The Real Housewives of New Jersey is in a tough spot.
The long-running reality series has reached a horrifying lull.
The drama is so dark that viewers are walking away from the show.
Strong cast dynamics are crucial to the success of any show in the veteran franchise, but the division throughout Season 14 has made the show’s future less certain than it was a few months ago.
It’s not uncommon for producers in the Real Housewives universe to look to the past to try to repair a broken show.
The Real Housewives of Orange County brought back Tamra Judge and Heather Dubrow, while Bethenny Frankel returned to The Real Housewives of New York City after a hiatus.
Below, we’ve rounded up the cast members who could help bring RHONJ back to its former glory.
1. Danielle Staub
Danielle Staub is one of the show’s most controversial cast members, and for good reason.
She’s unafraid to go against the grain and would be a perfect figure to bring back as someone who would cause drama.
Danielle is an original star who was in the headlines for many reasons during her two stints on the show.
Still, after patching things up with Teresa Giudice, there’s always an opening for her to become immersed in the drama again.
While Danielle’s last stint didn’t win her many fans, she holds an arsenal of information about some current cast members that she could bring to the forefront to switch the show up.
The only problem with bringing Danielle back is that she would likely be an ally for Teresa, but the positive here is that she wouldn’t be afraid to film with any of the cast members.
Danielle doesn’t have the best history with Dolores Catania, Melissa Gorga, or Margaret Josephs, so we’d expect her to get straight to work to find a way to keep them on their toes.
Honestly, we think Margaret would worry the most about her return because things between them got very toxic last time.
2. Siggy Flicker
Siggy is more of a polarizing figure due to the schtick she pulled while a full-time cast member for two seasons.
The exciting part about bringing her back would be that she introduced Margaret to the women, only for their friendship to implode quickly.
Without Siggy, there would be no Margaret, which could be a blessing to certain viewers.
Despite many fans being angry about potentially bringing Siggy back, she would probably make it her mission to go after Margaret.
That could earn Siggy some new fans.
Again, this sort of return will probably never happen because this cast member went out of her way to bash the show and the cast following her exit.
While some cast members can pop back up years after their departure, this one seems out of the realm of possibility.
However, something tells us that Siggy could help bring the fun back to RHONJ. The series has been sorely lacking in humor because everyone is against each other.
3. Jacqueline Laurita
Jacqueline Laurita was an original cast member who became involved in much drama throughout the show’s seven seasons.
Near the end of her run, she was on the outs with Teresa, seemingly setting her up to be on the outs with most of the other women.
Many years have passed since her exit, and Laurita is now friends with Giudice again, which has some fans thinking, wouldn’t it be the perfect time to bring her back?
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be for more than a guest role because Laurita now resides in Orange County, far away from the filming location of the hit series.
However, that doesn’t mean she can’t pop up on one of the cast’s vacations to bring some drama and pay homage to the show’s past.
If Melissa Gorga is still on the show at that point, they would also have a colorful choice of words for one another.
Laurita and Teresa have seemingly bonded over their mutual hatred of Melissa, so that could be a storyline.
4. Kim DePaola
Kim has made numerous appearances on RHONJ, but that came crashing down when her relationship with Teresa hit a significant snag.
Everyone who crossed Teresa earlier in the show’s run did not stand the test of time.
Nowadays, it seems like Melissa and Margaret are rounding up everyone who hates Teresa to send the show in a different direction.
While Kim’s final appearance found her going head-to-head with Teresa about their past, the pair have now resolved their issues and are friends.
As a result, her return would also likely mean she’d have lots of information to share that would change how viewers see certain cast members.
Like Danielle, Kim had no filter, which means they’re both purposely built for reality TV.
With the show falling apart before our very eyes, Kim could be one of the best people to bring back because she has this inane ability to read her opponents for filth with ease.
5. Caroline Manzo
We can file this one under “never happening, but we can dream” because of Manzo’s ongoing legal action against Bravo and The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip producers.
Manzo is part of the golden era of RHONJ. Who can forget her “Let me tell you something about my family” line?
The reality is that love or hate her, Manzo brought a lot to the show and had a lot of fans back when the show was a massive hit.
Although there’s no chance of her ever returning, it would be interesting to see her pop back up after so many years away and come to grips with how much it has changed.
Bringing an original star of her caliber back would also be a great marketing opportunity because, when she left, many of her fans probably bailed on the show.
It’s hard to tell how she’d fit in with the current cast dynamics, but it would be interesting to see whether she’d be on team Teresa because they go way back.
Caroline also strikes me as the kind of person who would understand that the show has thrived for so long because of Teresa.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Bravo on Sundays at 8/7c. Stream Seasons 1-14 on Peacock.