Fist-pumping doesn’t come cheap. The cast of MTV’s runaway hit Jersey Shore want a hefty boost to their salaries before they will agree to spend another summer in Seaside Heights. The Shore’s beloved “guidos and guidettes” — which includes Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, “Pauly D” Delvecchio, and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino — earned only a few hundred dollars each per episode for the first season of Jersey Shore and they reportedly want ten times that sum next season.
“They want $10,000 an episode, arguing that the stars from ‘The Hills’ get $100,000 per episode and that show doesn’t even rate as high. They’re hanging together like the cast of ‘Friends’ and saying if they don’t all get the pay increase, none of them will return.”
The six-week reality soap — which wrapped Season One last Thursday night — has made pop culture stars of its cast of twentysomething. Snooki claims she’s had to hire a bodyguard since being featured on Jersey Shore, and DJ Pauly D now commands up to $10,000 to perform at parties.
Salary negotiations are being spearheaded by Britney Spears’ manager Larry Rudolph, who also represents Pauly D.