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10 Highlights From Teresa Checks In: She’s Writing a Book, Giving Orders From Behind Bars

Teresa Giudice is reportedly thriving behind bars
Teresa Giudice is reportedly thriving behind bars

It's been a tough year for Joe Giudice: His father died suddenly and his wife, Teresa Giudice, is behind bars. Still, during Bravo's Oct. 11 Real Housewives of New Jersey special, Teresa Checks In, Joe appeared to be holding things together remarkably well — thanks in part to the help of many family members.

While it's to be expected that everyone deeply missed Teresa — a fact that was heavily covered during the special — other, less obvious facts came to light about both Teresa's life in prison and how her husband and four daughters are coping with her absence.

Let's take a look at some of the highlights.

1. Teresa runs the household from behind prison bars.

"She definitely runs the house from being in prison," Joe admitted before quickly adding that he hated that word. It was soon clear that he wasn't wrong. Though Joe's cousin (also named Teresa) set everything up for Gia's pre-party dance, she did it all according to Joe's wife's meticulous instructions. From the table linens to the balloons to Gia's dress and makeup, Teresa made sure the event went off without a hitch — not too shabby considering she has no internet access (besides email) and only gets 300 minutes per month to talk on the phone.

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2. She is thriving in the "low-budget spa" environment.

Apparently, the prison Teresa's in isn't all that bad (as far as prisons go). Joe compared it to a "low-budget spa" noting that they offer both spin and yoga classes. And it seemed that Teresa is taking full advantage of all that Danbury Prison has to offer.

"She looks so relaxed. There's no more bags under her eyes," Gia explained. "She's so positive. She's still the same Teresa, she just looks so much better."

3. She missed Gia's eighth-grade dance and graduation.

But spa-like or not, prison is still taking its toll on the mother of four, who missed several of her eldest daughter's milestones this year, including Gia's eigth-grade dance and her graduation — and it's an emotional strain on her daughters too. While speaking with her mother before leaving for the dance, Gia became too choked up to talk and retreated to a back room to have her makeup retouched before she ruined it with tears.

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4. She regularly watches the Real Housewives.

Joe cited Real Housewives of Atlanta and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as favorites of the inmates in Teresa's prison and noted that his wife loved to watch them both.

5. Teresa's brother, Joe, tried to make amends before she went to prison.

Before Teresa began her sentence, her brother, Joe, made an effort to make peace, which went … okay, it seems. "She had some words for me. She was nasty but then sweet, but then nasty but then sweet. But that's Teresa," Joe shrugged to the camera.

Prison may be giving the Skinny Italian author a fresh perspective, however. "Over the last couple months, we've been emailing back and forth, which is great," Joe revealed. "She's starting to realize that her brother truly loves her."

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6. Melissa Gorga wants to be closer with Gia, but Gia isn't ready.

Like her brother, Joe, Teresa's sister-in-law, Melissa, would like to have a closer relationship with Teresa's family. In a video clip, Melissa explained her desire to see Teresa's daughters "more," but Gia said she wasn't comfortable with that yet. Sounds like that relationship is still a work in progress.

7. Teresa doesn't want anyone to get upset in front of her father out of fear for his health.

It seemed that Joe's father's sudden death in June really shook up both Joe and Teresa. Joe briefly alluded to the fact that he thought it was a possibility that all of his legal troubles had contributed to his father's death by exacerbating his health issues. In an effort to shield her father from a similar fate, Teresa has given explicit orders for no one in the family to get upset in front of her father, Frank Giudice.

8. She is keeping a diary and planning to write a book when she gets out.

"She's telling Audriana that she's working, Gabriella and Milania too," Gia revealed. "It is true my mom is working. She is keeping a diary in there. She is going to write a book when she gets out, so she is working, but there's more to it than that."

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9. Joe's working in construction because he can't legally do house flips anymore.

Because Joe has no driver's license and is barred, legally, from flipping houses, he's been forced to find other employment. For the moment, he's working in construction.

10. Teresa is looking forward to Joe getting a Magic Mike body while he's behind bars.

During an intimate call, Teresa told Joe that the prison had recently screened Magic Mike and mentioned how much she's looking forward to him getting in shape while he's behind bars. (Joe's sentence begins roughly three months after Teresa returns home.) In particular, she seemed excited about the prospect of Joe having washboard abs … but Joe seemed less excited about that.

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