Pat Gaudette

I admit it. I’m a Real Housewives junkie. Yes, watching how the totally unreal housewives of Orange County or New York or Atlanta or New Jersey supposedly live is a complete waste of time and brain space. Perhaps the only positive is that I can watch while I exercise… occasionally.

If you’re a RH junkie, too, you already know that Danielle pretty much stole the show after the first few episodes of Real Housewives of New Jersey. Considering that each show seems to have at least one controversial “housewife,” she’s as good as any of the others for the role.

Except… Danielle Staub aka Beverly Ann Merrill is reportedly a lowlife snitch who didn’t realize that her past would come back to bite her. Her criminal past, and then flipping to keep herself out of prison, is juicy stuff for reality TV. The producers got lucky with this one, but what about Danielle/Beverly? Not everyone can get into the government’s witness protection program but getting into reality TV clearly is not the usual path to longevity.

An unexpected bonus for author Charles Kipps is the frenzy to read his book, Cop Without A Badge: The Extraordinary Undercover Life of Kevin Maher. Maher reportedly left his first wife to live with Beverly/Danielle (and then married, reportedly not bothering to get a divorce first) who he met while she was… nope, no spoilers here. Let’s just say Danielle/Beverly’s past exploits are the stuff of porn novels and pretty good reason that the other housewives would want to distance themselves from her. Used copies of the original hardcover, published in 1995 by  Carroll & Graf Publishing, are selling just under $150 on Amazon. Due to reader demand, a new paperback version is available through Scribner, retailing at $22.95.