More than two years after The Real Housewives of New Jersey last aired a new episode, Bravo’s hit reality show is ready for a return.
Uscan exclusively confirm that season 15 will premiere this December with familiar faces Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga and Dolores Catania returning.
But wait, they aren’t doing it alone. Five new cast members (and one “friend” of the Housewives) have signed up to share their reality with the world.
“I was excited. We needed a fresh start, and I love new blood,” Teresa, 54, exclusively tells Us in our new cover story. “I like making new friends because I don’t have sisters. I do have a sister. [Melissa’s] my sister. But I mean, I do like making new friends, so I was super excited.”
Melissa, 47, adds, “I think we’ve been on pause for so long that we were kind of just excited to see what the new girls are going to bring. It’s always fun to experience new people, see what they’re like. I actually happened to know all of them before we started, and I was giving Teresa a little bit of the rundown on each of them. She would ask me about them, and I was like, ‘You’re gonna like them. They’re nice.’”
Us had the chance to sit down with each new Housewife exclusively to learn a little bit more about their life and what they’ll bring to the show. Keep reading to meet the newest cast members of RHONJ:
Malvina Blloshmi
Though Malvina went into filming “a little bit blind,” she knew she could count on the support of one very important costar: her fiancé, Brian. “He’s been my No. 1 fan and always there to support me,” she says. “He’s a very colorful person [with] a big personality — the masculine version of me.” The couple dated when they were younger, reconnected later in life and are now parents to 3-year-old Leonardo.
Malvina, 37, hopes viewers will be inspired as they watch her juggle family, friendships and work — all while maintaining “a great set of hair” with her hands full “like the Statue of Liberty.”
Luckily for viewers, her full plate doesn’t stop her from calling someone out when necessary. “While I’m always cheery and having a good time,” she says, “if someone crosses the line with me, I have no problem being direct.”
Xio Cammarota
Xio admits she initially felt “a little nervous” and “a lot of pressure” joining the show’s OGs. She quickly found her footing, realizing, “As long as I’m authentically me, you’re gonna love me.” Born in Puerto Rico, Xio, 46, shares 9-year-old son Gianluca with her Italian husband, Jerry.
“Very Italian name, but I picked it out,” she jokes. “Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be a soccer mom, but I am.” Xio’s sister, Juliette Collazo, is also joining the cast, and although the two look alike, “we are so different,” Xio notes.
She’s particularly excited about the representation they’ll bring to the series. “New Jersey is more than Italians,” she explains. “There’s so many different nationalities.” She’s also determined to show herself honestly, adding, “I’m not trying to portray that I’m perfect.”
Juliette Collazo
“I don’t feel like I give off princess energy,” says Juliette. “Maybe queen.” The makeup artist, 39, has a different vibe from her older sister and compares herself to the tornado emoji — something that should be exciting to watch, if occasionally tricky to navigate IRL. “I am the chaos in everyone’s life,” she admits. “My sister’s [the] calm; I am the storm.” Still, they are “thick as thieves.”
Filming with the OGs was “exhilarating,” and Juliette believes having sisters alongside sisters-in-law helped the group. “You’re going to get good, and you’re going to get bad, but I love my sister.” Collazo also loves her husband, Juan, their two young kids — and speaking her mind. She recently defended letting her 7-year-old daughter, Camila, curl her eyelashes. “If you don’t want to see it, don’t follow my page,” she declared.
Natia Rufolo
“I’m definitely a girl’s girl,” says Natia, “but I’m very blunt. Everyone wants to be around me, but I hate liars.”
Natia, 36, reveals she was “shocked” by “a lot of drama … between people that you probably would never guess.” A singer and actor from a family of entertainers, Natia sees that same charisma in her “charmer” husband, Tommy, and their 3-year-old daughter. (Their 8-year-old son is still “a little more shy.”) Friends with Melissa before filming, Natia insists, “The OGs were wonderful to me. I don’t even know how people ever had issues with these three women.”
While her lifestyle may look charmed now, the “very ambitious” star says she built it from the ground up. “I started with $300 in my bank account and did it initially all on my own,” she says. “I want to share the blueprint to my success.”
Deeba Patel
Others might have looked before they leaped, but Deeba swears she’d never watched RHONJ before signing on. “I was not sure if this is something I wanted to do,” she admits. “But the minute I was on the show, I was like, ‘I need to do my homework.’ Now I’m hooked. I’m like, ‘When is the next episode for New York or Salt Lake City?’”
As she caught up, Deeba, 42, realized just how “dramatic” filming could get, but she was eager to bring “another version of the American Dream” to the series. “I’m a little bit of Mumbai, a little bit of Jersey and a lot of spice,” she says.
The extrovert has been with her introverted husband and high school sweetheart, Majid, for 26 years, and the couple share two children. Their 9-year-old daughter, Adira, has her own perspective on who the family’s newest reality star is. “My daughter was like, ‘Mommy, I’m the star,’” Deeba jokes.
Vanessa Barrera
“I love fiercely,” says Vanessa, who promises to “bring a lot of grounded perspective with a little comedic twist.” As one of three Latinas joining the cast, Vanessa explains, “We can be brutally honest, but we coat it with a lot of sugar.” She and her husband, Leo, have been together for 23 years and share “three beautiful girls,” including eldest Valentina.
Deal of the Day
“You’ll see why my experience with her really defined who I am today and brought me so much strength,” Vanessa, 42, says. While she and Leo have weathered “ups and downs,” Vanessa notes they “keep choosing each other.”
She’s known fellow newcomer Deeba since “way before the show” and formed a strong bond with fellow Taurus Teresa. “Teresa’s a girl’s girl,” she says. “I love her.” Also in Vanessa’s corner? Her “bestie” Coco Austin and her husband, Ice-T. Since Vanessa sees Coco “every day,” the reality TV veterans may just make a cameo this season.
For more on The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast, pick up the latest issue of Us — on newsstands now.
