We’re not even halfway done with season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey yet, but Dolores Catania is already fearing the upcoming reunion. Dolores appeared on the latest episode of HollywoodLife‘s Pay Attention Puh-Lease! podcast and revealed why she’s not looking forward to reuniting with her co-stars in just a few weeks. “On a good day, we have anxiety about the reunion,” Dolores told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “Anxiety is one thing, [but] I’m actually afraid.”
Everyone who’s been watching the show and following the behind-the-scenes drama knows that the cast of RHONJ has been extremely divided since season 13 kicked off. And things only got worse during Teresa Giudice and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga‘s big fight before the Teresa’s wedding. “I think that this [new feud] was a culmination of years of buildup and it all came to a head, unfortunately, right before [Teresa’s] wedding. And we just wish that that didn’t happen,” Dolores said, while also revealing that the incident went down at her boyfriend, Paul Connell‘s, house.
The fight, which hasn’t aired on the show yet, allegedly started over a rumor about Melissa cheating on husband Joe Gorga. Teresa supposedly obtained the information from Margaret Josephs‘ ex-BFF Laura Jensen, and once it was shared, all hell broke loose. Melissa and Joe skipped Teresa’s August wedding, and when the cast reunited at BravoCon in October 2022, the network was forced to host two separate panels for the show so Teresa and Melissa could be kept apart. Obviously, these ladies have gotten into many fights over the past few seasons, but this one is said to be worse than anything that’s come before it. And the reunion will be the first time Teresa and Melissa come face to face since their fight at Paul’s house.
So where does the show go from here if Teresa and Melissa can’t be in the same room together without wanting to lunge at the other? Dolores isn’t sure. “All of us on the show — let’s face it — have to cohabitate with each other to an extent, right? Me and Jennifer [Aydin] had to make up. You have to move on from things to an extent, and kind of live together — we travel the world together. We spend every day together. We do vacations together — short trips [like at the] Jersey Shore. We’re staying in the same houses. We’re at the same parties. Something has to give here. Something. To what extent? I don’t know.”
Dolores’ full episode on the Pay Attention Puh-Lease! podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. During the interview, she talks about her very different relationship with ex Frank Catania this season, Teresa and Jacqueline Laurita‘s recent reunion, the cast’s upcoming trip to Ireland and more!