Forget 'The Hills': Audiences embrace the harsh realities of 'Teen Mom'

For the last couple of years, MTV has often been both branded and buoyed by the success of its reality show sensation “The Hills.” But the juggernaut, which trails impossibly beautiful and thin twentysomethings around Los Angeles, has recently begun to falter; during the fifth season, when Kristin Cavallari took over for fan favorite Lauren Conrad, ratings fell.

Meanwhile, other of the network’s shows featuring arguably less glamorous lifestyles have become surprise hits – there’s “Jersey Shore,” of course, which followed a bunch of self-proclaimed tanned "guidos" and "guidettes" around Seaside Heights as they danced the night away at local night clubs.  There’s also “Teen Mom,” a documentary-style show that debuted in December about four teen mothers struggling to cope with their new realities. Only last week, MTV announced it had greenlighted a second season of “Teen Mom,” which averaged 2.4 million viewers per episode this season. The show -- whose reunion special airs Tuesday evening -- is a spinoff of “16 and Pregnant,” which followed a handful of girls from the point at which they discovered they were pregnant until they gave birth. (A second season of that show begins Feb. 16.)

The concept for “16 and Pregnant” was spawned by the headlines surrounding the pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin, said Liz Gateley, senior vice president of development for the network. 

“I knew in my gut it was gonna be huge,” recalled Gateley, who served as an executive producer on “Teen Mom.” “I think pregnancy itself is something that young people have been compelled by for years. Back when I was at Lifetime, ‘A Baby Story’ was very big with younger viewers because it’s such a unique aspect of one’s life. As a development exec, I thought it was something that would be worthy of sharing with America — particularly when it was in crises with teen pregnancy.”

Morgan J. Freeman, the show’s executive producer, began working with the girls on the show during "16 and Pregnant” and said MTV sought out so-called normal girls who ended up in an abnormal situation. “The goal was to try to find a typical, middle-class teenager who should have known better,” recalled Freeman. “The mandate was ‘get the truth. Let’s see the real challenges, what pressures it puts on in high schoolers, what the sacrifices are.’ ”

The girls on “Teen Mom” certainly aren’t shown shopping for the latest outfit, traveling on jaunts to Cabo or getting bottle service at trendy nightclubs. They are struggling to complete their GEDs, make rent and keep the relationships with the fathers of their children intact.

Maci Bookout, a 18-year-old from Chattanooga, Tenn., has a particularly harrowing storyline. She’s spent the majority of the season trying to make the relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan Edwards, work – despite his apathy toward both Bookout and his son, Bentley.

“This show really hits people hard. In ‘Juno’ or ‘The Secret Life of An American Teenager,’ things are kind of glossed over and they don’t really show the hardships,” said Bookout, who recently split up with Edwards. “On ‘Teen Mom,’ there are girls from different parts of the country with different backgrounds. On every other MTV show, like ‘The Hills’ and ‘The City’ and ‘The Real World,’ it’s just for entertainment. Our show is really educational and good for audiences who want to get a different mindset on teen pregnancy.”

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has even partnered with the show, formulating discussion guides about issues from each episode and making DVDs of the program available to nonprofit organizations and educators. “I think the audience comes away from the show realizing that pregnancy is not easy or glamorous or fun,” said Amy Kramer, the director of the National Campaign. “When you connect with a character on television, like Maci or Juno or someone in the media, it makes you consider those experiences in your own life. ”But for the girls on the program, the reward of sharing such a personal period of their life is the support they have received in return.

Catelynn Lowell, 17, whose journey after giving her daughter with her boyfriend Tyler Baltierra up for adoption is highlighted on “Teen Mom,” said participating in the series has helped her come to terms with her difficult decision.

“The response has been really uplifting and encouraging,” said Lowell, who lives in Richmond, Va. “Everyone has been very supportive, and we got really good comments how mature we were and how we could do such an amazing thing for our daughter, thinking about her and not ourselves.”

-- Amy Kaufman (follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA)

Photos: From top, the girls from "Teen Mom" talk to Dr. Drew Pinski at the reunion special for the series. Maci Bookout poses with ex-fiance Ryan Edwards and their son, Bentley. Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra recently got engaged. Credit: MTV.

Comments

[anita]

i'm glad ryan and maci aren't together anymoe. he is a deadbeat dad who wanted to sponge off his parents and maci.she's better off without him.

[kt]

Catelynn lives in Marine City, Michigan. Her mother moved to Richmond, Michigan without her.

[Mary]

I think Maci is a wonderful mother, especially considering how young she is. I do think she needs to give Ryan a chance... woman have a different bond to their children than men do. Woman instantly grow up once a their child enters the world you start thinking of how you want to be better. He is trying but she expects to much from him, she needs to ask for help and stop nagging so much. I also think she needs to be positive when he does help and aknowledge it, that would give more encouragement to help more. Maci was/is my favorite mom on the show she really has her childs best interest at heart. She has a wonderful strength to her.

[Whitney]

Richmond is in Virginia... NOT Michigan. But yey, Catelynn lives in Mi.

[Staci]

All of you are amazing mothers! Maci Bentley is behond adorbale! I wish all the best to everyone(:

[Claire]

Being a teen mom myself, I have to say that this show is one of the greatest shows that has hit the air, ever. Its so great being able to relate to other young moms who are in the same situation as I am. I was only 14 when i got pregnant, and let me tell you its the hardest thing you can ever go through at such a young age. I am now 16 (almost 17) and have a happy and healthy 1 and a half year old but it's still not much easier. I'm so proud of these girls doing the show, I know it's not easy, but I can't imagine doing it in front of the camera. These girls are strong young women and i thank you guys so much for giving me people I can relate to, and more importantly, sending the message that teen pregnancy is far from glamorous and instead one of the toughest things you can go through.

[Jessica <3]

All of these girls are amazingly strong and deserve nothing but the best. I myself have not become a teen mom, but this show has definetely opened my eyes to all the hardships involved with giving birth at such a young age. I cannot imagine everything they endure every single day. You girls are beautiful & amazing! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!

[nikky]

maci, you deserve better. hes not cutting it for you. you need a guy that will come home and kiss you and hold bently. not walk in after being gone a month and walk back out. you have done great with all the pressure and have held it together really well for bently. your amazing.

[kik]

Maci u deserve better, ryans a nice guy but you need his support you have to go to school and get on with life too ryan just expects you to look after bentely all the time, the way ryan goes out clubbing and is out all night, thats not on , you need t get it in to ryans head too that you have a life aswell, and he is his son iswell,i tink you should step up your game because ryan needs to get his act together :)

[Hannah]

Umm... Catelynn is not from Richmond,Va there is another Richmond which is in Michigan where he lives. You may not heard of it because it is a small farm town which is about 40 minutes away from Marine City.

[NM]

Catelynn is from Algonac, Michigan which is near Richmond, Michigan. I don't know why everyone is saying she is from Virginia. If you watch carefully you will notice snow on the ground, which is common in Michigan. Also there are a couple shots taken on Lake Huron and by the Blue Water Bridge.