Bravo executive Andy Cohen has shed some light on why there won't be a traditional reunion show for The Real Housewives of New Jersey's this year and what viewers can expect to see instead.

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Andy decided to "give some context to the announcement" that Bravo has canceled The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Season 14 reunion special, which was scheduled to air later this year, during an appearance on SiriusXM's Reality Checked with Kiki Monique on Monday, June 3.

"I feel like there are a lot of theories about what this could mean. I think that the main thing is this will all make sense once you see the finale," Andy teased on the radio.

"It is one of those classic Jersey finales that people will be talking about for a long time to come. When all of us producers saw the last cut of the finale, we all came to the decision separately and then we talked."

Andy confirmed that all of the producers had "the same thought" -- that the finale will leave nothing to be desired.

"The finale is kind of the finale and the reunion all in one," Andy shared.

"It's in the great tradition of absolute shocking, dramatic Jersey finales and they have this final epic group encounter, which is like, it feels like the Last Supper and is just so Jersey."

Andy insisted the finale will be so "shocking" and "dramatic" that there's no need for a follow-up show.

"It's amazing TV," Andy gushed of the finale. "I'm telling you, when you see it, I think that you'll feel complete. I really do."

Andy also hinted that Bravo is "cooking up" something "in place of" a reunion.

"So that is to be announced. This season, it is really catching fire. There's stuff happening with everyone. I feel like this announcement about the reunion came without much context, and so I just wanted to fill in some of the blanks for you," Andy reiterated.

Andy said the only reason fans found out about the reunion cancellation is because Bravo would've taped the special "in a couple weeks."

The show's executive producer explained, "The reason that you guys heard about it [is] if you think about the timing of when we tape reunions, typically we tape them about six weeks before the end of the season... which means you have to let the cast know, okay, what date are we taping it and what kind of clothes and whatever."

"We were letting the cast know," he added. "And of course it leaked as things do."

A source close to the situation told Us Weekly on Monday that Bravo is putting the kibosh on Season 14 prematurely is due to cast tensions, mainly between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga, who have essentially split the cast into two teams.

"Teresa and Melissa are holding the show hostage," the source noted. "Everyone has been forced to choose sides and not have any real interaction."

The source continued, "A reunion is meant to have resolution and it's clear in the season final that there is no path forward in that type of setting, so the network is figuring out a different concept to wrap up the season."

Another insider with knowledge of the situation shared with the magazine that "a dramatic all-cast dinner" in the season finale will "make it clear there is no path forward in a reunion setting."

The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast also includes Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Fessler.

The insider heard the cast may participate in one final interview instead of the reunion show; however, producers haven't made an official decision or announcement about how they plan to proceed with the show post-finale.

While cast drama can make great television, it can also bring down an entire series.

The only other time a reunion was canceled was for Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New York City. The network ultimately fired all of the Season 13 women and rebooted the series with a whole new cast for Season 14.

And both The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac recently experienced major cast shakeups when rumors had been swirling that certain feuds were unresolvable.

Back in late 2022, Teresa said she "would never step away" from The Real Housewives of New Jersey because she's the one who had "started the show."

Teresa told People at the time, "I'm never going to give that to anyone because I'm the one that started the show."

"Other people are trying to put that out there, like, 'Oh, Teresa wants to leave,'" she continued. "It's so crazy to me how people are trying to plant the seed that Teresa wants to leave the show... the games that people play."

Teresa has been a mainstay on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since the show premiered on Bravo back in 2009.

"I'm not walking away until Bravo wants me to walk away," the Season 31 Dancing with the Stars contestant added in December 2022.

When Teresa went to prison for 11 months in 2015, the show actually went on a production hiatus during her incarceration.

Teresa and her ex-husband Joe Giudice were sentenced to jail time in October 2014 after pleading guilty to 41 counts of financial fraud -- which included failure to pay taxes, hiding assets and submitting fake loan applications -- in March of that year.

After reaching a plea deal, Teresa was originally sentenced to 15 months in jail, while Joe got a whopping 41 months.

Teresa was released from prison at Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut on December 23, 2015.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey currently airs Sundays nights at 8PM ET/PT on Bravo.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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