TORONTO — Why does Canada need its own version of “Jersey Shore”?
For 24-year-old Gizelle Baugh, it’s a chance to shake stereotypes of Canadian meekness at a time when U.S. president Donald Trump’s annexation threats have ignited debates over national identity.
“I feel like the world thinks we’re like America’s quiet little sister. Well actually, America’s quiet little sister is Canada, we just got our (breasts) done and we’re about to pop out,” says the Mississauga, Ont., TikTok creator.
“This is going to show we’re our own country. Fifty-which state, Trump? All these things are happening, there’s liquor we can’t get anymore, and you want to take us as your own country?
“People don’t really know how Canadians get down. We party, OK?”
Baugh is one of 10 so-called “unfiltered singletons” starring in “Canada Shore,” the first-ever Canadian iteration of MTV’s hit “Jersey Shore” series. Premiering Thursday on Paramount Plus, the show follows cast members from across the country as they live and work together during an unhinged summer in Kelowna, B.C.
And with it streaming globally, the showrunner and cast hope to prove Canada can take a brash American reality-TV format and make it noisier, more deeply unserious and far less polite.
“We can absolutely outdrink Americans! We’ve got stronger beer,” says Ryleigh Gregory, a 25-year-old marketing professional from Bridgewater, N.S.
Call it soft power by way of hard partying.
“I hope we stand up as one of the best versions of the show in the world. We’re not someone’s 51st state. That’s a big correlation to make there, but we need to be proud of the things we do,” says showrunner Erin Brock.
“My hope is people feel proud of this version, that it’s loud and messy and in-your-face and all those things that sometimes Canadians get stereotypically said that we’re not.”
The original “Jersey Shore,” which premiered in 2009, followed a group of New Jersey 20-somethings as they fist-pumped, partied and tanned their way to reality TV glory.
The Canadian version — which features original cast member Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi in a mentor role — marks the 18th spinoff of the franchise, which already includes “Aussie Shore” and “Frenchie Shore.”
Brock says Paramount approached her company Insight Productions — known for hits like “Big Brother Canada” and “The Amazing Race Canada” — to produce the series.
She says the timing for “Canada Shore” feels right, with audiences craving “escapism” and content that isn’t “overly produced and curated.”
While some may wonder how “Canadian” a spinoff of an American show can really be, Brock insists it’s fully homegrown.
“We have creative control. We’re free to do whatever we want to do with the show,” she says.
“We never want to just carbon copy a show that’s done somewhere else in the world, because Canadians won’t watch it then.”
Brock says she wanted participants who represented all corners of Canada and were “really real” personalities. She let the drama unfold naturally between roommates, though she notes some fights got so intense security had to step in to prevent things getting physical.
“There was more drama than I ever would have thought there would have been — and I’ve done a lot of reality TV,” she says.
During a press day last fall, several cast members singled out twoof their roommates as the main instigators of conflict: Christopher Brown and Lila Romanin.
“Those two started so much stuff and would just blow up in everyone’s face. It was absurd,” says Ethan Maynard, a 23-year-old DJ from Newmarket, Ont.
Christopher Brown, a 22-year-old Toronto club promoter, owns up to being “a troublemaker” on the show.
“I started a lot of drama inside the house. When things get boring, you need a little bit of drama,” says Brown, adding that he clicked with Lila Romanin’s “dramatic” personality right away.
“I have had my fair share of crazy nights in Toronto and I have been banned from a lot of places,” he says.
Romanin, a 20-year-old Toronto student, describes herself as “very loud and very opinionated,” adding that her housemates are just upset because she tends to win arguments.
She felt compelled to join the series to “spice things up” and show that Canadians aren’t pushovers.
“We have a reputation for being more apologetic, maybe a bit sweeter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cause chaos, we can’t be a little crazy and we don’t also have our claws out,” she says.
“Don’t step on our toes because we’ll stomp on yours.”
Still, it wasn’t all screaming and crash outs. Even amid the mayhem, Brock notes the housemates displayed a distinctly Canadian instinct for peacemaking.
“What really surprised me about this group is their ability to move beyond the drama like nobody’s business,” she says.
“They’d have a huge blowout that I feel I would have been haunted by, but they were able to move on and party together the next day.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
