Jersey Shore cast opens NYSE

Reuters

Jersey Shore cast members pose together on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

"Gorilla juiceheads" fist-pumped on the New York Stock Exchange as the cast of Jersey Shore kicked off trading in one of the more anticipated opening bell ceremonies in some time.

Traders on the increasingly quiet floor said it was one of the most crowded days in years as the deeply tanned cast of the MTV hit rang the bell and stayed to sign autographs amid a crush of onlookers and a flood of media.

"It was like a car crash here this morning; people couldn't help but stare," said Benedict Willis, director of floor operations at Sunrise Securities Corp.

"It was very crowded, but most of the crowd were summer interns. It was like PT Barnum's freak show was in town."

The show has become a cultural phenomenon due to the oversized personalities of its cast, including pugnacious Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and gym rat Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, who have introduced several catch-phrases into the popular lexicon, including "gorilla juiceheads," which refers generally to muscled-up guys seen at New Jersey's shore.

"There were a lot of people who came down to the floor who wouldn't normally have come down - daughters of people who are affiliated," said Peter Costa, president at Empire Executions Inc.

The reactions on the floor mirrored the general love-it-or-hate-it sentiment that seems to surround the show in general.

Some traders were not impressed, while others were "pumped" for the spectacle - screams for "Snooki" echoed throughout the floor several minutes before the cast even appeared.

Plenty of hedge fund managers watch the show, including Seabreeze Partners' Doug Kass, who has mentioned the show in his commentary on markets.

The show's January first-season finale was watched by 4.8 million viewers. The show airs its second season premiere on Thursday.

- Reuters