People are in the club on a Friday night fist pumping, beating that beat, watching out for grenades and looking for anyone who might be DTF. There are juiceheads and gorillas everywhere. Ladies are looking their finest. Creeping and snooking left and right; someone might even get into a situation. No, this isn’t an episode of MTV’s hit reality show “Jersey Shore.” This was the scene on Sept. 17 when Vinny Guadagnino hosted Sin City Fridays at Trumans in New Paltz, presented by DJ Mr. Vince and DJ Kue of the World Famous Vynil Squad. The “Jersey Shore” Party enticed a massive crowd with the bass turned up, deejays spinning intense beats and one of the most noticeable faces on television in the room.
“All I want to do is entertain people, that’s it. Whether it’s through the show or through acting, comedy or music,” said Guadagnino.
Before Guadagnino was doing GTL (gym, tanning, laundry) in Seaside Heights, N.J. or Miami Beach Fla., he was a first-year student at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz in September 2005. He said his experience at New Paltz was incredible, but that he needed a change of scenery so he left after one semester.
“I liked the school itself, the academics were amazing, but the actual location wasn’t really working out for me. I’m more of a city guy,” said Guadagnino.
When he was a student at SUNY New Paltz, Murphy’s was one of his favorite places to hang out. He admits to sneaking into the bars and clubs because he was only 17 years old.
Guadagnino transferred to the City University of New York at College of Staten Island where he graduated with a B.S. in political science. Law school is in his potential future if a career in the entertainment field doesn’t work out.
“I could always go to law school, but for now I’m trying to do the Hollywood thing. I’m going to acting auditions,” said Guadagnino. “I’m just giving that a shot since I have a good opportunity with the show.”
Guadagnino’s casting call, which was initially a joke, turned out to be the start of his unexpected fame. He doesn’t like using the term “reality TV star” because to him, the show is so much more than that.
“Rather than just being a regular reality TV show it opened a lot of doors,” said Guadagnino. “Our show definitely did very well. It broke the record with reality shows.”
When he’s not on “Jersey Show,” Guadagnino is traveling around the country making appearances, but he makes sure to spend a lot of time with his family because they are very close. He said he is still a regular guy who likes to play basketball at the park, but people recognize him wherever he goes.
“I can’t really go to the mall or anywhere by myself anymore, but overall it changed for the better because I have a lot of opportunities now that I didn’t have before,” he said.
What he loves most about being on television is all the crazy experiences.
Guadagnino and the rest of the cast recently wrapped the third season of “Jersey Shore.”
“I went to Miami and I had a shore house with a bunch of people who are my family now,” he said. “It’s 100 percent real. Nothing is ever scripted. We just have outrageous personalities and it makes for a good TV show.”