SkimIt
Yes, there will be a sixth season of Jersey Shore, and yes, it will feature Snooki in the final quarter of her pregnancy. "America's favorite housemates will all return to their home-away-from-home," MTV bragged in a statement, and America shuddered collectively. It is not only the knowledge that a Snooki offspring is inevitably bound to have a Britney-shaving-her-head-like meltdown by the time it hits puberty (or end up an alcoholic at age 11) that is so off-putting, but it's also the cynicism of a network that is trying to save an aging hit by using an unborn (and already doomed) child, and the apparent helplessness of a dysfunctional young woman who doesn't know how (or want) to escape the limelight.
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There is no doubt that MTV is using Snooki's pregnancy to boost Jersey Shore's ratings (which is basically the same trick they used by sending them to Miami and Italy). The show's season 5 finale drew 25% less viewers than the premiere, which already lost 1 million viewers to the season 4 premiere which featured "America's favorite housemates" arriving in Italy and realizing that the labels at the grocery store are not written in English.
By essentially transforming Jersey Shore into The Truman Show (I mean, how long can it possibly be until MTV gives Snooki's infant her own reality show?) MTV is sure to fan the flames of its aging hit. The problem is, a pregnancy is several magnitudes more serious than hanging out with your (contractually imposed) friends and getting drunk every night.
Carrying out a pregnancy and caring for a child is not something compatible with the show's tone, but I'm sure there are some hilarious pranks to be played on a pregnant Snooki. And the lingering question of "Will she or won't she take a sip of alcohol while expecting?" is sure to fascinate America's pop culture conscience.
In any event, if you think it's a good idea for Snooki to participate in a TV show that glorifies misogyny, binge drinking and general irresponsible behavior, while expecting a child, ultimately doesn't matter. What matters is what the pregnancy will do to the show beyond a mere ratings boost. And it sure will shake things up a bit, which might temporarily save Jersey Shore from its descent into utter mediocrity. If it's a good idea, however, that's a different question.
