14 DAY TRIAL // The other day, reports started coming in that production on MTV’s incredibly popular and equally controversial reality show “Jersey Shore” had stalled after the cast members went on strike, demanding more money per each episode. Hoping his example will get the others to see things his way too, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has just signed a new contract with MTV, E! Online informs, citing a statement from his rep.
The Situation was in on the strike as well, with reports saying he too wanted more money from MTV for season 3 of the show. As the cast members saw it, they stood to make more money from public appearances, endorsements and paid gigs than by continuing with the show, which led them to ask for raises. At the same time, The Situation was having parallel talks with the studio, in the hope he may land up to $45,000 per episode in season 3 and 4, it was being said.
“Mike Sorrentino has inked a deal for the third season of Jersey Shore and he’s confident that the rest of the raise-seeking cast will soon follow, says his manager, Michael Petolino, who calls his client’s contract ‘a great new arrangement.’ According to The Hollywood Reporter, all eight of the principal castmembers were close to signing new contracts today after initially asking for $30,000 per episode. Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, Jennifer ‘JWoww’ Farley and the rest of their partners in crime made $5,000 per episode in the show’s breakout season and $10,000 per for season two, so that would amount to a 200 percent raise,” E! writes.
“Mike has been packed and ready to go for days for Jersey Shore 3 and is excited to move forward with the shooting. After hearing there was a rumored strike by the cast, Mike decided in order to get season 3 done, he was going to have to lead the pack and wants to encourage the rest of his cast to follow his lead and return for another amazing season of Jersey Shore. Mike is confident the rest of the cast will rally around him as they have done in the past. The Situation has always been respected and well-liked by the entire cast. He felt that he could break the stalemate by putting these rumors of a cast strike to rest by moving forward and leading the cast to another hit season,” Petolino says in the statement.
As expected, the manager says nothing about the talks The Situation has been having with MTV somehow behind the back of the rest of the cast, and which are believed to have secured him a new contract. Then again, this new deal could be a way for the network to lure him for new episodes, which is part of a bigger plan of keeping only him, Snooki and Pauly D, while the rest of the cast gets the ax.
Follow me on Twitter @ElenaGorgan