Reality TV

"Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo asked the judge to go easy on her husband in his federal gun case ... but instead, the judge dropped the hammer.

Drita and her 2 daughters were in court Friday for her husband Lee D'Avanzo's sentencing in New Jersey where judge Rachel P. Kovner sentenced Lee to 64 months in prison.

Lee's counsel argued a sentence of 37 months was more than enough because he took responsibility for the crime ... but federal prosecutors in Brooklyn wanted up to 46 months. Kovner wasn't having it, saying keeping 2 loaded guns with hollow point ammunition in a home with 2 daughters was extremely dangerous.

Kovner added she didn't have confidence Lee would learn his lesson if she gave him a lighter sentence. She also noted Lee has 6 prior convictions and had previously violated supervised release. She said she had a duty to protect the public. Once he's done serving his sentence ... Lee will be on 2 years of supervised release.

As we reported ... Lee apologized for his actions and pled guilty to gun possession charges in back March after the NYPD raided the family home and found the guns. Drita was eventually cleared of all charges.

Jorge Nava is finally following through with his promise to end his "90 Day Fiance" marriage to Anfisa Arkhipchenko ... he's officially filed for divorce.

Jorge filed this week in Arizona, only a few days after the former couple marked their 3-year wedding anniversary.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jorge lists Nov. 19 as the date of separation. He cites the usual irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

There doesn't appear to be major hurdles ... Jorge and Anfisa did not have any children together and in the docs, he says they don't have any property or debts together.

We broke the story ... Jorge vowed back in March to leave his Russian bride after finishing his prison stint for drug charges. He claimed Anfisa abandoned him while he was behind bars and ran off to be with another man.

Jorge and Anfisa were a big hit during season 4 of the show, and on Aug. 1, 2017, they tied the knot.

As we first reported ... Jorge shed a whopping 128 pounds while doing hard time, and now it seems he's cashing in on his new and improved look -- posting a lot of loving pics with a new woman.

When it comes to love, Kamal "Chance" Givens is living up to his name ... 'cause he's returning to TV for a dating show, and this time ... he's the star.

Chance -- best known for pursuing Tiffany "New York" Pollard on VH1's "I Love New York" -- is back in the game with his own dating competition reality series dubbed "One Mo' Chance."

And, get this ... Ray J and Princess Love -- despite their break-up -- are executive producers.

The new show premieres this fall on the video-on-demand network, Zeus ... and it gives Chance another opportunity at love and to share how his life has changed since finishing as the runner-up on "I Love New York."

We're told the show is still filming "bubble style" where contestants have been tested and quarantined together.

He'll touch on a bunch of subjects ... from the relationship he has with the mother of his kids to his brother Ahmad "Real" Givens' death from colon cancer in 2015.

You might recall Chance and Real had their own reality dating show, "Real Chance of Love" -- which ran for 2 seasons in 2008 and 2009.

Justin Hartley cold-heartedly fired off a text to Chrishell Stause about filing for divorce ... so claims the "Selling Sunset" star.

Chrishell broke down telling co-star Mary Fitzgerald about exactly how she found out the "This Is Us" star wanted out of their marriage. It's pretty heartbreaking ... Chrishell choked back tears before revealing, "I found out because he texted me that we were filed [for divorce]."

The actress/real estate agent says at first she thought Justin was joking but pretty quickly reality set in ... adding that "45 minutes later the world knew." TMZ broke the story ... Justin filed for divorce in November 2019 after 2 years of marriage. She later strongly hinted she was blindsided by the news ... and now we know why.

Chrishell says she spoke to Justin after he dropped the bombshell on her but that was the end of their communication. She was clearly distraught ... saying even though they were only married for 2 years they were together for 6 years. She said if this is what Justin really wanted "there are better ways to go about it."

The Netflix hit "Selling Sunset" premieres season 3 beginning Friday ... and the season's storyline largely centers around the sudden end of Chrishell and Justin's marriage.

That's playing out pretty publicly -- Justin's moved on and has been photographed getting cozy with a new GF.

Kandi Burruss knows how to have a good, old-fashioned, booty-shakin' time ... even during a pandemic.

The 'Real Housewives' star threw a birthday bash for her husband, Todd Tucker, at the Bowlmor in Atlanta ... but no one was looking at bowling pins. Instead, Kandi brought in strippers, and did so COVID-safely, we might add.

Check it out ... dancers were brought in to strip down for Todd -- but they were encased in glass boxes, ya know ... for distancing and whatnot. It's creative, we'll give 'em that.

Not only that, but it looks like just about everyone who attended was wearing some type of face covering -- so they were mindful during their partying, more so than a lot of bozos we've seen raging this year.

Unclear if 'RHOA' cameras were rolling for the shindig -- but our guess is ... they probably were. Remember, production for the show recently picked up again, and safety guidelines are in place to keep everyone healthy. Looks like the cast is taking those directives to heart, but still having fun.

Kristin Cavallari's reunited with Stephen Colletti, her ex-boyfriend from their "Laguna Beach" days, but frenzied fans hoping they're getting back together should know ... there's nothing romantic going on.

Kristin immediately sparked the rumor Tuesday when she shared a photo hugging on Stephen and captioned it, "2004 or 2020?!" For those who don't know ... the 2 were the hot high school couple on the popular MTV reality show, which aired from '04 to '06.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... there's no rekindling of their old relationship -- they've simply remained good friends since their split many years ago.

We're told Kristin was down in Laguna to visit Stephen and Alex Murrel, another star of 'LB: The Real Orange County' ... and that's all there is to it.

This isn't the first time fans of the former flings have gotten their hopes up of a renewed romance. A couple years ago, Kristin -- who went on to star on "The Hills" and her own series, "Very Cavallari" -- shared a video in which she name-dropped him ... and he commented back.

Of course, at that time Kristin was very married to NFL QB Jay Cutler. Now, Kristin and Jay are going through a divorce, so ... let the rain fall down?

Clare Crawley's journey on "The Bachelorette" is a short one, it turns out, and now her replacement, Tayshia Adams, will be the 2nd black leading woman on the show.

TMZ has confirmed the 39-year-old 'Bachelorette' (who was getting a second shot at love) apparently found her perfect match early on during taping. Sorry, spoiler alert -- but there's been a buzz about it for a couple days.

In light of Clare finding her perfect dude ... producers have decided to switch up the storyline -- bringing in Tayshia, who competed on Colton Underwood's 'Bachelor' season, and then went on to appear on "Bachelor in Paradise." So, she's a familiar face.

Word is that the season will start with Clare's story ... and then pivot to Tayshia. Unclear if the guys who were still standing for Clare will stick around for Tayshia, or if they'll get a whole new crop for her to choose from. Either way, its gonna make for great TV.

Rumors of the change started percolating on social media this weekend, especially after Tayshia teased a possible surprise for Bachelor Nation. Clare is also said to have liked an IG post talking about Tayshia being the new 'Bachelorette' -- a huge signal in and of itself.

Of course, she follows in the footsteps of Rachel Lindsay -- the first black 'Bachelorette' ever -- and it also comes on the heels of Matt James being cast as the first black 'Bachelor' a couple months ago.

Congrats to Tayshia ... and Clare! Again, spoiler alert.

Tamar Braxton's upcoming reality show will still be released, but the network says it's honoring her request and severing ties with her going forward ... following her recent suicide attempt.

WE tv says ... "Tamar Braxton has been an important part of our network family for more than a decade. As she focuses on her health and recovery at what is clearly a difficult and personal time, we will work with her representatives to honor her request to end all future work for the network."

The network adds that it wishes her nothing but the best, and confirms with TMZ that Tamar's new series, 'Get Ya Life!,' will premiere Sept. 10.

Remember, the show was supposed to debut July 30, but got postponed after Tamar's apparent suicide attempt on July 16 at an L.A. hotel. Tamar called it "my attempt to end my pain and my life."

As we reported ... Tamar opened up about the incident, claiming years of mistreatment in reality TV pushed her to the brink. She claims over 2 months ago, she wrote a letter to WE tv asking to be freed from her contract because of the "demise" she was experiencing ... but says her cry for help was ignored.

Sources close to Tamar told us she was upset over her portrayal on the first episode of "Get Ya Life!" and felt she was lied to by producers.

Tamar Braxton is opening up about her attempt to end her own life, claiming her years in the reality TV business and the "toxic, systemic bondage" that dwells there almost killed her ... but now she's healing and speaking up.

Tamar says the July 16 incident was "my attempt to end my pain and my life," and only by God's grace and mercy did she make it out alive.

As you know ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their hotel room in downtown L.A. EMTs found her unconscious inside her room when they arrived.

Tamar says her pain has been building for 11 years, and had eaten away her spirit and caused her to suffer mental illness. She says over the past 5 years, in particular, she has been overworked, underpaid, taken advantage of and betrayed by reality TV producers. She flat out accuses them ... claiming they "filmed the damage made, for monetary gain."

She says over 2 months ago, she wrote a letter to WE tv -- the network producing her new series, "Get Ya Life!" -- asking to be freed from her contract and explained the "demise" she was experiencing. She claims her cry for help was ignored.

Instead, she says the network pushed forward with the new series, which she says tainted her spirit and her soul. She adds ... "It was witnessing the death of the woman I knew, that discouraged my will to fight. I felt like I was no longer living, I was existing for the purpose of corporations gain, and that killed me."

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the final straw for Tamar was when she viewed the first episode of "Get Ya Life!" and felt the network and producers did everything they promised they wouldn't ... including portraying her as the "angry black woman" who was choosing a man over her family.

We're also told she was very upset about how her BF, David, was used by the network and came off in the show.

Now, as we first reported, sources connected to the Braxton family told us the family believes it was David who got angry about his portrayal in that first episode, and that's what fueled Tamar's emotions.

First episode aside, Tamar clearly has a bigger issue with reality TV and its treatment of minorities. As she put it, "They promise us opportunity but produce exploitation."

Erik Cowie, one of the ''Tiger King' stars who you saw caring for the zoo's animals, has a nice new set of chompers -- a gift from the man in charge, Jeff Lowe.

Sources close to the GW Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma tell TMZ ... though Erik interacts with the public daily -- leading tours and answering questions about all the animals -- he has a hard time connecting with people, because he's always been self-conscious about his smile and felt bad about his teeth.

We're told Jeff and his wife Lauren wanted to do something nice for Erik -- who's still the head zookeeper like he was for Joe Exotic -- for all the hard work he does at the park.

So, our sources say Jeff surprised Erik and flew him down to Florida, where he'd arranged for him to get permanent teeth implants installed at Done In One ... which does the job in 48 hours.

We're told the dental center got his mouth all fixed up, and even decided the procedure was on the house. As you can see, Erik's one happy customer.

As you may recall ... Cowie was a sympathetic character in the 'Tiger King' docuseries, as he seemed greatly impacted by Joe's alleged mistreatment of animals. He later testified at his trial that Joe killed older tigers to make space for new animals, and expressed guilt he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Erik's also on record saying he doesn't believe Joe should get out of prison.

BTW, Erik's not the first 'Tiger King' star to get new teeth ... Exotic's ex-husband John Finlay blazed that trail months ago, and almost looked like a whole new person afterward.

The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' are falling in line with the other 'Housewives' -- they're getting back to work, safely, and Teresa Giudice is reassuming her role as top dog ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us the Jersey gals are going to begin shooting for their 11th season very soon, much like 'Real Housewives' in Atlanta and Orange County have recently started to do as well. Bravo halted filming on all the shows in March due to the pandemic.

The Jersey cast and crew will go through the same safety precautions as the other shows -- everyone on set gets daily temp checks, folks are encouraged to socially distance and a lot of scenes will be outdoors.

We've heard the crews will be required to wear masks, but it doesn't sound like the cast members will be forced to do so.

As for season 11 storylines? We're told Teresa will be heavily featured again ... especially her co-parenting with her estranged husband, Joe, who's in Italy after losing an appeal in his deportation case last year. Season 10 covered some of the fallout from that, including the family trip to visit him.

We're told Joe and Teresa's frequent FaceTime calls and phone chats will likely be documented -- they're on good terms right now, and there's no hint of a looming divorce, even though they're technically split up. No word on whether Joe's getting his own camera crew in his motherland, but it seems unlikely when you consider the cost.

Tamar Braxton's upcoming reality show premiere is being pushed back by the network after the apparent suicide attempt that sent her to a hospital.

WE tv tells TMZ it's postponing the debut of her new series, "Get Ya Life!," from July 30 to Sept. 10 because of "the current situation" with Tamar.

The network says its first concern is for Tamar's recovery and well-being and the timing just isn't right to debut the new show.

WE tv added, "At this moment we are joining with her fans and sending strength and healing in the hope that she is getting the support and help she needs at this difficult time."

As we reported ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their Ritz-Carlton hotel room in downtown Los Angeles. EMTs found Tamar unconscious inside her room when they arrived. She was hospitalized and has since improved to stable condition.

David claimed during the 911 call that Tamar was distraught -- and mixed pills with alcohol -- because she'd been feuding with WE tv over her portrayal in the first episode. However, our sources say it was more David who was upset with the way he came off on the show.

Kanye West's bid to appear in the NJ ballot for president is full steam ahead ... TMZ's learned he's filed the necessary paperwork to do just that.

We've learned Ye submitted petitions Monday with 1,327 signatures in his quest for a presidential run. In the Garden State, the requirement for Independent candidates to file for president is 800 signatures. Ye clearly surpassed that ... but from now until July 31 at 5 PM, there's an objection period where someone can challenge the validity of individual signatures submitted. If there are no objections, Kanye gets a place on the ballot.

This, of course, all sounds too familiar. TMZ broke the story ... he's facing a huge hurdle in his home state of Illinois after several objections over the validity of signatures gathered to get on that state's ballot. As we reported ... one of the objectors says he reviewed roughly 3,200 signatures but claims to have found less than 1,000 valid signatures in Kanye's docs. A hearing is set for next week on that issue.

As we've reported ... Kanye's already submitted paperwork to get on the ballot in Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Gary Busey can't make up his mind about quarantine life -- one minute he says it's the best thing to happen to him ... and the next, he's calling it prison.

We got GB Monday at the Malibu News Stand, where he chopped it up with us about how he's holding up during the pandemic ... and more specifically, how he's dealing with being locked down indoors (for the most part, anyway).

First, Gary here starts out by telling us quarantine shouldn't be viewed as a bad thing -- he says it's giving people QT with their loved ones, and he even has a new way to describe F.R.E.E.D.O.M. ... as only Gary could.

No more than a minute or so after his glowing review of quarantine, he seems to change his tune severely when we ask him about his kids and if they're going back to school in the fall.

The 'Real Housewives of Orange County' will not halt production just because one of their own is positive with COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us ... Bravo isn't hitting the brakes as it continues to shoot the other housewives for season 15 -- despite the fact, Shannon Beador announced last week she and her 3 teenage daughters all recently tested positive for coronavirus.

ICYMI ... the reality star said, "This photo was taken pre-pandemic. Today, we are Covid positive times 4. The girls and I are blessed to be quarantining in the same home (but isolating in separate rooms)."

She added, "A huge thank you to all of the medical personnel that have been patiently guiding us through this illness. Sending prayers to all of those affected. 🙏🏻❤️"

Now, as for why Bravo and the other ladies -- including Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and newbie Elizabeth Vargas -- are forging on? We're told the team doesn't feel like they're in danger of getting sick.

When production resumed a couple weeks ago, our sources say the above-mentioned women, sans Shannon, took a cast trip to Lake Arrowhead. Because Shannon wasn't there, the others didn't come in contact with her ... and as a result, they're confident in moving forward with current safety guidelines, without having to close up shop again.

Speaking of those ... we're told the precautions being taken right now are similar to those being administered to the 'RHOA' cast -- Bravo's doing temp checks, avoiding filming in crowds and having the crew members wear masks on set. Same stuff across the board.

The only difference here -- an actual cast member is sick -- but not even that can stop the 'Housewives' train.