Gaining protesters, Losing Ads…..MTV’s cursed newest lifestyle reality series runs like a belated spinoff of A&E’s Growing Up Gotti, but has the controversial Jersey Shore made some people angry enough to kill? Jersey Shore, which shadows a group of self-absorped and heavily-tanned “guidos” living in a New Jersey beach house for the summmer has drawn spirited protests in the last several months.

It appears the calls for a boycott are beginning to have an impact. Some MTV staffers have reportedly received death threats over the show’s controversial debut. Workers involved with the press component on the show allegedly threatened with abusive emails, phone calls and Facebook messages, according to reports.

MTV’s New York City headquarters have been swamped with death threats since the show debuted to a modest 1.4 million viewers last Thursday night, FOX News spies dish.

“The MTV building in Times Square was getting crazy threats and they are in the process of hiring more security in bodyguards…..”

The network has denied the death threat rumor.

“(’Jersey Shore’ furthers) the popular TV notion that Italian-Americans are gel-haired, thuggish ignoramuses with fake tans, no manners, no diction, no taste, no education, no sexual discretion, no hairdressers (for sure), no real knowledge of Italian culture and no ambition beyond expanding steroid- and silicone-enhanced bodies,” New York Post TV critic Linda Stasi blasted in a scathing review of the series on Monday. “Would that programing ever have been allowed if the group were African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Jewish people?”

The Italian-American group UNICO (which also protested HBO’s The Sopranos) has asked members to complain to MTV’s advertisers. And the plan seems to be working, two advertisers on the show — Domino’s Pizza and American Family Insurance — have pulled their ads from the series.

MTV president of programing Tony DiSanto, an Italian-American, has remained largely mum on the brewing controversy.