Who needs medicine when you’ve got hot sauce? During a recent episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice’s father, Giacinto Gorga, was caught by Bravo cameras as he took a swig directly from a bottle of the spicy condiment and then nonchalantly returned the it to its spot in his daughter’s refrigerator like nothing happened.
As it turns out, that chain of events is nothing new for Gorga, 76, who is referred to as “Nonno” (which means grandfather in Italian), on the reality show. According to his daughter-in-law and fellow RHONJ star Melissa Gorga, her husband’s father is no stranger to spicy snacks.
“[He does it] all the time,” Melissa, 40, said on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey After Show. “He believes it cures all sickness and illness when he does this.”
Additionally, the Envy boutique owner revealed that Nonno’s penchant for sipping things straight from the bottle extends beyond hot sauce. He’s also been known to drink “red vinegar” and “hot pepper juice” in a similar fashion, according to the reality star.
“He enjoys it,” Melissa continued. “He says it kills all the germs.”
Though neither Melissa nor her RHONJ costars Jackie Goldschneider or Margaret Josephs, who were also on the after show, had heard of this unconventional remedy, the “On Display” singer wasn’t about to pass judgement on her father-in-law.
“He might be onto something,” she argued. “He goes in and out of the hospital all the time, a couple times a year, with pneumonia and it’s sad and it’s scary every single time, but he always comes out of it,” she said.
As the Love Italian Style author explained, “His lungs are not the best. He fights off sickness a lot.”
The Gorga grandpa has, in fact, been hospitalized several times in recent years. He headed to the hospital with Teresa, 47, on January 3 to treat an unknown illness, but not before putting on some cologne to impress some nurses he likes.
Nonno’s latest hospital stay comes nearly two months after he was previously admitted for pneumonia. At the time, Teresa was forced to leave BravoCon 2019 early to care for her ailing father.
“Sorry, BravoCon fans. I had to leave,” the reality TV star said on her Instagram Stories in November 2019, in a since-deleted video with an ambulance in the background. “My dad doesn’t feel well. I’m taking him to the hospital.”
