It would still be a bad show.
Even if we somehow discovered that My Immortal is actually a lost work by John Keats, that would not change the fact that it is awful fanfiction; and analogously, even if the actors of JS were nice and talented people in Real Life, that would not change the fact that that show is worthless.
This said, perhaps it's just because I have never had to deal with Jersey Shore fans, but I do not really get why it is so hated. Yes, it is a "reality show". Yes, watching it is a waste of time and neurons, and I will admit that I am mildly annoyed by the image they project of "Italianity", but I just cannot manage to care about it that much.
This said, I laughed when I learned that Jersey Shore asked the city of Florence to let them film some episodes in the Uffizi Galleries, and the City said that they can forget about it
.
edited 6th Mar '12 4:20:50 AM by Carciofus
But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.Well, apparently the Situation lives around where I live, and I never hear anything negative about him from people who have encountered him. Doesn't make me want to watch the show any more than I did before, but eh. Reality shows are always deceptively edited anyway. They're probably much more boring than the producers would like us to think.
Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.Not so bad as you'd think, Car. They paint a bad picture of people from Jersey more than people with Italian blood. The Italian stereotype is largely dead on the East Coast, as is the Irish one. You hear Scarlatti or O'Hara, you think white dude you can make some jokes about, not somebody from Jersey Shore or a leprechaun.
Charlie Tunoku is a lover and a fighter.Interesting. I assumed that they played a lot on the "italoamerican" part, what with the polemics on whether some of them "really" have an Italian ancestry (who cares, really?) and the fact that they want to film (or filmed already? I am not sure) the fourth season in Italy (as I mentioned, the major of Florence got pretty annoyed about that). But if you say that it is not the case, fair enough.
Still, that was just a minor personal concern. Even disregarding that, the characters that they present are wastes of perfectly good carbon chains and silicon atoms. I hope that nobody who watches the show is taking them as role models, but I am pretty sure that I'm going to be disappointed about this...
edited 6th Mar '12 9:30:09 AM by Carciofus
But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.Oh, so very dissapointed.
And they're trying to play up the Italian American thing for the "guidos." That is a real thing, people braying loudly about their Italian ancestry and trying to be the greasers but more pretentious.
For most of us, (myself included) Italian ancestry just means your mother or father has strong opinions on pasta.
Oh, and you go to the Columbus Day parade.
Charlie Tunoku is a lover and a fighter.As an Italian American New Jersean originally from Staten Island (from which most of them actually hail), I could still care less about them.
Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.Yeah, it's not something worth losing sleep about. I find it slightly annoying, but on a "oh, come on" level, nothing more.
By the way, I am perplexed at how "guido" became the description you mention. Back in Italy, it's just a name — a pretty common one, actually, if a little old-fashioned.
But still, that stereotype is at least better than the "mafioso" one. Baby steps, I suppose
.
The only reality show I recall enjoying in recent years is Undercover Boss. People seemed to genuinely learn from their experiences and made things better as a result, without it being just touchy fell love fest.
Charlie Tunoku is a lover and a fighter.Nah, nah.
You either want Made In Chelsea, The Only Way Is Essex, or Geordie Shore (like Jersey Shore, but set in the unglamourous city of Newcastle).
Yeah, Made in Chelsea is like Beverly Hills, but Jersey Shore-like in nature. It's basically The Only Way Is Essex, but set in an upper-class area of London.
And The Only Wax Is Essex is like the Jersey Shore, but set in a small English county famed for its not-very-bright locals.
Please, Seaside Heights (where they film Jersey Shore) is the absolute scuzziest place on the Jersey shore. Everywhere on the boardwalk is filthy, it's right near the ghetto, and the rides kinda suck.
Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.No, I mean even before then.
Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.

And I was thinking, its easy to dismiss jersey shore as a shining example of Horrendously stupid television, but what if they are actually quite skilled actors who, behind the scenes, behave like the nice and charming people we wish we had as friends? What if they are just pretending to be like that because they are playing a character?
What if The Situation is actually an avid reader and devoted Neil Gaiman fan?
What if Snooki writes poetry under a pen name?
What if they all played Dungeons and Dragons during their time off camera?
I am still not sure if this would be good or terrifying.