Catanai money making - opinion
For the cast of Real Housewives of New Jersey, one member’s apparent affluence has been something of a mystery. Part of the allure of reality TV like the Real Housewives franchise is getting to peek behind the curtain of the lives of rich and famous people whose affluence gives them access to a different kind of lifestyle.
How did Dolores Catania make all that money anyway?
Dolores Catania’s wealth has puzzled fans
Dolores Catania’s appearance on RHONJ was a modest one at first. She wasn’t even an official “friend of” the cast, but she was a real-life friend to a few of the cast members, and she managed to make some appearance that stuck with fans.
Eventually, she was promoted to cast member. As fans have tried to figure out her story, some have questioned how Catania — who appears to be doing quite well for herself — managed to make her money.
As The Things reports, the question is likely rooted in the fact that Catania didn’t have much to her name when she started on the show:
“Dolores was a homemaker prior to being on-camera, making a life for herself and her two kids, Frankie Jr. and Gabby, whom she raised as a single mother for 20 years!”
Catania revealed she only had about $500 in the bank before joining the cast. Her work along the way has certainly not always been grand, either. Serving first as a shampoo girl in a salon, Catania eventually found a career in law enforcement as a corrections officer. It was her next gig, though, that changed her life.
She became a surgical assistant, and it was assisting Dr. Bill Aydin — AKA Jennifer Aydin’s husband — that helped her build the friendship that would eventually turn her into a reality TV star. As Meaww reports, Catania worked her way up to a much more substantial financial position. Through a house flipping business she ran with her former husband, she seeded the way to a $4 million net worth.
Dolores Catania has many successful business ventures
Catania’s experience in real estate helped pave the way to other entrepreneurial pursuits. A fitness enthusiast, Catania was a natural fit for a gym business, and she owns two of the facilities under the brand Powerhouse Fitness Centers. On top of that, she’s reportedly paid between $30,000 and $60,000 per episode for her time on the show.
She finds some time to give back to the community at large and has invested in Roots & Wings, an organization that helps those who have aged out of the foster care system find stability and safe housing.
Another passion for her is in protecting women and children who are in shelters, and she has put some philanthropic energy into supporting those causes as well.
The women of ‘RHONJ’ are especially flashy
All of the Real Housewives series bring the drama, but there’s something about the New Jersey version that has brought an extra dose of oomph.
From the luxurious houses to the stunning jewelry, there is plenty of wealth to flaunt around in the show, but the cast members’ seemingly poor financial decisions often leave viewers scratching their heads as to how these women got so rich.
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Teresa Giudice
Though she’s faced money troubles in the past — you know, just a casual 11-month prison sentence for bank fraud — the RHONJ OG is doing her best to recover financially. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the New York Times bestselling author is $11 million in debt — but through her $62,000 an episode earnings on the show that made her a household name, the starlet has been working off that debt. As of 2021, she is worth $500,000.
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Melissa Gorga
Teresa’s sister-in-law and costar has parlayed her reality TV fame into a singing career (you know “On Display” is a grade-A bop), written a marriage advice book, Love Italian Style and owns a Montclair, NJ, clothing boutique called Envy by Melissa Gorga. And while she has yet to achieve Tre’s level of financial success, all of Mel’s hard work hasn’t been for nothing. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she is worth an estimated $2 million.
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Dolores Catania
While she admittedly let her ex-husband, Frank, support her lavish lifestyle in the past, the reality TV babe recently said buh-bye to depending on a man and hello to a new life as an entrepreneur. The Bravolebrity, who joined RHONJ in season 7, is now a successful business owner and operates two New Jersey gyms: Powerhouse Fitness Center in Whippany and Powerhouse Gym of Old Bridge. According to The Net Worth, she is worth an estimated $4 million.
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Margaret Josephs
The fashion entrepreneur has a successful lifestyle brand called the Macbeth Collection, which certainly rakes in the dough. In 2012, the pigtail enthusiast was featured in a CNN special called Moms Making Millions, in which it was reported that her company was bringing in $30 million in annual sales. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the blonde beauty was worth a whopping $50 million — before her recent money troubles.
In 2019, the businesswoman was sued for $200,000 by two ex-pals who claimed she owed them money from a personal loan. She allegedly also owed backed taxes. Subsequently, she declared bankruptcy with her brand when Vineyard Vines sued her for $12 million on the claim her company stole their logo design.
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Jennifer Aydin
The proud mother of five has one hardworking hubby to bring in the dough. Her partner, Bill, is a plastic surgeon with his own practice, Aydin Plastic Surgery in Paramus, New Jersey. Because of her hubby’s large salary — and of course, her own pay on RHONJ — she’s worth an estimated $7 million, according to CheatSheet.
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Jackie Goldschneider
The popular writer had a past career as a lawyer and comes from “family money” — she even had a trust fund set up for her as a child. Using that cash when she got older, she invested in a property in the Hamptons, which she rents out for a whopping $50,000 a month. She has written for Good Housekeeping and Huffington Post. According to CheatSheet, her pre-RHONJ worth was an estimated $2 million.
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Danielle Staub
The firecracker, who came back to RHONJ after a five-season hiatus then quit the show in January 2020, wrote a tell-all book in 2010 called The Naked Truth: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewife of New Jersey. In addition to writing the tome, the mother of two also tried her hand at music à la Kim Zolciak and released the sensual dance track “Real Close” that same year.
Despite being an in-demand reality personality, it was reported the starlet filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Her net worth is currently -$1 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
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