I grew up watching MTV, you know, back when they actually showed videos. As I got older, I watched the channel’s first Real World (New York), and thus began my obsession with reality television. (Side note: Did anyone else have a thing for Eric Nies back then? I’m pretty sure I had a few “Dear Diary” entries about him, but I digress.)
Since I didn’t have much to do yesterday after I cleaned the house and the dog, I watched an episode (ok, fine – it was two episodes) of the Jersey Shore. Wow. If I lived in New Jersey, I think I’d be tempted to either a) Move or b) Start my own reality show that depicts New Jersey in a better light than Jersey Shore and the Real Housewives of New Jersey does. I mean, people talk about the south being strange? Sure, we might speak slowly, have our share of rednecks and a bad perm here and there, but I’ll take that any day over orange skin, scary fake fingernails, skanky clothing, bad manners and worse dancing.
After I became super familiar with the likes of JWow, The Situation, Snooki and Pauly D, the MTV Video Music Awards came on. With Chelsea Handler hosting, I decided it was ok for my 30-year-old self to watch.
Well. Between Usher looking 40-ish and Justin Bieber looking 12-ish, all I felt was old-ish. The only thing that made me feel a little better was that Chelsea Handler clearly had botox injections in her forehead for the occasion. That, and the fact that no matter how old I am, I’ll never look as old as those kids from the Jersey Shore. SPF, y’all. A little less MTV and STD(s), and a little more S-P-F.
thetightropeblog.com 
We watched a marathon of Jersey Shore right after the girls were born. Tuh-rashy. But kind of like a car wreck, I just couldn't stop watching. Until I felt dirty and wrong, and then I had to stop.After living up in the north for 10 years, I can tell you that these people (my dad might call them Yankees) call Southerners slow, weird, stupid, racist, whatever, but you find lots of that here too.
MTV is probably the worst station of them all.
i had a thing for eric nies when he was on that vh1, where are they now show. he was all hippie-ed out, drinking out of coconuts and not wearing a shirt.