Nyet! 'Brighton Beach' Wants to Be Russian-Tinged 'Jersey Shore'

By PopEater Staff Posted Mar 1st 2010 11:58PM

While Snooki, The Situation and company are filming a summery second season of 'Jersey Shore' this May, there may be a suspiciously similar production underway in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach.

The online casting call reads:

"Are you the Russian Snooki or The Situation? Are you a super outgoing and fun-loving Russian-American that sometimes sneaks kalbaska, pel'meni and vodka from the fridge? Can people hear the Euro/Techno/Russian music blasting from your car before they see you pull up? If so, we may want to cast you for a new reality TV show that centers around a group of Russian-American strangers living together in a house on the shores of Brighton Beach for a summer. The cameras will roll as you do what you do best - eat, drink and PARTY."

Co-creator Elina Miller, who is moving forward with no network attached at the moment, told the New York Post, "We are big fans of 'Jersey Shore,' but the Russian community has its own set of characters which we think could be even more interesting. There will be plenty of vodka, techno music and guys wearing Adidas pants, leather jackets and gold chains. There will also be a lot of hot, decked-out Russian girls."

The 'Brighton Beach' site offers detailed instructions -- one interview tip calls for candidates to show off their own personalities, but to be sure they're high energy, excited and fun. The site implores applicants to speak normally, but to play it up ("If you feel like cursing, do it! Don't tone it down for us!"). Prospective cast members are also asked to rate their Russian speaking ability from 1 to 10, "with 1 being not at all and 10 being without an accent" and what percentage of their friends are Russian.

The brief submission form calls for a nickname, a clear indication the 'Brighton Beach' folks are looking for their own pop culture-permeating brands like J-WOWW. According to a Post article, nicknames like 'The Entity,' 'B-Boy' and 'Mr. OTB' [Off The Boat] have rolled in.

With the right characters and a shred of authenticity, the show could be the first successful 'Jersey Shore' knockoff. With comments like Miller's "It would be really funny if we got a Russian mail-order bride," 'Brighton Beach' is sure to draw more controversy in the cultural stereotype department.