‘Jersey Shore’ Fans Still Can’t Get Over the Fact Some Cast Members Called Women “Grenades”

Bruno Mars once famously sang about catching a grenade for someone he's romantically interested in, but questions whether or not that woman feels the same as he does.

For the guys from the MTV reality TV series Jersey Shore, this incendiary device was used in a very different context, but it still has to do with romance.

So why do the guys on the show call girls grenades?

The term — which the guys used during the original iteration of the show from 2009–2012 — wasn't one that was used for all women on the show, but primarily ones that the men in the series found to be unattractive. But what does this have to do with warfare, and why would any of them want to jump on or catch a grenade, which is usually looked at as a heroic act? Sort of like what Steve Rogers does in that first Marvel Captain America movie with Chris Evans.

A lot of it has to do with the dynamics of clubbing, and going out clubbing in the hopes of finding someone you find sexually attractive and being charming enough to try and convince them to spend some alone time with them so they can engage in the act of intercourse.

The "grenades" in question are deemed to be the ugly women as part of a friend's group, and ones who would presumably attempt to get in the way of any burgeoning and newly formed chemistry a more desirable member of their group may have with any of the guys in question.

As a man, seeing one of your bros potentially hit it off with an attractive member of the female friends group, you are then put in a position to "take a grenade" for your friend, i.e., keep this less desirable friend who may stymie your pal's interaction with them and potentially tank his chances of taking her home.

So the reason why some of the guys in Jersey Shore, which initially centered on the shenanigans of New Jersey natives engaging in nightly partying while navigating romantic relationships, flings, and one-night stands, called women "grenades" was a means of expressing what it feels like to do a friend "a solid," or proverbially "take one for the team" or be the ultimate wingman — even if it means spending the night with said "grenade."

This same definition can be found on Urban Dictionary, uploaded by a user named Amaris who penned the following meaning: "The solitary ugly girl always found with a group of hotties. If the grenade doesn't get any action, then neither does anyone else."

Of course, the ignominy of being called a grenade and the heartlessness of the term is one that's been addressed by those who've watched the MTV reality series. Like one X (formerly Twitter) user penned: "imagine going to the club in 2010 now you on mtv bein called a grenade on jersey shore."

And although it seems like there are a lot of people who expressed that they didn't believe the term aged well, there's a record of the official Jersey Shore X account on Feb. 14, 2018, wishing folks a "grenade free" Valentine's Day.