A twist of events. Dina Manzo alleged that her sister Caroline Manzo was not originally a part of the Real Housewives of New Jersey cast.
Dina, 48, noted via her Instagram Stories that her sibling was allegedly Dolores Catania’s replacement in the Bravo show’s debut season. She shared the news while reminiscing over throwback shots from the early days of the franchise.
“[Dolores] was supposed to be in season one but backed out,” the Glow by Dina founder wrote on Tuesday, May 12, while sharing a blurry photo with Dolores. “So Caroline took her place.”
A source, however, tells Us Weekly exclusively that Caroline “didn’t take Dolores’ place.” It was “Danielle Staub [who] took Dolores’ place.”
Dolores, 49, has guest-starred on the Real Housewives of New Jersey since its first season in 2009. She officially joined the cast in 2016 when the show was on its seventh season.
Around the time season 7 aired, she opened up about why she decided to give reality TV a go. “It just wasn’t the time for me when it had started and now I feel like I have a story,” she told TooFab in July 2016. “I have something to offer. You know, I’m 45, I’m reinventing myself, my kids are grown and things like that. I have to really find my way now.”
The former corrections officer admitted that being on reality television has felt “so natural” to her. “I want to compare it to, like, a college experience. It’s like my sorority. That’s what it feels like,” she added.
Caroline, for her part, left The Real Housewives of New Jersey after its fifth season wrapped in 2013. From 2014 to 2016, the 58-year-old appeared on a spinoff series titled Manzo’d with Children for three seasons.
The Let Me Tell You Something author claimed in April 2019 that she rejected an offer to return to The Real Housewives world for season 10. “They wanted me back to see how I blend with the women — that’s an insult,” she alleged on the “Dear Albie” podcast, which is hosted by her sons Chris and Albie Manzo. “I helped build that show. I wasn’t the cause of that success, I was part of that puzzle. A very, very important puzzle.”
Caroline continued, “Point is, you don’t insult me like that. You don’t insult me like that by saying, ‘Let’s see how you do.’ You know how I’m going to do. You know how I’m going to blend, and you know what I’m going to bring.”
