Back in 2009, eight men and women who were total strangers moved into a house at the Jersey shore. From there, throughout six seasons, with departures, a new castmate, fights, relationships, and partying (oh my!), these same people fist pumped their ways into the pop culture lore. There were separate offshoots of the main show, but didn’t really capture the lightning in a bottle formula that the main show did.
There was a brief reunion on the E! Network in 2017 called Reunion Road Trip: Return to the Jersey Shore. With MTV’s new show, Floribama Shore, there started to be support to get the original cast members back for another round of craziness. Low and behold, Jersey Shore Family Vacation was born. However, going back to Miami this time around.
So what has changed since the last time we’ve seen everybody together? Well, a lot. Marriage, children, steady girlfriends, loss of family members, and a huge court case has molded everyone into their own lives. Nicole and Jenni are both married with two kids each. Vinny has a girlfriend and committed himself to a really good fitness regiment. Pauly is living on his own DJ’ing around the world. Deena is now married, but unfortunately lost her father. Ronnie is a soon to be father. Mike has a girlfriend and turned away from his life of excess.
Much of the two episodes was like checking in on old friends for the audience as much as each of the seven getting reacquainted with each other. The girls briefly visit the Jersey Shore T-Shirt shop and Nicole brings the famous “duck phone” down for the trip. Everybody starts to get caught up much like a class reunion. “Whoa, look at you! What have you been up to? You did what?”
There’s a couple new wrinkles to the beginning of this season. You almost forget how long five years actually is and how putting people back into a controlled situation is completely different when they have different priorities. When Jersey Shore first started, these were young mid to late 20 year olds that didn’t have responsibilities of their own families yet. A poignant moment happens when Nicole starts crying because a song plays that reminds her of one of her children. That also gets to Jenni as well. While this show is about friends coming together again, there’s a difference of just having a boyfriend/girlfriend back home. Nicole and Jenni expresses that they haven’t been away from their families this long. You wonder where the line between reliving their fun days in a different way and wanting to be home will eventually meet.
As time passed, there are old wounds that still need to be resolved. Deena and Ronnie had an issue where Ronnie didn’t reach out to Deena when her father passed. There was a mix of Ronnie’s own issues and Deena’s close relationship with Sammi that factors in. Thankfully, there were able to talk it out. Now, Sammi will not be on the show. If you are familiar with the previously seasons and the rather volatile ex-relationship between Sammi and Ronnie, you can understand where she’s coming from.
Sammi’s absence and that effect on Ronnie is telling right from the first episode. In a conversation that he has with Deena, he feels like Sammi is abandoning the group for not returning to the reunion. Unresolved feeling abound, you can see that there’s apprehension there because he’s becoming a father soon and that he may still have some feelings for Sammi.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s reformation from his previous troubles is one of the main focuses of these two episodes. Unfortunately, he’s currently awaiting sentencing on one count of tax evasion. In the six earlier seasons, Mike was the trouble. Now, he’s done a couple 180 degree turn to get his life together. The roommates really respond to this as well, with the initial exception of Ronnie. It will be interesting to see the dynamic of Mike and Ronnie rooming together and if they will be able to get past their previously animosity.
There’s also the subject of Mike’s sobriety. Miami is not the greatest place to be if you want to get away from the party lifestyle. Given how the other roommates have rallied around him like a second family, they will probably try to balance the party lifestyle to bring him into some sort of comfortable feeling.
It wouldn’t be a Jersey Shore season without the pranks and jokes. Pauly brings a “Sammi doll” into the house complete with voice activation. Nicole and Deena try to drown it in the pool. Ronnie is still clogging toilets. The gang go out to the club the first night and dance the night away, but Vinny has to play wingman in a different way than past seasons. Nicole can still drink with the best of them. Somethings never change.
TV in general is on a tear of nostalgia lately. Mostly dealing with ’80s and ’90s sitcoms. Although there has only been a shorter amount of time that’s passed with Jersey Shore, in reality television terms, this incarnation is where the initial viewers have grown older with the cast. New sets of conflicts, but same old hearts and spirit.
