The Real Housewives of New Jersey is back for Season 15, but if you’ve yet to watch the show — or you just need a refresher on the past 14 seasons — we’re here to tell you where to start.Â
How to Watch
The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres on Bravo soon. Episodes will stream next day on Peacock.
After all, there’s a lot of history between Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice, and Melissa Gorga, all of whom are set to return for RHONJ Season 15 alongside newcomers Malvina Blloshmi, Xio Cammarota, Juliette Collazo, Deeba Patel, Natia Rufolo, and friend Vanessa Barerra.
So, ahead of RHONJ‘s return, keep reading to find out everything there is to know about the series.
What season of RHONJ should you start with?
While RHONJ Season 7 was the first season to feature current cast members Dolores, Teresa, and Melissa together, it’s important to start at the beginning to really get a feeling for the women’s lives, how much family means to them, and how much things have changed over the past 17 years.
RHONJ Season 1 introduced viewers to Teresa, a mom to three — soon to be four — fabulous daughters and her then-husband Joe Giudice, who were busy building their dream home while surrounding each other with “love, love, love.” Season 1 also laid the groundwork for deep family ties, introducing viewers to the Manzo sisters and their brother, Chris Laurita, who married Jacqueline Laurita.
Who was on the RHONJ Season 1 cast?
When was RHONJ Season 1 filmed?
RHONJ Season 1 was filmed in 2008.
When was RHONJ Season 1 released?
RHONJ Season 1, Episode 1 aired on May 12, 2009.Â
Season 1 concluded with a two-part reunion followed by a special “Lost Footage” episode, the latter of which aired on July 9, 2009.
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When did Teresa Giudice join RHONJ?
Teresa joined the cast of RHONJ during Season 1 — which, it turns out, is her favorite season to date. She revealed as much during an October 2026 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, explaining, “Yeah, ’cause it was like, not so much drama.”
When did Dolores Catania join RHONJ?
Dolores became a full-time RHONJ cast member during Season 7, although she had previously made brief appearances on the show in earlier seasons because of her longstanding friendship with Teresa.
RELATED: See Dolores Catania’s Charming Pre-RHONJ Throwback Photos
When did Melissa Gorga join RHONJ?
Melissa joined the cast of RHONJ during Season 3, being introduced as Teresa’s sister-in-law through her marriage to Teresa’s brother, Joe Gorga.Â
A timeline of RHONJ Seasons 1 through 13
RHONJ Season 1
- Filmed in 2008
- Premiered on May 12, 2009
- Featured a two-part reunion
- Concluded with a “Lost Footage” episode which aired on July 9, 2009
Teresa was introduced to the world alongside her husband, daughters, and parents. Viewers also met the Manzo sisters, their kids, and Jacqueline, who was torn between her friendship with Danielle and being loyal to her family throughout the season. The finale included the new-iconic moment that was Teresa flipping a table.
RHONJ Season 2
- Filmed in 2009
- Premiered on May 3, 2010
- Concluded with Part 2 of the reunion on Sept. 6, 2010
Life changes were aplenty on RHONJ Season 2, as Teresa gave birth to her fourth daughter Audriana Giudice, and Jacqueline welcomed her son Nicholas Laurita. Major drama also occurred during the season between Danielle and Jacqueline’s daughter Ashlee Holmes, resulting in the women being done with Danielle for good.
RHONJ Season 3
- Filmed in 2010 and 2011
- Premiered on May 16, 2011
- Concluded with Part 2 of the reunion on Oct. 23, 2011
Teresa’s cousin Kathy Wakile was introduced to RHONJ viewers as a cast member this season, bringing along her husband, her two kids, and her fun loving sister, Rosie Pierri. Melissa also joined the cast, introducing viewers to her drama with Tre and her husband. Several fights broke out between the sister-in-laws this season over Christmas cookies and Melissa’s singing career, while Teresa and Joe also focused on their changing careers, with Joe opening up a pizza shop and Teresa debuting her own cookbook.
RHONJ Season 4
- Filmed in 2011
- Premiered on April 22, 2012
- Included a three-part reunion
- Concluded with a “Lost Footage” episode on Oct. 20, 2012
After experiencing their differences throughout RHONJ Season 3, Jacqueline and Teresa tried to bury the hatchet with each other. Meanwhile, Melissa felt like Teresa was trying to sabotage her marriage to Joe Gorga, resulting in them being at odds for a majority of the season. While all of this was unfolding, Kathy was busy focusing on developing her line of desserts.
RHONJ Season 5
- Filmed in 2012 to early 2013
- Premiered on June 2, 2013
- Included a two-part reunion
- Concluded with Part 2 of a special The Real Housewives Tell All episode on Oct. 20, 2013
On RHONJ Season 5, Joe Giudice’s feud with Joe Gorga came to a head with the two men letting it all out during a fight on vacation to Lake George. Jacqueline, meanwhile, brought attention to her son Nicholas’ journey with autism, advocating for him and others. The cast was also forced to deal with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy during the season.
RELATED: Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga & More RHONJ Ladies Stun in Unseen Photos from BravoCon 2025
RHONJ Season 6
- Filmed in late 2013 and early 2014
- Premiered on July 13, 2014
- Included a three-part reunion
- Concluded with Part 2 of a Secrets Revealed episode on Nov. 20, 2014
Season 6 saw the introduction of new cast members, twin sisters Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano, as well as Amber Marchese. Dina returned to the show, sharing her life following her split from her husband as her daughter got ready to move out of the house. Teresa and Joe Giudice’s legal drama came to its conclusion with Teresa being sentenced to time in prison.
RHONJ Season 7
- Filmed in late 2014 and early 2015
- Premiered on July 10, 2016
- Concluded with Part 2 of the reunion on Nov. 13, 2016
Dolores made a splash during her first season, which coincided with the return of Jacqueline. Season 7 was also a major season for Teresa as it captured her life following her return from prison, and how she was preparing for Joe Giudice to serve out his own prison sentence.
RHONJ Season 8
- Filmed in 2017
- Premiered on Oct. 4, 2017
- Included a two-part reunion
- Concluded with a “Reunion Secrets Revealed” episode on Jan. 31, 2018
This season proved to be emotional for Teresa as she dealt with the aftermath of her mom’s passing and raising her daughters in Joe’s absence. Melissa and Joe Gorga, meanwhile, attempted to open their own restaurant after successfully opening a boutique the previous season. Margaret Josephs also joined the cast during RHONJ Season 8.
RHONJ Season 9
- Filmed in 2018
- Premiered on Nov. 7, 2018
- Concluded with Part 3 of the reunion on March 6, 2019
New cast members Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider brought lots of drama to RHONJ Season 9. Meanwhile, Teresa’s peace with Melissa was disturbed during the season after she felt like her sister-in-law wasn’t by her side enough, setting the tone for many more years of feuding.
RHONJ Season 10
- Filmed in 2019
- Premiered on Nov. 6, 2019
- Concluded with Part 3 of the reunion on March 18, 2020
Emotions were abound this season, as Teresa dealt with the possibility of splitting from Joe Giudice before ultimately filing for divorce from him in 2019. Dolores clashed with Jackie while on vacation in Jamaica, while her ex-husband, Frank Catania, grew closer to her boyfriend. Melissa also found herself at odds with Jennifer this season.
RHONJ Season 11
- Filmed in 2020
- Premiered on Feb. 17, 2021
- Concluded with Part 2 of the reunion on May 26, 2021
Following the aftermath of her divorce, Teresa began dating her now-husband Luis “Louie” Ruelas. Melissa, on the other hand, experienced growing pains in her marriage to Joe Gorga, while Dolores struggled in her relationship with her boyfriend David Principe, resulting in their breakup.Â
RHONJ Season 12
- Filmed in 2021
- Premiered on Feb. 1, 2022
- Concluded with Part 3 of the reunion on May 17, 2022
Teresa, her daughters, and Louie moved out of Teresa’s longtime house into a new home. But while the Giudices were eager to move on, Teresa’s daughters were dealing with the fallout from Joe Gorga’s comments about their dad. Teresa’s relationship to Melissa continued to be strained after she revealed that Melissa would not be in her bridal party for her wedding to Louie, while Dolores thrived in her new relationship with Paulie Connell.
RHONJ Season 13
- Filmed in 2022
- Premiered on Feb. 7, 2023
- Concluded with Part 3 of the reunion on June 13, 2023
Things got intense leading up to Teresa’s wedding to Louie, because while Joe Giudice gave his ex-wife his blessing to get married, Teresa was still struggling with Melissa and Joe Gorga ahead of her big day. The season ended with Teresa walking down the aisle to say “I do” to Louie in a gorgeous wedding while wearing a $10,000 hair piece, as Melissa and Joe Gorga skipped out on attending.Â
RELATED: Step Inside Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas’ Lavish 2022 Wedding (PHOTOS)
RHONJ Season 14
In this recent season of RHONJ, Teresa and Melissa chose to live their lives without each other, focusing on their friendships with the other Housewives in the group ahead of their 2025 reconciliation. Dolores, meanwhile, struggled with being peace keeper between both groups of women as she strengthened her own relationship with Paulie.
Best episodes of RHONJ
In honor of 20 years of Real Housewives, Peacock assembled some of the best RHONJ episodes to watch from the past 14 seasons. This includes:
- Season 1, Episode 6: Finale
- Season 2, Episode 16: The Heads of Family Will Roll
- Season 3, Episode 16: Singing in the Pain
- Season 12, Episode 11: Nightmare in Nashvegas
- Season 13, Episode 12: Sláinte!
- Season 13, Episode 16: Teresa Gets Married
- Season 14, Episode 13: When All is Said and Done
Learn what to expect from RHONJ Season 15 and why this season was different for Teresa.
