Not everyone is excited to watch the new MTV reality show Made in Staten Island. New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio says the show is “peddling stereotypes.” More than 7,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to get MTV to cancel or change the name of the show. On the premiere episode, “Born and Bred,” the stars of the show introduce themselves and reveal their “family ties to the street life.”
Karina Seabrook is the granddaughter of Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, former underboss of the Gambino crime family in New York, and daughter of Mob Wives star Karen Gravano who is the executive producer of Made In Staten Island. While Karina considers college, Staten Island native Kayla Gonzalez is dealing with the repercussions of attacking another girl. After spending a night in jail, she was ordered to attend an anger management program and now has a court case pending. Kayla lives with her uncle Neil Devito who appears on the show.
Neil Devito became known as the “Cardboard King of Staten Island” when he was arrested in 2012 for allegedly trafficking stolen goods. Devito allegedly stole crushed and baled cardboard boxes from Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in New Jersey and then sold it to recyclers, netting approximately $103,000. Recycling facilities in New York and New Jersey pay $125 per ton — Devito and accomplices allegedly redeemed about 900 tons. Made in Staten Island airs Mondays at 10 pm on MTV, right after Teen Mom 2.
