Dolores Catania predicts fans would reject a reboot of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” should Bravo decide to recast the show for season 15.
Speaking with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” on December 12, Catania said viewers want to see the season 14 cast back on the show. “Everybody wants us back, they really want us all back,” she told the outlet. “I know the fans, wherever I go they’re like ‘You guys have to come back.’ And that’s nice to hear.”
Catania noted that the decision is Bravo’s to make, but she warned that a full cast shakeup would probably not go over well with viewers. “I don’t think [fans] would embrace [a reboot],” Catania said. “I gotta be honest, I don’t. And you know to be honest, I would love to see us all come back. It’s an ensemble cast, and we’ve had great times, and we’ve had bad times, but they were always entertaining. It worked for some reason. As bad as it was it worked. The chaos worked the way it did.”
The 14th season of RHONJ was so toxic that the deeply divided cast didn’t even gather for a traditional reunion with host Andy Cohen. In the interview, Catania clarified that the cast had not heard anything about their status for season 15.
In addition to Catania, The Real Housewives of New Jersey” season 14 starred Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, and Rachel Fuda. Jackie Goldschneider and Jenn Fessler appeared as “friends” of the cast.
Dolores Catania Said Fans Miss the Original RHONY & She Thinks the Same Would Happen With RHONJ
Catania also compared the reboot possibility to the controversial recasting of “The Real Housewives of New York City” after 13 seasons. “[Fans] really do have an emotional attachment, and I hear that from so many people,” Catania shared. “Like ‘You remind me of my aunt, you remind me of my mom. Each one of us relate to somebody and they kind of grown up with us we’ve been around a long time. Same thing with New York they are missed.”
In September 2021, the reunion for RHONY season 13 was scrapped after a rocky season, People reported at the time. In March 2022, Andy Cohen told Variety that producers were “at a crossroads for RHONY.” The entire cast was ultimately let go and a new group of New York women were hired.
Dolores Catania Thinks It’s ‘A Shame It Has Come to This’
During a November 2024 interview on the “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast, Catania admitted she does not like “change” and “would like to see everybody come back.” “It’s an ensemble cast. When we’re good, we’re really good, so it’s a shame that it’s come to this,” she added.
She also denounced cast members who refuse to film together. “Here’s the thing, if you don’t want to work with someone that’s there, then don’t go,” she suggested. “You have the choice not to be there. You don’t tell NBC, Bravo who you want on the show and who you don’t — you don’t do that.”
If there is a partial shakeup, Catania told Us Weekly she would welcome past cast members back to the show. “If we are going to mix this up a little bit or at all, I would take anybody who has been on the show in the past,” she said. “And I mean anybody.”
