In December 2009, a reality show premiered on MTV that took the pop culture world by storm. If you weren't watching, your friends were bugging you on a daily basis to check it out, so it was only a matter of time before you started. And once you saw one episode, that was it: you were totally and completely hooked. More than hooked, you were obsessed. You lived and breathed this show and thought about it and talked about it all the time.
Yup, this show was none other than Jersey Shore, and it's still got a special place in the hearts of reality TV fans to this day. The series got six seasons and followed the antics of a group of friends hanging out at the Jersey Shore. There was a lot of drama, of course, along with tons of drinking and hook-ups and romantic tension. The show became a part of the zeitgeist and everyone had a nickname that was both silly and charming. Even if you were the biggest Jersey Shore fan ever, there are some things that you didn't know about the show. Check out the following 15 facts that you definitely didn't know about Jersey Shore!
15 People Wonder If The Italy Car Accident Was Actually Real
When the gang headed to Italy in season four, Snooki got involved in a car accident. It was definitely a super dramatic moment... but people wonder if it actually was real. Of course people say this kind of stuff about reality shows all the time, so it's hard to know what's real and what's not.
Someone on the police source told The Daily Beast, "They were traveling at a very slow speed and it looked like the car intentionally hit the police escort and then kept moving forward for no reason.” There were cameras already there at the location right before it happened, so that makes it seem like it didn't really happen and was just staged for the camera. People also believe that the neck brace that Snooki was wearing wasn't real or necessary. Hmmm. What do you think?!
14 The Cast Couldn't Speak Fluent Italian While In Italy
You would probably think that the cast of Jersey Shore would feel totally at home in Italy since they're Italian-American. And that would mean speaking fluent Italian during the time that they were there.
According to some producers who spoke to the media about what went on behind-the-scenes, the cast couldn't speak fluent Italian and this was something that was difficult while they were filming season four. They felt like they could only really talk to each other. Of course just because you have a certain background, that doesn't mean that's your first or best language, especially if you grew up in the States and New Jersey. But it might be a bit of a surprise to fans who assumed otherwise. It's an interesting fact to know for sure.
13 Snooki Said It Was "Like Jail"
Snooki was interviewed by V Magazine and shared a lot of secrets about what it was like being on the show. She said that starring on the reality series was like "being in jail for two months."
She said that everyone had to give the crew an hour's notice before leaving, which definitely sounds tough. There were a lot of rules that they had to follow. Sure, you would assume that they realized that before they started shooting the show since filming a reality show means that you can't just do whatever you want all the time anymore. You really do have to listen to what the producers tell you because there are rules about filming. But it's still interesting to know how many rules everyone had to follow.
12 Drinking Way Too Much Was Cool With The Producers
If you've seen even one episode of Jersey Shore (or even a few minutes, really), you know that this was a cast that knew how to drink. And drink they did. Sometimes it seemed like this was the only thing that anyone in that Jersey Shore house was doing. The show was known for storylines involving drunken mishaps and general silliness. And that's exactly why fans loved it so much.
Snooki said in the same interview that, yup, the cast definitely drank a lot while filming... and there was a good reason for it: it was an activity that was given the green light by the producers. It makes sense that drinking would be allowed since this was a show about a group of young people living together in the summertime.
11 Everyone Had To Follow A No Cell Phones Rule
When Snooki was talking about the rules that the cast had to follow, one of the main ones was that they couldn't have cell phones around.
Just try to imagine what it would be like to spend a summer without your cell phone. You can't, right? You probably can't even imagine what it would be like to spend five minutes without your cell phone. After all, when most people wake up in the morning, the first thing that they do is look at their phone and check out their social media feeds to see what they missed. It must have been super tough for the cast to have to go without using their cell phones for a period of time. When you watch a reality show, you never really think about things like this, but this is definitely what happened.
10 Fans Always Tried To Get Into The House
Jersey Shore was a massive hit for MTV, with fans talking about it all the time and everywhere, and ratings were high from the beginning. So it makes sense that after a while, people started treating the cast members like stars, and it became obvious that they would start visiting the house by the Jersey Shore where the show was being filmed.
Police officers had to be at the house because of how dangerous it was. That meant that police were literally always right outside. It must have been really tough and scary for the cast to realize that there were so many fans outside the house all the time. Sure, maybe at first it was kind of flattering since newfound fame can be intoxicating and awesome, but it must have sucked after a while.
9 The Situation Stormed Out While Filming Once
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was part of the main cast of Jersey Shore and his nickname got a ton of attention. In the summer of 2011, TMZ said that The Situation stormed out while the show was filming. TMZ reported that he had "a gaggle of chicks following him."
Why did he leave? It sounds like he wasn't happy with the show anymore and didn't want to be a part of it anymore, or at least that's what people were reporting at the time. As TMZ said, he left the house but then came back. He didn't end up leaving the show for real, but it's always interesting to hear about the behind-the-scenes drama that can sometimes be more interesting than what's actually happening on a TV show.
8 The Roof Top Jacuzzi Wasn't Really There
Fans of the show know that the gang was often in a rooftop jacuzzi. And there's nothing like a jacuzzi to get people hooking up, or at least that's how it always seems in movies and on TV. Since it was, well, on a roof, you would assume that it was on the roof of the house that everyone was staying in at the Jersey Shore, right? At least that's what it seemed like.
Well, it turns out that wasn't actually the case. The real location of the rooftop jacuzzi was above the t-shirt store that was another famous filming location for the show. Yes, really. This is true. Sorry to burst your bubble. This was just one of those decisions that producers make in order to film a show.
7 Snooki Was Arrested In 2010 For Being Drunk On The Beach
According to reports, she face planted in the sand. Um, yes. That's a pretty clear sign that someone has had a few too many.
Sure, the cast definitely drank a lot while on the show, but it seems like they've really cleaned up their acts since the show went off the air. This is especially true of Snooki. Her real name is Nicole Polizzi and she's married with two kids, has appeared on a whole bunch of talk shows, has a few published novels under her belt, and was also on Dancing With The Stars. She's still got a massive fanbase and has 10.5 million followers on Instagram. Her IG bio says, "Just a Mom trying to make it through the day" and she's got a wine emoji at the end. So cute and so relatable (even if you don't have any kids).
6 MTV Rented The Italy Pizza Place The Cast Worked At
When the gang was in Italy for the fourth season of the show, they worked at a pizza place. You would assume that they all got jobs there, right? As in they got hired the typical way (you apply, get an interview, etc)? Well, it turns out that's not what happened.
According to a story in The Daily Beast, MTV rented out the pizza place where everyone worked, and that's what really happened. A source from MTV was quoted in that story saying that, "In a country like this, you need to take care of certain details ahead of time, but the cast does exactly what they want to do and there is nothing we can to do to stop them, nor would we want to." It does make sense that something like this would have to happen. It's just probably not what you would have guessed.
5 The Cast Couldn't Read Or Watch TV
When Snooki shared what rules the cast members had to follow while filming the show and living in the house, she mentioned that they couldn't read or watch television.
It does make sense when you think about it, though, since it seems like not having people read or watch TV or be involved with fictional stories would force them to spend time together and really bond. And when you're filming a reality show about people living in the same house, you definitely want everyone to bond. And get along. And not get along, since that's just inevitable, and that's of course what makes for the best TV out there. Let's be real here, no one watches a reality show for lots of warm and fuzzy moments between friends.
4 There Were 28 Cameras In The Rooms
Would you be able to star on a reality show where you had these many cameras in the room? You would probably say no, even if it's been a secret dream of yours to have your fifteen minutes of fame and be on a reality series. It just seems like a lot of cameras and a lot to deal with.
But, of course, this is the way that it goes, and there's no getting around it: if you're on a show like this, you're going to be filmed a lot. You might not have guessed that the show used so many cameras, though, since 28 is definitely a whole lot. Maybe you would have guessed five or ten at the very most, but nope. It was 28.
3 Ronnie Didn't Pay His Parking Tickets
There are a few members of the cast who were arrested and got in trouble during the course of filming, and Ronnie was one of them. He was arrested in 2010 for not paying his parking tickets.
These days, Ronnie's got one million followers on Instagram, and his bio reads, "Official InstaHAM 4 Ronnie Magro from Jersey Shore! Living 1 day @ with a time! My Instagram May Offend you, & well really I don't care." You have to admit that the last bit is pretty hilarious. There's nothing better than someone who doesn't care what people think about them... and it's basically reality TV gold. That's the kind of person that everyone wants to watch. No one wants to watch someone who is super sweet all the time. Definitely not.
2 The Producers Built A Wall Around The House
The show became so popular and became such a big deal that it seems like it started to affect how they filmed. In fact, the network had to build a wall around the house in order to keep filming. Yes, really.
This is the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff that probably always happens but as a fan, you never get to hear about it. It's always cool to learn these types of facts about the TV shows that you love. How would you feel if you lived in a house that literally had a wall around it?! It would feel pretty strange for the first little bit. Okay, it would probably always feel pretty strange. Maybe you get used to all this stuff since you know that you're on a reality show and that these things happen.
1 No Music Was Allowed, Either
Snooki also said that they weren't allowed to listen to music while filming the show and living in the Jersey Shore house. So that's no books, no TV shows, and no music.
If you thought that living without books and TV shows was hard, it's probably even tougher to think about living without music, right? Sure, it was only for a certain amount of time since there were breaks between filming and everything, but it's still hard to imagine. Music is basically the best thing ever. It seems like everyone had to entertain themselves and each other and that's why they got into such dramatic situations all the time. MTV recently announced that that the show will have a reunion called Jersey Shore Family Vacation. How excited are you?!
Sources: Buzzfeed.com, Huffingtonpost.com, Thedailybeast.com, Buzz.auntyacid.com, TMZ.com
