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Jersey Shore Family Vacation will finally see the return of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino. After spending eight long months in prison, Sorrentino reunites with his wife and fellow castmates this season. After seeing the cast chant “BDS” in honor of Sorrentino, some viewers might be wondering how he got the nickname.

Mike Sorrentino
Mike Sorrentino | Rich Polk/Getty Images

What does ‘BDS’ stand for?

No one does nicknames like the cast of The Jersey Shore. Almost every star on the show has a popular nickname, including Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, DJ Pauly “D” DelVecchio, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino.

But Sorrentino has a few more nicknames than his roommates. He’s often called “The Sitch,” which is short for “The Situation.” But once in a while, he’s referred to as “BDS” or “Big Daddy Sitch.” It’s unclear where he got the name, but he’s been using it on the show for years. 

The “BDS” nickname really caught on when Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in federal prison for tax crimes. In January of 2019, he began serving his sentence at the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York. 

But while Sorrentino was in jail, his Jersey Shore costars used the hashtag #FreeBDS when tweeting about how much they missed him. “Watching Mike on TV while he’s away makes me feel so sad #FreeBDS #JSFamilyVacation,” Vinny Guadagnino tweeted last summer.

Sorrentino returns to ‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’

Now that he’s out of jail, Sorrentino will be a regular fixture on the show. He was released one month early in September 2019, and fans were finally able to see him come home in the March 5 episode.

And in trailers for the new episodes, it looks like the Jersey Shore family is celebrating his release to the fullest. At one point, the roommates split up into two teams to food shop for Sorrentino. 

Team BDS, which includes Deena Cortese, Polizzi, and DelVecchio, is tasked with buying all the fattening food “Big Daddy Sitch” would enjoy. On the other hand, Team Situation, which consists of Guadagnino, Angelina Pivarnick, and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, is getting healthier foods they think Sorrentino would need to maintain his diet and exercise routine. 

In another clip, the crew gathers in anticipation to finally welcome their friend home. “BDS is in the building,” Sorrentino proclaims as he walks into the house to meet his roommates.

Other famous ‘Jersey Shore’ abbreviations to know

The Jersey Shore crew is known for creating nicknames and abbreviations that catch on quickly. From the first season onward, they made up abbreviations for everything, including their daily routines and nightly conquests. 

In the early seasons, the guys would refer to their “gym, tan, laundry” days as “GTL.” And when they would get ready to go out at night, they’d make sure they looked “FTD” or “fresh to death.”

When Mike, Vinny, and Pauly are together, they refer to themselves as “MVP.” And when they’re down to snuggle or engage in other adult activities, the roommates use “DTS” or “DTF.”

Now that Sorrentino is back home with his Jersey Shore Family Vacation squad, it’s likely they’ll come up with yet another nickname or abbreviation to honor his return.