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.
– Adam Spunberg, AwardsPicks.com.
Good piece by SNY.tv’s own Spunberg defending the MTV’s oft-deemed-indefensible hit program. I’ve seen all of three episodes of the show but I’ll back him up a bit.
I disagree in part with the crux of his argument — I don’t know that any “reality” TV is genuine because I think there’s some artifice constructed a) whenever anyone’s conscious of a camera and b) by the production company picking the cast, since presumably each member of the Jersey Shore crew was the most ridiculous member of his or her previous social clique, the one whose antics inspired all the eye-rolling from everyone else in the club in Staten Island or Franklin Square or wherever. Selection bias.
But where Adam’s spot-on, I think, is in the argument that Jersey Shore is not corroding our culture or corrupting our youth or anything like that. Maybe I’m naive or pathetically optimistic, but I just don’t think anyone watches the show as an instruction manual for how to behave.
It’s a clown show. No one takes it seriously, perhaps not even the subjects. They’re busy hamming it up to earn big money to DJ at bar mitzvahs, to appear at nightclubs, to Dance with the Stars. The Kansas City Star reported that The Situation will rake in $5 million dollars this year.
And that, well, I mean, yikes. But it is what it is. If you object to the show so thoroughly, don’t watch it and stop talking about it, and it’ll go away.
Or you can just yield to the notion that people have been getting paid and watched and chastised for silly and destructive behavior since time immemorial.
Plus Snooki’s got her priorities straight:
Tedquarters 
From a baseball standpoint I guess snooki does have her priorities straight, but anything beyond that, i’d have to question.
But I also agree with the crux of this arguement here. I watch the chow every week, because its funny and ridiculous. Being from NJ and spending more than my share of time at the Jersey Shore in the summer, you are spot on Ted, those guys/girls represent the upper echelon of ridiculousness at the shore. That ridiculousness I must point out is part of what make the JS fun for many of the more normal people that spend time there.
The entertainment value of that ridiculousness is even better in person than it is on TV. Half the fun of going out down there is watching and making fun of the guidos. Although there are some places (like Seaside) that are just too much, and too “guido” to even enjoy.
I mean if its fun to watch and witness all that in person, its also fun to be able to sit on my couch and watch it.
Added note, the only negative I see to the show is that people not familier with the Jersey Shore, get the idea that the whole pplace is like that, and that people in general from NJ are like that. It creates a stereotype which is not cool. I was in Hawaii back in the spring, and being half italian with and italian last name, I must have gotten 3 guido remarks a day from locals or other not from NJ. Not mean spirited but annoying.
But I guess I probably have stereotypes about people from other areas i’ve never been based on TV shows, that are likely wrong too.
If Snooky is our hottest female fan… ouch.
well, who is the other choice? Lady GaGa?
Julia Stiles.
Lady Gaga is a Yankees fan, thank god.
Man, the actual Jersey shore is pretty much random people at the beach for the day, rich people at their beach houses, college kids renting out some beach houses, and teenagers working summer jobs. That show is a parody and is tolerable for an hour before you actually start to feel your brain liquify.
Hell yeah I watch Jersey Shore. The difference between Jersey and other states is that we own the stereotypes about us and enjoy them, everyone else tries to deny theirs.
Thanks for the reference! I find it amazing how many people automatically bash the show without watching. It may not be everyone’s thing, but it’s definitely entertaining — and plenty of “intellectuals” watch religiously.
You do make a great point about the selection process, though. It’s not so much “real people” but “extremes acting like their real selves.” Well said.