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A new report claims that RHONJ is at risk of getting a full cast reboot amid low ratings for season 14. Plus, Bravo producers are also considering shaking up the RHOC cast and more!
Per The U.S. Sun, The Real Housewives of New Jersey franchise is “in danger” of getting a full reboot by Bravo for season 15.
The RHONJ cast divide led by Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga resulted in “catastrophic” ratings for season 14. Now, producers are in “panic” mode as they scramble to save the franchise. One option producers are considering is getting rid of the entire cast and replacing them with fresh faces for season 15.
“The ratings decline has been catastrophic. Most shows have been in steady decline, but there is hope that things will turn around,” an insider told The U.S. Sun on October 21. “On one end, there is a sense of panic within the network but that’s the state of TV right now. It’s not just Bravo, viewership for any linear network is down.”
According to Nielsen reports, 1.1 million viewers tuned into watch the RHONJ season 12 premiere in February 2022. However, only 830,000 watched the season 14 premiere in May 2024.
NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, has also impacted live viewership for Bravo over the last two years.
“Peacock really started to take off in 2022 and that’s when a decrease in network viewership and an increase in streaming viewership was really noticed by [Bravo],” the insider explained. “It’s difficult to navigate because it’s all the same company, so at the top it’s a win, but they also are two totally different entities. So different people feel different ways about it sucking the traffic. It’s complicated.”
“[Higher ups] at the network are not happy and having constant discussions about the numbers. Then it trickles down to them wanting producers to get creative with adapting to what will keep eyeballs watching, which then results in enormous shifts like we’ve seen with the [Real Housewives of New York City] reboot and re-castings on basically every show,” the source continued.
While RHONJ is “the main point of discussion” for Bravo at the moment, sources say that The Real Housewives of Orange County will “most likely be shaken up slightly but not completely rebooted.”
“They’re happy overall with the drama those women brought,” the source revealed. “They’re waiting to see how [The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills] and [The Real Housewives of Potomac] plays out but [RHONJ] and [RHOC] are in discussions now the most.”
When it comes to which franchise has the “most stable casting-wise of all the shows,” that title went to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
However, the source noted that “no one is safe” when it comes to future seasons.
“Any cast member on any franchise could be on the chopping block at any point and they’re not afraid to make the cuts when they need to,” the source confessed. “If a total overhaul will save the day, that’s what they’ll do but everyone is working overtime to save what’s still good at the network – and there are still shows pulling their weight in ratings. They’ve got a plan and the people there believe in what they’re doing, a lot have been there [for] years so the spirit isn’t lost. There is still so many successful aspects within the company. It’s an uphill battle but they’re fighting.”
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