‘Jersey Shore’: The 1 Roommate You Never Knew About and Another 1 Who Broke the 4th Wall
The Jersey Shore roommates took the world by storm from 2009 to 2012 with their fist-pumping, GTL, and constant partying. Viewers remember Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Deena Cortese, Paul “Pauly D” Delvecchio, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and Angelina Pivarnick. However, there were two other roommates you might not have heard about.
‘Jersey Shore’ producer Sally Ann Salsano lived in the house in Miami and Italy
The first behind-the-scenes roommate might be an obvious one to diehard Jersey Shore fans. The executive producer of the show, Sally Ann Salsano was a live-in roommate in the seasons in Miami and Italy. However, she was always nearby in the other seasons as well.
The cast members became a family while living together, Salsano included. Although she could never appear on television, she was with them and watching them at all times. However, she spent most of her time in the control room.
“There have been times in my personal life where I’ve leaned on those guys,” Salsano told US Weekly after a traumatic episode.
Salsano broke the fourth wall in ‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’
Although Salsano never appeared in Jersey Shore, she unexpectedly ended up on camera in the spinoff series. In 2018, Ortiz-Magro’s girlfriend at the time — and mother of his child — verbally abused him and spit on him for going to see a lawyer. Security had to step in and so did the producer.
“We always try to avoid [being on camera],” Salsano told the outlet. “I know there are other shows that try to go for it a little more and I think there’s always reasons as to why it happens. In this case, it really wasn’t a thought-out process. It was a reaction to what you do when a friend or someone you love is going through something.”
Although she “hated” being on camera, the executive producer felt compelled to step in for Ortiz-Magro.
“The truth of the matter is that we have relationships with these guys,” she added. “We’ve known them for so long. It wasn’t a typical episode. It wasn’t a typical thing that we normally deal with. This is someone you love going through something completely unexpected, out of the ordinary, and you know, we all look to each other for guidance.”
As a roommate, Salsano really is part of the Jersey Shore family. She might as well be at Sunday dinners.
The 1 roommate you never knew about — ‘Joey Fist Pumps’
“Joey Fist Pumps” is a much lesser known additional roommate on Jersey Shore. He was originally selected to be on the series, and a fairly well-known regular down at the shore.
“He was a union contractor, which is one of the reasons he wasn’t able to do the show,” casting director Doron Ofir told Vulture. “[Joey] had arms that were tremendous. He was one of those people that would fist pump on a dance floor and throw down in a dance circle of six dudes. He was a Jersey Shore regular. Girls wore ‘Joey Fist Pumps’ T-shirts when they walked around him.”
He continued with the show as a crew member and an honorary roommate in those early years at the shore.
