I have been a Real Housewives of New Jersey fan from the jump. And I have some concerns about Season 14. During the Season 13 reunion, Teresa Giudice cut ties with her only sibling, Joe Gorga, and his wife, Melissa Gorga. The trio had feuded for years.
Afterward, Melissa and Teresa refused to interact with one another. So, filming for Season 14 has been awkward. Watching both ladies actively ignore each other at Danielle Cabral’s Bougie Brunch was uncomfortable.
And now Season 14 of RHONJ isn’t having a reunion. Does anyone else hear alarm bells, or is that just me? Due to the cast’s shifting dynamics, this decision may be for the best. Here are the reasons why a RHONJ Season 14 reunion wouldn’t have worked.
The cast is divided
All the friendships on the show have shifted in a major way. Teresa and Melissa’s family feud is still bubbling under the surface. And now Margaret Josephs is finished with Teresa and her husband, Luis Ruelas. During the Season 13 reunion, Margaret claimed that Luis called her son, who does not film for the show, at work and threatened him. Luis denied Margaret’s accusations. But the fashion designer wanted nothing to do with Teresa, Luis, and their love bubble.
Rachel Fuda and her husband, John Fuda, alleged that Luis and Teresa had them investigated by private investigator, Bo Dietl. Again, the duo denied having any involvement. So, during the Season 14 premiere, Teresa thought that it would be a swell idea to spread a rumor. She repeated some online gossip, supposedly from John’s ex, that he was “the biggest drug dealer in Bergen County.” Oof.
Meanwhile, both Jenn Fessler and Jackie Goldschneider, who were longtime friends with Margaret and Melissa, cozied up to Teresa. Jenn’s decision to be friendly with Teresa deeply hurt Rachel. And Marge considered Jackie to be a traitor.
And, of course, there was also bad blood between Jennifer Aydin and Danielle. Page Six reported that they were involved in a physical altercation. During an investigation into the incident, both ladies were temporarily suspended. Then Danielle drifted over to Team Melissa and reignited her friendship with Rachel.
Nothing would be resolved
Bravo saw the writing on the wall. A source told People, “A reunion is meant to have resolution and it’s clear in the season final that there is no path forward in that type of setting. So the network is figuring out a different concept to wrap up the season.”
Brace yourself, RHONJ fans, because the last time a reunion was scrapped was Season 13 of Real Housewives of New York. In that situation, the entire cast was fired and the show was rebooted.
Recently, cast members on Real Housewives of Potomac were fired when they refused to interact with each other on camera. Breaking a cast into segments just doesn’t work.
Plus, RHONJ’s ratings have dipped, and Andy Cohen is acutely aware of what is wrong with the Garden State franchise. Andy told Collider, “I think with Jersey, we’re gonna have a really interesting moment in figuring out where to go. There’s two very clear teams and it’s kind of where we were with Potomac,” Andy explained. “You need a group.” Sounds like some of our RHONJ ladies may be getting a pink slip.
No one wants a repeat of the Season 13 RHONJ reunion
Last season’s reunion was a lot. There was a lot of screaming between Melissa and Teresa. And shouting between Teresa and her brother, Joe. Luis made several ominous comments. Then Danielle and Rachel threw down. It was exhausting.
Let’s face it. Andy is a seasoned reunion host, and even he almost walked out during the taping. “The level – I won’t even say vitriol, I’ll say hate – between Teresa and Melissa. The gloves are off. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he stated.
Having a re-do of Season 13’s reunion doesn’t make sense. If no cast members are willing to budge, it would just be an ear-splitting copy of last year’s stress-inducing outing. No, thank you.
Did the Season 14 RHONJ finale wrap up the season?
The Season 14 finale was filmed at The Rails Steakhouse. In a teaser clip, Dolores Catania was sitting alone at a table as restaurant staff swept up broken glass. At this point, the ladies should be dining with plastic cups and plates. Safety first!
Then snippets of the cast screaming at each other flashed across the screen. Finally, a producer asked Dolores to describe the group sit-down. “Horrible,” she responded.
Dolores was the only cast member who was close to both groups. “What you’re going to see is the finale of a lot of relationships there. It’s definitely closure for people, and you can’t come back from the stuff that you’re going to see at the finale,” Dolores told US Weekly.
She continued, “I tried so hard to not get it to the point that it’s at, but because it got to this point, you have to say, ‘It’s so bad that it’s time to let things go.’”
According to Andy, “The finale is kind of the finale and the reunion all in one.” So, viewers might feel like the season was complete and had a proper ending. If the cast members’ relationships have deteriorated that much, there is no path forward as a group. That’s why, ultimately, a Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 14 reunion wouldn’t have worked.
TELL US – WHY DO YOU THINK A REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY SEASON 14 REUNION WOULDN’T HAVE WORKED? ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED?
