Dolores Catania has said that family dinner with her ex-husband and their kids is a tradition that’s “very important.”
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But it's sometimes very surprising, too, judging by Season 14, Episode 5 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
During courses, Frank Catania showed Dolores and their kids, Gabby, 28, and Frankie, 24, the engagement ring he chose for his girlfriend, Brittany Mattessich.
“You guys wanna see the ring?” Frank asked, beaming a smile as bright as the “11-carat” sparkler.
“Yes,” declared Dolores. “You have it on you?”
The next scene that unfolded at the restaurant was straight out of a gleeful rom-com.
Dolores Catania Approves of Frank's Engagement
Dolores and Frank divorced 26 years ago. Since then, they’ve remained close and have built a solid friendship. In fact, earlier in the season, Frank actually checked in with Dolores to see if she was OK with him asking Brittany to marry him.
Dolores, who’s been dating Paulie Connell since February 2022, was perfectly fine. “Oh, that’s beautiful,” she gushed.
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Dolores chose the same word when she laid eyes on Brittany’s massive ring: “Wow! That is beautiful!”
See what the huge ring looks like here:
At dinner Frank described how he planned to pop the question to Brittany on the beach in Costa Rica with a path of roses leading to “a big sign that says, ‘Will you marry me?’ inside a heart.”
Dolores, Frankie, and Gabby all loved the idea, although it was different from how he popped the question to Dolores.
In a confessional Dolores revealed that Frank proposed to her with help from “a toy pig that walks” from a mall kiosk.
Frank, however, decided to practice his big moment with Brittany with Dolores first.
“Make believe you’re Brittany,” Frank said to his ex before bending down on one knee.
“Oh, OK,” said Dolores, who didn’t miss a beat and immediately went along with the practice proposal.
When she said yes, nearby diners broke into applause, so Dolores and Frank let their fellow diners in on the reality that had everyone in stitches.
“He’s marrying someone else,” said Dolores. “I’m his ex-wife.”
“I’m showing her what I’ll do with my girlfriend,” he said. “We’ve already been there, done that.”
Dolores dined on the anecdotes during a brunch hosted by Danielle Cabral.
“Oh my god,” said Dolores. “Me, Frank, and the kids went out to dinner the other night because he wanted to tell Gabby and Frankie that he was getting engaged.”
Dolores shared how Frank pretended to propose to her and how the restaurant went wild.
“He takes an 11-carat diamond ring out of pocket,” she said. “He gets in front of me and says, ‘I’m gonna ask her like this.’”
The tale led brunch guests to bring up the fact that Paulie has yet to propose to Dolores.
“Paulie’s got a one-up. I know a jeweler,” Jennifer Aydin said.
“Do you want to marry Paul?” asked Danielle’s friend Kayla.
“Paul is going through a divorce,” said Dolores. “It's been taking a long time.”
“If Paul does propose to you, how would you feel?” asked Danielle’s friend Tiffany.
“I would love it. I would accept,” said Dolores. “I don’t question him about his divorce, but I'm starting to get, like, he’s gonna get a talk soon.”
Keep up with Dolores and the whole cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, airing Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo.
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