Even the Jersey Shore crew isn’t exempt from some family drama.
As the cast of MTV’s reality show continues documenting their lives, some viewers are wondering if original cast member Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola will ever come back for a visit. According to Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, her former co-star really isn’t interested.
“We tried to get her back like two years ago, all of us texting her saying, ‘Come for one dinner. Why not?'” Nicole exclusively shared with E! News. “And she’s just always like, ‘No, I’ll never do that show again.’ We didn’t want to push it.”
But more recently, Nicole decided to reach out again and was surprised at what she found.
“I went to go message her a while ago and she blocked me,” Nicole said. “I don’t know what I did. It’s unfortunate because we would love for her to come back. She’s a part of the show. I feel like it’s not full unless all of us are there. It’s sad.”
E! News has reached out to Sammi’s rep for comment and hasn’t heard back.
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Jersey Shore first premiered in December 2009 and followed eight housemates at a vacation home in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. While Sammi was an original cast member, she chose not to return for the show’s reboot in 2018.
When asked if Sammi’s past relationship drama with former co-star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro could be a reason for her hesitation to participate, Nicole was unsure.
“It’s been 10 years,” she said. “At some point, you’re both moved on. Just come have fun. Come back to the show that was our life. I mean, we’re still doing it.”
Previously, Sammi expressed her desire to avoid drama that sometimes comes with reality TV. “I am currently extremely happy in every aspect of my life and want to avoid potentially toxic situations,” she wrote on Instagram back in March 2018. “It was a difficult decision as I love my roomies. I’ve decided to focus on me, my future and what truly makes me happy.”
Another familiar face fans may not see on the small screen is Nicole’s husband Jionni LaValle. While he previously appeared on spinoffs like Snooki & JWoow and Nicole & Jionni’s Shore Flip, the father of three prefers to work away from the camera.
“After that, he was just like, ‘You know, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want this to be my job. This is your thing. It was fun while it lasted, but I don’t like a camera in my face,'” Snooki recalled. “I respect his privacy. I still ask him here and there, ‘Hey, you want to just come on for like 10 minutes so everyone sees you because they think we’re divorced or you’re dead.’ He’s like, ‘Meh.’ Maybe one day for like a second. He said [that] this is my thing.”
During her reality TV career, which also included appearances on Dancing With the Stars, Messyness and Celebrity Apprentice, Nicole has certainly kept it real.
And that’s exactly why Cheez-It recently decided to partner with her: The snack brand said it wanted to highlight stars who truly embody what it means to be real (to tie-into their slogan as the original cracker made with 100 percent real cheese). So, they dropped exclusive reality TV collector’s cheddition boxes starring both Nicole and RuPaul.
When she first found out about her box, Nicole said she was blown away.
“They’re our favorite snack that we always eat. It’s always in our pantry,” Nicole shared with E! News. “When I saw the box, I was like, ‘Holy crap, this is wild.’ There are so many reality stars and they thought of me? I’m so honored. It’s crazy.”
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs Thursday night at 8 p.m. on MTV.
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