DVD Review: MTV’s Controversial ‘Jersey Shore Uncensored: Season One’

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CHICAGO – Maybe I live under a rock, but I must admit to being unfamiliar with the world of “Jersey Shore” outside of the occasional tabloid news item about a cast member and Bobby Moynihan’s now-even-more brilliant portrayal of “Snooki” on “Saturday Night Live.” When “Jersey Shore Uncensored: Season One” showed up on my desk, I cautiously approached the 3-disc set.

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

Why so hesitant? Because I’m old enough to remember when MTV wasn’t purely in the business of turning nobodies into celebrities. Having seen enough of “The Hills” to turn my stomach and having been turned off from “The Real World” years ago, I recognized that the network just doesn’t make programming for me any more and I assumed that “Jersey Shore” would just be another piece of evidence in the case that the once-music channel now exists purely to prove Andy Warhol’s “fifteen minutes of fame” theory absolutely correct.

Being as unfamiliar as I was, I had no idea that “Jersey Shore” is basically just a riff on the “Real World” model — eight people who don’t know each other are put in a house for a few weeks, given a simple job to do, plied with alcohol, and filmed to capture the bad behavior. It could have been called “The Real World: New Jersey.” Except it wasn’t and now the “stars” of the show aren’t moving on a typical MTV reality way, trying to extend their time in the spotlight with personal appearances and demands for future seasons.

It’s instantly easy to see why “Jersey Shore” became a pop culture hit. These eight comically stereotypical Jersey guys and girls are kind of fascinating in their open-armed acceptance of what people think about the over-the-top personalities of their corner of the world. Some Italian-Americans were in an uproar over the attention garnered by these self-proclaimed “Guidos” and “Guidettes” but what fascinates me is that they bring them to life with such remarkable pride. You think “Guidos” are all about working out, self-tanning, and getting laid? Well, they are. Whatcha gonna do ‘bout it?

Jersey Shore Uncensored: Season One was released on DVD on July 6th, 2010
Photo credit: MTV/Paramount

And it’s that purity of behavior that makes “Jersey Shore” so often enjoyable. Are they just a bunch of kids with concerns no greater than avoiding STDs and getting fired from their jobs at the T-shirt shop? Yes. And should that simple a set-up be enough for a TV show? Maybe not, but life is complicated enough and there’s something oddly fascinating about watching people with relatively few problems blow their entire existences out of proportion on a crazy summer. Don’t you remember the time when there was nothing more important than what bar to hit on a Friday night? Don’t you wish you could go back to that sometimes? “Jersey Shore” is escapism in that as much as we laugh at over-the-top personalities like a grown man who calls himself “The Situation,” we kind of all wish we could hang with him on the “Jersey Shore” too.

Oh, and “Snooki” is one of the most fascinating reality stars in years. She’s amazingly watchable; at turns somewhat crazy and completely sweet. She often makes the show.

The “Uncensored” aspect of the first season release of “Jersey Shore” doesn’t refer to anything physical so don’t worry about seeing too much of “The Situation” in the rooftop hot tub. Naturally, “Uncensored” refers to language and you’ll hear “Snooki” drop an f-bomb within seconds of popping in the first DVD.

And that’s not the only thing that will likely draw fans of the show to the DVD release. The special features are extensive with commentary tracks by The Situation, Snooki, and Pauly D on several episodes. You know that the reality TV craze has reached extreme levels when people are commenting on their own lives. It’s like a commentary on your home movies.

Other special features include deleted scenes, the reunion special, “Tips From The Situation and Snooki,” “Before the Shore,” and the great “Jersey Shore Makeover with Michael Cera.”

If you think that DVD reviews should primarily focus on whether or not a release appeals to the fans of the show or film, “Jersey Shore Uncensored: Season One” is an undeniable success with great special features and scandalously uncensored versions of the fan favorite. Forget “The Real World.” We’ll take “Jersey Shore.”

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com