MTV’s Floribama Shore episode 1 review: Can someone introduce Kortni Gilson to a toilet please?

When we first heard that MTV was doing a Jersey Shore reboot with a whole new cast in a different location we weren’t sure if there was really a market for this type of thing anymore. As Jersey Shore was wrapping up years ago, it was already losing a lot of steam due to the cast growing up and starting families, but Jersey Shore as a whole really only grew in popularity after Snooki got punched in the face by a drunk male bar patron which garnered major headlines. We still wonder if that incident didn’t happen how popular this show really would’ve been. Yes, there would’ve been people tuning in, but would it have been such a massive hit for the network? Reality shows based on people partying and drinking like Jersey Shore or The Real World still have some gas left in the tank, but over all we think that the new younger generations tastes have changed, so when MTV aired it’s first episode of Floribama Shore, we had to tune in and see if this was just another Jersey Shore ten years later or if they changed it to fit in with 2017.

First let’s talk about the cast: We of course have the usual suspects of young, single, attractive people, but unlike the Jersey Shore, some of these people aren’t just looking for bed swapping and partying. We have people like Aimee who is fresh out of a ten year relationship (her boyfriend cheated on her with her cousin and got another girl pregnant), Gus who is looking for a wife, Jeremiah who’ parents met at a strip club (his father was a stripper) and was home schooled and Kortni who wants to find some independence and is using this as a chance to grow into adulthood. For a show like this, the casting is incredibly important and if these people are who they say they are then we think MTV has found a way to modernize this concept for the new generation.

With Jersey Shore, none of the cast knew each other before entering the house during the first season, but with the Floribama Shore, there are a few people there that were friends before entering the house, giving them a bit more of a comfort level. This episode gave us some first night shenanigans and we suspected there would be at least one roommate that turned the dial up so fast that they didn’t even make it out for the night – that person was Kortni. She got so drunk that by 9:30 she was passed out. After everyone left the house, she woke up, walked over to her roommate’s bed and peed on it thinking it was a toilet. A few days later we watched her pee in a garbage can on the beach… does this girl not know what a toilet is? So much for trying to learn to be more grown up. We also expected the men in the house to be turned off by this behavior, but Jeremiah seems to be into it and asks her on a date.

Also are Gus and Nilsa going to be our Sammi and Ronnie of the Floribama Shore? We saw them flirting and dancing, the Nilsa getting pissed when she leaves for a moment to get a drink only to turn around and see Gus dancing and flirting with someone else. In true Sammi fashion, this didn’t dissuade her from accepting a dinner date invitation from Gus a few days later. What’s interesting about this is that Nilsa hasn’t been on a date in years and while she’s interested in Gus, she’s also interested in Jeremiah. After watching this date unfold we are having second thoughts about Nilsa and Gus being the next Sammi and Ronnie – Gus is clearly looking for a wife and Nilsa is still just dipping her toes into the dating pool. These two are not on the same page at all – what a date fail.

When Nilsa finds out that Jeremiah is going out on a date with Kortni things start to get really interesting! This date seemed to go a bit better than Gus and Nilsa, but by the end of it Jeremiah feels that they are better off just as friends – Kortni on the other hand decides to slip into his bed at the end of the night. Nothing happens outside of sleeping and some cuddling and Nilsa is ready to fight for Jeremiah after seeing this all unfold.

CarterMatt’s overall thoughts

While there is definitely some drinking and hooking up going on with this show, a lot of this cast has lived a lot of life for such a young age. We have divorces, miscarriages, homelessness, affairs, but also a lot of hope as these people want to find a way to rediscover life and move forward with new experiences. We have seen a lot of critics comparing this to Jersey Shore (as they should) and saying that it doesn’t hold up to the original, but we are going to counter that by saying that it doesn’t have to be like the original and in fact we don’t want it to be. There’s clearly going to be a lot of drama with this cast, but MTV has found a solid group of people that are way more relatable to this generation of young viewers – much like the Jersey Shore cast was for their time.

What did you think of the Floribama Shore premiere and will you continue to watch? Leave us a comment in the box below with your thoughts. Also if you want to read about the Jersey Shore reboot then just head on over to the link here.

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