The new season of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation will feature Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola reuniting with Ronnie Ortiz-Magro for the first time in nearly 10 years. Ahead of the February 8 premiere, she opened up about filming with her ex-boyfriend after the end of their tumultuous relationship.
“I, of course, was not fond of filming with an ex-boyfriend,” Sammi, 36, admitted in an interview with E! News, which was published on Thursday, February 1. “You’re gonna see me basically navigate that and you’re gonna see it all play out. But, of course, I knew eventually that this would happen. And you’re gonna just see, I guess, my reaction.”
The boutique owner made her Jersey Shore: Family Vacation debut during part 2 of season 6 in 2023. After starring in the original series from 2009-2012, Sammi opted not to return for the show’s revival in 2018. However, when Ronnie, 38, went on hiatus from filming following his legal troubles, she decided to make her comeback.
Amid Sammi’s return, Ronnie also slowly began easing his way back onto the show. While he was on the outs with most of his castmates in 2023, he maintained a friendship with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and showed up in Florida during a cast trip. Sammi was also on the Florida vacation with her boyfriend, Justin May, and stepped away when Ronnie reunited with the rest of the cast.
“Justin, I absolutely love and adore,” Sammi gushed. “You’re gonna see a lot of him [this] season and I hope there’s wedding bells in the near future. I love him. He’s the one for me and I know that.”
She also responded with a resounding, “Hell no!” when asked if filming with Ronnie brought back any of her old feelings. The two started dating on season 1 of the original Jersey Shore and were together off and on until 2014.
“I really took the time to work on myself when I left the show back then,” she recalled in 2023. “I really just didn’t want to enter any negative or toxic situations again.” However, she was able to “regroup” and “figure out” her life before finally deciding to return. “I just couldn’t do the show back then,” she admitted. “And I’m happy that I’m able to be able to come back and do it now.”
The new season of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation premieres on MTV Thursday, February 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
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