Angelina Convinced Sammi Sweetheart To Return to ‘Jersey Shore’ — Are They Close Friends?
Published May 5 2023, 12:18 p.m. ET
The Season 6 finale of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation included a surprise visit — and viewers couldn't believe their eyes when Angelina Pivarnick showed up with Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola by her side. When the dust settled, some fans wondered if, outside of the show, Angelina and Sammi are friends.
After vehemently refusing to participate in the Jersey Shore spin-off series, Sammi’s May 2023 debut came as quite a shock. And with Angelina being the person to bring her back, it's hard not to wonder if she actually had a hand in convincing Sammi to return to the franchise, however long Sammi originally planned to stay.
Are ‘Jersey Shore’ stars Angelina and Sammi friends?
In the Season 6 finale, viewers learned that Angelina DMed the former reality star and didn’t tell the rest of the cast that she had done so. So, when the duo arrived at the group’s vacation rental and Sammi Sweetheart dropped the line, “Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” the Jersey Shore alums couldn’t stifle their surprise.
“Is this real?” a flabbergasted Pauly D asked. “Are you a hologram? Is this AI?”
It appeared that Angelina convinced Sammi to make her first appearance on Family Vacation, so fans wondered if the two women are friends. And given Angelina's often rocky relationship with several of her castmates — we’re looking at you, Jenni “JWoww” Farley — it’s a reasonable question.
While the women have never claimed to be BFFs, they’ve seemingly maintained a healthy friendship over the years. And Angelina prefers Sammi over some of her other co-stars.
During Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s hiatus from Family Vacation, Angelina told Us Weekly that Sammi should replace Nicole. “I said this in the beginning — like, years ago — that [Sammi] should return, but she’s living her best life,” Angelina said at the time.
Sammi distanced herself from her ‘Jersey Shore’ co-stars when she opted out of ‘Family Vacation.’
When Sammi Sweetheart decided to forgo the opportunity of starring in Jersey Shore: Family Vacation in 2018, she fell out of contact with most of the cast.
“Some of the cast members have tried reaching out, but she hasn’t responded to them lately,” a source told Us Weekly in October 2019. “They would really like to still be friends.”
Then, when Sammi revealed who her bridesmaids were for her wedding with her now-ex-partner Christian Biscardi, viewers noticed that none of them were her former Jersey Shore co-stars.
While Sammi and Christian’s wedding plans eventually fell through, Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino revealed they didn’t receive invitations.
Who is Sammi still friends with from the ‘Jersey Shore’ franchise?
Ahead of the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 6 premiere, Sammi Sweetheart was still on the rocks with her former co-stars. “I think it’s safe to say Sammi is no longer wanting to do this,” Deena Cortese told Us Weekly in January.
Nicole also confirmed that the Jersey Store alum had blocked her on social media. “I don’t know what I did,” Nicole told E! News in September 2022. As for Jenni, she admitted that Sammi hadn’t blocked her yet but that she was anticipating it after openly discussing it.
And Vinny confirmed that the former reality star wasn’t following him on social media.
However, with Sammi Sweetheart’s involvement in Season 7 of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, it's safe to say that at least some hatchets were buries.
Watch Jersey Shore: Family Vacation on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.
