For the first time in its 14-year history, The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s future is in doubt.
The series has overcome many hurdles in the past, such as Teresa Giudice’s prison stint, but it has slowly but surely decayed to the point that there’s no telling whether it can get out of its current predicament.
With such a long history as one of Bravo’s most-watched shows, there is an incentive to save RHONJ, but it all comes down to what producers are willing to do to right the ship.
The show’s current state makes it more of a chore to watch.
At one point, the series was fun, featuring petty reality TV drama that provided the perfect escapism for viewers.
Nowadays, the drama between the ladies has gotten so dark that the show has become uncomfortable.
As a result, it runs the risk of being paused for several years, like The Real Housewives of Dallas or The Real Housewives of Miami, to allow the cast to move on from the continued drama.
There are various ways to salvage the show.
1. Fire Teresa Giudice or Melissa Gorga — or both
This is the biggest flaw with the show in its current form.
If they’re family members and cannot put their differences aside to film a show together, they should not be on the same cast.
It’s as simple as that. Teresa would like to believe that her sister-in-law does not exist, but she’s part of the problem because she does not interact with her.
Truthfully, producers should fire them both and introduce some new faces to force the other cast members to find their own storylines.
But that isn’t going to happen. If I had to guess, producers will side with Teresa unless she’s ready to walk away from the show.
Backing Teresa would also likely mean that some of Melissa’s nearest and dearest friends, such as Margaret Josephs, would also get the pink slip.
2. Make it mandatory for all cast members to be invited to events
In the past, feuding cast members were forced to cross paths at events.
Thanks to the division amongst the ladies, Teresa is M.I.A. for most parties, eliminating the drama and allowing the women to give one-sided sentiments about their feud.
Of course, Teresa likes to talk smack about her enemies, too, but she doesn’t get the chance to say it to their faces very much because she doesn’t make the cut for the guest list to their events.
The women are paid to perform on the show, so they shouldn’t have the power to ice certain cast members out of events.
Perhaps the division between the ladies wouldn’t be as bad now if they were forced to film with each other because it would force them to confront the elephant in the room.
That’s why producers need to change the casts’ contracts to require them to invite their co-stars to events.
3. Bring some former faces back into the mix
RHONJ’s rich history means that there is a rich tapestry of former cast members who could help restore the series to its former glory.
If her recent Watch What Happens Live appearance is anything to go by, Kathy Wakile is seemingly in the running to return. However, there’s a beef between her and Teresa that must be ironed out.
Plus, Melissa and Joe Gorga are seemingly aware that Kathy’s return is possible, as evidenced by their constant talk about her.
Caroline Manzo has seemingly burned all bridges with Bravo, so while it would be fantastic to check in with her and her family, that doesn’t seem possible these days.
To bring former faces back, they need to have connections to the cast, meaning that some of the current ladies will have to stay to make it work.
4. Introduce stricter protocols to avoid leaks to bloggers and fans
RHONJ has been criticized this season for bloggers claiming that various cast members have contacted them to leak stories.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, but hopefully, it will be the last.
Producers need to be stricter with the women to ensure that details are not being leaked and that fake storylines are not being planted.
It’s a travesty that certain cast members have the power to share stories, whether fact or fiction, to then bring up on camera to make others look bad.
It removes the “real” factor in the Real Housewives franchise and highlights that certain people believe they are above the show and can orchestrate storylines to benefit their narrative.
The only way to remedy this is to eradicate anyone who pulls this schtick because the show isn’t going to get more authentic unless the storylines and cast dynamics are allowed to grow naturally.
5. Demote or fire cast members refusing to film with others
The series has become a tale of two sides because many cast members refuse to share the same oxygen as their enemies.
We’ve had group events this season where Teresa and Melissa sit at opposite sides of a table and don’t interact, which is harming the show.
The only way to remedy that situation is to make it mandatory for the women to film with each other because the series doesn’t work by having two different sides of a cast.
In other shows in the franchise, the women typically bounce back following their drama because they film with each other. Here, people’s refusal to film with others only worsens these issues.
6. Remove the husbands
Another glaring flaw in RHONJ is the pull the husbands have with the storylines. This series is supposed to be about a group of women in the same friendship circle.
Producers have allowed the husbands to get too involved in the storylines, and this is one of the most prominent issues. We don’t want to see the husbands go on their own trips without their wives.
That isn’t the show we signed up to watch when it debuted all those years ago. Plus, the lack of husbands can only be a good thing, considering that some of them have no qualms about yelling at women on TV.
It’s not a good look, and it needs to change.
7. Bring back international cast trips
It feels like the closest we’ve gotten to a cast trip in recent seasons is the Jersey Shore.
That’s decent enough during a COVID season with restrictions on travel.
There’s a high probability a lavish cast trip somewhere luxurious would have given the women some time away from Jersey and the opportunity to hash out their differences.
Cast trips are a great way to serve as a reset for some conflicts and kickstart some new ones for later in the season.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Bravo on Sundays at 8/7c. Stream Seasons 1-14 on Peacock.