At one point, The Real Housewives of New Jersey was the crown jewel in the sprawling reality TV franchise.
Despite cast divisions, it remained entertaining thanks to the constant drama between the ladies.
Through just three episodes of RHONJ Season 14, the fun factor is gone, and the show is far too toxic to enjoy.
The easiest measure of success for these shows is the number of viewers watching, and with a massive ratings drop, even the most diehard fans are walking away.
The series should have had a revamp for Season 14, including many new cast members with zero links to the ladies.
At this stage, it feels like we’re watching Survivor, with Melissa Gorga and Teresa Gorga rounding people up for their tribes.
The ladies can’t stop talking about Teresa Giudice
The most excruciating aspect of the show is how people like Melissa Gorga, Rachel Fuda, and Margaret Josephs refuse to be in Giudice’s presence but feel the need to talk about her constantly, on and off the series.
It’s constant, and the fact that the husbands indulge in the gossip about Giudice and Luis Ruelas makes it far worse. The husbands must be removed from the show because they aren’t main cast members.
The series has thrived for so long by focusing on the complicated dynamics between a group of women.
Adding men hurling insults at women is a desperate attempt from producers to keep the drama flowing, and it’s a terrible look for the show and network.
The lack of drama aside, filming the series with two very different groups is proving to be a bust because each episode feels like a nothing burger of people talking about Giudice.
It isn’t cohesive, and the storylines are no longer exciting.
RHONJ can’t continue like this
Initially, Jen Fessler had the potential to become the focal cast member, but her recent interviews in which she walked back a lot of things she said on the show have highlighted that she’ll flip-flop between the friend groups if she remains on the show.
Even Giudice doesn’t have an interesting storyline, but that’s probably because most of the cast balks at her presence and then complains about her.
She can’t win, but her history of flying off the handle at any given opportunity isn’t doing her any favors.
Andy Cohen has already hinted that the show can’t continue in its current form. The only logical way forward is to ship Giudice off to a spinoff that will probably be swiftly canceled and then reboot the show.
Either that or put it on pause for a couple of years, come back with some new women, and see if there’s a better dynamic.
We had such little hope for RHONJ, so the fact we’re already disappointed showcases that the show needs change.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo. Stream Seasons 1-14 on Peacock.