Ten years ago today, the world was introduced to MTV’s Jersey Shore — and the American lexicon was forever changed.

The series originally premiered on Dec. 3, 2009 and almost immediately became a pop culture phenomenon. It followed the lives of housemates Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Pauly “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Angelina Pivarnick. Following Pivarnick’s departure in season 2, Deena Nicole Cortese joined the cast and has been a part of the family ever since.