Dolores Catania said there was only one thing she wanted to see happen had there been a reunion for the 14th season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” on February 26, the Bravo TV personality shared that she had a goal for the reunion, which was ultimately scrapped for a wrap-up watch party at Rails Steakhouse.
After admitting she “barely” survived the finale filmed at Rails, Catania answered a WWHL fan who asked the burning question, “What is one issue you wish you could have resolved if there was a Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion last season?’
“The one issue I always wish that I could have resolved was to bring one family together again and that’s Melissa [Gorga] and Teresa [Giudice],” she said. “That was my goal, always.”
After host Andy Cohen asked if there was “anything that’s going to resolve that at this point,” Catania replied, “I don’t know, I don’t think so. They would both have to start from literal scratch, like birth. And it’s so… like, it’s impossible.”
Cohen noted that there were a few RHONJ seasons during which the now-estranged sisters-in-law were good. “Like when [Teresa] came home [from prison],” Catania agreed. “Because that was the longest time, they were apart so a lot of stuff didn’t happen there was time to heal.”
Cohen noted that the happier times also took place when Giudice was “alone and single,” and Catania agreed.
Giudice married her second husband, Luis Ruelas, in August 2022, and her brother Joe and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga did not attend the wedding.
Dolores Catania Said the Whole Cast Wanted a Reunion
Catania previously expressed disappointment in producers’ decision to forgo a reunion with the feuding cast mates. In an August 2024 interview with Out magazine, she confirmed that the RHONJ cast had been ready to meet up face-to-face in a reunion setting.
“They wanted to sit,” Catania claimed of her co-stars. “They had their dresses ready. I had never seen this group so excited to go to the reunion because it was going to be World War III. It was going to be hand-to-hand combat. Yeah, that’s what it was. They were like, I got my dress. I’m ready to go.’ It was that way. And then I think it was a decision that [producers] had to make.”
In addition to Catania, Giudice, and Gorga, the cast for the 14th season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” included Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, and Rachel Fuda, with Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Fessler appearing as “friends of.”
At the Rails wrap-up party, the cast was divided into two distinct “teams” and they watched the finale in two separate rooms. Only Catania spent time in both rooms.
RHONJ Remains in Limbo Amid the Cast Divide
RHONJ has been on “pause” ever since the wrap-up party last summer. There is no word on who will return for season 15, but there have been rumors of a complete reboot amid the divide that has left several cast members no longer on speaking terms.
In an interview with People magazine in December, Catania admitted she was frustrated that her co-stars couldn’t work together for the sake of the show. “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,” she said. “I’m a little mad that everybody couldn’t get it together. I really am.”
Catania also revealed that she tried to mediate ahead of time. “No matter what I did on and off camera, nothing helped,” she said. “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.”
