“Jersey Shore Family Vacation” to Conclude Record-Setting Run with Epic 18-Episode Farewell Season (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Jersey Shore Family Vacation will air its final season beginning Thursday, May 7, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal

• The original cast is returning for milestone celebrations, including weddings, baby showers and a family roast

• MTV’s Jersey Shore franchise, which debuted in 2009, has become a pop-culture phenomenon with nearly 300 episodes and spinoffs

The party is coming to an end.

Jersey Shore Family Vacation will conclude its run with 18 final episodes this year, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal. The season will air globally across MTV, beginning on Thursday, May 7.

Angelina Pivarnick, Deena Cortese, DJ Pauly D, Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Vinny Guadagnino will all be back for one-last round of Shore-style memories.

Their antics can be seen in a new trailer for the final season, which PEOPLE is premiering .

The farewell season marks the end of one of reality TV’s most influential franchises — a series that has chronicled fist-pumping highs, headline-making lows and every chaotic milestone in between.

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Since its debut in 2009, the Jersey Shore universe has grown into a pop-culture force, spanning nearly 300 episodes and multiple spinoffs. Viewers have watched the roommates grow up in real time, navigating relationships, marriages, sobriety, parenthood and career reinventions — all while maintaining the chemistry that first made them famous.

Notably, the iconic cast has stayed the same since they first burst onto TV screens nearly 20 years ago.

Billed as a “last hurrah for a cultural icon,” the final chapter promises celebrations big and small, from baby showers and bachelorette parties to gender reveals, ab reveals, birthdays and weddings.

Expect a full-circle sendoff packed with inside jokes, enduring friendships and the kind of larger-than-life moments that helped redefine reality television.

According to a release from MTV, key highlights of the final season include:

• Angelina embarks on a full emotional roller coaster, packed with extreme highs, devastating lows and nonstop twists that only Angelina can deliver.

• Deena shines as PTA president and goes big on giving back wherever she can, organizing charity events and supporting her friends.

• DJ Pauly D continues to grow his empire, launching his own record label, while his relationship with girlfriend Nikki continues to blossom.

• Jenni “JWOWW” embraces her 40th birthday as she steps into full director mode, directing her second movie. JWOWW returns putting the wow in JWOWW dropping truth bombs and stirring up conversations no one else will touch.

• Mike “The Situation” brings his abs out of retirement as he focuses on his fitness journey, celebrates a remarkable 10 years sober and opens a rehab center.

• Nicole “Snooki” juggles cheer mom life, friendship and boss‑lady business moves, all while finding time to be the life of the party.

• Ronnie is fully back in the mix, joining the roomies on their trips and opening up to them about his struggles as he looks to work through them.

• Sammi “Sweetheart” packs a lifetime of milestones into just eight months — pregnancy, childbirth and a wedding.

• Vinny takes his standup career to the next level as he is selling out shows and taking his set on tour, organizing and hosting a celebratory “roast” for the family, all while being very single.

While Jersey Shore may be coming to an end, the Shore franchise will continue around the world, with “local” shores like Canada Shore still in production.

Past seasons of Jersey Shore Family Vacation are currently streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

Read the original article on People