One ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Star’s Franchise Switch Could Be the Most Shocking Move Yet

There will never be enough iterations of The Real Housewives to keep fans happy. As much as we love watching the hot messes during the good seasons and bad, we can't always get what we want when Bravo has to look at the big picture. With The Real Housewives of New Jersey still in its unfortunate limbo, the announcement of the upcoming The Real Housewives of Rhode Island seems to put a major wrench into things.

Head honcho Andy Cohen has already stated that the new series will be "Italian with a capital I," comparing it to the early days of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. You know, before the never-ending family feud between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga. But one thing that could be eerily similar to the Jersey version is a beloved Housewife heading up to New England for a new gig. Though Andy Cohen has already come out to say, "I think that's been a little overstated," he's not necessarily opposed to the possibility. Could Dolores Catania be part of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island?

Could Dolores Catania Play Mediator In Rhode Island?

With the future of The Real Housewives of New Jersey still in limbo, Bravo may be trying to keep Dolores Catania close by dropping into their highly anticipated new franchise. Following her victory on Season 3 of The Traitors, Dolores' stock has risen. Her fandom has soared, so could she be packing her bags and swapping the Jersey Shore for the Ocean State? Though a tried and true Jersey girl, the Deux/U podcast shared the possibility of the reality alum bringing her meditation skills to the new show. Though the podcast clearly states that "some statements made on this account have not been independently confirmed," they have started some buzz with this Dolores twist.

If you guys have been keeping up, you will remember me saying that the news isn’t that big – but the twist is. The twist is: I had heard from a couple people now that Dolores Catania from Housewives of New Jersey is moving to Rhode Island and is going to be part of the Rhode Island cast.” They further continued to say from their source, “ I heard it’s going to be Providence. That’s the city in Rhode Island. I received an anonymous email breaking down all of the women who are going to be in the cast of Rhode Island.”

In order for Dolores to be a part of this new season, she would need some ties to Rhode Island. Well, if the rumors are true, OK Magazine is revealing that Dolores is packing things up in Bergen County to spend the summer in Rhode Island. Their insider revealed, "Dolores is going to be coming to the new show Real Housewives of Rhode Island. She’s going to rent a summer house there and will be a friend of the Housewives.” To be a friend of, doesn't she need a Rhode Island friend first?

The Real Housewives' Crossover Is Not Unfounded

With these rumors swirling and Andy Cohen making direct comparisons of the Italian-based casts, many are leary of RHONJ's future. Though it is only a brief filming obligation, Melissa Gorga has been cast on Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition, meaning the casting pool might be further shrinking. With Jennifer Aydin out and Teresa forever at odds with Margaret Josephs, RHONJ would need a strategic casting shakeup to salvage any semblance of the show fans love. Due to The Real Housewives of New York City reboot not panning out as well, Bravo may be trepidatious about rebooting RHONJ in a similar fashion.

Bravo loves their Bravolebrities. If they can find them a home somewhere, they will. Just look at Bravo's Love Hotel. It's their way to keep Luann de Lesseps on a string and in their grasp. There has only been one crossover from one franchise to another as Taylor Armstrong leaped over to The Real Housewives of Orange County after a long hiatus away following her time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Mia Thornton has all but campaigned to join The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It's not unfounded if Dolores joins RHORI, even if they are forcing her to fit in. Nevertheless, Bravo has us talking about a show that doesn't even have a premiere date! Marketing at its finest!