The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a reality television program on the Bravo network. It is the network's fourth installation of The Real Housewives of... series, following The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of New York City and The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
The show's first season premiered on May 12, 2009. The five housewives featured on the program are Teresa Giudice, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, Dina Manzo, and Danielle Staub. For the first time, the series follows related housewives: sisters Caroline and Dina are married to brothers Albert and Tommy Manzo; while Jacqueline Laurita is married to Caroline and Dina's brother, Chris Laurita.
The show premiered its second season on May 3, 2010.
Teresa Giudice
"People make fun of Jersey Girls all the time, but I think they're just jealous."
Teresa Giudice was born in Paterson, New Jersey on May 18, 1972 to parents who emigrated from Italy. She earned a degree from Berkeley College in Fashion Marketing and Management. After college, she worked in the fashion industry in New York. She is married to Joe Giudice, a childhood friend and entrepreneur. They have four daughters: Gia (born 2001), Gabriella (born 2004), Milania (born 2005), and Audriana (born 2009), whom she was pregnant with during the reunion show. Teresa serves as a committee member for co-star Dina Manzo's charity, Project Ladybug. After much thought, Giudice went under the knife for a breast augmentation surgery. Teresa is fluent in Italian.
In 2010, Giudice with be joining fellow cast mates Caroline Manzo, Dina Manzo, Jaqueline Laurita on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Each will be paired with a woman who she will help to win the one million dollar prize.
Her husband, Joe, was berated by audience members for making a homophobic comment during one of the Season 1 episodes.
She is responsible for one of the most famous moments in reality show history. During the Season 1 finale, she flipped a restaurant table while screaming at cast-mate Danielle Staub for her constant lying and general deviousness. The "table flip" became an instant pop culture classic.
Jacqueline Laurita
"Everyone likes to have nice things, but I'm not one to brag about it."
Jacqueline Laurita, born April 26, 1971, is a stay-at-home mother and is married to husband Chris Laurita, brother to both Caroline and Dina Manzo. Together Jacqueline and Chris have two sons: Christopher J. Laurita Jr. (born in 2002) and Nicholas (born in 2009). After several miscarriages and pregnancy scares which she openly and emotionally discussed on the show, Laurita gave birth to Nicholas shortly after the Season 1 Reunion show. Jacqueline also has daughter, Ashley (born in 1990), from a previous marriage. Jacqueline spent most of her childhood and adult life in Las Vegas, where her parents still reside.
Most of the drama of her character revolves around being stuck in the middle of the conflicts between her family (sisters-in-law Caroline and Dina Manzo) and former friend, Danielle Staub. She was friendly with Staub during filming of the first season, but after a highly publicized falling out following the airing, she no longer remains in contact with her.
Laurita will be appearing on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2010, where she will attempt to help a woman take home the one million dollar prize.
Caroline Manzo
"You mess with my family, you're messing with me."
Caroline (née Laurita) Manzo, born August 23, 1959, has been married to husband Albert Manzo for 25 years, co-owner of The Brownstone, an event and catering facility in Paterson, New Jersey. Albert Manzo's brother is the second husband of Caroline's sister and cast mate, Dina Manzo, making the two both sisters and sisters-in-law. The couple have three children: Albert "Albie" Manzo Jr. (born in 1986), Lauren Manzo (born in 1988), and Christopher Manzo (born in 1989). C
aroline is the owner of two businesses: Opus Properties, a real estate firm, and a children’s accessories line. In addition, she serves on the board of her sister Dina’s charity foundation, Project Ladybug.
She, along with most of her cast mates, resides in the affluent town, Franklin Lakes, NJ. Her most memorable line of the first season became a pop culture meme: "Let me tell you something about my family, we are as thick as thieves and we will protect each other until the end." Known to use many sayings such as "thick as thieves" and "you hang out with trash and you start to smell". Her family connections received criticism from Danielle for throwing a fundraiser in the Season 2 premier for the Sherifs Department.
Danielle Staub
"You either love me or you hate me, there is no in between with me."
Danielle Staub, born Beverly Ann Merrill on August 10, 1962, is a divorcee and the mother of two daughters, Christine (born in 1994) and Jillian (born in 1998). Although her reputation is questionable, she is depicted as a caring mother with good intentions, although her actual parenting choices can be questionable. She is very athletic and enjoys exercising with her daughters.
Danielle is among the subjects of a 1995 book entitled Cop Without a Badge by Charles Kipps. The book is based on stories from the life of Danielle's first husband, Kevin Maher, and includes a 1986 mugshot of Danielle (when she was known by her given name, Beverly Ann Merrill). According to the official indictment filed with the United States District Court on July 2, 1986, Beverly Ann Merrill was charged with eight felonies, including extortion, cocaine possession, and narcotics conspiracy. She agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of making a threatening telephone call "with intent to extort money." She also admitted that she had worked as a paid escort. In November 1986, Danielle/Beverly was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to participate in a drug treatment program. The physician supervising that drug treatment program strongly urged at the end of its court-mandated duration that Danielle continue to be monitored because of her previous "severe" drug use. The Smoking Gun has unearthed a 26-page manifesto on Staub's 1986 arrest.
She is the only cast member who entered filming a relative stranger (Caroline, Dina, and Jacqueline being related by blood and marriage and Teresa being a long-time family friend). Shortly before filming, Staub moved into the neighborhood and was immediately widely received with much suspicion. Gossip swirled that she was a "husband stealer", gold-digger, and had been engaged an alleged nineteen times. She was also known to be under much financial stress after divorcing her husband, who was failing to follow through with alimony and child support payments.
Her colorful past was a main focus of Season 1, eliciting much distrust and anger from fellow cast mates, most of all protective Caroline Manzo. Staub was notoriously the most provocative character on the show causing most of the conflict between all of the cast mates. According to vague details given in the Season 1 reunion show, she continued to cause highly contentious controversy among the women after filming had ended, namely Dina Manzo. She was the cause of cast mate, Theresa Giudice's, infamous "table flip" during the Season 1 finale. The incident was an instant pop culture sensation.
Dina Manzo
"If you think I'm a bitch, then bring it on."
Dina (Laurita) Manzo, born March 7, 1971, is a mother, interior decorator, and the founder of the non-profit organization Project Ladybug. She and her family live in the affluent town of Franklin Lakes, NJ. She has been married to Tommy Manzo, co-owner of the event and catering facility The Brownstone, since 2006. Manzo is her second husband. Tommy's brother and business partner is the husband of Dina's older sister and cast mate, Caroline, making the two both sisters and sisters-in-law. Their wedding was featured on the VH1 television show My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding. Dina has a daughter Alexia (born on January 25, 1996) from a previous marriage.
Season 1 focuses on the struggles Dina, like many other mothers, faces as Alexia grows up. Dina's foundation, Project Ladybug, is dedicated to supporting St.Josephs Hospital Paterson and helping children with cancer. An event for the charity was featured in Season 1 of depicting Dina as a Type A control freak who loves to work and get things done her way.
She was constantly in conflict with troublesome cast mate, Danielle Staub, throughout Season 1 causing most of the problems. After filming, the two experienced an even larger falling out than anything that was featured on the show. The issue was mentioned on the reunion show by a sobbing Caroline, but at Dina's behest, no details were given. It remains a mystery exactly what happened.
Dina will be joining other reality stars on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire where they will try to help real housewives win one million dollars sometime in 2010.
Credit: Wikipedia
