The Real Housewives of New Jersey
News (Page 2)

On last night's installment of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Caroline and Dina Manzo were informed by Bravo of discovered a bombshell:

Castmate Danielle Staub was featured in the 1995 memoir, Cop Without a Badge. 

The book details Staub's arrest for extortion, while also going into her past of drugs and stripping. Danielle hasn't really denied the allegations.

So, is this just the beginning of the drama? Of course not. There are more ratings to be garnered.

“There’s more to come,” Caroline Manzo said to People this week. “Buckle up.”

Here's what else she had to say about it all:

How did you find the book?
This is something that literally fell into our laps. We had no reason to believe that Danielle was somebody other than [who] she represented herself to be. And my niece did tell us about it. When something this explosive falls into your lap, for anyone to just dismiss it would be foolish. It’s beyond catty gossip. There are a lot of facets to this story that can affect us in a negative way.

What do you mean by that? Were you concerned with your reputation if you associated with her?
I don’t care about reputation. What happened in the past is her business. I certainly don’t judge anybody. It was a safety concern. Nothing more.

You mean you don’t trust Danielle around young children?
Who would? Come on, let’s think about it: Would you put your child in a situation like that? Until we know the truth, you have to just act reasonably.

Last week, viewers of The Real Housewives of New Jersey were teased in previews about Danielle Staub's awfully shady past.

In the days that have followed, alleged mug shots of the reality star have surfaced, along with allegations that she was formerly known as "Beverly Merrill," a cocaine-addicted stripper.

This morning, in an interview with Today, Staub didn't really deny the rumors; in fact, like a well-trained Bravo pitchwoman, she encouraged fans to tune in and find out more.

"It's not that I don't want it known, I just think there's a time and place for everything and it was deemed that now was my time," said Staub, pretty much confirming that this supposed leak has been planned all along by the show.

Danielle did try to make sure she won't be judged too much on what viewers are about to find out, adding:

"This was way before I got married - way before I had children. And maybe people can watch and see how it unfolds. Because I think people are go to be shocked."

Then again, people won't even have every inquiry answered on tonight's episode. Staub is already positioning herself for next season, teasing what's to come.

"You won't have [questions] answered for - actually until maybe next season. Who knows..."

I’m not the most gorgeous woman in the world, but I’m kinda ho. I might just be the ultimate threat. I think I’m just a really secure woman, and sometimes, people are less than enthusiastic about having me around.

With quotes such as the one above, is it any wonder why Danielle Staub is the most controversial - and, let's be honest, hated - cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey?

In just a couple episodes, Staub has...

• ... confessed to have phone sex with a stranger for two years.
• ... offered a blow job to a guy at a restaurant.
• ... and pretty much offended every other Housewife.

Now, in the latest twist, Caroline Manzo has supposedly learned that Danielle, and possibly her mug shot, are featured in “Cop Without a Badge,” a memoir written by former FBI and Secret Service Agent Kevin Maher.

More details on the book and Staub's appearance in it are expected to come to light on the next episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

For now, let us just say: WTF?!?

As previously reported, Jacqueline Laurita is pregnant.

Viewers of last week's premiere of The Real Housewives of New Jersey understand why this is such big news: during the episode, Laurita and her husband, Chris Manzo, openly discussed their struggles to add to their family.

The hour included a visit to Jacqueline's doctor, where we learn she's had five miscarriages over the last seven years.

"I'm due early next month," Laurita told E! News this week. "I'm 50 pounds heavier. I'm ready to pop. I'm like Jiffy Pop."

The reality star and her doctors credit a daily baby aspirin and progesterone therapy for her successful pregnancy.

But while she's excited about the impending baby, Jacqueline isn't set on putting the birth on camera.

"There may have been talk about it, but we're not really sure," she says. "I don't know if I want people to see me like that."

On an upcoming episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice can't hide her resentment for Danielle Staub.

According to reports, the former flips a table over in the direction of the latter.

"That's normally not me, but I guess when I'm pushed to a certain level…" Teresa told E! News. "I'm so sweet. I have a heart of gold and I'm really a great person."

In our experience, you need to be most careful around those that insist they are great people.

Aside from her personality, Giudice spoke on her most valuable asset.

"[My husband] loves my butt. I always did have a big butt. Do you remember that song back in the day? There was a song that had my name in it: ‘Teresa's got a big ol' butt.' Everybody in high school used to sing that to me. Everybody liked my ass."

It takes a Real Housewife to analyze a series of new, Real Housewives.

With that in mind, Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York has started a blog that will detail the happenings across the bridge on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

The screen is yours, Bethenny...

Teresa seems simple and sweet from the start. She's a flat-chested amateur stage mother with a "built," "gorgeous" husband in construction. Perfect. Let the clichés begin. Her daughter is beautiful and adorable. Over $100K on that horrific furniture? What would Jill Zarin say?

I actually think Dina is very pretty and very attractive. She has a cuteness to her. Daughter Lexi also seems quirky and interesting. We hear Dina talk about her never-present husband of three years. Here's a theme reminiscent of my Countess/Count days.

Also, Dina is a cat person, and I oddly like that she has that bizarre looking feline. Her decor is something for the books. More is more in Jersey, that's for sure: hair, nails, cars and over-the-top gaudy furniture. Got it.

I love Caroline and, oh yes, she is a throwback. She will be the sure favorite. Everyone likes old school, especially the Bravo viewer who isn't familiar with this Italian, family-style way of living.

The lingo, the houses, the Brownstone, the whole thing. I get it. I've seen it and it is real. All we want is real, and on Bravo, honesty is the best policy.

Continue Reading...

Viewers are about to become very familiar with the Manzo sisters.

Caroline Manzo and Dina Manzo star on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which premieres tonight on Bravo.

The siblings recently spoke to People about the show and about themselves:

Do you represent typical New Jersey housewives?
Caroline: That’s kind of a loaded question. Do I think we depict an Italian American family? Yes, I do. Do I think I depict a housewife? I most certainly am. There are some aspects to my personality that may be stronger than most, but the fact remains that I wake up every morning and I make the beds and I go food shopping and I let the dogs out and I do the laundry and I am somebody’s wife and somebody’s mother.
Dina: When I think of New Jersey, I think of moms who are passionate about their families. We definitely represent that. We’re not really looking to be in the social scene as much as some of the other [casts] in the franchise. Our show is more authentic because some of those women were kind of forced to hang out with each other, whereas for us, we’d all be out to dinner together anyway — with the exception of a couple. We’re just regular people. We’re not walking a red carpet every night.

Are you prepared for any potential backlash?
Caroline: There is no preparing for it. But I’m a big girl. I’ve taught my children to accept that not everybody is going to love you. We make mistakes and we do things that perhaps at times will embarrass us, but that’s what makes us human. I am proud of who I am. And I am so proud of my children.
Dina: We’re very confident that we’re good people. I can put my head on my pillow every night knowing that I give back to my community and I’m a great mother and a great sister, so they can say whatever they want.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres tomorrow night on Bravo.

Before the series airs, we're introducing readers to its key cast members: First, we previewed life in the world of Caroline Manzo.

Now, it's time to meet Danielle Staub!

"I'm not the most gorgeous woman in the world, but I'm kinda hot," Staub proudly told E! News this week. "I might just be the ultimate threat."

Reports indicate that Staub will, indeed, cause the most controversy this season. Here's what else E! has to say about the new reality TV star:

• She's 45 years old;

• She's a single mother of two;

• She's not always the most popular woman in the room: "I think I'm just a really secure woman, and sometimes, people are less than enthusiastic about having me around."

• On an upcoming episode, Staub finally goes on an actual date with a man she's been having phone sex with... for two years!

• Other Housewives accuse Danielle of a past that includes prostitution, drug cartels and kidnapping, while co-star Teresa Giudice claims that Staub has a younger man in her life, who she orally pleasures on a daily basis.

Wait... what?!? Okay. We'll be tuning in tomorrow night!

Caroline Manzo is one of the new stars of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

And she has a message for anyone that speaks badly about her friends and family:

"Let me tell you something about my family, we're as thick as thieves. And we protect each other to the end."

Despite such tough, threatening talk; and despite the location of the Bravo series, Manzo told E! News that she scoffs at any comparison to The Sopranos.

"We're Italian and geographically we happen to be where the Sopranos were set—brilliant marketing on Bravo's part. We have the same Italian traditions and values because Italians are all about values. But to put us in the same bed as that? On the business side of it? Stop it. That's nonsense."

Okay. So Caroline is no Carmela Soprano. Who is she?

• A mother of three, who resides in  Franklin Lakes, N.J.

• Joined on the show by her sister and sister-in-law Dina Manzo (they married brothers), another sister-in-law, Jacqueline Laurita (she married one of Caroline and Dina's brothers) and family friend Theresa Giudice.

•  Has a nemesis in co-star Danielle Staub.

• Owns a owns a real estate firm and a children's accessories company, but: "I live for my children. I live for my husband."

Note: The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres on May 12 at 11 p.m. EST on Bravo.

On May 12, Bravo debuts The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

According to the network, latest addition to this franchise focuses on "five of the most affluent Jersey Girls as they live lavish lifestyles and deal with all the drama that money can buy."

In the clip below, star Danielle Staub gets ready for a blind date with a man she met on the Internet: