17 surprising facts you never knew about 'Jersey Shore'

"Jersey Shore" is the reality TV show that you either love uncontrollably, or absolutely can't stand — but either way, you can't ignore the impressionable cast. The MTV reality series originally debuted in 2009, and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. It followed a group of people who called themselves guidos and guidettes, a cast we know now on a first name/nickname basis: Nicole (Snooki), Jenni (JWoww), Mike (The Situation), Pauly D, Vinny, Sammi Sweetheart, Ron, and Deena.

This past April, MTV brought back the iconic show with a revival called "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," bringing back a slew of memories for many viewers. But no matter how much you love the show, there are probably some secrets you don't know about the cast and what happened during filming.

Here are a few surprising facts about "Jersey Shore" that will make you see the show in a different light.

The show was originally supposed to be a competition show.

Although "Jersey Shore" is a fly-on-the-wall reality show much like MTV's hit "Real World," it was actually meant to be a competition show called "Guidos," according to The Hollywood Reporter. It wasn't even supposed to be on MTV — it was originally a VH1 project. As casting searched for the perfect guidos to compete for who was the "best guido," they eventually changed course, and "Jersey Shore" became the reality show we know today.

It was supposed to have an all-male cast.

The show was originally supposed to have all-male cast of "guidos," but producers quickly changed course because they knew making the cast co-ed would introduce more drama.

"Girls entered the mix, because I kept saying, 'Look, the boys preen' — you know, they're peacocks — 'but the girls fight,'" casting director Doron Ofir later told Vulture.

Polizzi showed up to her audition drunk.

Although it may not be too surprising, one of the reasons Nicole Polizzi, affectionately known as Snooki, made such an impression is probably because she was drunk at her audition. In an interview with Vulture, Polizzi said, "I went there drunk, because it was at a bar, and the rest is history."

Ofir said, "Nicole showed up in a miniskirt and she literally did cartwheels and flips. She was extraordinary. Her application was smudged with fingerprints from her bronzer to the point that I was like, 'What happened to her application? What spilled on it?'"