Who knew that Jersey Shore, a series with the seemingly finite premise of 24-hour drinking and nightly hook-ups, would become one of the most successful reboots in our current era of resurrected shows?
If you haven’t watched Jersey Shore: Family Vacation yet, nearly the entire cast—minus a sober Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino—is back on their bullshit. Almost everyone has the same outrageous sense of humor, immaturity, and alcohol tolerance. (That’s not to mention the same level of disdain for one Angelina Pivarnick.) In the ongoing Season 6, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola rejoins her TV family, like a puzzle piece that’s been missing for five years. Unfortunately, her long-awaited presence might also remind viewers of some of the original series’ most unsavory elements.
It’s weird to think that much of the controversy surrounding Jersey Shore, while it was airing, had little to do with the way it portrayed Giancola’s on-and-off-again relationship with Ronnie Ortiz-Magro—who, in a post-#MeToo world, most viewers would confidently describe as abusive. It was just one of many aspects that earned the series its “transgressive” label—from its depiction of Italian-American machismo to the concerning level of drinking to the Shore’s X-rated club scene that previously hadn’t been exposed on TV. Here’s a list of some of the series’ most controversial moments!
(To be clear, this is not to diminish the entertainment value and, in Beyoncé’s words, “quality” of Jersey Shore, an indisputably iconic reality program. However, it’s always fascinating to be reminded of the sort of behavior we were accustomed to watching in our living rooms 14 years ago. Let’s dive in!)
Ronnie and Sammi’s Entire Relationship
Many of Sammi and Ronnie’s arguments would make the average bystander report a domestic disturbance to the police—from a Season 3 fight where Ronnie is dragging a bed that Sammi’s sat on, to another episode where Ronnie corners Sammi in a bedroom, to a disturbing scene where he destroys her items, to that famous Ronnie vs. Mike fight where Ronnie pushes Sammi, to yet another moment where he shoves her on a boardwalk! There’s also an infamous episode where Sammi punches Ronnie in the face. However, this is clearly a relationship where physical aggression has been normalized by Ronnie.
What’s more problematic is how Sammi and Ronnie are often framed by the castmates and editors as equally toxic people. (There’s also no producer intervention when they fight.) In reality, Ronnie was a chronic cheater who, after a night of debauchery, would gaslight Sammi into thinking she was crazy for having trust issues. He would then lovebomb her the next day by taking her out for a nice, Italian meal or buying her hideous dresses. It’s unfortunate that MTV entertained his shenanigans once again on Family Vacation while the mother of his child was accusing him of abuse.
That Transphobic Scene
In Season 2, Mike flirts with a female club-goer, who the rest of the castmates insist is actually a man. The producers were in the on the joke, too, as they have the cast members do a transphobic bit in their confessionals where the word “tr-nny” is used.
To make matters worse, the clip was played during the reunion special. And the editors intercut videos of Ronnie wearing a dress and another man wearing a bikini for an added comedic effect. The host also used the word “tr-nny” in the interview segment. After GLAAD rebuked MTV for the incident, the network apologized. And both segments have apparently been removed from streaming.
The Show’s One-Night Stands
Generally, women were not portrayed well on Jersey Shore, whether it was the club goers the men brought back to the shore house or certain “unlikable” female cast members like Sammi and Angelina. The main issue was that the men in the cast were all jerks and misogynists—yes, even Vinny Guadagnino, who was framed as the “good guy” of the bunch, was terrible. And the producers never countered or questioned their points of view, instead just rolling along with all the jokes and complaints they made about the women they brought home who weren’t willing to put out. That’s not to mention all the rude remarks they made about women’s looks.
Speaking of tha ….
The Grenade-shaming
Jersey Shore provided viewers an entire dictionary of “Guido/ette” slang (juiceheads, smushing, meatballs) and other terms coined throughout the show (GTL). The most regrettable of which was probably “grenade,” which the guys used to call women who were either too fat, pale, or generally unattractive for their taste. These women were made fun of without their knowledge. And the editors would emphasize their “grenade”-ness with added effects. (In hindsight, none of the “grenades” looked that much different from the women the guys were willing to sleep with. Go figure!)
The cast of Jersey Shore pose together backstage at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles on June 6, 2010.
Danny Moloshok/ReutersSnooki Getting Punched By A Man
Interestingly enough, the aftermath of this incident is probably the best Jersey Shore cast has ever looked on the show. After Snooki is punched in the face by an obnoxious bar patron in Season 1, the cast rallies around her and, more excitingly, attempts to beat her assailant's ass. Still, the scene was extremely jarring to watch at the time. I remember seeing several previews of the altercation on Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight. Ultimately, MTV decided not to show the punch when the episode aired, after speaking to domestic-violence experts. But the aftermath was still horrifying.
The Ostracization of Angelina
The cast’s treatment of Angelina may not be controversial to other people, but it’s certainly problematic to me, as someone who rewatches the show frequently and has basic empathy! Don’t get me wrong. I certainly wouldn’t want Angelina, who famously never cleaned anything and hogged the duck phone, to be my roommate. But the way she was slut-shamed by the men in Season 2 for seeing more than one guy at the same time and, later, period-shamed for a pad she admittedly didn’t dispose of properly, was inarguably messed up.
Snooki and Angelina’s Staged Fight
Before Angelina leaves the house once again in Season 2, she and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzo get into a scuffle that appears to be staged based on everyone’s nonchalant reactions. Compare that to when Sammi and Jenni “JWoww” Farley were ripping each other’s tracks out a few episodes prior, and everyone had to intervene. That said, it became a minor controversy when fans noticed a continuity error in the background of Snooki and Angelina’s wrestling match, regarding JWoww’s footwear. This was clearly before TV viewers understood that most of what we see on reality shows is staged to some extent.
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