Bill Maher used his New Rule tonight to ask once again why middle-class Americans vote against their economic interests, supporting candidates like Donald Trump and speaking out in favor of lowering the taxes of millionaires and billionaires.

The sudden and hard-to-justify fame that comes to those unique products of American pop culture know as “reality stars” is a fascinating phenomenon to follow, yet impossible to explain. Take for example the cast of Jersey Shore and Snooki‘s inexplicable inclusion on the NY Times bestseller list this week. Another example was last night’s appearance on The Tonight Show by Mike Sorrentino, aka “The Situation,” who shared with host Jay Leno his dreams of appearing in movies, and yes, one day winning an Oscar for his work. God bless America!

Here is what Barbara Walters says at the beginning of the following clip: “I never got that big interview with Jacqueline Onassis or Greta Garbo—but now I have some consolation. Ladies and gentlemen, my interview with the cast of Jersey Shore.” Dear Lord.

Comedian and self-proclaimed “D-lister” Kathy Griffin hosted VH1 Divas Salute the Troops which was taped for an audience of servicemen at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California, and aired last night. The ribald and unconventional comedian set the tone for the night when she joked about Bristol Palin and her supposed weight gain while competing with Dancing With The Stars. But the joke fell flat, as the military men and woman in attendance lustily booed the host for taking a shot at Sarah Palin‘s daughter.

Bristol Palin took to Facebook to fire back at Keith Olbermann over his criticism of her for doing an ad promoting abstinence. Perhaps you remember the spot? Awkward as all get-out and co-starring “The Situation,” Palin–a teen mom–urges other kids to cool their proverbial jets.

That spot earned Palin “Worst Person” status on Countdown, with Olbermann mocking her selection as an abstinence role model: “That’s like saying George Bush kept us safe, except for that 9/11 thing.”

Now comes Palin, with a pretty forceful reply:

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Gotham has released the perfect stocking stuffer: Here’s the Situation: A Guide to Creeping on Chicks, Avoiding Grenades, and Getting in Your GTL on the Jersey Shore.

Bristol Palin and The Situation star in a hilarious new Funny Or Die video about sex, and how you shouldn’t have it.

Wait, this is a real PSA? Oh – here’s this extremely awkward video featuring these two “stars,” telling you about abstinence.

Some Jersey Shore haters will say the show jumped the shark when it started, while others will say it should have stopped after season one.

For me, it sadly came in the middle of the final episode of season two, when Snooki appeared to inexplicably break character (we have the video evidence). It was a heart-breaking moment in a boring episode that could signal something disastrous about our favorite cast of juiced-up Jerseyans.

The Situation was eliminated on Dancing With The Stars this week, and to make matters worse, this episode of Jersey Shore features him failing miserably with a girl from “Canadia.”

Snooki makes an incest joke, Vinny gets “pot-committed” and Pauly D comes to the realization his wingman is a total douchebag.

Well this episode of Jersey Shore didn’t gain The Situation any Dancing With The Stars votes. Instead, The Situation was exposed as erratic and jealous, and erratically jealous. Also very worn-out-baseball-glove-looking.

Recap slideshow is after the jump (complete with reference to Parker Spitzer)!

For the second time in a row, Angelina, aka the Staten Island Dump aka Trash Bags, left Jersey Shore before the season could come to a close. We can thank The Situation for being a jerk to her, Snooki for physically fighting her, Vinny for smushing and running and much more.

We also became keenly aware of the soon-to-be-sweeping-the-nation “It’s T-Shirt Time” song. Let’s recap.

Perhaps the problem was that The Situation covered up “the situation” with his buttoned up shirt. Whatever the case and even with Jersey Shore stars Sammy and Vinny cheering him on from the stands (yes, the cast of Jersey Shore are more reliable than Sarah Palin), Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino ended up in a tie for third place last night on Dancing with the Stars.

On last night’s pre-VMAs episode of Jersey Shore, we got to know the person who is turning into one of the stars of season 2 – sweet, momma’s boy Vinny.

His family came to visit, and it was fun for everyone to eat a big meal and spend QT with the fam. But Vinny’s true nature was revealed in two very different interactions with women.

Greta Van Susteren had Bristol Palin on as her guest last night, finding time to talk about Palin’s participation in the hit competitive reality show Dancing With The Stars. One can only Imagine someone waking up from a two-year coma, watching the following clip then asking for bewildered explanation behind the numerous and strange cultural phenomena that have made this 19 year-old single mother and Jersey Shore‘s “The Situation” such relevant, nay, influential characters in today’s culture.

Episode seven of Jersey Shore was sponsored by Fossil watches, Staten Island and true love.

No but seriously, Snooki smushed, Sammi and Jwoww fought, Vinny smushed, Ronnie and Sammi made up, Angelina smushed Vinny and Pauly D and The Situation were the voices of reason.

The promotional photos for what promises to be the most exciting season of Dancing With the Stars for media junkies since Tucker Carlson‘s one-hit wonder performance are out– time to speculate over why Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino missed the photo shoot and get outraged about the length of Bristol Palin‘s dress!

Celebrity mom Bristol Palin is beginning the media tour for her upcoming appearance on Dancing with the Stars, and last night it landed her on the couch of Jay Leno‘s Tonight Show. Leno went easy the younger Palin, giving her space to dance, laugh, and take a few jabs at her ex Levi Johnston.

The epic sixth episode of Jersey Shore was a Seaside Heights roller-coaster filled with sex and violence, food and drink (and a tranny situation).

The Situation, who was the breakout star of season one, will now incomprehensibly be on Dancing With The Stars and has a nickname for his nickname (“Sitch”), was mostly a bit player this year. Until his breakout performance last night – which he summed up with a perfect analogy about his philosophy on life.

Jersey Shore‘s fifth episode began with a 10-second scene featuring Jwoww and her breasts. She’s staring at herself in the mirror, maneuvering her fake mammaries when a disapproving glare comes across her usually blank face.

They aren’t perky enough apparently, or large enough, or something. Saying more in that look than if she attempted to formulate a sentence to describe her emotion at the time, we enter episode five. Let’s recap the shitshow.

Who needs a silly Alaskan reality show when you can compete on Dancing With The Stars. E! is reporting that Bristol Palin is the latest person to be signed to compete on the upcoming season of the popular dance-off reality show.

Before this season we speculated that the only way it was possible for Jersey Shore to remain great is if the cast remained self-aware. After four episodes, the stars of season two seem to be the ones who still aren’t playing for the cameras.

Ronnie and Sammi are in Guido Guiding Light and Angelina‘s repulsiveness has kept her at the forefront – this week displaying this repulsiveness quite literally by farting in Snooki‘s face. With that in mind, let’s recap episode four (in slideshow-form).

Sleep with one eye open Sammi! Ronnie is creeping and you think he just wants to smush you. This is not, sadly, the case, Sweetheart.

We need to talk about this, and other Situations. But really, what’s the deal with this Ronnie character?

We live in a country now where someone named Jwoww can tell five million people on TV about a certain guy from Long Island who goes by the name Jay 420, and you can then find out exactly what Jay 420 thinks of the mention. And also – he goes by Dr. Jay 420…he didn’t go through years of 420 school to have you drop the Dr.

Also this week we learned about the IFF (not to be confused with the GFA) and how to have a “Snooki Night.”

We see more and more reality shows now than ever, and that means more and more reality “stars.” But which reality TV stars have become actually famous? Here’s our list of the top 10.

Note: to make the list, you had to get your start on a reality show that you technically couldn’t get famous for anyway – American Idol or Project Runway contestants, for example, don’t make the cut.

Jersey Shore is back, and the crew of non-Jerseyites have moved south to Miami, bitch (that will happen all season).

Yesterday we worried if self-awareness would pervade the show, and the fact that the four biggest stars (Jwoww, Snooki, The Situation and Pauly D) were barely involved in the episode one plot proved it true so far. But the crew still made a big mess, so all was forgiven.