Dolores Catania made a major impact on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island cast.
“I think Dolores [is] like a mama bear,” Bravo newbie Jo-Ellen Tiberi told Us Weekly exclusively during the RHORI cast’s first interviews. “Truthfully, anything that we needed — even even to this day — she will help.”
Jo-Ellen continued, “She was just so kind and smart and caring. So it really was nice. It was a little cheat sheet to help us along the way.”
Several of the women — including Kelsey Swanson and Alicia Carmody — thought of Dolores as a “mentor” through this new phase of their lives. Despite being a New Jersey native, Alicia told Us that Dolores also has “that Rhode Island thing to her,” which made her fit right in.
“When Dolores and I first met, we completely hit it off. We saw eye to eye. I felt her genuine vibe,” Rulla Pontarelli told Us. “I love Dolores. I really do. I feel as though she’s brought a lot to the table. She’s been very candid. She’s been very genuine, speaking from experience.”
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Rulla called Dolores “an asset” to the entire RHORI cast for their debut season.
News broke on Tuesday, March 24, that Dolores will return to The Real Housewives of New Jersey for season 15, but Bravo fans will get their fix even sooner by seeing Dolores in a “friend of” role when RHORI premieres.
Dolores was brought onto the show through main cast member and best friend Liz McGraw.
“Liz has been asking me for a few years to come to Rhode Island,” Dolores explained to Us.
With RHONJ on pause last summer, Dolores was able to film in Rhode Island — but don’t expect her to make the move permanent.
“My heart is [in New Jersey], but you can find me every summer in Rhode Island for the rest of my life,” she gushed.
Dolores also told Us that she enjoyed the “different role” she played on RHORI. She even went to former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey for advice before securing her “friend of” slot.
“She goes, ‘You know what, Dolores? It’s a really great role,’” Dolores recalled.
After filming the season, she agreed with Cynthia’s take. “It was great. It was great to see the girls do such a good job,” she teased. “They weren’t trying to be like other Housewives at all. They were just themselves, and I am so proud of them. They gave it 100 percent. They worked really hard. They filmed a ton. They put their lives out there.”
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Dolores said that she immediately felt “at home” with the RHORI women.
“Alicia said to me, she goes, ‘Dolores, you’re one of us,’” she said. “I go, ‘Well, you know, I’m kind of new here.’ She goes, ‘No, you’re not. You’ve been here a long time, and you’re one of us.’ I’ll always have a spot in my heart for her.”
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island premieres on Bravo Thursday, April 2, with a second episode premiering on Sunday, April 5. New episodes will be released on Sundays, streaming via Peacock the following day.
For more from the RHORI cast, pick up this week’s issue of Us Weekly.
