'Jersey Shore Family Vacation': Cast and crew turned away from shooting locations after their filming permits were denied
Things aren't looking good for 'Jersey Shore Family Vacation,' as the cast and crew, who have been eyeing venues for a reunion by the beach, were turned down by at least three locations. First, Seaside Heights, and then Brick Township and Wildwood turned them away.
495 Productions, the production company for 'Jersey Shore,' had applied for filming permits at the Brick Township with their administrator Joanne Bergin, who denied their permits. All filming permits including public locations and private residences go through the administration.
Speaking about filming permits, Bergin explained that the request to film at a private residence is quite usual, and is only sent to the administration for approval if the filming has the capability to impact the neighborhood or the public in general. She said the Brick Township reached a conclusion that 'Jersey Shore Family Vacation' would negatively impact the neighborhood and public, and so their permit was denied.
The fact that filming a TV show or a movie comes with an added responsibility of handling the eager crowd gathered around the sets, traffic problems etc., also played a crucial role while reaching the decision. The administrator also added that the original plan of using one of the residences to film the TV show did not fit with the standard residential use policy. As reported by NJ Advance Media, Bergin shared, "I am here to serve the residents of the township of Brick. Their neighborhood concerns are my concerns, so it's my obligation to put their concerns and their needs first."
Fans and followers took to social media to share their views on the decision taken by the administrators. A fan named Georgette Vorrasi wrote, "I wouldn’t want these losers in my neighborhood either. All they do is drink, screw each other and fight. After Superstorm Sandy do you know how they help the town that made them famous? They did NOTHING." While another fan Mike Galvin Jr added, "The amount of income the towns would potentially lose is more to the point. If people start to perceive that Wildwood or Brick was the next Seaside, it might prevent further summer rentals from families that don't want to deal with the mentality of 'Jersey Shore' types."
Some fans, on the other hand, were not pleased with the news and took to social media to share their opinions. John Deroian wrote, "You have to be kidding me!!!!!! These town officials act they are judge and jury. It’s a nightmare to do anything in this state. Try and pull a permit and they treat you like your a criminal. Now they decide what message a show has and deny a permit to film. What about the millions of people who like the show or the positive changes all the cast have made. Wildwood is a shit hole."
While Bri Delary wrote, "People that don't want them there are people who clearly don't watch the show. They have turned into very nice and mature adults. They all have kids, and most are married to great people. They are harmless. They would bring so much revenue to the island and give us a lot more tourism."
Earlier on this week, the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority released a statement responding to a US Weekly report according to which the show was going to be filmed at Wildwood. The statement read, "While The Wildwoods, NJ embraces the opportunity to provide a beautiful seaside beach and Boardwalk location for filmmakers, TV shows, and social media to film here, it does not welcome the message that the MTV show 'Jersey Shore' presents to its viewers."
"The Wildwoods family-friendly atmosphere, beautiful award-winning beaches, Boardwalk fun and Doo Wop ambiance does not align with the show's overall theme and message. Our resort destination is geared toward good clean fun for families and multi-generational vacationers who enjoy our beaches, boardwalk, and one-of-a-kind attractions," the statement continued.
The original 'Jersey Shore' township - Seaside Heights - no longer wants to be associated with the reality TV show. The township is trying very hard to re-brand itself, after the chaotic series and the hurricane. They have also denied long-term permits of the show, which were already filed last year. The township of 2,896 citizens wants to move on from the "chaos" created while filming the show last time. Seaside Heights had been their base since the beginning of the series in 2009.
The permit denial read, "Numerous publicly available news reports indicate that several cast members were arrested while 'Jersey Shore' was being filmed. Charges included disorderly conduct, aggravated assault, and drug possession. One cast member (Ronald Ortiz-Magro) was arrested in Seaside Heights for outstanding warrants."
"In addition to these incidents, there are numerous reports, many of which are confirmed in episodes of the show, of fights between cast members and bar fights involving cast members and third parties," the statement continued.
In a statement to TooFab, a city official said: "We don’t have resources to dedicate and we don’t need the chaos. Moreover, in the big picture, the production company has been advised that Seaside Heights would like to move on. Nothing personal. The cast, on a personal level, has been very good to Seaside Heights and our businesses," before adding, "and we like to think that we’ve been good to them. But we are interested in going in a different direction from a marketing perspective."
There's no denying that 'Jersey Shore' can get a bit intense in terms of its drama and tension and some of the cast members of the show have been known to get into trouble. It looks like all the trouble and shenanigans are now costing them big time!