‘Jersey Shore’ Cast Can’t Believe They’ve Been On TV For 15 Years

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Ronnie Ortiz are veteran reality stars who first captured the world’s attention as original cast members on MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”

The show (which premiered in 2009) went off the air in 2012 before returning to the network in 2018 for the spin-off, “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.”

Now, as Sorrentino and Ortiz prepare to close out the eighth season of the revival series, the two are reflecting on what it means to still be here 15 years later.

Speaking with Us Weekly, Sorrentino admitted it’s still challenging for him to believe he’s been on television for so many years.

“It’s definitely hard to wrap your head around 15 years. But I think short and sweet, we’ve turned 15 minutes of fame into 15 years, and the story continues,” said Sorrentino. “We started out as a cast, and then we turned into friends, and now, we are truly family.”

“Jersey Shore’s” original run lasted six seasons and featured 71 episodes. Other spin-offs have come from the series, such as “Snooki & JWoww,” “The Pauly D Project,” “The Show with Vinny,” and “All Star Shore.”

However, none have had the staying power of “Family Vacation,” which features the entire original cast, including Deena Cortese and Angelina Pivarnick.

During their conversation with Us Weekly, Ortiz spoke about the genuine connections the cast has formed over the last several years.

“I feel like if we didn’t really do the show, we probably would have never even met,” Ortiz said. “I feel like all of our personalities are so strong that I think maybe we would have clashed in real life. But I think that us doing such a unique experience together and going through so many different things together … the stuff that we went through is what you really go through in life with your real family. That’s why we consider ourselves family.”

In the upcoming season finale of “Family Vacation,” viewers will watch as the gang travels back to the iconic Seaside Heights house where they first filmed in 2009.

They also reflect on some of the show’s most iconic moments, including the kitchen fights and explosive blowups between Ortiz and his ex-girlfriend, Giancola.

Despite the chaos, though, Ortiz and Sorrentino wouldn’t change it for the world.

“We all know that reality shows normally don’t last. They’re one season or two seasons. That’s really the truth,” Sorrentino said. “Fifteen years speaks for itself. The staying power of Jersey Shore and this cast is just truly lightning in a bottle. JWoww is my neighbor. She’s my kid’s godmother. Pauly and Vinny and Ronnie were the best men at my wedding. Our children are friends. That right there is priceless.”

And although Ortiz and Sorrentino are in good spirits now, the show also highlighted many of their low periods, including Sorrentino’s legal troubles, which began after he and his brother were indicted for tax offenses in September 2014.

A previous report from The Blast details the matter, noting Sorrentino was accused of failing to pay taxes on the millions of dollars in income he generated from 2010 to 2012.

The reality star pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion in January 2018 and was later sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of supervised release.