THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY

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 series, following The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of New York City, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey premiered on May 12, 2009. The five housewives are Teresa Giudice, Jacqueline Laurita, Dina Manzo, Danielle Staub and Caroline Manzo. The series follows five so-called Jersey Girls as they live lavish lifestyles and the drama associated with their lives.


 
The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Teresa Giudice

Teresa Giudice was born in Paterson, New Jersey to Italian-American immigrants. She attended Berkeley College where she majored in Fashion Marketing and Management, but did not graduate with an Associates Degree. After college, she worked in the fashion industry in New York. She is married to Joe Giudice, an entrepreneur also from Paterson. They have three daughters, Gia, Gabriella, and Milania, and are expecting a fourth child. Giudice serves as a committee member for her The Real Housewives of New Jersey co-star Dina Manzos’ “Project Ladybug”. Teresa manages her daughter's acting and modeling career.


Jacqueline Laurita

Jacqueline Laurita 38, is a stay-at-home mother and wife of Chris Laurita for the past six years. They have a six year old son, CJ, and Jacqueline has a 17 year old daughter, Ashley, from a previous marriage. [3] She gave birth to another son, Nicholas, on June 11, 2009, after four miscarriages. (The show is several months behind real life, and as of the June 9, 2009 airing of Season 1, Episode 5, she was not yet pregnant.)

Dina Laurita-Manzo

Dina Manzo is a mother, interior designer, and the founder of the non-profit organization Project Ladybug. She has been married to Tommy Manzo, co-owner of the catering facility The Brownstone, for four years. Dina has a teenage daughter, Alexia, from a previous marriage. Her wedding to Tommy Manzo was featured on the television show "My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding". Manzo's foundation, Project Ladybug, is dedicated to helping children with cancer. Manzo's goal is to one day open “Ladybug Houses” so children diagnosed with cancer, and their families, can have a safe and comfortable place to call home while receiving treatment.

Danielle Staub

Danielle Staub 45, is a single mother of two daughters, Christine and Jillian. Staub attends mass regularly with her daughters. She also enjoys social gatherings, and her co-stars have accused her of being a former party girl. In the first episode, she discussed having phone sex with a man for 2 years, though she never knew his name. Meanwhile, she tries to prove that she is a fit parent after her husband left her. [5] Staub is a subject of ex-husband's autobiography "Cop Without a Badge." The book features a mugshot of Staub from 1986 and accuses her of being arrested for kidnapping, extortion, and drug possession.

Caroline Laurita-Manzo

Caroline Laurita-Manzo has been married to Albert Manzo for 25 years; the couple have three children, Albie, Christopher, and Lauren. She is also the owner of two businesses, Opus Properties, a real estate firm, and 4 My Mom, a children’s accessories line. In addition, she serves on the board of her sister Dina’s foundation, Project Ladybug, and is affiliated with The Carolyn Gable Expect A Miracle Foundation, which helps single mothers.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey Episode Guide

Season 1 - The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Episode number Episode Title Original Air Date Summary
Season Preview "Preview Special" April 7, 2009 Five housewives from New Jersey invite viewers into their indulgent lives.
1 “Thicker Than Water” May 12, 2009 The surprising family bond is revealed between three of the housewives.
2 “Mama Knows Best” May 19, 2009 Danielle tries to befriend Dina, Teresa takes Gia to acting classes, and Jacqueline throws an over the top birthday party for CJ.
3 “Not One of Us” May 26, 2009 The five housewives have a spa day but the festivities soon turn sour. Caroline and Dina pressure Jacqueline to end her friendship with Danielle.
4 “Black & White and Read All Over” June 2, 2009 Dramas center on Danielle when her fellow Jersey girls congregate to dish on her past and Danielle clashes with Teresa's husband. Meanwhile, Teresa struggles to balance her daughter's thespian career and moving into a dream home.
5 “Casinos and C-Cups” June 9, 2009 Dina, Caroline and Teresa journey to Atlantic City for the weekend, but sex dramas surround Teresa when she bickers with her husband and considers getting plastic surgery. In addition, Danielle's relationship with her boyfriend crumbles; and a quaint birthday lunch deteriorates into a monumental cat fight.

6 “Final Dinner” June 16, 2009 Teresa plans her end of the year party for all the ladies.Tensions erupt when secrets and accusations are brought to the table. Danielle tells everyone how she feels and Dina and Caroline finally make Jacqueline choose between family or her friendship with Danielle. Who will she choose and will she make the right choice? The cat fight continues.

DANCING WITH THE STARS ATTRACTS STALKER

A man alleged to be a crazed fan of Olympian Shawn Johnson was arrested Tuesday near the set of Dancing with the Stars. Police later found two loaded guns in the man's car.

Robert O'Ryan, 34, allegedly jumped a fence at CBS Studios in L.A. where the show was filming, but was caught by security. Johnson's mother, Teri, requested and received a temporary restraining order from the L.A. Superior Court on Wednesday.

Approached by security while roaming the studio grounds, O'Ryan admitted he was attempting to meet SHAWN JOHNSON, 17, but after Johnson was contacted and said she didn't know O'Ryan, he changed his story and said he was there to meet Steve-O, according to court documents. No one in Steve-O's group knew O'Ryan, either.

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O'Ryan allegedly told LAPD that he had "packed all his belongings and permanently left Florida to drive out here to be with [Johnson]," Teri Johnson wrote in the request for a restraining order.

Among the disturbing items allegedly found in the man's car: A loaded shotgun, a loaded Colt .45 handgun and Johnson memorabilia.

"This incident has caused us severe emotional distress, we have been on the move ever since and have not been able to rest at all for fear that this disturbed person will attempt to make good on his statements and attempt to harm my daughter and possibly us as well," Teri Johnson added in the papers.

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O'Ryan remains in police custody as of Wednesday. He has been ordered to stay 100 yards away from Johnson, not to communicate with her and not to harass her parents or dancing partner Mark Ballas. Bail has been set at $35,000.

Johnson's rep, Susan Madore, tells PEOPLE in a statement released Wednesday: "The matter has been turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. It is currently an ongoing investigation and we are confident that it will be handled appropriately by all involved."

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British Reality TV Twist - "Their Big Day"

British reality TV star Jade Goody married her fiance Sunday, the latest installment in her very public fight with terminal cancer which has enchanted and unnerved Britons in near equal measure. Jade Goody, 27, who found fame after appearing in the show "Big Brother" in 2002, wed fiance Jack Tweed in a lavish ceremony and reception at a country house hotel north of London, her publicist Max Clifford confirmed.

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Their big day -- media rights were sold for a reported one million pounds (1.1 million euros, 1.4 million dollars) -- was organised in the nine days since Tweed proposed in hospital after her terminal diagnosis. It was a "happy ceremony with lots of tears, lots of smiles, lots of laughter ... (a) very beautiful, very moving service," Clifford said. He added that the bride had taken painkillers to get her through the day.


Jade Goody has defended her decision to live out in the public eye what will likely be her last weeks, saying the money she earned would help provide for her two young sons, aged five and four. "I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll die in front of them," the star, who has lost her hair after chemotherapy for cervical cancer, told last week's News of the World newspaper. "I know some people don't like what I'm doing but at this point I really don't care what other people think. Now, it's about what I want."

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Goody's approach has prompted an agonised debate in Britain about the rights and wrongs of such a public death. Some commentators admire her fortitude and determination to protect her children. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, told Sky News television: "A lot of people say: 'Well, it's better if she did everything in quiet. But I think she's made a decision that she wants the last months of her life to teach people something."

Others, though, see something ghoulish in the volume of newsprint devoted to her in recent days. "There are precedents for the place that Jade Goody occupies in modern British life -- people once used to queue at fairgrounds to watch human freaks," the Guardian newspaper said in an editorial Tuesday. "But her fame really is a story of our own media age."

Even British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has described Goody's plight as a "tragedy", adding: "Everyone who suffers cancer has the thoughts of me, and I think the whole country, over what they've got to go through." Exceptionally, Justice Secretary Jack Straw stepped in to ensure that Tweed, 21 -- freed from jail last month after attacking a teenager with a golf club -- can spend his wedding night with Goody, despite it breaching his bail terms.

Goody's rise to fame underlines the huge popularity that reality television shows have built up in Britain in the last decade. On her first "Big Brother" appearance, the ex-dental nurse from south London came fourth and was best known for her loud mouth and lack of general knowledge, referring to East Anglia, an area of England, as "East Angular." She later released an autobiography and her own perfume before returning as a contestant on "Celebrity Big Brother" in 2007.

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This saw her spend weeks being filmed in a house with contestants including Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who she referred to as "Shilpa Poppadom," sparking a major race row in Britain and India. Jane Goody's career subsequently nose-dived. Last year, she appeared in the Indian version of "Big Brother" -- "Bigg Boss" -- but pulled out after being diagnosed with cancer.

Shetty has said she is "sad" about the news, telling ITV television Thursday: "I really want people to forget the past and I really want them to pray and send her good wishes because that's something that will give her energy."

PARIS HILTON'S BRITISH BEST FRIEND - Proving Stupidity has no borders

As if the original Paris Hilton Best Friend Forever "reality" show wasn't enough. Attention whore, Paris Hilton has franchised her stupidity to include a British Version. Yes, run for the barf bag, there is now a show called "PARIS HILTON'S BRITISH BEST FRIEND"

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Paris Hilton said the aim of ITV2's "PARIS HILTON's BRITISH BEST FRIEND" was to find someone "who had a fun personality someone who was real, someone who looked like they could be a lot of fun, someone I could trust. Someone who enjoys life". "There's a lot of advantages to being my best friend because I'm a lot of fun, I travel the world, I have a great time, especially when I come to London," she said. The winner from the group of contestants - made up of 11 women and one man - has yet to be announced, but Paris claimed they were now "best friends". Although she said her time in London taught her slang terms such as "minger" and "fit" she failed to answer correctly when asked to name the British Prime Minister, claiming she thought it was Gordon Ramsey.

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The first episode of "PARIS HILTON's BRITISH BEST FRIEND" sees Paris fly to London to meet the contestants, who stay in a mansion complete with pink carpets and photos of the Paris Hilton on the walls.

Asked whether Rehab singer Amy Winehouse, 25, was considered, Paris said: "I love her music but I don't know if I could handle that lifestyle." Paris Hilton ruled out Amy Winehouse as an option for her 'British best friend' at the launch of her new TV show aptly named "PARIS HILTON's BRITISH BEST FRIEND".

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"PARIS HILTON's BRITISH BEST FRIEND", starting in the UK this Thursday, sees 12 young hopefuls battling to become "PARIS HILTON's BRITISH BEST FRIEND". The contestants complete various tasks and at the end of each show Paris dismisses the person she thinks is the least capable of being her 'BBF'.

AMERICAN IDOL BIKINI COMPETITION

AMERICAN IDOL has stooped to a new low, during the first episode of the Musical talent show, a BIKINI CLAD KATRINA DARRELL was advanced to the next level of AMERICAN IDOL based almost entirely on her attire.
Now known as the AMERICAN IDOL BIKINI GIRL, KATRINA DARRELL was instantly advanced by the very Randy RANDY and the equally speechless SIMON. PAULA ABDUL vehemently objected to the advancement, although new AMERICAN IDOL JUDGE KARA DIOGUARDI said BIKINI GIRL KATRINA DARRELL had a nice ass.

RELATED BIKINI GIRL LINKS

BIKINI GIRL KATRINA DARRELL advances on AMERICAN IDOL
AMERICAN IDOL BIKINI GIRL KATRINA DARRELL, talented or just window dressing
AMERICAN IDOL BIKINI GIRL KATRINA DARRELL Makes a Splash

Michelle Aguilar Wins Biggest Looser

Here are some Before and after pictures of Michelle Aguilar, the Winner of Biggest Looser 2008


Michelle Aguilar entered The Biggest Loser: Families looking to lose weight and resurrect her relationship with her mother. She left it as a champion.

Aguilar was crowned The Biggest Loser: Families' champion during last night's live finale broadcast of the NBC reality weight-loss series' sixth season. "I'm number one!" Michelle screamed after her victory was announced and the season's 15 other contestants began congratulating her as confetti streamed down on to the finale stage.

The 26-year-old assistant director from Ft. Worth, TX started the competition at 242 pounds and lost 132 pounds for a 45.45% weight-loss percentage, claiming the show's $250,000 grand prize. Aguilar defeated Vicky Vilcan, a 37-year-old anesthetist from Houma, LA, and Ed Brantley, a 31-year-old chef from Raleigh, NC who won The Biggest Loser: Families' home viewer vote to determine the third sixth-season finalist.

During the show's finale, The Biggest Loser host Allison Sweeney revealed that despite Ed's pleas that home viewers send his wife Heba Salama, a 30-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative, to the finale weigh-in, he had won the viewer vote in a "landslide," landing 84% of the vote. While she was disappointed that America had not listened to her husband's pleas, Heba was gracious in defeat. "Everything happens for a reason, we have been so lucky to be on this show that honestly, because we were never here for a paycheck I just wanted the opportunity to be a finalist," Heba said. "It's the economy," Ed joked about the home audience's decision.

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Ed -- who was re-introduced into the competition on Week 7 after he had been eliminated three weeks earlier -- finished as The Biggest Loser: Families' runner-up, starting at 335 pounds and losing 139 pounds for a 41.49% weight-loss percentage. Vicky, who finished just behind Ed in third place, began the competition at 246 pounds and dropped 101 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 41.06%.

Heba's disappointment of making the Top 3 was also short lived, as she went on to win the weigh-in of The Biggest Loser: Families' 13 previously eliminated contestants and claim the consolation weigh-in's $100,000 prize. After starting the as the season's heaviest woman at 294 pounds, Heba dropped 138 pounds for a 46.9% weight-loss percentage that was actually higher than Michelle's winning percentage. The start and finish weights and final weight-loss percentages of the 12 other previously eliminated contestants -- as well as the order in which they were booted from the competition -- were as follows.

Stacey Capers, a 33-year-old contract pricing analyst from Gainesville, VA began the competition at 221 pounds and lost 65 for a weight-loss percentage of 29.41%, while her husband Adam, a 39-year-old contracts manager, began the competition at 340 pounds before dropping 80 for a 23.53% Weight-loss percentage.

Tom "L.T." Desrochers Jr., a 22-year-old cab driver from Everett, MA, began the competition at 314 pounds before dropping 78 for a weight-loss percentage of 24.84%, while his father Tom Desrochers Sr., also a cab driver, began the competition at 357 pounds before losing 87 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 24.37%

Jerry Skeabeck, a 51-year-old police sergeant from Cleveland, OH began the competition at 380 pounds before losing 115 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 30.26%.

Shellay Cremen, a 51-year-old stay-at-home mom from Royal Oak, MI began the competition at 216 pounds before losing 74 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 34.26%.

Amy Parham, a 40-year-old real estate agent from Greer, SC began the competition at 229 pounds before dropping 105 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 45.85%, while her husband Phil began the competition at 331 pounds before losing 151 pounds for a percentage of 45.62%.

Brady Vilcan, a 36-year-old pharmacist from Houma, LA, began the competition at 341 pounds before losing 117 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 34.31%.

Coleen Skeabeck, a 23-year-old receptionist from Cleveland, OH entered the competition weighing 218 pounds before dropping 64 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 29.36%

Amy Cremen, a 26-year-old purchasing department representative from Auburn Hills, MI, entered the competition at 239 pounds before dropping 104 for a weight-loss percentage of 43.51%.

Renee Wilson, a 46-year-old event manager from Fort Worth, TX -- and the mother of the season's champion Michelle -- began the competition weighing 267 pounds before dropping 106 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 39.7%.

The Mole Revealed and Season Overview

Let's take a look at who won, who the Mole was, who lost, how the Mole fooled everyone, and what clues were scattered throughout the season.


Craig is the Mole!
Mark wins the money!
Nicole loses!

I guess it would have been equally great if Craig had won and Mark was the Mole, but this was perfect too. Even though Craig was the Mole, he wasn't evil or nasty about it, which makes this outcome even more satisfying. And Mark? What a great player. He was incredibly smart in the challenges, physically great (who can forget his work on the treadmill?), and did just enough to make people think he might be the Mole (I thought he was guilty for the first few weeks).

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What's most interesting is that Mark almost didn't make it to the final three. Because others (including Paul) suspected Craig early on, Mark actually tied on the quizzes three separate times, and only moved on because the others were slower in their finishing times. That must have been a kick in the head to the other players (especially Victoria). Quite fascinating is the fact that Craig's trip to the hospital was actually real. I wonder how many people thought Craig was the Mole because of this trip? He was probably suspected by a couple of players, but not for reasons he could have controlled.

As for the clues to who the Mole was...well, they ranged from rather obvious to completely obscure and impossible to see. The letters CRG behind Mark in the prison cell, looking back, were really obvious. But longitude and latitude for San Diego (Craig's town) hidden in the logo? Four letter "I" icons behind Clay that pointed to the only guy with glasses? The area codes of the final three hidden in a scene? Gah, that's really hard stuff to figure out, but you'll be damned sure I'm going to look for that stuff if there's another season (it's very cool that a couple of the audio oddities we picked up on - the alien sound and the baby crying - actually were clues, though the baby was a clue in a different way than we thought).

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And what about another season? This finale proved that this is a reality show that really does deserve to be on the air. It proved that there can be a clever reality show that the viewers at home can actually play along with, one that's a little more civilized than the other reality shows, regardless of how nasty and annoying one or two of the contestants can be. I really hope we see another edition next season.