The show debuted amid controversy regarding its use of the terms guido and guidette and its portrayal of Italian Americans, which some alleged perpetuated stereotypes.

Four of the Jersey Shore cast members received spin-off shows on MTV, with the most successful being Snooki & Jwoww.

On August 20, 2017, a one-off television special called Reunion Road Trip: Return to the Jersey Shore aired on the E!

[5][6] On November 27, 2017, MTV announced that the cast (with the exception of Giancola) would be reuniting in Miami, Florida, for a new reunion series titled Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.

VH1 producer Anthony Beltempo proposed the idea of a show focusing on the "guido" lifestyle for TV, in the form of a male competition series.

[43] Executive producer SallyAnn Salsano, who previously worked on A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, devised a new concept, inspired by her own summers in a Jersey summer shore house, and retained casting director Doron Ofir to find the cast.

Van Toffler described the casting process by saying they looked for "candor, honesty, boldness and a very combustible, chaotic mess.

Residences include a confessional room for cast members to self-record their thoughts on daily house drama.

Season 1 followed cast members Angelina Pivarnick, Jennifer Farley, Michael Sorrentino, Nicole Polizzi, Paul DelVecchio, Ronald Ortiz-Magro, Samantha Giancola, and Vincenzo Guadagnino at the Jersey Shore.

[44] Although the initial ratings were considered unimpressive to Salsano, they slowly grew in popularity, and was the subject of parody on Saturday Night Live after the third week, a turnaround that MTV executive Tony DiSanto calls "the fastest 0 to 60 I've ever seen on a show".

[47]After Season 1, the cast negotiated pay increases, though both they and DiSanto explained that it was not contentious, and was given undue weight by the press.

[48][49][50] It would follow all of the first-season cast as they avoided the cold northeast winter[48][49] by relocating to the South Beach, Florida.

[58] Season 3 returned to the original Jersey Shore summer setting,[55][56] and replaced Angelina with Deena Nicole Cortese, a longtime friend of Polizzi.

[66] Believed complications caused by Nicole Polizzi's pregnancy, and several cast members (including Polizzi, DelVecchio, and Farley) receiving spin-offs sparked talk about the future of the series past the fifth season, however on March 19, 2012, MTV officially confirmed that the series would return for a sixth season, with all cast members returning.

MTV said in a statement, "While things will definitely be a little different this time when they hit the boardwalk, their trademark hilarity and family dysfunction will remain the same.

[71] All of the furniture that is seen on the show was brought in by the production company, including the hot tub, for which they needed a permit from Seaside Heights when filming.

[82][83] Aimed to create the perfect summer playlist, the album features songs from a variety of artists including Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Lil Jon, 3OH!3, David Guetta, Fergie, Chris Willis, Girlicious, and LMFAO as well as DJs like Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Tiësto, Diplo, Paul Oakenfold, and Delvecchio.

[83] A deluxe edition of the album was also released containing a bonus CD featuring songs inspired from the first season of the show, like LMFAO's "Get Crazy".

[89] Other merchandise relating to the show have also been released, including talking bobblehead dolls of the cast,[90] a beach game set,[91] Halloween costumes,[92] a "Gym Tanning Laundry (GTL)"-labeled sports bottle,[93] "The Situation - Official App" for iPhone,[94] as well as various T-shirts.

[98][99] The cast of Jersey Shore appears on MTV's Season 4 of Disaster Date, starring Jen Lilley, Lauren Zima, Cale Hartmann, Jason Karasev, Russell Pitts, Hasan Minhaj, Diarra Kilpatrick, and Kara Luiz.

[102][103][104] In 2010, the cast of Jersey Shore were named on Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People list,[103] and the series has since been exported to dozens of countries worldwide.

[55] In 2010, MTV received criticism from Italian American organizations for the way in which they marketed the show, as it liberally used the word Guido to describe the cast members.

Our Guidos and Guidettes will move into the ultimate beach house rental and indulge in everything the Seaside Heights, New Jersey scene has to offer.

[115][116] MTV responded to the controversy by issuing a press release which stated in part, "the Italian-American cast takes pride in their ethnicity.

[120] Consequently, poll director Peter Woolley concluded that "These measures ... suggest the show isn't hurting the nation's view of the state.

"[121] Nonetheless, in September 2011, Governor Christie vetoed a $420,000 tax incentive awarded to the show by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, stating: "As chief executive, I am duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens.

[132] The Pauly D Project was canceled after one season, while Snooki & JWoww enjoyed a successful four-season run before ending in 2015.

[135] Numerous pilots were planned by various unrelated production companies focused on groups of friends in other locations or of specific ethnicities.