Move over Real Housewives of New Jersey! There’s newer group of classier ladies on the town. The new VH1 hit show is called Mob Wives and the press release teases “all the myths, legends and tales about “mob life” have all centered on the made men who run these wrong-side-of-the-law closed societies until now.”
Here’s the first thing you should know about the women of Mob Wives – they talk about prison A LOT. Because all the men they know are currently in one. Their fathers, uncles, brothers, husbands – whatever. So yeah – the ladies are pretty much experts on navigating the federal penitentiary system.
The other things you should know about the women of Mob Wives: these girls don’t back down. They are assertive. They fight. They cuss. They love what they call “the life” which is how they refer to people involved in the mob. And loyalty is their number one priority. Which is why things are going to get very complicated and dramatic this season as the ladies struggle with their identities, their future, and their families… Let’s meet the girls!
A new episode of Mob Wives airs tonight on VH1 at 8/7c.
Click The Continue Reading Button To See More Photos & Bios Of Each Cast Member!
Drita D’avanzo – Drita, Drita, Drita… Drita loves to fight. Loves it! She loves to bruise her knuckles on another girl’s cheekbones; she can’t have “nails” (the long acrylic kind) because they snap off when she fights. Drita loves the street life and can’t stay away. Her husband, Lee, is currently incarcerated for bank robbery (seriously!) for the second time (seriously!) and she is raising her two daughters alone in between fielding phone calls from Lee on the inside, running errands for Lee, and dropping things off for him in jail – oh, and working out. She does that a lot. Drita is from a strict Albanian family who has since disowned her after she hooked up with her Mafia prince. Now she is questioning whether or not she should stay with her husband and wait for him to come home or she should leave him and move on. Oh, she is also a make-up artist.
Renee Graziano – Renee Graziano is awesome. End of story. Here’s a quote to illustrate just how awesome Renee is: “They ask me why I don’t date. Because all the good men are in jail!” Anyways, Renee, a self proclaimed Mafia Princess, is the daughter of Anthony Graziano –currently incarcerated – she is also a single mother to her son AJ and her ex-husband “Junior” has recently been arrested. Thanks to her involvement in “the life” she has visited over 83 prisons and comforted numerous friends and family members on the “inside” through visits and letter writing. She parlayed this extracurricular into a business called JAIL MAIL, a greeting card company that makes cards for inmates. Renee is assertive, hilariously funny, and a strict “mob loyalist” since birth who comes from the old school mafia heyday, but she struggles between balancing her loyalty to the mob and her desire for her son to choose a different path in life.
Karen Gravano – Karen is the daughter of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano –currently incarcerated. After 12 years of living in Arizona with her family in the the witness protection program as a result of her father testifying in court to put away mob bosses like John Gotti and the Gambino crime family, Karen has decided to return to Staten Island because she is writing an autobiography and wants to reconnect with her past. Karen wrestles with why her father made the decision to testify thus destroying her life and isolating her from the only lifestyle she had ever known. While living in Phoenix, Karen opened a successful spa, got arrested for something to do with involvement in a drug ring, and became a mother.
Carla Facciolo – Carla has a taste for luxury, but sadly luxury does not have a taste for her. Growing up in the lifestyle, just like Renee and Karen, her father went to prison when she was young. Carla tried to escape the street life by marrying a successful stockbroker. Unfortunately, her husband Joey Ferragamo (no relation to the shoes, I’m afraid) wasn’t really that successful as he is currently incarcerated for stock fraud. Whoops! Now she is single-handedly raising her twins, who think their father has been at work for the past 8 years. Joey is scheduled to get out soon, but Carla has decided to divorce him and finally be independent from him and the life.
