Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley Says Sarah Michelle Gellar Was the Reason She Took Martial Arts as a Kid: ‘She Shaped My Whole Childhood’ (Exclusive)

A young Jenni “JWoww” Farley was ready to help slay vampires with Buffy Summers.

The Jersey Shore star spoke exclusively to PEOPLE at the premiere of Dexter: Original Sin on Thursday, Dec. 11, in New York City. The 38-year-old TV personality revealed that one of the stars of the upcoming Paramount+ series had a major impact on her childhood: Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Gellar, 47, has a special guest role in the Dexter prequel series and appeared at the premiere. Farley confessed to PEOPLE that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star “shaped [her] whole childhood.” 

“She’s the reason why I took martial arts,” the MTV star said before admitting she used to carve stakes just like Gellar’s famed character, Buffy. “I swore that a vampire was going to come out.”

Farley added that she’s met the actress once before but hopes to meet her again because it would “be a dream come true.”

Along with being a fan of Gellar, Farley told PEOPLE that she’s a “huge fan” of the original Dexter series, which aired on Showtime from 2006 to 2013. The eight-season series starred Michael C. Hall as the forensic blood spatter technician with a secret life as a vigilante serial killer.

“I watched it in real-time, and then I fell in love with it, obviously,” she told PEOPLE.

She also introduced her fiancé Zack Clayton Carpinello and costar Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi to the series. “Nicole became a superfan,” she said.

Farley revealed that Polizzi, 37, couldn’t attend the premiere and wanted to ensure she didn’t receive any spoilers, so she left the group chat with Farley. “She was so mad,” Farley said. “[She said,] ‘Bye, I can’t know any spoilers.’ ”

Gellar, best known for her role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stars in the new Dexter series as Tanya Martin, the CSI chief at the Miami Metro Police Department and Dexter’s new boss at a forensics internship.

PEOPLE previously reported in June that the casting of Gellar, as well as stars Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey, was a deliberate decision by network executives to help “capture” the 1990s period the show is set in. They chose actors who had appeared in notable projects throughout that decade and who continue to be stars today.

Slater, 55, stars as Dexter’s father, Harry, and Dempsey, 58, stars as Miami Metro Homicide Captain Aaron Spencer. Patrick Gibson stars as the lead, Dexter Morgan as he “transitions from student to avenging serial killer,” per the official synopsis.

“When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness,” according to the synopsis. “With the guidance of his father, Harry he adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society without getting on law enforcement’s radar. This is a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.”

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Dexter: Original Sin premieres on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday, Dec. 13, and new episodes will drop every Friday until Jan. 31.