The last season of Real Housewives of New Jersey was quite the doozy. Viewers followed Dolores Catania, Jackie Goldschneider, Jennifer Ayden, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, and Margaret Josephs, but original cast member Danielle Staub also made appearances.
Throughout the season, we saw Teresa struggling with her husband’s incarceration, Melissa’s 40th birthday, Jennifer worrying about her daughter at school, Margaret fighting a lawsuit, several group trips, and, of course, all of the housewives bickering.
The women went on trips together to Jamaica, the Hamptons, and the Jersey Shore. Jackie and Jennifer sparred over the course of the season, but by far the biggest fight was between Margaret and Danielle.
The infamous ponytail drag
In the eighth episode of the season, the housewives went to a boutique together. Longtime enemies Margaret and Danielle exchanged words, leading Margaret to pour water on Danielle’s head.
Danielle responded by violently pulling Margaret’s ponytail. The incident shocked the other housewives because of its viciousness. Danielle nearly pulled Margaret to the floor with the pull and gave her whiplash that required medical attention.
On last week’s episode, Melissa Gorga met with Danielle to essentially kick her out of the friend group over the incident. Danielle didn’t take it well. She responded by throwing Teresa, Melissa’s sister-in-law, under the bus, saying (truthfully) that Teresa had encouraged the hair pull.
Teresa, deeply embarrassed and upset over that perceived betrayal, cut off contact with Danielle. Teresa was Danielle’s last ally in the group, so she really has no connection to the other women anymore.
One conspicuous absence
The hair-pulling incident didn’t just have personal consequences for Danielle — sources say she won’t be featured in the next season of the show.
We haven’t heard an official explanation from Bravo, but we can guess the reasons for Danielle’s departure. Security had to intervene in her fight with Margaret, so having someone as unpredictable as Danielle on the show may not be entirely safe for the cast.
Additionally, with all the other housewives refusing to keep Danielle in the group, there’s no real reason to have her on the show. She won’t be tagging along on events or trips, so it may just be better to let her go her own way.
According to sources, all six of the other housewives will return for next season. Viewers may miss Danielle’s antics, but with this lot, there’s never a shortage of drama.
Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.