The Real Housewives of New Jersey, abbreviated RHONJ, is an American reality television series that premiered on May 12, 2009, on Bravo. Developed as the fourth installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it has aired fourteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in the state of New Jersey.
The cast of the fourteenth season consisted of: Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral and Rachel Fuda, with former 'Housewife', Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Fessler, serving as 'Friends of the Housewives'. Previously-featured cast members include original 'Housewives': Dina Manzo, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo and Danielle Staub; and subsequent 'Housewives', Kathy Wakile, Teresa Aprea, Amber Marchese, Nicole Napolitano and Siggy Flicker.
The success of the show has resulted in four spin-offs shows: Boys To Manzo, Joe and Rosie Explain, Manzo’d With Children and Teresa Checks In.
Overview[]
Seasons 1–5[]
The Real Housewives of New Jersey was announced by Bravo on April 15, 2008. The first season premiered on May 12, 2009, and starred: Caroline Manzo, Jacqueline Laurita, Teresa Giudice, Dina Manzo and Danielle Staub; with future 'Housewife', Dolores Catania, serving as a 'Guest'. For the first time in The Real Housewives franchise, the series followed cast members who are related to one another: sisters, Caroline Manzo and Dina Manzo, were, at the time, married to brothers, Albert and Tommy Manzo, and Laurita is married to Caroline and Dina's brother, Chris Laurita. Dina and Tommy Manzo would later end up separated. The second season premiered on May 3, 2010, with Dina Manzo departing the series after the seventh episode as she wanted to distance herself from the show’s drama. Staub left the show after the second season. Kim Granatell served as a 'Friend of the Housewives'; in a recurring capacity.
The third season premiered on May 16, 2011, with new 'Housewives', Melissa Gorga and Kathy Wakile. It delivered the highest rated season premiere in the network’s history and the highest rated season premiere in The Real Housewives franchise at the time. The fourth season premiered on April 22, 2012. This season served as Catania's final season as a 'Guest' until the seventh season where she would become a main cast member. Dina Manzo also appeared as a 'Guest'. The fifth season premiered on June 2, 2013. Kim DePaola and Jennifer Dalton appeared as 'Friends of the Housewives'. Caroline Manzo and Laurita left the show after the fifth season.
Seasons 6–8[]
The sixth season premiered on July 13, 2014. It featured the return of Dina Manzo as a full-time cast member and new cast members, Amber Marchese, Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano. Wakile was demoted to a 'Friend of the Housewives' recurring role, while Laurita also appeared in the same capacity. Aprea, Cantin and Napolitano left the show, while Marchese was fired after the sixth season.
Laurita returned as a full-time cast member in the seventh season, which premiered on July 10, 2016. The season also featured Dolores Catania and Siggy Flicker as new cast members, Catania having already made several cameos on the show within the first four seasons plus having originally signed to appear in the inaugural season but pulling out due to personal reasons. Wakile and Rosie Pierri appeared as 'Friend of the Housewives'. Aprea and Napolitano also appeared as 'Guests'. The season marked as the final appearance of Laurita, Wakile and Pierri in the show. Staub returned in the show as a 'Friend of the Housewives' for the eighth season, which premiered on October 4, 2017. It also featured Margaret Josephs as the new cast member. Flicker left the show afterwards.
Season 9–Present[]
The ninth season premiered on November 7, 2018, featuring Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider joining the cast; while Staub returned as a 'Friend of the Housewives' once again. The tenth season premiered on November 6, 2019. The season marked Staub's final appearance, as she announced her resignation from the show for the second time in January 2020.
Filming for the eleventh season was postponed by Bravo in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eleventh season premiered on February 17, 2021 with the entire cast, from the ninth and tenth season, back for the eleventh. The twelfth season premiered on February 1, 2022 with Traci Johnson added as a 'Friend of the Housewives' with the same main cast returning for the fourth consecutive season - a first in the franchise.
The thirteenth season premiered on February 7, 2023, with new full-time 'Housewives', Danielle Cabral and Rachel Fuda joining the cast, as well as Jennifer Fessler appearing as a 'Friend of the Housewives', alongside newly-demoted and former 'Housewife', Goldschneider.
It was announced that the fourteenth season would premiere on May 5, 2024, with the entire cast from the thirteenth season returning. In June 2024, it was reported that for the first time in the show's history, that there would not be a Reunion Special to conclude the season as normal due to the "hugely divided cast, low ratings, and impossible resolution to be made between the cast members".
Cast[]
Season 13 and 14 Cast (Left To Right): Rachel, Margaret, Melissa, Dolores, Teresa, Jennifer, and Danielle
| Housewives | Seasons | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
| Teresa Giudice | Main | |||||||||||||
| Jacqueline Laurita | Main | Friend | Main | |||||||||||
| Caroline Manzo | Main | |||||||||||||
| Dina Manzo | Main | Guest | Main | |||||||||||
| Danielle Staub | Main | Friend | ||||||||||||
| Melissa Gorga | Guest | Main | ||||||||||||
| Kathy Wakile | Guest | Main | Friend | |||||||||||
| Teresa Aprea | Main | Guest | ||||||||||||
| Amber Marchese | Main | |||||||||||||
| Nicole Napolitano | Main | Guest | ||||||||||||
| Dolores Catania | Guest | Guest | Main | |||||||||||
| Siggy Flicker | Main | |||||||||||||
| Margaret Josephs | Main | |||||||||||||
| Jennifer Aydin | Main | |||||||||||||
| Jackie Goldschneider | Main | Friend | ||||||||||||
| Danielle Cabral | Main | |||||||||||||
| Rachel Fuda | Main | |||||||||||||
| Friends of the Housewives | ||||||||||||||
| Kim Granatell | Friend | Guest | ||||||||||||
| Kim DePaola | Guest | Friend | Guest | |||||||||||
| Jennifer Dalton | Friend | |||||||||||||
| Rosie Pierri | Guest | Friend | ||||||||||||
| Traci Johnson | Friend | Guest | ||||||||||||
| Jennifer Fessler | Friend | |||||||||||||
Episodes[]
Main Article: The Real Housewives of New Jersey - Episode Guide
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Reunion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | May 12, 2009 | June 18, 2009 | June 23, 2009 June 25, 2009 |
| 2 | 18 | May 3, 2010 | August 23, 2010 | August 30, 2010 September 6, 2010 |
| 3 | 21 | May 16, 2011 | October 9, 2011 | October 16, 2011 October 23, 2011 |
| 4 | 24 | April 22, 2012 | September 23, 2012 | September 30, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 14, 2012 |
| 5 | 22 | June 2, 2013 | September 29, 2013 | October 6, 2013 October 13, 2013 |
| 6 | 19 | July 13, 2014 | October 19, 2014 | November 2, 2014 November 6, 2014 November 11, 2014 |
| 7 | 18 | July 10, 2016 | October 30, 2016 | November 6, 2016 November 13, 2016 |
| 8 | 16 | October 4, 2017 | January 10, 2018 | January 17, 2018 January 24, 2018 |
| 9 | 18 | November 7, 2018 | February 13, 2019 | February 20, 2019 February 27, 2019 March 6, 2019 |
| 10 | 19 | November 6, 2019 | February 26, 2020 | March 4, 2020 March 11, 2020 March 18, 2020 |
| 11 | 15 | February 17, 2021 | May 12, 2021 | May 19, 2021 May 26, 2021 |
| 12 | 16 | February 1, 2022 | April 26, 2022 | May 3, 2022 May 10, 2022 May 17, 2022 |
| 13 | 19 | February 7, 2023 | May 23, 2023 | May 30, 2023 June 6, 2023 June 13, 2023 |
| 14 | 14 | May 5, 2024 | August 4, 2024 | August 11, 2024 (Non-Traditional) |
Broadcast History[]
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs regularly on Bravo in the United States; most episodes are approximately forty-two minutes in length, and are broadcast in standard definition and high definition. Since its premiere, the series has alternated airing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings and has been frequently shifted between the 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00 PM timeslots.
Spin-Offs[]
The series' success has resulted in a development of spin-off series. Caroline Manzo's children, Albie and Chris, had a web series spin-off alongside their roommate and friend Greg Bennett, Boys to Manzo, which premiered on May 30, 2011. Caroline Manzo, who was part of the original cast of the show, quit the series due to involvement in the production of a new show, Manzo'd with Children. The show premiered on October 5, 2014 on Bravo. The reality series followed the daily life of Manzo and her family, and lasted for three seasons.
In October 2015, a three episode spin-off, entitled Teresa Checks In, premiered. It featured the life of the Giudice family during the aftermath of Teresa Giudice's being sentenced to prison. The series featured cast members of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Melissa Gorga and Rosie Pierri.
In December 2018, an After Show featuring Season 9's cast was released online through Bravo.com and YouTube. It featured their reactions to the most recent episode and thoughts on the season. An after show for the tenth season started streaming online on December 11, 2019.
Giudice and Melissa Gorga starred in the first season of the spin-off The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip on Peacock, traveling to Turks and Caicos, alongside several other Housewives cast members from other cities’ franchises.
Trivia[]
- This was the first The Real Housewives to include main cast members that are related (through blood and marriage).
- This was first done by Caroline Manzo and Dina Manzo (sisters) who starred in the inaugural season plus alongside their brother’s wife, Jacqueline Laurita.
- This was next achieved by the introduction of Kathy Wakile and Melissa Gorga in the third season who were the cousin and sister-in-law of original star, Teresa Giudice.
- Finally, the introduction of twin sisters, Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano, in the sixth season; a franchise first to involve twins in starring roles.
- To mark this, the twins shared a tagline and title card in the series intro.
- This is also the first The Real Housewives installment to include a predominantly Italian-American main cast.