“Jersey Shore”'s Ronnie Gears up to Reunite with Sammi Over a Decade Later — See the Exclusive First Look!

Before meeting up with the rest of the cast, Ronnie explains how he's a changed man who intends to "follow through" with his promises

Ronnie Ortiz-Margo has a lot of catching up to do with the rest of his Jersey Shore family!

In PEOPLE'S exclusive first look at Thursday's episode of Jersey Shore Family Vacation, Ronnie joins DJ Pauly D, Mike Sorrentino and Vinny Guadagnino for lunch, where they get him up to speed about what's been going on at the house before his reunion with the rest of the cast.

Related: Jersey Shore's Jenni 'JWOWW' Farley Teases Fans' Jaws 'Will Hit the Floor' at Sammi/Ronnie Reunion

After debating on what is and isn't gravy, Mike takes the time to compliment Ronnie on his "crispy" hairstyle and what he's noticed about his hair and his mental well-being over the years.

"I just want to point out that the hair is looking crispy!" he laughs as the rest of the guys chime in. "And we all know when that hair's looking crispy — we all know that life is good kid!"

"Yeah, your hair is like a mood ring," Pauly D adds before the clip transitions into a flashback of Ronnie's most emotional moments the last time he was on the show in Miami. At the time, he rocked a fluffy hairstyle with less gel, which Mike compares to a "peacock."

Related: Jersey Shore's Sammi Says 'Hell No' to Long-Awaited 'Twilight Zone' Reunion with Ex Ronnie (Exclusive)

When the laughter settles down, Ronnie gets real about why he's come back to the shore.

"You know I want to continue to rebuild my relationship with everybody and make more memories," he says earnestly before Pauly D gives him props for how he's handled his return thus far and putting in the work.

"I want to show my roommates that I walk the walk, you know, and that I'm gonna follow through with, you know, with a lot of what I said," Ronnie tells the cameras. "And I'm gonna continue to do that and it's not just a phase."

Related: Jersey Shore Reunion: Ronnie's Costars Reflect on His 'Damage' and the 'Delicate Situation' with Sammi (Exclusive)

As the emotions around the restaurant booth settle down, Pauly D and Mike share that Angelina Pivarnick and Sammi Giancola are fighting and haven't "squashed" their beef. The trio also tells Ronnie that Angelina discovered her "real father" and wasn't dealing with the news in a healthy way.

"I just feel like she's gone through so much, she doesn't know what to deal with first," Ronnie says of Angelina before expressing his desire to help her through her problems.

"In my head, I'm just like, 'All right, maybe I could possibly help with this,'" he explains in a confessional. "I literally see she's going down the same path of destruction that I went down. It's when the chaos just gets so crazy that, you know, within a second your whole life changes. I don't want that for her."

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Jersey Shore Family Vacation airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.

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