Private Chefs & Celebrity Pals! Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino's Prison Secrets Revealed
Sep. 12 2019, Updated 1:42 p.m. ET
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will be released from prison on Thursday, September 12, after an eight-month stint behind bars.
It's been a long road for the reality TV star, who entered Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in New York on January 15 after being sentenced to eight months in October 2018 on tax evasion charges.
Sorrentino's final words before his prison sentence were, “Take me to jail!”
Since then, he's had to endure all the degradations of prison, including getting strip searched, donning a prison uniform, eating bad food, and being denied conjugal visits with his wife, Lauren Pesce.
However, RadarOnline.com exclusively learned Sorrentino made the best of, yes, his bad situation, by hiring a personal jail "chef" and receiving visits and phone calls from Lauren and his Jersey Shore co-stars.
A source said the star kept a detailed prison diary which will be used for .
Plus, Sorrentino used his confinement to work on his body, reportedly getting ripped in the prison gym!
There was no partying allowed which was no problem for Sorrentino, who has been sober for more than three years.
Now he's looking forward to making babies with Lauren, whom he married just before going to prison, and reclaiming his Jersey Shore stardom.
Scroll through RadarOnline.com's gallery for more on how Sorrentino coped with prison conditions, apparently coming out of the big house stronger than ever.
Shore Rescue
Sorrentino's cast mates helped him cope with prison whatever chance they got. For example, Pauly D and Vinny joined the star's wife Lauren for a visit behind bars back in May.
Pumping Up
The disgraced reality TV star used weights and cardio equipment in prison, though RadarOnline.com discovered gym conditions at Otisville were terribly outdated.
Club Fed?
Sorrentino's prison has been dubbed "Camp Cupcake" for its comparatively cushy conditions. Sources told RadarOnline.com he was able to play bocce ball, horseshoes, basketball, handball, tennis, baseball and more until sundown.
Getting Real
The star has been writing a shocking prison tell-all book, a source told RadarOnline.com. “Mike has been keeping an extensive diary, and has been writing about his experiences every day,” an insider said. But the memoir itself will be written by someone else: “He is just taking notes in his diary for someone else to write it.”
Spartan Conditions
The Situation's wife was right by his side when he went to court. Although Sorrentino's prison was reportedly mild by incarceration standards, he still faced a bleak atmosphere. Otisville has a dormitory setting with cubicles, bunk beds and community showers, plus a library reportedly with dated books.
Bullied
As RadarOnline.com reported, Sorrentino's big ego was deflated just one week into his prison sentence as a source said he "gets teased a lot."
No Candles
The Situation spent his 37th birthday behind bars on July 4. Wife Lauren couldn't provide him with his favorite funfetti cake, as inmates cannot accept anything from visitors. Sorrentino also spent his birthday following the usual inmate routine-- participating in inmate counts that were held at midnight, 3am, 5am, 10am, 4pm and 10pm.
Sex Ban
Mike wasn’t allowed to have conjugal visits with Lauren while in prison, RadarOnline.com learned. Federal prison consultant Wise told RadarOnline.com months before his release, “Mike will get to see his wife weekly. But they will get no alone time during their visits. He will be allowed a short kiss at the start and end of every visit.”
Game Day
Along with his fellow inmates, Sorrentino was allowed to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 3, 2019. The prisoners had access to multiple TV rooms as the Los Angeles Rams took on the New England Patriots.
Food Plan
At Otisville, breakfast is served at 7:00am, lunch at 11:00am and dinner at 4:15pm. But Sorrentino was a total diva behind bars when it came to his meals, as RadarOnline.com reported. He hired a fellow inmate to be his personal chef! “Mike has befriended an inmate who happens to be a really good cook,” federal prison consultant Wise claimed to RadarOnline.com at the time. “He gives the man cash for commissary, and has him buy food for him almost daily.” Then, the amateur chef made creative meals out of such options as canned tuna, Triscuits, chocolate pudding and Velveeta cheese. The fellow inmate even did Sorrentino's dishes afterwards.
Devoted Followers
According to his wife, Sorrentino had plenty of reading material in prison that boosted his spirits. He received thousands of fan letters, Lauren said.
Rude Welcome
Upon entering prison, RadarOnline.com learned, “Mike was first sent to intake where he was searched and dressed out. They stripped him naked and searched him to the point of squatting and coughing.”
Bathroom Reveal
There was plenty of privacy for the reality star when it came to showers and toilets in Otisville prison, expert Wise told RadarOnline.com. “All of the stalls have doors. There is hot water and all the amenities that any bathroom and shower should have.”
Shore Spill
Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio told a reporter that Sorrentino worked out every day for two hours and ate what he wanted at the Otisville prison.
Body Beautiful
Also, Sorrentino's co-star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi told E! in April how buff he got in prison. "He's in the gym a lot, so he's probably gonna come out ripped," she said. "You know, he's not gonna be BDS anymore – Big Daddy Sitch. He's gonna have his, probably, six-pack again."
Information About Situation
Snooki revealed about Sorrentino's prison life, "Mike's having the time of his life. It's like he's in a senior home. He's playing bingo. He's helping people recover in jail. We all talk to him through an email, so I talk to him, like, once a week."
So Sculpted
Wife Lauren has hinted to fans that Sorrentino spent his jail time improving his body. She tweeted, “Let’s just say @ItsTheSituation is no longer under construction & you’re all in for a treat when he’s home!” Lauren used a bicep emoji in her message.
Inmate Friends?
Other big names behind bars with Sorrentino at Otisville included famed Fyre Festival hoaxer Billy McFarland, Vinny Guadagnino revealed. "Imagine what he's learning in there from all these guys," Guadagnino said during his pal's incarceration.
Kindest Cut
Guadagnino said that Sorrentino got a haircut twice a week in prison. "He's doing better than me," the co-star marveled.
Makeover
The Situation will look forward to dressing the way he prefers now that he's out of prison attire, which consisted of one tee shirt, uniform, and uncomfortable boots for working. Federal prison consultant Wise told RadarOnline.com Sorrentino had a cheap version of crocks to wear in the prison shower.