Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley and Paris Hilton were icons of the early to mid-2000s, despite their opposite aesthetics. Hilton, the ultra-rich socialite, was the it girl everyone wanted to be. JWoww, the beloved Jersey Shore star, was carving out a niche aesthetic of her own.
In 2008, Hilton was searching for a new best friend. 16 competitors—both women and men—competed in challenges to earn a spot in Hilton’s coveted social circle. The original series aired for two seasons and spawned two spin-offs. It turns out the show caught the attention of a not-yet-made reality star.
JWoww’s Reality TV Career Almost Started With Paris Hilton Instead of ‘Jersey Shore’
JWoww, in an effort to support her friend who wanted to apply for the show, applied with him. At the time, she was working in a nightclub, kind of the perfect storm for Hilton’s iconic party girl aesthetic. While JWoww considered it a prank to pull on her friend by applying, she did hear back for another show.
“We would love you for this [Paris Hilton My New BFF], but we have a voting off guidos show that we would love for you to be part of,” JWoww said on Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce.
MTV bought the rights to the show, which originally had an entirely different layout and plan, and JWoww was born. “They basically were like, ‘Come down to Seaside, Toms River, you have to turn over your phone, your ID, credit card; the keys to your car. Put it in an envelope, sit in a hotel for a week, go through like 30 interviews and we’ll let you know at the end if you’re picked or not.’”
“Whoever was throwing fists in the dance circles at nightclubs was the people we were approaching,” Casting director Doron Ofir told Vulture. “Mike ‘The Situation’ was the first cast. He was also featured in the original tape, so we already had an iconic archetype to build from.”
Ofir eventually convinced producers to add women to the show and turn it into a The Real World-esque show. “I kept saying, ‘Look, the boys preen’ — you know, they’re peacocks — ‘but the girls fight,’”
Through the experience on Jersey Shore, JWoww would find a lifelong female friendship of her own, and it wasn’t Hilton. She quickly became close to her costar and roommate Snooki, and their chemistry was immediately recognizable. MTV greenlit a spin-off, Snooki & JWoww, which ran from 2012 until 2014.
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