Atlantic City Weekly

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If you are a fan of the various Real Housewives reality shows, you know that the interaction can really get heated up, whether the setting is New York City, New Jersey, Atlanta, Beverly Hills or Orange County. Whether these same sparks fly when various representatives from the shows come together for the first ever Real Housewives Live Tour is up for debate. What we do know is that the tour kicks off in Atlantic City at Caesars Circus Maximus Theater October. 1.

So what will the ladies be doing onstage? According to Ellen Stone, senior vice president of marketing for Bravo, “Bravo viewers like to truly engage in the shows they are passionate about. With The Real Housewives Live Tour, we are able to give our fans a unique, hands-on experience with their favorite cast members across franchises that they can’t experience anywhere else.”

While fans will get to ask the questions October 1, Atlantic City Weekly had the opportunity to chat with Caroline Manzo (The Real Housewives of New Jersey), who will appear in Atlantic City along LuAnn de Lesseps (The Real Housewives of New York City), Kyle Richards (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) and Vicki Gunvalson (The Real Housewives of Orange County).

Manzo was approached for the show in a sideways manner. The show went to her hair salon looking for New Jersey women who were living a lifestyle that was “over the top.” Manzo admits that, “I was not one of those women named. My sister-in-law Jacqueline [Laurita] was doing a test shoot for the show and she suggested that they come over to my house and here I am.” Manzo’s sister, Dina, was also on the series for the first two seasons.

When I suggested that being real in front of a camera and real life are not quite the same, that some moments might be staged for a bit for more drama, Manzo was quick to shoot down my theory.

“Everything is real. I’m not lying. I wish sometimes it wasn’t. Everything you say, everything you do. Whatever comes out of your mouth … if you really look at [reactions] on the show, on people’s expressions, you cannot make that up.”

When she was approached to do the show and had doubts about whether she wanted to do it, her husband (Albert Manzo) said, "‘Do me a favor. Just be yourself.’ You can’t stumble when you are telling the truth and being yourself.” Go here for audio clip on keeping it real.

New Jersey has often been the butt of jokes and Manzo says the perception is still there. “You know people like to joke about the turnpike and the smell and yada yada yada. When you go on the turnpike there is that smell, but then guess what, you go down the shore, you go see beautiful farmlands, you go apple picking or pumpkin picking. There is nothing more beautiful than New Jersey in the fall. It is a great state with great culture. Think what you want, I like knowing we have the best kept secret.”

Manzo has been a frequent visitor to Atlantic City over the years (”I can’t even count how many times I’ve been there”) but she is really looking forward to the event and isn’t worried about being asked questions she might not want to answer. Go here for audio clip on doing the tour and here about her co-stars.

“We go out and we’re recognized everywhere. People come up to you and you really have to say, ‘Do I know this person?’ because they are so familiar with you and your life and your heartaches. For me [the event] is just a way to say, ‘Here I am in the flesh. Thank you for watching. Thank you for making the show what it is.’ Without the viewing audience, we wouldn’t be here. I think it’s great that Bravo is letting the ‘Bravo-lebrities’ meet with fans on a personal level.”

Since Manzo is a real housewife in New Jersey, Hurricane Irene affected her. “It was awful. I was away but my sister was at the house. Flooding devastated the surrounding towns. I was lucky. I lost a huge tree in my side yard and a smaller tree in my back yard took down a fence, but I had no flooding.”

Speaking of something very real, the Housewives family of shows was certainly affected by the recent suicide of Russell Armstrong, the husband of Taylor Armstrong from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

From Manzo’s perspective, “It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to Taylor, and to a child who lost her dad. You can’t say it is because [of being on the show]. The poor guy was troubled. I’m not going to pin it on anything. It’s not my place [to speculate]. A tortured soul does something like that. I just hope she is loving that baby and moving forward and trying to pick up the pieces of her life.”

Real Housewives Live Tour
Where: Caesars Circus Maximus Theater
When: Saturday, Oct. 1, 3 & 8pm
Tickets: $39.50, $49.50