Well, that was fast!
For months, MTV teased Snooki's long-awaited return to Jersey Shore.
And now, it's looking like she dropped in just to celebrate Mike's sober anniversary and patch things up with Angelina before heading right back to her husband and kids.
Yes, the show may have glossed over it a bit, but the fact is Snooki will not be joining the rest of the cast in the Poconos.
It's a development that raises two very important questions:
1. Is Snooki done with the show for good?
2. What the hell are we gonna be watching for the rest of this season?
After all, the season has been a bit slow so far, with Pauly D's fake proposal to Nikki Hall serving as one of the few dramatic high points.
(Although since nothing came of it, maybe it was more of a low point.)
Fans were looking forward to Snooki's comeback in hopes that she would liven up the proceedings a bit.
And while Snooks technically delivered, we think it's safe to say that wasn't what most folks had in mind when they imagined the return of Shore's most iconic cast member.
Teasers suggested that this would be the first season of Shore to feature the full cast (well, except for Sammi) since 2019.
“We’re finally back together!” she exclaimed.
“The family is one again and just so happy to have our meatball back. She was missed," JWoww proclaimed in one of the trailers for this season.
“I’m glad that Vegas is over because that was hard on all of us,” she added.
“I even FaceTimed her when I was in Vegas. It just didn’t feel complete without her and it just felt like it added more drama because she wasn’t there to defend herself.”
And now we come to find out that Snooks won't be participating in the bulk of the season.
Which leaves us with ... what exactly?
It seems that Angelina will once again be carrying the dramatic load, as the show will likely continue to focus on her troubled marriage to Chris Larangeira.
But is that enough to generate a season's worth of drama?
Right now, we have a bunch of guidos headed to a snowy ski resort with their kids in tow.
Two of them are pregnant and the only one who's unattached is Vinny.
We're sure he has some great ideas for future pranks and catchphrases, but that's a lot of heavy lifting for the Keto Guido.
And now it looks as though the resonsibility for generating the laughs will fall entirely to Vinny and Pauly, as it seems unlikely that Snooki will ever return to the show on a full-time basis.
When she stepped away following the infamous bridesmaids' speech at Angelina's wedding, Snooks admitted that her beef with Pivarnick was not her only reason for stepping aside.
She confessed that the show's shooting schedule (with its accompanying hard partying) had become too grueling, and she resented all the time she was forced to spend away from her family.
In general, Snooki conveyed that she was "over it."
And if her participation with the show is gonna be limited to brief cameos from here on out, fans might begin to feel that they're over it too!