Rachel Fuda thinks the fake friendships on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” are easy to spot.
The reality star tells Pvnew’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast that she feels Teresa Giudice’s “manufactured” relationships have tarnished the Bravo show.
“We have true relationships with each other, and I think that’s the thing that was so unique about our room for the watch party,” Rachel says, referring to the format for Sunday’s “Off the Rails” special, which replaced a traditional reunion for Season 14.
Rachel, 33, watched the finale back with pals Margaret Josephs, Melissa Gorga, Danielle Cabral and Jennifer Fessler in one room of Rails Steakhouse in Towaca, NJ, while Giudice, 52, Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider took in the drama from another. (Dolores Catania, ever a neutral party, moved between both rooms.)
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Rachel says she and her half of the divided cast have “true relationships versus manufactured relationships.” She adds, “And I feel like that was a very stark reality and it’s so clear.”
The millennial mom has clashed with Giudice throughout the course of her two-year tenure on “RHONJ.” This season saw the women fighting particularly hard over Giudice’s claim that John, 36, had a shady past dealing drugs in Bergen County. (He vehemently denied Giudice’s assessment.)
Rachel, for her part, believes Aydin and Goldschneider, both 47, are merely accomplices in Giudice’s perceived plan to take down the Fudas and other onscreen adversaries.
“You watch the other room and it’s like, ‘OK, Teresa, what’s the narrative now? What are we going to say? What do we have to prove now?’ It’s just very manufactured now, in my opinion. … I think that’s the biggest problem. I think our show is truly lacking authenticity in its relationships and friendships,” she says.
“I feel like when you were watching our room, it’s like a group of friends bantering, making comments, gasping, laughing, like, all those little things that we would do if we were sitting on my living room couch — and we have done.”
John previously accused Giudice’s husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas, of hiring a detective to investigate him during the “RHONJ” Season 13 reunion.
The Fudas felt it was part of an alleged smear campaign to make them and more enemies of Giudice’s, including Josephs, 57, and Gorga, 45, look bad.
Despite repeatedly boasting about his close relationship with retired NYPD detective Bo Dietl — and having information about certain cast members — Ruelas, 49, has denied orchestrating any such investigation.
Throughout the discord, Rachel notes that the support she has received from viewers has been affirming.
“I appreciate everyone that not only supports our room and our side but also my family. We’ve had a hard year,” says Rachel, who shares daughters Gianella, 4, and Giuliana, 2, plus adopted son Jaiden, 17, with John.
“It really hasn’t been smooth sailing for us on the show. It’s been a rocky year, so to have that support feels really good because there’s been a lot of negativity. There’s been a lot of that coming at us, so it feels good to have that moment of other people see we’re good people.”
As “RHONJ” remains in flux after reaching a dead end — with a reboot in the works — Rachel, who announced during the “Off the Rails” special that she is pregnant again, is hopeful to be a part of the next chapter.
“I would love to be included, and I think that whatever they decide to do with the show, whether they reboot it, bring some of us back, none of us back, all of us … whatever it is, I would love to see the show move forward in a more positive direction,” she says. “I would love to see it be a little bit lighter.”
In the meantime, she is relishing in the joy of expanding her family.
“It was really nice to watch [my announcement] back and feel such positivity, really seeing me with my girls and everyone genuinely be happy for me and just enjoy that moment with them,” Rachel says.
“Because I feel like our show has gotten so dark and so toxic, it’s very far and few between when we’re smiling and celebrating something with excitement and happiness,” she elaborates. “I watched it back, and it gave me all the feels, you know?”
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” is available to stream on Peacock.
