The Reason Sammi Giancola Lost Touch With Her Jersey Shore Co-Stars
Back in 2009, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola started fist-pumping in Seaside Heights with her other "Jersey Shore" cast members. The party lasted for six seasons, during which Giancola danced at Jenkinson's, fought with her on-again-off-again boyfriend Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, and straightened her hair countless times. Despite the drama, Giancola told "The Better Show" ahead of Season 6, "I would continue to do this forever."
After the reality show was canceled in 2012, the cast went their separate ways but they mainly stayed in touch with each other. Giancola appeared in a few episodes of Nicole Polizzi and Jenni Farley's spinoff show, "Snooki & JWoww" and also showed up at Deena Cortese's bridal shower in 2017. However, when she was invited to star in "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" in 2018, she turned it down to "avoid potentially toxic situations," she stated on Instagram. Although she wrote that she loved her "roomies," Giancola eventually drifted apart from her former "Jersey Shore" castmates, and while fans wondered if there was any behind-the-scenes drama, she explained that it was just a natural progression.
Sammi Giancola and her Jersey Shore co-stars just went their separate ways
When Sammi Giancola decided to join the cast of "Jersey Shore: Family Reunion" for the second half of the sixth season, she found it "nerve-racking" because she hadn't spoken to her friends in a while, per People. "It's like, 'Are these people going to be the same? Are they different? How did they grow?' I'm like, 'I don't know them anymore,'" she shared. However, it wasn't due to any falling-out, according to Giancola. "It's hard when people are continuing on a show that you no longer are a part of. I definitely stayed in touch after deciding not to come back in the beginning, and then we just lost touch for years. That was a sad part," Giancola stated.
Nicole Polizzi has a different story, however. In 2022, she told E! News that the cast had reached out to her two years prior to get her to star in "Family Reunion." Polizzi stated that Giancola would always say, "No, I'll never do that show again." The self-proclaimed "meatball" then revealed that her former castmate had blocked her on Instagram. "I went to go message her a while ago and she blocked me. I don't know what I did. It's unfortunate because we would love for her to come back. She's a part of the show. I feel like it's not full unless all of us are there. It's sad," she continued. Despite Giancola's initial refusal, she obviously changed her mind and the person who convinced her was an unlikely ally.
Angelina Pivarnick made Sammi Giancola reconsider coming back to Jersey Shore
Angelina Pivarnick stirred up a lot of drama since appearing briefly in "Jersey Shore" Seasons 1 and 2 and then yet again for "Family Vacation." Her blunt nature caused a lot of fights with her cast members, which is why it was surprising when Sammi Giancola revealed that it was Pivarnick who reached out to her about returning to her gym, tan, and laundry family, per E! News. "Angelina DMed me like way back last November and she was like, 'Would you ever come back?' And I was like, 'You know what, why not? Like, I'm in a good place right now so why not come back,'" Giancola stated.
This time around, the New Jersey native had plans to not get caught up in tense situations as she did in the past. "I know there was drama and craziness and not all great times for me back then, but I'm hoping maybe this time around will be a little bit different. I'm more mature and I want to handle situations differently than when I was 22 years old," she revealed to Page Six. Things are also different between her and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro now that Giancola is in a happy relationship with Justin May. "[He's] like a co-worker at this point," she said of her ex-boyfriend. As for icing out her castmates, she owned her part and it looks like the "Jersey Shore" cast is one big happy family yet again, for the most part.