First there was MTV’s short-lived American reality TV hit Jersey Shore, then the UK got on board with the long-running Geordie Shore, and now Australia finally gets a turn with, you guessed it, Aussie Shore.

To the uninitiated, the show’s premise is that it follows the lives of between eight to 12 highly strung male and female housemates who spend their summer (usually) drinking, partying and getting loved up over several weeks in a luxury home.

It’s cringe-worthy, crass and compelling television, unscripted like Big Brother, but worse, as the stars of the show are allowed outside.

Up to 12 countries boast their own version.

The BBC reported British MP Chi Onwurah once described Geordie Shore as “bordering on pornographic”, while tabloid newspaper Metro said it was “a gaudy kaleidoscope of six packs, shots, fights, simulated fellatio and exposed breasts”.

Now, the picturesque city of Cairns in Far North Queensland is handing over the keys to Paramount+ and MTV Entertainment Studios to use its $12.6 million, state-of-the-art Screen Queensland hub as the base.

They will also make use of two beachside homes in Holloways Beach.

In a coup for Paramount, it has locked in one of the biggest Geordie Shore “party animals”, Charlotte Crosby, who will be the so-called “house boss” … the “lifeguard of beachside chaos”.

“Her job? To ensure that the house stays standing, the fun times keep rolling, and the drama reaches its maximum potential. Think of her as the fairy godmother of the house, all the while keeping the chaos in check with her signature blend of charm and cheekiness,” says Paramount of its star recruit.

Principal photography will largely be on location, with cast and crew gaining access to the hub’s production offices, editing suites, sound recording studio, as well as the construction and wardrobe facilities.

According to the Cairns Post, filming has already started at one beachfront home and will use an adjacent home for production.

Local resident and musician Marty Bell told the Post the show will give the suburb a lift after it was hit by flash flooding five months ago during Cyclone Jasper.

“I think it gives a bit of a lift to the community. I was in show business and have been a musician all my life, so I think it’s cool,” he said.

“I still haven’t got my mind around it yet. What are the pros and cons? It’s a nice, quiet, private beach. If it brings money in the economy … it’s good.”

It’s looking like a $3 million boost to the state’s economy, generating up to 100 jobs for the locals.

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The original Shores

MTV launched Jersey Shore back in 2009 with eight housemates at a holiday home on the beach. It spanned six seasons.

The cast took eight years off and in 2018 regrouped for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, which is still going strong.

On the promise of documentary-style television, and despite backlash from the locals as to how their city was portrayed, the show generated more than 1.3 million viewers on average.

It became a topic of discussion at universities and the cast made Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating People list in 2010 alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Tiger Woods, Sandra Bullock, Kate Middleton (the Princess of Wales) and US army general David Petraeus.

There were pregnancies, prison sentences, weddings, divorces – you name it, all played out on camera.

Geordie Shore is much the same.

As to who else has been cast for Aussie Shore?

Crosby is not saying, exactly, but we’re getting lots of reveals on her social media, describing “the guys” entering the house gave her “all the feels”.

Paramount Australia’s Daniel Monaghan says they’ll deliver “a distinctly Australian take” on the franchise, but we’ll have to sweat on who bunkers down in the house.