When SallyAnn Salsano developed the original “Jersey Shore” back in the late 2000s, she never could have predicted that the first time her entire cast would ever be under one roof together would be taking place 15 years later.
But, that’s exactly what’s happening Tuesday night as the iconic reality series that launched Snooki, JWoww, The Situation, DJ Pauly D and the rest of the Seaside Heights crew into pop culture superstardom celebrates its 15th anniversary.
“It’s insane. I got back last night at 2 a.m. from a shoot with them, and it’s still good. You know what I mean? Every time we leave, it just keeps rocking. It’s really kind of amazing. They are literally the gift that keeps on giving,” Salsano told TheWrap ahead of the MTV milestone. “It’s kind of crazy that way. Some of the kids that now work on the show had high school parties. They were in high school [watching], and now they’re the people helping run it. What an insane thing for them.”
The original “Jersey Shore” aired for six seasons from 2009-2012 and starred Pauly DelVecchio, Nicole Polizzi, Mike Sorrentino, Sammi Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Jenni Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, Angelina Pivarnick and Deena Cortese, to varying degrees. It was followed by (at least) three direct spin-offs, as well as “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” which is currently in its seventh season.
“We’ve never had everyone together. We’re shooting something at the house on the 15th anniversary and it will be the first time that all of them are under one roof: Ang left and that’s when Deena came in; Ron was in, but then Sammi wasn’t. This will be the first time, honestly, that Ron and Sam are in that house together,” Salsano explained. “I’m so excited for that, dude. You have no freaking idea. Me, as the producer, I’m like, ‘This is all so crazy.’ Just recently, they spoke for the first time — I started crying. What is wrong with me? I’m a stable person.”
“It was our version of Ross and Rachel in every weird way. But it was, because it involved all the roommates,” she continued. “I stand by this to the day I die. I am the biggest fan of John Hughes movies and to me, ‘Jersey Shore’ is the reality version of a Jersey John Hughes movie.”
“Jersey Shore” may be the show that Salsano is most recognized for, but it is far from her only entry in the annals of reality TV history. She and her 495 Productions company boast a résumé that also includes “The Real,” “Floribama Shore,” “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,” “Party Down South,” “Tool Academy,” “Snooki & JWoww” and “A Shot at Love,” to name a few. However, “Jersey Shore” wasn’t always a sure bet before it eventually premiered on Dec. 3, 2009.
“It was one of those shows that was a little bit of a hot potato. Everyone knew there was something to it, but everyone was sort of afraid of it. Because if you think of what reality TV was at the time, it was just pretty — everything glistened and everything was fantasy-land,” she recalled. “There was no one on TV that was cute but normal, or hot but like someone in your class — everyone looked like a magazine article and everyone’s house was perfect. I just was like, ‘God, there’s not been a show about real people, just real everyday people.’”
“These people represent my friend group in such a way and I think that’s why it resonated with everyone, I truly do … because that’s what America is. America doesn’t live on the beach in a $10 million house. It’s not real,” the executive producer added. “Like, I lived on a twin bed at my parents house. I was 25, I was female Vinny, 100%. How I grew up, it didn’t seem abnormal. And I think the more I moved out, started working in entertainment, I just realized that this show just represented, honestly, the majority of America.”
The show was originally purchased by VH1 before it got moved over to MTV, where it would become the tentpole for the network’s Jersday lineup.
“One of the reasons why it works so well is there was so much insider information that felt new. And we weren’t doing it because we were trying to tell a story, we were just trying to be authentic to who these people were,” Salsano shared. “With every show, you have a Show Bible of here’s what we’re going to do. I think maybe one sentence of that 100-page document made it into that show. We just went and followed the reality and just embraced what was happening.”
“We knew we had something different, but we were afraid because so many people that worked on that show were East Coast Italians and we were having such a good time. We’re like, ‘God, this is one big inside joke that we’re not sure the world’s going to get … are we too close to this? Is this going to be something?’” she noted. “And then, all of a sudden, it was coming back and people’s jaws were on the ground; they could not believe what they were seeing. That’s when I was like, ‘Huh, we might be on to something.’”
Believe it or not, the “Jersey Shore” concept has been replicated 15 times internationally, with “Italia Shore” and “Aussie Shore” joining Paramount+ this year alone, and “Mazatlán Shore” still to come. So what’s the key to keeping your working relationship with your talent the same after they become bonafide celebrities in their own rights?
“Behind the scenes, we try not to — I don’t want to say acknowledge it, but I think we all still treat each other the same. I always respected the hell out of them, but the thing now that I actually have to respect a lot is their family time and their other work obligations as well,” Salsano said. “To keep a show going for that long — listen, I’m not Mother Teresa by any stretch of imagination, but I do think there has to be a level of trust. As a producer, if you want to have a longterm show and a longterm relationship, my job is to put the goods out there and get it — but then there’s also times where you have to realize saying and doing certain things in a show can have longterm effects on a cast trust and going forward. So is three episodes or a season of just chaos worth it?”
“But as far as all of us treating each other the same, we still text each other, and laugh, and joke around. When it’s just us and the cameras are down and we’re sitting around, you fall back into your place,” she added. “I always liken it to when you go home for the holidays, for some reason, you’re the one washing the dishes; you’re getting yelled at for whatever chores you didn’t do. When we all get together, there was a role that we all played in those very early seasons and everybody immediately is back into that same space.”
And after 15 years’ worth of television relevancy, Salsano also revealed which of her stars’ famous one-liners she hears used in the real world most often — “Yeah, buddy”; “Where’s the beach?”; “The comeback is always greater than the setback”; “Cabs are here.”
“I take it as such a love letter,” she concluded. Plus, stay tuned… you might just see the family vacation head south to Jamaica some day soon.
“Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” Season 7, Part 2 airs Thursdays on MTV before streaming on Paramount+.
