In 2009, reality producer SallyAnn Salsano struck zeitgeist gold with a show about a crew of party kids who lived by the motto: “Gym, tan, laundry.”
Now she’s making a show with a different credo, this one fit for 2025: Lie, manipulate, get away with it.
Back then, Snooki and the Situation were beloved precisely because of their lack of guile: the ultimate what-you-see-is-what-you-get characters.
But nearly 20 years later, we now live a culture whose heroes and heroines include “The Fake Heiress,” “The Hipster Grifter,” Billy McFarland, and Caroline Calloway — plus others in higher office.
Salsano’s new Fox reality contest, “The Snake,” pits people from various paths — each with a job reliant on building trust and forming bonds — including a priest, an OnlyFans model and a cop, against each other. They have to use their skills to convince their fellow contestants that its in their self-interest not to kick them off the show.
“It’s the ultimate game in winning people over,” Salsano told Page Six, “Some will use persuasion, some will use the truth, some will lie and some will kill ’em with kindess.”
We suggested that a show about who we support and who we trust, and whether we necessarily need to trust someone to support them, speaks to a moment where we seem to celebrate the cunning and dishonest.
“I think this show right now could not be more timely. I’m not political, but I’m with you,” she said, “People [on the show, as in life] are rallying behind people who I’m like, ‘Wait — Why are they rallying behind that person?.’ Or people are distrusting of someone who’s trying to do the right thing.”
She added, “I think think this show, right now, is in the zeitgeist and speaks to where the country is, and it’s a way to do it without being political.”
The “Jersey Shore” creator said, “if you look at politics right now, people did vote for someone who they’re like — ‘Hell, I want that guy to be fighting for me’” — even though he’d been accused of being dishonest.
“[Voters seem to think] ‘Maybe he’ll take the other countries down.’ And the same with this show — there are situations were the other contestants know someone is lying to them, yet they’re still going along with it.”
“The Snake” airs Tuesday nights on Fox and it’s available on Hulu the following day.
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