Nicole Polizzi
Encyclopedia
Nicole Elizabeth "Snooki" Polizzi (born November 23, 1987) is an American reality television personality who appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore (TV series)
Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...

starting in 2009.

Early life

Polizzi was born in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, Chile. She was adopted when she was six months old and was raised by Italian American parents, her father a volunteer firefighter and auto-salvage supervisor and her mother an office manager. Polizzi received her nickname, Snooki, in middle school when her friends named her after "Snookie", a male character in Save the Last Dance
Save the Last Dance
Save the Last Dance is a 2001 romantic drama dance film produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter and released by Paramount Pictures on January 12, 2001. The film stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas as a teenage interracial couple in Chicago who work together to help the main...

, because she was the first of her friends to kiss a boy. She grew up and attended school in Marlboro, New York
Marlboro, New York
Marlboro is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 2,339 at the 2000 census.Marlboro is in the southeast part of the Town of Marlborough and also the southeast corner of Ulster County.- History :...

, where she was a cheerleader. During high school, she suffered from an eating disorder, at one point weighing 80 pounds (36.3 kg). Polizzi attended community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...

 after graduating from Marlboro High School, where she studied to become a veterinary technician
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....

.

Career

MTV first introduced Polizzi in Is She Really Going Out with Him?, a show that focused on women dating obnoxious or arrogant men. Polizzi and her boyfriend, Justin, appeared in episode 14, "Jerz Pud".

Polizzi became part of the reality TV series Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore (TV series)
Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...

after being scouted by the casting director, an employee of Doron Ofir
Doron Ofir
Doron Ofir is a freelance casting director and president of Doron Ofir Casting, a division of Popular Productions, Inc. Ofir earned a reputation in Hollywood by taking on controversial programs such as MTV's 'A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila' and high profile projects such as MTV's Paris Hilton's...

 Casting. The New York Times identified her as "the breakout member of the cast". According to The New York Times, her actions on the show have caused her to be the target of public disdain while having a "strange appeal". One reported measure of her appeal was that she was one of the most popular celebrity Halloween costume
Halloween costume
Halloween costumes are costumes worn on or around Halloween, a festival which falls on October 31. The Halloween costume has a fairly short history. Wearing costumes has long been associated with other holidays around the time of Halloween, even Christmas...

s of 2010. Polizzi's popularity on the first season of Jersey Shore, which earned her $5,000 per episode, now earns her $30,000 per episode. While shooting in Seaside Heights, Polizzi was punched in the face by New York City school gym teacher Brad Ferro. The hit was deleted from future showings of the episode. Videos of the punch went viral on YouTube and were featured in many news media. After the punch was made public, Polizzi's appearance fees increased from $2,000 per event to $10,000 per event.

Polizzi was a presenter at the 2010 CMT Music Awards
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...

 On July 27, 2010, the cast of Jersey Shore appeared at the New York Stock Exchange and Polizzi rang the opening bell. Polizzi and the cast of Jersey Shore appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010. Polizzi also appeared on TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...

's Cake Boss
Cake Boss
Cake Boss is an American reality television series, airing on the cable television network TLC. Set at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, the show mainly follows Buddy Valastro, his mother, four sisters, and three brothers-in-law, as they operate their business, with a focus on how they make...

episode "Snookie, Super Anthony & a Ship" on November 8, 2010, in which she orders a cake for her mom. On November 7, 2010, Polizzi appeared at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid, Spain. She was subsequently parodied in the South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...

episode "It's a Jersey Thing
It's a Jersey Thing
"It's a Jersey Thing" is the ninth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 204th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 13, 2010. In the episode, New Jersey is rapidly taking over the...

", and is frequently caricatured on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

by actor Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan
Robert M. "Bobby" Moynihan, Jr. is an American actor and comedian who is currently a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...

.

In January 2011, Polizzi's book, A Shore Thing, was released: it described her search for love on the boardwalk. Despite a promotional campaign that included appearances by Polizzi on The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...

, Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...

and The Late Show with David Letterman, the book was not a sales success, selling approximately 9,000 copies within its first month of release, during which it accumulated 16 one-star customer reviews on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

. One publishing executive attributes the book's sales to the fact that "rather than a tell-all, it was disguised as a novel."
In April 2011, Polizzi was paid $32,000 to speak at Rutgers University. Her message included what it’s like being a celebrity, and also what she thinks is important in school, including the advice “Study hard, but party harder”. There was a big uproar from Rutgers students and alumni, who thought that Polizzi was invited merely for her celebrity status and was an inappropriate speaker for an academic setting.

Polizzi made an appearance on the March 14, 2011 episode of WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...

, where she got into a brawl with LayCool
LayCool
LayCool was a villainous professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Layla and Michelle McCool...

, which led to the formation of a 6-person Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...

 which was won by Polizzi and her partners Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....

 & John Morrison.

Polizzi and co-cast member on Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...

, Jennifer Farley, have signed a contract to star in a spin off show consisting of 12 episodes premiering on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 in the future. It will follow Polizzi and Farley moving in together.

Legal troubles

On July 30, 2010, Polizzi was arrested in Seaside Heights, New Jersey
Seaside Heights, New Jersey
Seaside Heights is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,887. Seaside Heights is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean...

 for disturbing the peace
Disturbing the Peace
Disturbing the Peace is the second studio album by Alcatrazz, and is the only one featuring Steve Vai on guitar. One of the singles, God Blessed Video, can be found on the fictional radio station, V-Rock, on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Weeks on Chart: 7, Peak: #133...

, disorderly conduct, and criminal annoyance of others. In a September 8 plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...

 in which the latter two charges were dropped, Judge Damian G. Murray sentenced her to a $500 fine and community service. In handing down the sentence, he characterized Polizzi as "a Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...

 wannabe". Her arrest was taped during production of season three of Jersey Shore.

On May 31, 2011 in Florence, Italy, Polizzi was briefly taken into custody by local police after the car she was driving collided with a parked traffic police car. According to Italian police, Polizzi was cited and released. Two police officers sustained minor injuries.

External links

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