'Jersey Shore': Sammi Reveals Where She Stands With Ronnie After Reunion

Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola is back with the Jersey Shore crew for Season 6 of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, even if it means crossing paths once again with ex-boyfriend Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. Giancola opened up about returning to the MTV show in an interview with Us Weekly, calling the experience "nerve-wracking."

"I knew the moment I decided to come back that there will be a possibility that Ron will be here," Giancola explained. "You know, he's part of the family too. I definitely knew that. It was just like, 'OK, I can handle it – whatever comes my way.'" Despite her nerves, Giancola said she was able to "deal with it," teasing that her first interaction with Ortiz-Magro occurs on camera.

Giancola and Ortiz-Magro dated off and on from 2009 to 2014, and their turbulent relationship oftentimes drove the drama of the original Jersey Shore. Giancola may be making her Family Vacation debut just as Ortiz-Magro returns to the spinoff following his 2021 domestic violence scandal, but the jewelry designer doesn't feel the need to spark up a friendship.

"I'm good, we can keep it moving. We're co-workers. You're just somebody I dated in my 20s. Like, and we can keep it moving at that," said Giancola, who is currently dating boyfriend Justin May. "A lot of people are, like, when I tell them my age now, they're like, 'Wait, you dated him when you were 22 and you're 36 now?' Like, a lot of time has gone [and] I've dated other people. I mean, there's just a lot of life that goes on in between all those years."

Giancola originally decided not to appear in the first five seasons of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,  but in May 2023 officially announced her entrance in the first clip of Season 6. The MTV personality is joined by co-stars Paul "Pauly D" Delvecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Jenni "JWOWW" Farley, Angelina Pivarnick, Deena Cortese and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.

Giancola said it was the "perfect time" to come back to her Jersey Shore family, which she decided to do "on [her] own." She explained, "At the time when everybody decided to come back, I was like, 'I don't know if I'm ready to put myself in an environment with an ex or possible toxic situations.' So I was like, 'Let me refrain from doing that. I am working on myself and I'm happy right now. I'm content. I don't need to put myself in an environment that I'm like kind of unsure of.'"