Never fall in love at the Jersey Shore. Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro’s tumultuous relationship was one of the biggest storylines throughout the original MTV series.
While Sammi was originally flirting with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino in the 2009 premiere, she ultimately found a connection with Ronnie. The duo began dating in season 1, leaving the shore house as a couple at the end of their trip. It wasn’t until the January 2010 reunion that they broke up for the first time — live on camera.
During the special, the Jersey Shore cast was shown never-before-seen footage of Sammi confiding to Mike that she flirted with a police officer after seeing Ronnie dance with another woman at a nightclub. Mike, for his part, confessed to Sammi he didn’t think Ronnie was worth her time and gave her a little smooch near her mouth.
Though the exes didn’t speak to each other until they reunited in Miami for the next installment of the franchise, 2010’s season 2 was filled with dramatic, on-again, off-again moments between Ronnie and Sammi.
One standout scene involved Jenni “JWoww” Farley and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi‘s iconic note to Sammi, warning her that Ronnie “made out with two girls and put his head in between a cocktail waitress’ breasts” during a night out.
The anonymous message went on to detail more of Ronnie’s NSFW behavior from the night before, warning Sammi — who had just gotten back together with the Bronx native — that “multiple people in the house knew [about Ronnie’s infidelity]” and she should as well.
Throughout the rest of the series, Sammi and Ronnie continued to break things off and get back together. However, during the Jersey Shore series finale in 2012, the reality stars left the show together with plans to move in together and settle down.
Less than two years later, Ronnie confirmed that he and the New Jersey native called it quits for good. “Me and Sammi aren’t together anymore,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2014. “We just grew our separate ways. She’s still a great person. I love her as a person and I care about her but we went our separate ways. That’s it.”
Following their split, Sammi got engaged to longtime boyfriend Christian Biscardi in 2020. In July 2021, she revealed that she was single. She later moved on with her current partner, Justin May.
Ronnie, for his part, dated Jen Harley on and off from 2017 to 2019, with the couple welcoming daughter Ariana in 2018. Throughout their rocky romance, the pair were involved in a series of physical altercations with each other, including Jen’s 2018 arrest for domestic battery and Ronnie’s arrest for domestic violence one year later. The MTV star moved on with Saffire Matos in 2020 but the twosome called it quits two years later.
In 2018, the original Jersey Shore cast members got back together for a new spinoff series titled Jersey Shore Family Vacation. Sammi was the only one who didn’t sign back on for the new reality show.
“I am at a completely different place in my life right now focusing on my businesses and relationship,” the Sweetheart Styles founder explained at the time. “I am not the same person as I was when I was 22. At 31, I am currently extremely happy in every aspect of my life and want to avoid potentially TOXIC SITUATIONS.”
Four years later, Sammi revealed that she was returning to the MTV franchise. “OK, I can finally say… I’m backkk! ☺️,” she captioned a selfie from the set.
Ronnie, for his part, took a hiatus from the show in May 2021 to “seek medical treatment for mental health issues.” Us confirmed the prior month that the Celebrity Fear Factor alum was arrested for domestic violence again in Los Angeles and later released on $100,000 bond. Ronnie and Saffire broke their silence on the incident.
“Ronnie and I are fine,” the Florida native wrote in an Instagram Story at the time. “There is a lot of misleading information floating around out there. With anybody who reached out with concern I appreciate it with all my heart, but everything that’s being portrayed out there are not facts. I don’t think it’s fair that people are using false accusations to gain attention.”
A few weeks after Sammi announced her return to the MTV franchise, Ronnie was reportedly spotted during filming.
Keep scrolling to relive Sammi and Ronnie’s romance:
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If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
