'Jersey Shore' Lawsuit -- MTV Stole My Friggin' Idea!!!

The world would not have The Situation, Snooki or GTL if it weren't for a guy named Bruce Hulse -- or at least that's what he claims ... in a new lawsuit alleging MTV jacked the idea for "Jersey Shore" after he pitched the show to network execs.

Hulse filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month, claiming he and his production company set up a meeting with MTV honchos back in 2006, where he pitched his idea for a show called, "Jersey Shore."

In his suit, Hulse claims he even showed execs a video he made which featured, "stereotypical young men and women from New Jersey who were spending their summer in and around the New Jersey shore beaches and cities."

Hulse claims MTV "expressed interest" in the project and promised to pay him if they ever went forward with the idea ... but he never heard back and was SHOCKED when "Jersey Shore" premiered on the network in 2009.

Hulse is suing for unspecified damages -- probably safe to assume he wants something in the 7-figure range.