Heavy/Bravo/NBCUniversal Andy Cohen; RHONJ cast
Fans of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” had a big reaction to the season 14 finale watch party.
The non-reunion RHONJ wrap-up special, titled “Off the Rails,” aired on Bravo on August 11. It featured the cast members of the Bravo reality show—Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, and Rachel Fuda, and “friends” Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Fessler – watching the finale episode in two separate rooms and discussing it in real time. There was no host present.
The decision to skip a traditional reunion was made due to the ongoing toxicity among the cast members. The fractures in the friend group became irreparable during a finale luncheon filmed at Rails Steakhouse. In June, People magazine reported that with “no path forward” for the group, the network would figure out “a different concept to wrap up the season.”
But after the wrap party aired, fans did not hide their disappointment with Bravo and host Andy Cohen.
Fans felt the Watch Party Format Was a Waste Of Time
If you are not going to have a reunion, don’t have anything at all. This is two groups of women making accusations with the other person not being able to defend themselves. If the reunion was scrapped because “there won’t be resolution,” THIS is going to make it worse. #RHONJ
Ahead of the watch party special, Bravo host and producer Andy Cohen promised the ending to the season would all make sense. Speaking on Sirius XM’s “Reality Checked” with Kiki Monique in June 2024, Cohen said, “The finale is kind of the finale and the reunion all in one. …I’m telling you when you see it. I think that you’ll feel complete. I really do.”
But many fans didn’t feel complete after the substitute reunion format, with some calling it “pointless.”
A post on the @bravo.then.vs.now fan account featured photos from the watch party with the caption, “Whoever has been running this [expletive] show on the production side of things needs to GO! That viewing party is the stupidest thing I ever watched on Bravo …This entire season was a complete waste of time.”
“Andy said watch it and you’ll understand. By 55 mins I was still waiting then I realized we’ve been played. An hour I can never get back,” another wrote.
“The worst part is Andy saying we’ll understand why we didn’t ‘need’ a reunion after that finale….. between certain scenes concerning Louie and Teresa’s finances, to Teresa continuing the narrative that she has been ‘vindicated’, we needed answers…. But after this, do we even care?” another wanted to know.
“Andy truly owes us financial compensation for telling us we don’t need a reunion and then giving us THIS,” another commenter cracked.
Andy Cohen Explained Why a Traditional Reunion Wouldn’t Have Worked With the RHONJ Cast This Season
PeacockCast members from the RHONJ.
Cohen was defensive of the decision to skip a traditional reunion with the RHONJ cast. While speaking on his Sirius XM show Andy Cohen Live, he reiterated that the RHONJ cast is “not a group that takes accountability.”
According to Decider, one caller accused Cohen and Bravo of dropping the ball by forgoing a traditional reunion after such a toxic season. The fan noted that Giudice didn’t have to take any accountability for her actions this season—or even face her foes.
Cohen replied by saying that this particular group of women isn’t known for taking accountability. “Do you think that people in this group are gonna take accountability? Who in this group do you envision taking accountability?” he fired back. “This is not a group that takes accountability.”
While Cohen claimed he was unaware of “online chatter” that he “dropped the ball,” many fans didn’t agree with his stance. Following the non-reunion reunion, a commenter on X, wrote, “If Andy didn’t want to host a reunion for #RHONJ, then they should’ve just asked a new host. They deserved a chance to unpack their issues. This literally felt like a simple after-show.”
“You and the other producers made the wrong call @Andy,” another wrote. “You could have kept this faux reunion for #RHONJ or just had a 1 part reunion.”
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Fans Call Out Bravo For Disappointing Ending to RHONJ Season 14