Anisha Dutta
’16 and Pregnant’, a true narration of the real-life Junos as they embark on a challenging journey of single motherhood, became one of the most popular series on MTV upon its release. It aired on the channel from 2009 to 2014 and enjoyed a steady rise in viewership through its entire run. Hence, it was not a surprise that the documentary series gradually gave rise to four spin-offs — ‘Teen Mom’, ‘Teen Mom 2‘, ‘Teen Mom 3’ and ‘Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant’.
‘Teen Mom’, later re-branded as ‘Teen Mom OG’, is a reality television show that airs on MTV. It follows the lives of young, single moms as they attempt to tackle the difficulties of raising their kids while dealing with failing family ties and waning romantic relationships. The show debuted on the network on December 1, 2009 and since then has seen a total of 8 successful seasons. Here’s everything we know about Teen Mom season 9.
Teen Mom Cast: Who is in it?
‘Teen Mom’, since its debut, has been exploring the lives of Farrah Abraham, Maci Bookout, Catelynn Lowell, and Amber Portwood, who starred in the first installment of ’16 and Pregnant’.
An aspiring model and mom to Sophia, Farrah lost her husband to a car accident, when she was two months due for delivery. She later faced assault and abuse in the hands of her mother and soon left the house with her daughter. After multiple therapy sessions and a couple of lawsuits, she released her autobiography, ‘My Teenage Dream Ended’ in August 2012. Since hasn’t been prominant part of the show since season 6.
Maci, the mother of Bentley, was an overachieving, popular, ambitious, and athletic teen during her high school days. But after the birth of Bentley, she had to put her dreams on hold, sticking to online classes and attempting to maintain her relationship with her son’s dad, Ryan. Juggling between parenthood, responsibilities, and journalism sessions, she tries to deliver the message of teen-pregnancy challenges to her viewers.
Catelynn is the mom of Carly, who debates the decision of placing her daughter for adoption. She tries to spread the message that there are other options available for young mothers who can choose the best adoptive parents for her baby. In her own case, Brandon and Theresa are Carly’s adoptive dad and mom.
Amber, mom to Leah, stays with her fiancé Gary. Her whole life revolves around Leah and amidst all the mess, she still manages to prepare for GED. She has an abusive, violent, and troubled relationship with Gary and is later shown receiving a prison sentence for domestic violence and drug addiction.
The show will continue focussing on the lives of Maci McKinney, Catelynn Baltierra, and Amber Portwood in the subsequent seasons.
Teen Mom Plot: What is it about?
‘Teen Mom’ chronicles the journeys of young, single mothers who come from diverse backgrounds. It highlights the complexities of being a Gen Z mom and attempts to educate viewers about challenges, alternatives, and methods that can be used to tackle this difficult phase. It follows these women through their first years of motherhood as they graduate from high school, navigate relationships, attempt to land a job, start college, and move out to live on their own. Some of the incidents shown in the series include Maci and Taylor facing Ryan’s threats, Catelynn spending her days in rehab, and Amber giving birth to another baby boy. We also witness how Maci handles the ugly custody battle with Ryan’s mom and Bristol has a spat with Dakota. Bristol finally decides to get a divorce.
In short, ‘Teen Mom’ is all about documenting the ups and downs in the not-so-regular lives of these ladies. It is one of the top-rated shows on MTV, mainly because it focuses on a grave issue in our culture — unplanned, teenage pregnancies.
After its debut, the show was praised for helping lower teen birth rates by around 40%. And this is a huge achievement for a series. In fact, as per studies, the majority of female teens admit that they discuss real-life situations regarding relationships, love, and sex with their parents, after watching a show together. MTV’s main demography comprises young adults, aged 12-24. And hence, a positive message from a highly popular series is something that comes as an encouraging change in the entertainment genre.
Teen Mom Season 9 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘Teen Mom’ Season 8 premiered on June 10, 2019, and concluded on August 19, 2019. Spanning a long list of episodes throughout its run to date, it has been widely appreciated by audiences, especially the younger female generation. Hence, we don’t see any reason why the makers would remove it from the grid anytime soon. Therefore, we can expect another renewal soon enough.
If renewed, ‘Teen Mom’ Season 9 might premiere sometime in May, 2020. MTV has not made any official announcement yet. We shall update this section as and when we hear more.
Teen Mom Trailer:
Check out this ‘Teen Mom OG’ trailer from one of the previous seasons. You can also head to their official site if you wish to catch up on all the previous episodes of the series:
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