I love Jersey Shore, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I don’t love it because it is the epitome of trashy television that provides viewers with endless amounts of train-wreck entertainment and laughs (although that is most definitely a factor in my enjoyment). No, I love Jersey Shore most of all because of the crazy relationships it features (and I’m not talking about ‘romantic’ relationships like RonSam). The interaction and camaraderie between the Meatballs, Pauly and Vinnie, or Snooki and JWOWW always provides something interesting to watch, even if it is sometimes very clearly contrived and scripted.

For this reason, I was very excited when it was announced that this summer we would get not just one, but TWO spinoffs from the beloved J-Shore! Now, my joy quickly deflated when I found out that Vinnie, Pauly’s bestie, his partner in crime, his BOYFRIEND, wasn’t going to even make so much as a simple cameo on the Pauly D Project; but I held out hope that Snooki & JWOWW would fulfill all my expectations. Plus, according to the previews Vinnie and some of our other favorite Jersey Shore peeps will be showing up and I will ship Vinnie/Snooki until the day I die (I don’t care if she is engaged and pregnant, VINNIE LOVES HER FOR HER!).

This first episode did not disappoint.

We start off with Jenny, who is freaking out because she is quickly approaching 30, after which she is ‘done’ (with life? With partying? With Snooki?), while Snooki has decided that now that she is 24 she should really move out of her parents’ place. So together they are going to get a place in a city in Jersey so they can be young and independent and crazy together.

Both of Snooki’s parents and Jenny’s BF Roger express skepticism about this situation, since Nicole apparently does nothing but drink and knows nothing about bills and maintaining a place of residence. When her dad brings up electricity and changing light bulbs, Snooki suggests using candles, like the Amish.  Poor Jenny. She is going to have her work cut out for her.  Hopefully these girls will still be BFFs when this is all over!

Snooki’s mom is the one who broaches the subject of Snooki’s ‘secret’ which Jenny isn’t aware of yet. Everyone who watches TMZ or reads US Weekly (don’t judge me), knows what that ‘secret’ is, but watching Jenny’s reaction takes me right back to my own thoughts when I found out and makes the anti-climatic ‘reveal’ worth it.

The girls begin their house hunting at the ungodly hour of 9am and JWOWW is the only one who manages to show up on time. By the time Snooki pulls up in her black and pink Escalade and the realtor comes running down the sidewalk, Jenny is freezing and pissed and has to use the restroom. Snooki, never one to be embarrassed, explains to the nice realtor that Jenny has her period, something all guys absolutely love discussing.

After looking at a bunch of bad apartments with toilets in the backyard, roaches in the closest, and pedophiles across the street, the girls finally find the perfect place in an old ware/firehouse. The place is HUGE and as someone who is casually searching for an apartment, I can only imagine who much the rent on that place is.  The girls easily decide they want to take it, but before they do, Snooki has to finally reveal her secret to her bestie: she is both engaged and pregnant.

JWoWW is initially angry that Snooki didn’t tell her (see, they really ARE best friends in real life), but Snooki had only kept it from her because she didn’t want it to stop Jenny from moving in with her, and it was a valid fear. When the episode ends, Jenny is shocked into silence and it keeps us from actually finding out if the two girls sign the lease, although we clearly know they do.

So we won’t get tons of crazy club antics and endless drunken adventures like we are used to from our favorite J-Shore girls, but I’m sure those two crazy kids are going to still provide the fun and unlike Pauly and Vinnie, they are clearly REALLY best friends so I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures they will get into, even if they aren’t fueled by alcoholic beverages.