MTV has done reality TV before. We've all heard of the term "guido." Most of us have seen the YouTube viral video "My New Haircut" and laughed out loud (or "lol'd"). So the real question is this: what took MTV so long to put two and two together?
Regardless of how long this thing was in development, Jersey Shore is a runaway smash hit. The show's premise is simple. Four guidos and four guidettes are put in a house in Seaside Heights, N.J. in the summer for one month with camera crews following their every move. Since then, there have been a slew of fights, drama and hook-ups, that have kept Generation Y mesmerized.
Before I go any further though, perhaps we should examine what qualifies a person to be a "guido." A guido is a young male of Italian descent who works out excessively, tans excessively, uses a lot of product in his hair excessively and loves to go to nightclubs and pump their fist in the air to house music.
A guidette is not necessarily the same as a guido. A guidette does everything to make herself look good. She must have a bodacious bod, lots of make-up and very revealing clothing. She, too, loves to go to clubs and dance to house music. Fist-pumping is not required for guidettes, but certainly mandatory for guidos.
Jersey Shore has definitely been the talk of most college kids' holiday season. The show has soared in popularity since its debut in early December. Last week's episode drew a 3.5 Neilson rating and attracted 3.6 million viewers. It has been the most popular show on MTV since TRL about a decade ago.
What attracts people to watching these people, these outcasts of society? Well, the first is humor. Watching someone like Pauly D, a cast member with a blow-out haircut to which he admits to spending nearly 30 minutes on every day, makes some people crack a smile. Watching these characters take themselves seriously is even more hilarious.
The second main reason people watch the show is because of one man: Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. Those unfamiliar with the show are probably asking, "Why in the world does this dude call himself 'The Situation?'" His answer is that when he lifts up his shirt to reveal his chiseled abs, it is a "situation." The man is douche-bag personified, which fortunately for MTV translates into TV gold.
Jersey Shore is not without it's detractors. Companies such as Domino's and Dell have pulled their ads because of the show's content and its use of the word guido, citing that the term "guido" is a racial slur against Italians. While the term can be offensive, it's clear that in modern terms, a guido looks a certain way and follows a certain lifestyle. There are plenty of Italian Americans who are not guidos or guidettes.
The season finale of Jersey Shore airs tonight at 10 on MTV. There have already been reports that the network has signed up for another season with the same cast. The vicious cycle of reality TV continues.
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