I just watched the premiere of #RHORI and it was feeling like it's meant to be a #RHONJ replacement (in case it gets canceled) before Dolores even showed up. NJ has gotten really tired, but the early seasons were some of the all time best of the franchise. So I think Bravo wants to recreate that.
They could have scrapped the whole NJ cast and started over, but they got backlash for doing that with NY, so they're starting over with a new location with similar vibes and people. They should maybe do that with OC or BH too with a different CA city.