I grew up in Philadelphia and have been to the original beach hangout of the NJ clan. Let me tell you, it was no different than it is on TV. That little slice of reality TV, Although scripted and, like all reality TV, editd and reshot for effect, it’s about as true to that world as I’ve seen with my own eyes. The problem is not just that we have created this non-celebrity, but the fact that thee people already believed they were celebrities long before their first red carpet STD-walk. I remember the first time I heard someone claim they were going to “party like a rockstar” – I chuckled silently to myself, now I hear it all the time. We’re a cult of self celebrity these days. Maybe we need to return to teaching our children that they’ll never amount to much (ok, that’s a bit far-reaching and a joke). Me, I watched for a few seasons, but then gave up on TV. I was tired of watching British sitcoms get run through the American comedy machine.