By Adam Spunberg
Bring up Jersey Shore in a discussion and even some of the most devoted reality TV fans will distance themselves from it, as if it were the Ebola virus or Lindsey Lohan’s undergarments after a night on the town. MTV’s megahit show has become the emblem of “trashiness,” the symbol of a generation gone wrong, of humanity on the decline, of innocence subjected to a libido-charged desecration, of a station stooping to new lows in a ratings-first, quality-second, network-eat-network world.
How wrong they are.
People are surprised when I count myself proudly among the millions who watch every week, sometimes more than once, with eagerness and after-the-fact satiation. For all its vehement detractors, Jersey Shore absolutely crushed its competition, dominating the summer programming war by grenades and landmines. GTL, IFF, DTF* have all become a part of modern vernacular, just as all eight characters have far exceeded their 15 minutes of fame, with no sign of slowing down.
Why is the show so popular? Yes, it’s campy, it’s shocking, and features some of the most remorseless superficiality ever depicted among public figures, but lost within the totalitarian criticism is some ingenious production value, legitimate wit, and most importantly: genuineness.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino may be an unscrupulous chauvinist, but he doesn’t pretend to be otherwise. He is not some dressed up MTV puppet but a real person, living his life just as he would if the cameras were blotted out. When he says, “Angelina is like the Staten Island Ferry. Everyone gets a ride and it’s free,” he is cracking viewers up, but being his true self.
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is not handed cue cards when she utters hilarious absurdities, or contemplates whether President Obama taxed artificial tanning because he doesn’t need to tan. This is just the way she is, and credit MTV for finding such an intriguing character.
Wasn’t “reality television” supposed to be about real people, amusing the viewing populace with recorded depictions of real behavior? These guys are flat-out hilarious, and the producers know just how to juxtapose their outrageous comments with some two-steps-back perspective. Watch the way the episodes flow and you’ll see elements of Orwellian satire, to the point where observing these people becomes something of a sociology experiment.
When I comb through the list of Emmy nominees in the “Outstanding Reality Program” category, I find myself flabbergasted by the lack of appreciation for such a finely executed show. Is Undercover Boss really more deserving than the unforgettable extravaganza that is Jersey Shore?
Too many people want to dismiss Jersey Shore, outright, without ever giving it a legitimate chance. Not only are they missing out on some uproarious entertainment, but their rush to judgment is just as ignorant as the characters they want to defame. The show will go on, and the joke is on them.
GTL: Gym, Tan, and Laundry
IFF: I’m F*cked Foundation
DTF: Down to F*ck
To quote James Berardinelli:
“The message embraced by Easy A relates to the incestuous relationship between popularity and sleaze – not exactly a surprise when one considers how well tabloids sell and that a cesspool of crassness like Jersey Shore can claim big ratings. People love train wrecks. They love savoring the taste of another person’s misery. That’s the reason why bottom-feeding ‘celebrities’ attract such attention.”
Everyone who watches this show is watching it to laugh at these moronic idiots. I’ve seen a few episodes, and you can’t claim there’s anything witty going on here.
There’s a tremendous amount of sleaze, I agree, but there is also plenty of wit. The Situation and Pauly are actually very smooth, and the real moronic idiots are the women who fall for their act. And there are little things that the producers do, to highlight this, in smart, sarcastic ways.
Jersey Shore is pretty ridiculous and entertaining. I will not, however, go out my way to watch it though. Or DVR it like some people do.
The show is simply populair because there alot of people like them
I live in Europe and even here it’s populair and other TV company’s (porhaps Dutch TV where I live) make copy’s of MTV’s the Jersey Shore and still million of vieuwers.
That says enough, you could put different people in it, if they just party and be superficial, it will score.. Cause there a million people all over the world that party and are being wild and superficial, they wanna see people just like them.. cause people simply want everyone to be like them.. Stupid but true
(Here is a link of the Dutch version, It’s on http://www.rtlgemist.nl as well but foreigners are unable to watch it, so : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU_MqpnG37A
(And the dutch version is maybe even worse because Jersey shore are at least all 21, but in Holland you may drink at 16, (drive at 18 but) so these stars are only 18.. Sometimes I see them on TV and I see that they are too young to handle there fame, and I think RTL5 should take responsibility for that)
But it all comes to this, the world is copying jersey shore and everywhere it shows it scores.. soo there a lot of people that are like this but at the same time there will be alot of people calling it insane and that it should be illigal.
Peace out, my personal oppinion is we all should respect eachother even if we don’t agree, so we should respect also these shows but at the same time I think there are alot of young people that get a wrong imagne of the world trough these shows, cause JerseyShore-Stars are everything but role models!
(Sorry for my bad english, I’m only 19, so I’m taking that as excuse, lol)
Jenn,
I can’t believe they made a version of Jersey Shore in the Netherlands! I just watched that Chersoniso Youtube video… I have no idea what they’re saying, but I get the general idea.
I think there are two kinds of people who watch:
1. The ones — like you said — who want to be like them.
2. People like us, who are just amused (and sometimes, shocked) by what they’re doing.
All I know is that I put it on each week and can’t stop laughing, and my laughing is not mean-spirited. I am not laughing to make fun of anyone. i just laugh because the situations are funny. Do you see what I mean?
Also, I think some people look at these people, like you did, and say, “I DON’T want them as role models.” So maybe they are setting a great example of how NOT to behave.
P.S. Thanks for your comment. Your English is very good!
So the show is a hit because the characters are genuine? Genuine as animals in their natural element. What’s the difference between Jersey Shore and the time Yuniesky Betancourt and I took a tour of the open safari at six flags? Ab-sol-ute-ly nothing.
When the book “The Downfall of American Society,” is penned during the century to come, make sure there is an entire chapter devoted to this unwatchable garbage, Mr. Spunberg.