Casting Rumors for Season 7 of the Real Housewives of New Jersey (Updated December 13, 2015)

The New York Daily News reported on December 11, 2015 that the ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ has a “new deal” where the cast “only gets paid if they get air time” by “making ratings-grabbing TV.”

The “Real Housewives Of New Jersey” better be ready to bring some weapons-grade drama to the next season — or risk a pay cut.

Until now, the stars had been paid a lump sum for the whole season. But Confidenti@l is told that producers will now only pay them for episodes they appear in.

Sources say the idea is to encourage the ladies to make ratings-grabbing TV, rather than coast and cash their paychecks.

We’re told the show’s longest running stars, Melissa Gorga and the soon-to-be-released-from-prison Teresa Giudice, will each be paid $50,000 per episode — if they make it in that week.

It’s unclear how much a third Housewife, Jacqueline Laurita, will get, but sources agree it is likely to be less because she skipped last season.

“The problem is you could sign a contract for an $800,000 salary and then sit back and do nothing,” said a source, “This way, you really have to bring it.”

“Across all the (“Housewives”) series there are people who are more committed and people who are less committed,” said another insider. “People sign up to do it and then lose their enthusiasm.”

This new plan is intended to combat that problem by encouraging maximum participation.

We’re told the new system doesn’t necessarily mean a pay cut for the combustible cast. Since the previous six seasons have had an average of 19 episodes, a Housewife deemed worthy of screen time in each episode could bag nearly $1 million at the end of the season — that would come close to the salaries of highest-paid Housewives across the whole franchise, like Nene Leakes and Bethenny Frankel.

Some of the “Real Housewives of New York” cast members moved to a per-episode pay plan last season and insiders say the same carrot-and-stick approach may add some zing to other series, like Atlanta and Beverly Hills — so we may see the plan rolled out to other shows when contracts are next negotiated.

Three part-time members of the cast — known as “friends of the Housewives” and heavily tipped to be matchmaker Siggy Flicker and couple Robyn Levy and Christina Flores — are expected to stay on a salary, somewhere around the $50,000 mark for the whole season.

Jim Marchese Explains RHONJ Production Tricks; Court Document Proves ‘Real Housewives’ Producers and Cast Stage Scenes; Simon Barney Told the Court His Children Experience Social Ridicule Because of the Series

UPDATE 9/1/2014: The video above was published on September 1, 2014 by AfterBuzz TV’s YouTube channel:

AFTERBUZZ TV – Real Housewives of New Jersey edition is a weekly “after show” for fans of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey. In this episode hosts Megan Stecher and Grant Rutter interview Amber’s husband Jim Marchese. The Real Housewives of New Jersey is an American reality television series that debuted on May 12, 2009, and airs on Bravo. It is the network’s fourth installation of The Real Housewives franchise. The Real Housewives of New Jersey chronicles the lives of five women in and around several communities in northern New Jersey. The current cast is composed of: Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dina Manzo, Amber Marchese, Nicole Napolitano and Teresa Aprea.

On December 13, 2013, RadarOnline reported on an e-mail (see image below) proving that producers stage scenes on Bravo’s Real Housewives series – the document was presented as evidence during RHOC Tamra Barney’s court bid to overturn her ex-husband Simon’s ban on their three children appearing on the show. After Brandi Glanville joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, her ex Eddie Cibrian went to court, requesting that their kids not be allowed on the show; the judge granted him his wish. It has also been alleged that Dina Manzo forged her ex-husband’s signature on documents that granted permission for their daughter Lexi to appear on season 1 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

On December 16, 2013, RadarOnline reported that Simon Barney told a California judge that the pair’s three children should not be allowed to appear on the show because they have suffered “consistent embarrassment” due to their mother’s behavior. In a a declaration filed on December 13th, Simon said the couple’s eldest children — Sidney, 15, and Spencer, 13 — had experienced “social ridicule” after scenes were aired depicting their mom’s “head in naked strippers crotches, along with sex toys and an array of inappropriate sexual comments.

In his filing, Simon wrote:

“They have been targeted and are the subject of consistent embarrassment due to the content of the show and their mother’s involvement… The show (has) started to become increasingly more about the alcohol, intoxication, sex and bad behavior… The truth is consistently manipulated in the show in order to make the story line more dramatic and to boost ratings… She is seeking to take away my right to parent and make decisions regarding the lasting effects and impacts the show may have on my children.”

In her filing, Tamra protested that their daughter Sophia, 8 , had “expressed a desire to participate with me” in the series and “I wish to provide her that opportunity.”

Tamra also wrote:

“In fact, if our other children express a desire to participate in the future, I would also provide them with that opportunity.”

But Simon explained that Sophia is “too young” and “unable to make a decision on her own regarding her participation in the show as she does not understand the consequences it may have.”

Simon also wrote:

“Respondent states that Sophia has expressed her desire to be on the show, but that is only because Respondent has told Sophia that she has to sit out on all ‘fun’ activities because I won’t let her be filmed.

“An eight-year-old child is going to want to be a part of the activities if she is told they are ‘fun’ and she is being forced to sit out.”

RadarOnline reported that Simon also responded to Tamra’s claims that he is acting in “bad faith” by not allowing his children to be filmed given he’d previously appeared on the show. In his court filing, Simon wrote:

“Our children appeared on the show from time to time, as one of the focuses on the show was our family and encouraged our familial relationship.

“The show first aired in 2005 and I appeared briefly on the show from 2007 to 2009.

“My children made appearances in those years, but with strict supervision and approval from me.

“If my children were to be on my show, I had stated to the production company… that I was to approve all footage and the children were only to be filmed with my supervision and presence. At that time, they (the production company) agreed.”

According to RadarOnline, Simon also said that after he and Tamra separated in 2010, he chose to no longer appear on the show and constantly rebuffed approaches to rejoin the cast “because I know the negative consequences and the impact it will have on my children’s well being”:

“It was around this time that the show deviated sharply from the family oriented dynamic it had while I was on the show – the major reason I refused to allow the children to continue on the show.

“(The production company) will only air the footage of my minor children if I give my consent or if the Court orders that only Respondent’s consent is required for the children to be filmed.

“I will not sign the consent form for my eight-year-old daughter or my other children to participate on the Shows because I know the negative impact and consequences it will have on their health and well being.”

Tamra has some words for viewers who think that she comes across as a b***h on the Bravo reality TV hit: “I was hired to do a job… I am not on the show to show the viewers what I want to show them… I was given a job and I’m doing it well. Andy Cohen refers to me as ‘the perfect Housewife!’ … I am not here to make friends, and I tell every single one of the girls that. I’m here to do a job. I have Housewives from other franchises calling me and asking me ‘how do you do this?’ or ‘how do you balance this?’ … If I could, I would ask to only show my purse line or request to get my hair done every day, but that’s not ‘reality’. I do have a sarcastic side, and Bravo only shows a certain percentage of you, so if that’s all they show… They don’t see me as a mom. They don’t see a lot of my life. You do see a lot of sarcasm because they love my one-liners.” – RadarOnline, March 6, 2013, Real Mean Girl Of Orange County! Tamra Barney Sinks Claws Into Gretchen Rossi, ‘Have You Heard Her Sing?’

When producers want to start trouble, they usually go to a person who doesn’t mind coming off as a bitch. It is usually someone with a thick skin who really needs the money and can’t just quit. In this case, it is Tamra Barney — she will do whatever the producers ask her to [as will many of the other Housewives in order to keep their ‘jobs’]. – Insider, September 26, 2012, Producer-Driven Scripted Drama and Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives’ Series

TMZ reported that several lawyers and managers in Hollywood have banned together to tell clients to stay clear of ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’. According to TMZ: “The triggers for the boycott are Camille Grammer and Adrienne Maloof. The way the show is structured, cast members can say ANYTHING about anyone on the show and get away with it, even if it’s inaccurate and malicious… As one professional put it: “It’s fine if Brandi Glanville does the show – she doesn’t have anything going for her and the show makes her famous. But for someone who has a real business or career outside the show, they need to stay a mile away.” – TMZ, March 4, 2013, ‘Real Housewives of Bev Hills’ Move to BOYCOTT Show

Simon Barney filed divorce papers in January 2010, charging Tamra with verbal abuse and adultery: “Petitioner contends that Respondent has been verbally abusive and has committed acts of disloyalty and infidelity.” Tamra was apparently unaware her husband of 11 years was filing divorce papers. “Simon has simply had enough,” the source said. “The show changed her.” When contacted by RadarOnline, Simon confirmed that he filed for divorce, saying, “The papers speak for themselves.” Tamra, who has a son from a previous marriage, has three children with Simon.

In February 2010, Hollwood Gossip reported that Tamra had moved onto Simon’s best friend Eddie Judge:

Is the Reality TV Genre Falling Apart?

[images via Entertainment Weekly]

New York metropolitan area PBS affiliate Thirteen recently teamed up with CHI&Partners to launch an ad campaign mocking real reality shows by promoting fake reality shows that look real. The five posters above began appearing in NYC subways in late May 2013.

“The fact you thought this was a real show says a lot about the state of TV. Support quality programming,” reads a message capping off each one.

The following are fake trailers for three fake shows.

Reality tv is fake. people know this, right?
HollywoodWife
February 6, 2013

I have watched with amusement the news surrounding Storage Wars star David Hester’s $750,000 lawsuit against A&E claiming the show was fake. It’s hard for me to believe he has any sort of a case. I’m sure he signed his life and rights away in his participant contract, and I feel even more sure that within that contract there is some sort of clause that mentions the producers may “enhance” the story line with editing or planted situations.

In the past couple of years there have been all kinds of revelations about popular shows – that HGTV’s House Hunters are usually already in escrow on the house they “choose,” that alcohol is provided to candidates on The Bachelor/Bachelorette in the hopes that it will increase the drama. Both these things are probably true, but why does it matter? Does it really make us, the viewers, feel that duped? Do we feel like a sober bachelorette is less of a fool?

Aren’t we pretending right along with them that putting people on an virtual island full of other unstable humans, cut off from any normal voice of reason, plying them with champagne and then asking deeply personal questions, is any sort of “real”?

It’s a game we’re all playing. Producers control it in the edit bay, viewers control it with the remote.

Here is what is real about reality tv:

• They are actual humans.
• They (sometimes) have talent and dreams, and just being seen on Top Chef or Project Runway can change their whole life and career.
• Maybe they do have their own business (Duck Dynasty) or their own family (Sister Wives).

Here is what is easily manipulated:

• The casting is no accident. They’re looking for people who will rock the boat, or who will weep and wail when the boat gets rocked.
• The location. Ever notice that every single season of Real Housewives includes some sort of a trip far away? And that’s it’s always the most drama-filled, three-episode arc of the season? That’s the Survivor effect. Get them out of their element, with tensions already in place, give them some wine, reality gold.
• Editing. Unless it’s a long-winded rant where the camera doesn’t move, assume there has been some changes to a scene to paint a picture. Every single moment is fair game. You roll your eyes at a legitimate dig? You gotta be okay with that snarky look showing up at a totally different place in the conversation.
• Everything. The contestants emotions. The viewers emotions. The press.  We’re living in the current culture of “Everything celebrity is fair game,” as wrong as that is for everyone involved.

The Gorilla has been into Amish Mafia on Discovery Channel this year. I can’t watch more than five minutes because it reads so fake to me. Almost anything that includes “dramatic re-enactments” will make my eyes glaze over. He also loves The Biggest Loser, which to me just feels like a two-hour commercial of people crying.

Then again, he can’t understand why I root for a fairly hum-drum polygamist family, or why I’m obsessed with Sarah Richardson even though we don’t share the same style.

It’s all just entertainment. Is Honey Boo Boo more low brow than The Kardashians? Does American Pickers have more value than Dance Moms? Maybe. Probably.

But you’re reading a carefully edited blog and your righteous neighbor spews her every indignant thought on facebook. So reality is relative. Always.

Reality bites: Is the ‘reality’ TV genre falling apart?
FoxNews.com
February 5, 2013