We Finally Know Where The 'Jersey Shore' Crew Is Headed For Their Family Vacation & It's Perfect
As someone who grew up on Long Island among GTL frequenters and kids who vacationed on the Jersey Shore, I always found that MTV's Jersey Shore hit a little too close to home for me. That didn't stop the series from becoming one of the network's most iconic shows to date. Who doesn't still quote "Raaahn, stop"? More than five years after the OG show wrapped its sixth season, most of its cast will soon return for Jersey Shore Family Vacation. Some families like visiting an old familiar place for group getaways, and this cast are apparently creatures of habit.
MTV announced that the reunion series will take place in Miami, where Season 2 of Jersey Shore was also filmed. As seen in the first season, this crop of episodes began with temperamental housemate Angelina Pivarnick joining the rest of the gang but eventually leaving. Other season highlights included feuds between The Situation (aka Mike Sorrentino) and Pauly D and more on-again-off-again relationship drama with Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Sammi Giancola. So, essentially, Season 2 was a near-identical lineup of every other season of this oftentimes train wreck of a show. What will Ron do without Sammi this time around?
Sammi Sweetheart won't join the crew in Miami, likely because facing her ex (who's expecting a baby with his current girlfriend) is too difficult. The majority of old favorites is still slated to appear — instead of Sammi and a newly engaged Angelina returning, Season 3 addition Deena Nicole Cortese will also appear with the group. She joins the men mentioned above, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Jenni "JWOWW" Farley, and Vinny Guadagnino. Hail, hail, the gang's all here!
The location news comes after an earlier promo first teased the idea of the reunion taking place in another part of the country. Potential cities included Dallas, Chicago, and Las Vegas, but true Jersey Shore fans know that only Miami would be fitting for this throwback to the cast's prime partying days.
Speaking of partying, the cast aren't exactly the spring chickens they were in the original series, which ran from 2009 to 2012. Both Snooki and JWOWW are now married mothers, a lifestyle change that was documented on their joint spinoff series Snooki & JWOWW. Plus, I'd be kidding myself if I claimed that Snooki without her iconic poof feels like the same person. Maybe they won't be up to hitting the club like they used to, but these two are bound to provide some adorable BFF interactions in the reunion.
The Situation, now 35, has been sober for over 18 months since a second stint in rehab to rectify his drug abuse ended. Pauly D, the other "old man" of the cast at 37 years old, has appeared on his own spinoff show and has had a daughter since the first series wrapped. In an amazing but unexpected move, Vinny launched a cooking show with his mother, creates viral Bachelor live tweets, and recently interviewed a climate change expert. Um, will the real Vinny please step forward?
How will the world react if Jersey Shore Family Reunion is practically a carbon copy of Jersey Shore? On the flip side, would mature versions of our favorite guidos still be entertaining? It's hard to say what direction I'd want this new series to go in.
Perhaps we could even expect a crossover with the modern-day Jersey Shore, Floribama Shore, which debuted this past year and has already been renewed for Season 2. The newer show films at Florida's Panama City Beach, which is about an eight-hour drive from Miami, but here's hoping! Group trip to Disney World, anyone?
An official release date for the show hasn't been confirmed, and it's unclear whether or not the series has been filmed yet. I'd put my money on a spring break filming session and a summer airdate this year, but who knows?
