“Gypsy Sisters” was an American reality television series that documented the daily lives and radical lifestyles of several Romanichal women, informally known as Gypsies, from Martinsburg, West Virginia. The show originally earned its inception as a spin-off series from the wildly popular show “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding”, which was created because the production company wanted to milk the drama between the gypsy ladies, which often ended up in physical confrontations, for all it was worth.
“Gypsy Sisters” debuted on 10 February 2013, starring a long list of Romanichal women, namely Nettie Stanley, Mellie Stanley, Joann Wells, Sheila “Kayla” Williams, Angela “Annie” Johnston, Dovie Carter, Laura Johnston, Sheena Small, Dallas Nichole Williams, and Nettie “Nuckie” Williams.
Unfortunately, “Gypsy Sisters” didn’t receive quite as popular a reception, and after running for only four seasons, the show was cancelled in July 2015, or at least that is what the reports stated. The series was originally hosted on the TLC channel, formerly known as the Learning Channel, and was produced by Firecracker Films.
However, with a television reality series that provided more drama and physical confrontations than the Real Housewives franchise, it is safe to say that the show played host to book volumes of scandalous behaviour, and even more controversial events, but what could one expect from a show that was born from a brawl at a Gypsy wedding?
While the show provided some entertainment, and there may have been an audience who liked the series, probably tuning in for every episode to catch up with the latest Romanichal drama, most viewers only showed appreciation for certain cast members. One of the most adored stars from “Gypsy Sisters” might be Annie Johnston, as she is known, who formerly went by the name Annie Melone.
However, since the series’ cancellation, not many of the stars have appeared in mainstream media, and as such, fans have been wondering what the Romanichal women have been up to since the cameras no longer look in on their radical lifestyles and dramatic lives.
Fans and followers have especially expressed interest in Annie’s current whereabouts, but before we check in on her, there may be a few scandals that people were not previously aware of, which include the possible real reason why the show was cancelled.
The Scandals No One Was Supposed To Know About
While the antics and drama of all the ladies involved in “Gypsy Sisters” is well known to their limited audience, there are a few things even they decided to keep quiet about, which includes the truth of Mellie Stanley’s young boy, Richard Joe Whetzel. Mellie has always been known as the wild child in the Stanley Romanichal family and is often considered the black sheep for her wild, party animal lifestyle.
Certainly, it was no secret that Mellie, who was at the time when filming of the series started in 2013, 24 years old and only starting her life as a young adult, happened to be a heavy drinker who would never turn down a good time at the local watering holes.
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However, during the filming of the debut season, Mellie became pregnant, even later during the show documenting the birth of her son and her journey into motherhood, which came as a huge surprise and shock to everyone, including herself.
Initially, Mellie never even knew that she fell pregnant, and for a long time on the show, many questions surrounded her pregnancy. Then, a couple of years later, Mellie admitted during a candid interview that her conception was a drunken mistake.
Make no mistake though, despite the events that led up to Richard’s birth, Mellie loves and adores her son. She even went as far as saying that she turned over a new leaf in her life, but as viewers would learn, this was not quite the truth.
Despite becoming a mother and taking responsibility for her mistakes and actions, her wild party lifestyle would continue, and Mellie was later implicated in another scandal.
A similar scandal also involved another star of the series, JoAnn Wells, though the scandals seemed to have been unrelated. This brings us to an honorary mention amongst the lesser-known controversies of the “Gypsy Sisters” that could likely be the cherry on the cake.
Most people love a good bargain, and many would seek out deals that suit their wallet, often resorting to using coupons, but the stars of “Gypsy Sisters” took this to a height that ordinary folk would never consider. In 2014 police in North Carolina, arrested JoAnn on fraud charges accused of defrauding American retail giant Target of more than $14,000.
Allegedly, the reality television star approached two Target cashiers to rope them into a fraud scheme, offering them a cut of the profits that JoAnn would possibly make from this idea. The scheme involved scanning fake bar codes and coupons on numerous items, which included but not limited to merchandise, products, and even cash gift cards.
JoAnn was released on bail, but unfortunately no further news has surfaced concerning Wells’s schemes, but this wouldn’t be the last gossip outlets would report on such fraud.
In 2018, another scandal of similar implications surfaced, this time involving Mellie, arrested in Indiana for crimes she committed in Tennessee, which included four counts of criminal simulation, and she was charged with these felonies.
Mellie’s crimes involved the use and fabrication of falsified coupons, used to buy products from an unnamed retailer. Mellie was also accused of being part of a syndicate ring responsible for counterfeit coupon theft in at least four different states.
Mellie was later released on bail, but authorities stated during a public interview that she’d remain under suspicion because she was previously implicated in a similar crime in Kentucky a year prior to her current case. Yet again, no news has surfaced about what happened to Mellie since, but it remains clear that these women could resort to anything to keep their lavish lifestyles going.
While these scandals might seem over the top, one hidden truth kept by the producers and the stars of “Gypsy Sisters” relates to the possible real reason why the show was cancelled. Sensitive readers might want to skip past this controversial segment, as it involves the tragic fate of a puppy that certainly didn’t deserve such treatment.
While the producers blamed low ratings as the reason for ending “Gypsy Sisters”, new information regarding the show’s cancellation surfaced in early 2023, as reported by the online gossip publication TMZ.
Gypsy Sisters — CANCELLED!!! http://t.co/087uw8NKwY pic.twitter.com/CtrJroSaZL
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 31, 2015
According to this information, the show’s producers drew the line on how far they would milk the drama of the Romanichal stars following an incident that involved Mellie and her husband, Randall Scott Vuncannon, simply known as Skott on the show.
The event in question took place in 2015, nearing the end of the series run on TLC. The information states that police responded to a domestic abuse call at Mellie’s dwelling, where they found her outside in the driveway severely beaten. Allegedly, the couple engaged in an argument that got out of hand, and eventually turned physical.
While this might be quite upsetting for some, the events that followed are what would be even more disturbing. Once the police arrived, Mellie informed the respondents about her young dog, a puppy, that died earlier during the argument.
According to the reports obtained by TMZ, Skott, in a fit of rage, picked up the pup and threw the poor dog across the room. Sadly, the puppy didn’t survive the incident, and Randall was charged with a count of animal cruelty that resulted in the death of the animal.
Unfortunately, nothing about the incident was published or made known to the public, and as such, no reports surfaced regarding Vuncannon’s case or his whereabouts. Nonetheless, at least the producers of Firecracker Films decided this was far too much, resulting in the actual possible reason for the cancellation of the show. Beyond this, the stars of “Gypsy Sisters” haven’t been too involved in any other known scandals and controversies.
Who Is Annie Johnston?
Born as Angela Williams on 26 February 1985, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, she’s best known as one of the many stars from “Gypsy Sisters” and “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding”. Annie is the sister of Kayla Williams, a fellow star in the series, and is known to be a playful, fun character who always makes the ladies on the show laugh with her whimsical behaviour.
Annie is a mother to five children, and prior to becoming a reality television star, she was a full-time stay-at-home wife and mother. She was once married to her cousin, Josh, but later divorced and remarried to James Malone.
Her wedding to Josh was featured in “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding”, but after its ultimate failure, she went on to marry the father of her cousin Dallas’ children, Malone, though again her relationship ended in divorce.
Annie’s most recent romance has remained a mystery, though it’s known that since the cancellation of “Gypsy Sisters” she’s married again.
The identity of her new husband has been kept quiet, and it seems as though he prefers to stay out of the spotlight and away from the camera lenses. Nonetheless, it appears as though her romantic life might finally be coming together, and her most recent marriage seems likely to succeed, unlike her previous encounters.
As many might be wondering what the stars of “Gypsy Sisters” are up to now that the series ended, like many of the other stars, Annie has been keeping her fans entertained and updated on social media, and one can find her on Instagram and Facebook. However, it doesn’t quite seem that Annie wants to step away from fame just yet, as like some of the other stars, she’s made the tabloids and headlines again quite recently.
It appears as though the paychecks from appearing on a reality show have not quite paved the way for these Romanichal women, as many of them are either trying their hand at social media enterprising or some kind of criminal fraud, as was also the case with Angela.
According to recent reports, Annie was arrested on multiple felony charges in 2017.
Some of the charges laid against her include the exploitation of an elderly or disabled person’s trust, and it sounds as if Annie attempted to defraud someone out of their money, though the identity of the victim has been withheld in all reports.
Unfortunately, no new reports have surfaced, but it is known that Annie’s cousin, Dallas, might have come to the reality star’s rescue by paying her bail, s Annie has since been released from police custody, though a recent whistle-blower informed the tabloids that it wasn’t Dallas who made the bail payments, suggesting that it might have been the TLC channel’s producers. Whether this is true or not has never been proven, though rumours that “Gypsy Sisters” stars reunited have been surfacing.
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According to certain rumours that arose in 2017, it seemed that TLC was planning either a comeback series based on the original premise of “Gypsy Sisters”, or “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding”, though other rumours suggested that it might have been a reunion show. Regardless, as of yet, no news of a new season or show has been made public, and it seems likely that these rumours might be false.
For now, the only hope that fans and followers of “Gypsy Sisters” have to look forward to, is the possible reruns of the original series. Sadly, there might never be a reunion show or a comeback series, but fanatics will always have the four seasons of “Gypsy Sisters” short-lived original publication to fall back on.
