Well, that’s it.
When The Real Housewives of New Jersey announced that the traditional reunion special would be omitted and that season 14 would instead conclude with a finale special, viewers of Bravo’s long-running reality series were curious to see how it would turn out.
On Sunday night, they got their answer when the split cast returned to Rails Steakhouse in Towaco, New Jersey – the scene of the explosive finale that aired a week earlier. This time, however, the cast was split into two rooms while Bravo’s cameras rolled. The special was filmed last month – months after the finale was shot.
As The Hollywood Reporter As previously reported, the cast screened the season finale while split into rooms based on their connections. In one room sat Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Rachel Fuda, Danielle Cabral and Jenn Fessler. In the other room were Teresa Giudice, Jennifer Aydin, Jackie Goldschneider and Dolores Catania – with the latter being the only one who visited the opposite room for a quick hello.
Bravo’s cameras were rolling — and editors of the Sirens Media-produced show were hard at work — as the cast reacted in real time as the episode aired almost in its entirety. When the episode ended, there were less than 10 minutes left of the Sunday night special, and the women were asked to reflect on their regrets and share their final thoughts.
Both in the room and in their individual confessions, each of the women drew the line deeper when they described this moment as the end for the larger friend group. Gorga flatly said her relationship with Giudice — her estranged sister-in-law — and her family was over, while Cabral said she regretted letting Aydin into her life. Josephs described the finale as “good versus evil,” and Goldschneider said things had to change with the show. As Catania said goodbye, she nervously said she hoped it wasn’t the last time.
If viewers were hoping this special would bring some resolution to the deeply divided cast, they were disappointed. The division was only heightened with Fessler choosing her side and Catania being perhaps a little less neutral than she had been all season. The only thing all the women agreed on was that Giudice’s husband Luis “Louie” Ruelas needed to apologize for his comment wishing harm on Joseph’s child (he has since apologized on social media, as Giudice promised).
In the run-up to this end, Bravo and Real Housewives Executive producer Andy Cohen had announced that for the first time RHONJ there would be no reunion. When viewers see the finale, they will understand why, Cohen explained.
The unusual ending of the 14th season has sparked weeks of speculation about whether the RHONJ The cast is being restarted or revamped. Sister series The Real Housewives of New York City recently went through its own cast reboot and Vanderpump Rules is currently on a post-season hiatus following Scandoval and the controversial reunion. But Bravo hasn’t commented on how they plan to handle season 15 – and they probably won’t comment anytime soon. Casting discussions usually don’t start until the current season is over.
Cohen recently said on his SiriusXM radio show that nothing has been decided about the hit yet Real Housewives the future of the city. “We’re kind of going to reinvent the show,” he said. But he described this special as a kind of series finale, adding, “It’s kind of a soft landing for the show. … It kind of felt like a series finale, didn’t it?”
