It was the power of Snooki.
Nicole Pollizi, otherwise knowns as Snooks, Snook-em, or Snooki on Jersey Shore was the top trending topic on New Year's Eve as MTV decided to host a Snooki Ball Drop to attract viewers that night. But why does America care so much about watching Snooki on NYE, or Jersey Shore on Thursdays?
So we've got eight Italian twenty-somethings: Angelina , Pauly D , JWoww, Ronnie, Sammi, Snooki, The Situation and Vinnie. They all live in nice place and pretty much do nothing except what they feel like doing.
They don't pay bills or really go to real jobs. They get up late, go to bed late, party all night, have a driver drive them around, get drunk, shop, go to the gym, work at a gelato shop (like never), talk on the phone, cook but eat out most of the time, wear skimpy clothes, go to the beach, argue and make up, flaunt their fun-bags and six-packs, hunt for potential sex partners, have sex, act stupid all day, make up silly words and talk a bunch of crap.
Some say it's "mindless entertainment". Others answer "I dunno, it's just funny." But I would argue that although those retorts may be partially true, there is much more to it than that. We as humans, specifically as Americans, like Jersey Shore for the same reason we like the Real Housewives of (Insert City Here) and for the same reason that the Maury show is somehow still on the air.
It is not enough to simply point out the obvious and say that we like drama. We like train wrecks, yes. But we particularly like them when they are in our back yard. We simply can't look away.
Think about it. You turn on CNN to find out that there was a high profile robbery which led to a police chase in Texas. You think, OK, thats pretty interesting. But then you turn on your own local news and find out that the same thing has happened, but at the gas station across town. Your response would probably change from mildly involved, to hopping off your couch and calling up to see which of your friends heard about it.
My point is that reality TV producers have hit the jackpot. They have realized this gem of information about the human condition and they are taking full advantage of it. No more are the days where Survivor and Big Brother or even the Real World are at the top of our reality-TV faves list. Now, reality TV shows and stars all come with a handy-dandy location pegged to them- a way to localize the train wreck. Now all of the sudden characters, have become real, live, tangible people. Who you might live or work next too.
Not to say that these people are average. No, if they were, then they wouldn't have made it on our TV screens in the first place. But the non-average, average-ness of people like Snooki, or Vinny, or Sammy is what really keeps us coming back.
The new season of Jersey Shore airs this Thursday at 10/9c on MTV. Hope you'll be watching, even it's just because you're too pleasantly-mortified to change the channel!
