Long before she became a household name after stumbling around the Jersey Shore, Nicole Snooki Polizzi was unceremoniously dumped by another classic MTV reality series, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
Polizzi found fame as part of the “gym, tan, laundry” crew on the reality series, which ran on MTV from 2009 to 2012. The woman affectionately nicknamed “Snooki” especially stood out for her sassy personality and drunken shenanigans.
The reality star admitted she was rejected by ‘The Real World.’
However, she nearly took her talents to a different reality show – if only they would have had her.
In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, Polizzi revealed she really wanted to be part of The Real World franchise.
“I think I sent two tapes in and heard nothing back,” the 37-year-old admitted, adding that after the show rejected her, she decided to try for a “smaller” show.
“Then I did this little show on MTV called Are You Really Going Out With Him? And I experienced a little reality,” she reminisced. “We only filmed for two days, but I was like, this is fun.”
The Moment Polizzi Discovered She Loved The Camera
She fell in love with reality television on a different show.
Are You Really Going Out With Him? focused on women dating obnoxious and arrogant men. Polizzi and her boyfriend at the time, Justin, appeared in episode 14, “Jerz Pud”.
It was during that taping she realized she wanted to be on TV.
“I love the camera, I love the whole production of it all. This is awesome,” she beamed. “And then I was trying to find my next thing, and that’s when I saw the Jersey Shore audition.”
Polizzi Moved On From Reality TV to Focus on Family
Polizzi has since gone on to start a family and leave her partying days behind her.
After finding superstardom on Jersey Shore, Polizzi shocked fans when she announced in 2019 on her podcast, It’s Happening with Snooki & Joey that she was ready to move on.
“OK, you guys, I love you so much and don’t hate me for my decision, but I have to do what’s best for me at the moment, and I am retiring from Jersey Shore,” she explained at the time. “I am not coming back to Jersey Shore for season four, if there is one. And there’s a lot of reasons why, but the main reason is really, I just can’t do it anymore.”
The star reasoned that it was time for her to step away and be a mother to her children.
She’s teamed up with Lysol to freshen other lives as well.
Polizzi and husband, Jionni LaValle, share three young kids: son Lorenzo, 13, daughter Giovanna, 11, and six-year-old son Angelo. She has since traded her dirty life on the beach for a clean one at home – teaming up with Lysol Air Sanitizer for its new “StinkCheck” campaign.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nicole “Snooki” 💋 (@snooki)
And much like her new partnership, Polizzi is refreshing her reputation.
When she announced she was giving up the Shore, she admitted the drama on the show played a role in her decision to leave, adding that its transition from being “all in good fun” to “so serious” isn’t worth taking time away from her kids.
“I hate being away from the kids, I don’t like partying three days in a row, it’s just not my life anymore, and I wanna be home with the kids,” she continued. “It’s just really hard on me to leave the kids and film the show.”
