Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Danielle Cabral made her Watch What Happens Live debut on Tuesday night, dishing on all things Real Housewives of New Jersey, including the family feud between Teresa Giudice and the Gorgas, her ties to Caroline Manzo, and Margaret Josephs‘ ongoing drama with Jennifer Aydin.
As she told host Andy Cohen that appearing on his late-night talk show was the “fun part” of her “rollercoaster” experience on the Bravo reality show, Danielle revealed the most surprising thing about the series and threw some shade at a couple of her castmates.
“[I’m most surprised by] how real everything is. How real like, I internalized everything that happened. [Nate] can tell you so many nights, you know, I got affected by a lot. I walked into a lot so it was a lot to take in,” Danielle admitted on the March 14 episode of WWHL.
One of the hardest things to take in was the dynamic between Teresa and Joe and Melissa Gorga, which hit close to home.
“It’s very real. And you’re like, I think the most confusing thing is they’re both saying the same thing they just never get on the same page so walking into it, I was like, ‘Oh wow, this is real,’” Danielle noted. “I think at this point, everybody, just be nice in real life right now.”
As Teresa continues to feud publicly with her brother and sister-in-law, many, including Dolores Catania, have suggested the siblings “part ways.” But because she’ll “never give up” on her relationship with her own brother, Danielle had a different idea.
“I think they need to bring it down to just the two of them and no outside noise,” she stated.
As for her relationship with her own brother, Danielle confirmed things are “still not good” between them.
“I hope more of the story is told because I don’t come from a place of hate. It’s just love so I hope that he sees that,” she explained.
As RHONJ fans may have heard, Danielle has ties to the cast not just through her friendships but also through family, which she broke down for Andy during Tuesday’s show.
“My stepmom was married to Caroline’s brother. She’s Caroline’s ex-step-sister-in-law,” Danielle revealed.
And after Andy said Caroline gave her “a very good recommendation to come on the show” and “said [she was] gonna kill it,” Danielle told the show alum, “Thank you.”
Following Caroline’s recommendation, Danielle joined the cast — but not without hesitation.
“I got a lot of heat for [appearing on MTV’s True Life: I’m a Staten Island Girl], a ton … from Staten Island, they were not happy about it, even during filming it was very hard. They weren’t nice so I was very nervous going into this of all things,” she admitted. “People were like, ‘Oh my God, Staten Island. Who are these people?’ And they had a problem with it.”
While answering questions about the show, Danielle admitted that both Margaret and Jennifer go “below the belt,” although she named Margaret as the antagonist.
“Margaret goes below the belt. Jennifer then goes lower but they both kinda… They both go at it,” she shared.
Then, after being asked if she was she trying to stir the pot with Teresa by telling Margaret that Teresa said she was better as a friend than an enemy, Danielle denied any such thing.
“I don’t ever stir the pot. I just eat the food,” she declared. “I was just being honest. I was saying, ’This is what I’m hearing and I don’t want to start a friendship with you if you’re like this.’”
Also on the live broadcast, Danielle played a game in which she was asked to compliment each of her co-stars. However, while she applauded “business savvy” Margaret, “innocently amazing” Teresa, “rider” Jennifer, “very nice” Melissa, “[her] girl” Dolores, and “messy” but “fun” Jenn Fessler, she got a bit shady toward Rachel Fuda and Jackie Goldschneider.
“She’s actually very stunning in person,” Danielle said of her fellow newbie, suggesting fans would be surprised by her beauty.
Then, when asked to say something nice about Jackie, all Danielle could muster was, “Ooh.”
Later, on the WWHL: After Show, Danielle revealed that she believed Teresa’s truce with Margaret was genuine at the start of the season.
“I think it started out in the beginning of this year very genuine, but then things happen like they do, and they are where they are now,” she stated. “I don’t think it’s anything bad I just, you know, Teresa’s been on the block for a very long time. She’s smart so she knows where to keep people.”
Danielle then revealed she met husband Nate at Studio 54 in Las Vegas at 3 a.m. — but insisted they didn’t “do it” that first night.
“We didn’t. We went back to back and pretended we were on the phone doing long distance to see if it would work. Swear to God,” she shared “I was living in Cali. He’s from Boston so we did long distance for eight months.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.