“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” is set to start its highly anticipated 14th season on Sunday, May 5. A few days before the premiere, Bravo released a sneak peek of the season’s opening scene on its YouTube channel. The scene shows Dolores Catania alone at Rails Steakhouse, a restaurant in Towaco, New Jersey, after a fight, with shattered glasses on the floor.
Although the entire fight wasn’t shown, clips of the argument were played, revealing many cast members screaming at each other, with a major argument involving original cast member Teresa Giudice and and season 13 addition Rachel Fuda..
In a May 3 interview with Us Weekly, Catania talked about the Rails Steakhouse fight and hinted at what to expect in the new season.
Dolores Catania
According to Catania, “What you’re going to see is the finale of a lot of relationships there,” in reference to the Rails Steakhouse fight. “It’s definitely closure for people, and you can’t come back from the stuff that you’re going to see at the finale. No coming back. I tried so hard to not get it to the point that it’s at, but because it got to this point, you have to say, ‘It’s so bad that it’s time to let things go.'”
When discussing her own part in the fight, Catania told the outlet, “I’ve had my issues this season. Oh, I have had my things on and off that you’ll see, and I’ve gotten through them, and I’ve moved forward. Not everybody’s going to be able to do that.”
While fans will have to tune into the season to see the tension bubble over in the explosive fight, Catania did tease one funny moment from the day that viewers will not get to see on their screens. “The funniest thing is Teresa wasn’t even mentally there,” she told Us Weekly. “She actually asked me, you won’t see this because she called me on the way home, and she goes, ‘What’d she say?’.”
While Catania is remaining tight-lipped about the specifics of the drama, her co-star Melissa Gorga has also teased the new season, saying it’s less about family than it has been in the past, which could play into the Rails Steakhouse fight. “I think people are so used to Jersey being about family. It’s a huge twist this year — plot twist!” Gorga told The Sun in April 2024.
Rails Steakhouse is a Classic RHONJ Backdrop
While it’s not uncommon for a Housewives cast to reach explosive levels while arguing in a public restaurant, Catania wasn’t worried about being kicked out of Rails. She said, “We’re the entertainment. They didn’t have to hire a band that day.”
Rails Steakhouse has been featured in quite a few memorable RHONJ moments, according to the network, including Joey Gorga’s first communion party, and the season 7 finale which ended with Catania and Siggy Flicker barefoot in the parking lot.
Bravo also shared an update on the restaurant in 2020, stating that while the restaurant had to close some of its in-person operations during the coronavirus pandemic, they were able to maintain delivery operations and even donated over 1,000 meals to local organizations to help feed medical workers and community members in need.
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