‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’: Deena Cortese Reveals How Reality TV Made Her a ‘Stronger’ Person
Deena Cortese joined the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore for season 3 in 2011 after Angelina Pivarnick got the boot. And while some reality stars find watching themselves on TV cringy, Deena found that it made her a stronger person.
Deena Cortese shared how ‘Jersey Shore’ impacted her
It’s hard to believe that Deena suffered from low self-confidence when she first appeared on Jersey Shore, but that’s what the reality star recently shared. During an interview on the podcast Behind The Rope with David Yontef, she reflected on the show’s earlier seasons.
“I feel like it really made me who I am today. Like, back then … I feel like I wasn’t a very strong person … I wasn’t very confident. I came off like I was, but I feel like deep down I wasn’t … Now I’m still a good time, but I feel like I came into my own, and I feel like those seasons, and watching them back, and living it, and kind of seeing myself kind of made me who I am today and made me a stronger person.”
While it worked out for the TV personality, most people don’t know that she was originally supposed to appear in the first season.
Deena Cortese backed out of the first season of ‘Jersey Shore’
Contradicting rumors that she got rejected from the show, Deena set the record straight on a live stream. Even though she didn’t appear on Jersey Shore until 2011, the reality star revealed she was originally supposed to appear in season 1 instead of Angelina.
According to The Things, Deena told fans on Instagram Live with Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, “I was supposed to be on season 1.” But unfortunately, she had to “step down last minute due to personal reasons,” which she didn’t share.
Snooki, who met Deena at auditions, said she felt bummed when she realized her friend wasn’t in the shore house. Apparently, that was why she announced, “The party’s here!” when she walked through the front door. She was expecting to see Deena waiting for her inside.
In addition to becoming stronger, Deena also met her husband while on the show.
Deena met Chris Buckner through mutual friends
Deena met Chris Buckner in 2011 after she first appeared on the Jersey Shore. The couple shared on their wedding website that they had mutual friends for years but never met. Then, after she finished filming season 4, he walked into the local bar she frequented with her friends.
Chris didn’t stay long, so Deena took to Facebook to creep on his profile and ensure he knew when she’d be going out. They tied the knot in 2017 and have two boys together. Recently, The Sun reported that they upgraded their home to a five-bedroom, five-bathroom mansion in New Jersey.
The house features a home theatre, billiards room, sauna, pool house, and a heated pool. Deena and her family are actively creating memories in their new home.
