The Prophecy of Caroline Manzo: In 2011, She Predicted Joe Giudice Would Pay the “Ultimate Price” for Teresa “Wanting It All”

This blog post was originally published on August 10, 2013.

Caroline Manzo predicted in a testimonial (TH) during season 4 episode 13 – which was taped in 2011 – that Teresa Giudice would leave her husband if he goes to prison and then she would write a tell-all book for the sole purpose of making money.

“Prediction: Something may happen where someone has to go somewhere. Teresa’s going to have to pull herself up on her bootstraps and take over. She’ll say, ‘You know what, I tried. I stood by him, but I have to divorce him now. And I’m gonna show my daughters what it’s like to be strong and independent on your own and survive.’ There’s a book in there – you heard it here first!”

Caroline also said that Teresa pushed Juicy to his limit “trying to keep up with the Gorgas;” and, as a result, he will pay the “ultimate price” for Teresa “wanting it all”:

“Teresa wants it all, and I think that the demands she put on him led him to make decisions that weren’t the best. And I think he resents her for it, and he’s going to pay the ultimate price for it.”

By “ultimate price,” Caroline means Juicy will be going to prison.

Caroline implied in her June 4, 2012, Bravo Blog that if it wasn’t for Teresa’s demands, Juicy would be a “fun, carefree man, happy to be living in a cardboard box”:

“I also meant what I said about him being a shell of the man I met a few years ago. The Joe I remember was fun, carefree. I truly believe that back then he didn’t need more than a good cigar, a bottle of homemade wine, and his family and friends around him to be happy. The guy could live in a cardboard box and be happy. Something changed along the way, and he’s become bitter, guarded. Sad, we all miss the old Joe. I’m not saying this for brownie points, or to be politically correct. I mean this sincerely.”

Us Weekly ran a story on May 29, 2012, which was very similar to what Caroline said in her season 4 episode 13 testimonial. Here’s the quote from a ‘show source’:

“If Joe goes to jail, there will be sympathy for her. And she’ll get a spinoff about life as a single mom. She’ll do a book deal, too: ‘My Life Without Joe’ or something like that.”

Caroline went on WWHL the night season 4 episode 13 premiered on July 22, 2012, and defended her comments. Below is the Bravo video link for Caroline’s prediction that Juicy will go to prison (season 4 episode 13) plus the video of Caroline’s appearance on WWHL where she expands on her prediction.

http://www.bravotv.com/watch-what-happens-live/season-7/videos/carolines-prison-prediction

Also during season 4, Chris Laurita said “someone will have to take the fall” when he and Jacqueline were discussing whether or not Teresa would go to jail. He was emphasizing, like his sister Caroline, that Juicy was going to take the fall for Teresa’s desire to live the good life.

Furthermore, during season 4, Jacqueline implied that the Giudice’s marriage was on the rocks, saying, “Joe and Teresa are both leading separate lives.” This is very similar to what a ‘show source’ told Us Weekly on May 18, 2012:

“A ‘show source’ told Us Weekly that what’s shown on TV only scratches the surface of the Giudice family’s unhappy home. ‘They’re so dysfunctional that it’s all starting to come out,’ said the ‘show source’ of Teresa and Joe.

In her Bravo blog, Teresa addressed Jacqueline’s on-camera gossip that she and Juicy lead separate lives:

“No, we don’t lead ‘separate lives.’ I have no idea why Jacqueline would bring up that rumor — she seems to love to bring up crazy rumors on camera about everyone else. Not very nice, and definitely not true. Joe still does and always has lived in our house (he’s never had a separate ‘work apartment’ or anything), and he sleeps in our bed with me every night.”

In an obscure October 11, 2012 interview by Chaunce Hayden, Rosie Pierri reiterated what Caroline said earlier in June and July 2012 about Juicy being “a shell of the man” he used to be because “Teresa wants it all” – Rosie actually said, “I think my cousin ruined him.”

“I like Joe a lot. He was a respectable guy. I think, in my opinion, I think my cousin ruined him. I never seen Joe angry back then. After 20 years gone by, I don’t know, I really shouldn’t say, it’s just my opinion. Maybe I’m wrong, and that’s fine. I think the man tried, tried, tried, tried, tried, and she’s like, ‘I want this! I want that! I want this!’ – Rosie Pierri, October 11, 2012

Sylvia Smith on 2013/08/09 at 2:56 PM at Fame-Whorgas commented that Jacqueline and others spent the entire season 4 trying to trick Teresa into revealing on camera what could be incriminating information:

I think it’s no coincidence that Jacqueline especially, but probably the others, spent the entire season 4 trying to trick Teresa into revealing on camera what could be incriminating information. There was no reason on earth that Jacqueline should be so intent on finding out about Teresa’s finances, if she was paid for articles, and other personal information – unless she was going to use it in some way. Is it really so far fetched that Jacqueline and others agreed to work with the Feds to get the Giudices in order to make their own cases disappear? Each of the other cast members has either been silent or said they won’t speak about the case and have claimed they reached out directly – very carefully worded – they didn’t say they showed their support. Sounds to me like they’re taking the Fifth! Maybe they’ll be witnesses for the prosecution and have to stay quiet for now.

The following is an excerpt from Jacqueline’s Bravo blog about the deck scene in season 4 episode 8 (taped in early August 2011), where she questioned Teresa about her bankruptcy filing, current lifestyle choices, and getting paid for tabloid stories – the scene lasted for five hours before Caroline was called in to help with the interrogation.

Jacqueline wrote that Teresa was “profiting from people’s pity,” “so much about her life was being fabricated,” “there seemed to be no shortage of money to me,” and “she was really living the high life.” Jacqueline also wrote that she “was starting not to respect Teresa’s choices,” “was trying her best not to judge some of the Giudice’s life style choices during that time,” “wanted answers to all her questions,” felt justified “prying into Teresa’s business because she was her friend,” wanted to know if Teresa “really was in trouble and getting deeper in debt,” and “needed to get Teresa to open her eyes to the reality of certain situations she was creating.”

The Rules According to Teresa
By Jacqueline Laurita
June 18, 2012

Bravo Can’t Resist a Real Housewives Wedding Spinoff; Caroline Manzo Denies Predicting a Divorce for Teresa and Joe Giudice

Bravo Can’t Resist a Real Housewives Wedding Spinoff

When asked by TheWrap what makes a “Real Housewives” spinoff, Andy Cohen said that “getting married lends itself well to another series:”

“Phaedra does a lot of other things outside of the Housewives show. Kandi is a songwriter. Lisa has restaurants. So, these are other things that the women do in their real lives that lend themselves to seeing more of them. I think that the women just living their lives, that’s what they do on the Housewives. The shows that we’ve picked up have been because the women have other things going on. Kim’s show started with her getting married, which is really the natural way to, it lends itself well to another series, you know?”

On May 22, 2013, Bravo announced that ‘Real Housewives of O.C.’s’ Tamra Barney landed a spinoff, which will feature the road to her summer wedding.

According to TheWrap:

The network’s camera crew was shooting the 45-year-old’s joint bachelor/bachelorette party with fiancé Eddie Judge, 40, in Las Vegas for the new series. Heather Dubrow and husband Terry Dubrow were the only O.C. co-stars who attended the event.

The show will follow the couple’s road to their summer wedding, which would be Barney’s third time walking down the aisle. The couple were engaged in February 2012 after dating for two years.

The series is the latest example of Bravo’s penchant for greenlighting series capturing their “Real Housewives” stars’ new relationships and marriages. They’ve previously awarded wedding spinoffs to New York’s Bethenny Frankel and Atlanta’s Kim Zolciak.

Last month, Bravo announced a new spinoff series for ATL’s NeNe Leakes that would capture her road to re-marrying ex-husband Gregg Leakes.

“I Dream Of Nene-The Wedding coming soon on Bravo! Greg & I hope 2 inspire others 2 save their marriage pic.twitter.com/0P6xyyXGOV” – NeNe Leakes, April 18, 2013, Twitter

NeNe and Gregg Leakes divorced back in 2011 after roughly 13 years of marriage (Gregg claimed that fame had gone to his ex-wife’s head). The couple announced in January 2013 that they were tying the knot once again, so they were divorced barely a year before deciding to remarry, which makes you wonder if this was all done for the show and a future wedding spinoff. Sounds like a game plan for the Gorgas!

Melissa was not wearing her wedding ring when the WWHL special (Watch What Happens Live: NJ Housewives Tell All) was taped on May 1st. Perhaps she intentionally did not wear it to generate tabloid fodder before the season 5 premiere, with plans to divorce for her season 6 storyline, followed by a wedding spinoff when they tie the knot again.

Caroline Manzo Denies Predicting a Divorce for Teresa and Joe Giudice

In a season 4 testimonial, Caroline predicted Teresa and Joe would divorce; however, during her appearance on the WWHL special (Watch What Happens Live: NJ Housewives Tell All), which premiered on May 19, 2013, Caroline denied saying that.

The following is what Caroline said during season 4 about the Giudices divorcing:

“Prediction: Something may happen where someone has to go somewhere. Teresa’s going to have to pull herself up on her bootstraps and take over. She’ll say, “You know what, I tried. I stood by him, but I have to divorce him now. And I’m gonna show my daughters what it’s like to be strong and independent on your own and survive.” There’s a book in there – you heard it here first!”

Below is the video link for that footage from season 4 (or click on the image for the video):

http://www.bravotv.com/watch-what-happens-live/season-7/videos/carolines-prison-prediction

The following is what Caroline claimed she said, as explained to Andy on the May 19, 2013 WWHL special:

“If they were to get a divorce, Teresa would capitalize on it – she would write a book.”

Caroline also said she was right about her prediction because two weeks later Teresa put out a magazine article about it. She told Andy:

“I meant it. I’m sorry I had to say it… but I meant it.”

Caroline went on to tell Andy that there are things in your life that are not for sale and that is what she meant:

“It was me saying, ‘What is sacred in your life?’ because to me there was nothing sacred in Teresa’s life.”

On June 4, Jacqueline Laurita attended the Samsung Hope for Children Gala at The Museum of Natural History in New York City with Caroline Manzo and their families. On the red carpet, reporters asked what would happen to Teresa Giudice should her husband Joe go to jail, and Jacqueline replied: “Teresa will get her own spin-off, My Life Without Joe, raising her kids, and all will be good. I think that would be an awesome show!” There’s no sign that the former friends will be reconciling any time soon. “Today, she’s not somebody I want in my life. I realized that she was never there for me, she always wanted me to be there for her, I gave her my advice and she didn’t appreciate it,” Jacqueline revealed. Yet Jacqueline also insists that her decision not to be involved with Teresa isn’t because of jealousy. “I’m not jealous in any way, I’ve always been the biggest supporter of her, of anything that she’s done,” she continued. [Wetpaint, June 7, 2012]