'Jersey Shore' to return for a sixth season

LOS ANGELES _ When its star meatball gets pregnant, another season is inevitable: "Jersey Shore" will get a sixth season, MTV announced Monday.

The housemates have gone places such as South Beach and Italy, have been punched in the face and have revealed their private bits to just about everyone. But could a sixth season present a more mature group of roommates? Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is engaged and has a meatball in the oven (due in the fall) and Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio will have a spin-off under his belt _ "The Pauly D Project," set to premiere March 29 _ by the time production starts.

Who are we kidding? If anything, the pickle consumption might increase exponentially for pregnant Snooki.

The question is, are fans tiring of the ultra-tan stars and their wild, yet not-so-shocking antics? The fifth season, which wrapped last week, saw ratings dip nearly every week. The finale brought in just under 5 million viewers. That was down from the Italy-set fourth-season finale, which delivered 6.6 million viewers _ itself down 13 percent from the previous season.

Production for Season 6 is set to begin this summer in Seaside Heights, N.J.