The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a series on Bravo that is no stranger to family fallout. The moment Melissa Gorga joined the series as a cast member, her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice decided this was an infringement on her territory. Joe Gorga defending his wife further irritated his sister, who felt that sibling loyalty should come before the ties of marriage. Teresa and Melissa never being able to see their way to being friends had lasting consequences on the series, as the lines in the sand grew so deep that they eventually brought down the whole franchise.
But Teresa wasn't the first cast member whose family drama spilled onto the series. One of the original cast members, Dina Manzo, had her family drama follow her even after leaving the series in an attempt to avoid the fallout. Messy Housewives antics have always gone a little deeper in New Jersey, but Dina's final moments on the series only signaled further family drama to follow.
Dina Manzo's Family Ties to 'RHONJ' Run Deep
Dina and her sister Caroline Manzo were original cast members on RHONJ. Their sister-in-law Jacqueline Laurita was also a cast member, with Dina and Caroline's brother Chris Laurita making occasional appearances. Caroline infamously quipped in the first season: "Let me tell you something about my family. We're thick as thieves, and we protect each other 'til the end." In a recent podcast appearance, Teresa referenced the way the Manzo and Laurita family stuck together to put a united front on for the camera, even if they were fighting behind the scenes. She said the relationship between her and her brother on the series "was terrible," compared to the way that the Manzos never spoke ill of each other, even when they weren't speaking to each other off-camera.
In Season 1 there were discussions about the rumors surrounding the Manzo family having connections to organized crime. Dina and Caroline married brothers Thomas "Tommy" Manzo and Albert Manzo. Dina was married to Tommy during her tenure on the series, but the couple divorced in 2016. Tommy and Albert's father, Albert "Tiny" Manzo was the owner of "The Brownstone," a popular New Jersey catering venue, which would later be used as a filming location for The Sopranos. The tragic circumstances surrounding Tiny's death reinforced rumors that he had connections to organized crime, since his body was discovered in the trunk of his Lincoln Continental with bullet wounds in the chest, and the murder was never solved. The rumors that these connections to organized crime were not wholly in the past seemed confirmed by what happened to Dina once she divorced Tommy and moved on with another man.