‘For Seaside Heights, the exposure has been good for us,’ exec says.
By Eric Ditzian

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The cast of “Jersey Shore”


Photo: MTV

Over the weekend, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and took a shot at MTV’s hit reality show “Jersey Shore.”

“Negative for New Jersey,” the Republican politician declared. “It takes a bunch of New Yorkers, drops them at the Jersey Shore, and tries to make America feel like this is the Jersey Shore. I can tell people — they want to know what New Jersey really is — I welcome them to come to New Jersey anytime. The Jersey Shore is a beautiful place.”

Although the governor argued the show is a blight on his state, small-business owners in Seaside Heights — where the “Shore” kids filmed season one and are now in the midst of shooting the third season — have a different stance.

“For Seaside Heights, the exposure has been good for us,” Maria Maruca, executive director of the Seaside Heights Business Improvement District, told MTV News. “The governor is expressing his opinion, and he does represent the entire state. I represent Seaside Heights.”

Maruca said the beach town has already experienced an economic boost from the show’s production crew, which swept into town recently and has kept hotel staff and catering services busy. And now that Snooki, the Situation and the rest of the cast are back in town — after a jaunt down to Miami Beach earlier this year — Maruca expects tourists to follow.

“Saturday evening, the cast did come down the boardwalk. They went to a local establishment called the Beach Bar for dinner,” she said. “There was a buzz. There was a surge of people saying, ‘Oh, there’s the cast and crew — let’s follow them!’ It has created a buzz within the town. We’re hoping that will equate to more people coming down to see what it’s all about.”

As for Christie’s issue with the New York-centric makeup of the cast, Maruca argues that the Jersey Shore itself attracts a geographically varied clientele. “It’s a microcosm,” she said. “Our market is a tri-state market of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. A majority of our visitors are from New Jersey, but it’s extremely diverse.”

Season two of “Jersey Shore” premieres Thursday, July 29, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Be there!

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