Season 2 of The Jersey Shore premieres Thursday night on MTV.
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One year ago, America was reeling from the shocking news of Michael Jackson’s death. Jon and Kate Gosselin announced their divorce. Paula Abdul confirmed that she was leaving Idol. And the world had not yet been introduced to Snooki, The Situation, JWoww, Ronnie, Sammi, DJ Pauly D, Vinny or Angelina. As America anxiously awaits the premiere of MTV’s "The Jersey Shore: Season 2"– this time from Miami – let’s take a look at how ubiquitous the famously tanned octet has become.
"The Jersey Shore" has inundated the fabric of pop culture – taking up real estate on sites like urban dictionary (GTL = Gym, Tan, Laundry) and spawning new sites like the Jersey Shore Nickname Generator and JerzifyYourself – and it’s near impossible to hear a dance track without pumping your fist. Even President Barack Obama is in on the phenomenon, mentioning the cast at the White House Correspondents Dinner in May. He joked, "The following individuals shall be excluded from the indoor tanning tax... Snooki, J-WOWW, the Situation, and House Minority Leader John Boehner."
And the show bridges party lines. In a teaser for season two, Snooki says, "I don’t go tanning anymore because Obama put a 10% tax on tanning," which prompted a twitter response from John McCain.
How did we get here?
Season one of "The Jersey Shore" followed eight 20-somethings chosen to share a house in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. It had the same premise as the "Real World" (strangers, picked to live in a house…) but the similarities ended there. Snooki, The Situation and crew didn’t really DO anything. They went to clubs, danced, hooked up (with strangers and eachother), and served to perpetuate a stereotype of Italian-Americans, or "Guidos and Guidettes," as they affectionately refer to themselves, that has since been criticized by Italian-American groups. And they aren’t even all from New Jersey. Snooki and JWoww are from New York, as Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie pointed out on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. After the cast rang the opening bell at the NYSE on Tuesday, he said, "They’re New Yorkers, let them ring the bell at the Stock Exchange and stay away from New Jersey!"
On Sunday, The New York Times profiled Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi – arguably show’s star - and it wasn’t pretty. The newspaper quoted her father as saying, "When we go to venues, I like to stand out in the crowd. She’ll be up there hooting and hollering, and I’ll say to someone, ‘What is it that draws you to my daughter? Be honest.’ Because it’s very hard for me to see what it is. She don’t sing. She don’t dance. I don’t want to say she don’t have talent ..." He added, "Everyone basically says they can relate to her. I think Nicole’s just a likeable person." With that he hit the nail on the head. Whether you think their antics asinine or adorable, whether you think they’re a bunch of fools or fooling us all, the stars of "The Jersey Shore" are an endearing, likeable bunch.
That season two will be as successful as season one remains to be seen, but if the hype surrounding the premiere is any indication (there’s even a brand new Jersey Shore facebook game), the infamous eightsome will be enjoying far more than just 15 minutes of fame.
Season 2 of The Jersey Shore premieres Thursday night on MTV.
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