“You guys are everything that’s wrong with this country today!”
Those were the powerful words of a heckler who approached Jersey Shore cast member Vinny Guadagnino in a bar last year. When sharing this story on an episode of Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show, Vinny said, “I was taken aback by that; there’s the economy, poverty, equal rights…I think the Jersey Shore is awesome, it’s entertaining!”
I’ll fistpump to that. Let’s face it: The Jersey Shore isn’t a threat to national security, it’s a reality television show. And a great one at that. Where Laguna Beach and The Hills were obviously scripted, staged and fake (not to mention the glacial, robotic and empty cast of characters), Jersey Shore is less so.
Snooki, Vinny, Pauly D, JWoww, Sammi Sweetheart, Ronnie, the Situation and the new castmate Deena are fame whores, but they don’t try to deny or hide it.
We live in an era of talentless celebrities, but just because they can’t sing, dance or act doesn’t mean they don’t have something to bring to the table. Watching New York Times bestselling author Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi drunkenly faceplant into the sand or witnessing the Situation sort out a grenade attack might not be intellectually stimulating television, but it sure is fun to point and laugh at.
The Jersey Shore is MTV’s most-viewed television series in its history. These eight orange, Ed Hardy sporting superstars are making millions off appearances, book deals, workout videos and even their own line of slippers. My question to the haters is: if you could GTL all day every day, why wouldn’t you? (Despite the imminent risk of skin cancer.)
Snooki’s poof isn’t full of secrets, she puts everything out there for the viewers 8212; albeit, sometimes it’s a little much. (Wardrobe malfunctions, anyone?) You can’t take somebody off their high horse if they know perfectly well the kind of image they are putting out into the public. The cast of The Jersey Shore has no shame, and I can respect that, even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything they do.
