(1987- ) "Snooki" Nicole Elizabeth Polizzi is a TV personality famous for being part of the Jersey Shore cast since 2009. She was born in Santiago (Chile) but she was adopted when she was 6 months by Italian American parents and grew up in Marlboro (New York). Her nickname came from a male character of Save the Last Dance because she was the first one of her friends to kiss a boy. Snooki suffered some eating disorders while she was at high school. She was studying to become a veterinary technician before entering in the Jersey Shore house.