Jersey Shore’s Sammi Giancola Admits She’s ‘on Edge’ About Reuniting With Ex Ronnie Ortiz-Magro

Jersey Shore stars Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro both had nerves while preparing to reunite nearly a decade after they split.

Sammi, 37, admitted she was feeling uneasy while hanging out with costars Angelina Pivarnick, Jenni “JWoww” Farley and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi as they waited for Ronnie, 38, to join them in a teaser clip for the Thursday, April 11, episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation shared by Entertainment Tonight.

“I honestly never thought I’d be back, yet alone be on vacation with my ex, so of course I’m gonna be on edge,” Sammi explained in a confessional. “It was hard for me to come back in the first place, so I hope they can see where I’m coming from.”

She then noted that being back on the show “is definitely harder” than she expected. Despite starring on the original series from 2009 until 2012, Sammi chose not to reunite with her former roommates for the reboot until the current season 7.

“It’s a roller-coaster and sometimes it does take its toll on me,” she added about her return to reality TV.

The clip also showed Ronnie preparing to see Sammi as he arrived at the house the group was staying at in Nashville with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio and Vinny Guadagnino.

“Alright, let’s go make it awkward,” Vinny, 36, joked, while Ronnie responded, “You guys are great for that.”

Ronnie continued to share his thoughts in a confessional, explaining that he returned to the show to “rebuild [his] relationships with [his] roommates.”

“Me and Sammi, we don’t have to be friends, but we’ve known each other for so long, there’s gonna be that instant feeling of something,” he added. “Whether it’s bad or good, I don’t know. I’m just gonna see what happens.”

Sammi and Ronnie began dating when they met during season 1 of the MTV show, and their tumultuous relationship was heavily featured on the show. The pair were still together during the Jersey Shore finale in 2012, and they confirmed their split in August 2014.

Ronnie appeared on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation when it premiered in 2018, though left the show amid his legal troubles in 2021. Following his exit, Sammi decided to return to the MTV show with her former costars.

In February, Sammi admitted she wasn’t thrilled about having to film the show with Ronnie. “I, of course, was not fond of filming with an ex-boyfriend,” she told E! News. “You’re gonna see me basically navigate that and you’re gonna see it all play out. But, of course, I knew eventually that this would happen. And you’re gonna just see, I guess, my reaction.”