- A new tell-all book about "The Real Housewives" franchise shares never-before-heard scandals.
- "RHONJ" star Teresa Giudice and her family were involved in a 2011 brawl that never aired on
Bravo .
When penning his new tell-all, "Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It," one thing became apparent to author
To create the definitive oral history of the creation of this hit Bravo franchise, the journalist interviewed more than dozens of housewives, producers, network executives along with famed reunion host and executive producer, Andy Cohen.
And while fans may be familiar with the franchise's biggest scandals, such as "Beverly Hills'" "Puppygate" drama between Lisa Vanderpump and Dorit Kemsley to the reunion fight between "Atlanta" stars Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams, they may not be familiar with other fights and scandals that never aired, Quinn told Insider.
The cast of 'RHONJ' was involved in a brawl in the Dominican Republic that never aired on Bravo
In "Not All Diamonds and Rosé," Quinn recalls how the cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" was involved in a brawl with strangers while vacationing in the Dominican Republic - a fight that surprisingly never aired on Bravo.
In 2011, star Teresa Giudice accidentally sprayed a bottle of champagne on a nightclub dance floor while the cast was in Punta Cana, Caroline Manzo told Quinn. The incident incited a brawl with strangers causing "all hell to [break] loose," Melissa Gorga added in the book.
"It was so interesting to me because when it came up in my interviews, somebody casually mentioned it to me," Quinn recalled to Insider last month. "And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you talking about?'"
"I thought going into this, I knew it all. I never knew that," he added. "So then I started asking more questions and one by one, the women would say to me, 'I'm not supposed to tell you this. I know we're not allowed to talk about this. We swore up and down we would never speak about this.'"
According to the tell-all book, Dominican Republic authorities seized the passports of Guidice's then-husband, Joe, along with Albie and Chris Manzo and another family friend. The book also detailed how Bravo executive producer Lucilla D'Agostino spent five days contacting lawyers and the Dominican Republic officials, which eventually led to no formal charges being pressed against any cast member.
"The Manzo family will never set foot on Dominican Republic soil again," Caroline Manzo added in the book.
Although 'Potomac' escalated into a barnyard fight and higher ratings, producers told Quinn 'they're not looking for that' and 'it's a huge issue'
Even in the midst of the biggest altercations, however, "Housewives'" producers and Bravo executives do not condone physical violence and often find themselves conflicted about the show's direction when the drama gets too messy.
During season five of "The Real Housewives of Potomac," Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard Bassett had an intense exchange of words that resulted in a physical fight between the women during a wine tasting.
The altercation led to a Dillard Bassett filing charges against Samuels for her role in the fight with the mother of three later filing counter charges. The charges were later dropped on both sides. Ultimately, Samuels did not return to the show.
Samuels told Insider back in January that she was treated unfairly by reunion host Cohen, and "felt very free" leaving "Potomac" after that season in which a baseless rumor was spread that her son, Chase, was the product of an alleged affair.
"I've always said that if the show ever interfered with my family or my marriage that I would definitely get to packing," the reality star told Insider writer, Keyaira Boone, then.
Quinn said fights, like the one that happened on season five of "Potomac," are a "huge issue" with Bravo execs.
"What you hear from the executives [in the book] and what you hear from the producers, they don't really like that. They're not looking for that," Quinn said of the altercations on "Potomac" that led to fights. "They're not wanting these women to get into any sort of physical altercations."
Quinn said he spoke "really openly to Monique and Candiace about that" in the book, adding that he doesn't "think anybody involved in that is proud of" what happened.
Despite the drama on- and off-camera, fans have been loyal to the shows and the housewives they relate to most.
"For better or worse, there is nothing like the impact of reality television," Quinn told Insider. "We all thought that it would be a hit it and quit it thing, maybe 15 years ago ... It's not going anywhere."
Dave Quinn's "Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It" is available where all books are sold.