Sammi Sweetheart is officially back!
As we reported last week, Sammi Giancola has joined the cast of Jersey Shore Family Vacation after initially declining to take part in the spinoff project.
Producers confirmed the rumors of Giancola’s return to the Shore-verse with a photo of the Jersey native filming in front of a green screen.
The pic led to speculation that Sammi had only filmed a confessional-style interview for the show and would not be interacting with the rest of the cast.
Now, that rumor has been put to rest, as Sammi has been spotted hanging out with her co-stars on camera.
The Ashley’s Reality Roundup has obtained photos that show Sammi filming at a ski resort in Pennsylvania.
It’s still unclear if Sammi will star in an entire season of Shore, or if she’s only popping up for a few episodes.
But production sources have confirmed that she’ll make her first appearance later this season.
According to TMZ, Sammi’s return came as a total shock to her castmates, who were visibly stunned when she showed up on set.
For years, Giancola was adamant in her refusal to return to the franchise that made her famous.
Her change of heart is likely a result of the fact that her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend Ronnie Ortiz Magro has been “fired” from Shore.
(Following numerous legal troubles and abuse allegations, Ronnie only appeared briefly in the show’s fifth season, and has not yet appeared on season six, which is currently airing.)
When she announced in 2018 that she would not take part in JSFV, Sammi made it clear that she wished to steer clear of “toxic situations” involving her ex.
But with Ronnie gone, the path is clear for a full-time Sammi return, and it seems the rest of the cast couldn’t be happier about it.
“Sammi was very much part of the cast and everyone was treating her like no time had passed,” one production source told The Ashley.
“It’s a huge deal that she is there, for the rest of the cast especially.”
Sammi’s castmates have been open about their desire for her to return to the show, but it seems their pleas initially fell on deaf ears.
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“She blocked me!” Nicole said in an interview in 2022.
“I don’t know what I did! It’s unfortunate, because we would love for her to come back [and appear on ‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation.’] She’s a part of the show. I feel like it’s not whole or full unless all of us are there.”
“We tried to get her back like two years ago, all of us texting her saying, ‘Come for one dinner. Why not?’” Nicole said. “And she’s just always like, ‘No, I’ll never do that show again.’ We didn’t want to push it.”
Perhaps all that pressure finally wore Sammi down, or maybe she just decided it’s finally time to resume cashing in on the empire she helped build.
Whatever the case, it’s great to have her back!
Sammi Giancola STUNS Castmates, Returns to Jersey Shore Set Unannounced! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.