Dolores Catania Dishes on the 'Unfiltered' Cast of 'The Real Housewives of Rhode Island': 'They're Not Worried About What the World Is Going to Think'

Dolores Catania is one busy lady!

As The Real Housewives of New Jersey star comes off her huge Traitors victory and her engagement to her longtime partner, Paul Connell, she is also starring in an all-new Bravo series, all while ensuring her house is spotless.

Catania speaks exclusively with OK! about filming the highly anticipated The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, her bond with Dylan Efron, hitting a major life milestone, the future of RHONJ and her partnership with Finish Jet Dry.

Catania will be joining the ladies of RHORI as a "friend of" for their debut season, which she thinks will enthrall Bravo fans.

"[People] are going to love them [the cast]," she reveals of the show, premiering 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 RHONJ from 2016. They aren't coming in trying to be like other Housewives. They're unapologetically themselves. They weren't 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."

After winning the third season of The Traitors alongside Efron, Gabby Windey and Lord Ivar Mountbatten, the world fell in love with Catania's friendship with Zac Efron's younger brother.

"We're both so busy, but we support each other from afar," she says of Dylan. "I watched him on Dancing With the Stars. Paul 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's made his way, which is so well-deserved. He's an absolutely wonderful human being."

The mother-of-two — who has her "By Order of the Faithfuls" podcast — is also enjoying the current season. "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."

While nothing has been confirmed about the return of RHONJ, the ladies are still in touch.

"I just got off the phone with Margaret [Josephs]. I spoke to Teresa [Giudice] yesterday. I recently spoke with Melissa [Gorga]," Dolores says. "I'm in touch with everyone all the time. I really love everyone, so fingers crossed you see us back soon."

Not only did Dolores have an amazing year career-wise, but Paul proposed in November 2025 after nearly five years of dating.

"I'm very excited," she says about her 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."

The matriarch also admitted that filming in Rhode Island was 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, and 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."

With her schedule jam-packed, Dolores is still making sure her home is sparkling with the help of FINISH's 3-in-1 action, Jet Dry.

"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 I reached out to them because I love how it works."