By Molly Claire Goddard
1:28am PST, Mar 4, 2026
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Dolores Catania is one busy lady! As the
Real Housewives of New Jersey star comes off her huge win on
The Traitors and getting engaged to her longtime partner,
Paul Connell, she's also gearing up for an all-new Bravo series and ensuring her house is spotless. Catania speaks exclusively with
Wonderwall.com about filming the highly anticipated
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, her bond with
Dylan Efron, putting a ring on it, the future of
RHONJ, her partnership with
Finish Jet Dry and more.
Keep reading for the highlights from our chat…MORE:
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What fans can expect from 'The Real Housewives of Rhode Island'
Dolores Catania will be joining the ladies of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island as a "friend of" on their debut season, which she thinks will enthrall Bravo fans. "[People] are going to love them," she says of the new cast members, who make their debut in April. "They're very relatable. They're very open about their lives. They're very unfiltered and not worried about what the world will think of what they say. I got a vibe from them that they're like The Real Housewives of New Jersey from 2016. They aren't coming in trying to be like other Housewives. They're unapologetically themselves. They weren't like fans coming into it. They didn't ever think they were going to be Housewives, so they weren't practicing. They got thrown into the mix and they did a great job."
'The Traitors' and her bond with Dylan Efron
The world fell in love with Dolores Catania's friendship with Dylan Efron when they won Season 3 of The Traitors alongside Gabby Windey and Lord Ivar Mountbatten. "We're both so busy, but we support each other from afar," she says of Zac Efron's younger brother. "I watched him on Dancing With the Stars. [My fiancé Paul Connell] and I were glued to the TV rooting for him. He's such a nice guy. I am so happy for his success. When he was in the castle, his title was 'Zac Efron's brother.' I think under Zac's name now, it's 'Dylan Efron's brother' because he has made his way, which is so well deserved. He's an absolutely wonderful human being." The "By Order of the Faithfuls" podcast cohost also enjoyed watching Season 4. "I've been on the edge of my seat recently," she says. "I'm very proud of my fellow Housewives [Lisa Rinna, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Dorinda Medley and Caroline Stanbury]. I think they've done a great job. I love how Dorinda's playing. I love the drama in the castle."
Engagement to Paul Connell
Dolores Catania got engaged to her love of nearly five years, Paul Connell, in November 2025. "I'm very excited," she says of their upcoming wedding. "Since I've gotten engaged, I'm doing more housewife stuff around the house and entertaining more. The truth is, before I got engaged, we were living together, and I'm like, 'I'm not going to play housewife unless I'm going to be one.' I'm not going to do that. There was definitely a necessity for me to have these things just right." Shooting The Real Housewives of Rhode Island was apparently great for their relationship. "Paul and I kind of fell in love all over again while we were there," she reveals. "It was like a new beginning for us to get out of New Jersey and be around the beauty of it all. We rented a house on the water. Hydrangeas were everywhere. I fed the birds every morning with my bird feeder. We both fell in love with it. It became like home in our love bubble."
Staying close with her 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' costars
While nothing has been confirmed about the return of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, everything remains the same behind the scenes. "I just got off the phone with Margaret [Josephs]. I spoke to Teresa [Giudice] yesterday. I recently spoke with Melissa [Gorga]," Dolores Catania says. "I'm in touch with everyone all the time. I really love everyone, so fingers crossed you see us back soon."
Partnership with Finish Jet Dry
With her schedule jam-packed, Dolores Catania is still making sure her home is sparkling with the help of
Finish Jet-Dry 3in1. "I come from a big Italian family and I host a lot," she says. "Not only do I host, but in my world, if you come to my house, you're going to sit and eat. A lot of times, before partnering with Jet-Dry, I would go get the dishes and there would be a residue on it. They weren't dirty. My house is never dirty! My dishes are clean, but they don't look clean. I would panic. So I became a huge fan of Jet Dry and reached out to them because I love how it works."
