The world will see a more serious side of “Jersey Shore” Thursday night – serious money, that is.
The cast of MTV’s hit reality show is headlining a “Restore the Shore” telethon to help raise money to rebuild the place that made them famous after Superstorm Sandy.
“The telethon has nothing to do with our characters on the show,” cast member Deena Cortese told The Post. “Everybody sees us on the show and it is fun, we like to have a good time.
“But there’s another side to us too. The telethon is us giving back to the places that opened their arms to us.
“We’re just hoping to raise enough money to get people back into their houses and back to living normal lives, get the stores, the businesses back running because that’s what Seaside really was.”
Cortese and the rest of the “Jersey Shore” cast have called Seaside Heights home for four of its six seasons, and after MTV struck ratings gold with the reality show, the area’s clubs and boardwalk became more crowded than ever before.
“I’m just hoping Seaside can get back to where they were because it was doing so well, especially after we were there and kind of helped rebuild it before the Hurricane,” Cortese said. “We just want to try and help Seaside as much as we can because all of the businesses were so open to us coming so we want to get them back up and running.”
For the most part, the cast members fared well throughout the storm that battered the tri-state area, but watching from afar and not being able to help really hit home for Cortese.
“Right now Seaside isn’t letting people in or out,” Cortese said. “It was devastating to see that. My heart goes out to the people that actually live there. I’m trying to do whatever I can to help as much as I possibly can.”
Cortese, one of the few cast members who actually live in the Garden State, is doing her best to help out her fellow New Jersey residents.
“I went to Bel Mar to volunteer down the shore because it’s about twenty minutes away from me,” she said.
As far as what’s next when Seaside eventually is rebuilt, the reality TV star said “hopefully” there can be a reunion of the cast, but that she’s happy with her life post-‘Shore’
“Right now I am working on a clothing line called Shore Couture, I have a Whisper hair product line out and I have been working on voiceovers.,” Cortese said. “I’m just taking it day by day. Hopefully everything works out and goes in my favor. If not, I’m very, very happy with my life and where Jersey Shore has brought me.”
The MTV “Restore the Shore” telethon airs Thursday night at 11 p.m. EST
asulla-heffinger@nypost.com