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Dolores Catania isn’t shy about her frustration regarding the future of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and the direction the cast has taken after a tumultuous season 14. With the show not returning at its usual January or February time slot in 2025, Catania admits she’s feeling “a little mad” about the situation.
“We didn’t film last season, so we’re not coming back… we’re not going to be airing in January or February,” the 53-year-old reality star told PEOPLE, “Of course, I’d look forward to seeing my cast come back on the screen or even come back to film, but they made a mess. I’m a little mad that everybody couldn’t get it together. I really am.”
Season 14 was marked by increasing tensions among the cast, including Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, and others. The friction became so intense that production made the rare decision to cancel the reunion—a move only made by Bravo twice in the entire Real Housewives franchise history. Instead of the typical reunion format, the women filmed separately in two distinct groups, with the finale shown to everyone together.
Dolores Catania reflects on the emotional toll this all took on her. “On my way to that finale, I spoke to a therapist and asked her for some tips on going in and speaking to the women,” she shared. “I wrote it down in the car ride on the way there. And no matter what I did on and off camera, nothing helped.” By the time the season wrapped, she knew the cast’s future was uncertain. “You could see I was defeated. I sat there and I knew you wouldn’t be seeing us for a while, I saw it coming.”
The RHONJ star also shared her concerns about how the show differs from other Real Housewives franchises. “We f—ing lost something along the way,” Catania said candidly. “I’m looking at Salt Lake City and I’m looking at Beverly Hills, and they fight, but they don’t go for the jugular. They’re not hitting below the belt. They agree to disagree and move on.”
In July, executive producer Andy Cohen teased the possibility of “all fresh faces” for season 15, something Catania is not on board with. “I feel like we’re an ensemble and I can’t see anyone else but the people that I was with. It’s like a family. Can you see yourself with other people in your family?” she says. “We’ve traveled the world together, we’ve cried together, we fought together. You have to move on, otherwise, you’ll have no one in your life. Now we have no one. So what do you think? Do you think a full recast works? I’m not so sure.”
While she remains concerned about the direction of the show, Dolores Catania holds on to hope that the current cast will reunite for season 15. She emphasizes that the bond they share extends beyond just a television series. “They’ve let us in their homes and we’ve been a part of their lives,” she notes. “I don’t call them fans. I call them friends. They’re the reason that we came as far as we did.”
Despite the ongoing drama, Dolores Catania believes the group can find a way to make it work if they are given the chance. “I know I would. I think that given some time for things to cool down, maybe they would try to do that too,” she says, hinting at the possibility of reconciliation. “It’s time to put egos aside. You don’t throw something like this away. We had great ratings. We did well—we just have to learn how to act. This is what life is. It’s about fighting and making up.”
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