Bravo isn’t done filming RHONJ quite yet.
In a first for the franchise, it was announced that the veteran Real Housewives of New Jersey series will not be having a reunion special to cap the current 14th season. Bravo and Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen confirmed mid-season that Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga and the rest of the cast would not be sitting down for the traditional reunion gathering this year. Tensions had gotten so high during the upcoming, explosive finale (which will air on Aug. 4) that getting the cast back together for the annual confab with Cohen was not an option.
“It is one of those classic Jersey finales that people will be talking about for a long time to come,” Cohen said on Radio Andy’s Reality Checked in June. “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 the finale and the reunion all in one.”
At the time, he said Bravo planned to instead have a “non-traditional ending” in place of a reunion, but no details were shared.
Now, that ending is coming into focus.
On Aug. 11 — the Sunday following the finale — Bravo will air a special with the cast that was filmed earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The footage could end up being more than one episode. Bravo declined comment when reached by THR.
On Monday, the entire cast gathered for a watch party of the finale at a steakhouse in Towaco, N.J. The catch? The divided cast was split into two rooms for the screening.
Bravo’s cameras were rolling as Team Teresa and Team Melissa took their places, representing how deep the relationship between the sisters-in-law has fissured after 14 and 12 seasons, respectively, for the Real Housewives icons.
In Giudice’s room was castmate Jennifer Aydin and friend of the cast Jackie Goldschneider. Gorga’s room was made up of castmates Margaret Josephs, Rachel Fuda, Danielle Cabral and friend of the cast Jennifer Fessler. Castmate Dolores Catania went back and forth between the two rooms.
The unusual ending to the 14th season has sparked speculation around if the RHONJ cast will get a reboot or shakeup for season 15. Sister series The Real Housewives of New York City went through its own recent cast reboot, and Vanderpump Rules is currently on a hiatus following its post-Scandoval season and divisive reunion.
Typically, producers won’t begin discussing the next season until the current one ends. So the cast — and the eagerly watching Bravo-verse of fans — will have to wait and see.
