The Real Housewives of New Jersey as we know it could be coming to an end after 14 seasons of table flipping and hair pulling.
While the hit Bravo reality show has never been short on drama, this latest season has proven more turbulent than ever before – coming to a shocking head last week when host and executive producer Andy Cohen confirmed that the upcoming reunion has been scrapped for the first time in the show’s history.
The announcement comes after feuding sisters-in-law Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga refused to speak to each other while filming the current season – a dynamic that Cohen has called ‘unsustainable.’
And now, former RHONJ star Kim ‘D’ DePaola is speaking out to warn that the axed reunion could well mean trouble for the current cast members – noting that Bravo will need to pull off a miracle in order to salvage the series.
DailyMail.com has contacted Bravo for comment.
Industry experts have weighed in on the future of The Real Housewives of New Jersey amid speculation that the series could be done for after the current season wraps
It comes as Teresa Giudice (left) and Melissa Gorga (right) refused to speak to each other while filming the current season – a dynamic that Cohen has called ‘unsustainable’
Viewers will have the opportunity to see the feuding sisters-in-law on-screen one final time in the finale episode of this season, which Dolores Catania described as being so chaotic that it ended ‘a lot of relationships’ on the show.
‘It’s definitely closure for people, and you can’t come back from the stuff that you’re going to see at the finale. No coming back,’ she told Us Weekly.
Meanwhile Andy described it as ‘the Last Supper’ – potentially a dark foretelling of what could be to come for the current stars.
‘I think that the main thing is this will all make sense once you see the finale. It is one of those classic Jersey finales that people will be talking about for a long time to come,’ he revealed on Radio Andy’s Reality Checked.
Teresa and Melissa’s feud has been raging for months now – with the former even going as far as to blame her sister-in-law for putting her in prison during last year’s reunion episode.
‘I want everybody to hear this because we’re bringing this all out because this is over after today,’ Teresa told Melissa during the heated exchange. ‘I’m never going to look at your face again.’
Melissa noted that Teresa previously accused Caroline Manzo of putting her in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges.
‘No, I take that back,’ Teresa said. ‘I think you did.’
‘Oh, my God,’ Melissa gasped.
Although Teresa (pictured) and Melissa have refused to speak to one another, that hasn’t stopped them from throwing barbs during their confessionals
Their feud has also caused a serious rift between Teresa and her brother Joe, who is married to Melissa (seen together on the 2023 reunion)
The tension between the two women has carried on throughout the latest season – creating an awkward situation for producers, who have had to work around their refusal to speak to one another.
But that’s not the only drama to have rocked the show.
Jennifer Aydin and newcomer Danielle Cabral were also suspended during filming following a physical altercation, further throwing the future of the series into question.
Drama has been brewing off camera too, as Aydin and Giudice were accused of leaking negative stories about their castmates to an anti-Gorga troll account on social media.
Giudice has denied her involvement in the scandal, while Aydin has yet to comment.
Now fans and producers alike are trying to figure out what’s next for the beleaguered franchise.
One source told People magazine that ‘everything and anything is on the table’ regarding the show, which could mean putting one or two cast members on pause, or possibly rebooting the series from scratch like The Real Housewives of New York City did earlier this year.
DailyMail.com has spoken to a number of industry insiders and experts about where they see RHONJ going in the future – and what can be done to save it.
Former Real Housewives producer believes Bravo will bow to fan fury and release a ‘modified version’ of the canceled reunion
‘I am not 100 per cent convinced that a reunion is off the table,’ said Dominick Pupa, who previously produced the Real Housewives of Atlanta and New York and now hosts the Fixing Famous People podcast.
‘I don’t know the contents of the finale, and even though we should trust Andy when he says it feels like a finale/reunion, fans will want more, just like they did with Vanderpump Rules last year,’ he continued.
‘The response has been so cataclysmic from fans that some modified version must be getting some consideration. If there’s really no reunion, the obvious solution is tricky.
‘A full reboot seems unfair because the newer cast members [Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral] are great and could definitely carry the show with a few additions.’
Producer Dominick Pupa said a reboot would be ‘unfair’ to new cast members like Rachel Fuda (pictured)
Pupa also said that it would be difficult for Bravo to let go of Giudice, who has been the show’s main protagonist since season one.
‘A semi-reboot, which would involve removing the most toxic relationship on the show, would be difficult. Because how do you fire Teresa Giudice? She’s literally gone to jail and let Bravo follow it,’ he said.
‘My take: Do 80 per cent of the [next] season as a semi-reboot, then organically fold in the Teresa/Melissa saga for the last two to three episodes now that it’s been given time to rest and scab. It should be a sit down. It should be in Italy. Joe should make a cameo. And it should be brokered by Caroline Manzo.’
Reality Checked on Radio Andy host argues RHONJ needs a New York-style REBOOT if it is to survive
‘The RHONJ fanbase is fiercely loyal to either Team Teresa or Team Melissa which normally makes for great TV,’ Kiki Morris said.
‘But Teresa and Melissa’s unwillingness to interact this season has turned it into this weird game of toxic telephone where the soldiers within each camp are being used to do the dirty work and it’s taken a rather dark turn, which isn’t always enjoyable to the viewers,’ she continued.
‘Jersey has unfortunately turned into the Real Housewives trope that critics of the show will often claim is its brand – that it’s just a bunch of catty women who don’t get along and fight all day. That is actually the mark of a non-successful season.’
When it comes to fixing the show, Morris suggested that some form of a reboot was in order.
‘The RHONY reboot was a successful one, so the argument can be made that RHONJ needs to get the same treatment. RHOA is also doing a reboot, but they’re building it around some longtime cast members as well as some fresh faces,’ she said.
‘So do the Jersey women all need to be fired and replaced, or can the show make a comeback with a fresh cast that’s a mix of new and old? I think we won’t know until we see the finale to determine what the path forward is for that franchise.’
Reality Life host says Teresa and Melissa’s brutal feud made a reunion ‘impossible’ – as she calls for a casting OVERHAUL
‘Teresa and Melissa refusing to speak throughout the entire season and thus making a reunion impossible. It is like a Major League Baseball pitcher refusing to throw to a catcher and then having the playoffs cancelled,’ Kate Casey said.
‘The audience essentially makes an investment into each episode, with the expectation that at the reunion each cast member will be held accountable and resolutions will be made. Without any communication throughout a season, what issues are to be resolved?’
She continued, ‘You have to wonder, why are these cast members on a reality show? Should they be compensated (and well) for a job they are not executing? Why do they have a stranglehold on a show in which they show little participation?’
Casey said the path forward might be a modified reunion, followed by a major casting overhaul next season.
‘If they should decide to have a reunion, here’s what I suggest: have a reunion with the cast members who actually speak to one another. Allow them the space to answer questions, provide more insight about their personal story, and then introduce a new set of housewives that will join next season,’ she said.
‘They should let go of dead weight and usher in a new era of housewives in the Garden State. Here’s the great thing about Real Housewives, there are plenty in New Jersey.’
Former RHONJ star Kim DePaola warns Bravo is ‘disgusted’ with behavior of the cast
Former cast member Kim ‘D’ DePaola (pictured) has called for a complete reboot
Former cast member Kim ‘D’ DePaola, who appeared on six seasons of the series, blasted the current cast for refusing to interact with each other this year.
‘Who do you think you are? You had three months with a camera following you around. You made more money in those three months than people make in a lifetime,’ she told DailyMail.com.
‘And you dug your heels in. You crossed your arms and you stomped your feet. “I’m not filming with this one. I’m not talking to that one. I’m not going to do this.” You’re not bigger than Bravo. You’re not bigger than [production company] Sirens. Who do you think you are?’
DePaola said it was ‘unheard of’ to cancel a reunion episode, adding, ‘Bravo are disgusted with this cast.’
The Posche boutique owner and Get Real With Kim D podcast host said that there’s ‘no saving’ the show with the current cast because none of them are actually friends in real life.
‘They all can’t stand each other. Not one of them really like each other,’ she said.
‘There’s no chance this group will have resolution… These people were banding together on each side to get the other side fired.’
She then stated that the only way to fix RHONJ is to reboot it entirely – before claiming that Bravo already has a new cast waiting in the wings.
‘There are three young girls who have never been seen on camera that have been interviewed and they went through all the interviews and they’re on pause right now while [Bravo] is thinking about what they’re going to do,’ she said.
When asked if she’d be interested in returning to the show herself or filming the Ultimate Girls Trip spin-off with some of her fellow old-school Jersey stars, DePaola didn’t mince words.
‘If they paid me enough money,’ she laughed.