How Many Original Cast Members are on ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Season 14?
Season 14 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is set to premiere on May 5. The upcoming season promises some intense drama as Theresa Giudice and her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, refuse to film together. While fans are excited to see what is in store for the ladies of the Garden State, we can’t forget that season 14 looks a lot different than season 1. Do you know that only one cast member has been on the series since the very beginning?
Theresa Giudice is the only current housewife to appear in season 1 of ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’
After so many seasons, cast changes are to be expected, but only one member of The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast has been there since the very beginning. Theresa Giudice is the only current cast member who appeared as a full-fledged housewife in the show’s first season. She has never left.
In season 1, which aired in 2009, Theresa was joined by Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, and Dina Cantin, who went by Dina Manzo while on the series, and Danielle Staub. Manzo, Cantin, and Laurita are all related. Manzo and Cantin are sisters. Laurita is married to their brother. Cantin and Staub departed the series after two seasons. Cantin later returned as a main housewife and as a guest. Staub returned later in the series’ run as a “friend.”
Laurita and Manzo both left after five seasons on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Laurita later returned before leaving the series again. Manzo has never returned to the series.
Another cast member has been around from the beginning, too
Theresa Giudice is the only current housewife who appeared in season 1 as a main cast member. Still, she isn’t the only current housewife who has been on the show since its inception. Dolores Catania is a main cast member now, but she started off as a guest on the show. Catania was a guest in the show’s first two seasons before taking a brief break. She returned in season 4, again as a guest, before becoming a main cast member in season 7.
Melissa Gorga, Giudice’s sister-in-law and sworn enemy, is the second longest-standing housewife in the series. Gorga appeared as a guest in season 2 before joining the series as a main housewife in season 3. She remains on the series despite growing tension within her own family.
Can ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ fans expect to see new housewives?
The Real Housewives franchise has had plenty of cast changes. Over the last decade, fans have watched new cast members roll in and roll out, and no city is safe. The Real Housewives of New Jersey has had plenty of cast changes, too, but it looks like fans will see a continuation of last year’s story this season. Bravo has named no new housewives, but that doesn’t mean no one new filmed with the cast.
According to murmurings over the summer, at least three women were seen filming with the cast as potential new housewives. None of them made the cut, at least as full-fledged cast members. According to Reality Blurb, Kayla Giovinazzo and Tiffany Chantell-Rosania were two of the women seen filming with the cast. Both were rumored to be joining the cast. They were not seen in the season 14 trailer. Neither woman mentions a connection to the series in their public social media profiles, either.
Since Bravo has not mentioned any new faces, it is safe to assume new cast members won’t appear in season 14. That’s probably for the best. The existing cast is likely to serve up plenty of drama without new personalities added to the mix.
