Kathy Wakile Deserved Better on ‘RHONJ’

Across The Real Housewives Cinematic Universe, there have been cast members who have endured a long career thanks to their over-the-top made-for-TV personality. They bring the excitement that fans tune in for. Then, there are the cast members who lean into the authenticity of the job. They are willing to invite the cameras into their homes, but they're not the giant personality. They're real. They don't always make it when cast changes occur because if the job is to make juicy television, they don't fulfill the brief.

One such case is Kathy Wakile. As quite possibly the realest of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, she was invited into the fold when the story started to shift toward Teresa Giudice. When the Manzo family story began to crumble, the show still needed a Jersey family to follow, as it was the premise of this franchise. Enter cousin Kathy and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. Little did we know that this family had an immense history of drama that only needed a reality camera to help it bubble over.

Kathy Wakile Was a Casulaty of War on 'RHONJ'

Season 3 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey was the first of a few regrouping seasons. With the departure of Dina Manzo and Danielle Staub, a new storyline was needed. Wakile and Gorga became the newest members of the group, originally serving to be family foils for the Giudices. Pandora's box was opened as jealousy, hatred, and animosity became the focus. By bringing in the past, viewers truly witnessed how dysfunctional this family was. And this was after seeing the mess that Manzos had previously made.

If Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga were warring factions, Kathy Wakile was meant to serve as Switzerland. While the ultimate resolution is a family shattered to pieces, Kathy Wakile became a casualty in the Giudice-Gorga war. She became a punching bag. Her loyalty was tested, she was unfairly treated, and her non-volatile personality avoided confrontations when possible. As the new face in the bunch, cousin Kathy was wrongly deemed a troublemaker when it was her cousin who created the chaos. With a slight bias against her, Wakile was never quite given a fair shake at establishing herself. The manner in which Teresa and her then-husband, Joe Giudice, treated her was unfathomable. Was it because he was furious that Kathy and Melissa hadn't told her they were asked to be on the show ahead of time? Seems a bit petty, don't you think?

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Teresa Giudice always wanted to be the center of attention. When her family came on the show, the real dastardly side of her emerged. She didn't want to share her platform with anyone, especially her family. Yes, Teresa will forever be jealous of Melissa, but the way that she tried to use her celebrity to out-food the family foodie proved just how far the villain's delusion rides. The moment that Kathy accused Teresa of lifting some of her recipes from her mother and not Teresa's, it was gloves off, claws out. Most people would be in their feelings and move on. Not Teresa Giudice. Once she was made to look wrong, Kathy became an enemy. And if you didn't think Teresa Giudice holds on to grudges, just ask the sprinkle cookies. This was her passion project. So when you have another member of the family who has a panache for food, Kathy wasn't family or even a peer, she was a rival. There's a reason why Kathy Wakile can maintain a side hustle in the food industry while Teresa has been forced to change passions when they don't take off as she pleases.

Kathy Wakile Was the Family Glue

Kathy Wakile was too good for The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She deserved better. Her husband aside, she was essentially unproblematic. She was harmless. Her love for her immediate and extended family was what her storyline was about. The best sibling dynamic the show has ever seen was between Kathy and Rosie Pierri. We were denied ample time with the sisters. When she became the enemy of the most popular personality, there was no hope of maintaining a long-lasting run without sacrificing dignity. It's hard to pinpoint the moment where the Wakiles tapped out, but that Season 5 Lake George trip might have been a moment where RHONJ was no longer "fun" for Kathy. It was chaos, but that momentarily peace treaty was just that. A truce with Teresa Giudice is impossible. Being a part of the machine became a headache. What's the use of being a scapegoat and emotionally tormented by a woman who refuses to take any semblance of accountability?

Wakile's demotion to "Friend of" was simply a slap in the face. For a Housewives series that was mostly focused on the theme of family, dropping the one who simply wanted to find peace proved that televised drama was more important than the potential splintering of decades of history. Sure, she removed herself from the situation when there was no hope left, but as "uninteresting" as her story may have been to some fans, it's because they had come to expect heightened drama that was far from actual reality. There will forever be debates about who broke up the family, and for some, all signs point to Teresa, but if there truly was one person who was the glue, Kathy Wakile deserved those honors. It's a shame she was never respected enough to be acknowledged properly.