I might be one of the biggest Real Housewives of New Jersey fans, but the franchise’s new season hasn’t started with a spark like I hoped for. With Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice no longer interacting, the group will have a clear divide. We’ve seen this before where a Bravoleb refuses to speak or film with another, and it doesn’t usually bode well. The season is put under extra pressure because the rest of the cast can’t support the extra weight.
A shakeup could be in the near future
The Real Housewives of New Jersey has widely had success with the same cast for the past few seasons. Yes, two newbies were added in Season 13 with Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral, but no major revamps have happened. But I am concerned that there will be a major cast shakeup after Season 14. The storylines have become stale thanks to the Gorga/Giudice feud. Now, Danielle seems to be starting with her own family feud storyline. As for the rest of the cast, nothing really seems to be that interesting or worthy of filming.
Dare I say the Garden State ladies have lost their spark? Even though only two episodes have aired, I am bored. As a viewer, I am tired of hearing about the ladies’ weight loss or seeing their children prepare for the start of a new school year. I am starting to think our only hope is Rachel and John Fuda’s storyline against Tre. But we will have to see how that pans out. If Bravo were to bring in a whole new class of housewives as they did with the Real Housewives of New York, it would be the end of an era, but they’d only have themselves to blame.
RHONJ’s divide into teams will possibly be the downfall
Teresa is still very much happy living in her love bubble, but that means she is ignoring the significant issues around her. The mother of four is once again making her friends choose teams. This last episode showed Teresa grilling Danielle about wanting to try to rebuild her friendship with Rachel. Conversely, Margaret Josephs will have trouble swallowing the idea that her long-time friends, Jennifer Fessler and Jackie Goldschneider, want a relationship with Tre.
Gone are the days when the entire cast got along or at least tried. Now, alliances and deals are being made. Viewers are learning about a meeting before the Season 13 reunion where some of the cast, including Melissa, Margaret, and Rachel, were plotting to bring down Teresa and Luis Ruelas.
RHONJ is the new Hunger Games
The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s own Miriam Webster, aka Jackie, also agrees that the franchise has become a bit like the Hollywood movie The Hunger Games. Jackie, who used to be one of the show’s main cast members, is now openly criticizing the franchise for its clear divide. While speaking on Two T’s in a Pod, Jackie noted, “Everyone is convinced that if they get the most people on their team and then they take the picture and label it a team, that Bravo is going to see it, and they’re going to think, ‘Oh, they have more people, let’s just keep that team.’ It’s not the way it works, and it’s just making everybody so divided.”
The notion is rich coming from Jackie who for years has been arguing against Teresa. It seems Jackie is one of the major culprits in this divide, to be honest. Margaret spoke on Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap, sharing her thoughts. The MacBeth Collection founder told fans, “Unfortunately, Jackie really disappointed me. She was very, very disappointed. If it’s not happening on Instagram for her, it’s not happening in real life – and Instagram’s not real life.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey used to be the best franchise on Bravo. Thanks to its familiar ties and genius emotions, the series did well with viewers for a very long time. But the last few seasons have grown stale, with even Bravo taking note. So unless the women can turn their feelings around, I think the franchise is headed for a reboot, which could be either good or bad. But only time will tell. May the odds forever be in our favor.
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