Dolores Catania says she was frustrated by how little she was used during her time around the cast of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, especially when it came to missing a major cast trip.
Speaking on the podcast Two T’s in a Pod, hosted by Tamra Judge and Teddi Mellencamp, the hosts praised Rhode Island’s strong debut. Teddi noted that the show became one of Bravo’s biggest multi-platform launches since 2024, pulling in about 2.7 million viewers in its first week.
Dolores, who is best known for The Real Housewives of New Jersey, explained that her role on the Rhode Island set was far more limited than she expected.
“I was bitter,” she admitted. “When I got there, they didn’t let me film as much. They kept me on the bench. I was the wellness team. I got every phone call, every scene.”
She went on to say she was especially confused about not being included in the cast trip featured in episode six. According to Dolores, even cast members questioned the decision.
“Liz was so upset. It didn’t even make sense for me not to be there,” she said, suggesting that her absence wasn’t organic to the group dynamics.
Teddi offered a possible explanation: production may have held Dolores back because of her ongoing role on New Jersey, which was expected to return. In other words, producers might not have wanted her too deeply integrated into a different franchise.
Still, Dolores pushed back on that idea. She believes there was room for her to contribute more, even in a limited “friend of” capacity.
“I could have been more of a friend and done more on the show,” she said.
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