Is Replacing the 'Jersey Shore' Cast a Good Idea?

"Jersey Shore" is safe for the forseeable future. The cast has returned from shooting season four in Florence, and those episodes are set to start airing in early August. The cast has also already signed on for season five, which will begin shooting in Seaside very soon.

But as we reported earlier, rumors have been swirling that the "Jersey Shore" crew would be replaced by newer cast members. MTV quickly denied those rumors, but the fact that the "Shore" cast is now making six figures per episode, cost may be a factor for the network.

Would changing the cast mean the death of "Jersey Shore?" Possibly. In fact, probably: if you look at what happened to "Laguna Beach" after the cast cycled out, that should tell you all you need to know. "Laguna Beach" was one of MTV's biggest shows for seasons one and two, but by the time season three rolled around Kristin, LC, Stephen and the rest of the original cast was long gone. Ratings dwindled, and the show was cancelled shortly after.

However, MTV managed to get the spinoff "The Hills" out of that deal, and that worked out quite nicely...they even spun off of that spinoff with "The City." Considering that we know Pauly D, Snooki and JWoww to all have spinoff deals, MTV might not be as careful in cutting the cord on the original "Jersey Shore" cast. Additionally, "Laguna Beach" averaged a little over three million viewers in its heyday while "Jersey Shore" brought in a little over eight million for its season three premiere. The "Shore" has a much bigger cushion than the "Beach" in terms of a drop in ratings.

But even though he has a spin-off, "Shore" star Pauly D doesn't think re-casting the show would be a great idea. "I don't think that they can recast us," Pauly told "Extra". "Each one of us has our own personality, you can't replace us. They only have people trying to be like us!"

I'm always amazed that we're so entertained by these guys, so I would be shocked if a new cast was brought in and the show was any good. Maybe the future of "Jersey Shore" is just in the spin-offs. Or the spin-offs of spin-offs. Think about it: you could have a show about the poor tortured soul who has to spray-tan Snooki.