Jersey Shore type TV Show network MTV genre Reality

The good news for the Jersey Shore cast: They’re getting a huge raise.

The other good news: They get to spend it shooting next season in Italy.

And the bad news is … actually, for the Shore cast, there is no bad news. Didn’t you read the above? The cast is being paid a massive amount of money to get drunk and screw around in Italy. For the Shore stars, there is no downside.

As has been reported, the eight-member cast has just finished their salary negotiations. Multiple sources close to the matter tell EW the deal has members of the “core group” now pulling down at least $100,000 per episode, especially once you factor in their bonus structure. Each season is usually 13 episodes. (MTV had no comment.)

That’s a quantum leap for a group that once made headlines by haggling a raise to $10k per episode for season 2. And, of course, the per-episode salary from MTV is only part of the group’s income, with appearances and product endorsements tacking on additional large sums. (One tally puts The Situation’s annual income at $5 million.)

Regardless of what you might think of Snooki, Sitch and Co., they’re not pulling a robbery — on the balance sheet, they’re worth the money. Jersey Shore is like the American Idol of basic cable, delivering huge adult demo numbers that are higher than many, if not most, broadcast shows. The season in Italy, which starts shooting in May and already has the locals lining up to criticize the show, could bring the series to a whole new level.

Read more: