The Big Picture
- New RHONJ cast members Danielle & Rachel are overshadowed by Melissa & Teresa drama, but deserve spotlight.
- Danielle Cabral aims to grow her children’s clothing business while navigating drama and loyalty on the show.
- Rachel Fuda strives to share her personal story, from adoption to family connections, as a newer member of RHONJ.
Joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey for Season 13, Danielle Cabral and Rachel Fuda were unfortunately dropped right into the civil war between Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice. Like other new housewives that have joined The Real Housewives of New Jersey, often their personal stories are pushed to the side in favor of the A plot. With the Melissa and Teresa drama taking a backseat, Danielle and Rachel might actually have time to share their lives and families with the fans. From Rachel adopting her stepson to Danielle growing her business, there is so much to share. Both women deserve a spotlight in Season 14.
With The Real Housewives of New Jersey being one of the longest running franchises in the Bravo Cinematic Universe, viewers can feel as if they’ve had whiplash from the revolving door of new cast members. Family has been a strong foundation for this particular franchise, perhaps more so than other franchises. With the familiar connection originally showcasing the Manzos, once Melissa Gorga and her husband, Joe Gorga, entered the situation, everything shifted toward the long-standing Gorga and Giudice feud as the Manzo clan decided sharing their family drama on camera was no longer worth it. With so much time spent on Teresa and the drama surrounding her prison sentence, the focus of the series remained on the Gorgas and Giudices, with the supplementary housewives tasked to pick which army they wanted to join. Since the regroup year of Season 6, ten women have come in and out of the show to support the main story. Not all survived, but the newest duo, Rachel Fudo and Danielle Cabral, have tried their hardest to make a name for themselves aside from being supporting players. With reports that Melissa and Teresa are no longer filming scenes together, the time is now for Rachel and Danielle to shine.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Another installment of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” reality show. In this series, they focus on housewives living in New Jersey.
- Release Date
- May 12, 2009
- Cast
- Teresa Giudice , Melissa Gorga , Joe Gorga , Dolores Catania , Gia Giudice , Milania Giudice , Jacqueline Laurita , Margaret Josephs
- Seasons
- 14
Finding Their Feet Was Hard for Rachel and Danielle
A large part of Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey focused heavily on the latest chapter of Melissa vs Teresa drama. With a new man in Teresa’s life, the season led up to the nuptials between Teresa and Louie Ruelas. The grand wedding was the talk of the season, but everything came crashing down through a series of events that caused Melissa and Joe deciding to not attend the wedding. This seemed to be the final straw in the severed relationship, but it wouldn’t have gotten there without misunderstandings and unnecessary drama. Like almost every season the sisters-in-law shared, every other cast member was pulled into the fold. The season was marred with cheating allegations, not including family in the wedding party, and an old drama about not sticking up for each other being resurrected. With Rachel and Danielle new to the mix, they had front row seats to the drama. They were almost immediately forced to pick a side. Danielle went with Jennifer Aydin and Teresa while Rachel went with Margaret Josephs, Jackie Goldschneider, who was downgraded to “friend of,” and Melissa. And this was after Teresa allegedly warned both women about Margaret. All thanks to Margaret and her infamous arsenal of information.
With their conversation about Margaret Josephs being the catalyst to separate the new women from each other, Danielle and Rachel did not see eye to eye. They were pulled into ongoing feuds where they were forced into the role of a sounding board rather than a nuanced woman that deep down they are. Once they got into a heated argument about Rachel relaying Danielle’s words to Margaret, their time together caused a new rivalry to be born. Danielle and Rachel never truly had an opportunity to find their own friendship or connection, but there’s no time like the present! Perhaps Season 14 is their chance!
Danielle Cabral Has a Misunderstood Big Heart
Danielle Cabral is the new diva on the street straight from Staten Island. As one of the women without a net worth that fans can only dream of, Danielle came on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Known for her love of being extra, Danielle and her husband Nate Cabral have two children whom they love dearly. As presented during the season, Danielle Cabral was in the process of continuing to grow her children’s clothing company, Boujie Kidz. Melissa even helped Danielle out by allowing her to do a pop-up event at her boutique, Envy.
Danielle is a well-meaning person. She really does want the best for everyone. Whether she knew the past drama prior to her entry into the real housewives world, it appeared she was in over her head. She experienced first hand what is seen on television actually happens! Danielle was forced to no longer be an observer but be an active player. She often tried to bring peace into the friend group, but some of the other women questioned her authenticity simply because of her immediate allegiance towards Teresa.
A major part of Danielle’s story during Season 13 involved her not speaking to her brother. Of course, with the tension between Teresa and her brother Joe, her experience sparked conversations among the ladies regarding the validity of this tale. It’s another sad story of a family unable to get along, but through a different lens. The similarity of her experience allowed Danielle to lean on Teresa, who manipulated Danielle into believing she was completely in the right, while the other ladies tried to give her a dose of reality. Like Teresa, Danielle had a lot of difficulty finding a resolution to the situation and forgiving her brother. Margaret tried to get Danielle to understand that she was in control of the situation, but with Teresa in her ear, it’s likely she may have been tuned out to an opinion that did not line up with her perspective.
All eyes are on Danielle this season thanks to the news that she and Jennifer Aydin were briefly suspended for filming because of a physical altercation. Based on Season 13, this was a shocking revelation as both Danielle and Jen were part of Team Teresa. Perhaps Danielle caught the truth about Teresa and her allegiance had shifted. With no new clues set in the teaser trailer for the season, how Danielle finds a path of her own will be telling about how we get to the fight between her and Jen.
Rachel is Looking to Shine on RHONJ
As a mother of three, Rachel Fuda is the new mom on the block. Working alongside her husband, John Fuda, they have a business called Valet King, a private parking service. Rachel did have a connection to the show through her stepson Jaiden and Melissa’s son Gino being good school friends. She even had a connection with Dolores Cattania through her ex-husband, Frank Cattania, who served as her trainer. Rachel is the youngest of the group but had no problem fitting into this group.
Rachel was very much seen as a prop for the action when she appeared with the oversize group. She was used as a number on Team Melissa. But when viewers were given a glimpse into her life without the distractions of the other women, Rachel shared some of the realest stories that affected her and her family’s lives. Viewers learned that Rachel became an important maternal figure in Jaiden’s life. The discussion of her desire to officially adopt her stepson brought a complexity to her, opening up viewers’ eyes to just how badly she wanted to be there for this kid. When they learned that the family was all on the same page, the adoption was underway and everything seemed like we’d end with a happy ending. Until the Season 13 reunion.
When Rachel’s husband John joined the other men on stage alongside their wives, accusations about Louie and his private detective Bo Diedl came to light. Learning that Teresa and Louie might have been involved in preventing Rachel from adoption due to someone connected with John’s ex-wife in prison opened up a disgusting can of worms. Rachel garnered immense sympathy. Enough that should she be on the offensive against Teresa and Louie, as appears in the trailer for Season 14, it would be perfectly justified. For Teresa to accuse everyone of trying to break up her family, but when it comes to light that she is part of a scheme where she’s doing it to others, it shows Teresa’s true colors. Perhaps Melissa and Joe were right all along!
Season 14 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is bound to be the same old show that viewers love. It just might feature a little less drama from the two women who are a lot more similar than they’d ever admit. With focus shifting away from the multi-season war, time can be given to the stories of Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral. And they deserve it. Both women have incredibly relatable stories that they deserve to display on this platform. While they certainly will engage in expensive trips, lavish parties, and never-ending bickering, there is room to expand their presence. Cross your fingers, we need more Danielle and Rachel!
The Real Housewives of New Jersey returns to Bravo for Season 14 on May 5th. All seasons are now available to stream on Peacock.
