The winter is going to be a little extra longer as Bravo fans are still waiting anxiously for the Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 14, which is slated for an April premiere. Since 2009, the Garden State franchise has been delivering iconic moment after iconic moment. And while not every housewife was a winner, the series has kept their OGs and cast lineup the same for the longest period. There is something in that Jersey water that breeds perfect Real Housewives stars.
17 – Siggy Flicker
Soggy Siggy Flicker is the worst Jersey housewife, in my opinion, and remember, this is MY OPINION. During Season 7, the mother of two was annoying at best, but since leaving the series, she has become unbearable. The Israeli-born Siggy has united herself with Donald Trump even after he aimed at “liberal Jews” during the High Holy Days. She even once told Newsweek that Trump was “the greatest president in the history of America.”
Between crying all the time, calling her vagina a “cookie,” and calling Margaret Josephs “antisemitic,” she was honestly the worst. She lost me after flipping out over a cake fight when she stated, “We’re going to have to explain to the restaurant that we’re from Jersey!” No, ma’am, you’ll have to explain that you are a bit narrow-minded and betting on the wrong horse.
16 & 15 Nicole Napolitano and Teresa Aprea
Nicole Napolitano and Teresa Aprea, a.k .a. the twins, were unmemorable at best. Their mother, Santa, had a better storyline when she was accused of sleeping with her daughter’s husband. The duo joined the Real Housewives of New Jersey during Season 6 when Bravo tried their first franchise overall. I appreciated that the twins were genuine, but they just couldn’t keep up between Amber Marchese joining the same season and Teresa Giudice about to report to prison.
14 – Amber Marchese
Honestly, Amber wasn’t that bad. She was a cancer survivor and added an extra dimension to the series. Her husband, Jim Marchese, however, was the literal devil. Sadly, Amber’s lack of presence and authenticity made her the number one target of fans. She just sucked.
13 – Dina Manzo
The earth-loving Dina Manzo was kooky but, for the most part, harmless. I was annoyed when Danielle Staub drove her away and when she and her sister, Caroline Manzo, started their feud. Dina often brought a softer side to the Garden State franchise as she always led with forgiveness and kindness. If anything, she gave us fans a lesson on how to remain zen.
12 – Danielle Cabral
Danielle Cabral made her appearance during Season 13, and I wasn’t impressed. It was clear from early on that the Staten Island native was just looking for a way to get on TV, as she had already tried MTV’s True Life. Danielle is loud and obnoxious, and while Jersey girls are also loud, this is Staten Island loud, and it makes your ears hurt.
Danielle picked fights over nothing and had a storyline similar to Teresa’s where she doesn’t speak to her brother but conveniently gets amnesia and forgets the reasons. I cannot go through another ten years of this storyline.
11 – Rachel Fuda
Rachel Fuda also joined during Season 13, and while she was better than Danielle, the jury is still out on the rookie. I loved how open she was regarding her adoption storyline and found myself rooting for her. I literally have nothing else to write about her because she gave viewers nothing.
10 – Jackie Goldschneider
In the beginning, I liked Jackie Goldschneider. I enjoyed that she had a writing job and opinions, and then somewhere along the line, she became thirsty, as thirsty as a camel in the desert. I will admit it was very brave to start openly speaking about her eating disorder, but it became her entire storyline. The best thing that came from Jackie was her Gia Giudice analogy, which was spot on by the way it just went over Teresa’s head.
Jackie used an analogy to address the baseless rumors about her husband cheating by saying she “heard that Gia snorts coke in the bathroom at parties.” Naturally, it didn’t go down well, but it did make Jack the fan favorite for standing up to the OG.
9 – Kathy Wakile
Kathy Wakile‘s star shined too bright for the franchise; honestly, she was too good for reality TV. The mother of two was the cousin of the Gorgas and paid every second of her life for it. She was often seen as the peacekeeper but, in the end, lost both her cousins during the feud. While some found her and her Jeff Goldblum look-alike husband boring, I found them a welcomed reprieve from all the fighting. Kathy, I’m moving you on up into the top ten. I mean, anyone who was willing to tell Teresa she left her newborn abandoned deserves a top placement.
8 – Jacqueline Laurita
I am not afraid to admit I binge-watched and rewatched the old RHONJ season. And this last go showed me how much Jacqueline Laurita put up with. Between her disobedient daughter and problematic friendships, the Las Vegas native was quite the trooper. She was a pivotal part of the early seasons but did morph into a whiny crybaby, and I was happy to see her go when she did.
7 – Jennifer Aydin
The wife of a plastic surgeon, Jennifer Aydin, came in hot as Teresa’s number 2 and resident sidekick. I don’t like how she is a bully to those around her but it can’t be denied she makes some memorable TV moments. I keep watching Jen mainly to see if she wakes up to the fact that her husband, Bill Aydin, just doesn’t like her. Spoiler alert: she hasn’t yet.
6 – Dolores Catania
The muscle of New Jersey, Dolores Catania, is one of my personal favorites. She has never wavered from who she is, and I often feel like if I were to meet the mother of two in real life, this is exactly who I’d meet. Currently, I am waiting for Dolores to get her moment in the spotlight with a proposal from her Irish beau!
5 – Melissa Gorga
I currently have On Display in my head, and it made me think, what other housewife had her own studio built in her basement for her? Melissa Gorga was everything her sister-in-law wasn’t; young, wealthy, and had a husband who loved her. Early Melissa was humble-ish “thank ya, Jesus” like he had time to worry about her piddly ass problems. Nonetheless, as time went on, she morphed into a hell of a housewife who wasn’t afraid to fight or stand up for her family.
Being on display every day taught Melissa how to present herself, and while I don’t know if she would still be relevant if it weren’t for Teresa, the mother of three has made the feud work for her.
4 – Margaret Josephs
The blonde in pigtails just missed out on cracking the top three, but she is still iconic. Margaret is spunky, brash, and incredibly intelligent- don’t mess with her. Marge has not been afraid to stand up to Jennifer, Teresa, or Danielle Staub, even if it means she gets whiplash. Also, who could forget one of the most iconic lines ever to be said on RHONJ: “Your husband’s in the pool.”
3 – Danielle Staub
“Pay attention, puh-lease” will go down in infamy. The legend that is Danielle can’t be outdone as she became the number one Bravo villain. Between throwing down the book, pulling Marge’s hair, or using mob men as bodyguards, she gave RHONJ life, and for that, we are grateful.
2 – Teresa Giudice
You gotta give the OG respect. She has stayed on the show from day one (except for, you know, jail) and, honestly, never got boring. Arguably, her table flip made the Real Housewives a household name, as well as man-handling Andy Cohen back into his seat. The only reason she isn’t number one is because she is annoying me a little, thanks to her lack of accountability.
1 – Caroline Manzo
“Let me tell you something about my family” still haunts me, so try to tell me I’m wrong, but I will die on the hill that Caroline was the GOAT of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Caroline gave it all, including the Brownstone, her family relationships, and the ham game. She was just a mom doing her best to make sure her family knew what love was, and for that, I am grateful. The Manzos reminded me of my own Big Fat Jersey Family, and I would argue she was the truest representation of what Bergen County living was all about.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH MY LIST? WHICH REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY HOUSEWIFE WOULD YOU CHOOSE AS NUMBER ONE?
