Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Sammi Giancola Finally Reunite for First Time in 8 Years

Jersey Shore stars—and exes—Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Sammi Giancola finally reunited in awkward fashion after nearly a decade during the latest episode of Family Vacation.

By Kisha Forde Apr 12, 2024 1:01 AMTags
Watch: Jersey Shore Cast Dishes on Sammi Sweetheart's SHOCKING Return

Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola wasn't exactly pumped to see her ex Ronnie Ortiz-Magro again.

In fact, as the MTV star explained, once it came time to face her former costar again—who she dated on-and-off for several years during the show's original run—she was experiencing every feeling possible.

"I'm just a ball of emotions," Sammi said during the April 11 episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. "I'm not looking forward to spending time with this person who hasn't been a part of my life for like, ever, now. I just want to kind of figure it out so everybody can have fun, co-exist and get along together."

As for Ronnie, who stepped away from the show in 2021 to focus on his mental health, he was ready to be with the crew again.

"I'm here to rebuild my relationships with my roommates," he shared in a confessional. "Me and Sam, we don't have to be friends, but our history is so long, there's going to be that instant feeling of something."

That something? A huge tinge of awkwardness.

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After Ronnie finally arrived and hugged each of his castmates, he simply waved to Sammi and mumbled a greeting—which she doesn't really respond to.

"Oh my God, like I want to die," Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi says in a confessional. "It's so cringe, I'm so embarrassed."

And after a few long of seconds of silence, Ronnie asks the crew what they've been up to, but it doesn't help alleviate the tension since Sammi remains radio silent. But not to worry—Pauly D jumps in to hilariously remind everyone in the room that "Ron's here."

"It's awkward as f--k right now," Jenni "J-Woww" Farley shares in a confessional, "So awkward. It's just so weird."

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But once the moment passes and everyone splits up, Sammi makes it clear that she thought it went just fine.

"I wasn't expecting anything," she told her housemates, "I feel nothing. You guys are working on friendships, I have no need to work on a friendship."

The former couple's on-and-off relationship was once a major focal point of Jersey Shore, with the pair finally calling it quits for good around 2016. But fast-forward nearly a decade later, both Ronnie—who is dad to 6-year-old daughter Ariana—and Sammi have both moved on. In fact, Sammi recently shared she's engaged to Justin May.

And as the 37-year-old expressed, she has no doubts about her future.

"Justin, I absolutely love and adore," she told E! News in a recent interview. "You're going to see a lot of him on this season. I love him. He's the one for me, and I know that."

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs at 8pm ET/PT on MTV.

Watch E! News weeknights Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m., only on E!.