13 Things That Are Totally Fake About Jersey Shore (+ 7 That Are Actually Real)
One of the most talked about “reality” shows of all-time, at the height of its popularity it seemed like the cast of Jersey Shore was everywhere. In fact, due to the success of this series, millions of people could tell you what GTL stands for and identify people like JWoww, The Situation, Pauly D, and Snooki. Gone for several years, in the last year this show and its cast have had a major resurgence due to Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, a reunion season of the show, airing on MTV.
It might not surprise anyone that when the show is edited together they try to make things more entertaining. However, the degree to which certain aspects of the show were fabricated is rather surprising. On the other hand, some things that seemed too nuts to have happened on their own actually did. With that in mind, it is time to look at this list of 13 things that are totally fake about Jersey Shore and 7 that are surprisingly real.
In order for something to be up for possible inclusion on this list, it first and foremost has to relate to an element of Jersey Shore in one way or another. On top of that, it either has to be a lot more real than a lot of viewers may realize or have an aspect to it that is totally put on.
20 Producers Had A Hand In The Drama Surrounding The Note
One of the most memorable Jersey Shore moments was when Snooki and JWoww left a note for Sammi, detailing Ronnie's antics, and it created a lot of drama and anger.
Snooki and JWoww came up with the scheme and hoped Sammi would think it was the producers that were tipping her off.
An idea that had some merit, since the Jersey Shore cast was not supposed to have access to writing materials. But it fell apart because the producers interfered in the situation. Opting to inform Sammi that it was one of her castmates that wrote the note, the producers set off a whole lot more drama. That aside, it is still baffling that Sammi was angrier about the note than she was about what Ronnie had been up to.
19 Many Scenes Are Re-Shot
Though they are meant to be real-life moments that happened to be captured on film, it is pretty obvious that “reality” show stars may be acting a little bit differently since they realize they are being recorded. That aside, based on how these shows are portrayed, the reactions seen in each episode are supposed to be spontaneous. However, when the Jersey Shore gang were filmed for the show in Italy, some onlookers observed the process and it was not what they expected. Instead, what they witnessed was the show reshooting the same scene multiple times until it played out as producers hoped, which paints everything else seen on the show in a deceptive light.
18 At Least One Friendship Is Very Real
They were a group of strangers that were brought together by the show's producers, but as time wore on and the Jersey Shore cast spent more and more time together, the dynamics between them seemed to change. Of course, they were still prone to getting into titanic arguments with one another and the drama was always present, but the bonds of friendship also seemed to build up between them.
Still, given the fact that after the show was canceled for the first time, most of the cast seemed to have little to do with one another, questioning how real the friendships were is understandable.
However, as anyone that follows Snooki and JWoww on social media can tell you, their bond appears to be very real from all accounts.
17 Some Of The Relationships Were Fabricated
One of the core elements of Jersey Shore's massive success was the cast's partying, and it was a big part of what viewers were so entertained by. Just like a lot of people in their age range at the time, when the show began its star seemed to be doing an awful lot of pairing off with people they met on their nights out. However, any “reality” show fan should be able to tell you that things are not always as they seem and in the case of Jersey Shore, some of the extracurricular activities were wildly exaggerated. For instance, during the filming of the first season, Vinny reportedly never had a relationship, whether serious or casual, but that is not how the show made things seem.
16 Snooki Actually Lived Alone
One of the most remarkable aspects of watching Jersey Shore over the years was seeing the show's main cast grow.
For instance, during the filming of the sixth season, Snooki was pregnant and did not want to return to her previous life in the Shore house the cast lived in during the first few seasons.
For that reason, she forced producers to allow her to live in the house next door so she could get away from a residence she has described as really gross. Of course, if you watched the show, they obviously did not want viewers to know that Snooki was living separately, so they made it seem like her living situation had not changed.
15 The Duck Phone's Infamy Wasn't Planned
Though the show was not exactly known for its silly sense of humor, Jersey Shore viewers were nonetheless provided with lots of reasons to laugh. But in almost every case the comedy was due to the stars doing something wacky. However, the show had one whimsical element that when you really think about it was out of sync with the rest of its tone: the infamous duck phone. It was eventually explained by the show's executive producer SallyAnn Salsano. When talking to Vulture she revealed that when Jersey Shore's art director showed her the phone she thought it was “so ridiculous." Going even further than that, she also felt they “cannot leave that in the house” since “it doesn't make sense” and it only remained due to an oversight.
14 JWoww And Snooki's Vegas Tension Was Editing Trickery
Quite possibly the most notable moment from the first season of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation's first season was when it was teased that Snooki and JWoww would fight in Vegas. It was a gut punch for fans. After all, their friendship seemed so sincere right from the start and over time, as each grew into motherhood, their connection only seemed to get stronger.
Fortunately, if you didn't like the teases that JWoww would leave the Vegas vacation early due to tension with Snooki, things were nowhere near as bad as they seemed.
Instead, JWoww revealed on Twitter that she left so she could be with her son Greyson during therapy sessions and she and Snooki are still the best of friends.
13 The Cast Spent Almost All Of Their Time Together
Unlike some other “reality” shows like Survivor, Big Brother, or The Amazing Race, from the outside looking in, it seems like Jersey Shore's cast did not have it too bad during the filming process. After all, they obviously were allowed to spend their nights out on the town and it wasn't like they were starved of food. However, one thing the show makes obvious is that the crew spends pretty much all of their time together. In that way, the show is extremely accurate, as not only do they constantly socialize with one another but they are not even allowed to call the people in their everyday lives except for once a week.
12 Vinny Wasn't A Big Partier
As we touched on earlier in this list, Jersey Shore's first season made it seem like Vinny was meeting girls left and right, which was very misleading. More than that, throughout his early time as a “reality” TV star, Vinny was made to seem like a very different person than it turns out he actually was, especially when it comes to his penchant for partying.
Quoted as saying he initially “felt like an alien landing in guidoland" prior to entering the Shore house, Vinny was leading an extremely different lifestyle.
Actually an artist and actor that isn't a natural born hard-partier, he'd spent his prior life drawing, painting murals, and taking improv classes. Then he fell under the influence of Pauly D and the Situation.
11 The Situation Loved Wearing Abercrombie Clothes
By far the most amusing entry on this list is Abercrombie & Fitch's relationship with The Situation. Seen wearing A & F's clothes constantly during Jersey Shore's early season, it may have seemed like The Situation was being paid. After all, loads of companies pay a fortune to have their product appear on popular TV shows. However, in this case, that couldn't be further from the truth. Evidently feeling the association with The Situation was hurting their brand, A & F offered him $10,000 to stop wearing their clothes, in a press release no less. Eventually opting to lean into the drama, the company released a T-shirt bearing the phrase "The Fitchuation," which The Situation tried (and failed) to sue them for trademark infringement over.
10 Two Of The Stars Are Not Of Italian Descent
Not only was the cast portrayed as being a group of Jersey Shore natives but this series also makes it seem like all its stars are of Italian descent and very proud of it.
Of course, as should be abundantly clear by now, the show's producers have no problem playing fast and loose with the facts.
Another example of that is that two of Jersey Shore's most famous cast members are not Italian-Americans. Instead, Snooki's roots are Chilean and JWoww is a mix of Irish and Spanish descent. But at least in the latter star's case, despite her genetic makeup, she still sees herself as being part of the so-called guido community since she sees that as having more to do with the partying scene.
9 The Situation's Legal Issues Are All Too Real
A white collar crime that a lot of people mistakenly think is not a very big deal, in reality, can come with some extremely serious repercussions, especially if large sums of money are in question. Tax evasion is no joke. A major focus of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation so far, at times it almost seems like The Situation had a dark shadow following him around since he was facing serious legal issues. Sadly, it was all too real and he got himself in serious hot water with the government due to his attempt to avoid paying taxes on 9 million dollars. Also charged with falsifying records, in the end, he was sentenced to 8 months in prison, 500 hours of community service, and he must pay $133,000 in back taxes.
8 The Italian Car Incident Was Exaggerated
From one entry about a Jersey Shore: Family Vacation element that was very real to one that was misleading, to say the least, Snooki's Italian car crash is among the show's biggest moments.
She was portrayed as having accidentally hit a police car, but there were several elements of the situation that were wildly exaggerated, if not completely fabricated.
First off, MTV has outright admitted that the neck brace Snooki wore in the aftermath wasn't needed, claiming that Snooki “was joking” when she wore it. On top of that, the car she supposedly hit actually belonged to the show's security team. Finally, there are reports that claim the accident was intentional, although that isn't entirely confirmed.
7 Snooki Really Did Get In Trouble At The Beach
Another entry about the shenanigans Snooki has found herself in over the years, during the show's early seasons she seemed to be pretty out of control. Probably her most alarming moment was in one Jersey Shore episode where she became extremely inebriated on a public beach. Despite JWoww's best efforts to get Snooki off the beach and into the safety of the Shore home, she was too far gone to listen, and after some serious staggering the police got involved. Unlike Snooki's supposed fender bender with the cops, her arrest was completely legitimate as she was even taken to jail briefly. Totally belligerent throughout her interaction with the police, she seems to have learned what not to do from this incident.
6 The Infamous Shore House Hot Tub Isn't Where You Think
The scene of many of the most infamous Jersey Shore moments, the hot tub on the show had some pretty surprising things happen in it. Considering how much the cast seemed to party and how close to a hot tub they supposedly were when they went to the shore house, it makes a lot of sense they spent so much time in it.
Well, that would be the case if the hot tub was located where the show made it seem, on the deck attached to the shore house.
However, the rooftop deck it existed on was not on that property at all; instead, it was located on the top of the shore store where the cast “worked."
5 Snooki Wasn't Really Called That Before The Show
One of a slew of people that auditioned to be a part of the final Jersey Shore cast, Snooki obviously wanted to be a “reality” TV star so she was willing to jump through a lot of hoops to make the cut. For instance, in an example of Snooki's commitment to the show, she revealed to Vulture that the application to be a part of the show specifically called for her to list her nickname. Deciding to write down Snooki, she said that “one of my girlfriends used to call me that, just to be funny." Stuck with it ever since, she now can't escape the nickname the masses know her by and she has said, “I wish I'd put something else."
4 It Took Everyone By Surprise
This is the moment that made Jersey Shore a sensation. Previews for the show featured Snooki being viciously punched in a surprising moment which blew people away. Wanting to know how that moment came to be and how things played out after the fact, many viewers wanted to see Snooki's assailant face repercussions and rooted for her from that point forward.
The attack came out of nowhere, so by all accounts, any viewers that suspected the moment was preplanned were completely off base.
The attacker was charged with assault and sentenced to a $500 fine and six months of probation. At least Snooki said she would tell her assailant “I forgive you” if they ever met again.
3 Most Of The Cast Is Not From Jersey
One of only two words in the title of this “reality” show, in order for the name Jersey Shore to be accurate its stars should have been born in that state and they needed to live near the beach. The series fell short when it came to the former part of things, since many of its stars are not from Jersey. In fact, the only two stars born in Jersey were Deena Cortese and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola. As far as the rest of the crew, The Situation and Vinny are from Staten Island, Snooki and JWoww grew up in New York State, and Ronnie was born in The Bronx.
2 Pauly D Was Not The One To Come Up With GTL
Far more important than some people may realize, the fact that a show has a popular catchphrase can make it a much larger success. Jersey Shore's version of that, at the height of the show's popularity, was the letters GTL being referenced.
An acronym that stands for "gym, tan, laundry," the show would have you believe that Pauly D came up with it alone.
In reality, while working on the show producers began to map out shooting days and instead of writing down gym, tan, laundry in long form, they shortened it to GTL. To his credit, however, it was Pauly D that saw the potential in the acronym and popularized it.
1 At Least Some Of The Fights Were Not What They Seemed
The kind of thing that people failed to notice in the past, these days when a movie or TV show has continuity errors it doesn't take long for it to be chronicled online. A part of this trend, errors in a Jersey Shore fight make it seem like all of the battles may be misleading. That is the case due to a moment in which Snooki and Angelina began to grapple and JWoww tried to intercede. Shown with many cuts, in every shot of the fight from one angle JWoww has socks on and during the rest her feet are bare. This made it seem like producers did reshoots of the fight, at the very least, it proves that things did not go down as the show presented them.