Reality TV

Mark Cuban looks to be cozying up to Donald Trump again, or at least the President-elect's lightning rod of a chief strategist.

The Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" star met with Stephen Bannon Tuesday afternoon at the King Cole Bar in NYC's St. Regis. They've done business deals together in the past, but this had to be about politics.

Cuban became a vocal opponent of Trump, but early in the campaign season he supported the idea of the political outsider and biz tycoon running for office.

Trump's taking heat over Bannon's alignment with the "alt-right" movement, but Cuban praised him last month, saying he thought Bannon was smarter than Trump and was playing him like a puppet.

Stevie J's down to get pricked for Joseline Hernandez's paternity test request but it could come back to burn her where child custody is concerned.

Stevie J just filed docs agreeing to take a DNA test to find out if he's the father of Joseline's unborn child and if he is ... Stevie's asking the court to award him primary physical custody because he thinks she's an unfit mother. In the docs, he claims Joseline may have abused drugs during the pregnancy.

He also says she has anger issues as evidenced by her acts of violence against him in the past. He claims she'll "engage in acts of parental alienation" once the kid's born and keep him away from the child.

If he's granted custody, Stevie J is also asking for child support.

TMZ broke the story ... Joseline sued earlier this month to get Stevie J to take a paternity test. She also asked for child support.

James Packer now claims he was bullied by ex-fiancee Mariah Carey into participating in her reality show, but we obtained video that makes it clear ... the yacht owner was fully on board, sources connected to Mariah tell TMZ.

Our sources say James has now asked producers to scrub him from the series. We're told he's even asked to see proof he signed the appropriate releases, and turns out he did not. So, James may actually have a solid argument that his mug should not be shown on the program.

Two "Little Women: Dallas" cast members opened a can of whoop ass on each other during filming and it ended with a human dogpile.

We got the footage of Amanda Loy and Brichelle Humphrey goin' down swinging at the Henderson Tap House in Big D.

It all started after Bri accused Amanda, who's a bodybuilder, of taking steroids ... and things escalated quickly.

Only thing missing between 'Real Housewives of New York' star Jules Wainstein and estranged hubby Michael was some actual slimy mud during a vicious back-and-forth slinging in court.

The estranged couple appeared in court Wednesday in NYC for a spousal and child support hearing that quickly went south ... with their lawyers going at each other's throats with allegations of money troubles, drug use and being unfit parents.

Michael painted Jules as someone living way beyond her means ... whose spending quadrupled when she joined 'RHONY.' Michael pointed to a $40k AmEx bill in 2015 and $2k spent on Uber the first 15 days of October.

He also brought up Jules' history of drug use documented on TV ... to which the judge snapped back by saying, "I don't decide my cases based on what's on TV."

Jules admitted to making $60k during her 1 year stint on 'RHONY' while she was married. She blamed Michael for a pile of unpaid bills and not having filed proper tax returns in nearly a decade.

She said Michael doesn't deserve more time with their kids. She claims every other weekend is more than enough, since all he does is pawn the kids off on their nanny.

The judge made no decisions, saying they need to resolve their money issues first. Same goes for custody ... though the judge added there could well be a trial.

Cops have nabbed 2 people for beating and robbing Jake Harris and then leaving him for dead on the side of a road.

The suspects, Jorel Fultz and Amanda Ritter, were arrested late Tuesday. The couple faces 1st degree felony robbery charges -- plus an extra assault charge for Fultz.

As we reported ... the former "Deadliest Catch" star said he had caught a ride back into town over the weekend after a night at a casino in Washington state, before a fight broke out and he was thrown out of the vehicle. He woke up bloodied and battered on the side of the road ... his wallet, ID and cash nowhere in sight.

Law enforcement sources tell us Fultz and Ritter were arrested in the city of Spokane, but will eventually be transferred to Everette, where the alleged crime occurred. They're both being held without bond.

Mama June's granddaughter, Kaitlyn Cardwell, is now bandage-free and showing off her solo thumb.

TMZ broke the story ... Kaitlyn's mom, Anna, made the decision last month to have an extra thumb surgically removed from the 4-year-old's right hand. The surgery went off without a hitch, and Kaitlyn's recovery went faster than expected ... so she got to ditch her cast early.

Kaitlyn's extra digit was a big talking point on the show, but we're told it won't be missed. Most importantly, she's feeling great after the surgery.

Jake Harris was found battered and bloodied on the side of the road after getting tossed from a vehicle ... according to law enforcement.

Cops tell TMZ ... the former "Deadliest Catch" star got in an SUV Saturday night with 2 to 3 other people after leaving a casino in Washington state, but got into a fight and was thrown out of the vehicle.

Sources close to the situation tell us Jake's ID, wallet and cash were stolen before he got 86'd from the car. Cops found him on the side of the road and took him home. Jake decided later to go to a hospital for a head wound, and we're told he's still in ICU.

Cops haven't identified any suspects. Jake's brother, Josh, posted a video about the attack.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Jax Taylor's got some serious girl trouble -- as in, his gf might have cheated on him ... with a girl.

Brittany Cartwright insists the girl-on-girl action never went down, but Jax ain't buying it just yet ... which has the couple on the verge of an all-out war in season 5.

The showdown has all the ear markings of becoming the latest in a long line of OMG moments on the show. Here's a few to jog your memory:

- Jax inking himself up with his gf Stassi's name ... which was sweet, until he moved on to Carmen. Yeah, he got her name tatted too.
- Scheana and Shay finally making it to the altar! BTW, who else gets married in a bejeweled crop top?
- Tom Schwartz making good on the infamous promise "ring on a string" and proposing to Katie.
- New chick LaLa's classy choice to go topless in Hawaii ... instantly pissing off Katie.

With this crew, no one EVER checks their drama at the door.

"Vanderpump Rules" airs tonight at 9/8c on Bravo.

Apollo Nida will appear on 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' from prison and he's bringing his new mystery fiancée along for the ride too ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us Apollo started dating the woman 2 years ago ... before he started his prison sentence, and they got engaged a couple months ago. We're told the woman lives in NJ, not far from the the federal prison where he's serving his sentence ... and she visits twice a week.

She and Apollo have both shot scenes for the upcoming 'RHOA' season -- he's on by phone -- and we're told producers want to keep her identity under wraps until the episode airs.

The 2 big questions: NO, the fiancée did not shoot scenes with Apollo's ex, but Phaedra Parks' reaction to the relationship was captured -- and NO ... the fiancée doesn't have a ring.

Diamonds are frowned upon in federal lockup.

Amanda Stanton's monthly checks from her ex just got slashed by almost 75% ... but at least her fiance's still by her side.

Amanda and her fiance, Josh Murray, were together in family court when Amanda lost a battle in her ongoing custody and child support war with her ex-husband, Nick Buonfiglio.

Nick wanted to pay less child support to the "Bachelor in Paradise" star for their 2 daughters, and the judge agreed -- cutting his payments from $2k a month down to $530.

The reasoning is simple -- Amanda admits she's making more cash after being on 'BiP' ... while Nick says he's had financial hardships.

'Bachelorette' alum Luke Pell didn't score a gig as the next 'Bachelor,' but he might want to see if Chippendales is hiring after making $1,500 for taking off his shirt.

Luke, a fan favorite from JoJo's season, swept the Cocktails for Canines bachelor auction earlier this week in Delray Beach, Florida. Basically, it's a bunch of hot dudes stripping for the highest bid ... with the dough going to a dog charity.

The competition was pretty stiff ... Luke's season 12 cohort, Nick Benvenutti, and "Big Brother" alum Zach Rance also showed skin. "Bachelor in Paradise" alum Vinny Ventiera hosted the event.

We're told the event raised $25k for the Tri-County Animal Rescue, which adds up when you hear the roar from the crowd.

The man who viciously murdered Bob Crane, the star of the iconic TV show "Hogan's Heroes," may be exposed on TV after a 38 year unsolved mystery.

Crane was bludgeoned to death with a camera tripod in his Scottsdale apartment back in 1978. He and his good friend, John Carpenter, were deep into kinky sex ... secretly filming various sexual configurations involving numerous women.

Carpenter's rent-a-car was seized by cops just days after Crane's murder, and they found blood inside. Carpenter was tried for murder, but there was a problem. DNA was not perfected then, and the jury found him not guilty because there wasn't conclusive proof it was Crane's blood.

Enter Phoenix Fox 10 anchor John Hook. More than a year ago, Hook started working with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and convinced prosecutors to release enough blood so state-of-the-art DNA tests could be conducted.

The DNA results are in. Hook is mum, but he will reveal the results Monday on the 9 PM news.

If the blood is a match with the blood found in Carpenter's car, it's close to a slam dunk he was the killer, but he can't be prosecuted for 2 reasons ... double jeopardy, and he's dead.

11:38 AM PT -- Khloe's ecstatic to be an auntie again saying, "My new niece is absolutely stunning!!! So thankful I was able to land in time to witness this miracle happen! Praise God!"

9:40 AM PT -- The kid's here. Chyna and Rob reportedly named their baby girl, Dream. She was born at 9:18 AM and weighed in at 7 pounds 5 oz.

Blac Chyna is at the hospital, getting prepped for the arrival of the first Kardashian heir ... TMZ has learned.

Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble just rolled into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. We're told Chyna is in a posh suite upstairs, ready to deliver the baby girl by C-section. It was scheduled for 8:30 AM PT.

We're told grandma Jenner hired a bunch of bodyguards to protect the baby, Rob and Chyna ... but we're told they're mostly concerned about the baby getting photographed.

Our sources say there's a conflict a brewin' ... there are cameras ready to record the birth for a TV special, but some of what they want to shoot violates Cedars protocol and the family is going back and forth with the hospital.

Story and baby developing ...

Amanda Stanton claims she and Josh Murray have taken their "Bachelor in Paradise" relationship to the next level by living together with a soaring household income.

Amanda shared financial info as part of her custody battle with ex-husband/baby daddy Nick Buonfiglio. In the docs, she says she's making more than $13k a month from her fashion blog and social media. She also lists live-in fiance Josh's monthly income at $10k.

According to the docs, Amanda's paychecks increased big-time after her recent appearance on 'BiP' -- thanks to new endorsement ops. This seems to support Nick's claim she's making way more dough these days ... which is why he wants more child support for their 2 daughters.

One more tidbit/confession from the docs ... Amanda spends 2 grand a month on clothes.

'Bachelor' vet AshLee Frazier couldn't get it on a reality show, but she finally got a marriage proposal ... on the Brooklyn Bridge.

We're told the proposal went down Saturday right in the middle of a bunch of tourists who were checking out the bridge. The lucky guy is Aaron Williams, a Houston real estate developer AshLee's known for years. She moved back to H-town earlier this year, and they hit it off romantically.

We're told Aaron sealed the deal with an oval cut 3 ct. diamond, and dinner at hot spot Scarpetta.

Sean Lowe, the 'Bachelor' from AshLee's season, is still married to Catherine Giudici.

Sooo ... win-win?