Get ready for one awkward Jersey Shore reunion! Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is rejoining the Jersey Shore Family Vacation crew in Tucson, Arizona, in a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of Thursday’s episode of the MTV series, having previously made a big return in Nashville earlier this season. This time, however, he’ll have to reckon not only with ex Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola but also with her boyfriend, Justin May.
Sitting down for a family dinner, the Jersey Shore crew begins to prepare for one of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s famous app orders – this time including french fries, mac and cheese, rice and beans, multiple seafood towers and various salads. “I trust Mike to order apps for the table because he orders too much,” quips Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio. “Which means I know I’ll get enough food.”
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As the table waits for the first round of their order, however, something is coming down the pike that may make them lose their appetite. Outside, Ronnie can be seen rolling his suitcase behind him as he makes his way to family dinner knowing what may await him when he arrives.
“Walking into the restaurant right now is definitely a different vibe coming into Tucson than it was Nashville,” he tells the camera. “I’m gonna have to meet Sam’s boyfriend and it might be awkward.” Ronnie certainly gets a reaction as he enters the restaurant, with someone off-camera exclaiming, “Oh my God,” as Sammi gives her beau a knowing look before the clip comes to an end.
Prior to this season of Family Vacation, Sammi told PopCulture that while she “definitely wasn’t fond of” reuniting with her ex this season, at this point, “It’s just working with a coworker – somebody I dated in my 20s.” The MTV star, who announced her engagement to Justin last month, continued, “I had a feeling that this would eventually happen one day. Do I want to be doing this? No. But it’s like he’s a part of the family, and I understand that, and I respect that, and it is what it is.”
The bride-to-be said that she knew reuniting with Ronnie was going to be a possibility when she agreed to film for Family Vacation, but “didn’t think that it would be so soon.” She added, “I just feel like this person doesn’t have any … control [over] my life now. It’s somebody from my past, it’s a coworker. So why not give it a go and see what can happen?”
Jersey Shore Family Vacation airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
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