"Jersey" is Making its Way to Italy

"GTL," "DTF," and "the shirt before the shirt" are now common phrases that have finagled their way into popular culture. And, we have MTV's "Jersey Shore" to thank (or to hate) for that. Having watched an episode of this mega hit in my Senior Seminar class yesterday for the sake of analyzing its widespread appeal, I figured now is as good a time as any to write about it.

I'm willing to venture a guess and say that if you haven't seen the show, then you've at least heard about it, and you probably know that it is essentially the Italian "Guido" version of "The Real World." Eight housemates live together for the summer and over 50 cameras are used to capture their every move. For one reason or another, we enjoy watching the drama unfold making "Jersey Shore" the highest rated show in MTV's history, pulling in over seven million viewers during its season three finale just a week ago.

I can't even lie, I was one of those seven million viewers. I realize that it's crap t.v., but that doesn't stop me from giggling whenever one of the cast members does something ridiculous or off the wall. The show isn't meant to be serious, and I don't take as such. For me, it's simply comical. I mean, how many times can Sammi and Ronnie break up and get back together in one episode? You'd be surprised.

Season four of this ratings buster will no longer be filmed on the classy shore of Seaside Heights. These "Guidettes" and "Gorilla Juice-heads" are making their way to Italy. I guess a change in scenery was necessary for their partying lifestyle. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this. The cast has managed to perpetuate many stereotypes that people believe to be true about Italian Americans, and I know that many people have been offended by the show and the cast members' behavior. I wonder how the natives of Italy are going to respond to them being there.

These eight fist-pumping, spray tanning party animals are still riding the wave of their 15 minutes of fame, and it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. And while we laugh at Snooki for getting stuck in a cardboard box and drunkenly stumbling around on the beach, she and the rest of the cast are making millions, so maybe the joke is on us.