Dig It

Just when it seemed as though the nearly endless well of reality TV shows might finally be drying up, MTV busts out “Jersey Shore.” The surprise hit show, based on a similar premise as “The Real World,” introduces a cast ensemble of four “Guidos” and four “Guidettes” living the life in a beach house in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Yet these eight characters, massive egos in tow, are not pushed towards a goal at the end of the boardwalk — there is no plot, no real purpose. MTV merely surrounds them with cameras and lets the fun begin. Sound like quality entertainment? It absolutely is.

It’s a reality TV show that you will either love or hate. I found myself addicted after only one episode and couldn’t pinpoint why, asking myself, “Are these people serious?” Between the stupidity that the cast frequently exhibits, ridiculous nicknames like “The Situation,” and the slutty girls with fake boobs and hair extensions, you too will eventually become drawn into the drama, wanting to know what will happen next. The viewer finds himself enthralled in the life styles of these stereotypical guidos, from the mounds of hair gel to the fake tans and blowouts. We follow the cast through nine episodes of drinking, hooking up, girl creepin’, fist pumping, and some pretty exciting knockouts, which for some odd reason leaves the viewer begging for more.

Can you beat watching Snookie getting punched in the head by a Queens school teacher? Nope. Ronnie laying an instigator out cold on the boardwalk or Sammie almost losing her relationship because of Ronnie making fun of her “Fred-Flintstone Toe?” Not likely. Such scenarios are commonplace, more examples include the obnoxious “Situation” becoming the most hated on person in the house, Pauly D’s Israelite “Stage-5 Clinger,” Vinny hooking up with his boss’ gal, and Jwoww back-fisting “The Situation.” It’s TV crack in its purest form, drawing you in because of — not in spite of — the massive character flaws which plague each character.

If you missed a few episodes or haven’t yet started, MTV luckily has all nine available online. So the next time you’re sitting at home with a need for some serious entertainment, kick back with the Jersey Shore crew. As Vinny said it, “Guys with the blow-outs and the fake tans, and guys that wear lip-gloss and makeup, those aren’t guidos, those are retards.”