Redeem now - Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro had a dramatic relationship on "Jersey Shore."
- The couple broke up and got back together numerous times over the show's original run.
- Here's a timeline of Giancola and Ortiz-Magro's tumultuous relationship.
Few couples have captivated reality TV audiences like Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro did on the original "Jersey Shore." The on-again, off-again relationship made for some unforgettable moments on TV, most notably the infamous "Letter to Sammi."
But Ortiz-Magro has faced allegations of domestic violence against subsequent partners in recent years, and rewatching his onscreen relationship with Giancola frequently devolve into explosive and violent arguments is uncomfortable, to say the least.
Here's a timeline of Giancola's and Ortiz-Magro's tumultuous relationship on "Jersey Shore."
Giancola and Ortiz-Magro began dating during the first season of the hit reality series, which aired in late 2009
After a brief flirtation with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Giancola began dating Ortiz-Magro, much to Sorrentino's disappointment.
Almost from the start, the couple's relationship was strained, mostly because of Ortiz-Magro's penchant for going out and drinking heavily at nightclubs with Sorrentino and fellow castmates Vinny Guadagnino, Jenni "Jwoww" Farley, and Paul "DJ Pauly D" Delvecchio.
Ortiz-Magro would frequently flirt with other women during nights out even after he and Giancola became official, something that everyone else in the house was acutely aware of. He also spent a night in prison during the first season, but the season ended with Giancola and Ortiz-Magro leaving the house as a couple.
They stayed together through the year, but an on-air spat during the reunion special led to their first breakup
Per HollywoodLife, the argument in question occurred after a clip was shown during the January 2010 reunion taping of Giancola confiding in Sorrentino about flirting with a policeman. Ortiz-Magro then began berating Giancola and threatening to leave her, even though Giancola said the flirtation took place "early on" before they were a couple.
As the cast and crew looked on, Giancola told them that she was ending things with Ortiz-Magro, and walked off the set crying.
Both Giancola and Ortiz-Magro were single when they began filming the second season in spring 2010
The second season of the hit show took place in Miami instead of New Jersey. But the drama that characterized Giancola and Ortiz-Magro's relationship in season one continued in Florida when they got back together soon after filming began.
Despite sleeping in Giancola's bed every evening, Ortiz-Magro was shown in the second season flirting with women on a regular basis during nights out, and even getting one woman's phone number. While his male castmates declined to bring up the subject to Giancola, Farley and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi decided to let her know what was going on via an anonymous note.
"Sam, the first night at BED when you left, Ron made out with 2 girls and put his head inbetween a cocktail waitresses breasts. Also was grinding with multiple fat women," the note read in part.
After detailing another alleged instance of infidelity, the now-iconic letter concludes: "Multiple people in the house know, therefore you should know the truth."
Ultimately, Giancola broke things off with Ortiz-Magro after finding the note. However, she later went head-to-head with Farley over the letter, which eventually led to a physical altercation between the two women.
Giancola and Ortiz-Magro ultimately ended the second season on a high note, and continued dating throughout filming of the show's third season
Giancola and Ortiz-Magro proved inseparable at the beginning of the third season (which once again took place in Seaside Heights, New Jersey) but soon fell back into familiar patterns of arguing. Midway through the season, which aired in 2011, they broke up after a particularly nasty fight, leading to growing tension in the house.
Ortiz-Magro was subsequently so aggravated by the breakup that he attempted to destroy Giancola's belongings by throwing them on the porch — including the bed she was standing on during the altercation. Giancola later decided to leave the shore house, and was absent for a few episodes.
The couple tried to patch things up after their blowout fight, but Ortiz-Magro's paranoia that Giancola was cheating on him meant that they ended the season both single.
During the fourth season in Florence, Italy, Giancola and Ortiz-Magro continued to date on and off
As in previous seasons, Ortiz-Magro's behavior during nights out, as well as his suspicion that Giancola was being unfaithful, caused serious problems in the couple's dynamic during the group's time in Europe. However, like in previous episodes, the two got back together almost as soon as they broke up, much to the consternation of their roommates.
When the original series ended in 2012, the couple were together
Even though they had yet another fight during the series finale, Giancola and Ortiz-Magro were still hopeful for their future, and later walked out together during the live reunion taping in December 2012.
But Entertainment Weekly's Darren Franich reported at the time that when asked if they were still together by the reunion host, Ortiz-Magro made a joke about how there was still time for the relationship to end during the taping.
The couple later walked the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards, which took place in August 2013 in Brooklyn, ostensibly still together at that point.
By 2014, they had broken up for good
Ortiz-Magro told People in August that year that he and Giancola had simply drifted "apart" and weren't "really spending any time together."
Per Ortiz-Magro, they officially called off the relationship in June 2014.
"I still care about her. She's a great girl, but we were growing distant. It was for the best," he said at the time.
When 'Jersey Shore Family Vacation' premiered in 2018, Giancola was notably absent
The revival of the popular reality show follows the older cast as they continue to take drama-filled trips together, albeit this time with spouses and children.
And while all of the other original cast members returned for the new iteration, Giancola didn't — a decision her costar Deena Buckner (née Cortese) told Insider in July 2023 was likely due to the fact that she didn't want to be near her former boyfriend.
"Especially if Ronnie was around — she didn't want Ronnie around, and for a while Ronnie was around," Buckner said of the dynamic between the two exes years after their final breakup.
Giancola and Ortiz-Magro will reunite on the sixth season of 'Family Vacation'
Giancola's long-awaited return to the franchise coincides with Ortiz-Magro coming back after taking some time away to focus on his mental health.
While it's unclear if or when the two exes will face each other, their castmates told Insider it's a big change to have both Giancola and Ortiz-Magro back again.
"There's definitely mixed feelings when it comes to that, and you're dealing with a very tricky situation, a very sensitive situation," Sorrentino said of the former couple's simultaneous return to the show. "So you got to see how we navigate that... what we did when Ron and Sam were under the same roof at the same time."
"Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" premieres Thursday on MTV.
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