How Did 'RHONJ' Star Dolores Catania Get Her Fortune?

The "Real Housewives Of New Jersey" debuted 12 years ago to immediate and nearly overwhelming responses. At the time of its premiere, the cast of the show included sisters Caroline and Dina Manzo, Jacqueline Laurita, Teresa Giudice, and Danielle Staub.

Dolores Catania officially joined the "RHONJ" franchise in the seventh season, and viewers immediately noticed the new reality star.

Per Baltimore OUTloud, it was noted that fans described Catania as one of the most relatable New Jersey housewives. This was a badge she wore with honor. "That means everything to me," she told the outlet.

Before she joined full-time, Catania was good friends with many of the women on the show for years. She explained to HuffPost that the relationships that were displayed on the show were real, and that's what brought her onboard as a cast member.

"I have a history with these girls and had known Teresa for over 20 years, Jacqueline I knew for about 12 years and though Siggy is brand new, we bonded right away," she said. "You can catch glimpses of me on Season 1 because I was friendly with Dina Manzo and I'm close with Caroline Manzo and family — We actually just went grocery shopping a little while ago."

Keep scrolling below to take a look at the reality star's net worth, career, and lifestyle.

Catania's reported net worth suggests that even before she appeared in a single episode of the reality series, she was successful enough to compete with these Bravo ladies. Her versatile skill sets helped her earn success as a businesswoman.

According to her Bravo bio, Catania held several other jobs over the years and found success in every position. She first began her career as a correctional officer. While that's not normally a well-paid career path, she transitioned into working as a surgical technician.

Catania was also a very successful real estate agent. This made her a good fit for this Bravo show since several of the cast members have had problems selling their houses in the past.

Presently, she runs a fitness empire, called Powerhouse gyms. This is located around New Jersey. Allegedly, Catania makes about $30,000 per episode and each season has about 20 episodes, so that's around $600,000 a season. She also takes advantage of sponsored content on social media, so she's got income coming from all angles.

Though the figure isn't confirmed, according to The-Net-Worth, Catania is worth $3.5 million.

She maintained a healthy relationship with her ex-husband and current business partner, Frank Catania. This was after he cheated on her while she was nine months pregnant.

Although Catania and Frank weren't a couple for over 20 years, they weren’t separate either. Yet, given that they never rekindled their romance, it came as a surprise to Housewives fans when Frank moved in with her in the eighth season of the show.

According to Hollywood Life, the two were still living together in 2019, even though fans pointed it out as a mistake.

However, Catania told the outlet's podcast that the situation worked better for her that way. “People used to say years ago, 'You're a fool. You go food shopping for him? Why are you doing this crap?' It's foolish pride.’”

The substantial amount of money she earned from her ventures wasn’t spent on her lavish lifestyle alone, as she also donates to local charities. Catania is an avid philanthropist who believes in giving back to the community.

She was involved with an association named Roots & Wings, which provided foster-care children above 18 years with education and necessary skill sets for a job. They also helped the children find affordable housing.

She also worked with New Jersey-based institutions like St Joseph's Children's Hospital and The Onyx & Breezy Foundation, where she contributed to improving women's and children's shelters across the state.

The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" franchise is an American reality television series that premiered on May 12, 2009, on Bravo.

It was developed as the fourth installment of "The Real Housewives" franchise and has aired for 11 seasons. It focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in New Jersey.

The cast of the most recent season consists of Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, and Jackie Goldschneider.

Previously-featured cast members include original housewives Danielle Staub, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo and Dina Cantina; and subsequent housewives Kathy Wakile, Teresa Aprea, Amber Marchese, Nicole Napolitano, and Siggy Flicker.

The success of the show also resulted in several spin-offs of the series.