Nicole Elizabeth LaValle (née Polizzi, best known by her nickname "Snooki"; born November 23, 1987) is an American reality television personality, television host, author, professional wrestler, and dancer who is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore and starring in Snooki & Jwoww and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Since appearing on Jersey Shore in 2009, Snooki has gained popularity, leading to numerous talk show appearances, web and television series participation and hosting, and a large social media following. She reportedly earned $150,000 per Jersey Shore episode by the last season. She also appeared as the guest hostess for WWE Raw in 2011 and competed at WrestleMania XXVII that same year.\n', '

Nicole was born in Santiago, Chile. She was adopted when she was six months old and was raised by Italian-American parents. Snooki took a DNA test to determine her genetic background: she is part Romani, Iberian American, South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and Jewish with roots in North Western Croatia, Macedonia, Slovakia, Russia, and Spain. She was surprised to learn that while born in Chile, she is not genetically Chilean. Snooki’s father is a volunteer firefighter and auto-salvage supervisor, and her mother is an office manager. Snooki lives in Florham Park, New Jersey.\n', '

Snooki received her nickname, Snooki, in middle school, when her friends named her after "Snookie", a male character in Save the Last Dance, because she was the first of her friends to kiss a boy. She grew up and attended school in Marlboro, New York, where she was a cheerleader. During high school, she suffered from an eating disorder, at one point weighing 80 pounds (36 kg). Snooki attended community college after graduating from Marlboro High School, where she studied to become a veterinary technician.\n', '

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