Angelina's Dad On Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Gives Major Bad Vibes
The search for Angelina Pivarnick's biological father began in Season 6 of MTV's "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," and Season 7 started strong as she met her long-lost family for the first time. However, when it comes to her newfound father figure, some "Jersey Shore" fans are suspicious about his motives.
Season 7's premiere episode, titled "Paparazzi, Poppas, and Publications," flashed back four months to when Angelina first met her bio dad — referred to as Alfred Williams in the episode — along with her half-sister, cousin, and paternal aunt. Angelina clicks with most of her new family members, though her dad is a different story. In the episode, Alfred makes a series of comments about Angelina's life, asking her how long she had been on "Jersey Shore," and even offering to walk her down the aisle at her next wedding.
"Makin' the big bucks," Alfred says of his daughter at one point, which is met with the telltale "Jersey Shore" sound effects to indicate someone has just said the wrong thing.
After the episode aired, fans flocked to Angelina's comments section with concerns about her dad being a grifter. "Something about her dad is off, I'm not getting good vibes at all," @rudegirl720 commented on one of Angelina's recent Instagram posts.
@JustTekorah similarly wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Im happy that Angelina is meeting her paternal family but her dad gives off opportunist vibes and I hate that for her. She's trying to get know him and he's asking her about her bank account."
Jersey Shore fans aren't sold on Angelina's bio dad
The comments aren't all full of naysayers, as some "Jersey Shore" fans pointed out that reality TV editing may make Alfred Wiliams look worse than he is. "I feel like I am the only one who didn't see red flags," @foundinmelody commented on Angelina Pivarnick's Instagram. "I saw nervous conversation and editing to make it feel kinda awkward."
Is it possible that Alfred Williams is a victim of the "Jersey Shore" editing style? Since the original series aired, "Jersey Shore" has been severely over-edited to enhance dramatic effect. "Family Vacation" is no exception, often dragging out plotlines for maximum screen time with a few deft edits.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi told Buzzfeed News (via Newsweek) in 2018 that the cast never knows how they'll be edited beforehand. "Sometimes editing tries to leave stuff out and make it seem like something was there that wasn't," she said at the time.
The show doesn't try to hide this — music and sound effects emphasize shocking statements, paired with fast cuts to shocked faces that will be teased at least eight more times in the lead-up to an argument that was never as bad as it looked. It's not subtle, but that's part of the "Jersey Shore" charm.
Or, maybe Alfred gives bad vibes for a reason.
Angelina gets a reality check
Speaking with Life & Style on December 8, 2023, months before Season 7, Angelina Pivarnik said her dad's red flags were not the result of classic "Jersey Shore" editing. She didn't want to say anything negative about Alfred Williams, but shared that meeting him left a lot to be desired. "It wasn't good," she said.
Angelina had hoped her new dad would want to make up for lost time and build new memories upon meeting her. "It's more like, 'Buy me a car, buy me this,'" she said. "The first night I met him, he grabbed my Rolex and he was like, 'Is that a Rolex?' I was like, 'Are you f****** kidding me?'"
In Season 7, Episode 2, of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," which aired on February 15, 2024, suspicions regarding Angelina's father were seemingly confirmed. During the episode, titled "Reality Check," Angelina reveals to Lauren and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino that for three months, Alfred has repeatedly asked her to cover various expenses, including his rent, vet bills, car repairs, dental and eye care, and even tickets for the MTV Movie Awards.
"Every time I would speak to him, it would be something new," a distraught Angelina says in the episode. "I was trying to get to know him, and he saw dollar signs."
New episodes of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" Season 7 air every Thursday on MTV.