Ten years ago this summer, MTV was faced with its first summer without the show that guided them through their first period of 21st century renewal in
Total Request Live, which signed off one last time from its Times Square studio in late 2008. But there was a week in early December of 2009 that would shape the channel's next decade, one whose roots were planted that summer by Amber Portwood, Catelynn Lowell and Maci Bookout when they appeared on
16 & Pregnant, and whose progress through the early stages of parenthood were documented on spinoff series
Teen Mom.
A few days before they and original girl Farrah Abraham extended those 15 minutes of fame with a show that has now lasted ten years, another group would help set the path that would help to reinvent MTV during an age where YouTube, Netflix and social media would compete with the attention of the short attention spanned millennial audience. Jersey Shore debuted on December 3, 2009 and from the start the show made a big impact... first for negative reasons before the show even debuted in placing the state of New Jersey and the Italian American population in a bad light. It was further amplified when a then-uncensored clip of a man punching a female castmate at the bar gave it unwelcome publicity during those first weeks in the midst of the holidays.
But eventually, things would come around thanks to any kind of publicity... and fans and viewers alike would ultimately embrace Snooki, Mike The Situation, J-Woww and the rest of the group during the show's original six-season run, numerous spinoffs and the whole group getting together for the Family Vacation revival last year. Everything from famous one-liners and catch phrases to the romance of Ronnie & Sammi and the group's unique dynamic would become cultural hallmarks, as did the time share house and Danny's Shore Store on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk that became the epicenter of attention of the public every summer by the Atlantic. Their success inspired many Shore spinoff series in Britain, Europe, Latin America and here at home with Floribama Shore.
While #SamRon, Snooki & J-Woww, and the Sitch's abs were the focus of those first two seasons, someone who flew under the radar early on was
Vinny Guadagnino, who takes pride in being a proud mama's boy being raised on Staten Island from a traditional Italian-American family. His mom, Paola, was born in the town of Sicily on their family farm, and immigrated to America at age 13. When he gave birth to her, he almost died upon delivery and had to spend a few weeks in hospital before it became safe for him to come home to eventually becoming a middle child with two sisters.
Vinny has always been that one who the girls always love to bring home to mom, but having a near 4.0 GPA college, who loves to write stories and has a political science major & an internship for a NY State assemblyman under his belt, he also has the smarts that would also be welcome to parents. And had the show not been a success, you would've likely seen him in the hallways of law school... his LSAT test took place hours before his national TV debut.
As we've seen both in those first two seasons and then in this reboot, Vinny sure has a long history with Angelina... and there was that time long ago when he was spotted in bed with Snooki. We all know that he is the master of the fist-pump, and he also got to invite celebs to his house for his own talk show in the company of his family. And of course, there's the famous bromance with DJ Pauly D. that's brought them to so many places together the past decade, including their latest chapter on A Double Shot at Love with Pauly and Vinny, undoubtedly the most hilarious and lighthearted of all the romantic reality shows that have been on TV this year.
Both those who know & have followed Vinny all this time know about his family's famous Sunday dinners, for which it became a weekly tradition for his adopted second family. Last year, who can forget Paola & uncle Nino flying all the way down to Miami with their food for a big dinner with the group towards the end of that first Vacation, followed by another one on Thanksgiving. Both mama Guadagnino and her son even had their own cooking show on The Cooking Channel.
But also in the nutrition department, Vinny has become the most prominent celebrity to endorse the keto diet: a plan that embraces low-carb, moderate protein and high fat. His own keto diet Instagram @KetoGuido has over 700,000 followers, and has seen him shave off 50 lbs., earning Kourtney Kardashian and Halle Barry's approval. And it was just this summer that he dropped his own keto cookbook in bookstores to bring his newest passion into the home kitchens of families everywhere.
