So you wanna be 16 And Pregnant , huh? Well, I would advise against that.
However, if you’re already 16 and want to see if you had what it took to be on the show, then read on.
1. Limited filming hours.
It was actually Tyler Baltierra’s mom who started this rule because she wanted Tyler and his wife Catelynn to finish high school.
So, they could only shoot between the hours of 4 pm and 8 pm .
2. Rumors of a script.
Again, this is just a rumor , but one cameraman apparently took to Reddit and told users that some of the lines in the show were fed to the stars by producers.
A reality TV show not being totally real? How preposterous!
3. The crew could call the police.
Because of the people they are filming, the crew of 16 And Pregnant need to be careful about what is shown on the show, and what the cast does when they’re on it .
However, MTV eventually gave crew members the choice of whether or not they wanted to report certain incidents to the police.
So they could tattle on the cast members.
4. The cast and crew couldn’t interact.
No matter how bad things got on the show, no matter how badly these teens needed advice on how to raise children , the crew was never allowed to get involved.
Like, at all.
5. The cast and security detail.
You don’t see the security on the show, but keep in mind that the stars of 16 and Pregnant are just that, stars .
So, they were kept under constant watch.
6. The moms had to act surprised.
It looks like the moms can’t believe they’re pregnant, right ?
Yeah sure, it’s shot that way, but that part is obviously scripted. Sorry.
7. The cast had no say.
Like most reality TV shows, a lot is captured. A lot of the stuff that is shot isn’t stuff you want on TV.
Well, whether they (or you) liked it, a lot of stuff they didn’t want, got put in anyway.
8. Your future was either with MTV or you were cut out.
So this one seems kind of obvious but stay with me here.
The producers wanted Farrah Abraham all to themselves, and when she refused to give up her other work they cut all ties with her.
9. Only the producers could be friends with the cast.
So you remember when I said that the crew couldn’t be involved with the cast members?
Well, that was only a half-truth. The producers were allowed to have friendships with the cast.
10. The girls were encouraged to be real.
And discuss their experiences openly. Because at the end of the day, 16 And Pregnant isn’t about showing how cool it is to be a Teen Mom .
It’s about real life.
Farrah, in particular, had a real story to tell.
And this story was as real as it gets.
She struggled to raise her daughter after her boyfriend and the father of her first child were killed in a car accident.
The show told her not to hold back.
And to feel the way she felt about it on public television.
So her whole mourning process was broadcast to the world. Needless to say, she isn’t exactly a well-adjusted mother now.
The bottom line was this: you always had to be 100% honest.
Because like we’ve said, it was to show off the real struggles that came with being a Teen Mom. Or at least 16 and pregnant.
Sorry, I get my teenage mom shows mixed up.
11. You might not get to be on ‘Teen Mom’.
At the real end of the day , if you’re not producing good content for them, then there’s a good chance you won’t make it to the spin-off.
That’s just business, unfortunately.
12. You could check out.
The moms were allowed to leave the show after the season was over if they wanted.
They had no obligation to stay.
After you left, the future was yours.
As long as what you were doing didn’t interfere with the show , you could do whatever the heck you wanted.
Maybe you could try and be on another MTV reality show.
13. No leaks!
Because filming is usually done before the show airs , the moms weren’t allowed to tell anyone what happened on the show or else they’d be breaching their contract, which would mean big trouble.
13. ’16 and Pregnant’ is a cautionary tale.
There’s one thing the people who made this show wanted to stress: being a 16-year-old mom was not fun. And the girls agreed with that too.
So remember that lesson above all.
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And the struggles are shown in the show, obviously.
One couple, in particular, Tyler and Catelynn, had to decide whether or not to put their child up for adoption.
This is the kind of turmoil you go through as a teen parent, and the show wanted to showcase that.
And the show is actually doing okay, when it comes to dissuading against teen pregnancy.
Sure, some people accuse the show of glamorizing teen pregnancy, but news outlets like The Washington Post are attributing it to declining teen pregnancy rates!
14. Speaking of Tyler and Catelynn, the family that adopted their daughter couldn’t be forced onto the show.
Obviously, if the people that were taking Tyler and Catelynn’s daughter didn’t want to be broadcast on live tv , they didn’t have to be.
This is still a free country after all.
So…did the adoptive parents end up doing the show?
No, absolutely not, they had no interest.
While that reportedly angered Tyler and Catelynn, there was nothing that they could do. They can’t force people to be on TV, this isn’t Dateline .
Has anyone ever gotten booted off for breaking the rules?
Yes, as a matter of fact, Farrah Abraham was cut from the show for doing exactly that: breaking the rules.
No one knows exactly which rules she broke, but we know she did and that’s why she’s no longer on MTV.
