Caroline Manzo

Reality TV star and entrepreneur Caroline Manzo, became the talk of the town after swearing that she would never return to the “Real Housewives” franchise. The 61-year-old mother of three, who helped launch “Real Housewives of New Jersey” (“RHONJ”) in 2009, and left in 2013, was part of the season four lineup for “Ultimate Girls Trip”, one of the iconic series’ many spin-offs.

However, Caroline left the show ahead of schedule after a run-in with Brandi Glanville. The TV personalities were filming in Morocco when Brandi allegedly began kissing Caroline multiple times without her consent. As a source told PEOPLE: “Caroline’s distress over the matter did not seem to stop Brandi. Things escalated and physical boundaries allegedly were crossed that Caroline felt were serious and uncomfortable.”

The production team decided to report the incident to higher ups in order to decide how to proceed with filming, which continued that night and into the next morning. Then, Brandi reportedly apologized to Caroline via text message after finding out how the latter felt. Despite Brandi’s attempt at damage control, she was asked to leave the trip early because of her inappropriate behavior; meanwhile, Caroline decided to return home and process what had happened, without having to deal with cameras or her fellow cast members.

The incident between Caroline and Brandi took place in January 2023, but the whole story has yet to come out. Other sources claim that Brandi inappropriately touched Caroline in a locked bathroom on set, which led to the show’s producers launching an investigation. However, Brandi’s lawyer states that the encounter was mutual and consensual and comprised of “some flirtatious conduct and kissing.”

Three months later, Caroline was asked if she would consider filming for another season of the spin-off with different cast members, to which she replied: “Never. No. Never, never, never.” Many people were eagerly looking forward to the Brooklyn native’s return to reality TV; unlike Brandi and other members of the franchise, Caroline has kept a relatively low profile from 2016 onwards, and her appearance in “Ultimate Girls’ Trip” had the potential to be a brilliant comeback.

Fans of the “Real Housewives” shows fondly remember Caroline from the first few seasons of “RHONJ”. When the show premiered, it was more of a family affair, as Caroline starred alongside her sister Dina and sister-in-law Jacqueline Laurita. The Brooklynite departed after five seasons, and began filming a spin-off series about her family, “Manzo’d with Children”. The spin-off first aired on Bravo in October 2014, and pulled in over 1.7 million viewers; however, a ratings slump caused the show to be cancelled after three seasons.

A few years later, Bravo got in touch with Caroline to offer her a part-time role in Season 10 of “RHONJ”, but she turned the offer down, reportedly due to the low salary the network was offering. In 2022, Caroline herself confirmed that she had been asked to return for Season 13, and once again declined the offer. Now, after the negative experience with Brandi, it seems more unlikely than ever that we’ll see her on screen again.

Moving on to Caroline’s personal life, she’s married to the successful businessman Albert Manzo, who is a co-owner of an upmarket event and catering facility in Peterson, New Jersey. Caroline and Albert share three children named Albert, Lauren Michele and Christopher Thomas, who were born in 1986, 1988 and 1989 respectively.

Albert and his brother Tommy Manzo inherited the event and catering facility The Brownstone from their father; if the building appears familiar, it’s probably because it was used as a location for “The Sopranos”. The Manzo family are said to live in an opulent $1.69 million house in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; Caroline and Albert bought the property for $265,000 in 1996, and built the house six years later. With over 5,000 square feet and 1.56 acres of land, it’s clear that the Manzos aren’t hurting for cash, if their beautiful home is anything to go by.

Ironically, Caroline and Albert were once considered the poor neighbors in Franklin Lakes; however, that didn’t bother the reality TV personality at all. “We had no landscaping for seven years,” Caroline explained in a 2009 interview. “The pool isn’t gunite. I’m not spending that kind of money… I don’t look to impress.”

Caroline, who grew up in a homely Italian household where “the door was always open”, wanted to raise her children with the same traditions. Despite their privileges, the Manzo children had as normal an upbringing as possible, with Caroline and Albert’s home always being full of friends and family. These days, the Bravo alum shares a close bond with her offspring, especially Lauren, who welcomed her first daughter with Vito Scalia – her brother Albert’s best friend – in February 2017.

Despite not wanting anything to do with Bravo or the “Real Housewives” franchise, Caroline’s time on the series still follows her around wherever she goes. In 2015, co-star Teresa Giudice and her ex-husband Joe Giudice were convicted on several counts of fraud, since when Teresa and others have accused Caroline of being the one who informed the feds on the couple.

During Page Six’s “Reali-Tea” Live event in mid-May 2023, Caroline was once again asked about her involvement in Caroline and Joe’s conviction, and sensationally shared that she was present when the ‘phone call to the government took place. Her daughter Lauren then quickly added: “But we’ll never say who it was.”

“I miss the days of Season 1, Teresa,” Caroline reminisced. “We were there for each other. We were on this journey.” She then added that Teresa had let the fame go to her head, and had become a ‘monster’. Understandably, Teresa has yet to respond to Caroline’s comments, but a few irate netizens accused the latter of trying to keep herself relevant by any means.

Even if she never returns to reality TV again, Caroline has plenty on her plate for the time being. Be it an herb garden, a book club, or participating in fun activities with her granddaughter, the Brooklynite always keeps herself busy. In the past, Caroline also had a bath and body company named Friendly Monkey Soap Co. with a successful Etsy store; these days, she has her own podcast named “Food, Love, Chaos”, in which she shares cooking tips with her fans.

Chess is becoming mainstream, primarily through players with charismatic personalities who stream the board game on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. Anna Cramling has a similar story; only people intimately familiar with the board game knew her and her chess-playing family before 2020. She changed that by starting a Twitch channel, AnnaCramling, and amassing over 330,000 followers since, and a YouTube channel, @AnnaCramling, on 16 February that year, with over 520,000 subscribers in late May 2023. However, many of her followers have yet to learn about her history, which is where we come in.

Anna is branching out

Anna gained prominence as an amateur chess player for Spain, then Sweden, and achieved a career peak in 2018 after becoming a Woman FIDE Master (WFM). Although she was successful the following year, her rating dropped, and the COVID-19 pandemic reduced her chances to play in person. Instead of sitting on her hands, Anna accepted the opportunity to comment on chess matches and started YouTube and Twitch channels which quickly took off. Although she competed a few times during the lockdowns, and played at the 2023 Reykjavik Open, Anna’s streaming career is at the forefront. Thankfully, she uses her engaging personality to bring attention to the board game in media, persuading more girls and women to start playing.

Her parents are renowned chess players

Anna Yolanda Cramling Bellón, born on 30 April 2002 in Málaga, Spain, started playing chess at three. Pia Cramling, her mother, is a Swedish Grandmaster (GM), while her father, Juan Manuel Bellón López, is a Grandmaster (GM) and a five-time Spanish chess champion. Her parents regularly competed in chess tournaments when she was a child. Her mother took a 10-month break during her pregnancy with Anna, which included three months after her birth, arguably her longest pause from playing.

Her mother was the top-rated female chess player in the FIDE International Chess Federation in 1984 and a few other times. Thus in 1992, Pia became the fifth woman to reach the rank of Grandmaster. Anna spent most of her childhood at tournaments, watching her parents play. Her maternal grandfather babysat her whenever that wasn’t possible, which was tricky because he’s from Sweden. However, her parents noted that Anna was unbelievably calm and quiet as a kid.

Interestingly, Anna later stated that her parents never pressured her to play chess. Instead, she said that she felt pressure from herself and the community to live up to being the daughter of two Grandmasters.

She briefly played for Spain

Anna started competing early but only participated in a small number of chess tournaments under the Spanish flag. However, that’s when she earned her first FIDE rating of 1519, competing in the Amateur A contest at the Gibraltar Chess Festival in February 2013 aged 10. Anna returned the next year and won the women’s prize, which earned her considerable praise and publicity. That was unsurprising; her parents actively competed there many times, and she had watched them for nearly a decade. Anna crossed the 1600 FIDE rating mark at the event, and ended her chess career under the Spanish flag.

Anna moved to Sweden in 2012

Anna and her parents relocated to Sweden when she was 11, but she only officially switched to a Swedish chess federation in 2014. In hindsight, that was the right move, as her rating increased by 300 in early 2015. Towards the year’s end, she had a chance to compete in the girl’s U-14 division of the World Cadets Chess Championship, where she finished 58th out of 125 competitors.

Anna wasn’t discouraged and crossed the 2000 FIDE rating mark in mid-2016, at 14, during the Hasselbacken Chess Open event held in Stockholm. Although she didn’t win the event, she beat her fellow Swede, Michael Backman, with a FIDE rating of 2161.

Her success was noticed, and she got to represent Sweden in Azerbaijan during the 2016 Chess Olympiad and helped her country win 23rd place. Furthermore, Anna played for Sweden in 2017 during the Master’s competition in Gibraltar, at the European Youth Chess Championships in the girls under-16 category, and the World Junior Chess Championships in the under-20 girls division. She praised Sweden’s government programs for cultural projects, chess included, for children under 20. However, she disliked that newspapers with a chess column were far more common when she was growing up.

2018 was both great and disappointing for her

Anna had her most successful year in 2018, when she performed well in four tournaments, earning her peak FIDE rating of 2175 and the title of the Woman FIDE Master (WFM). Moreover, she beat the Spanish International Master (IM) Renier Castellanos Rodriguez, who held a rating of 2498, at the Open Internacional Villa de Benasque event in Spain in July. Unfortunately, she underperformed towards the end of 2018, and her rating fell below 2000.

She started making changes in 2019

Anna didn’t rest on her laurels, and participated in several tournaments in 2019. She ended up in 13th place at the European Youth Championships, and beat a fellow WFM with a rating of 2307, Govhar Beydullayeva. Consequently, Anna’s rating rose to 2164 by October of that year, shy of her highest.

Anna combined her parents’ styles

When asked to describe her playstyle, Anna replied that she plays aggressively, particularly online for practice, as she finds it more fun. She got that part from her father, who is very aggressive and tactical. In contrast, her openings are calculated and calm; her mother taught her many of them, and like her, Anna prefers the 1.d4 opening with white pieces, the second most popular chess opening after 1.e4, also called the Queen’s Pawn Game. Therefore, Anna stated that she ‘plays her mother’s openings with her dad’s style.’

Her parents, who still compete, have frequently been by her side  – for instance, during two European Team Chess Championships and the 2016 Chess Olympiad, her mother was on her team while her father organized their efforts as the team captain. Her mother’s absence from the team was also why Anna didn’t participate in the Chess Olympiad two years later.

She started streaming during the pandemic

As a successful chess player, Anna has much experience deliberating and voicing moves to her peers. The number of chess tournaments dwindled when the COVID-19 outbreak grew in severity in late 2019. Thus, she decided to comment on one of the rare ongoing competitions, the 2020 Women’s World Chess Championship, held in Russia and China. Anna created her Twitch channel, and alongside her mother, commented on the match between the title defender, world champion Ju Wenjun, rated at 2584, and the challenger, Aleksandra Goryachkina, who won the new Candidates Tournament the year before, and was rated 2578.

Additionally, Anna competed in the “Femme Batale” Twitch event alongside IM Anna Rudolf, WFM Alexandra Botez, and WGM (Woman Grandmaster) Jennifer Shahade in March of that year. All proceeds from the event were donated to the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Response Fund during COVID-19. Anna also did live commentary during the first portion of the 2020 Women’s Speed Chess Championship alongside GM Robert Hess.

Anna joined the Panda esports team

Anna liked what she was doing on Twitch, and the audience tuned in to listen to her expertise and fun personality. Her mother and father periodically voiced their opinion, making things more interesting. For instance, they discussed the chess opening that Anna invented, “the COW opening,” and played against chess hustlers in Union Square Park in New York City. Anna realized that combining chess with entertainment was a career worth exploring, and she started posting on social media, Twitter and Instagram. The esports company Panda spotted her in late 2020, and signed her the following year, making her their first chess streamer.

Anna credits the mini-series “The Queen’s Gambit,” which premiered a few months after she became active online, for her sudden surge of followers. Moreover, Anna’s prominence grew after she signed up with a renowned talent agency, Evolved Talent or Evolved.GG. It represents well-known streamers such as xQc, Kitboga, Alinity, and Jerma985, and esports gamers Gorgc, Elevate, Babybay, and GarrettG. She mentioned that one reason for getting into esports is that chess was neither a sport nor a part of the culture, making it harder to earn money and get government assistance. She felt that chess becoming an esport would motivate more people to join clubs and play online. Moreover, she wanted to inspire girls to play and thought that the more girls started, the more they would join her as streamers or competitors. Her mother also said that chess needs better marketing, higher prizes, better playing conditions, and more women.

She had a boyfriend

Anna prefers to keep many things a secret, and separates her private and public life. Fans mostly know about her love for coffee, home workouts, and the beige color. However, observant fans noticed a minor mention of a previous relationship in a CNN article from March 2023, that revealed the most about her as a person, Anna mentioning that she used her ex-boyfriend’s laptop to start her first stream. That means that the relationship is over, and her followers have yet to discover whom she dated, and whether she has a new partner.

Sadly, in the same interview, Anna described her experience as a woman during chess tournaments as ‘lonely and sometimes uncomfortable.’ She said that adult men had complimented her since she was a kid. Moreover, some of her chess opponents admitted that they couldn’t stop looking at her. It’s important to note that chess bouts can last to five hours. Even worse, Anna revealed that a chess official warned her not to wear shorts, to avoid distracting male players.

She successfully transitioned

Anna started playing chess at three and had a successful career, reaching the third-highest rank in 2019. However, she used an unfortunate situation, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, to pursue her dream of making chess accessible and fun for everyone. She wanted more women to join the board game and eradicate the misconception that it was only for ‘old, intelligent men.’ Additionally, Anna claims that streaming helped her start playing chess ‘in a relaxed way, and not trying to be the best,’ which weirdly led to better results in the International Chess Federation matches.

Anna will continue streaming

Anna was nominated in the Best Chess Streamer category at The Streamer Awards in 2023, suggesting that her popularity is rising. Plus, Anna has taken a gap year after matriculating from high school, and is expanding her reach by partnering with Chess.com and Menē, a jewelry company that ,presented a 24K gold and pure platinum chess collection during Paris Couture Week, with her help. Sadly, her official website, www.annacramling.com, doesn’t work in May 2023, although probably temporarily. Most importantly, her parents, neither of whom knew that streaming existed, supported her way of sharing her love of chess with the audience.

Anna competed in Reykjavik Open 2023, but stated that she would still upload or stream on YouTube or Twitch if she weren’t a chess player. However, she would post traveling live streams or vlogs instead. As proof, she explained that she talked to her camera about the video games that she played, or the things that she’s purchased since she was eight. Finally, Anna recently diversified her content by live-streaming video games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Valorant and cooking.

Ricky Van Shelton is a retired country music superstar, who spent three decades in the industry. He found early recognition and was successful and beloved by the audience only two years after he started working on his music. During his lengthy career, Ricky released nine studio albums, four compilation albums, and two holiday albums. His work was praiseworthy; 20 singles landed on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 10 charted in the number one spot, and seven were in the top 10. Unfortunately, Ricky Van Shelton stopped recording around 2000, and announced his retirement in 2006. Here’s what happened and what he did afterwards.

Ricky didn’t cater to the mainstream sound

Ricky Van Shelton was a renowned recording and performing country music artist between 1986 and 1992 and could have kept going. His albums were certified platinum and gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and he had thousands of fans awaiting new releases. However, his displeasure with the new wave of country artists in the early 1990s, which would force him to alter his sound, put him off.

Ricky wanted to do what he loved, and didn’t regard his public fall from grace that way. He was always open about being lucky to find fame in his 30s, and his readiness to leave the industry when it no longer aligned with his goals. Thus, Ricky started a recording label, had a minor studio album release, then signed with another well-known label before he got tired of performing and touring. Ricky had earned enough to live off his past work and so dedicated his life to his hobbies, household duties, and marriage.

A demo launched his career

Ricky’s father was musically inclined, and son began singing gospel and pop music as a child. However, his love for country music developed in his teens, and he promptly joined his brother’s band and began performing wherever he could. Although he worked in area clubs, his name needed to be more recognizable to earn a living, forcing him to work various other jobs.

He finally got lucky after he moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1984, which many consider the Mecca of country music, with his then-girlfriend, now wife, Bettye Witt. After two years of performing, newspaper columnist Jerry Thompson heard one of his demo tracks, and facilitated an audition with one of the oldest companies in the sound business, Columbia Records.

Jerry started managing his career after Columbia Records signed Ricky to CBS Records International, a branch of the main label that released recordings outside North America. His first album, “Wild-Eyed Dream,” released in 1987, was an instant success, and the singles after that charted better and better. His second album, “Loving Proof,” released in 1988, reached first place on the Billboard Council albums list, and had three top-charting singles.

He persevered despite the genre’s decline

Ricky Van Shelton enjoyed praise and high chart positions until 1992. That wasn’t his fault entirely. His albums, “RVS III” from 1990 and “Backroads” from 1991, still charted well. However, the popularity of his country music sub-genre, neo-traditionalism, was waning. Therefore, his colleagues such as Dwight Yoakam, George Strait, Garth Brooks, and Randy Travis also faced troubles.

Grand Ole Opry, which he joined in 1988, described the change as the appearance of ‘a group of hat acts,’ cowboys who moved away from the traditional country genre to release music with pop, gospel, and rock influences. Moreover, female country stars rose in prominence; Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Faith Hill figuratively stole a portion of the audience.

Ricky had trouble with alcohol in 1992

As if the industry decline wasn’t affecting his career enough, Ricky finally confessed that he’d struggled with alcoholism for a while and wanted to become sober. His fans knew that he was serious and that it could mean giving up his career if sobriety was more important. After all, Ricky told Detroit Free Press in 1990, ‘I’ve always had faith in myself… With these three albums, it’s been wonderful. However, if it ends tomorrow, I would just walk away with a smile.’

His admission brought attention to his life away from the spotlight – people around him revealed that alcohol had taken full control of his life. Ricky staved off his alcoholism on stage to avoid ruining his career but struggled away from the spotlight. Consequently, his drinking destroyed his relationship with family and friends, and his eight-year-long marriage was in danger. His parents didn’t want to meddle in his affairs, but ended every conversation with, ‘We’re praying for you, son!’

That forced Ricky to self-reflect, and recalled how happy his childhood was. Since he sang gospel in church growing up, and his type of country music was losing popularity, he switched things up and in 1992 released an album of his favorite gospel songs, “Don’t Overlook Salvation,”

He voiced his displeasure

Ricky’s departure from mainstream music wasn’t so hasty. Some fans recalled his interview with Morning Call in November 1999, when Ricky revealed that his dissatisfaction with the music industry began in 1992, when he performed at the Country Music Association’s anniversary event. He stated that the songs he was supposed to sing weren’t in his key, however, the event’s director told him and other participants that it didn’t matter what they sounded like, only that the performances looked good on camera. Ricky was insulted, saying he would leave instead of sounding bad because of someone else’s decisions.

Shortly after security escorted him from the event for refusing to co-operate, Ricky also started disliking his radio performances. He stated that the new wave would ruin the country because the artists sounded alike. What hurt him the most was that the single, “Where Was I,” from his platinum-certified 1991 studio album, “Backroads,” vanished from all charts after his statements, despite being ‘hot as a firecracker,’ according to him.

He recovered and adjusted his career goals

Although he never clarified whether he beat his alcohol addiction, Ricky noted that his career rapidly deteriorated because he didn’t want to conform to current trends. Thus, Ricky left Columbia Records after releasing two more studio albums, “A Bridge I Didn’t Burn” in 1993, and “Love and Honor” in 1994. However, his former label released several Greatest Hits collections afterwards, including “Super Hits” in 1995, “Super Hits Vol. 2” in 1996, and “16 Biggest Hits” in 1999.

Ricky decided to reduce his touring and recording commitments in 1997, and launched the recording label, RVS Records. He financed his next album, “Making Plans,” and released it solely in Wal-Mart stores the following year.

His eighth studio album received some praise, but lacked the backing of a large record label. Plus, its release made it unable to chart, and he didn’t release any singles. As a last-ditch effort to revive his career, Ricky signed with the Canadian record label Audium before releasing his last studio album, “Fried Green Tomatoes,” in May 2000. Although it had a notable single, “The Decision,” it didn’t achieve noteworthy worldwide success.

Ricky retired a decade and a half ago

Ricky continued touring and performing his best-known songs for six years through 2006, however, everyone noticed his reluctance to live a country superstar life. He was never really into fans camping in his trailer or throwing him objects such as teddy bears and lingerie, some of which had female fans’ numbers and names. Additionally, Ricky never lived a fast-paced rockstar life, which included sleeping around, taking drugs, or partying late into the night. Most importantly, his fans noticed that he barely gave interviews after 2000, which suggested that the end was near.

Most of his fans were unsurprised to read Ricky’s letter, dated 3 May 2006, informing everyone that he would take a break. He asked the label to release him from performing for the rest of the year, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family. However, when the hiatus stretched into 2007, and he didn’t return the year after, it was clear that Ricky had decided to retire, at least until further notice.

He never returned to the scene

Ricky never clarified why he retired, as many assumed that he loved country music and performing. However, he never wanted the headache, busy lifestyle, and constant competition that being a recording artist demands. Many fans need to remember that Ricky struggled to find recognition until he was in his mid-30s and only enjoyed several years of unbelievable success before his fame took a toll.

Following several decently-performing albums after 1992, Ricky presumably recognized that he would never recapture the stardom that he once had. Thus, he potentially decided that the sacrifices of being away from family and friends weren’t worth the moderate success he could maintain.

Although he refused to speak publicly about his reasons or potential plans for his return, his website, www.rickyvanshelton.com, provided some information – Ricky used his retirement years to work on his 150-acre farm, located along the Cumberland River, east of Nashville. He was also interested in collecting antiques, including expanding his classic car collection, gardening, and flying his airplane.

Ricky lives on his terms

After becoming an instant star in the late 1980s, Ricky Van Shelton was a sensation for roughly eight years. At the height of his fame, he decided not to blend in with the so-called New Country wave, explaining that he refused to look or sound like other country stars. Ricky’s unwillingness to align with the record label’s plans and standards led him to leave fame behind, and make independent decisions.

True fans appreciated the post-1992 releases. After Ricky launched his label, many fans rushed to Wal-Mart to hear what he had to offer, and still showed up at his shows until 2006. His passion for performing wilted, and he couldn’t justify the financial, time, and energy investments. Hence, Ricky quit media life and now enjoys privacy, having been one of the best-recognized male country music vocalists.

He isn’t keeping his fans in the loop

Although fans can read or hear some old interviews, only bits of information are available. Ricky’s official website, created in June 1997, is inaccessible despite its renewal in 2018. Similarly, his official Facebook page under the handle @rickyvanshelton.music, has been deleted. Only his fans keep the legacy alive online. A Facebook fan group, Bring Back Ricky van Shelton, mentions occasional tidbits that surface online. For example, they keep track of his wife’s YouTube channel, @@BettyeShelton-RickyVanShelton, and noticed that she’d uploaded an unreleased song that Ricky wrote, “I Know About You and Me,” on 14 May 2022. She recorded it with her iPhone’s Voice Memo app; fewer than five people had heard it before that day.

That shows that Ricky is still happily married to the woman he began dating in 1979, and tied the knot with seven years later. Bettye is equally satisfied with her life; she released a 25-second video of Ricky’s contagious laughter in August 2020, a video of them celebrating Easter morning that year, and landscaping their yard. She also revealed that her husband still loves Randy Travis. Bettye posted a video of Ricky saluting and admiring Randy in the home studio in 2017 for being ‘distinctive and a true star.’ Her uploads indirectly disproved fake news on YouTube in 2022, about Ricky ‘being in critical condition and begging for help’.