(Update: Reports say both have since returned to the show)
MTV might have publicly denied plans to recast its phenomenon “Jersey Shore” after production wraps on the fifth season, but if gossip reports are true, it might not have a choice.
According to US Weekly, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino abruptly left the show this week and might not be coming back.
“Mike walked off the show. He’s so over the whole thing,” says the US Weekly source. “I don’t think he’s coming back. Everyone in the house is so unhappy.”
If the departure is true and permanent, it could represent a big hit for the MTV reality juggernaut. Sorrentino had unequivocally emerged as the show’s most recognizable personality and undoubtedly played a key role in sparking the show’s success (as well as generating the polarizing dislike that only made the show more of a controversial draw).
“Shore,” currently filming its fifth season in its original home of Seaside Heights, NJ, also might have lost Vinny Guadagnino, who supposedly left after an argument with a roommate last week. Though less popular than “The Situation,” Vinny had become far more central to the show in seasons two and three and was part of an ongoing “will they or won’t they” with castmate Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.
MTV has not offered public comment on “The Situation,” and its remarks on Guadagnino were limited to confirmation that “answers” on the rumors would emerge in season five.