libertyinprogress When I first heard of this show way back in 2009, I remember watching the hilarious trailers that showed these 8 people in their 20s and 30s working out, tanning, hanging out on the beach, partying in clubs, etc., and I just thought to myself "well, this is a horrible stereotype of Italian-Americans, portraying them as being something they may not all actually be." So initially, I really had no intention to bother with this show, because it looked really absurd and a waste of time. At some point, I started reading stories about how all these big name sponsors are planning to boycott (I believe Domino's Pizza being one of them), because they felt it was demeaning to Italians. Also, then-Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, spoke out against the show, condemning it, and saying that it doesn't represent the values of the state. Mind you, this was ALL before the show even started... maybe a couple of episodes in, and I honestly thought the show had ZERO chance of lasting, because everyone knows how much of an effect corporate sponsors can have on TV, and keeping the networks financially afloat.So I might as well watch, before it gets canceled.Ironically, it was due to all that uproar and overreactions that made me want to actually give the show a chance. I figured, if all of these holier than thou people are already freaking out about something they haven't even really watched yet, it can't be that bad for someone like me, who's in the same age group as these cast members, and needs something entertaining to watch. Not only was I able to immediately relate to these people wanting to be young and have fun, but their lifestyles looked so exciting that I actually used a lot of what I saw them do as motivation for myself to enjoy my life more, and be really outgoing. After watching Pauly D, The Situation and Vinny picking up girls in the clubs, dancing and talking with them, I wanted to follow in their footsteps, and for those 3-5 years, I went out to clubs and partied like crazy, and it was really fun, because it taught me to let loose and enjoy my youth, while I still can. Well, it's been almost 10 years since the show debuted, and I'm still watching these old episodes today, and while I may not be the same kind of partying type that I wanted to be back then, a lot of what they do is still relatable to me today, and is always going to be extremely comedic and hilarious.It should also be noted that, while these people come off as extremely uneducated, self-absorbed, egotistical and arrogant (some of them can be), they are very close with their Italian families, and they take family very seriously. In fact, one of the housemates, Vinny, has brought his huge Italian family on the show, and to the shore house, multiple times, where his mother cooks a ton of food, and makes the rest of the housemates feel like they are with their own family. That's not to mention that the 8 house mates would have "Sunday Dinner" every Sunday, so as to create that homey family feeling. So, for all the people (who are uptight and want to always see the negative in everything), these individuals might not be your cup of tea, but they are human beings. They don't have STD's, they don't do drugs, they're not on steroids and most of them just want to have fun. Yes, it's true that they're not from New Jersey, and they may have kind of given the Jersey Shore area a bad name, but at the same time, they are having fun and living life, like anyone else in their age group.There are a couple reasons I wouldn't give Jersey Shore a 10/10, though... first, some of the scenes are edited so poorly that the dialogue makes no sense and you miss out on seeing things that you expect to happen. Maybe this is something that stands out more to me, because I do a lot of video editing... but hey, the producers have to cram in hours and hours of filming into 60 minutes, so I can't blame them really. Furthermore, when it comes to the overall quality of all 6 seasons, I would say that the show started to really get tiring and repetitive around season 4, when they went to Italy. Not only were the storylines getting boring, but it was a lot of the same drama between Ron and Sam, then on top of it, Nicole aka "Snooki," had a major freakout about how her boyfriend Jionni got mad at her, and Mike "The Situation" was starting rumors about how he had sex with "Snooki," while she was with Jionni. All of this just became too much disaster television for me, and definitely not in an entertaining way, like earlier seasons. So after watching the first 3 seasons of the show (which I bought on DVD), I basically stopped watching from the middle of season 4. After briefly checking out season 5, I had zero interest for season 6, which apparently consisted of Snooki living in a separate home from the other housemates, and not partying or drinking, because she was pregnant with Jionni's baby.I'm only leaving this review now, after years and years of watching, because the brand new season "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" is starting soon, and it looks extremely entertaining, especially since they all look very different, are much more grown up, and some either have kids, are married, or both, but since they're still wild and crazy, why wouldn't I want to watch? The only cast member, who won't be on the show is Sammi Giancola, but there will be a surprise appearance from original cast member, Angelina Pavarnick, who left after season 2, losing the respect of all the other cast members. Watching the new previews and trailers, just like I did when the very first season started, felt like I was being put into a time capsule, and reliving my younger years, again, so it makes me excited to watch. This new season might end up being a dud, just like the end of the last run was (in my opinion), but it's definitely worth giving a shot, based on the overall history of the show.

dragokin For a couple of years it happened so that i ran into this show when on a business trip. The journey itself was not on regular basis, rather once in a couple of months, therefore the coincidence was even more stunning.After a long day i would lie in bed in a random hotel and browse through TV channels before falling to sleep. Inevitably there would be The Jersey Shore on MTV. At first i thought of it as a spiritual sequel to MTV Jackass but after watching some more, i've seen considerable differences. The participants are not self-inflicting bodily harm, they're merely living in the fast lane.Since the show ran for several seasons, one can't help wondering about the nature of it's success. Is it only because people would like to see how to become famous by making fool of yourself? Obviously the protagonists made carriers out of it.I think The Jersey Shore is pure gold for the historians of the future (therefore two stars). It is not only showing a consumer society from the inside, but also shows the entertainment industry encouraging a specific lifestyle by offering sponsorship and air time. It's a document for the people the future about what some of us considered fun.As MTV Jackass inspired a lot of people to film themselves while performing dangerous stunts, we may expect that someone might find The Jersey Shore's crew lifestyle appealing...

roger-395 A program about the 'Jersey Shore' with New York City actors who have zero appreciation or knowledge of the Shore lifestyle? This might pass for some living in Iowa never having lived at The Shore. I spent 5 summer at the Jersey Shore, which allows me to say categorically: This may be a reality TV program only not about the Jersey Shore. This is probably about MTV reality, which helps explain why it's so terrible. The people who live in New Jersey had the good sense to recognize that their coastline, all 132 miles of it, consists of two very different social variations. The South Shore, from Seaside Heights to Cape May and the North Shore from Seaside Heights to Sandy Hook (Seaside being in the North Shore region). I'm not certain which Jersey Shore the program purports to reflect but having spent time in both, the truth is it reflects neither very well. The actors on this program are precisely the kind of people I knew in the less tony sections of NYC. They might head to a beach on weekends but they weren't Jersey Shore people. How do I know? I spent five summers at the Shore and I was immersed in the Shore lifestyle. I'd call this program an MTV Fantasy program! Collect as many dim bulb low life stereotypical Italian 'gum-bah' types as possible, find a few girls with big tits with blocks of wood for brains, make sure each actor is comfy using the F word on a camera (to give in that 'reality' feel), inject a few beach scenes 'for reality,' and viola! We get typical MTV trash: Crap acting, crap writing, crap direction, crap music! A winner!!!

Nick Cluxton I normally don't have a problem with stuff like this. Usually, I can watch any reality show and laugh at the stupid problem that the characters make up. But somehow, I just get irritated when I think of Jersey Shore. It's not entirely because it's bad, or that people actually watch it. The problem arose when I saw people taking after it and acting like arrogant idiots. I'm 17, and I can safely say, for the sake of everyone older than me and every generation to come, I apologize for my generation because clearly, if we are able to sustain a show like Jersey Shore, then we are the worst that humanity has to offer.I propose that we Ban Jersey Shore from Television.