Real Housewife Matriarch Sets Record Straight About Finale Drama

June 18 2009, Published 3:06 p.m. ET

Redefining what it means to be a Jersey girl, Caroline Manzo- the straight-talking matriarch on the Real Housewives of New Jersey - recently opened up exclusively to Popeater about the show’s explosive finale (which included a table getting thrown), the drama of a fellow cast mate’s dark past, and her portrayal as the female version of a very famous mob boss.

“Bravo certainly marketed it that way,” Manzo told Popeater about the Sopranos-ish undertones of the show. When asked about her blog entry where she says even she was afraid of herself after watching the first episode, Manzo admits the portrayal is accurate. “Obviously, it's just a small part of who I am. I do protect my family, but I'm not crazed by it.”

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In the show’s finale, Manzo is shown defending her little sister against cast mate Danielle Staub’s accusations that the family was spreading malicious lies about her around their town (including showing a fictional book by Staub’s ex-husband that included an old mug shot of Staub). “People came to us and said she's not who she claims to be. You have to be aware of who she is, she's a dangerous person, etc. etc. The name of the book, the contents of the book were all given to us,” she explained. “When we found out, we Googled it. I only showed two people, my friends. Danielle is sensationalizing this, as usual. This came to us."