Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola’s return to the Jersey Shore franchise took many viewers aback, and even Sammi herself was surprised by how she felt from the experience.
Giancola initially opted out of appearing in the revival series Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, but made an unexpected appearance in the season 6B premiere, walking into the cast’s shared Miami beach house with the line, “Hey guys, sorry I’m late.”
Giancola dated her Jersey Shore co-star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro until 2014, two years after the original show went off air, which likely played a role in her decision to decline Family Vacation. Re-joining the franchise probably felt like a time warp for the 36-year-old, as she opened up to People about the “midlife crisis” she felt upon her recent return.
The majority of her former castmates have children of their own, with the original cast having 11 kids between them. Her ex-boyfriend Ronnie also has a child of his own. When asked by Pauly D about the prospect of having kids, Giancola responded that she “would love kids,” drawing attention to the fact she is “getting older.” Most OG fans of Jersey Shore will also be feeling pretty old after learning that fact, too.
Sammi also joked that she is “hitting my midlife crisis,” and her return to television will be the start of a new journey for her. “Even though these people are the same, a lot is also different with them,” Giancola stated. “And I’m so intrigued to like, get to know their families now and other sides of them that I never got to before,” she ethused.