I started watching Jersey Shore when I was probably around 13. It was as the show was first airing, and it was among my first forays into the marvelous world of reality television along with America’s Next Top Model and the Bad Girls Club (it is literally a miracle that any teenage survived the aughts, but that is a discussion for another day).
Jersey Shore is unquestionably an iconic piece of reality television history, but I set out to discover whether the show holds up today. It doesn’t hold up to today’s standards of political correctness or general human conduct, and I’m not sure it did even at the time. I just wanted to see if the show was still entertaining.
I learned a great many valuable life lessons from watching Jersey Shore the first time around. If your friend’s boyfriend is cheating on her, do not write an anonymous note. Just tell her. She still won’t leave his ass, but you’ll avoid a whole extra note-related drama. Always pee after sex. Avoid crowded beaches when heavily intoxicated. You know, essential life lessons for any normal child to learn.
One of the most shocking things about this rewatch was when I realized that in the first season, the majority of the cast was around the same age I am today. Maybe I’m not as old as I thought. It makes me feel less bad about doing those tequila shots and leaving my phone on the porch last month.
Ron and Sam are the original toxic reality TV couple. Carl and Lindsay have nothing on the drama these two brought to our screens. They are screaming, they are raging, they are cheating, it’s the whole nine yards of break-the-fuck-up.
The cast of this show is truly lightning in a bottle. The personalities are so over the top. The fashion is on another level. Everything about this show is bright, bold, and brash. It was refreshing to watch a reality show where the cast was stirring up drama, not to try and produce their own show like so much reality TV today, but for the sheer joy of watching the house burn around them. You get the sense watching that Mike is just actually that much of a shit disturber. It feels authentic, even with how outrageous it all is.
The show starts to drop off after season 4. When they come back to the shore after their journey to Italy, the magic begins to fade. But the first few seasons are something truly special.
The Jersey Shore is still on air today, in its new form as Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. For whatever reason, I’ve never watched it, but after this rewatch experience, maybe it’s time to give it a try. Also, at some point this summer, I am going to finally try to make Ron Ron Juice, because I have no idea what’s in it, but the cast’s drink of choice looks delicious and I can’t believe I haven’t tried it yet.
The final consensus: this show remains so funny, and it is still excellent television. Jersey Shore had me feeling all kinds of nostalgic, laughing at their tanned and toned antics. If you were a fan back in the day, it’s worth the rewatch.
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