Jersey Shore Summary

Summary: Jersey Shore stars seven twenty-somethings living, partying and working together at the Jersey Shore. Much of the show revolves around alcohol and all the debauchery that comes with it. In this episode, the roommates go to a club and invite one of their sisters. Later, a physical altercation takes place between the roommates and girls who were invited back to the house.

Format note: One aspect of the show that I found interesting is the communal telephone. This is also seen on the Real World. So, not only are you able to hear private conversations between people appearing on the show, you also get to eavesdrop in a sense on their private phone calls. You hear the castmates say things that they likely would not say to the other people living in the house, and it adds another layer.
Wyatt refers to the genre as “humiliation tv” and says it has the ability to “bring out the worst in anyone” (159). Jersey Shore definitely brought out the worst in the castmates. Nicholas Mill said, “reality television created a culture of humiliation where no one-participants nor producers nor audience members- comes away with his or her dignity intact” (160). Yet, although the cast members may have been humiliated by appearing on the show, they agreed to be on it. They are all consenting adults who willingly took part in this show and were aware they were being filmed/ I think the castmates agreed to be “exploited” because it was a mutually beneficial interaction. MTV got the footage they needed to get viewers and castmates“wanted to be recognized and be in the spotlight” and were looking for their “fifteen minutes of fame”, which they certainly got