I don't know much about Jennifer Dalton, other than the fact that she's Teresa's friend, so that could really go either way. The other "friend" is Penny Drossos. I don't know much about her, but she's married to John Karagiorgis, who has filed assault charges against Jacqueline, Chris and Joe Gorga after a fight at -you guessed it- the Posche Fashion Show. Allegedly, he's been harassing the women for several years, so seeing that dynamic play out this season will be interesting to say the least.

And don't worry, all of our favorite Real Kids of New Jersey will be back, too. Lauren is running her store Cafface, Ashley Ashlee and her new nose will be visiting from LA, and it looks like Milania Giudice of "Gimme pizza, you old troll" fame has learned some new dance moves. Because of course she has. Sadly, though, Greg won't be back, as he moved to San Francisco. I won't lie, this news made me question whether or not I even wanted to watch this season. I mean really. Greg is the best.

So I wanna know: Who's your favorite New Jersey housewife? What are you most excited for this season? Do you think the ladies (all of them) will redeem themselves? Do you think Teresa and Melissa  will finally bury the hatchet? Are you judging me yet for being this invested in reality television?