‘Jersey Shore’: This Roommate Refused To Work for Danny Merk
Being on Jersey Shore meant plenty of time for the gym, tanning, and laundry — when the roommates weren’t working, of course. The cast of Jersey Shore was required to work to stay in the Seaside Heights shore house. Everyone seemed to grasp the rule except for the one roommate who refused to work at the Shore Store.
The ‘Jersey Shore’ roommates were employed by Danny Merk
Part of the Jersey Shore experience was getting to live in Danny Merk’s Seaside Heights home free of charge. All the roommates had to do was work in his boardwalk shop, the Shore Store.
“In comes Danny slash our landlord slash our new boss,” Vinny Guadagnino said during the first episode of the show. “He’s in control of me pretty much this summer.”
Nowadays, the Jersey Shore roommates earn thousands of dollars per episode. But during the first season of the show, the only money the roommates made came from the T-shirt shop.
“They started off at $10 an hour, then it went to $15, and then I think I gave them 20 bucks an hour at the very end,” Merk told Vulture. “You live in a beach house for free and get 20 bucks an hour? It was great money!”
“We did the first season for nothing, zero dollars, except whatever we made at the Shore Store,” Guadagnino added.
The cast of ‘Jersey Shore’ also made money promoting clubs in Seaside Heights
The Jersey Shore roommates earned more money during the first season by making appearances at the local hot spots.
“One night, they paid us to promote at Club Karma,” Guadagnino explained to Vulture. “I think they gave us like 500 bucks. At the time, if you handed me 500 bucks, that was like handing me a million dollars. I was good for the rest of the summer.”
Most every roommate understood the deal — work in the Shore Store and show up at the clubs to get paid. Still, there was one roommate who never really got the hang of living and working at the Jersey shore.
Angelina Pivarnick refused to work for Danny Merk
A former producer who worked on the early seasons of Jersey Shore opened up on Reddit about their experience. When one fan asked who the worst roommate to work with was, this producer said Angelina Pivarnick.
“I wouldn’t say anyone was rude from the beginning with the exception of Angelina,” they started. Outside of being rude to the production crews, Pivarnick was also rude to Merk.
“[Pivarnick] complained constantly and claimed she ‘didn’t sign up to work three days a week at a low-end T-Shirt store.'” Not only was the Shore Store the only source of income for the roommates during season 1, but working there was part of the roommates’ contract.
“It was in their contract that they would have to work in order to stay at the shore house,” the producer added. “So that behavior was questionable.”
Angelina Pivarnick’s attitude toward Danny Merk was how she treated the ‘Jersey Shore’ crew
According to this producer, Pivarnick was not so nice behind the scenes.
“The way [Pivarnick] treated Danny was, in a nutshell, her behavior towards a majority of the production crew, whether people want to believe it or not,” the former producer explained. “She just was not raised properly or with any sort of manners, as harsh as it may sound.”
Because many fans in the Reddit thread were supportive of Pivarnick, this producer felt the need to justify what is shown on television is different than reality.
“I’ve met [Pivarnick] personally and many haven’t,” they said. “People are a lot different than what they may seem, especially now with her attempt at redemption in JSFV.”
