Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two Teas in a Pod with Teddy Mellancamps and Tambra Judge. Hi, guys,
welcome to a very special episode of Two Teas in
a Pod with myself, Teddy Mellencamp and yours truly, as
Ellen says Tambra Judge, Tambra Judge and Teddy Mellencamp and
(00:26):
Dambra Judge coming live from Mexico, Coming live from Mexico.
But we have a very special guest, Caroline Manzo. I'm
reading her exact bio because I don't want to mess
anything up because, as y'all know she was, I was
most nervous to interview her at Bravo con So. Caroline
Manzo is the epitome of a strong New Jersey woman,
(00:49):
always putting family first. She is a devoted wife, mother
of three children, I'll be Lauren and Christopher. Caroline has
been married for more than thirty years um and her
husband Albert, who runs the Brownstone, a very successful catering
facility in Peterson, New Jersey. She's often described as a
(01:09):
feisty spitfire, and Caroline manages to have it all family, friends,
and a career. She also has a new show, Food,
Love and Chaos with Caroline Manzo, which second season debuted
on March fifteenth on YouTube. You can follow her at
Caroline Manzo Media on YouTube to watch. Okay, so what
(01:30):
were you shooting yesterday? I was just doing my little
YouTube show, my cooking show. When Isaacham's rock he was
my guest, so he came over the house and we
had fun. Yeah, that's so cool. Do you shoot Do
you shoot it from your house all the time? Well?
This this, uh, next couple of weeks, I want to
start venturing out too. We went to Brooklyn last week
(01:54):
and just went to all the different hot spots from
when I was a kid, um and just trying to
go to different restaurants and stuff. I'm doing everything myself.
It's a learning curve, so like really sucks because you
don't know what kind of money you're spending, what you're doing,
and it's just when you're doing it all yourself. It's
a lot so to work in progress, but it's fun.
At least it's mine and I don't have to worry
(02:15):
about any nonsense, you know, right, you have to you
don't have to worry about the bad at it exactly exactly.
What's your favorite thing? To cut. Sunday dinner is my
favorite thing because it's just involved. Sunday dinner means a
million different things. It's like eight or ten different dishes
and food constantly. So I would say Sunday because everybody's
(02:36):
around and you never know what the day is going
to turn into. So I very large blankets Sunday dinner. Yeah,
so all your kids come, your husband, like you, just
your entire family. Well, my husband may ever around, he's working,
so no, not him. It's fine. Do do you have
(02:58):
any kids to live at home any? No? I didn't
think so. No they have. They've been out for years yet,
and they all live close by. My boys are about
an hour and a half away. Um, they're down the shore,
and Lauren is two towns over, so she's about ten
minutes away, fifteen minutes. So you get to see your
granddaughter alive. She's here right now. She's this week so
(03:20):
she's got a little bit of a fever. So she's
upstairs with my husband right now. How old is she now?
She just turned six? Oh my good mass so cool.
It was fun used to say, you know all the
time with people with the grandkids, like, I don't want
to hear about your grandkids. I don't want to see
your kids. I don't care, but you gotta make believe
(03:42):
you do. But now I understand it. So apologies to
everybody in the past. Well that's that's how I feel
about cats. Like I don't want to see a picture
of your cat. I don't fire my cat right now,
Like don't care to see it. Just so we get
(04:03):
it all. Just we start and we get it done with,
and then we can move on to more positive things.
I just like to throw it right out there. Yeah,
Brandy's been tweeting up a storm. I don't know if
you've seen the tweets. I haven't, Okay, So essentially, she said,
I can speak on anything I want to speak on
(04:24):
at the end of an eighteen hour work day at
our belly dancing. I'd like to see the footage of
it beforehand, as both myself and Caroline were very intoxicated.
I am sick of this narrative. I was hired for
a second season because people loved me and I was
told to bring the party. My question is for you, like,
(04:47):
after hearing that, how do you feel and what is
kind of your response to it? Um? You know this
was very traumatic for me. This is a really large
onion with a lot of layers, all right, and I
guess it'll play out. Um. That statements disappointing to me. Um,
(05:12):
you know, I don't want to talk too much about
it because I'm going through a lot with it and
i'm processing it all. Have you talked to Brandy at all? No? No,
And there's still an investigation going on? Or is that
over with? Oh that's over, that's over. M Yeah. Well
I'm sorry that you're going going through that. Um. Would
(05:33):
you ever do Girls Trip again but with a different cast? Never? No? No? Never? Never? Never? Never?
What what about going back to a real Housewives in
New Jersey? Never? Never? Huh wow, Okay you're happy? Were
you considering maybe back then? Um? You know, I've heard
(05:58):
a lot of buzz that they wanted you to come back.
You know what, It's always the buzz every year. Who
the heck knows what's true what's not? I know over
the years, multiple times I've been asked this last season
being one of them. Um, it was. It was something
that was I was done with and happy to be
done with it. I walked away for a reason for
me to go back, I always said for me to
(06:20):
go back, it would have to be something that was
a number that was financially irresponsible to walk away fast.
You know what I mean, Yeah, like financially irresponsible, like
how do you walk away? And I've been off for
a lot of money, you know, in the real world,
I guess, but it's just never anything that was worth
it to me to go back to that. Um right,
(06:41):
you gotta do what's right. So now now, no, no,
But what about Bravo cons Because I saw you, we
did we did an interview together time. I remember feeling
so nervous. I was like, they were like, who are
you most nervous to interview? And I was like, Caroline, Man,
she's just like so like everything I know about it.
(07:03):
But then you were so kind and fine and easy
to talk to. But I was like, my misconception about me.
I am the most easygoing person alive. I don't give
a lot to the cameras because we I think as housewives,
we all have that a little bit of PTSD that
you don't know what's gonna happen, so you're very very reserves.
(07:24):
I for one, am very very reserves. You know. I'll
sing and dance with my family and stuff like that.
But I won't do it on housewise because I'll never forget.
Years ago they did that too. It was Ramona and
she was dancing and they put it She probably was
dancing fine, but they put this music to her that
she looked like a freaking ass. And I'm like, oh,
(07:46):
I thought happens live. You think of these things like,
I'm not gonna do that because I don't know what
they're gonna do with it, you know kind of thing.
But yeah, so I didn't got me to this place.
But there's a lot of housewives. It makes me nervous.
I was gonna say, no, you're not one of them.
I'm very easy going, I'm super laid back. I think maybe,
(08:07):
I don't know if you remember. It was probably fifteen
years ago. I was in New York doing press and
we went to dinner. We went to I mean, that
was an epic night. Yeah, that was who else was
at dinner? That was fun? It was couples. Teresa was there,
Jacqueline was there, the husbands were there, um, And then
(08:28):
we had dinner. Then we went across the street to
the gay bar across the street. Remember, Yeah, we had
some drinks and um that the rest was history. The
rest is history. That's what it was fun in the
early days before the natural media. You know, social media
is like the greatest thing in the world and social
media is the devil at the same time. It's it's
it's a double ledged sword. Um. You know, when I left,
(08:51):
it was social media was just starting to be like
a real big thing. Um. So like now when you
do the you know, the ads and stuff and you
have the overlays, my brain wants to explode because social
media has taken over there. You have TikTok, you have
every a million different ways to get out there. But
I don't know if it's a good thing or a
bad thing. It's just it's just a lot of more
(09:14):
stuff that we got to worry about getting out there. Yeah,
can you remind us how did you get cast on
New Jersey? Purely by accident? Um? There was the group
I guess Cyrus went around to salons in our area
and they said, well, affluent women over the top, YadA, YadA, YadA.
(09:36):
So the person that owned the salon mentioned everybody but me,
which makes sense because again, super low key, I don't
wear makeup. I'm not like you. Know it's not me,
so I understand me not being mentioned. So they were
doing I guess the sizzle reels. They were going around
(09:56):
to everybody's houses and Jackline at the time literally lived
half a block of white. So she goes, we need
to go over my sisian Will Caroline's house. So she
calls me up in true Jacqueline style. All right, cameras
are coming over and I'm like, no, Jacqueline, they don't
need to come over. I hang up the phone. They're there,
So she sent them and then she called me and
(10:16):
I said, listen, I don't belong on the show. Blah
blah blah, and they tape and then um they wanted
me and I said, no, I'm not going to do it.
And they said, well, we need you for the balunce.
That's because I'm a lot older than them. I don't,
you know, I don't hang the way they hang. I
don't do all that. At the time. I had three
kids in high school at high school, and they said, no,
(10:39):
we need need you for the bounce, and I said,
a couple of weeks, you know, it was more of
a family yeah show. I mean there's a lot of
people from your family and I just though it was
gonna be a couple of weeks long and you know, done,
boom gun, and everybody forget about it, never thinking in
a million years it would turn into where it turned into.
(11:10):
What are your thoughts on Melissa saying that you were
too old to come back to the cast? Well, she
did say it. I remember her saying it, but I don't.
I don't hate her for saying it. You gotta remember
at the time, I'm twenty years older than her. Okay,
so she's in early thirties. I'm fifty two or whatever. Um,
you don't want to hang with that when you're thirty,
(11:31):
you know what I mean. I'm a fun chasten But like,
I disagree. I disagree with what she says. Like on
our cast right now, we have girls. We have a
girl in her thirties. I'm fifty five, but I twenty. Well,
I think, and again, I remember I remember her saying it,
(11:53):
and I remember being bothered for half a second back
then because I kind of heard it through the door.
And I'm like, but then, when you think about it now,
when you think about it back then, it's a kid talking.
It's a thirty year old kid talking. Yeah, so I
take no offense to it then, and I take no
offense to it now. It's silly knowing their history. Do
(12:16):
you think that Melissa and Teresa are done for good?
I think so, really, I think so. You know, I
don't know. I don't know what happened. I know the
cliff notes of what happened. Yeah, but there comes the
point we just gotta be like, like, everybody's got to
(12:40):
be sick of it at this point. But my question is,
do you think that it's truly do you think it's
Melissa or do you think it's actually Joe and Teresa
Like they keep saying it's you know, it's Melissa involved.
But in my opinion, when I'm watching it, I'm like,
Joe and Teresa are the ones that really seem to
(13:01):
have that list is pretty neutral. Well, she's you know, listen,
I remember, way way way back in the day. Um,
Melissa is not wrong. Melissa is not wrong because I remee.
You listen, Sometimes she behaves badly and sometimes you know,
when you're when you fire back, you fire, you have
(13:22):
a misfire kind of thing. But um, Melissa's not wrong,
and listen there over the years, she's done some crappy
things I would have done about how much how much
can you take before you start store, before you start
hitting back? But I remember years and years before TV,
before TV, that it would always be something's bent said
(13:43):
about Melissa, that we were so conditioned to dislike her
when we met her. And I apologize to both her
and Kathy because we were so conditioned almost brainwashed to
dislike them before we met them, that we treated them
when they first came on the show, and um, I
apologize in the booths and saying that you know that
wasn't cool, but I was conditioned to think that way. Yeah,
(14:06):
what made you ultimately decide to leave toxic? To change
my world? It changed by the dynamic in my house
because you girls know as well as I do, when
you finished filming, that doesn't mean it's over. That's a
year round thing. That's when the text starts and film
easy part. Yeah, and it filming is the easy part exactly.
(14:29):
But if I'm talking within the caste, yeah, that's when
you have the phone calls and what to do next
and who's going to hang out with him? When it
just it stops? Why did you say that? Why didn't
you defend me? This, and I'm like, I don't even,
I don't even. I don't know why I said it.
I felt I said what I meant whatever, So it
was just became something that was just non stopped, non stop.
(14:52):
And then you have the people that you know are
obsessed with, you know, the fame and getting there, you know,
to having that moment or their face on the magazine
cover that'll do anything to take you down as long
as they shine. Okay, whether it be a truth or rely,
it doesn't matter. And I'm like, I'm too old for
this nonsense. You know, why are you doing this? So
(15:15):
what do you think the primary issue was with Teresa?
You just said that people let fame get to their head.
Was it that or what do you think kind of
triggered it for you? For Teresa myself? Yeah, our argument,
your guess is as good as mine. I don't know.
I think that if we're being honest, you know, back
(15:39):
in the day and I'm talking the heyday of Jersey,
it was Caroline Teresa, Caroline, Teresa, Caroline Teresa. That's who
everybody was talking about. And you know, she doesn't like
to share the light with anybody, and I think that
maybe that may have been a little bit of it,
but you're talking to somebody that truly doesn't give a shit,
Like I'm like, ahead, take the light, you want to
take it, let it shine roll. I could care less
(16:02):
because there's plenty about There's plenty of stuff out there
for everybody. That's what everybody forgets. We each have our
own demographic and we each have our own people that
are gonna like us, dislike us, and there's plenty to share,
so everybody could eat. But I don't think she yet
because a lot of the fans were saying they thought
it was because of what happened off camera and Punta
Cana where Teresa was spraying champagne on people and your
(16:26):
boys got upset about it. That does that, haven't I
got upset about it? Was she was spraying. We were
Punta Cana and she there was this big bottle of champagne,
and I remember I was standing in the front, she
was behind me, and all of a sudden, I I'm soaked.
I don't know why am I all wet? And then
I realized she sprayed champagne onto the ground in the
(16:50):
club and there were patrons there that took offense to it.
Um one thing led to another before you know it
is a brawl. Oh my, so we chained in Puntakana.
I forgot about that. My boys pass sports revoked and
(17:12):
we said for a week. So you know, it's just
that behavior over and over again. It's it's just a
it's a constant bad behavior that's not bad behavior continuously
is rewarded over and over and over again. And that's
the problem. You don't see that a lot. Yeah, so
to say the Least Housewives was not your jam, but
(17:35):
then you did move on to Man's Own with Children?
Yea three seasons? How was that different? Was that fun
to do? Or I miss Manson with Children terribly? Oh?
We had We had fun. And who's better than me
to be able to do fun things and have my
husband and children with me. You know, that was a gift.
And it's a big deal to have your own spin
(17:57):
off like that, to have your own family show. It's
not easy. And she was one of the only people
to get a multi season spin off about it. There
is Kim. I mean, yeah Kim and yeah Kim. That
was so successful, But the that went off the three
season it's the biggest mystery to me because the ratings
were great, and we were like, why was it canceled?
(18:21):
You know, give you any answer to that? I think
they kind of said we were, in so many words,
we were too normal. That's not a horrible thing. You know,
when people act like normal is the worst thing. Um.
Bringing it back to another one of your shows, the
Cooking Show. If you had to pick to have one
of these two people on to cook with you, would
(18:44):
it be Teresa or Daniel stab Um hm, Teresa. Who
who do you actually you talk to on the cast?
Current cast? Well? Uh, Kathy every every now and again. Um,
(19:07):
Dolorous of course. Um, we love Dolores. Dolores is off right,
Frank love. Frank tells you what's on to mind. Her
kids are the best thing. I know her kids sincere
Pint's Eye, so I've known her a thousand years. Do
we like Do you like Polly? I do like Polly? Yeah?
(19:28):
He seems nice. Yes, Yeah, she deserves it. You think
she's going to get the ring? I don't know if
she wants the ring? Think I What I do know
is Frank doesn't want her to get a ring. Crank
does not want her to get it. Right. You know
they're they're's such a it's the family dynamic there is
so unusual, but it works for them. And you know,
(19:50):
I always say that she should write a book on
how to divorce properly because I remember way way back
in the beginning when things weren't great between them and
and how they'll help fall. They've come and they really
I think that's one of the great things about you
know when you say reality TV, that they could put
this relationship out there and say, you know what, even
though you get divorce, doesn't mean you have to be
(20:12):
bitter enemies. Yeah, it's refreshing because it's usually the opposite.
They hate each other, they can't be around each other.
Do you currently watch the show? I have not watched
anything has Wife since I left. I always say, why
would I Why would I aggravate myself for free? You
know what I mean? True? Yeah? True? Can you help
us because this is where I'm a little bit lost
(20:34):
and we're trying to go back and forth because this season,
I know you don't watch, but there's so many discussions
about people who are not on the show, whether they
were friends on the show, to be on the show,
whatever it may be. But I am still a little
bit confused on the insight between what happened with Dina
and Dolores, because no, I'm not gonna talk about We're
(20:57):
not gonna talk about it. Oh my god. We don't
need a little player, please, Like I said, look at
agavate for free. Well that's what I do. I have
a million dollars question, But my question is if it
was reversed. Did you hear that it was going to
(21:18):
be Dina as a bridesmaid and then all of a
sudden when Dina was no longer a bridesmaid? Then she
asked Alris that was this week's episode? Tersa did okay? Yeah,
so yes, and was a bridesmaid? Yes? Yes, I did hear.
I know I did hear recently for somebody that knows
(21:39):
both of them that it was more about Dina not
wanting to film. Okay, that's what I heard, So it
wasn't a fall out, Caroline responding with that's just what
I had. So you know, you know, Caroline, I have
Dina that lives a mile away from me, and Jacqueline
that's moving by me. Okay, I I know Jackylin's going
(22:01):
did she get a house yet? I don't even know
if she got I. I just talked to her yesterday.
She found a house that they Chris found a house
that he really likes, and she says she trust her husband.
So I'm excited for her to move. We're already talking about.
I keep joking with her. I'm like, I can't wait
to have the first housewife party at your house. And
she's like, it ain't happening. Oh it will. Jackyline cut
in her life and I said, oh, you're fold, you'll
(22:22):
fold you She'll fold for sure. Yeah. Yeah. If she's
doing all these podcasts, I feel like she'll fold, yeah,
Jack And she Yeah, that's her thing. Jackelin's always done
well podcasts like I'm Selective and stuff like, and she
has her own podcast too, so yeah, that's her thing.
She loves to talk to people and she'll do it
(22:44):
to aviews because she gets a kick as she's a
people person. So um, oh she is for sure. Yeah,
I love her. Well, what about what did you think
about her hanging out with Teresa. I thought it was great.
I think it's great. I think that they really missed
each other. And that's where the venom came from, because
it came from a place of hurt um. They really were,
(23:05):
you know, very very good friends, and as you girls know,
the show gets in the way of relationships a lot,
and I think that that it was a casualty of
the show. And I'm happy that they're back together, and
I hope it remains that way, and I hope that
they don't want the nonsense get in the way of things,
because they truly were very good friends. I'm happy for
the boat. Do you seem like you have a really
(23:26):
like a good heart. I'm like talking to you. I'm
not the monster, they say, I am. Oh my god,
I only play an asshole on TV. Yeah, that's what
I tell people. Speaking of playing, do you still play
the ham game? We do not. That was Oh my god,
I forgot about that. That was My children have full
(23:48):
blown adults there. They have place coming up Laurence thirty
five next week, and then my boys are gonna be
thirty four and thirty seven. Oh my god, tell us
what they're doing? What are they up to? They there
were a lot of good things. The boys are very
very busy. They have a hospitality groups with restaurants and stuff.
So we have a couple of really big projects. What
(24:09):
they do. I say, way, but they have a couple
of really big projects in the summer down the shore.
Lawrence got to of course our business appear. And the
baby's six. So everybody's doing this thing. They're world grown up.
Like everybody said, your kids, your kids, but they're full
grown adults doing adult things. Does she want more kids? No? No,
(24:29):
no one and done morning, done with her. I'm sorry
for that, but okay, whatever, Well your boys, your boys
will have kids, we'll see. Not my business. I let
them do it. That's another thing. People think, Oh, I'm
up well up, like I don't know. I don't want
anything about them what they want to tell me, I
listen to not live your life? Right? How far away
(24:49):
do all of you guys live in Jersey? Like when
you were all you know, when you were on the show.
But even now I can't figure out because I haven't
been to Jersey that often. Like is it a small
like in Beverly Hills or Orange County. Everybody's all over
the place, right, Like, is it the same in Jersey?
Are you guys all kind of in the same area. No,
Jersey has little pocket areas, so you could like, like,
(25:12):
let's say, for instance, Dina me and Jacqueline were all
within a half mile of each other, so we could
literally walk to each other's house in a row. We
were one, two, three, and at that time when when
Kathy built her house, she was two. Could sucks now
so I could walk to Jack Kathy's house. Now she
(25:33):
just moved to where Joel Melissa get live and that's
probably about a mile and a half away from me.
So everybody's relatively how far is Polly? Because we see
his house it's so amazing, but you look at the
back and it's overlooking water. Well, he's on the Hudson,
so he's about a half hour away. I figured he
(25:55):
was little ways away because it looked different. Do you
think he's the most of fluent one now, oh Polly? Yeah,
we're trying to I don't know the other. I don't know.
I don't know. There's Joe. I mean, you don't know.
What do you mean you don't search their net worth
on the fair time? I don't know. Um, so you're
(26:19):
asking of the crew I know, I don't. I don't know.
I know that Polly does well, yes, um it looks
like he does. So have you who when you were
at Bravo con was there any housewife that you were like,
oh my gosh, I love her that you hadn't met before,
And was there anybody that kind of left date not
the best taste in your mouth? Bravo? Con was a
(26:39):
blessed love. Bravo. Con Um No. I was shocked at
all the young kids coming to me and they were
literally doing this to me, which my mind, because you
don't think of yourself that way, you know when you
think of that Timber were pioneers, Yeah, franchise, so you
(27:00):
don't think what it means to the young ones coming
in a bad taste. No, you know how it is?
He did turn around every ten feet is a story
to be told, you know, if you just watch and
listen enough. I told you know, my son's told Andy.
They said you made a mistake by not having I
don't think they. I don't know if it was Andy.
Just so many productions at that hotel. This should be
(27:23):
cameras rolling twenty four seven, Oh for sure. Yeah, there
was so much shit going on down at that bar.
I know that was the place to be. Um, would
you go again this year? I'm not sure. I don't know.
I mean, didn't you tell me that was it your
sister in law you were with was mistaken for me.
(27:45):
Oh no, that was Alby's girlfriend's mother, and everybody ming
camera at her. She looks up, You're built to like
you look alike. She just started going with it by
the issue was way so I guess something that was
with me they were so maybe they're together doing something. Yeah,
(28:07):
it was fun. It's so funny. Um, if I know,
we want to give a little bit of time, but
we want to talk a little bit more about your
cooking show. If you were going to have me and
Tamera on, what would you have us? What would we
cook too? Well, I don't I don't know what kind
of cooks I'll see. I would want you're terrible. I
would speak for yourself. I would want you to do
(28:27):
something that's from your culture, that means something to you
when you were growing up. That's what I tried to want.
Like last night, Isaac Zrahi came, but we wound up
just bullshitting and talking about stuff and I made a
quick pasta prima era. But what I want to do
is like what makes you smile, Like what makes your
heart happy as far as food goes, And that's what
(28:48):
I sign from your childhood that brings you there. My
mom makes this smash chicken, like flat and chicken with
like bread crumbs on it, and like still to this day,
whenever she comes into town, she's like, do you want
me to make it? And I'm like please, it's the
only time I have it, like smashed rick and then
(29:09):
she does mashed potatoes and like green bean casserole. But
now face, look at your face as you're talking about it. Yeah,
like you got it. The smile loess of emotions. So
that's what I'm trying to say, Like with food, that
food even it's fun and it's an emotion, so it
brings you back to a lot of things. So that's
what I'm going to try to do with my guesses.
(29:29):
No you cook something, you cook something for me that
means something to you. So yeah, I've always wanted to
know how to make spaghetti sauce. I've never made it
from scratch ever. Really so easy, so easy. My mom
used to make it when we were kids and it
was so good. But I'm like, you're like, rows here
we go. No what And if that makes you happy,
(29:50):
throw a little wine and throw a little gallic doctor
it up in a cool at a day and it'll
be fun. I've done that before, but I want to
make it from scratch. That's what I want to do. Well,
one day we will. It's very easy. Your town, come over,
we'll cook. I want to be you. You could do
a live podcast from my house. Okay, from the Browns.
Don't you do that too. Don't want to have to
(30:11):
ask us twice. You don't threaten us with a good time. Yeah,
I know. I've never wanted um uh positive for breakfast
more than I do right now. I know because I'm
in Mexico. Right now, I'm like, this sounds delicious a
lot better than this green whatever it is. Well, let'm
feel sorry for you in Mexico. I'm sitting in my
(30:32):
basement right now, so I have to go upstairs round true. Well,
I'm off to go swim with my kids. Thank you,
guys so much, Thank you, Caroline. Thank you for sharing
so much. You and you know, I know lots about
to play out, and we just wanted to say that
we're thinking about you and anything that you need from us,
please let us know. Thank you, Thank Caroline. Guys, thank
(30:52):
you