Snooki and JWOWW step out

By Cindy Clark, USA TODAY

Posted June 17, 2012

Leave it to Snooki and JWOWW to twist a simple request into something unintended.

"I feel like we're lesbians," cracks Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi as she, at the direction of a photographer, puts her hands on best friend Jenni "JWOWW" Farley's shoulders.

"Now, look at each other," the photographer says.

It's all too much, and the pair dissolve into a fit of giggles.

To fans of MTV's Jersey Shore, which propelled the hard-partying, say-anything, devilish duo to reality TV mega-fame, it's a familiar scene. With lucrative product and endorsement deals including books, fragrances, tanning lotion, slippers and sunglasses, they've taken that fame far beyond 15 minutes. And they're raising their game as they prepare for the premiere of their own spinoff, Snooki & JWOWW (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET/PT, MTV).

The photo shoot is at Hudson Terrace, a swanky rooftop bar and lounge. But on this sunny spring afternoon, the bar remains untouched, and the only drinks served are bottles of water. That's because Polizzi, 24, known for her unabashed silliness and knock-down drunken antics, isn't drinking alcohol — something that come September she won't have touched for nine months.

"This wasn't planned," says the petite Polizzi. She's six months pregnant and expecting a baby boy with her fiancé, Jionni LaValle, whom she met in Seaside Heights, N.J., the birthplace of Jersey Shore. "We're not even thinking about a wedding right now. We just want to have the baby first, and then maybe in about a year and a half, we'll start planning and have the baby in the wedding."

The surprise turn of events threw their reality show plans — a romp of two roommates settling into a Jersey City bachelorette pad — for a loop. It was filmed during Polizzi's first trimester, so there would be no tequila-shot-induced stupors. Instead, there would be all of the joys — and symptoms — that come along with pregnancy.

"Obviously, there's a lot of symptoms that (stink), but then again, you're creating a baby inside of you, which is just so amazing," Polizzi says. "I think the best thing is having that excitement of being a mom. It's something I've never felt before."

And still, some things never change.

"She still complains the same as she did when she was hung over, but now it's the 'I'm pregnant' excuse," says Farley, who says she is "proud" of her friend.

"She's made such a transition. … (Now) she's a very over-concerned, first-time mom."

The spinoff is "basically us outside the shore … real-life drama," says Farley, 26, coolly puffing away on an electronic cigarette. "I quit smoking, but I'm worried about this summer," she explains, referring to the return to Seaside Heights to film the sixth season of Jersey Shore. "I just know with all of the drinking it's going to be hard (not to smoke), but I'll have this."

With Shore having been such a runaway ratings success, the pair are their own stiff competition.

"I'm not worried," says Polizzi, who speaks frankly but with a noticeable wariness toward her interviewer. "I don't think it will beat Jersey Shore, but our fans are so great and we have so much support from young girls, … obviously it would be embarrassing if it flops."

Farley, however, is more relaxed and easily offers up her anxieties: "I personally am very nervous. … But we're relatable."

Time will tell if they're able to capture the same viewers who tuned in to watch them stumble around the shore — shenanigans, they realize, their future children will someday see. "I'm screwed," says Farley, who wants kids — "maybe by 30" — but wants "to get married first." Polizzi is prepared: "I'm just going to show them right off the bat and say, 'Learn from my mistakes and be smart about things.' … Our kids are going to be great."

And as long as people tune in, don't expect Snooki or JWOWW to go anywhere.

"She'll do (reality TV) till she's 90," Farley says. "We're going to have the nursing home reunion."