It was only inevitable that Dolores Catania joined Real Housewives of New Jersey at some point. She had decades-long relationships with Teresa Giudice, Dina Manzo, and Caroline Manzo long before the show even started filming.
If anything it would have made sense for her to be a part of the OG cast. Well, it turns out she actually was slated to be a full-time cast member on season one. However, she changed her mind and someone else was brought in to replace her.
Real HousewivesFranchise pointed out that Dina shared this fun fact on her Instagram Story: ‘[Dolores] was supposed to be in season one but backed out so Caroline took her place.” Very interesting. So much of what Real Housewives of New Jersey was initially marketed as involved Caroline and her family being “thick as thieves.” That matriarch mentality shaped the initial era of the show.
Caroline and her kids even went on to get their own spin-off show. It’s fascinating to think that this might have never happened.
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This comment from Dina sparks some questions. Was Caroline always on deck as an understudy? Did she initially turn the job down before accepting the gig? Just imagine if Dolores was around while Teresa flipped that table at Danielle Staub. What would Dolores do if she was there when Teresa chased Danielle around the country club during season 2?
But, picture this, and it’s something that could still happen. Dolores has managed to maintain close friendships with both Teresa and Caroline. What if Caroline came back to the show and Dolores was stuck in the middle despite those “old school Italian” values she always mentions? That might make for some interesting TV.
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TELL US- ARE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT CAROLINE JOINED THE SHOW AS A REPLACEMENT FOR DOLORES? DO YOU WISH DOLORES JOINED THE SHOW SOONER? DO YOU WANT CAROLINE TO RETURN TO REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo]
