On last night’s episode of Jersey Shore, fans saw the much-anticipated return of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino. After a long eight months in prison, Mike was finally reunited with his castmates and beloved wife Lauren.
Mike, who was convicted of evading taxes from 2010-2012, served his time in Otisville Correctional Facility in Otisville, New York.
The Jersey Shore crew waited a long time for Mike- the girls even went to Washington DC in an attempt to “Free Sitch.” Shortly before Mike’s September 12 release, the cast went out for dinner together in his honor.
“We are in full blown mike’s getting released from prison mode,” DJ Pauly D explained, “Everything we do is in honor of Mike, so it’s only right that we order everything on this menu times 2.”
The celebration was a big deal — Vinny even ate a carb.
A long-anticipated reunion
While Mike was terribly missed by his castmates, no one felt his absence more than his wife, Lauren. Because Mike and Lauren got married only two months before Mike began serving his sentence, they spent most of their first year as newlyweds apart.
Mike’s incarceration couldn’t keep Lauren from him completely- the dedicated wife drove over 200 miles every week Mike was incarcerated to visit him.
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation producers accompanied Lauren on the journey to pick up Mike from Otisville. She brought a cake (hopefully funfetti) and cookies so Mike could celebrate with his favorite things.
When they finally made it and got Mike out. The couple walked out arm-in-arm while Mike donned a shirt bearing one of his favorite sayings: “The comeback is greater than the setback.”
The two returned to their apartment and their dog Moses, where both shed tears before celebrating with a massive pizza party.
“It’s the sweetest victory that I’ve ever had,” Mike said of his release.
The cast reacts
Mike announced his release to his castmates with a gif to their group chat. The cast, who were together at the time, immediately broke into squeals of joy. Pauly D ran through their rental house announcing the news on his signature megaphone.
Mike seemed to miss his castmates as much as they missed him. “I missed out on two meatballs being born, Jenni got divorced, Jenni has a new boyfriend, Ronnie went to rehab, Pauly’s traveling the world, and Vinny is a stripper! I’ve missed out on a lot and I have a lot to catch up on.”
The cast gave him a bit of time to unwind with Lauren. Snooki explained the plan: “We’re gonna give him 24 hours…but TOMORROW, Michael has to come here”
Jenni remarked on Mike’s new slimmed-down appearance, saying “Mike looks phenomenal…I’m not saying go to jail for a little bit to straighten up, but holy s**t, he looks f***ing great.”
It was a very joyful reunion, and, if the previews are right, we’ll get to see more of it next week.
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs on Thursdays at 8/7c on MTV.