Understanding Jersey Shore

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Urban Dictionary defines a Guido as: “A sad pathetic excuse for a male; not necessarily of Italian descent, but most likely; usually native to the New York/New Jersey Tri-State area. Whose wardrobe consists of something out of a bad 1980’s Mafia movie.” (Urban) The definition goes on in detail to describe the lifestyle of a Guido and many other highly opinionated and offensive remarks. While it may not be the most accurate of websites to get information from, it is one that in today’s day and age offers instant results on unusual “pop culture” references. Such is the case when trying to find information on the hit television show “The Jersey Shore”. The phenomenon that is Jersey Shore is awe inspiring. The popularity and the impact that it has had on our society can be viewed in many ways. It has become such a part of our culture, that even the president of the United States is hip to it. So that begs the question, what is “Jersey Shore” and does it reflect more than just a blip on the pop culture radar? If so, should we be worried?

To understand the complex and curious nature of “Jersey Shore” we must first understand exactly what this television show is and how it began. The original concept for the show according to VH1 producer Anthony Beltempo was: “ A show focusing on the "guido” lifestyle for TV, in the form of a competition series.” (Schneider) After a few months of tinkering and testing, the show debuted on December 3, 2009 and was featured on the MTV network instead of VH1 to appeal to a younger more chaotic age demographic. Instead of being a competition series, the show featured eight strangers becoming housemates while living in a paid for summer share in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The first season of the ...

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...icles From The New York Daily News. NY Daily News, 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2011.

"Jersey Shore (TV Series)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

Hedegaard, Erik. "Snooki!" Rolling Stone 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

Schneider, Michael. "Jersey Shore: In Their Own Words" TV Guide 14 Mar. 2011: 10-11. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

Seidman, Robert. "MTV Is the #1 Cable Network for 12-34 Year Olds - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers." TVbytheNumbers.com. TV by the Numbers, 1 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.

"Italian-Americans Slam 'Jersey Shore' - UPI.com." UPI.com. United Press International, 4 Dec. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

Stelter, Brian. "Reality Show Payrolls Rise With Stardom - NYTimes.com." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 26 July 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

“Tallafornia” – the Irish Jersey Shore!" Spin1038.com. Spin 103.8. Web. 17 Oct. 2011.
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