Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino

Mike Sorrentino is one of the breakout stars of the 2009 TV show Jersey Shore. Known by his self-chosen nickname of "The Situation," he's famous for baring his belly as a statement of self-confidence and as a would-be aphrodisiac. Originally from Staten Island, New York, Sorrentino also grew up in the well-to-do township of Manalapan, New Jersey. While working in a fitness center, he was cast in the MTV series Jersey Shore, a modern-day soap opera made up of single co-eds abusing alcohol and beauty products in a vacation home in New Jersey. The show's use of the terms "Guidos" and "Guidettes" (males and females), and its casual comfortableness with Italian-American stereotypes, led to controversy before it even launched, but it proved to be a hit for MTV. Sorrentino rose above the pack with his over-the-top bravado and effective abdominal self-promotion, and by the show's second season (2010), he was expanding his celebrity brand to include a fitness video and a planned autobiography titled Here's the Situation. While trying to fuel businesses with his celebrity, Sorrentino ran afoul of the Internal Revenue Service and in 2018 entered a guilty plea for tax evasion.