1. Forty Shore: They may be 40, but they party like they’re 20.

2. My show is a matured version of the MTV hit Jersey Shore. Like Jersey Shore, Forty Shore will feature eight New Jersey natives living in a shore house for the summer, but there’s a catch-- they’re in their forties. All cast members are between the ages of 38-44. Some are married with children, some are divorced, and some are still single, having never grown up, but one thing they have in common is they’re all here to have a good time and relive those “glory days.” The house will be in the more family-friendly Point Pleasant beach instead of Seaside, but will still follow the cast as they hit the bars, beach, and boardwalk.

3. Jersey Shore all grown up. Eight people who all used to vacation at the Jersey shore in their younger years reunite in a summer rental for one last hoorah. Is this the end of what used to be or only the beginning of the next chapter?

4. Forty Shore is a reality-based series, with a mix of drama and comedy. While its goal is to entertain, it also aims to inspire, proving that sometimes age really is “just a number.” Who says just because you’re 40 you can’t party like you’re 20? There’s no age limit on having a good time and it’s never too late to find love, settle down, live it up, or start over.

5. Forty Shore will follow the standard reality TV format, with the eight participants behaving as they normally would, not acknowledging that there is a cast and crew present. Think of MTV’s Real World and Jersey Shore. There will be some cameramen following the cast when they go out, but there will also be cameras set up in every room of the shore house (except the bathroom) in order to catch the true emotions and behaviors of these eight people when they really don’t realize there are cameras present. My show will be part documentary as it gives a brief history of the cast, telling us who they are and how they’re connected to one another. It will also be entertainment as we witness the expected drunk and sloppy behaviors that happen after a night of partying hard at the Jersey shore. At the same time, the show will appeal to our emotions as a TV drama would, when we hear some of the hardships the cast has experienced since they last were together twenty years earlier. The audience will be touched when they see the chronically-single Mike finally want to settle down and change his ways after seeing the beautiful families a few of his roommates have. They will also be inspired when they one divorced couple re-live their younger years and relieve some of that tension that destroyed their marriage, possible reconnecting and starting over. It’s never too late to find love, happiness, and most importantly, have fun!

6. The show will open on location, taking place at the Jersey Shore in Point Pleasant, New Jersey—there will still be the beach, boardwalk, and bars, just a slightly older, more

mature scene than what you find in Seaside Heights. Then it will cut to an introduction of the eight roommates, filming them as they pack at their homes. They will all introduce themselves, noting their occupation, age, marital status, and talking about their history at the Jersey shore and what it means to them. All of them are NJ natives who spent many summers at the shore. The cast will live in a large house on the bayside of the beach. Instead of a hot tub, there will be a pool, instead of the “smush room” there is a play room for when children come to visit. The cast will consist of eight people, all from New Jersey. They will all be between the ages of 38-44. There will be one married couple, one divorced couple, one “forever single” guy, one “forever single” girl, one widower, and a single mom. Some cast members already know each other very well, while the others have only ran into each other when vacationing at the Jersey shore, either with their families or their single party friends. Some cast members have children, who will be allowed to visit whenever taping isn’t scheduled. The show will document these eight people in their forties and late thirties) as they live in a shore house together for 8 weeks (from July 1st to August 31st). Some will relive their “glory” days before they settled down and started a family, some will be looking for love, and some will be rethinking their whole life plan. Will the party animals finally decide to settle down or are they destined to be single forever? You’ll just have to watch and find out…

7. EPISODE 1: Meet the Cast—The series opens with the eight roommates leaving their homes and arriving at their summer beach house in Point Pleasant, NJ. They arrive at the house one at a time and go in having no idea who their roommates will be. Some cast members will be happy to see faces they recognize from their younger years at the shore. Others will be less-than-thrilled when they learn one of their roommates is their ex-husband or wife. If their relationship failed the last time, how could it possibly work living under the same roof for two months? Watch to see the drama unfold.EPISODE 2: And the Drama Begins—This episode is filled with drama. It’s the second night in the house and the roommates throw a backyard barbecue to break the ice and get to know each other as they are today. The drinking gets out of control and what’s supposed to be a fun and relaxing evening turns into a night of name-calling and bottle-throwing. It’s only day two and already two of the roommates want out…EPISODE 3: Remember When—The roommates have spent the past week together and in this episode they reminisce about the summers they spent bar-hopping and strolling the boardwalk back in their “younger years.” Some house mates recall their fondest memories taking place at the Jersey shore. For some, those were their best years, while for others they were the worst… This episode brings the house together and gives the audience a first glimpse of a family dynamic. The family bonding occurs mostly over

Sunday dinner. Like on Jersey Shore, Sunday dinner is the one meal that brings everyone together, despite their hectic schedules.EPISODE 4: Family Matters—It’s been a week and a half of filming and finally the cast is able to see their family. Today is the day those who have children, get to see them and catch up. (While the kids are not filmed, the cameras do catch the roommates’ strong emotions as they must say goodbye again.) In this episode the audience is likely to develop a soft spot for single parents Molly and Gus. For years they’ve had to raise their kids on their own, having them at their side 24/7, so being away from them for this long understandably takes a toll on the single devoted parents. EPISODE 5: An Unlikely Friendship—In this episode, a new (and surprising) friendship forms emerges between house enemies Teresa and Jackie. The two bond over a day at the beach. It just goes to show what an enjoyable day of sand and sun can do. It’s hard to be mad when you’re listening to the ocean and soaking up the sunshine!EPISODE 6: Ladies Night—This episode follows the women on their first night out as a group. They go o Martell’s Tiki Bar and have a few too many shots. The result? Not pretty…one cast member ends up on the bar and flashes the entire place…one ends up cheating on her significant other…and none of the ladies can remember a thing in the morning.EPISODE 7: Boys Night Out—After the girls had their fun, the guys get jealous and want their own night out. This episode shows them at their night out in Karma in Seaside Heights—the “trashier” part of the shore. The women are disgusted because they know the men are going out looking for trouble. If you thought the ladies were out of control, wait ‘til you see the men…one cast member ends up in the “Seaside slammer.” Just like the good old days…

8. FINAL EPISODE: See you later—This is their last night in the house but it is not goodbye. When these eight people entered the house at the beginning of the summer they were virtually strangers—they knew each other as 21-year-olds, but lost touch over the years and knew nothing about the people they’d all become. However, one summer changed that. All eight roommates formed a family. Some flames rekindled—it turns one couple held resentment for settling down too young and not getting to “live life” in their twenties. This summer gave them a second chance to finally do everything they’d missed out on. Now that they had nothing to regret, their relationship reformed, stronger and better than ever. New love formed as well—we see a new couple between single parents Molly and Gus, who leave the house together. Party animal Mike has finally grown up and we end the season with him quitting his job as a bartender and putting his Bachelor’s degree in finance to work. All the roommates exchanged phone numbers and addresses and all will be back next summer, to relive those “glory days.” When it comes to summer at the Jersey shore, age really is just a number.

9. More recently, researchers have taken an interest in reality television programming and what it is that makes it so popular, why they feel people may be tuning in each week. The following articles explore the elements of reality TV and provide evidence as to why my own reality show, Forty Shore would be successful.Minna Aslama (2006) explored the emotion portrayed in reality TV in her article “Talking Alone.” Aslama focuses specifically on the “confessionals” featured in many reality shows, such as Real World and even Jersey Shore, where one cast mate will go into a room and speak intimately with the camera. Aslama’s research claims that the main reason viewers tune in is to see these “true emotions” on tape. Aslama also explores the authenticity of the emotions we see on reality shows. It is noted in the article that while these reality show participants may very well be experiencing real feelings, whether from a breakup on TV or another devastating situation, the participants are often placed into the situations artificially. For example, on The Bachelor, the woman who is sent home may be asked a certain question or told something to get her all worked up before she steps in the limo. Yes, she is probably very upset, but may not have broken down on camera if producers hadn’t been in here ear. But regardless of how authentic these emotions are, viewers will still tune in to see these once private moments displayed on screen.In the article “Making the Most Out of 15 Minutes: Reality TV’s Dispensable Celebrity,” Sue Collins (2008) talks about the new face of celebrities—ordinary people who play themselves on reality shows. These contestants go into it as an average Joe, getting paid very little, having never been heard of before, but when the show’s over, they’ve virtually become a celebrity—they’re a household name, get recognized, and can now market themselves as a brand. (Think Jersey Shore’s Snooki. She got a spinoff series, a trademark Halloween costume, slipper line, and the ultimate celeb status.) Collins also points out some problems with reality TV and their practice of hiring cheap, non-unionized labor. The problem is these reality shows are setting up in cities where unions depend on work and then giving it to nonunionized laborers, taking away their jobs. This was a big problem in 2004’s season of MTV’s Real World Philadelphia, where MTV had to get rid of their nonunionized workers because the unions claimed Philly as their territory. In this way, reality TV is also changing the economy, giving jobs to one group, while taking them from another.Some research also suggests people watch reality TV for the element of drama and one reason many reality shows are popular is because they follow the soap opera format for their narratives and formal structures. Also, many reality programs are localized in that they show elements of the culture of the target audience. In this case, people tune in because it is something recognizable and similar to them, therefore making it appealing. That is what Graeme Turner (2005) focuses on in the article “Cultural Identity, Soap

Narrative, and Reality TV.” Turner points out that the trend of transnational reality programs, such as Big Brother, are also a threat to localized programs like telenovela in Latin America. Before these transnational programs, the one thing smaller localized formats had was their cultural identity with the audience, drawing them in. With reality programs molding themselves to different audiences across the globe, this brings an immediate threat to other programming. In this case, the success of reality TV is bad news for the other formats. Beck, Hellmueller, and Aeschbacher (2013) further emphasize the success of reality TV in their article “Factual Entertainment and Reality TV,” pointing out that the success of the reality format is not short-lived, as it has been around since the first season of MTV’s Real world back in 1992. Millions of viewers tune in to the various genres of reality TV, whether it be the competition format seen in American Idol and Top Model or the documentary/entertainment format found in Jersey Shore. Jersey Shore is also noted as a prime example of ordinary people achieving celebrity status after appearing on a reality show. The “authenticity” of these real people in real situations (in this case getting drunk and sloppy in Seaside Heights,) draws viewers in. They like seeing people who they can relate to go about their lives. The viewers like to see unscripted entertainment and emotion, which they may feel doesn’t exist on other programming. The article points out that reality shows, such as Jersey Shore specifically, introduce “new terms, acronyms, and phrases in to American pop culture.” Thanks to these “guidos and guidettes” our culture now has “GTL” as a lifestyle.Patino, Kaltcheva, and Smith (2011) focus specifically on why younger audiences are drawn into reality TV, in their article “The Appeal of Reality Television for Teen and Pre-Teen Audiences.” The article noted that these young viewers are drawn in due to connectedness, the “level of intensity of the relationship(s) that a viewer develops with the characters and contextual settings of a program in the para-social television environment.” They found that viewers who valued physical attractiveness were more drawn in to reality TV, but there was no correlation between reality TV viewing and academic achievement. This means that regardless of how well teens and pre-teens do in school, they are just as likely to watch reality TV if the characters have something they can relate to. This study was done to also help advertisers in choosing their product placement, since they now know young people of both sexes and varying academic standings are watching reality TV.Lastly, Curnutt (2011) further explores reality TV’s practice of casting ordinary people in their shows in the article “Durable Participants: A generational approach to reality TV’s ‘ordinary’ labor pool.” Curnutt points out that while these shows aim to portray the lives of regular everyday people, they are selective in their process. These shows know exactly what type of character they’re looking for before they begin their search, so the

contestants aren’t exactly your average Joe, but rather a specific type of Joe. Curnett’s article also explains that there is a generation gap between reality TV talent. In the first generation of reality TV, participants were a result of “experimentation,” in that they really were randomly chosen just as ordinary people being themselves. However, due to the increasingly high demand of reality programming, the second generation of reality TV participants reflect an “industrial standard.” In other words, today the process of selecting participants in not random, but calculated. Producers look at successful characters from previous shows and set out to find people like them. They know exactly what type of person they are looking for, so if you want to be on these shows you may have to study these people, or “characters” and practice playing a role. It’s not as “real” as one may think.

10. Forty Shore is Jersey Shore meets Real Housewives of New Jersey, two shows which each broke records in their ratings. Due to Jersey Shore’s success early on, the cast was able to triple their salary by the third season. With each of them making about $30,000 dollars per episode, the NY Post noted this was MTV’s biggest show since The Osbournes. The cast’s salaries continued to rise from there. (NY Post) Reported on Inside TV, the series returned that season with 8.4 million viewers, making it MTV’s most-watched series telecast of all time. (Inside TV) Real Housewives of New Jersey also broke records with their third-season premiere, making it the best premiere in Bravo network history. (Examiner) With my show being a cross between the two, I am confident it would also bring in high ratings.

11. Aslama, M. (2006) Talking Alone: reality TV, emotions and authenticity, European Journal of Cultural Studies, 9, 2, 167-186.

Beck, D., Hellmueller, L., Aeschbacher, N. (2012) Factual Entertainment and Reality TV, Communication Research Trends, 31, 2, 4-23.

Collins, S. (2008) Making the Most out of 15 Minutes: Reality TV’s Dispensable Celebrity, Television & New Media, 9, 2, 87-110.

Curnutt, H. (2011) Durable participants: A generational approach to reality TV’s ‘ordinary’ labor pool, Media, Culture & Society, 33, 7, 1061-1076.

Patino, A., Kaltcheva, V., Smith, M. (2011) The Appeal of Reality Television For Teen and Pre-Teen Audiences, Journal of Advertising Research, 51, 1, 288-297.

Turner, G. (2005) Cultural Identity, Soap Narrative, and Reality TV, Television & New Media, 6, 4, 415-422.