2009 brought everyone James Cameron’s Avatar, “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas, and a little trashy reality television show called Jersey Shore on MTV. The friend group let the world into the shore house, introducing us to the guidos and guidettes, grenades and gorillas, and some of the most iconic names in reality television history.
Jersey Shore was a social experiment in itself: what would happen if you put a group of “Italian” Americans in a beach house for the summer? Well, the result was pretty much heavy drinking, partying, and GTL—gym, tan, laundry. The phrase became their mantra over the six-season run, so much so that people still quote it today.
The origins of Jersey Shore’s most iconic phrase
If you thought Pauly D or Mike “The Situation” were the creators of GTL, you’d be sorely mistaken. It wasn’t coined by any of the cast members, actually. During Season 1 of Jersey Shore, long before the cast and crew knew it would become a pop culture staple, they documented their day-to-day lives. What they found is that they went to the gym, tanned, and did laundry.
“I was like, ‘How the f—k am I gonna make a TV show about these guys going to the gym, cleaning their socks, and going tanning?” Jersey Shore producer SallyAnn Salsano told Complex in 2018.
“We started summarizing the day’s shoots on whiteboards and just started writing GTL for short, and Pauly was in front of the camera like, ‘GTL? What’s that?’’’ she said.
Jersey Shore’s undeniable legacy
Little did anyone know that phrase would become part of pop culture history. Jersey Shore quickly gained popularity, particularly after Snooki’s infamous club incident where she was punched. Jersey Shore influenced a generation—neon colors galore, the most quotable phrases, Snooki’s signature poof and fuzzy boots on every girl from the East Coast to the West, and those god-awful tans.
It also spawned several spin-offs centered on the iconic best-friend duo Snooki and JWoww. Years later, MTV greenlit Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, which is currently airing its final season on MTV. The cast is hopeful that the series will be picked up elsewhere. With the resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic came a renewed interest in all things Jersey Shore, proving just how significant the reality program was and still is.