Don't let the smiles fool you -- the women of The Real Housewives of New Jersey are back and feistier than ever. With the season five premiere just a couple of months away, Jacqueline, Teresa, Caroline, Melissa, and Kathy put their differences aside to sit for a cast portrait.
Manzo - author of Let Me Tell You Something: Life as a Real Housewife, Tough-Love Mother, and Street-Smart Businesswoman -- assured things would be plenty messy.
"Listen, New Jersey delivers. Trust me, We always think, 'We can't top this here, Can't top that,' and then something happens and we all say, 'Can you believe that just happened?' And there's a lot of that going on this year. A lot of 'Can you believe that just happened' moments."
No doubt some of them involve her relationship with Giudice, with whom she had a blowout fight last season. "I would probably equate it to ice-skating on a lake where half of it, the sun is shining hard on the lake and the other half is solid ice. You don't know what you're skating on," she told Us of where they stand following their tentative reconciliation.
"I wouldn't call it thin ice. I would call it unpredictable. That's a good word. Unpredictable".
The drama makes for good television, but it doesn't make for a great life. "It's exhausting, but it's just a job. It's my job," she told Us. "That's it. Plain and simple, but this year definitely will have literally everyone from one minute to the next, things change that quickly. Highs and lows. It's like a wild ride. You don't know what the hell's going on from one minute to the next."
CLICK TO EMBIGGEN
The “Real Housewives of New York” have confirmed three cast members for the new season, which will begin taping within weeks, after holding out on the ladies all winter.
Ramona Singer, Carole Radziwill and Heather Thomson have signed on the dotted line and will be back for the new season.
They will also walk the blue carpet tonight at the Bravo Upfronts at Pillars 37 Studios in New York.
Shaking in their boots are Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, Aviva Drescher and Sonja Morgan, who the network are still deciding on.
The women are currently in negotiations over money, but Bravo is unsure they want the three to return.
“They may want to round out the cast with fresh meat,” a source tells Confidenti@l.
The cast had been on edge, waiting for the announcements as time ticked away leading to the upfronts.
Bam! Multitasking TV star Nene Leakes, 45, pauses to give Us Weekly the lowdown with 25 things you don't know about her. Catch her on The New Normal finale or on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
1. My favorite housewife is Cynthia Bailey because she's a true sweetheart.
2. But Teresa Giudice of New Jersey is the most entertaining to me -- other than myself
3. When I was growing up, the one thing all my teachers agreed on was that I love to talk. Sometimes what comes up, comes out.
4. I hope to win an Emmy someday.
5. My Yorkie is named Playa.
6. I have a shy side.
7. My favorite childhood movie was Grease.
8. I like to drink water from a wineglass.
9. My celebrity crush is Simon Cowell.
10. I insist on doing my own eyebrows.
11. Christmas season is my favorite time of the year.
12. Whenever I fly, I pray right before takeoff.
13. I absolutely love wearing pajamas.
14. I am a "glam'ma" -- short and fabulous for grandma -- to my son Bryson's 9-month old daughter Bri'asia.
15. In high school, I was a basketball player and a cheerleader.
16. I believe in miracles.
17. I can sing.
18. I love seafood.
19. I attended Atlanta Morris Brown College.
20. One of my favorite thing to do is spend girl time with my closest friends.
21. But I can be a loner too.
22. I would love to play a character that's far away from "NeNe" as possible.
23. I have more than 100 pairs of shoes in my closet.
24. I love heels! I'm 5-foot-10, but I can reach 6-foot-2 in them.
25. My aunt always told me, "Never give up on your dreams." I never did!
NYDailyNews, US, S2S