Ever since she became a full-fledged cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jerseyseason 7, Dolores Catania has been stealing the hearts of fans and viewers from all over the Bravoserse!
Out got the chance to sit down with the fan-fave Housewife who’s been serving up realness and loyalty for over seven seasons now. From her first appearance, Catania has been a breath of fresh air. Whether she’s managing her busy life as a businesswoman, navigating the insane dynamics of the cast, or playing Switzerland amongst the group, she has proven to be an essential part of the RHONJ franchise.
We dove into the all things relating to the recent season 14 finale, a decade-long feud that just wont end, and, of course, the iconic RHONJ vs. Maimonides baseball game.
First, we needed to discuss the funeral arrangement flowers that took the internet by storm. Considering Catania was there when Teresa Giudice received the arrangement, we asked her what she thought about the situation.
“So we’re sitting there and Teresa’s been having this buildup. ‘I got something on Margaret,’ and she just was like, couldn’t wait to tell us, but she had been going through a lot at the time,” Catania told Out. “So through this burn brunch, Margaret’s pissed off. You saw her yelling at everyone, and then all of a sudden Gia goes, ‘Mom, there’s some weird looking guy at the door, and it looks like he’s got flowers.’ So I don’t know who said it looks like a funeral arrangement. I don’t even know what. So Teresa goes running over to the door and she read it. And she’s like, get off my property, get this out. So it was like at that point, I was so fed up with the fighting, I was so fed up with what was going on social media that I didn’t think anything was funny. Although it was, like they say, it was like iconic.”
One of Catania’s superpowers that she is know for on the show is her ability to stay neutral. Throughout much of season 14, she was able to consistently be Switzerland in an explosive environment. The long standing feud between Giudice and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga has seeped so far into the friend group, it has become divided, with everyone seemingly needing to choose a side. Catania however, is a long time friend of both Giudice and Gorga, dating back to when they were kids. We asked her if she was shocked at how deeply this feud affected the show and group.
“Yes. I’m shocked,” she responded. “Even me who’s been a part of it, just kept waiting for everyone to come to their senses and just stop with the social media and stop with not keeping it in house. I would’ve liked for them to save the fights for the cameras, which is what they love about it. If you’re a good Housewife, you save it for the cameras. I would’ve liked resolution. I would’ve liked it all, but it is what it is now.”
With all the chaos surrounding RHONJ nowadays, season 14 almost felt like two separate shows. Bravo announced back in June that the franchise would no longer have a traditional reunion special, instead, opting for a “cast rewatch” of the finale, with the big friend group split into two smaller groups, with Catania going back and forth between them. A majority of fans assumed the ladies were refusing to film together or show up to the reunion at all. We asked Catania if the situation was really that bad, and her answer shocked us.
“Oh no. They wanted to sit,” she replied. “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 they had to make. However, we also all left not so stressed out. The different rooms kind of worked out. It did.”
Ever since she became a full-fledged cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jerseyseason 7, Dolores Catania has been stealing the hearts of fans and viewers from all over the Bravoserse!
Out got the chance to sit down with the fan-fave Housewife who’s been serving up realness and loyalty for over seven seasons now. From her first appearance, Catania has been a breath of fresh air. Whether she’s managing her busy life as a businesswoman, navigating the insane dynamics of the cast, or playing Switzerland amongst the group, she has proven to be an essential part of the RHONJ franchise.
We dove into the all things relating to the recent season 14 finale, a decade-long feud that just wont end, and, of course, the iconic RHONJ vs. Maimonides baseball game.
First, we needed to discuss the funeral arrangement flowers that took the internet by storm. Considering Catania was there when Teresa Giudice received the arrangement, we asked her what she thought about the situation.
“So we’re sitting there and Teresa’s been having this buildup. ‘I got something on Margaret,’ and she just was like, couldn’t wait to tell us, but she had been going through a lot at the time,” Catania told Out. “So through this burn brunch, Margaret’s pissed off. You saw her yelling at everyone, and then all of a sudden Gia goes, ‘Mom, there’s some weird looking guy at the door, and it looks like he’s got flowers.’ So I don’t know who said it looks like a funeral arrangement. I don’t even know what. So Teresa goes running over to the door and she read it. And she’s like, get off my property, get this out. So it was like at that point, I was so fed up with the fighting, I was so fed up with what was going on social media that I didn’t think anything was funny. Although it was, like they say, it was like iconic.”
“Yes. I’m shocked,” she responded. “Even me who’s been a part of it, just kept waiting for everyone to come to their senses and just stop with the social media and stop with not keeping it in house. I would’ve liked for them to save the fights for the cameras, which is what they love about it. If you’re a good Housewife, you save it for the cameras. I would’ve liked resolution. I would’ve liked it all, but it is what it is now.”
With all the chaos surrounding RHONJ nowadays, season 14 almost felt like two separate shows. Bravo announced back in June that the franchise would no longer have a traditional reunion special, instead, opting for a “cast rewatch” of the finale, with the big friend group split into two smaller groups, with Catania going back and forth between them. A majority of fans assumed the ladies were refusing to film together or show up to the reunion at all. We asked Catania if the situation was really that bad, and her answer shocked us.
“Oh no. They wanted to sit,” she replied. “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 they had to make. However, we also all left not so stressed out. The different rooms kind of worked out. It did.”
We couldn’t finish the chat with Catania without asking about RHONJ‘s iconic, annual “Battle for Brooklyn” charity baseball game. The game has been featured on the show for the last few seasons and not only is entertaining, but it is for an incredible cause. Last year Catania and the cast of RHONJ raised $200,000 for the organization. And have no fear! Although the series is on a break, the game is still on! Catania let us in on how we could be there!
“So it’s BattleForBrookyln.com and you could get tickets still. We’ve sold a couple thousand. All the Bravo people are coming. Well, no, all our Bravo friends are coming. They love it. Every year. It’s now become a place where people meet. They’ve made friends there, they love it. But I’m having a different cast this year that I haven’t announced yet!” We are SO there.
After an explosive finale and a divided reunion on the way, it’s unsure what the future holds for these New Jersey ladies. We hope to see our favorite boss woman Dolores Catania back on our screens soon!
Watch Out‘s full interview with Dolores Catania in the video above! And watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo and streaming on Peacock!
