Jersey Shore cast sign 'VD clause' so MTV cannot be sued for STDs contracted on show



It has been revealed that the cast of Jersey Shore were ordered to sign a 'VD clause' in their contract.

MTV, who make the show, added the clause so the cast cannot sue the company if they contract a sexually-transmitted (or venereal) disease.

Under the head of 'Health of Other Participants', the clause states that the cast, who include Snooki and JWoww, take full responsibility for any nasty side effects of the frequent sexual encounters featured in the episodes.

Legally binding: Cast members of Jersey Shore, including Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi [right] and Deena Nicole Cortese [left] signed the 'VD clause'

It states: 'I acknowledge and accept, that the other participants have not been screened for any diseases, sicknesses or other health conditions (and specifically have not been tested for any sexually transmitted diseases) and I assume all risks of interacting with the other participants, including any consensual contact.'

The seedy contract was leaked to Seth Kaufman, who has written a book, The King of Pain, about the cynical business of reality television, reports the New York Daily News .

Mr Kaufman, a former editorial director of TVGuide.com, says that he received the contract 'from someone close to the show'.

Sexual encounters: One-night stands are frequent on the show and cast members are encouraged to indulge in heavy drinking and hard partying

Jersey Shore is one of MTV's most popular reality television shows.

Currently in its sixth season, the fly-on-the-wall documentary follows a group of people who live in the same summer rental in Seaside, New Jersey.

Nicole (Snooki) Polizzi is the best known cast member, followed by Jennifer (JWoww) Farley, Mike (The Situation) Sorrentino, Paul (Pauly D) DelVecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Deena Cortese, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Sammi Giancola.

On the show, one-night stands are a frequent occurrence and in the fifth season, Polizzi announced she was pregnant with part-time cast member Jionni LaValle's child.

Best friend JWoww isn't exactly shy when it comes to having sex either.



In the opening credits, she says: 'After I have sex with a guy I will rip their heads off.'



From the word go, the popular program, which averaged 7.9million viewers per episode in its fifth season, received a fair amount of controversy.

As well as the racy content, producers also came under fire for using the derogatory word 'guidos' in promotional material to describe the Italian-America sentimentality of the main characters - despite Snookie being Chilean and the fact that JWoww is Irish and Spanish.