"Shoring" Up More Hilarious Antics

I hate to admit it but I was really looking forward to the season 2 premiere of Jersey Shore last night on MTV. The first season was a virtual repository of unintentional hilarity. Spending an hour with the cast of this show made me feel better about myself and those that I associate with. Incidentally, it also made me feel bad about myself and those that I associate with.

Perhaps I enjoy it so much because it's basically a documentary about the decline of our culture. Of course it could be because it is like going to a "different type of people" museum without having to leave the house. I am sure that I could find idiots like that in my little corner of the country but they are not on TV with the living and drinking expenses of a MTV reality show. You have to hand it to them, it's a formula that works: 

Step 1: Give a bunch of young morons a mansion 

Step 2: Make sure they have unrelenting streams of alcohol and film to capture that footage

Step 3: Roll tape!

Step 4: Hire people to rake all of the cash you make into a vault

I still remember when I use to want to be on the Real World. To have to sit here and imagine the wonderful life I would have had makes me cringe.

Either way, from my first viewing moments last year, there is something about this show that speaks to me, or at least makes me laugh out loud. I suppose that is its only real appeal. We are given a chance to watch a house full of douchebags ruin their lives for 15 minutes of fame, money, and a chance to bang fame whores all while saying the most ignorant shit outside of a Klan rally. 

If a heralding of the official decline of the culture is what you are looking for then last night’s episode did not disappoint. I do not think the first fifteen minutes of any other show on television could have crammed in so many discussions on the various ways and types of trim these knuckleheads were going to pull in from the second they touched down on South Beach. It was an unrelenting onslaught of male fantasy and testosterone. 

Not that there is anything wrong with that, however, it would have been nice if they mentioned using protection for the sake of the younger folks out there watching. (What's up responsibility?)

I think ultimately this show’s appeal can be summed up with what will undoubtedly become one of the show’s future mantras, which was uttered by the extremely obnoxious and muchin-esque cast member Snooki, “I feel like a friggin’ pilgrim from the ‘20s.”

To place it in a better context, she said this while running water over some clothes that her roommate, JWoww, had spilt some sort of alcoholic drink on. She then proceeded to put those wet and stained clothes in a garbage bag and ask what to do next. This was clearly a scene reminiscent to anyone who has studied the early twentieth century Pilgrims and their antiquated laundering techniques.

Even with all the hilariously improper historical references I got the feeling that this show is already starting to be played out. I mean the cast never really left the national consciousness during the show’s hiatus, which means we were given a chance to get bored with them, and now they are back sticking to the exact same shtick that brought them here. It all seemed a bit forced to me and while I know there is going to be plenty of crazy, slutty shenanigans throughout the season, I can’t help but hope that this is the last one.

I mean, isn't it time for these guys to make room for Redneck Beach?