- When “Jersey Shore” was in its prime, it was the most-watched show on MTV.
- The cast was known for their iconic tans, outfits, and hairstyles. And some of them haven’t changed much.
- The revival officially returned for its third season on August 22, 2019, beginning with The Situation heading to prison.
- He was released on September 12.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
“Jersey Shore” was a phenomenon. People loved it, people hated it, people loved to hate it.
These nine guidos and guidettes were among the most recognizable people on the planet. And people have been so passionate about a reunion that MTV finally listened. The third season of “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” premiered on August 22, 2019.
From the days of GTL, grenades, and smush rooms to parenthood and marriage, the cast of “Jersey Shore” has grown up along with us. Let’s see how their lives have changed since the show premiered back in 2009.
Nicole Polizzi, better known as Snooki, became one of the breakout stars of the show.
When “Jersey Shore” first began, the housemates did not particularly like Snooki, who was then 21 years old. Of course, everything changed with the Punch Heard ‘Round The World, when an (ex)-gym teacher punched her in the face. The outrage was national and turned the man into a villain.
After this incident, the housemates and America both decided to love Snooki for who she is. Everything she said was instantly quotable; "Where's the beach," "It was like trying to fit a watermelon into a pinhole," and "Meatball problems."
She goes by Nicole now, and she just had her third child.
Now, Nicole is 31 and has three children with her husband Jionni LaValle. Her most recent child, Angelo, was born in May 2019, and she revealed the first photo on Instagram.
She's still close with her castmates, especially Jenni. In fact, the two of them had their own show "Snooki & Jwoww" which lasted for four seasons.
She also has her own podcast ("It's Happening with Snooki and Joey"), clothing line (The Snooki Shop), Etsy store (Nicole's Craft Room), and has written five books.
Most recently, Nicole's been hosting "How Far is Tattoo Far?" alongside "Younger" star and tattoo aficionado Nico Tortorella for two seasons. During each episode, a pair of friends or family secretly designs tattoos for each other, without letting the other person see until it's inked on their body.
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino also was launched to fame after the show premiered.
Mike's antics got him into a lot of, for lack of a better word, situations. During his time on the show, he got in fights with every single other member of the cast. He even put himself in a neck brace by ramming his own head into a wall.
However, his personality and tendency to expose his abs all the time made him one of the most recognizable faces from the show. By season 6, The Situation, who was 27 years old at the time of the premiere, was taking home $150,000 per episode.
Mike has been going through a rough patch since the show ended.
In 2014, Mike was indicted by the Department of Justice on a number of tax-related charges and in 2017, he was indicted again on charges of tax evasion, among others. On October 5, 2018, he was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of supervised release. He must also perform 500 hours of community service and pay a $10,000 fine.
Mike officially entered prison in January 2019 and communicates with his "Jersey Shore" castmates frequently, according to Pauly and Vinny. In prison, he was joined by Fyre Fest founder Billy McFarland and President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Mike, now 37, also announced on Snooki's podcast in May 2019 that he's been sober for 18 months and spoke about his addiction to painkillers, stating that he was high for most of his time on "Jersey Shore" and that it affected his relationships with the rest of the cast.
He got engaged to his college girlfriend Lauren Pesce on an episode of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," and the two got married on November 1, 2018.
He was released from prison on September 12, 2019. He celebrated with a tweet.
Jenni "Jwoww" Farley had a reputation for being a man-eater.
Jenni's time on "Jersey Shore" was marked by two defining moments: one, when Pauly D showed her his penis piercing in the first episode and two, for her physical altercation with Sammi.
The fight with Sammi stemmed from possibly the most famous moment in "Jersey Shore" history when Snooki and Jenni (who was 23 years old when the show began) decided to write Sammi an anonymous letter about Ronnie cheating on her at a club.
While not as famous as some of the other cast members, Jenni's genuine love and friendship for Snooki forged a relationship that can still be considered #bffgoals.
She's calmed down quite a bit since her days on the shore.
In 2015, Jenni, 33, married her longtime boyfriend Roger, who made frequent appearances on the show. They have two children together: Meilani and Greyson. Jenni revealed in November 2018 that her son, Greyson, had been diagnosed with autism. Like Snooki, Jenni is also a published author and had her own clothing line which ceased production in 2010.
She shocked fans in September 2018 when she filed for divorce from Roger, citing irreconcilable differences - Roger took to Instagram to say that she had a restraining order against him. The divorce was finalized in August 2019.
Jenni has a new boyfriend, a longtime friend named Zach Clayton Carpinello. They started dating in April 2019. She started the skincare line Naturally Woww in September 2018, and has her own self-tanner line.
Pauly Delvecchio, better known as DJ Pauly D, usually stayed out of the drama.
Pauly is shockingly the oldest member of the cast. He was 28 years old when the show began, which makes his bromance with Vinny, the youngest guy, even more endearing.
Throughout his time on the show, Pauly was responsible for some of the most popular catchphrases that emerged from the show. You can thank him for T-shirt time (and the catchy song), "CABS ARE HERE," and "she's too young for you bro."
Probably the most beloved member by the cast, whenever Pauly was upset, that was when things were about to go down. For instance, when Angelina slapped Pauly in the face (creating one of the best reaction pictures of all time), it was her final nail in the coffin.
He's still a DJ, but he seems finally ready to settle down.
After the show, Pauly, now 39, continued to be a successful DJ. He opened for Britney Spears on her Femme Fatale world tour. And he was the first cast member to receive his own spin-off: "The Pauly D Project," which concluded after one season.
He then went on to appear in "Famously Single," and dated his co-star Aubrey O'Day (a member of the now-disbanded group Danity Kane). They split up after dating for a year and a half.
Pauly has a daughter of his own named Amabella. She was born in 2013.
The DJ extraordinaire also appeared on an episode of "Game of Clones," in which seven Megan Fox look-alikes competed to date him. He then appeared on"Double Shot at Love with DJ Pauly D and Vinny," alongside his "Shore" bestie, however he left the show single.
Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola was half of the show's most tumultuous relationship.
Sammi's quote in the intro to the show was: "I'm the sweetest bitch you'll ever meet." Most of her screen time on the first season was devoted to her toxic relationship with Ronnie. If nothing else, she will always be tied to "Raaahn staaap," her most uttered phrase.
Sammi, who was 22 years old when the show started, also fought Jenni on the show, an incident that was directly tied to Ronnie. She became a cautionary tale: "Never fall in love at the Jersey Shore."
A newly engaged Sammi is the only member of the cast who did not return for "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."
Sammi, now 32, has a new fiancé now that she calls "her soulmate." Her relationship with Ronnie finally ended in 2014, after years of being off-and-on. It makes sense for her not to return; every time she was on the show, she'd promise to ignore Ronnie, and every single time she'd go back to him.
Besides the show, she created her own fragrance line and clothing line. And she hosted the podcast "Just Sayin'," until November 2017.
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was the other half of the show's long-running love affair.
Outside of his relationship with Sammi, Ronnie, who was 23 years old when the show premiered, was excluded from MVP (Mikey, Pauly, Vinny), and the female cast-members, again and again, chose to side with Sammi during their arguments.
Ronnie hasn't exactly gotten his life together since the first show ended.
Following in Pauly D's footsteps, Ronnie, currently 33, appeared on the second season of "Famously Single," where he was involved in a tumultuous relationship with Malika Haqq (known for being Khloe Kardashian's best friend). They broke up after two months of dating.
Ronnie announced in December 2017 that he was expecting his first child (a daughter) with then-girlfriend Jen Harley. Their daughter was born on April 3, 2018.
During the first season of "Family Vacation," Ronnie experienced an emotional roller coaster, vacillating between staying faithful to Jen, cheating on her, or still being hung up on Sammi. Ronnie and Jen broke up while "Family Vacation" was airing, and things got messy. The two blasted each other on social media and were even seen getting into what appeared to be an altercation during an Instagram Live.
Ronnie entered rehab at the beginning of 2019 to address his problems with alcohol and depression. The couple has experienced a roller coaster of ups and downs - most recently, Jen took to Instagram to accuse her on-again boyfriend of cheating.
Deena Cortese was a late addition to the show who made a big impression.
Deena, 24 at the time, first appeared on the third season of the show, after infamous Angelina stormed out of the Miami house in season two. She was friends with Snooki before the show began, and actually auditioned for the first season but wasn't cast.
Deena was a solid member of the cast. Her most interesting moment was when she brought a girl home and questioned her sexuality briefly. She was always down to have a good time, brought out an amusing side of Snooki, and didn't get involved in drama. She had a difficult task, jumping into an established "family" two seasons in, but she fit right in with the rest of the guidos and guidettes.
Now she's happily married and welcomed her first child.
Deena, who turned 32 in January, got married in October 2017, and most of the cast reunited to celebrate her big day. She stayed out of show business for the most part - she's working as a dog trainer now. Before that, she appeared on "Couples Therapy" and a few episodes of "Snooki & Jwoww."
She was also at Sammi's 30th birthday party where she reunited with Jenni, Vinny, Snooki, and Jenni's husband Roger.
Deena announced she was expecting her first child, who they've named Christopher John, with her husband in July 2018. She revealed the news to the cast in the new season of "Family Vacation." Her son was born in January 2019.
Vinny Guadagnino was the youngest member of the cast, only 21 when filming began.
In the first episode ever, the only thing Vinny, 21 at the time of the premiere, did was get pink eye from sticking his face into a woman's butt.
But slowly, Vinny emerged as seemingly the most stable member of the house. He tried to do the right thing (usually) and had a genuinely lovely bromance with Pauly. When he left the house in the show's fifth season, it put a spotlight on living with anxiety and feeling comfortable with asking for help - something rarely seen on reality television.
Vinny's now branching out into other forms of entertainment including co-starring in a dating show with Pauly D.
Vinny's been quite the busy bee since the show ended. He wrote a book called "Control the Crazy" about avoiding drama and alleviating stress, and has become a vocal advocate for mental health awareness, all before he turned 31 in 2018.
He had a small role on the "90210" reboot and "The Hard Times of RJ Berger" after he took acting lessons. He also hosted a show on The Cooking Channel called "Vinny and Ma Eat America" where he traveled around the country with his mom trying new foods. Most recently, he appeared at Chippendales.
After the success of the "Jersey Shore" reboot, Vinny and his best bud Pauly D starred in "Double Shot at Love with DJ Pauly D and Vinny," in which women compete to date them. He picked a winner, but the two broke up shortly after filming.
Vinny also runs a successful food Instagram account called @ketoguido, in which he shares his tips and tricks about the keto diet, how it's helped him, and the food that he can eat. He's even releasing "The Keto Guido Cookbook" in September 2019.
Last, there's Angelina Pivarnick.
Angelina, 22 at the start of the show, started off the show on the wrong foot when she appeared and said that people call her either "Jolie," because of Angelina Jolie, or "the Kim Kardashian of Staten Island." She ended up leaving in the middle of the first season because she was fired from the Shore Store.
Then, she returned for the second season without telling any of the cast that she was coming back, started more drama, and eventually left again.
Angelina has finally been accepted by the "Shore" family.
After the first show ended, Angelina, 33, largely stayed out of the spotlight. She released a song called "I'm Hot." She also made her wrestling debut on "TNA iMPACT Wrestling" in 2011. Angelina also started a Kickstarter to fund a new series for her to star in called "The Comeback." The project made its $8,000 goal but never happened.
She's also an EMT for the city of New York and is currently engaged to Chris Larangeira. The couple appeared on an episode of Snooki-hosted "How Far is Tattoo Far?"
Angelina returned for the first season of "Family Vacation" but only stayed for a couple of days, though she mostly resolved her issues with the roommates. She made a better impression on season two, for which she was upped to a regular, though not everyone is happy about it.