Sammi And Ronnie Finally Have Painfully ‘Awkward’ Reunion On Jersey Shore Family Vacation

The much-hyped moment where the two exes came face-to-face with each other aired on Thursday’s new episode of Jersey Shore Family Vacation, as Ron met up with the rest of the group in Nashville after making amends with most of them last season.

Before he saw Sam, however, Ron opened up about his time away from the show — which he exited following legal and mental health issues.

“The last two years being away was definitely a double-edged sword,” he shared in a confessional. “I was able to focus on myself, doing therapy, parenting classes, AA meetings, a lot of self care. But it was hard being away from my family. Now I’m ready to show my roommates I’m becoming a better person.”

As he spoke with Pauly, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Vinny Guadagnino, he said there was “no closure” for him and Sam after their split, adding that he hoped it wouldn’t be uncomfortable when they were finally in the same room together. The other guys, meanwhile, told Ron they were proud of all the work he’s been putting in since apologizing to them last season.

“I’m a little nervous to see Sam. We were together for a long time, such long history. Last time we talked it was kind of like, ‘We’re done,’ and that’s it,” Ron said in a confessional. “I think we both have grown. I know I’ve grown, and I’ve matured and I’m hoping me and Sam can have a conversation. We’ll see. I don’t have a plan coming into the house … I’m here to rebuild my relationships with my roommates. Me and Sam, we don’t have to be friends, but our history’s so long, there’s going to be that instant feeling of something.”

Sam also admitted to being “a ball of emotions” before he showed up, saying in her own confessional that she was “not looking forward to spending time with this person that has not been a part of my life.” Her only goal was for them to get to a place where they could “coexist” — declaring, “That’s where it ends. Sam and Ron is from the past.”

Then, it was time for them all to finally sit down together. Well, almost all of them, as Deena Nicole Cortese had to bail on the trip early due to a doctor’s appointment for her son, CJ.

“Alright, let’s make it awkward,” joked Vinny as they walked into the girls’ rental — and it didn’t take long for a chill to take over the room. While Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWoww” Farley and Angelina Pivarnick all got up to hug him, Sam did not. Ron, however, did give her a slight wave and ask, ‘Hey, how are you?” He later said he felt it would be rude to not say anything to her and he did “what came natural,” admitting he was “a little nervous.”

“It’s so cringe, I’m so embarrassed,” said Snooki of the exchange in a confessional, as Sam, in her own, admitted she was “being quiet as hell” and didn’t know “where to look” once he arrived. “In my head I’m like, get me out of here,” she said, before Vinny called Ron’s arrival the most “awkward moment in Jersey Shore history.” Jenni, meanwhile, compared the situation to a divorced couple spending the holidays together for the kids, despite how much “they f–king hate each other.”

As the whole cast sat down and started making small talk, they noted how uncomfortable it was for them all. Vin attempted to break the tension by saying he needed to “address the elephant in the room,” before asking Sitch how he was, though Sam didn’t seem to find it amusing.

The exes didn’t speak to each other during the initial reunion, which ended pretty quickly as the guys went to their separate rental to get ready for dinner.

In a confessional, Ron noted that he could “feel the awkwardness in the room,” before saying he hoped that the more they see each other, the easier it will get. Sam, meanwhile, spoke with the girls about the encounter, telling them, “I feel nothing. You guys are working on friendships, I have no need to work on a friendship.”

Once away from Sam, Jenni and Snooki noted how she “wouldn’t even look at [Ron]” after his arrival — as JWoww said that while their costar was trying to play it cool, “You don’t act like this unless you have feelings, good, bad or indifferent.”

They all reunited again later that evening at dinner, where Ron and Sam sat on the complete opposites sides of the table. Everyone appeared to be in great spirits as they then competed against each other in a chicken tendie eating challenge, which Sam called “the best distraction.”

Her frustrations came out, however, after Vinny made a remark about “the note.” Though the comment got a laugh out of Ron, Sam was quick to tell him, “Vinny, it’s not funny. I don’t think it’s funny, so stop.” She brought up how she warned him previously about making jokes about the situation around her, before she reiterated, “I’m serious. Stop. It’s not funny.”

“Vinny’s really ruined it,” she said in a confessional. “I have been cool, calm, collected about the whole Ron situation. This is something I don’t take lightly and I feel like I’m gonna explode.”

That’s where the episode ended, without the exes saying much of anything to each other despite being in the same room for the first time in ages.

Jersey Shore Family Vacation airs Thursdays on MTV.