Since its inception, the Real Housewives franchise has grown into a massive hit, with a number of cities airing new episodes at any given point. Right now we’ve got The Real Housewives of New Jersey airing on Bravo (and streaming with a Peacock subscription), which I think might be one of the best reality shows of all time. We’re currently in the midst of Season 14, which will not be getting a reunion special for the first time in the show’s history. Andy Cohen explained why RHONJ won’t be reuniting this time around, and as a longtime fan I get it.
New Jersey was the first Real Housewives show I watched, because as a NJ native I couldn’t resist. While I’m still a fan, the past few seasons have been dark, especially related to the feud between OG Teresa Giudice and and Melissa and Joe Gorga. Cohen recently called in to Radio Andy, where he gave context to the decision to skip a reunion for Season 14. As he put it:
I do want to give some context to the announcement over the weekend that there was going to be no Jersey reunion. Because I feel like there are a lot of theories about what this could mean. I think 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.
Well, I’m intrigued. The Real Housewives of New Jersey has had plenty of explosive and truly iconic moments throughout the years, starting with Teresa’s infamous table flip. And it sounds like the finale is going to feature a conflict that’s so big satisfying that a reunion wasn’t needed. If the finale delivers another iconic Housewives moment, I could see why rehashing things in a reunion might be a let down… especially after we’ve seen some of the same arguments happening for years.
When news of RHONJ skipping the reunion leaked online, fans assumed this was due to Melissa and Teresa not wanting to be in the same room with each other. The two in-laws’s relationship finally reached a breaking point last season, with Melissa missing Teresa’s wedding to Louie. But it tuns out that the producers were all on the same page after the finale was cut and edited. In that same interview, Cohen further explained this by saying:
And when all of us Producers saw the last cut of the finale, we all came to the decision separately and then we talked. We all had the same thought, which is the finale is kind of finale and the reunion all in one. It’s in the great tradition of absolute shocking dramatic jersey finales. And they have this final epic group encounter, it feels like the Last Supper.
So what exactly is going to go down? It’s unclear, but the trailer for Season 14 seemingly opened on the aftermath of the group event, with Dolores (who is rumored to be in the cast of The Traitors Season 3) left alone at a dinner table alone. The alliances of the RHONJ ladies are shifting this year, so exactly what goes down in the finale is a mystery.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs new episodes Sundays on Bravo. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.