With Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola’s return to Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, there is a lot she needs to get up to speed on!
The original JS cast member had been away from the show after its original series ended on MTV, along with her relationship with castmate Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.
Based on trailers for the upcoming season, Ronnie will join his castmates or, at the very least, have an interesting conversation with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino.
Sammi also decided to return for Season 7, marking her first appearance in the Family Vacation spinoff series.
As the premiere draws closer, promotional footage is leaking for the upcoming season, with the latest featuring several of Sammi’s castmates getting her caught up on things.
Deena Cortese and Vinny Guadagnino appear in the video to chat with their longtime friend and returning castmate about what she’s missed.
Deena and Vinny bring Sammi up to speed on JS highlights she missed
A lot has happened while Sammi’s been away, including The Situation getting married, having a few kids, and getting out of prison.
Their castmate Angelina Pivarnick is brought up next, as Denna also recounts, “Angelina got married, Angelina got divorced, then Angelina got engaged again.”
In a new video ahead of Family Vacation Season 7, Sammi watched some of the highlights from the previous seasons. One of the first moments presented was Situation’s proposal to Lauren, which Sammi said made her “tear up” a bit.
There was also Jenni “JWoww” Farley getting engaged to Zack Carpinello. According to the clip, the couple decided to get engaged on a whim. However, Monsters and Critics reported Zack surprised JWoww at the Empire State Building in February 2021.
“I love love,” Sammi said, gushing over the engagements, as Deena joked that JWoww said she’d never get married again unless “pigs fly.”
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s adorable kids and The Situation’s cute babies also appeared in highlight clips, with everyone admiring the precious moments.
The Situation’s return from prison was also included. Vinny and Deena suggested prison made him a better person, as he worked out a lot and seemed more mature.
“I think old Mike is still in there a little bit,” Sammi suggested as they watched the footage.
Deena and Vinny agreed that Mike isn’t as “malicious” but that he still likes to “stir the pot” as always.
Fans and critics react to Sammi getting caught up
The Sammi video on various social media allowed fans to give feedback about seeing one of their favorites return and criticize the highlights presented to her.
One commenter called it “so f***ed up” that they didn’t mention JWoww and Roger Mathews’ divorce but mentioned Angelina’s.
“I’m still not used to seeing @sammisweetheart back on Jersey Shore but I know she’s going to bring in a lot and go full force and make up for the amount of time she’s missed out,” another commenter wrote.
Another commenter brought up how the highlights didn’t include some of the other notable milestones and how they seemed to put a positive spin on The Situation’s prison time.
Plenty of commenters also expressed their excitement to see Sammi back on the show.
“Seeing Sam return really does make this come full circle as a series again,” one fan wrote.
“I am crying. Yes. Sami s backkk!” another commenter wrote.
Yet another commenter referred to Sammi’s return as a “breath of fresh air” for the MTV series.
Sammi’s been away for 11 years after the main show ended, making it a welcome return as viewers hope she’ll up the drama and entertainment in Season 7!
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 7 premieres Thursday, August 3 at 8/7c on MTV.