Say it ain’t so!
On August 30, MTV announced that the upcoming sixth season of Jersey Shore will be its last. Since its series premiere in December 2009, the reality show has turned cast members Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, 24, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, 30, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, 26, Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, 32, Vinny Guadagnino, 24, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, 25, and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, 26, into overnight sensations. (Deena Nicole Cortese, 25, replaced former roommate Angelina Pivarnick, 25, in season 3.)
During its three-year run, Jersey Shore filmed in a variety of locales, including Seaside Heights, New Jersey; Miami, Florida; and Florence, Italy.
DelVecchio was the first cast member to score his own MTV spinoff, The Pauly D Project. The series followed the Rhode Island native and his pals around the world as DelVecchio’s deejay career took off. Polizzi and Farley also began shooting their own series, Snooki & JWoww, which they filmed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 2011. Though it was originally conceived as vehicle to highlight the hard-partying pair’s wild hijinks, the show’s plot shifted when Polizzi discovered she was pregnant with Jionni LaValle‘s baby. (Polizzi and her fiance welcomed a baby boy, Lorenzo Dominic, on August 26, 2012; the couple first shared their pregnancy news in an Us Weekly cover story.)
In between seasons of Jersey Shore, the other cast members continued to find success in the spotlight. Guadagnino guest-starred on two episodes of The CW’s 90210 and penned a book about his struggles with social anxiety disorder, Control The Crazy: My Plan To Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool. Sorrentino made a cameo on ABC’s hit scripted comedy Suburgatory and competed on Dancing With the Stars; he and pro partner Karina Smirnoff were eliminated in the fourth week.
Ortiz-Magro, who was arrested multiple times while filming Jersey Shore, started a T-shirt line called Jersey Laundry. He also promoted the weight loss supplement Xenadrine. Ortiz-Magro’s on-and-off girlfriend, Giancola, released her first fragrance, Dangerous, in 2011. Similarly, Cortese launched her own haircare line, Wisper Products.
Despite the series’ cancellation, its cast will always be grateful for their time in the limelight. “I can do Jersey Shore forever. I have fun filming,” Cortese told Us in 2011. “I’m like the Energizer Bunny, so if they want to keep filming, I’m so down.”
It’s bittersweet that it’s over but excited to see what the future holds. These past six seasons have been unforgettable, I have an extension of my family now, I’m walking away with the girl of my dreams and so many amazing memories. I’m definitely nostalgic but ready to move forward with some exciting things already in the pipeline,” Ortiz-Magro told Us in a statement August 30. “Gotta thank MTV and all the fans — wouldn’t have been possible without them.”
The final season of Jersey Shore premieres October 4 at 10 p.m. EST. on MTV.
