Deena Nicole Cortese

As Pauly D told THG, Deena Nicole Cortese will be shaking things up on Jersey Shore. The Garden State native makes her debut on tonight's Season 3 premiere.

In a new interview with TV Guide, the new girl in "the family" dishes on BFF Snooki, all of the drama, why her parents were all for her joining the show and more:

Excerpts from Deena's Q&A below ...

CLASS IN A GLASS: That's Deena Nicole Cortese for you.

On joining the cast: "I love the show and wanted to do it because I go down to the shore all the time, and I'm like 35 minutes from Seaside. When Snooks asked me to come down, I was like, 'Yeah, let's do this. I'm down.'"

On being the new girl: "I was a little nervous, but I wanted to get to know everyone and I was excited. I was going to try to get to know everyone and be myself. I came in, they really opened their lives to me and it was awesome."

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So Deanna Nicole Cortese may be dating Chris Manzo. That's right, the newest Jersey Shore guidette and The Real Housewives of New Jersey product.

Foul-mouthed Deena, who we have yet to see on the Shore, was seen with Chris, the son of Caroline Manzo, at a hot New Jersey nightclub recently.

The unlikely duo ran into each other in the VIP section of hotspot, 118 Lounge, this past Saturday, where they got down and dirty on the dance floor.

When E-list Garden State reality stars collide ... fists are pumped.

Deena Nicole Cortese "was basically humping Chris in front of everyone,” said one onlooker. Hey ... you gotta beat up the beat 'til you lose control.

Chris Manzo, whose penchant for naughty girls was an important storyline on the RHONJ, apparently has taken quite a liking to the Jersey wild child.

He better not do her wrong, though. Otherwise, JWoww is gonna throw the f*%k down and you do NOT mess with that HGH-fueled rage-a-holic.

The Jersey Shore cast's newest member, Deena Nicole Cortese, hit the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards this weekend with the rest of the crew.

"Oh my God, it's surreal!" Cortese said. "I have fan pages already, and people Twittering me, and I'm just like 'I just got out of the house two days ago!'"

Her episodes haven't even aired, as we're still on Season 2 in South Beach (see THG's recap of last week's Jersey Shore). Season 3 airs later this year.

ALL NATURAL: Deena Nicole Cortese's skin tone matches that of her BFF Snooki. Yup, she's gonna fit in perfectly down at the Shore. [Photo: Splash News Online]

"When I went in the house I was expecting something completely different," she says. "Everybody shocked me, in a good way, and I feel like I fit right in."

"They welcomed me with open arms, and I'll appreciate those kids until the day I die," adds Deena. "Season 3 is going to blow everyone out of the water."

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Early in Season One of Jersey Shore, Angelina Pivarnick got fired from the boardwalk T-shirt shop, tossed her belongings in the trash and fled Seaside Heights.

None of the other cast members cared.

In fact, they were so apathetic about the "Kim Kardashian of Staten Island" that seeing her in South Beach during the Season 2 premiere led to double-takes.

People were far from pleased. Girls in particular.

"I just feel like she didn't fit into the family," Snooki (Nicole Polizzi) told MTV News. "When I saw her in the house, when I walked into Miami, I was like, 'What is this girl doing here? Why are you here? We could have brought [Deena] in.'"

There's no love lost between Snooki and Angelina.

That would be Deena Nicole Cortese, Snooki's BFF who joined the show for Season 3. The South Beach antics are considered Season 2, before the N.J. return.

"I'm different because I'm just a personable person," Deena, Ms. Class in a Glass, said. "I don't take things to heart. People can make fun of me 'til the day I die, and I will just take it in and be like, 'Yeah, you know what? Whatever.'"

Whatever indeed. But before Deena Nicole comes aboard, we're going to have to watch the crew run Angelina Pivarnick out, and it's not gonna be pretty.

"You're a f*%king white rat and you're f*%king pale and you're nasty" was one of our favorite Snooki quotes from the Season 2 premiere a few weeks back.

"Angelina, she just didn't fit in with anybody, she didn't really open up to anybody," Snook says. "I feel that's why nobody could really connect with her. We gave her a second chance. And she did what she did with it. You're going to have to see."

Watch out, Seaside Heights. And call the police in advance.

Why? There's a new Guidette in town: Deena Nicole Cortese.

MTV has confirmed that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's real-life BFF, who has also been referred to as simply Deena Nicole, will join the Jersey Shore cast in Season 3.

The new cast member has been all but confirmed in recent weeks, but the network has not acknowledged bringing her on board until now. What can we expect?

Cortese describes herself as "class in a glass and party in a body," so you know it's going to be good. She's already started filming and partying with the crew.

Deena and Snook are totes BFFs.

Deena has been seen shooting scenes with her girl Snooki, as well as the classy likes of co-stars Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Jenni "J-Woww" Farley.

"Deena Cortese embodies the quintessential Jersey Shore archetype," Jersey Shore casting director Doron Ofir recently told The Examiner of his new star.

The new star, who is single, "is a Jersey native, proud to live, play, love at the shore. I hope America loves her as much as I do. Get ready for 'Rockstar'!"

Live, Play, Love. In other words, Scream, Fight, Bone.

Jersey Shore's second season premieres tonight on MTV.

You will not be seeing Deena Nicole on it.

Still with Angelina Pivarnick out for Season 3 (she was apparently back for Season 2 after being out for Season 1), there’s room in the Seaside Heights enclave for a hot new guidette, and they've apparently found one in Snooki's friend.

Deena Nicole, real name Deena Nicole Cortese, is reportedly filming the reality show’s third season in N.J. Here's the brief rundown on her ...

Watch out, Jersey Shore. Deena Nicole has arrived.

Real Jersey girl. Unlike The Situation, Snooki, Ronnie, Vinny and Pauly D, Cortese is the real deal. She hails from New Egypt, N.J., in Ocean County. Wonder what New Jersey's Governor, who hates the show, thinks about that.

Snooki's pal. Cortese goes way back with Jersey Shore leading lady Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. The pickle-loving reality star even reportedly helped Cortese get cast on the show. Cute.

Single status. Before deleting her Myspace page, Cortese posted that she was a single lady. But - sorry guys - one that's currently "not looking for anything."

Forget GTL, it's BBB. “All I need is beats, my broads, and booze,” she posted on Facebook before she began filming. NOTE: Become a fan of THG on Facebook!

Tomorrow on MTV ... It. Is. On. Jersey Shore returns for Season 2.

The entire cast is intact and now filming Season 3, to boot ... and then some. Deena Nicole, a self-proclaimed “Bad Ass Brunette,” will play a big role.

Where did the new star come from? Sources say she was already BFFs with Snooki and seems like she’s going to fit in well with the rest of the cast.

Deena, real name is Deena Nicole Cortese, and is good friends with Snooki, who helped get her cast. She was also hangin' with J-Woww on Saturday.

The 23-year-old is a former cheerleader who was on the squad at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, N.J. She went to New Egypt High School.

Jersey Shore's new girl looks like ... the other Jersey Shore girls.

Maybe Garden State Governor Chris Christie, who recently called out the show, will be satisfied that they added another bona fide Jersey-ite at least.

Well, at least until he sees Deena Nicole's racy MySpace page, which is filled with profanity-laced proclamations and sexy shots of her drinking, etc.

“I don’t give a f**k,” is interspersed with sexy pics and quotes like “I’m addictive and expensive like cocaine. I should just have my own TV show!”

The foul-mouthed female also recorded a video blog on her MySpace page in 2008, in which she rants about the way she's been treated by dudes.

Swearing revenge, she says, "we're gonna play you out, n**ga."

Yup, sounds like she should fit in fine with Ronnie Magro & Co.

Sources close to production confirm Deena will be appearing in a number of episodes in Season 3, but isn't considered a "permanent" cast member.