There are apparently three things Jersey Shore’s top guidettes, Snooki and JWoww, can’t or won’t talk about: politics, HBO’s Girls, and basically anything that happens on their new Jersey Shore spinoff. “Wait and see!†was a popular response to questions about Snooki & JWoww, which premieres tomorrow on MTV and finds the BFFs sharing a pad in Jersey City, coping with Snooki’s surprise pregnancy and engagement, boy drama, and, of course, the uphill battle to obtain the perfect tan. Vulture tried to extort details about the upcoming season but managed to learn about Snooki and JWoww’s opinions on meatballs, their nicknames, and why being neighborly is for bumpkins.
During Jersey Shore, you two are all about partying and tanning — sometimes at the same time — in the summer with your friends. In the new show, it’s just the two of you in Jersey City in the dead of winter. And Snooki is pregnant. Does that give things a different feel?
Jenni: Basically, Jersey City to me is like the deleted scenes of me and Nicole’s relationship from seasons one to five [of Jersey Shore] because there’s so much that went on between me and her that caused us to get a spin-off that a lot of people weren’t able to see, because there were so many cast members they had to show. We had so many story lines. So, like, overall, Jersey City was able to capture our relationship, its ups and downs, boyfriends, family members, just like we were on the Shore. But with the pregnancy, our show is about reality, and it is real, and we just kinda went along with the flow and showing her first trimester. She knew she was pregnant going into it, and her breaking the news to me, that was a little wrenching, but after that we went into Jersey City very open-minded and had an amazing time doing it.
The show was originally going to be filmed in Hoboken, but the city nixed that idea, saying you would affect the “quality of life.†Your neighbors in Jersey City also told reporters they were relieved to see you go. Is that fair? Do you think you were good neighbors?
Snooki: Usually when you live in a city, you don’t really think of neighbors. That’s more in the country, which we try to stay away from, so we didn’t really know any of our neighbors. We just kind of lived the city life.
Did you ever interact with any of the neighbors face to face? You were pretty high-profile.
Snooki: No.
A lot of reality shows have had spin-offs, like Laguna Beach and all the Kardashian shows. Is there any reality franchise that you’d like to model yourselves after?
Jenni: We’re definitely not the Kardashians, and we don’t compare ourselves to anyone. We’re just ourselves. We’re still normal people, and we like to be relatable to people when it comes to relationships and friendships and all that kind of drama.
Do you watch reality television?
Jenni: I don’t.
Snooki: Jenni doesn’t, I do. I watch any reality shows like Dance Moms and Housewives and Mob Wives. Pretty much everything.
One of the most talked-about new shows has been Girls. Do you watch that one?
Snooki: No.
Jenni: Never heard of it.
Okay. You said in the trailer that you would take a bullet for each other — sounds like godmother material. Is that in Jenni’s future?
Snooki: You’re gonna have to wait for the spin-off for that.
Meatballs are a huge restaurant trend right now, and Snooki, you even posed at New York’s Meatball Shop. Do you two take any credit for the trend?
Snooki: What?
Jenni: She wants to know if we made meatballs happen.
Snooki: Oh. I don’t know. I don’t think so.
Do you have a favorite way to eat meatballs? On a sandwich? Over pasta?
Snooki: I just put them in my mouth and chew.
There were pictures of you two dragging around dolls, like practice babies. Can you tell me any stories about that?
Jenni: It’s like rent-a-baby. It’s like practice for Nicole and me being a good friend. I was being supportive.
Did you learn anything from that?
Jenni: Yeah. What a headache feels like.
So it wasn’t helpful at all?
Jenni: Maybe for Nicole, because she’s pregnant, but for me it was just reassurance that I need to wait a few years before I have kids.
You two were also caught visiting a psychic. Can you tell me anything about that?
Snooki: Yeah, no, that’s wait and see.
Will we see any of your J-Shore crew making any visits on the new show?
Jenni: They do come to a dinner.
How did that go?
Snooki: That’s a wait and see.
Is there anything you can tell me?
Jenni: We’re afraid to say anything because maybe it won’t end up airing. What’s to come is Nicole’s sonogram and us being friends and a little bit of role reversal and definitely motherly instincts kick in.
Okay. You can’t do a lot of things while you’re pregnant. What are you most looking forward to doing?
Snooki: Um, I don’t know. I’m actually really enjoying being pregnant and not tanning or going out and just being healthy. I would probably love to start working out again after I have my baby. I’ll probably do that first.
The two of you call each other Jenni and Nicole, but your show is called Snooki & JWoww. What’s going on there?
Snooki: No one ever calls me Snooki. Only, like, the fans.
Does that ever get tiring?
Snooki: Yeah, but I guess that’s what people know me as, and I enjoy friends and family calling me Nicole, because that’s my real name.
And Jenni, I can’t imagine that people actually call you JWoww. That would be awkward: “Hey, JWoww!â€
Jenni: Woof.
Even people who live in Jersey City say that Jersey City is pretty boring. Now that filming is over, would you ever go back?
Snooki: I’d love to go back. I like the area, and it’s not too congested. We had a really nice view of the city.
Where are you two living now?
Unison: Jerseyyyyyy!
If there’s a second season, would that also be in Jersey City?
Jenni: Not sure yet. That’s like a wait and see. We have to see if the fans like the first one.
Snooki, your first book was a New York Times best seller. Were you proud of that?
Snooki: Yeah, that was just my first book, so that was really cool when it happened. Just the fact that I can do more books is really fun, and it’s like, fun.
It’s an election year, and in January you said you were rooting for Donald Trump to be president, even though he’d already dropped out of the race. Are you going to endorse anyone new?
Snooki: Um, probably not.
Do you vote?
Snooki: I do, but I wouldn’t be that much involved in it.
Okay, well, do you have any last words you want to tell your viewers?
Jenni: Watch our show!