When Jersey Shore first aired in 2009, the series fed off Italian stereotypes from New Jersey, but some cast members aren't Italian. The MTV show portrayed what it was like for a group of young Italian-Americans to live by the Jersey Shore for an entire summer. With many incredible Jersey Shore episodes, the entertainment the cast provided was endless. As the years passed and the cast became household names, it was shocking to discover that two of the roommates weren't Italian and that most of the cast wasn't even from New Jersey.

Even though some cast members are still located in the tri-state area, many of them have since moved out of their hometowns. Only Deena Cortese and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola grew up in New Jersey, and the rest of the cast, excluding Pauly D, are originally from different parts of New York. When it comes to Pauly, he's the only roommate to originate in Rhode Island. There are some original Jersey Shore roommates who aren't Italian.

Which Jersey Shore Cast Members Are Italian?

While most of the Jersey Shore cast is at least half Italian, two roommates don't have any Italian in their blood. The best friend duo, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWoww" Farley aren't Italian despite the assumption they are. JWoww is part Spanish and part Irish. While her dad has been seen on the show in the past, JWoww rarely speaks about her mother. During their show Snooki & JWoww, JWoww briefly talked about her mom's illness, explaining that she was put into assisted living when she was a young girl. Her Irish descent is assumed from her father's side of the family, while her Spanish descent comes from her mother's side.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi Was Adopted

On the other hand, Snooki was adopted as a baby. In 2018, Snooki shared a video on her YouTube channel explaining the details of her adoption. She was born in Santiago, Chile, before being adopted into an Italian family as a baby. When her parents flew to Chile to adopt her, Snooki was just six months old. She believes she was "always meant to be" with her adoptive parents. Snooki admitted that although her technical nationality is Chilean, she grew up Italian, as both of her parents are Italian. In the video, Snooki revealed that she rarely talks about her adoption because she never questioned what her birth parents might be like.

The only Jersey Shore cast members who are entirely Italian-American are Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Pauly D, Deena, and Vinny Guadagnino. This is no surprise, as Pauly and Vinny tend to represent their Italian descent the most. As for the other castmates, Angelina Pivarnick is half Italian and half Polish, Sammi has Greek descent in her, and Ronnie Magro-Ortiz is both Italian and Puerto Rican.

Source: Nicole Polizzi/YouTube