AARON STUCKEL
Opinions Writer

Lock your doors. Hide your hair gel.  The cast of Jersey Shore has come to Miami to drink your booze, hit on your girl and punch holes into the ceiling of your favourite club.

That’s right. The cast of MTV’s latest young people in a house series has left the “cold” of New Jersey and are heading for the warm, white sands of Miami Beach to work at an ice-cream shop. Oh, and maybe do some partying. 

    Jersey Shore, in more ways than one, is a train wreck. It is not what most consider to be ”˜”˜smart” television, as anyone with a 6th grade education knows. So why did 4.8 million viewers tune in to watch last year’s finale? And why is there not only a second season on TV but a third in the making? Is it merely the ripped abs, tanned skin and big boobs that have captivated our hearts, if not our souls? Or is it something deeper? Likely not, but let’s take a look at why so many people have fallen in love with this monstrosity of a television show. 

The thing about Jersey Shore, as with any train wreck, is that as horrible as it is, it’s impossible not to be entertained by it. Let’s face it: disasters make good television.  

    The show in itself is pointless. Eight young women and men must spend their summer in a house together and work one to two days a week at an ice cream shop (these people are rumoured to be getting close to $40,000 per episode. That’s about how much tuition a four-year degree will cost).  Although it’s a busy lifestyle for the group, they still somehow find the time and energy to go to the gym, get a tan, do their laundry and hit the clubs every night. Sadly, this is as deep as the plot to this show gets. But this isn’t a Shakespearean play; it’s reality television. 

    The entertainment value from Jersey Shore does not come from a clever set-up like Survivor, The Bachelorette or even The Real World. No, Jersey Shore is entertaining strictly on the basis of human interaction. It’s the same reason we go to the zoo or watch Animal Planet. Watching these eight egomaniacs live in a house together is like watching monkeys fling their poop at each other or an earlier species of humans learning to use tools (like the brain) for the first time. It’s hard to believe we share some of the same genetic makeup with these people.

    This is why this show is so popular. It legitimizes all the hard work and stress most of us experience on a daily basis. It boosts our self-confidence by showing us how simple us humans can actually be. Although we may lose a few IQ points after each show, most of us feel more confident because we know we are smarter than at least a few people in the world.  

    TV is no longer about smart plots and interesting subject matter. Shows with high educational value are not what is popular. The truth is that television is about entertainment and Jersey Shore offers this in piles. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with serious news and information, it’s nice to take a break and watch some light television for a change, even if it means we have to dumb ourselves down. 

Jersey Shore may not last more than three seasons, but at least it can offer us some light, emotionless entertainment for the upcoming school year.

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image: MTV Canada