MTV Often Chose Seaside, Toms River For Filming Throughout 30 Years of Music Channel

Turns out, MTV has 30 candles on its not-very-musical cake today. The cable television station, once known for setting the pace by furthering the careers of solo Michael Jackson and showing us what an Aerosmith/Run-DMC duet would look like, has aged at 30 years into a reality television topping channel with few videos in rotation.

But while its focus away from music has changed dramatically over the last three decades, MTV's presence in the area has not. Throughout its existence, MTV has set up its cameras on the Jersey Shore.

And we're not just talking about the show actually called "Jersey Shore." There were multiple episodes, series, and summers where MTV filmed in the area.

Here are some of the highlights (lowlights?) as MTV turns the big 3-0.

1985: Bon Jovi filmed the MTV video for the band's 1985 single "In and Out of Love" on the Seaside Heights boardwalk.

1998: MTV's Summer Share spends the hottest months showing off locals' hot dance moves on a sandy parcel along the boardwalk with DJ Skribble spinning hits.

2002: MTV's Shore Thing finds the VJs back at the shore house, where the channel brought us "special episodes of TRL and other shows all season long."

2003: MTV's True Life series follows Toms River resident Anthony Monetti, a bodybuilder, for the "I want the perfect body" episode in Season 4.

2003: MTV's True Life focuses on the "lifestyle" of renting and partying at the Jersey Shore, with its "I Have a Summer Share" filmed in Seaside Heights. Season 4 again.

2004: MTV's True Life couldn't get enough of the topic of following visiting partiers, and in Season 6 focused on three women in a rented Seaside Heights house in its "I'm a Jersey Shore Girl" episode.

2004: MTV focused on the dreams of two Toms River High School North students for episodes of its show "Made," which puts an unlikely story with a life coach and experts to make a dream or goal come true with daily hard work.

2009: Dec. 3, MTV debuts "Jersey Shore" featuring the Seaside Heights exploits of Snooki, DJ Paul D, J-WOWW et al. The cast parties it up, but also makes some pit stops in Toms River and Brick's F-Cove.

2010: MTV's New Year's Eve bash features pre-taped footage from the days before of a Snooki Ball Drop, where Jersey Shore cast member Snooki is lowered like the Times Square ball drop. 

2011: After filming during the summer, Season 3 of "Jersey Shore" airs featuring more of the Seaside Heights drama and partying with the cast from Season 1. First episode of Season 3 airs Jan. 6.

2011: Season 5 of MTV's "Jersey Shore" shacks up again in Seaside Heights. Episodes now filming.

2012: MTV anticipates Season 5 of "Jersey Shore" will begin airing Feb. 2012.