Reality TV

4:05 PM PT -- Lights have reportedly begun to come back on inside MDC, which got crowds still outside to cheer.

'Love & Hip Hop' star Yandy Smith-Harris was on the front lines of protests taking place in NYC over inhumane prison conditions -- and she got pepper sprayed in the process.

The reality TV star -- whose husband, Mendeecees Harris, is currently locked up in the New York prison system -- led a rally Sunday outside of Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ... where inmates have reportedly been without electricity and heat for days now.

It's a remarkable scene. Yandy uses a speaker system to ask prisoners if they've been given blankets or if their toilets work yet, to which they respond no by banging on the windows. Later, you see Yandy and other protesters rush the building, demanding to see their loved ones ... only to be driven out by pepper spray from the guards inside.

Protests have been going on since at least Saturday, if not earlier, as families of prisoners have flooded the streets near MDC, demanding supplies be sent and that the power system quickly be restored. Prisoners have been using flashlights to signal for help at night.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons says a fire destroyed an electrical panel inside and prevented access to backup generators. It's unclear when power and heat is set to be back on.

The civil unrest did not go unnoticed on a city level. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday that blankets and hand warmers were being sent to the prison, no matter what.

As to how bad conditions inside really are, law enforcement sources directly connected to MDC tell us inmates have been peeing in water bottles and using those for warmth. We're told prison officials have been hesitant to let prisoners out of their cells out of fear for potential riots.

The infamous glasses Ted Bundy owned to disguise himself and elude authorities have a new owner ... Zak Bagans.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he dropped a whopping $50k after a crime collectibles site put the bifocals up for sale. The glasses are also believed to have been worn by Bundy when he abducted 12-year-old Kimberly Leach in Lake City, FL, back in 1978.

Along with the glasses, Bagans got the original brown evidence bag complete with the exhibit tag ... and a crime scene photo showing the glasses inside the Volkswagen Beetle Bundy stole before he was pulled over, and finally arrested for his heinous crimes.

You can now guess where all these items are headed -- Zak's Haunted Museum in Vegas.

As you know ... Bagans has tons of creepy stuff, including this, this, this, this and, oddly enough, this. And, just like all those freakish items ... the glasses will have their own, specially designated area.

Bagans tells us the glasses will be behind a jail exhibit, made out of real jail bars. He says, "It's incredible to know that the eyes of pure evil looked out of these glasses at his victims and the pure hell of what these glasses saw."

He adds, "I shall forever keep them locked up inside my Haunted Museum's real jail exhibit where they belong!"

Neal James -- known as "Banjo Man" on the popular Animal Planet series, "Call of the Wildman" -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Washington County Coroner's Office tells TMZ, James had been battling heart issues for years now. He died of natural causes at his Kentucky home.

James became a sensation on the reality show, due largely in part to his friendship with the show's star ... "The Turtleman" Ernie Brown Jr. He endeared himself to fans with his twangy voice, easy-going attitude, long beard and, of course, his banjo.

It wasn't long ago when James suffered a heart attack ... prompting him to take to YouTube and say he's "seen the other side" and it's beautiful, but he was in no hurry to get there. James thanked his friends, family and the medical community for helping him continue living.

Kyle Richards is not down with Lisa Vanderpump calling her a bitch ... and now she's trying like hell to turn down the heat between them by clarifying her "Lisa drama" comment.

The 'RHOBH' star says she misunderstood a pap's question when, at first, she was reminded Lisa wasn't at Andy Cohen's baby shower before being asked if there was any drama. As we reported ... Kyle said there was drama and insinuated Lisa's absence might be her holding out to get paid.

As you know ... Lisa clapped back calling BS and, while holding one of her dogs, referred to Kyle -- and other Housewives -- as bitches. Well, Kyle's now firing back, saying, "It would be interesting to see how people would react if I called HER a bitch."

Kyle then clarified ... "When I was asked if there was drama at Andy’s shower I thought they were referring to something that happened AT the shower. Nothing to do with Lisa."

As for whether Lisa was holding out for money, Kyle says, "THEY asked if Lisa was holding out for money to attend the shower. OBVIOUSLY that is not true. I thought that was obvious so I joked."

There's a photo circulating trying to pin Colton Underwood as a non-virgin long before his reign on "The Bachelor" ... but, rest assured, he hadn't swiped his v-card before his reality TV debut.

Sources close to Colton tell TMZ ... the Snapchat photo of a young Colton is legit. We're told Colton admits the person is him from YEARS before he set foot in the 'Bachelor' franchise. But, our Colton sources are making it clear -- the caption is ONE MILLION PERCENT FAKE.

For those who still use Snapchat (clearly not you, Kylie) it's not that hard to grab anyone's picture, make up a caption, screenshot the post and then spread it like wildfire across various social media platforms. That's exactly what our Colton sources say went down.

The fake Snapchat post started circulating earlier this week ... adding fuel to the conspiracy theory shared by a small, but vocal group of dissenters who think Colton's v-card act is total BS.

Our Colton sources are adamant -- the ex-NFL athlete was as pure as Mary (yeah, THAT one) before starting his reality TV run. Emphasis on before.

It's unclear if he went the distance while shooting 'Bachelor.'

JWoww's estranged husband, Roger Mathews, is firing back after his ex made explosive abuse allegations against him and posted some damning video ... and he's generally denying them, and promising to take JWoww to court.

Roger just threw up an Instagram post, which included a video of himself addressing JWoww's claims ... and he kept it pretty brief, denying what she's alleged ... and vowing to solve this in court. He also says he's not going to stop fighting for custody of his kids.

Roger also posted a letter that his legal team fired off to a judge -- which we've confirmed has been filed in court -- which says JWoww's post violated a restraining order that Roger claims he's obtained against her ... namely, by harassing him. His lawyers call it a "campaign of cyber bullying, harassment, intimidation, and embarrassment."

Roger's lawyers are demanding an immediate conference between the parties to stop what they call "economic damages" that Roger is suffering, not to mention potential danger. The lawyers claim Roger believes JWoww is trying to mobilize her millions of social media followers to cause him harm.

Additionally, Roger's legal team is asking for a mental evaluation of JWoww because they feel her behavior resembles that of someone with a "personality disorder with narcissistic tendencies." Roger's lawyers also want to know whether JWoww's own lawyers knew she'd post these allegations, and allude to a potential lawsuit.

Interestingly enough, in additional court docs, Roger's lawyers say JWoww tried getting them kicked off the case with false allegations about how they've been conducting themselves.

Roger's legal team tells TMZ ... the reason JWoww made her post Wednesday is because Roger declined a settlement proposal she recently offered up and responded with one of his own that he deemed fair. Clearly, she wasn't down with his terms.

Roger's lawyers also tell us that Roger is a great father, and that she has acknowledged as much many times before. Regarding JWoww's allegation of domestic abuse ... his lawyers say they want to review the unedited video she posted before commenting.

As we reported ... JWoww made bombshell claims Wednesday in a very lengthy online post, which detailed what she alleges was persistent abuse from Roger over the course of their 3-year marriage. She says he'd spat on her, pushed her and prevented her from closing doors.

JWoww also posted a clip of surveillance footage from inside their home that appears to show Roger pushing her to the ground, with their kids screaming in the background.

JWoww and Roger are in the middle of a messy divorce. Looks like it's about to get even worse.

Originally Published -- 6:24 PM PST

10:21 AM -- Didn't take long for Lisa to respond to Kyle's comments ... telling TMZ it's funny that someone with 2 shows and a business empire would need to be paid to attend Andy's baby shower.

Lisa tells us she actually met with Andy before the shower prior to hitting up Vegas. She also says where she's headed next ... making it crystal clear Lisa's paying no attention to her castmates reading into her absence.

Kyle Richards is spilling the beans -- there IS in fact drama behind Lisa Vanderpump skipping Andy Cohen's baby shower ... and it might be all about the Benjamins.

Kyle was leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills Wednesday and didn't mince words when asked why Lisa was MIA from Andy's baby shower. As we reported ... a HUGE number of Housewives showed up for the shindig.

As for Lisa ... she was in Vegas on a business trip as she prepares to launch a new restaurant inside Caesars Palace.

But, her absence only fueled the rumors she might bail on the show. Lisa's begged to differ in the past, but her 'RHOBH' castmates have taken notice how she's isolated herself ... and they're pissed.

Check it out ... Kyle also spills tea on any potential replacements should Lisa bounce.

JWoww is accusing her estranged husband, Roger, of violent outbursts, putting their kids in danger, conspiring with her exes ... and she's sharing a disturbing video, apparently of him throwing her to the ground.

The 'Jersey Shore' star posted a lengthy statement on her website Wednesday, alleging Roger Mathews was abusive to her on multiple occasions over the course of their 3-year marriage. She included several videos ... one of which appears to be surveillance footage of a violent incident.

In the clip, you can see Roger grab her and throw her to the ground. It sounds like he says, "You wanna get violent?" JWoww gets up and throws something at him, saying, "F**k you." You hear kids screaming in the background.

JWoww also claims Roger was partly responsible for her ex-BF, Thomas Lippolis, being arrested last month for allegedly trying to extort her. JWoww says Roger got in touch with Thomas to "team up" against her and ruin her life.

She also says Roger has contacted other exes of hers to "take [her] down."

Jenni goes on to say that Roger's painted a misleading picture of himself as a great dad on social media with their 2 kids, but behind the scenes ... she says he's often neglectful of their needs and medical conditions. She also describes an alleged threat from Roger involving a USB she says he promised to use against her.

JWoww says the USB footage shows her breaking down hysterically as Roger records her and holds their baby boy, Greyson. She says the video is out of context and she's not afraid of it being released. She's posted at least part of that video on her website.

She says that despite all this, she's tried keeping things civil enough for the sake of their kids, but claims he's been a nightmare to deal with on every front.

It's been a bumpy ride since she filed for divorce. JWoww got a temporary restraining order against Roger in December and got him booted from the house.

Farrah Abraham is busting out her metaphorical whip and lashing out at haters blasting her for posting a video of her 9-year-old daughter dancing in underwear ... saying back the hell off, 'cause it's what parents do.

Farrah tells TMZ ... the video posted on Snapchat earlier this week -- showing Sophia wearing full-on makeup and dancing in just a top and underwear -- is no different than the kids modeling for Calvin Klein.

The ex-'Teen Mom' star also says the video -- taken at Nordstrom in NYC -- is not by any stretch inappropriate, because it was shot in a public area where kids look in the mirror after trying on clothes in the fitting room.

Farrah faced swift backlash after posting the video ... with one person saying on social media, "Farrah you're abusive. Stop marketing your daughter to child predators."

As for those questioning her parenting skills, Farrah's not batting an eyelash ... telling TMZ, "I know my daughter and I are living our best lives wearing Calvin Kleins."

Caelynn Miller-Keyes -- one of the remaining contestants on "The Bachelor" vying for Colton Underwood's love -- became the first to ever share her #MeToo story on the show ... and it was extremely emotional.

Caelynn was on a one-on-one date with Colton on Monday night's episode when she decided to open up ... telling him she was sexually assaulted when she was a sophomore in college in 2014, after attending a frat party with 3 girlfriends.

She said ... "They drugged our wine. I woke up the next morning and I was completely naked in my bed and had no memory of the night before. And, I had like a small vision of a guy in my bed, and I just had this pit in my stomach like something really bad happened last night."

The former Miss USA runner-up added that her friend called her the next day and told her all 3 of them were sexually assaulted by various men ... and they all got away with it except for one student who was expelled.

Colton expressed his deep sympathy, calling what happened to Caelynn "devastating."

Caelynn, who was crowned Miss North Carolina 2018, opened up about being a sexual assault survivor last year ... but Monday's convo with Colton was the first time he learned about it.

Miller-Keyes added the aftermath of the assault was horrible, as she was initially denied a rape kit by a hospital and had to go to another one. She said the whole experience was "so painful and it screws up every ounce of you."

Caelynn is one of 13 women remaining on Colton's season.

"Bad Girls Club" star Tanisha Thomas couldn't resist a good fight at her friend's wedding reception.

The incident went down over the weekend in Maui after ex-'BGC' star Amber Meade and Alen Aivazian tied the knot. At the reception the bride, rather than throwing a bouquet at all the single ladies, subbed in an Ophidia mini Gucci round shoulder bag -- valued at around $1,400.

Check it out ... the winner at first appears to be Amber's junior bridesmaid/niece, Madelyn Sherod. But, her bounty was short-lived because a woman snatched the bag from behind. That's when Tanisha tries her hand at some street justice ... tackling the woman to get the purse back, to no avail.

After the dust settles ... you see Amber embrace the bag snatcher. We're told the Gucci bag bully woke up with some bruising ... but added it was worth it.

Former 'Rock of Love' star Lacey Sculls can't seem to avoid trouble in January -- and this month is no different, 'cause she's being sued again ... TMZ has learned.

A woman named Erin Skold just filed a suit against Lacey and her husband, Jonny, over an alleged brawl that broke out in January 2017 at the Hollywood bar, Boardner's -- during which Erin says she became a casualty as a result of Jonny and Lacey's conduct.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Erin claims she was minding her own business in the VIP section when all of a sudden Lacey and Jonny stormed in and started talking s**t to a separate lady who was nearby, and a fight broke out between them.

Erin says at one point, Jonny threw a drink, which happened to hit Erin. She also claims he charged the group as a whole, knocking Erin to the ground and landing on her. She claims she hit her head and suffered a concussion, a contusion and a twisted ankle while pinned to the floor.

Erin is suing both Jonny and Lacey for battery, claiming Lacey helped spark the melee -- although, it doesn't appear Lacey touched anyone. Erin's also suing the bar for allowing things to get so out of hand.

Remember, Lacey and Jonny are already facing another lawsuit from an alleged incident in January 2018 ... when a man says they both beat the crap out of him due to road rage, and that Lacey allegedly bit off a part of his ear.

Lolo Jones and Tamar Braxton came thiiis close to throwing hands in the "Celebrity Big Brother" house ... after the Olympian called Tamar a "bitch" during a heated confrontation.

Tensions had been building between the two houseguests for days -- but things finally "popped off" Saturday morning when an argument exploded into real smack talk ... and threats of physical violence.

Tamar -- wearing a weird "Back to the Future" mask -- did NOT back down from Lolo ... telling her, "I am from Baltimore. You do not want that problem."

When Tamar got into Lolo's face, Jones flexed on Tamar and said, "I'm right here."

In a moment captured on the 'Big Brother' live feed -- you can see Tamar saying, "The next time somebody calls me a bitch, I'm just gonna' start yankin'."

Lolo hears the threat and responds, "Then do it."

Tamar replied, "Then say it."

The good news -- the women didn't ever come to blows ... but they're both still in the "Big Brother" house.

Question is ... who wins if they REALLY do fight?? The world-class Olympic athlete or the battle-tested Baltimore brawler??

Lil' Kim's legacy is alive and well, even during a funeral ... just check out "Love & Hip Hop" star Dream Doll's living tribute to her hip-hop idol.

The 'L&HHNY' MC recently did a photo shoot recreating many of Kim's iconic looks as part of a music video she's doing for her new track, "Funeral," which features Lil' Kim.

Check out the pics -- they're a dead-on impression of some of Kim's most stunning shoots and visuals, including her blue outfit and wig for the "Crush On You" music vid, Kim's "Got D***" campaign from '03, her "How Many Licks" album cover, her 1999 Interview Magazine Louis Vuitton cover shoot, and more. Lucky for DD, there was no shortage of inspiration.

Dream Doll's manager KD McNair tell us production for the photo shoot and the music video -- which is still in the works -- ran her team upwards of $10,000 and took 12 hours to complete. We're told DD looks up to Kim and wanted to pay homage to her in this project.

Andy Cohen's baby shower was wild ... with the help of a few Real Housewives.

Kyle Richards threw the shindig Saturday night in Bev Hills at The Palm restaurant. John Mayer mugged with the dad to be, and a huge number of Housewives were partying hard, including Teresa Giudice, Vicki Gunvalson, NeNe Leakes, LeeAnne Locken, Karen Huger, Stephanie Hollman, Teddi Mellencamp, Jennifer Aydin, Denise Richards, Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Candiace Dillard, Sonja Morgan, Phaedra Parks and Danielle Staub.

It looks like Andy and John were the only guys present.

The theme for the evening ... 'A Star is Born.'

The group dined on Chinese Chicken and lobster cobb salad, salmon with mango salsa, filet mignon, asparagus, fried potatoes, spinach, grilled polenta cakes and key lime pie, creme brulee and chocolate chip cookies.

Robert Herjavec's personal customer satisfaction rating is higher for Jeff Bezos' company than Elon Musk's, so for that reason ... he gives Jeff the edge on making it to Mars first.

We got the "Shark Tank" star outside the Staples Center and asked who he'd be more willing to invest in for the next great space race. Robert tells us he used to have a Tesla, and he's had many Amazon deliveries, and based on his experience ... point Bezos.

Speaking of Amazon, Herjavec has thoughts on how its founder's pending divorce will affect the shareholders. He doesn't think much will change for now, but says the situation will impact how boards of huge companies do business in the future.