Dolores Catania has always been the voice of reason on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. But, with the feud between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga intensifying, Dolores is in an awkward position. She must balance her friendships with both women.
In a recent interview with DailyMail.com, Dolores defended her choice to stay friends with both Teresa and Melissa, despite their public feud. “There’s no reason for me not to be friends with Melissa,” she explained. “I was there from the beginning, and I’ve been friends with them through their ins and outs.”
Dolores Catania also claimed that Teresa doesn’t have an issue with her ongoing friendship with Melissa. “Teresa is not one to really tell someone who to be friends with,” she said. “I’m sure she doesn’t love it, but she doesn’t hate it either.”
However, many fans aren’t buying it.
RHONJ Fans Call Out Dolores’ Remarks
Dolores Catania’ comments sparked a wave of skepticism online, with fans taking to social media to voice their doubts. Many accused Dolores of downplaying Teresa’s tendency to influence her friends’ relationships.
“Teresa isn’t one to tell someone who they can be friends with? Lol, that’s literally her brand,” wrote one fan. Another said, “We like Dolores, but this is just not true.”
Others questioned whether Dolores is afraid of upsetting Teresa. “I’m over Dolores!!! She’s scared of Teresa. There’s something for sure,” one TikTok user commented.
Dolores’ reputation as the show’s “Switzerland” has come under fire before. Her season 14 tagline shows her self-proclaimed neutrality. It is, “I’m a girl from Paterson, playing Switzerland, dating an Irishman.”
Is Dolores Really Neutral, or Is She Playing Both Sides?
For years, Dolores Catania has walked a tightrope of neutrality on RHONJ. But, some fans think it’s starting to backfire.
During the show’s fractured season 14 finale, Dolores was the only cast member to spend time in both rooms at the group’s watch party. While some saw this as a testament to her diplomacy, others interpreted it as an unwillingness to take a stand.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Dolores addressed her reputation as the show’s neutral party. She said, “I’m so sick of being called Switzerland… All the other franchises don’t take sides, but I’m always yelled at to pick one.”
Despite the criticism, Dolores insists her approach is about preserving friendships. “What happens when they get close again? If they get close again?” she asked in her DailyMail.com interview, reasoning that choosing sides could leave her out in the cold if the feud ever ends.
Dolores Warned RHONJ Cast to “Dial It Back”
As tensions among the cast boiled over, Dolores Catania revealed that she privately urged her co-stars to tone down the drama. Speaking on Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast, Dolores said she warned them, “Pull in your horns, chill out… Just stop.”
She also advised her feuding castmates to “just ignore each other” if they couldn’t get along. Unfortunately, it seems her advice went unheeded, as the ongoing drama reportedly led to talks of a cast shakeup for season 15.
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