'Jersey Shore's Guadagnino to Host New MTV Reality Series THE SHOW WITH VINNY

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MTV today announced that the network is set to expand its pop culture-dominating "Jersey Shore" franchise with the greenlight of the new, hybrid talk show/reality series THE SHOW WITH VINNY, hosted by cast member Vinny Guadagnino. Executive Produced by SallyAnn Salsano of 495 Productions, the series will shatter the typical talk show format by taking the biggest celebrities out of the studio and into Vinny Guadagnino's family home in Staten Island, New York.

Combining the reality of Guadagnino's home life – a long established fan-favorite element to "Jersey Shore" – with off-the-cuff and unscripted interviews with stars invited over to break bread, "The Show With Vinny" will feature a host of real characters from Guadagnino's personal life, from his ultimate hostess mother Paula to party boss Uncle Nino and more. Celebrities will let their guard down to have a meal and a candid conversation about whatever comes up complete with lots of commentary from Vinny's peanut gallery of loved ones. No studio or audience; just family, food and big friggin' stars.

"Vinny's unique mix of humor, intelligence, curiosity and heart make him the perfect choice for this genre busting take on the interview format," said Chris Linn, MTV Executive Vice President of Programming and Head of Production. "As the lives of the 'Jersey Shore' cast evolve, we are excited to explore new ground while still delivering the laughs and surprises that fans have come to expect from the franchise."

Don't miss Vinny in MTV's upcoming one hour fundraising special, "Restore the Shore." The special will encourage people nationwide to contribute to the rebuilding of Seaside Heights, the heart of the Jersey Shore and home to one of MTV's most popular shows, "Jersey Shore." The special will run LIVE from MTV's Times Square Studio on Thursday, November 15th at 11pm ET, tape delayed PT on air, online and on mobile and will feature the cast of the "Jersey Shore" along with other special guest appearances to be announced.

"Jersey Shore" is MTV's highest rated series ever in the network's history and since its on-air debut in December 2009 it has achieved and maintained television domination as the #1 cable series for P12-34 consecutively for all five of its previous seasons. Now in its sixth and final season, the series continues to dominate the Thursday night programming landscape. Averaging a 3.1 P12-34 rating and 3.3 million total viewers to-date, "Jersey Shore" consistently rates as one of the top cable programs among P12-34 in its last cycle.

The fan fascination with "Jersey Shore" led to complete Thursday night, 10-spot programming supremacy and a burgeoning franchise that to date includes the domestic spinoff series "The Pauly D Project" and "Snooki & JWOWW," the latter of which will returns for its second season on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 10p.m. ET/PT.

Averaging a 1.7 rating and drawing 1.3 P12-34 viewers in its debut season, "Snooki & JWOWW" ranked as the #1 cable series in its time slot. "Snooki & JWOWW" also ranked as Thursday's #2 cable series, after MTV's "Awkward." The season averaged 1.8 million total viewers each week. "The Pauly D Project" averaged 1.4 million total viewers each week, ranked as the #1 cable program in its time slot among W12-34.

"The Show With Vinny" is Executive Produced by SallyAnn Salsano for 495 Productions – the Production Company behind "Jersey Shore." The series is Executive Produced by Jacquelyn French for MTV. Janay Dutton is Executive in Charge of Production on the series for MTV. Concept by Jessica Zalkind. Kara Welker and JarEd Hoffman serve as Executive Producers of the series for Generate Management.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. P12-34 unless noted. Ranked on 000s. Dates: through 11/8/12.
About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.