Reality Stars Do Pregnancy

Has anyone else noticed that reality TV stars are getting knocked up left and right?  Why?  I have two theories.  My first theory is that the pregnancy-is-so-hot-right-now trend is having a trickle down effect from the A list stars to the non-A list stars.  If Angie does it, it's cool.  And, by now, she's done it twice.  My second theory is that someone at MTV realized that the excessive drinking, hair pulling and grammatically incorrect sentence forming is losing it's allure.  Then someone at E! realized it...someone at Bravo...and so on.  Regardless of WHY, it's become clear that Gym, Tan, Laundry is being replaced by Unprotected Sex, Preggers, Baby. 

Today, I'm going to pretend to be Perez Hilton before he got all politically correct following a tongue lashing by Jennifer Aniston.  Anyone else remember that?  I'm going to waste a good 10 minutes of your life by dissecting the rampant pregnancy trend infecting affecting D-list Hollywood.

First up, Snooki.  Who was shocked by news of Snooki's pregnancy?  I was.  I really was.  Jersey Shore may not be as epic as it was a mere summer ago, but it still brags a huge following.  So huge that MTV has developed 2 spin off series, one with Pauly D (The Pauly D Project) and one with Snooki and J Woww (untitled at the moment).  Now, as I just hypothesized, maybe MTV (or Snooki herself) anticipated the Jersey Shore audience wanting something more than episode after episode of black out drinking and fist pumping at Karma.  Maybe a new generation of hair gel abusers is just the ticket.  But, if not, Snooki has just given up her cash cow for a money hungry baby.  She can't exactly head back to the Shore this summer while 7 months pregnant.  And, I don't think The Situation would approve of a Baby Snooks sleeping in a pack-n-play in the Smoosh Room.

via UsMagazine.com

Kristin Cavallari, former Laguna Beach and Hills star, is also pregnant.  Like the Snooki news, this announcement was quite the curve ball.  Just last year Ms. Cavallari had ended her engagement to Jay Cutler and was accused of scamming for cocaine all day, every day, all the time.  A lot can change in a year.  She announced her pregnancy about a month ago and seems to come up with a new, mind-numbing story to tell People.com on a day-to-day basis about her progress - her cravings, the size of her bump, her prediction that Jay Cutler (aka baby daddy) will be a good father because he's "good with [her] little dog".  I'm starting to think that she got pregnant to stay relevant.

image via UsMagazine.com

Then there's Kourtney Kardashian who's very pregnant with her second.  Unlike Snooki and Kristin, Kourtney's announcement wasn't all that shocking.  But, the timing of her announcement was noteworthy.  Just as the Kim and Kris relationship inferno hell came to a head last fall, WHAM: Kourtney's pregnant.  It felt like Kris Jenner was snapping her fingers at America - look over here, not there, HERE...ignore the Kardashian behind curtain number one...look at the fabulous Kardashian behind door number two!!!  While I avoided using the word "calculated" with Snooki and Kristin (because I don't think it applies), I'm gonna casually throw it out with Kourtney Kardashian.  I don't believe her pregnancy was calculated, but I do think her pregnancy announcement was orchestrated to divert as much negative press away from sister Kim as possible.

image via Celebuzz.com

How did I do?  Could I guest write for Pink is the New Blog? What do you think of all these reality TV ladies and their baby bumps?

Stuff People Google 33

Rosie Pope's speech impediment has been a pillar of this blog.  The number of posts I've written (here, here, here and here) and the amount of web traffic I receive just from this issue is mind blowing.  Sophie the Giraffe has also been the subject of a fair amount of posts (here and here) and viewership.  This search phrase confused the two Next Stop Baby regulars and I got a good laugh out of it.

does sophie pope has a speech problem

Baby Shower Partay...Whoop Whoop

I'm a Gleek.  No, that's a slight exaggeration.  I'm not quite a Gleek.  Gleek status requires a Glee obsession and, truth be told, I've missed a few episodes.  But I do watch nearly every week and thoroughly enjoy it whenever I do.  Immediately following Glee is New Girl.  It's the new half hour sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel.  And, while it's no Glee, it's pretty good.  I first started watching it accidentally because I was too lazy to change the channel after Glee.  Holy couch potato Batman.  But in recent weeks it's been a conscious choice.  New Girl is kind of funny and kind of cute.  Plus, Justin Long just joined the cast as the boyfriend of Jess (Zooey Deschanel's character), which bolsters the shows Rom/Com credibility thanks to his starring role in She's Just Not That Into You.

You know Justin Long.
He dated Drew Barrymore for a while.

This week on New Girl, one of the male characters (Schmidt) attended a baby shower.  It was at some outdoor, pool, patio, potted tree locale.  It was at night, which was evident because it occurred after the work day and it was dark outside.  All the lady guests were sporting stilettos and evening attire.  Everyone was mingling around high top tables and sipping martinis.  In fact, it was quite the boozefest.  Schmidt and all the ladies, with the exception of the lady of honor, were three sheets by the end of the sitcom baby shower.

Bullet-pointed Review:

• Swanky locale - Fairly normal in a Los Angeles type way
• Night time - Slightly less normal, baby showers are more of a Sunday afternoon event
• Stiletto and cocktail dress guest attire - Slightly less normal for a baby shower, but highly normal for a night time event in Los Angeles
• Boozefest......wha????

Read only the bold words - sounds like a bachelorette party, not a baby shower.  So, why did I just recount a baby shower scene from a new (and arguably mediocre) sitcom?  Because art often mimics life often mimics art.  I'm wondering whether cocktail party baby showers the new, hot trend?  

Before I judge, let me confess that I've only ever attended the mid-afternoon tea and cookies type baby shower.  Now I'll judge: the boozy baby shower seems like an bad odd choice given that the mother-to-be is supposed to lay off the sauce.  It would be like throwing a peanut butter party for someone who is allergic to nuts.  Or something like that.  Does the pregnant honoree mind drinking sparkling apple cider while the guests chug champagne?  It just seems that when a baby shower turns alcohol-induced, it stops being about the mom-to-be and starts being about everyone else.  Thoughts?

They're Baaaaaack...

The new season of Teen Mom 2 is premiering tonight on MTV (10 pm/9 Central).  I think I'm even more excited about the return of these ladies than I was about the return of the Teen Mom ladies back in July (wrote about that here).  The Teen Mom 2 cast may not have been the original, but I think there's a strong argument that it's the most beloved.  They're the Godfather II of the Teen Mom empire.

I watched the Teen Mom 2 recap just yesterday to insure that the drama of last season is fresh in my mind.  By the way, can you believe there's only been one season of Teen Mom 2?  First there was 16 and Pregnant Season 2A (yeah...2A...), which opened with Jennelle Evans on February 16, 2010 and the others followed throughout the season.  Then, the ten girls from 16 and Pregnant Season 2A were cut down to four.  Those four were then featured in the first season of Teen Mom 2 that aired on January 11 this year.

That quick history made me realize that the lives of the Teen Mom 2 cast members have drastically changed in a very short period of time.  While we (the general public) were briefly introduced to Jenelle, Chelsea, Kailyn and Leah in spring 2010, we've come to know and gawk at love them just this past year.   And what a year it has been for them, both on and off screen.  This thought motivated me to search the world wide interweb and collect some off-camera happenings of the four mommy superstars.  Here is your one-stop shopping for what Jennelle Evans, Chelsea Houska, Kailyn Lowry and Leah Messer have been up to on the off season.

Jennelle Evans - Jennelle spent many of her off-camera hours hanging out with police officers, judges, attorneys and rehab counselors.  She was arrested on March 28, 2011.  The alleged crime?  Assault.  The truth behind the allegation became quite clear when a video surfaced.  The assault (aka Jennelle beating the crap out of another female teenager) was caught on tape...NOT by MTV (they wish), but some drunk teenager witness.  The video is below (thanks TMZ).  It's pretty vicious, in a haymaker, hair-pulling kind of way.  Keiffer Delps, Jennelle's on again off again, crazy again crazier again, boyfriend was most recently arrested for assault and is currently serving an 8 month jail sentence.  I couldn't quite get his legal history in chronological order, but it seems there's been a bunch of arrests in a bunch of states.

Chelsea Houska - Chelsea's friend and former roommate, Megan Nelson (who was featured in a few Teen Mom 2 episodes) had a baby on July 4th.  She NATURALLY delivered a BIG boy (9 lbs. 8 ounces).  Chelsea's pug named Pixie went missing on July 7th and I couldn't find any word that the little bugger was ever found.  Sad.  That was all I could gather about Chelsea, she seems to keep the lowest profile of the Teen Mom 2 ladies.

Kailyn Lowry - Kailyn started selling Amway products online.  Weird.  Check out the website (here) if you want to support her and buy Amway.  While your at it, head to Kailyn's personal website (here) and read posts about Isaac (her baby) and her other business (Isaac's clothing line).  I'd specifically like to direct your attention to the July 14, 2011 post entitled "Isaac was conceived...".  Weird.  Finally, just yesterday, Kailyn came to the rescue of Kourtney Kardashian.  Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham had criticized (via twitter) Kourtney K's announcement that she was pregnant with baby number two.  I guess Farrah was upset that the pregnancy is out of wedlock?  It wasn't clear.  Kailyn came to Kourtney's defense (also via twitter).  Weird.

Leah Messer - Leah Messer and Cory Simms were officially married on October 17, 2010.  We all watched the wedding on the season finale of Teen Mom 2 on March 29, 2011.  A couple weeks later, in April 2011, Leah filed for divorce.  Leah's decision to file for divorce was filmed by MTV and we will likely get both sides of the story during the new season.  In the meantime we can speculate about the breakup based on the two reasons that have surfaced: Leah cheated and/or Corey stole $19,000 from Leah.  The divorce was finalized in June 2011.  Also in June 2011?  Leah was rumored to have rekindled her relationship with ex-boyfriend Robbie Kidd, scandalous.

This past summer, Leah Messer with Robbie Kidd
and without post-divorce blues.
(image here)

Doula Who...la?

The word doula is pretty new to me.  I heard it for the first time several months ago and now it seems to be everywhere.  Doula, doula, doula.  Everywhere.  You can follow doulas on twitter.  There are eharmony-esque websites that connect families to doulas like doulamatch.net and doulas.com.  A recent episode of The Rachel Zoe Project featured Ms. Zoe meeting with a doula to discuss her birth plan, a true sign that doulas are in fashion.  Rodger calls the doula a scam.  Seriously.  Click here to see a clip of the highly awkward meeting.

Rodger Berman (aka Mr. Rachel Zoe). What a goofy picture.  
A bit of trivia: Rodger had the Bieber coif before Bieber.

I'll back up.  What is a doula?  A doula is someone who provides emotional and physical support to a pregnant woman during labor, delivery and sometimes postpartum.  The emotional support is anything from encouraging words to visualization guidance to unity screaming.  Okay, I made that last one up, but you can imagine a doula and a pregnant lady screaming in unison as the pregnant lady pushes.  Ahhhhh!  Ahhhhh!  The physical support is anything from massage to aromatherapy.  A doula also provides educational information.  Postpartum support includes breastfeeding and general newborn assistance.

What is not a doula?  Someone who provides medial support to a pregnant woman.  A doula does not do sonograms or physical examinations.  That clinical stuff is left to the licensed and trained professionals.  Doulas, on the other hand, don't necessarily have any license or training.  Many countries have no regulations or standards for doulas (aka anyone can call herself a doula).  Though, nowadays most doulas are in fact trained.

George Clooney is neither a doctor nor doula.  

Most importantly, why are doulas so hot right now?  From my outsider perspective, I sort of envision doulas to be like pregnancy therapists.  People seek guidance from therapists for all sorts of stressful issues and stressful patches of life.  Pregnancy and childbirth are not just about the clinical stuff.  There is an overwhelming amount of emotional and physical change that has nothing to do with the clinical stuff. That is a doula's wheelhouse.  Doulas empower pregnant women to have a positive and awesome experience by helping with the stressful stuff.  

Have you ever used a doula?  Do you plan to?  Are you a doula and feel like dropping some knowledge?

Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Quatro

This is the final Stuff People Google phrase in celebration of Teen Mom 3...for today.  I think the typist should have been a little more specific in his/her search.

teen mom people naked

Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Tres

My tribute to Teen Mom 3 continues with another Stuff People Google phrase.  I'm actually not sure this one is about Teen Mom 3...

naked stuff moms

Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Dos

As a tribute, today (all day) I'm posting Stuff People Google that is related to one my favorite Not Guilty Pleasures (huh...pleasures) - Teen Mom.

teen mom pleasure

Stuff People Google Teen Mom 3 - Uno

Here is the first Teen Mom 3 Stuff People Google phrase of the day (more to come).  I can't comment because I'm not sure what was going on here.  I'm not sure what was "fake"...anyone know?

tyler baltierra naked fake

A Day of Celebration - Teen Mom 3

Teen Mom is BACK.  Yes it is.  The four teen beauties (Maci, Farrah, Catelynn and Amber) and their babies (Bentley, Sophia, Carly and Leah) have returned for another season of "ummms" and "likes" and "whatevers."  And, of course, they have returned to continue giving a realistic perspective on the trials and tribulations of parenting when you yourself are only a child.  Right?  That's what Teen Mom is all about - showing all those impressionable teen viewers that getting knocked up at sixteen will irrevocably alter their future and pretty much send their lives into a tailspin.  It's not about glamorizing young motherhood, giving abusive relationships one more go, or gaining self-esteem from a quick boob job.  And it's definitely not about exploiting your baby to make some dough and become a low-grade celebrity.  Nope.  Nope...

Farrah Abraham hanging out at the beach
without her baby girl Sophia, but
with a brand new set of twins...breasts not babies
(image HERE)

Listen, as thick and intentional as my sarcasm may be, I'm a fan...and a hypocrite.  I watch Teen Mom (all seasons) and I thoroughly enjoy doing so.  I root for the moms to make good decisions, I oooh and awww at the adorable milestones of their children and I get sucked into all the relationship drama that dominates each scene.  It's entertaining.  And, I'll admit, does in fact teach a life lesson now and then...though I would not go as far as to consider Maci Bookout a moral compass.

Enough of my rant.  Today, in celebration of Teen Mom 3, I will be intermittently posting Stuff People Google phrases all day long that are related to the Teen Mom 3 cast.  The first will post at 10 a.m. and the rest will follow every few hours.

Most of the phrases are disturbing and perverted.  As long as you expect that, you won't be too shocked and uncomfortable.

ENJOY!

Teen Mom 3 - It's On

It's no secret that I watch (and love) Teen Mom.  It's my NOT guilty pleasure.  So, I couldn't have been more thrilled when MTV recently announced that it will be producing a Teen Mom 3 AND Teen Mom 4.  They doubled down for double our enjoyment.

The next season (season 3) will premiere on July 5, 2011 and feature the original cast: Maci Bookout, Farrah Abraham, Catelynn Lowell and Amber Portwood.  In light of this exciting news I thought it would be fun to review what our favorite teen mothers have been up to since their brief time off air.

Maci Bookout

• Got a boob job
• Is going strong with boyfriend Kyle King as of 4/25/11 (according to MTV), meaning who knows if they're going strong because it's been 3 weeks since that report, which is a damn near lifetime when you're nineteen
• Didn't update her website (don't try any of the links other than "contact me" because they don't work), worst website ever
• Hung out with the classy ladies of Jersey Shore, it's anyones guess as to who was the worse influence on whom

Farrah Abraham

• Got a boob job
• Got into a tweet fight with Kim Kardashian over who is a crappier role model
• Became a calendar girl when she modeled for Mastering the Art of American Motorcycles
• Worked on her website slightly more than Maci Bookout did

Catelynn Lowell

• Got pregnant, AGAIN - the details on her Myspace page states "Children: Expecting" - there are no words
• Split a $15k donation given to her and her boyfriend Tyler Baltierra, which was raised by Jezebel.com for their education
• Continued to date and be the step-sister of Tyler Baltierra (her mother and his father got married in February 2009, not kidding)

Amber Portwood

• Publicly stated that Jenelle Evan's from Teen Mom 2 is "embarrassing" 
• Was indicted in August 2010 for the beatdown she gave then boyfriend Gary Shirley during the filming of Teen Mom and just last week rejected a plea deal that would have kept her out of jail with ninety days house arrest and two years probation...go ahead and re-read the first bullet point
• Took naked pics of herself that found their way onto radaronline.com...read the first bullet point for the third time
• Lost custody of her daughter, Leah, because her home environment was unsafe (her house and car were vandalized)...you know what to do

Rosie Pope Said...Wha???

Last week's post, Slightly Scared of Being Pregnant in Heels, has received a lot of attention.  I would love to attribute this interest to my witty, insightful and altogether brilliant writing skills, but that's definitively (and unfortunately) not the case.  I'll explain.  I track the ways that people find this blog: links from other websites, twitter, search engines, etc.  If someone gets here from a search engine, I'm able to see the precise phrase that was searched.  Here are just a few of the exact phrases that led people to Next Stop - Baby over the past seven days:

• pregnant in heels host speech impediment (MANY googled/binged/yahooed this one)
• Pregnant in Heels host speech
• what is up with rosie pope speech impediment
• rosie pope disability
• Rosie Pope lisp
• Rosie Pope speech impediment
• is pregnant in heels host deaf
• rosie's lips on pregnant in heels
• pregnant in heels host rosie pope lisp
• bravo.com r osie pope speech impediment?

Finally, my personal favorite - "anyone notice rosie pope has a lisp".  Yes and YES.  Everyone has noticed.  Though I'm not willing to concede that her speech is more interesting than the highly eccentric and highly pregnant women on her show, I am willing to admit that I understand the fascination given that the question remains unanswered.  How are we supposed to stop debating it until we get an answer one way or another?

So, what exactly is the issue with Rosie Pope's speech?  I HAVE THE ANSWER, sort of.  NextStopBaby follows RosiePope on twitter (and we have actually exchanged a couple tweets, ehem, ehem).  Yesterday, @RosiePope tweeted the following response to a question posed by one of her followers/speech impediment enthusiasts (@DanielleDiDit):

"Not aware of impediment but now u have me wandering- think just accent;)"@DanielleDiDit :do u have speech impediment or just "crazy" accent"

Thank you DanielleDiDit for going to the source and asking the question everyone else was afraid to ask, but absurdly curious to know the answer.



UPDATE (5/17/11) - Some of the comments below are...negative (to put it lightly).  For now, I've decided not to erase any of them because I think it's a bad precedent.  However, I do want to point out that they are not my thoughts (my thoughts are above only) and I do want to suggest that if Ms. Pope's voice genuinely upsets you it's as easy as switching the channel.

Push Presents

A recent episode of Pregnant in Heels introduced me to the term "push present."  It's a gift given to a new mother from a new father as a thank you for all that pushing.  I love it.  The term implies a natural delivery, but (of course) includes Cesarean sections.  Though new fathers can't help in the long and excruciating labor process, they can help in the recovery process with some pampering, affection and material gratitude.  Apparently Nicole Kidman got a $120k diamond and emerald cross from Keith Urban as a push present for their new daughter Faith, and Ms. Kidman did zero pushing thanks to her surrogate.  I'm not sure if use of a surrogate fits into the technical definition of push present, but I'm not sure Nicole or Keith technically cared.  On the other hand, according to my favorite resource (urbandictionary.com) a push present is usually of "high quality," which certainly describes Nicole's cross.

Push presents are not limited to the rich, famous and indulgent.  To get started finding the perfect push present for your perfect pusher (babies not drugs), check out needapushpresent.com.  It's a website dedicated to this hot maternity trend and has tons of ideas for all price ranges and all kinds of moms-to-be.  Also check out the ideas and amazing products below.

JEWELRY - Jewelry is a standard push present for good reason.  When most things in a new mother's life will instantly turn practical, an impractical treat would be thoroughly appreciated.  

This necklace just might be the push present that I someday subtly request (read: not subtly demand).  It is from the Sundance Catalog and birth stones can be added for future family members.

via Sundance Catalog

This gorgeous clam shell locket by Eclectic Wendy Designs is sterling silver and comes with a Swarovski crystal charm.  The birth date, weight, length, time and the baby's name are hand stamped into the metal.  Eclectic Wendy Designs is offering a 10% discount to Next Stop - Baby readers with the coupon code: NextStopBaby

by Eclectic Wendy Designs

by Eclectic Wendy Designs

This gorgeous charm necklace is handmade by Metal Pressions.  It's made of sterling silver and completely customizable: text, font, chain length, layout, etc.

by Metal Pressions

PAMPERING - Massages, facials, manicures/pedicures and any old spa treatment will be much appreciated by the super sore, exhausted new mommy.  A spa gift certificate with a door-to-door pick up and drop off could be perfection.  But, know your lady because she may not want to part with her little one, for anything.  Spa included.  In that case, bring the spa to her.

This spa gift set by T-aromas comes with lotion, massage oil, sugar scrub, shower gel, bath salts and a candle.  The full package.  And you choose your fragrance: peppermint and jasmine, grapefruit and pomegranate, orange and teak, eucalyptus and bergamot or lavender and moroccan mint.  

by T-aromas

This eye pillow by Raw & Repurposed is made from recycled or repurposed 100% cotton fabric and contains a combination of lavender, rice and flax.  It can be heated or cooled and the lavender provides soothing aromatherapy.  Raw & Repurposed is generously offering a 10% discount through June 5, 2011 with the coupon code: ECOCALM10     

by Raw & Repurposed

MOTHER BABY BONDING - A gift that will focus on the mother-baby relationship is ideal.  This is a practical gift, a sentimental gift and can certainly be a luxury gift.

A rocking chair is an amazing gift for a new mom because it is practical, beautiful and timeless.  This rocking chair is handcrafted by Patchwoodrockers.  It is made of salvaged and reclaimed wood and finished with a water based polycrylic.  

by Patchwoodrockers

by Patchwoodrockers

And what better pillow to decorate a rocking chair then this adorable mama pillow by Three Peas.  The cover is removable for easy washing, which is a necessity given the abundance of barf, poop and spit up that will become regular occurrences.  Use the coupon code NEXTSTOP10 to get a 10% discount through May 31, 2011!!!

by Three Peas

Slightly Scared of Being Pregnant In Heels

Bravo's new show Pregnant in Heels provides quite a bit of fodder for discussion.  So let's get started.

The shows host, Rosie Pope, is incredibly likable.  She strikes a great balance of blunt and sweet, which helps me get over her annoyingly statuesque figure and all-American look.  She's British, of course.  Something about her was instantly familiar to me (like I'd seen her in a recent rom com), so I googled her.  Turns out she has no prior history per imdb.com, but what she does have is people everywhere wondering whether she is deaf.  Websites, blogs and online Q&A forums are full of people debating whether she has a hearing disability.  Yes, it's impossible not to notice that something is going on there, but of ALL the madness the show presents I'm boggled by the extreme interest in the hostess's speech.

Here are a few things about Pregnant in Heels that I find more interesting than Rosie Pope's accent/speech impediment/lisp/whatever:

1. After systematically reviewing the names of all 2010 Harvard and Yale graduates, one couple used a focus group to consider and debate their top choice names.  After all, a name is a first impression, is a brand, is the foundation to a successful and fabulous life.
2. A pregnant bride's dog peed on her wedding dress.  Not near, but ON.  Not a tinkle but a whole mini bladder of urine.  The bride's reaction: lift the dress to let the pee roll off and resume berating her mother and stepmother.
3. This is a two-parter: 1) a husband commented that his 8 month pregnant wife should "force herself" to have sex with him (because she had lost interest during the pregnancy), and 2) Rosie made said jackhole husband wear a 30 lb. fake baby belly while he knelt on all fours and considered how sexy he felt. 
4. Rosie asked a couple (husband from #3 and his wife) to place a video camera in their bedroom to record their nightly ritual, which would then be viewed by Rosie and a sex therapist.  The couple obliged.
5. A mother-to-be unzipped a mini garment bag to reveal her unborn baby's "take me home" outfit that she had special ordered online.  She didn't have stroller.

Amongst all the online chatter, I was unable to determine whether Miss Pope is deaf or otherwise hearing disabled.  I was also unable to determine whether wedding guests were able to see or smell the remnants of dog urine on the wedding dress (#2 above), which is of far greater interest to me.

Teen Mom is my Not guilty pleasure

I can't blame my love for Teen Mom on my being in the thick of this stage of life.  The baby craze stage.   I enjoyed Teen Mom well before I was married and well before all the talking about, trying to have and actually having babies was everywhere I looked.  That's because it's a good show.

For those who may not know what Teen Mom is (shameful) and who can't figure it out based on the transparent title, it's an MTV reality show about teenage moms.

Why is it so good?  

There is the teen factor.  The main actors in this real life melodrama (to whatever extent reality television can be called real life anymore) are teenage girls.  The typical individual in this demographic, the teenage girl demographic, has superior hormone levels competing with inferior reasoning skills.  The show documents these imbalanced people as they are thrust into motherhood.  The wise MTV producers know that motherhood brings about an even greater supply of hormones and requires a whole lot of reasoning skills.  As expected, chaos ensues.  When the added element of camera crew and celebrity is tossed into the mix, the result is explosive.

This explosion captivates me (and other avid Teen Mom watchers, I know I'm not the only one...).  It has the classic train wreck effect.  The physical altercations, hysterical crying and high-pitched theatrics are unending.  And all of this is happening in a variety of contexts: boyfriend/girlfriend, parent/child and friend/friend relationships.  This season there is even a teen mom who spars with her boyfriend's parents.  Thoroughly tumultuous.

Juxtaposed with the chaos and turmoil is the fact that these main characters are, again, teenagers.  They are near babies themselves.  They are largely inexperienced and unaware.  As a result, while these girls can be irresponsible and obnoxious and egotistical they can also be endearing and fragile and sympathetic.  At times it's hard not to root for them.

All of this and we haven't even touched upon the baby factor.  Adorable, innocent babies capture a good portion of the show.  They are usually the side plot, funny enough, but there presence can't help but bring comic relief or a just a cute moment of distraction.

If you disagree with me, fine.  But consider this: the Huffington Post reported that each teen mother earns between $60,000 and $65,000 per season.  Meaning, I'm not the only one watching.

For the record, in addition to loving Teen Mom, I watch political news each morning and enjoy independent film.