The Real Housewives of New Jersey is one of the most dramatic shows in the Real Housewives franchise, made even more so by Rachel Fuda's consistent waves of drama and conflict. Having appeared in just two seasons of the series, Rachel has quickly become a polarizing figure among the cast, and viewers aren't sure if they can trust her judgment. While Rachel may not be a villain in the traditional sense, her time on RHONJ season 14 made it clear she's one of the more difficult cast members to deal with on the show.
From the beginning of RHONJ season 14, Rachel's presence has been amplified on screen and difficult to ignore. Known for her sense of humor and inability to back down from confrontation, Rachel has changed the group's dynamics. Her blunt remarks and candid opinions ruffle feathers, especially when it comes to Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice. Her takes on the sisters-in-law's longtime feud have been particularly difficult for Teresa, who has her own drama with Rachel that's played out during RHONJ season 14.
Throughout The Real Housewives Of New Jersey season 14, the drama was difficult to handle, especially in the fallout that was shown between Rachel and Jennifer Fessler. Rachel and Jennifer's friendship was strong through the last season of RHONJ, but their fight in the Hamptons created distance between the women, whose drama has had lasting effects on the dynamics of the group in general. Rachel's tendency to speak her mind, often without considering the impact, led to some explosive confrontations that have left viewers questioning her role in the series.
Not only did Rachel's fallout with Jennifer create major issues in the larger group on RHONJ, but her relationship with Margaret Josephs gave many viewers pause. Rachel's tendency to follow along with people she trusts created a huge issue when she and Margaret consistently stirred the pot, creating issues with their fellow housewives. Rachel consistently trying to go around the power structure of the group wasn't something Teresa was interested in dealing with, as it created some major issues for her and pushed her into confrontations with Rachel.
While Rachel's behavior may seem like it was simply trying to push back against the control Teresa has had over The Real Housewives Of New Jersey cast through the years, her inability to articulate her thoughts made it impossible to know if she was pushing back or just causing drama for the sake of drama. Many RHONJ viewers have found themselves irritated with Rachel throughout the season, finding her to be more irritating than interesting. Though her presence has been impactful, the impact hasn't necessarily been positive.
8.Rachel Is Trying To Create Drama With Teresa
She Doesn’t Have Real Stakes In The Game
Rachel had some dramatic attempts to stir up drama with Teresa throughout the season, after she initially seemed to be on her side in the feud between Teresa and Melissa. While Rachel was acting like she would side with Teresa in public, her opinions changed quickly after Rachel questioned Teresa's loyalty, accusing her of playing both sides. While Teresa is usually upfront about where her loyalty lies, she didn't appreciate being questioned and ultimately didn't want to interact with Rachel anymore.
The issues didn't stop for Rachel and Teresa because the former wouldn't stop prodding at the latter about issues that Teresa didn't even realize Rachel had with her. Trying to challenge Teresa, Rachel was clearly trying to take the power from The Real Housewives Of New Jersey's apparent leader and Teresa wasn't interested in giving it up. Instead, Teresa accused Rachel of being manipulative, and Rachel didn't back down from the accusation.
7.Rachel Turned On Jennifer Fessler Quickly
She Was Looking For Jennifer’s Loyalty
Rachel's flair for the dramatic was in full force during The Real Housewives Of New Jersey season 14, especially during her fallout with her one-time friend Jennifer Fessler. While Rachel and Jennifer's friendship has had some ups and downs, their fallout was unexpected and still doesn't make much sense considering the drama happening around them from the other cast members. Even so, Rachel's attitude throughout RHONJ season 14 has been difficult for everyone, especially Jennifer.
Early on in the season, the pair seemed to be getting along well, but their communication broke down during a group trip to the Hamptons. Rachel felt that Jennifer was being two-faced, bringing up times she'd spoken poorly about other cast members behind their backs in a way that led to a fiery argument. When Rachel confronted Jennifer in front of everyone, it quickly became clear that she was only looking out for herself, and fed into her reputation as an instigator.
6.Rachel Is Involving Her Husband In The Drama
She Can’t Handle The Heat On Her Own
Although Rachel often speaks about how her family is everything, the RHONJ star brought her husband thanklessly into her drama on the show and has gotten some serious criticism for doing so. While Rachel has always been open with her husband, John Fuda, about what’s happening in the lives of the other RHONJ cast members, he was primarily out of the picture socially during her earlier days on the series. When John began attending the events filmed for RHONJ, it got more complicated for her to keep her husband out of the drama himself while keeping him clued in.
John, who sometimes feels like he believes he's above the RHONJ drama, started defending Rachel during some major moments in the season when he was present. While his support of Rachel was kind, it made the drama even more intense throughout the season. RHONJ season 14's drama was already partially on Rachel, but bringing John into the issues and allowing him to become a part of the drama himself simply created more conflict and solidified her as a villain.
5.Rachel Is Judging Teresa For Her Past
She Asks People Not To Judge Her Husband’s Past
While Rachel and her husband John have both made mistakes in their lives, Rachel has consistently judged Teresa for the mistakes she's made in the past without giving her any grace or assuming she's changed from the experiences she's had. Teresa, who famously was imprisoned for over a year after defrauding the US government, has made some genuine mistakes in the past, but always owns up to them on RHONJ and has since moved forward. Rachel, however, can't seem to let them go.
While it's been years since Teresa returned home from prison and reintegrated back into her life, Rachel questioned whether or not Teresa has actually made changes in her life. She tried to insinuate that Teresa's mistakes of the past have influenced the decisions she makes in her current life, which was offensive for Teresa. While Rachel hasn't let Teresa's past go, she's ignored her own husband's shortcomings despite them being pointed out consistently to her by the rest of the RHONJ cast.
4.Rachel Follows Everything Margaret Says
She Doesn’t Think For Herself
While Rachel was already aligned with Margaret, her time on The Real Housewives Of Ne Jersey season 14 created one of the most volatile relationships that the franchise has seen between the two one-time adversaries. Rachel's been inclined to follow Margaret's lead in times of struggle, often echoing her in moments of crisis, but the pair's bond solidified during the most recent season of the series. Some felt that Margaret was genuinely crafting a protege with Rachel following her guidance so closely as she navigated her drama.
With the pair working together to understand what was happening throughout the dynamics of the RHONJ cast, it became clear that they were looking out for themselves over anyone else. Rachel sided with Margaret no matter what, giving a sense of unflappable loyalty that Margaret enjoyed. While she was loyal to Margaret, Rachel's authenticity, credibility, and sanity was questioned by the rest of the RHONJ cast.
3.Rachel Is A Clout Chaser
She’s Not In It For The Right Reasons
Although Rachel appears to be on The Real Housewives Of New Jersey to bring her own brand of entertainment to the show, many have felt that the last season of the series made it clear that she’s only part of the show to chase clout. With Rachel consistently stirring up drama in a way that she didn’t during RHONJ season 13, the issues that she inserted herself into and created throughout the season were overwhelming. It felt obvious that some of her involvement was disingenuous, even if she denied the accusation.
Rachel’s behavior was always outlandish, something that would make a splash and get people talking about her motivations or intentions throughout RHONJ season 14. While Rachel may not have set out to play the villain in the series, it came to pass that the choices she was making to throw herself or her family into the spotlight ultimately put them in the line of fire. Her choices weren’t made to defend others, though, but to find herself talked about and ultimately to chase clout.
2.Rachel Doesn't Try To Have Productive Conversations WIth Teresa
She Spins In Circles When They Chat
While Rachel's behavior hasn't been unpredictable, it's been a surprise to see her transform into the villain. A lot of that perception comes from the way Rachel has talked about Teresa and to her throughout The Real Housewives Of New Jersey season 14. Rather than looking to find common ground, understanding, or even acceptance from Teresa, Rachel has spent her time talking to the RHONJ lead cast member with a confrontational attitude that leads to arguments instead of conversation.
Though Rachel and Teresa's arguments don't typically wind up one-sided, Rachel almost always puts them in a position where they're going to fight with the way she begins the interactions. With The Real Housewives Of New Jersey season 14 showing the pair's conversations throughout the season, Rachel's attitude is a major part of the problem in the way her interactions with Terea turn out. Rather than trying to resolve their problems, Rachel resorts to argument and accusation.
1. Rachel Doesn't Give People The Benefit Of The Doubt
She Doesn’t Allow Others To Make Mistakes
While Rachel has had moments during her time on The Real Housewives Of New Jersey where she isn't entirely confrontational, during the most recent season she struggled to give her fellow cast members the benefit of the doubt. After building up drama in her mind that seemed to weave into her interactions with everyone else, Rachel struggled to believe that people weren't being inherently mean to her. Rather than allowing others to speak up about where they were coming from, Rachel jumped to conclusions at nearly every turn.
Throughout RHONJ season 14, Rachel questioned the sincerity of her castmates, including in the way they apologized for the arguments they got into. When Jennifer tried to speak to Rachel about their falling out during the season while at Danielle Cabral's party, Rachel wasn't able to listen to her former friend in the slightest. Instead, The Real Housewives Of New Jersey star struggled to see where Jennifer was coming from, skeptical about her motives and intentions.
