Remember the Time the #Manzod Kids Changed the Way We Think About Ham?
You can thank the Manzos and The Ham Game for revolutionizing the role of lunch meat across the globe.
Every Thursday, celebrate #TBT with us as we open the vault to share photos and videos of Bravolebrities before they were famous — or revisit memorable moments from our shows. This week, we’re throwing it back to Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 2 when the Manzo children revealed their favorite kitchen pastime.
No family from the Garden State displays such a unique blend of heart and humor quite like the Manzo clan. From supporting family on their special day to carryin on the family business, they're exactly the group we'd run to if we need a smile — or if we were craving an epic food fight.
The Ham Game first appeared in RHONJ Season 2 and is pretty much what you'd expect it to be (a game of throwing ham around the house). But there was something strangely satisfying about watching Albie, Chris, and Lauren, as they dodged incoming ham attacks while running around the Manzo kitchen with glee. And when their parents, Caroline and Al, came home and broke up the party, it became crystal clear that the Ham Game was something of a sibling fixture. Perhaps Richard Lawson summed up the ham game best in his Gawker RHONJ recap. “They were all just playing cute-mook for the cameras, horsing around with foodstuffs. But then a look of recognition flashed in all their eyes and suddenly things turned serious. They opened a container of deli sliced ham and took positions around the counter. And then, like courtly British battle from years ago, they all drew, aimed, and fired their ham at each other,” he opined.
Aside from the Manzo’s clear affinity for the sandwich meat, ham has enjoyed somewhat of a pop cultural spotlight in recent years. There was Tina Fey's brilliant ham rant from the 2006 ASSSSCAT improv special.
The time when 30 Rock's characters found themselves in a Real Housewives-inspired reality show starring Tracy Jordan’s wife, Angie (played brilliantly by Sherri Shepherd), who doesn’t shy away from an endorsement.
And Kanye West and Jay-Z’s more figurative homage, "H*A*M."
All ham games aside, you can catch more of the Manzo’s antics when the new season of Manzo’d With Children premieres August 16 at 10:30/9:30c. Watch a preview below.
See even more vintage pics of the Manzo clan.
