Jersey Shore’s Sammi ‘Sweetheart’ Giancola Reveals How She Felt Seeing Ex-Boyfriend Ronnie Ortiz-Magro

Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola is making her reality TV comeback during season 7 of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Not only is she reuniting with her former costars, but ​she will also be back onscreen with her ex-boyfriend Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.

“I probably wouldn’t have came back if I knew he was still on the show, honestly,” Sammi, 36, said about filming with Ronnie, 37, in an interview published on Monday, July 31.

The New Jersey native explained that she has spoken to Ronnie, who she dated on and off from 2009 until 2014, in several years. However, her ex wasn’t the only costar she was worried about seeing again.

“It was very nerve-racking,” Sammi said about seeing Deena Cortese, Pauly “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino. “It’s definitely overwhelming because I haven’t talked to anybody in a really long time.”

After noting she hadn’t seen most of the cast “in 10 years,” she added, “It’s like, ‘Are these people going to be the same? Are they different? How did they grow?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know them anymore. They don’t know me. How is it going to be?’”

Sammi also clarified that she didn’t have any falling outs with her former costars, but they “went [their] own ways” when they stopped filming the original Jersey Shore in 2012.

“It’s hard when people are continuing on a show that you no longer are a part of,” she said, noting that everyone else returned for the revival in 2018. “I definitely stayed in touch after deciding not to come back in the beginning, and then we just lost touch for years. That was a sad part.”

However, it seems the Sweetheart Styles founder had nothing to worry about. “They just have kids and babies, but they’re all still the same,” she said.

Sammi was the only original Jersey Shore star not to come back for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. “I’ve chosen not to join the show this season because I am at a completely different place in my life right now focusing on my businesses and relationship,” she explained via Instagram in March 2018. “I am not the same person as I was when I was 22. At 31, I am currently extremely happy in every aspect of my life and want to avoid potentially TOXIC SITUATIONS.”

While Ronnie appeared on the show, he announced his departure from the reality series in May 2021 after he was arrested on domestic violence charges. Similar to his ex, Ronnie is making his Jersey Shore comeback during season 7.

The MTV personality announced her return to the show in March. “OK, I can finally say … I’m backkkk!” she wrote via Instagram at the time, tagging the official Jersey Shore Instagram account alongside a selfie.

In May, fans got their first glimpse of Sammi’s return during a teaser clip that aired following the season 6 finale.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” she told the group while surprising her costars. Several clips followed of her costars expressing their shock before viewers saw the group get into a heated argument.

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation returns for season 7 on MTV on Thursday, August 3, at 8 p.m. ET.