To Know the Jersey Shore Kids Is to Hate the Show
Now that Snooki, The Situation, and crew have leaped off the screen and into our real lives with public and club appearances, are reports of their wanton ways going to screw up MTV's newest hit? Maybe.
Just about daily we're hearing about cast members behaving badly in clubs, being obnoxious on planes, and cancelling scheduled appearances. It's one thing to watch them fist pump, get drunk, and brawl on the television, but what happens when that translates into real life?
Like any emerging pseudo-celebrities, they are now in the "discovery" phase with these seven youngsters. We're still learning about all these boys and girls, and we're excited about every little bit of information we can glean about them. This is usually the best phase for the tabloids. Every little move they make is news and people are starting to notice the guidos out in public, but they haven't been media trained well enough to really change their behavior. That, combined with the ego inflation of sudden flame, is a deadly cocktail that will lead these already trouble-prone creatures into the realm of shockingly bad behavior, all of which will be shoved down our drooling gobs.
Their misadventures are going to get tired very quickly. It's one thing to watch a skirmish at Bamboo on MTV, but it's another thing altogether to have to sit next to the screaming crew on a cross-country, early morning flight. That does not sound like fun at all. After all, most people still think they're better than the Jersey Shore kids, so to be publicly maligned by them is a special type of slight. Usually when these things get reported, everyone is shocked and outraged and the backlash against their newly minted reality creations starts fast and furious.
But are the Jersey Shore kids immune to this kind of backlash? After all, they've only ever tried to sell themselves as cheap, drunken whores who like to party and brawl. Reading about them behaving in real life the same as they did in the most important sociological experiment of our time is only going to make their reputation stronger. After all, if it wasn't for the drunken punches and messy hookups, ShamWOWW would just be another trashy girl with fake titties and bad extensions.
The thing they should really be worried about is overexposure. With the season finale tomorrow (complete with a reunion special and prequel with footage from audition tapes) if Jersey Shore wants to stay as strong in season two, it's time for everyone to stay quiet for a little while. After we've all had a chance to touch Snooki's poof at a local nightclub and have The Situation try to get our phone number in the VIP lounge, the mystique will be gone and we'll be ready to trap some new animals in our reality television zoo.
As for getting attitude from DJ Paulie Diss in public (and you can in New York this weekend) that makes a much better story than getting the clap from him. After all, what more would you expect?