The Real Housewives of New Jersey wrapped up its 11th season in February of 2021 and is currently filming its 12th. With the likes of Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, the ladies of New Jersey know how to hold down a franchise. The family ties and deep relationships among the ladies are what makes RHONJ an unstoppable force.
After an incredible first season, RHONJ is one of the more popular cities in the franchise. But, with the ups and downs from the casting department, not every season was a winning one. From poor casting decisions to outlandish storylines, some seasons are better than others.
Season Five
Season five is last on the list as the least desired season. It was Jacqueline, Caroline, and Kathy's last season, and it was the change the series needed. Jacqueline found out that her son was diagnosed with autism, Teresa's father suffered health issues, and the ongoing drama between the Giuidices/Gorgas/Wakile was at its darkest. It was a stressful season that was too dark to be entertaining.
Season Six
The sixth season had a handful of Housewives that only lasted one season, which wasn't what fans were looking for. Original Housewife Dina came back for one final season, Amber Marchese made a brief stint in the series, and twin sisters Nina and Teresa also tried becoming long-running Housewives.
However, the casting choices for season six ruined the season. Amber's husband was controversial beyond belief, and the twins were almost overshadowing the rest of the cast. As iconic as a big cast is, this wasn't it for season six.
Season 10
Season 10 was welcomed by fans because not much had changed by season nine. It was consistent with ongoing drama and familiarity. In this season, Teresa and her family were waiting in pain as Joe Giudice's fate was determined by the courts. Meanwhile, Teresa was grieving over the loss of her mother and how her children were coping with so much loss.
Outside of Teresa's home, Dolores was clashing with Jackie, and Jennifer and Margaret continued to butt heads. Season 10 could be viewed as not exactly amazing, but not horrible, either.
Season 11
Everyone from season 10 came back for season 11. For the first time since season 8, Danielle Staub was no longer a friend in the series and didn't get in between Teresa and the rest of the group. Taking Danielle's place, however, was Jennifer, and Teresa and Jennifer became allies against the other ladies.
Season 11 was plagued by a cheating rumor revolving around Jackie's husband. Jackie went after Teresa and demanded proof for the rumor she was spreading, but alas, Teresa had none. What followed was an analogy against Teresa's daughter and a rift that lasted the entire season.
Season Seven
Season seven was exciting for original RHONJ fans because Jacqueline Laurita came back for one more season, Siggy Flicker made her debut, and Teresa was finally released from prison. Viewers couldn't wait to see what life was like for Teresa over the past year and how she would get along with the other ladies.
Additionally, Melissa took some time to herself to find out what she wanted to do in life now that her kids were getting bigger, and she happened to own a boutique with clothes she identified with. Joe Gorga fought Melissa on her new endeavor, but Melissa persisted.
Season Nine
Season nine welcomed newcomers Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider. With the departure of Siggy Flicker, fans, along with the ladies, were excited about a fresh start.
Now that Teresa was out of prison, she focused her time on her body and entered a body-building competition. Teresa's competition came at a bad time because the ladies went on various trips where Teresa couldn't drink and let loose. The ladies traveled to Oklahoma, where Jennifer's true colors came out and she threw her wealth in everyone's faces while also degrading the host of their trip. The six women eventually travel south to Cabo where they continued to fight with each other, along with the ultimate bad girl of Jersey, Danielle Staub.
Season Four
In the fourth season, Dolores and Dina signed on as guests while everyone from season three came back for more. The season kicks off with Teresa's sister Kathy being upset over things she said about the family in her cookbook.
When Melissa, Jacqueline, and Caroline get to know Teresa's extended family more, they learn more about the feuds inside the family and have a change of heart. It soon became everyone against Teresa, with Melissa feeling caught in the middle. During the reunion, Teresa and her brother Joe finally faced each other for the first time since the show aired, and Joe Giudice had to answer some awkward cheating rumor concerns.
Season Eight
In season eight, Danielle Staub came back on the series as a friend. Shockingly, she and Teresa apologized to each other for their past and wanted to work on their friendship. Margaret Josephs also made her debut in season eight as Siggy's friend. However, Siggy and Margaret's friendship soon flounders when Margaret fits in with the girls better than Siggy does.
After a disastrous vacation in Boca Raton, it became Siggy and Dolores against the rest of the crew. This season brought a ton of drama, laughs, and personal happenings.
Season Three
Season three saw Dina and Danielle say goodbye and introduced Melissa and Kathy. The addition of Teresa's controversial family members made for an amazing season. Viewers finally got to see their side to the stories that Teresa has been talking about for the first two seasons. Caroline and Jacqueline supported Teresa at this time, but, as fans know, this didn't last too long.
Season One
The first season of RHONJ was one of the best. It was a time where Dina, Caroline, Jacquline, and Teresa all got along. The women tried making Danielle a part of their group, but she proved herself dangerous in some aspects.
But, before the feuds began, it was fun for fans to see the Housewives' personal lives. Everything from their homes, their spending habits, and their romantic partnerships were fascinating to watch.
Season Two
Season two was one of the best seasons of RHONJ. Fans now knew what to expect from the ladies and followed the progression of their friendship in the second season. As always, Danielle was having problems with all of the ladies. She accused Jacquline of not being her own person, and she blew up a charity event at the Brownstone when she arrived with Hells Angels.
By the end of the season, the girls traveled all the way to Italy to be with Teresa and her family abroad. It was an intense and family-centric season.