Guilty Pleasures are Embarrassingly Fun

First thing's first:

OH YEAH JERSEY SHORE YEAH.

Jersey Shore returns with its new season tonight! LET'S GO!

My No. 1 guilty pleasure at the moment is -- without question -- Jersey Shore. I know, I know. You're about to tell me how it's such a terrible show, and the people on it are so awful and Italian American stereotypes and etc. etc.

Here's my counterargument to all of that: Bite me.

I don't care.

I normally hate reality shows. The Bachelor and The Bachelorette make my skin crawl. The Real Housewives series gives me a stomachache just thinking about them. I haven't watched the Real World in 10 years. Never watched Survivor or the Amazing Race or American Idol or anything like that. I don't mind some cooking shows like Hell's Kitchen and Masterchef.

I have seen a few episodes of Dancing with the Stars with various girlfriends over the years, but let's face it, there are ample reasons to watch that show other than the competition.

Jersey Shore, on the other hand, I just can't get enough. I don't exactly know why. But I know I'm not alone.

Here's the thing, I find Pauly D to be completely compelling and engrossing. I will watch Pauly on any show he does from now on. And here's another thing: when they first started running promos for this show a couple years ago, I definitely did NOT expect the guy who looks most stereotypically like a douchebag to be the most down-to-earth and chill of all of them. But there it is.

The show is not without its downsides. I find almost all of the girls on the show to be terrible -- especially Sammi.

Sammi, stop messing around with Ronnie. He's obviously not that into you, and he's a slimeball, ok? How many times does he have to throw your shit outside before you take the hint that maybe you're not right for each other?

I find Snooki and her friend Deena borderline OK. They annoy me, but nothing like Sammi. I can tolerate their presence. Angelina was terrible. No redeeming qualities. I'm so glad she's gone. I am, however, a big fan of JWoww. She's pretty awesome.

As for the guys, I've already discussed my mancrush on Pauly. Vinnie is fine with me, too, and Situation, well. I don't know. I liked Sitch a lot in the first season, season and a half maybe. But his act is growing old for me. Ronnie just needs to stop. We get it. You treat Sammi like shit. You cheat on her, and then somehow convince her it's her fault. I mean. What can you say about him?

With all that said, not only can I not stop watching it, but I'm incredibly excited for it to start again.

Don't judge me. We all have guilty pleasures. I just find some of the embarrassing things I like to be funny. Jersey Shore is No. 1 on the list, but it is hardly alone.

I'm also a huge fan of the MTV Challenge. Like I said, I haven't watched Real World in nearly a decade, so I'm still playing catch-up with the people on it, but this show is fantastic. Bill Simmons calls it the fifth American professional sport, ahead of NASCAR, which I have a hard time disagreeing with, honestly.

I also own the following DVDs and Blurays: Bedazzled, starring Elizabeth Hurly and Brendon Frasier; Masters of the Universe, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man (heck yes.); The Sweetest Thing (a really terrible [read: awesome] chick flick); and The Holiday.

I make no apologies for these movie choices.

And oh my music selections. One time when I was back at Technician, I was driving to dinner with a bunch of people in my car. The Colbie Callait song "Bubbly" came on because we were listening to a mix CD I'd made. One of the girls in the backseat commented how she kept waiting for the fast guitars to start. But no. It was really a Colbie Callait song.

Riding in my car has always guaranteed a really...strange?...mix of songs. My mix CDs contained songs ranging from The Beatles to Belle and Sebastion to Reel Big Fish to Mariah Carey to Tim McGraw to Third Eye Blind to the Smashing Pumpkins to the Pixies to Muse to Lady Gaga and so on.

One other time, we were riding in my car, and the following two songs played back-to-back:

"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
"Always Be My Baby" by the aforementioned Mariah Carey

What could I say other than, "well this is embarrassing?" Yup.

Want to know some more embarrassing songs I have on my iPod? Of course you do.

Ashlee Simpson - Pieces of Me
Backstreet Boys - I Want it That Way
Beyonce - Single Ladies
Extreme - More Than Words
Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
Miley Cyrus - 7 Things I Hate About You
New Kids on the Block - Tonight
R. Kelly - Ignition
Shaggy - Angel

And that's nothing close to an exhaustive list of the embarrassing songs I like. Those are just the few that jumped out at me on a cursory trip through the playlist.

I would absolutely love to know what some of your guilty pleasures are. It may give me some more ideas of terrible things I need to listen to, watch or read. Because, as you can see, I love me some awful things.

Lulz.

-BG