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Kim D Confirms Al Manzo’s Affair with Mistress Jill; Caroline Manzo Says It’s Foolish for Her to Think Al’s Been Faithful for 32 Years
Caroline Manzo told Andy Cohen at the season 5 reunion that it is “foolish for her to think that her husband Al has been faithful for 32 years.”
“For me to think that he has been completely faithful for 32 years, I think is a foolish way to think.” – Caroline Manzo, Season 5 Reunion Special (Video Preview)
The reunion was taped on September 4, 2013; FW broke the story about Al’s long-time mistress Jill six weeks earlier, on August 16, 2013. So perhaps Caroline had no choice but to make that statement.
Kim D was busy tweeting on September 29, 2013 about Al’s mistress Jill, and she took some digs at Caroline because of the comments she made about Kim D in the final episode for season 5.
The following are Kim D’s tweets on September 29th.
Kim DePaola @KimDPosche
@CarolineManzo is a liar, living a fake life with a cheating husband and a disjointed family. Do not buy into this affectation !!A Dubrow Parody @TheFauxCollette
@KimDPosche @CarolineManzo big red, please tell Al to ask Jillian how she is doing nowadays #RHONJ
Retweeted by Kim DePaolakristen @kdunc32
@KimDPosche Looks like the Manzo family are not
“Thick as thieves” any longer
#RHONJ #Jill the mistress
Retweeted by Kim DePaolaKim DePaola @KimDPosche
Shout out to @kdunc32 !! A true insight to the actual @CarolineManzoKim DePaola @KimDPosche
Hey @CarolineManzo, don’t you dare question my integrity. Where did you get off with this sense of entitlement little lady ??Kim DePaola @KimDPosche
Shut up @CarolineManzo . You wouldn’t know a happy family if it slapped you in your lying face. Go try talking to some of your siblings.Kim DePaola @KimDPosche
@CarolineManzo , you can wave your finger in many faces but not mine young lady. It’s time you get back into your place and watch your mouth.Kim DePaola @KimDPosche 2
I own up to my actions and face the music. @CarolineManzo lies through her teeth and is no better than the rest of us. Believe me.
As reported at FW on August 16, 2013, a source exclusively revealed that Al has been cheating on Caroline for the past five or six years with a woman named Jill, and Caroline has known about the affair for three or more years, catching them numerous times, even at The Brownstone apartment. The source also said that the affair is an open secret (in their circle of friends – Al’s, Caroline’s and Jill’s – “everyone knows” about it) and that the apartment above The Brownstone (rumored to be Al’s love nest) is not the only place where Al and Jill, who is 46-48 years old, spend time together (he also spends time with her at her home in Glen Rock, NJ).
During the taping of season 5, a FW source revealed that producers tried to use Penny Drossos-Karagiorgis to make Al’s cheating a storyline, but Penny declined and explained that “she doesn’t attack without first being attacked” and said that the Manzos have never done anything negative to, or said anything negative about, her or her family, unlike Melissa Gorga.
My source explained:
“Producers interviewed Penny as a potential new housewife or friend of a housewife in August 2012, and they told her that they wanted her to go after Melissa and Caroline (Melissa cheating on Joe; Al cheating on Caroline). Penny told producers she would ‘bring it’ when it comes to Melissa because Melissa attacked her family and her business, and Teresa deserves the truth, but she refused to give them anything on Al because the Manzos never did anything to her.”
That all changed at the grand opening of Posche 2 on March 30, 2013 (the season 5 finale) when production and the cast ambushed Penny and her husband John (Joe Gorga and the Lauritas also physically assaulted John).
According to a FW source:
After the ambush and assault, Caroline yelled at Penny, “You did this! This is all your fault! I hope you’re happy about getting in between a brother and sister!” Penny screamed back, “Fuck you, you old hag! And you’re all wrong! I was trying to protect you because I felt sorry for you!” Penny then brought up Al Manzo’s affair, even mentioning his mistress by name, however, this footage did not make the final cut because Caroline ranted and raved until producers agreed to edit it out.
A source told E! News on September 27, 2013 that if Caroline stayed on RHONJ, “there’s no way she would be able to keep the rumors about Al cheating quiet, and she knows it,” which is why she is leaving the show for a spinoff:
“Caroline wants out because she knows if she stays on the show, it’s only a matter of time before rumors of Al’s cheating becomes a storyline this season. The new girl, Penny, made allegations during filming this past season that Al had a history of cheating, but they were cut. They’re letting her leave RHONJ and give her a spinoff attempt. The spinoff will be light-hearted and family-oriented, which is the image Caroline wants to protect. Bravo is very protective of Caroline and wants to keep her happy.”
A year ago, in her September 25, 2012 Bravo blog for the season 4 finale, Teresa blogged about Penny and her salon where the finale was taped a year earlier, on September 27, 2011:
“Am I friends with the people who owned the salon? No. It’s owned by Johnny Karagiorgis (@JohnnyTheGrk on Twitter) and his wife Penny Drossos (@PDKhair). I’ve met them at a few of my appearances, and they seem nice enough. I know they like me, I just don’t know them very well. I only heard after the fashion show that Penny and Melissa don’t get along, but like I said last week, I can’t keep up with everyone in our town that doesn’t like Melissa! All I can do is tell people not to talk about my family and excuse myself from the situation, which I do every time, even to Kim D! I have heard since then that Penny used to be a special needs teacher and has a Special Needs day every week at her salon where she pampers kids and adults with special needs, which is pretty amazing.”
Ilana Angel interviewed Penny in June 2012. The following is an excerpt (she doesn’t actually quote Penny; instead, she gives a summary of what they talked about):
“Penny worked for many years as special education teacher, specializing in kids with autism. She loved her work but found that when she had her own children, she lost some of patience. At that point she decided to leave teaching and go into hairdressing. Just because she changed careers, she was unable to walk away from the students she loved so much. Every Tuesday is Special Needs Day at Penny’s salon. She welcomes children and adults to the salon to get their hair done. They can enjoy the pampering and hang out in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Some of the ‘kids’ who come are the same student Penny taught years ago. They are now young adults and Penny loves them now as she did then, completely.”
BTW, Jacqueline titling her Bravo blog, “Penny Taught Autism,” exemplifies her immaturity and viciousness (and both she and Kelly Ripa should be ashamed of their appearances on WWHL after episode 17 premiered). Penny was surrounded by the Lauritas, Wakilies, Gorgas and the entire Manzo family, and she was caught off guard by the ambush (the only reason Albie and Christopher were at this event in a hair salon and boutique is because they knew an ambush was planned). Penny and her husband John were told by the cast that they all had made peace, and they were asked by production and cast to attend the Posche 2 event at the Moxie Salon to celebrate along with them (Penny came with John but production would not allow him to enter until more than an hour later, after Penny was besieged). So all things considered, Penny held her own quite well against the mob (remember that during episode 18 Joe Gorga, wearing his fighting cap, asked where Penny’s husband was, and Richie told him, “Wait for her husband to show up, buddy”). It should be obvious to everyone that when Penny was confronted with the lie by Jacqueline about John tweeting that Nicholas doesn’t have autism, Penny was saying, or meant to say, “I taught autistic children” or “I taught children with autism.” [FW Source] [FW Source] [FW Source]
Finally, the Gorgas, Lauritas and Manzos are attributing to John Karagiorgis things that FW blogged about, including several blogs about the Lauritas using autism as a platform to promote blk and one blog about Joe Gorga selling his parents home out from under them (he was the one to mention it during season 4, and I researched it and blogged about it – it is currently “private” but may be made “public” again sometime soon). The Lauritas and Bravo/Sirens know full well that John did not tweet anything about those topics, so they blatantly lied to viewers and slandered John.
Manzos and Lauritas Use “Autism Awareness” to Sell Blk and Draw Customers to Cafface; Is Blk “Giving Back” the Way Signature Apparel Was Supposed to Give Back to the Susan G. Komen Foundation?
The Manzos and Lauritas are using autism to sell blk. On April 5, 2013, they teamed up with House of Sports to “to knock-out autism.” In addition to signage for blk prominently featured at the event, there were plenty of cases of blk stacked in the gymnasium with “generation rescue, hope for recovery” and “blk is giving back” printed on the bottles. Registrants at the event were required to make a $10 “donation.”
How is blk. “giving back,” as indicated on the bottle? Is Blk Beverages LLC giving back the same way the Laurita’s now bankrupt company, Signature Apparel LLC, was supposed to give back to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation? On June 22, 2010, the Komen foundation filed a “proof of claim” against Signature Apparel Group, LLC in the amount of $18,000 for failing to honor a marketing agreement. According to Faux Reality Entertainment:
“The marketing agreement stated that Signature Apparel was to pay the Susan G. Komen Foundation 10% of sales on certain shirts with pink logos and/or insignia for a guaranteed donation of $18,000. Signature Apparel failed to make the guaranteed payment to Susan G. Komen Foundation. In fact, what the Susan G. Komen Foundation did not know is that Signature Apparel was being stripped of all its assets; and less than two months after entering into the marketing agreement with the Komen Foundation, creditors asked the courts to stop Signature Apparel from defrauding further creditors.”
Albie Manzo @AlbieManzo 3 Apr
Come join me and the rest of RHONJ @houseofsportsny this fri to Knockout Autism! $10 donation to register Call 914-479-5419 for details!
Retweeted by Chris Laurita
Joy @JoyDeMello
The @houseofsportsny teaming up with @AlbieManzo @chris_manzo @chris_laurita @JacLaurita to raise Awareness for Autism was outstanding.
7:38 PM – 5 Apr 13
houseofsports @houseofsportsny 5h
Amazing event at the house of sports with the real housewives of nj! Lets all wrk together to knock-out autism.
houseofsports @houseofsportsny 8h
@blkbeverages and @AlbieManzo in the House!!!! @JacLaurita and cast in route!!! pic.twitter.com/gDWg2zaXub
Jacqueline Laurita @JacLaurita 4 Apr
RHONJ will be there! XOXO! “@houseofsportsny: HUGE weekend at HoS! Starts 2morrow w/ Knockout Autism & C u there! pic.twitter.com/vrRtFJ8vgX”
houseofsports @houseofsportsny 4 Apr
HUGE weekend at HoS! Starts 2morrow w/ Knockout Autism & @JacLaurita @melissagorga @AlbieManzo & Co. C u there! pic.twitter.com/3l4gd4VJuQ
Albie Manzo @AlbieManzo 4 Apr
Crazy excited for tomorrow!!! @houseofsportsny team has been awesome to work with. Come help us raise money for @genrescue!!!!
juliusmichael @JuliusMichael 4 Apr
Who’s coming out to meet #RHONJ & support autism awareness @houseofsportsny tomorrow at 6:00pm $10.00 donation @KathyWakile @melissagorga
Retweeted by houseofsports
Also under the guise of charity, Lauren Manzo is promoting the one year anniversary of her beauty bar, Cafface. Throughout April 2013, if you come into Cafface, Lauren will give you blue hair extensions for a $10 donation to support autism.
Jacqueline Laurita @JacLaurita 30 Mar
I’m coming in today!! XOXO! “@Cafface: Autism Unites Us… Come to Cafface the whole month of April!!!
Cafface Beauty Bar @Cafface 30 Mar
Come to Cafface the whole month of April to support Autism! Blue hair starts today!! #autismunitesus
Cafface Beauty Bar @Cafface 30 Mar
you don’t have to make appointments for the blue hair! Just come on in
As for their son Nicholas, Chris Laurita says, “He keeps progressing, and then regressing, but he’s doing so well. We’re really happy with his progress. He’s a great little boy.” – People magazine, April 5, 2013
In the September 3, 2012, issue of People Magazine, Jacqueline announced that Nicholas is autistic, and she said that once he began to speak, Nicholas would always say, ‘I love you Mommy’ but, at 18 months, he stopped saying ‘I love you.’ She reiterated this at the season 4 reunion when Andy showed a montage of Nicholas as a perfectly normal child. The montage ended with a voice-over of Nicholas telling his mommy that he loves her, which, according to Jacqueline, he isn’t able to do anymore because he has ‘regressed’ and doesn’t really speak too much these days. Jacqueline was downright hysterical by the end of the segment — she sobbed (without tears) into her hands while Caroline Manzo consoled her, assuring her that Nicholas would be able to say those words to her again one day.
Jacqueline told Luxury Report Magazine (also published here) on December 1, 2012, that unlike last season, she is planning to address her son Nicholas’ autism diagnosis on the show this year:
“Obviously our son’s diagnosis is out in the open now. It’s nothing we were ever ashamed of; we only wanted to respect our child’s privacy, since we had not received an actual diagnosis yet. We wanted a diagnosis and a treatment plan in place first, so that people couldn’t speculate on what his issues were before we ourselves actually knew and got a handle on what it was ourselves. Taking care of our child’s needs is obviously a huge priority in our lives, so we would be addressing it on the show, however, it will be addressed with the intentions of bringing awareness to Autism, and to help people to understand and relate to the challenges that we go through as parents, as we works towards to recovering our child. I’m not comfortable, however, with making a spectacle out of my son, so I would hope that Bravo would be sensitive and respectful regarding how they present and expose him in front of the camera. I have faith that Bravo will be sensitive to the matter because they did respect our wishes last season and did not focus primarily on my son while he seemed to regressing and slipping away. Bravo respected that it was an extremely sensitive issue that our family was dealing with, and we are very grateful and appreciative of that.”
In an August 9, 2011 article (the same month Nicholas was diagnosed with autism) published by Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes Patch (Manzo-Laurita Family Strikes Black Gold With Blk), Albie Manzo made claims that blk. helped an autistic child:
Manzo admits he was skeptical of the claims at first and he doesn’t quite understand the science, but the more he drinks it — he downs a bottle a day — and the more he hears from satisfied customers, the more he believes in blk. One case in particular, he told Patch, has really assured him of the product’s potential: A mother gave her autistic son blk. to drink, thinking its unique color might get him drinking more water. The boy not only drank it, he loved it, but the amazing part, he started behaving. The mother reached out to Albie, shocked, who sent her two more cases to try. Her son is stimming less and listening and following directions more. The difference, she told Manzo, is unbelievable.
Blackwater and Autism — The Lauritas Use Autism as a Platform to Promote Blk; Jacqueline Admits She’s In It for the Money!
Wearing their blk shirts, the Lauritas give Nicholas blk to drink (blatant product placement in the scene) and say:
Chris: He’s come a long way. I’m 100% sure we’ll recover him.
Jacqueline: If you look back six months, he’s really accomplished a lot.
On November 27, 2012, Jacqueline told Radar Online exclusively why she struggled with coming back for another round of fights on reality TV:
Signing up for more yelling, name calling and spats with Teresa Giudice was a yes for Jacqueline for a simple reason: money. “Several things make me stay,” she exclusively told RadarOnline.com friend Tom Murro. “Contracts and the money of course.” As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Housewives contracts can be lucrative, earning six figures a season and for NeNe Leakes up to $1 million a season! Jacqueline has another motive that she says is why she’s opening up for more drama – being able to bring attention to Autism, a cause near to her heart because of her son Nicholas’ diagnosis. “I know my son will get so much help and support from others. And as much as much as it helps us, we can help others in a big way. We can use the platform to raise awareness and do so much good.“
On November 21, 2012, according to Tom Murro’s source (he is a friend to the Manzo/Laurita camp, so Jacqueline is the source):
“Jax is struggling with starting to film and keeps putting it off. A part of her is afraid to take the time away from her children. Especially Nicholas who really needs her focus. As much as she wants to share her journey with others, she doesn’t want it to distract her from her kids.”
According to Wetpaint, Jacqueline shared the following with Parenting Magazine in November 2012:
Since her son Nicholas was diagnosed with autism about a year ago, she has been tracking his progress, often tweeting updates to fans whenever her little one learns how to say another word. And although Jac is holding out for the day when Nick will say, “I love you” again, she’s proud of every bit of progress he makes — no matter how small it may seem. Last week, Nick said “mommy” and Jacqueline couldn’t help but share her excitement. On November 18 Jacqueline tweeted, “Tonight Nicholas said, ‘Mommy, come! Mommy come on, Mommy …lollipop.’ (He knows how 2 get what he wants) Lollipops & cookies r his reinforcers.” What’s more is that Jacqueline always remains confident in her son’s abilities, and she’s aware patience is important. “Nicholas can say some words now! No real functional language yet but he’ll get there! We look 4ward 2 his accomplishments daily,” she shared on November 18. Starting in February, Jacqueline will be sharing Nick’s progress in articles for Parenting Magazine.
Cast members of Bravo TV’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey hosted a blk. water tasting event on at Stacks Pancake House in Paramus on Saturday. Caroline Manzo and her sons, Albie and Chris Manzo, along with Jacqueline Laurita and her husband, Chris, appeared at the event and are partners in Blk. Beverages. Visitors enjoyed taste-testings, photos and autographs with the Housewives and their families. A portion of the proceeds from this event are being donated to Autism Speaks. – NorthJersey.com and WycoffPatch.com, November 19, 2012
FameWhorgas received an e-mail (the source requested to remain anonymous) which supports the suspicion that the Lauritas are using Nicholas’ autism diagnosis to sell blk, and that the timing of Jacqueline’s announcement in People magazine (about Nicholas’ diagnosis) was coordinated with a fulvic acid study using the blk product to test for “beneficial changes” in children with autism.
Here was the original e-mail sent to FameWhorgas about the alleged blk scam on parents with autistic children:
I realize this is a little late in relation to your article on the suspicious timing of Jac’s announcement of her son’s diagnosis but I have some FACTS about her manipulation and using her son to pimp out BLK water. My son has Autism. We are always willing to try new things to see if they helped alleviate his symptoms. Earlier this year (April, May or June) an autism organization that we are affiliated with asked for volunteers for a “fulvic acid” study. Of course we were willing to volunteer. We received a case of BLK water. Then after giving my son the suggested “dosage amounts” I was to document any behavioral differences.
This was the e-mail sent at the end of the “study”:
As we have reached the end of the fulvic acid study using the blk product, I needed a few things from you to wrap up the findings.
Please complete a post study ATEC so that we can compare any changes during the timeframe using the product. I have attached the link to the survey below. Please share any comments or feedback about the product used during the study.
We truly appreciate your time and cooperation during this study. If you have any questions or concerns at any time, please feel free to contact me directly.
During the study;
1. Did you see any beneficial changes in the health in your child?
2. Did you see any beneficial changes in the behaviors in your child?
3. Did you experience any problems in your child taking the blk beverage?
4. Overall, what are your comments regarding the blk beverage product?
5. Would you recommend this product to another family? If yes, why? If no, why?
The above was sent at the beginning of July. The Lauritas wanted the results of their study in time for the People magazine article. This is all one big scam to get people to buy BLK water, and Jacqueline is using her son’s autism diagnosis [and unsuspecting, vulnerable parents of children with autism] to do it!!!!!!!!!
I can provide emails as proof….unlike Jac, I am not afraid to BE HONEST!
Here are the rest of the e-mails that were forwarded by the source to FameWhorgas:
The Fulvic Acid Case Study
March 26, 2012
We appreciate your patience as we finalized the details for our fulvic acid study. I needed to follow up with you to find out if you are interesting in participating. If you still would like to participate, please respond to be considered as a part of the study. Again, thank you for your patience.
Please send me your address that you would like product sent to.
April 24, 2012 5:02 PM
Subject: product shipped- dosage recommendations, please read carefully
Hello Everyone,
Thank you for your patience. I just found out that the blk product is shipping out today. You should receive your supply as early as this Thursday. Please let me know when you receive your product. I do want everyone to start administering on the same start date. We should be able to start this Saturday, April 28th, if everyone receives their product in time.
Here is the recommended dosage, you can give in small increments throughout the day, with or without food.
Kids 30 – 40 lbs. = 8 ounces daily
Kids who weigh 40 to 50 lbs. = 10 ounces daily
Kids who weigh 50 – 70 lbs. = 12 ounces daily
Kids who weigh 70+ lbs. = 16.9 ounces daily
Again, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time.
Thank you for your participation. I look forward to your feedback.
May 02, 2012 12:55 PM
Subject: product delivery
Hello,
Everyone should have received your blk (fulvic acid) product by now. You may go ahead and start using the dosage recommendations.
Again, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time.
Thank you for your participation. I look forward to your feedback.
May 30, 2012 1:37 PM
Subject: end of fulvic acid study
Hello Everyone,
As we have reached the end of the fulvic acid study using the blk product, I needed a few things from you to wrap up the findings.
Please complete a post study ATEC so that we can compare any changes during the timeframe using the product. I have attached the link to the survey below;
http://www.autism.com/index.php/ind_atec_survey
Please send me the results directly as the cc’ option does not always work. Also I need you to please complete the short questionnaire below. Please share any comments or feedback about the product used during the study.
We truly appreciate your time and cooperation during this study. If you have any questions or concerns at any time, please feel free to contact me directly.
During the study;
1. Did you see any beneficial changes in the health in your child?
2. Did you see any beneficial changes in the behaviors in your child?
3. Did you experience any problems in your child taking the blk beverage?
4. Overall, what are your comments regarding the blk beverage product?
5. Would you recommend this product to another family? If yes, why? If no, why?
June 18, 2012 6:58 PM
Subject: fulvic acid study close
Hello,
I needed to follow up to find out where you are with the blk product. If you have completed the 21 days, I need you to please complete a post ATEC and the post questions. I am attaching the questions as well as the link to the survey.
http://www.autism.com/index.php/ind_atec_survey
Please let me know if you have any questions or need any other information.
The People Magazine article titled Jacqueline Laurita: My Son Has Autism was in the September 3, 2012 issue (with the online article dated August 22, 2012). The other article in the same issue (Vol. 78 No. 10) was titled Jacqueline Laurita: Fighting for My Autistic Son.
The following is an August 2011 article from Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes Patch which makes you wonder about the Manzo’s and Laurita’s true intentions for announcing that Nicholas has autism — it appears they are positioning themselves to use autism as a platform to promote blk.
Manzo-Laurita Family Strikes Black Gold With Blk.
Franklin Lakes men leverage RHONJ fame to launch a new calorie- and caffeine-free, all natural health and energy drink. Blk. — an energy (and everything) drink that is the new business venture of the Manzo brothers — gets its color from a chemical reaction between fulvic acid and spring water.
By Rebecca K. Abma
August 9, 2011
When Ramapo High School alum Albie Manzo’s law school dreams fell apart during last season’s Real Housewives of New Jersey the Franklin Lakes resident admits he didn’t know what to do next.
Naturally, he applied to other law schools, and was dismayed that he wasn’t accepted. After one particularly good interview he found out why: The RHONJ limelight cast an unfavorable hue on his applications.
“Schools were afraid to take a chance on me coming back because of the high visibility of the show,” Manzo told Patch. “I was very discouraged and didn’t know what I would do.”
This apparent “black” listing may prove to be his lucky color: it matches his new venture, the health beverage blk., which has been flying off shelves across the country since its launch this spring.
blk., or black water as it was called when Albie and his uncle Chris Laurita discovered it last year at the food show in New York, is Canadian spring water infused with fulvic acid, a natural nutrient-rich compound that has been used in alternative healing circles for centuries.
The beverage’s black color comes from a chemical reaction between the water and fulvic acid, and is part of the drink’s allure.
“The color is what gets people listening in the first place,” Albie said.
The health and energy boosting benefits, however, is what keeps people drinking it. He said it leaves him feeling refreshed, like he’d gotten a solid eight-hours night’s sleep.
In typical Manzo-Laurita style, the entire family supports the business. Both Chris and Albie Manzo work on the business end of the company, along with their Uncle Chris Laurita, who is a partner in the venture. Manzo mom Caroline and aunt Jacqueline have helped out on the promotion end with public appearances (just this weekend, they gave samples at Corrado’s in Wayne).
But it was a Canadian family who “invented” blk., both accidentally and out out of necessity. About four years ago, the mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and was sick and weak from chemotherapy. In search of something to make her feel better, her children took to the internet seeking alternative treatments and holistic remedies when they discovered the free-radical scavenger known as fulvic acid.
They mixed it with spring water, and it turned black. They gave this black water to their mom. She drank it and felt better. So she kept drinking it. Four years later, she is not only alive but thriving. And while they wouldn’t go so far as to say the water cured her, they believe it restored her strength and increased her stamina to keep fighting.
The family thought the black water was a pretty cool product, so they decided to package it and sell it, which lead them to the food show, where the Manzo-Laurita family found them.
Albie and Chris attended the show on a mission to find something new and different to market using their RHONJ celebrity. They left with several leads, but after researching fulvic acid and meeting with the family in Vancouver, they narrowed the field down to black water, changed its name to blk. and created its sleek, eye-catching packaging.
“They were the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Manzo said. “Then we started drinking the water every day and I felt completely different, physically. I was sold.”
Considering what is at the core of the beverage and its effects, its commercial appeal isn’t surprising. Fulvic acid is mined from prehistoric sediment and been dubbed a “miracle molecule.” The list of ailments it is said to cure is endless and its medicinal history is timeless. Ayervedic medicine calls it shilajit (or salajeet), a rejuvenating agent believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and anti-aging properties.
In western medicine, fulvic acid is being investigated as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, thyroid conditions, diabetes, eye problems, ulcers, AIDS, cancer and a host of other conditions.
A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that in the laboratory fulvic acid not only inhibits intracelluar Tau protein tangles formation but also may reverse existing tangles. (Simply put, these tangles are a measurement of the neuro-cognitive-degenarative process and a key stage in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.)
“Fulvic acid is likely to provide new insights in the development of potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease using natural products,” the study authors concluded.
Manzo admits he was skeptical of the claims at first and he doesn’t quite understand the science, but the more he drinks it — he downs a bottle a day — and the more he hears from satisfied customers, the more he believes in blk.
One case in particular, he told Patch, has really assured him of the product’s potential: A mother gave her autistic son blk. to drink, thinking its unique color might get him drinking more water. The boy not only drank it, he loved it, but the amazing part, he started behaving. The mother reached out to Albie, shocked, who sent her two more cases to try. Her son is stimming less and listening and following directions more. The difference, she told Manzo, is unbelievable.
As is the product’s commercial success, Manzo said.
“It is blowing off the shelves across the country,” he said, noting Wegman’s picked up distribution of it early on. “We literally couldn’t believe that people grasped on to it as quickly as they did.”
In the Franklin Lakes area, you can find it on the shelves at Food Town in North Haledon and Corrado’s in Wayne, and it will soon be available in ShopRite, A&P and King’s.
A 15-oz. bottle of blk. retails for $2.49, which Manzo noted is priced matched to the popular coconut water health drinks, blk.’s biggest competitor. Since blk. is only water and fulvic acid, it has zero carbs or calories and no caffeine.
For more on blk. and its history, visit blkbeverages.com.
Here are some comments on the article from that website:
gesu said on Monday, August 13, 2012
Unfortunately, the body does not require fulvic acid and simply excretes as it would any other dirt in your water. This is disgusting to give people false hope that it will cure their various ailments. Think about it. If it were so good, why do Chris, Caroline, Jacqueline and Greg look like crap? They are bloated and full of acne. Please check that any supplement has been approved by the F.D.A. This Blk water has not.
denise in austin said on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
There have always been snake oil salesmen and there always will be snake oil salesmen. And as PT Barnum famously said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Save your money, people.
denise in austin said on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Here’s an article where a doctor debunks blk’s heath claims:
http://www.self.com/health/blogs/healthyself/2011/09/black-water-dont-believe-the-h.html
PP said on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
I’ve tasted the blk. and I don’t like it. It tastes like bad tap water. So, if you can get it down, then the health benenfits might pay off. Good luck. Interesting article to follow up on:
denise in austin said on Friday, July 20, 2012
It’s not a matter of being negative nor is it a matter of slander as we’re all just giving our opinions on a message board. It is just that the health claims of blk black water have already been disproved by medical doctors. If you want to waste your hard-earned money on snake oil to make the Manzos rich, that’s your business, but it’s hardly “slander” to call it snake oil when medical doctors have already debunked it. Here’s the article if you want proof:
http://www.self.com/health/blogs/healthyself/2011/09/black-water-dont-believe-the-h.html
Ike said on Monday, July 30, 2012
This water is a sham. Not only is it not beneficial, its proven to be toxic if a lot of levels. If anything get vitamin water…thats a gimmick too but vitamin A and C and E are vital nutrients. This stuff these frauds are selling is useless and people backing them is laughable. And when they go bankrupt at another venture, hope u realize your NJ taxes will pay their debts.
Ultraworld said on Sunday, August 5, 2012
I also think this is a sham, an expensive sham. They charge $2.49 for 15oz. The water is free & the small amount of Fulmic acid costs very little. The bottle is the most expensive component. A bottle of BLK can’t cost more than $0.25 to manufacture, and they have the nerve to charge $2.49. 500% profit? Suckers.
Tina said on Thursday, September 27, 2012
You don’t have to wait until it comes to you. Go to a health food store or search out on the internet on where you can buy the fulvic acid then mix it with water. They are making too much money on something everyone can do themselves. Why not keep your money in your pocket. They put it in a plastic bottle. I wonder what kind of plastic they are using and is that toxic. They haven’t mentioned that yet. We can do it our selves.
FAMEWHORGAS 