If the Jersey Shore stars are ever feeling a bit beat up from being trashed by fellow Italian-Americans, they should take a trip to see Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro at his Hoboken bakery.
The master baker tells me he's not put off by their antics or what critics say promotes negative stereotypes. "Being Italian-American, I'm not like, 'Oh, my god. I'm so offended by it," Valastro says. "It's taken out of context."
Valastro admits he hasn't watched an episode yet of the MTV reality series, but…
"I was on the Jersey Shore," he says. "My buddies and I had a house in Seaside Heights. We lived there for the summer. So I know what that scene is like and I understand it. Is the show probably dramatized and over-the-top? Of course it is. It's TV."
Unlike fellow TLC stars Jon and Kate Gosselin, Valastro says he doesn't want his personal life to ever be the center of attention on Cake Boss. "The show is more about my business," he explains. "It's not like me, my wife and my kids. That's what Jon and Kate's show was focused on.
"But I don't have anything to hide," he continues. "My wife knows me and we are in love…She trusts me and that's kind of what it comes down to."
You'll probably be hearing a lot more from us here in Hollywood about Valastro. He's fast become a celebrity baker. He recently made cakes for Rihanna's record release party in New York City and Miley Cyrus' '80s-themed birthday bash, and Jon Bon Jovi has been to his bakery. Dancing With the Stars' Maksim Chmerkovskiy just placed an order for his birthday cake.
"I want to do a cake for the president," Valastro says. "Not even particularly Obama or whatever. I want to say, 'Look, I went to the White House and made a cake for the president."
A new 13-episode DVD compilation of Cake Boss is available in stores now. Plus come back here real soon for our new exclusive Jersey Shore photo gallery.