16 Things Teen Mom Execs Don't Want Us To Know
Andrew Thornton Quick Links
Ever since Teen Mom premiered its brand new feel by "breaking down the fourth wall" in the summer of 2015, fans of the show were treated to a behind the scenes experience in each episode. Breaking down the fourth wall refers to actors acknowledging the fact that they are being filmed. So instead of the moms going about their business while pretending the cameras aren't there, sometimes the camera man leans over to high-five a husband while a producer is shown raiding the fridge in the background. Fans also got to meet some new "cast members" with this relaxed approach to the show. The producers who used to hide behind cameras and clipboards were now in front of the cameras, interacting with the girls and their families just like any regular cast member. Fans quickly came to understand that each mom got paired with her own producer and crew.
The producer is usually in charge of feeding the mom questions in hopes of drama-filled responses if her storyline is particularly weak that day. All four OG ("Original Girls") moms seemed thrilled when they first learned that MTV planned to go ahead with this new way of presenting the show. "I feel like it makes it more raw and honest," Catelynn Balterria said. Maci McKinney said that it was much easier to film because "there wasn't some big elephant in the room that we couldn't talk about." But this new look came with new drama - from the producers themselves! If they're going to assume the roles of cast members, we guess that's to be expected.
On-Again, Off-Again Girlfriend Accuses Producer Mandi Of Sleeping With Her Cast Member Boyfriend
Mandi Venturino is the producer for Chelsea Houska's segment and is shown above with Chelsea's daughter, Aubree. But the cheating accusation comes from a cast member of sorts, a second-degree cast member if you will. Jeremy Calvert was Leah's second husband and they share daughter Addie together. Jeremy's post-divorce, sometimes-girlfriend is Brooke Wehr and it was Brooke who tossed the allegations of unfaithfulness on Instagram towards Jeremy and Mandi, who has a boyfriend of her own. "Sounds about right. Too bad he f****d the producer @mandi06," Brooke wrote, tagging Mandi. “Guess Leah was right. I should have listened.” Jeremy has come clean about his cheating but Mandi remains steadfast in her denials. Seems legit. She doesn't even produce Leah/Jeremy's segment of the show. But it's still disturbing to be accused of such inappropriate behavior.
Producer Kiki Allows Ryan Edwards To Drive Under The Influence?
Instead of hearing wedding bells, Teen Mom OG viewers heard warning bells. MTV fell under heavy criticism for this recent episode of Teen Mom OG that showed Maci McKinney's ex, Ryan Edwards clearly driving under the influence on the way to his wedding. His eyes narrow and he barely mumbles back in response to his then-fiancee Mackenize Standifer. When he swerves, Mackenzie questions him. With nearly closed eyes, Ryan slurs,"My eyes baby. In the sunlight I can't keep them open." He then dons sunglasses and struggles to stay awake until Mackenzie finally has no choice but to take the steering wheel into her control from the passenger seat. She turns off the cameras that MTV places in the vehicles of all cast members but the audio remains on and she can be heard asking if Ryan took Xanax. Maybe even more disturbing than the fact that Ryan endangered his and Mackenzie's lives plus the lives of innocent people on the road that day was that soon after the episode aired Farrah Abraham's ex Simon Saran tweeted: "I wonder if I should talk about *Kiki giving Ryan pills during shoots or save that for another day? #TeenMomOG"
A Male Producer Falls Under Suspicion Of Fathering Kailyn Lowry's Baby
When Kailyn Lowry announced her third pregnancy, fans were shocked. The ink was barely dry on her divorce documents from her split with Javi Marroquin and given Kail's open anger towards him, it was easy to understand right off the bat that the baby could not be Javi's. Theories spilling out from dedicated fan blogs and gossip sites began to flood the internet. Before the father was confirmed as Chris Lopez, there were many suggestions but one that seemed especially popular was that producer J.C. Cueva who was a relatively new producer for the show, fathered Kail's baby. To some viewers, it seemed that Kail and J.C. had a flirtatious relationship which only encouraged the baby daddy rumors. But J.C. denied them in a statement about working with Kail. “I think I have a really good relationship with Kail,” he said back in December. “I was a new person coming in; her previous field producer had been with her for years and years. I joke around with her a lot. She likes me as a person, but she hates that I have to be a producer sometimes. We get along really great, and I think she respects me.”
Producer Kiki Gets (WAY!) Too Close With Cast Members
Kiki Malone is no stranger to the world of reality TV. She previously worked on Wife Swap before working for MTV's Teen Mom in 2009. She became so close with Tyler and Catelynn Baltierra that they asked her to be the godmother of their second (and only child they are raising since daughter Carly was placed for adoption) daughter, Novalee. She was also mentioned in Matt Baier's book. When Matt was with Amber Portwood, he decided to write a book dispelling all of the "horrible lies" that were being spread about him and Kiki. Matt wrote, "To Kiki Malone: You taught me that you can separate work and friendship. You are a true friend, and I love you, KM."
Then there's the whole Ryan Edwards driving-while-under-the-influence debacle and the accusations that Kiki was practically his drug supplier. So let's take inventory. Godmother of cast members' child? Cast member's boyfriend says he loves her? Alleged drug supplier for cast member? Being close with those you work with is great but these all add up to being much, much too close for comfort.
Rebel Producer Heather Fired For Living With Farrah
Heather Walsh, one of the founding members of the Teen Mom franchise might be one of the most recognized faces when it comes to producers. She also may have had the hardest job when it comes to catering to the demanding and unreasonable ways of Farrah. But Heather managed to gain Farrah's trust and the two became close. So close that it was to the detriment of Heather's career. She was fired in May for "breaking the rules."
Though Farrah's ex Simon Saran launched allegations via Twitter that Amber Portwood was responsible for Heather's absence by threatening to quit if the producer wasn't fired, a source with ties to MTV execs cleared up the rumors. "They found out that she was frequently staying at Farrah's house and that is not allowed," the source explained. "They want producers to have a great relationship with the cast, but there are certain rules in place that lay out things they can and can not do with the cast." So though it is true that Farrah had a port-a-potty for the film crew, it seems that Heather had a special exception unless Farrah kept the port-a-potty during Heather's stays.
Producer Kristen Schylinski's Friendship With A Cast Member's Mother Interferes With Her Ability To Stay Objective
To say that Jenelle Evans and her mother, Barbara have a tumultuous relationship is a massive understatement. The two have been at each other's throats since an MTV camera was first pointed at Jenelle's sixteen-year-old pregnant belly. Naturally, over the years, Jenelle's producer Kristen Schylinski (far right) has become close with Jenelle and her mother. But that is where the problem lies. Having a tight relationship with two people who are constantly fighting often means being forced to take sides. Since Jenelle and Barbara live in separate homes, Kristen is isolated with each of them while filming their segments, listening to Barbara complain about Jenelle and vice versa. While producing one of the reunion specials, Kristen and her crew filmed as Jenelle and her boyfriend, David took Jenelle's son, Jace into a car to head back to their hotel room. The only problem with this is that Barbara has legal custody of Jace. Kristen couldn't do anything but helplessly beg Jenelle not to leave with Jace and a crew member tried to block the car only to get threatened by David. The police got involved and in the end, both Barbara and Jenelle were upset with Kristen.
Farrah Abraham Vs. Larry, The Producer
Farrah's heated relationship with Teen Mom OG producer Larry Musnik reached a boiling point in 2016 while the show was in production. Apparently, Farrah had either forgotten that she was scheduled to allow MTV cameras in her home to film that day or she pretended to forget because when producer Heather Walsh knocked on Farrah's door, she was turned away. Farrah said that she was already involved with taping another reality show on a competing network that had to do with therapy between her and her mother. When Larry pointed out that she would be in breach of contract if she refused to film that day, things went south quickly. Farrah became very disrespectful and began yelling at Larry. Referring to the show that made her famous, Larry said, "This gave you your start!" Farrah shouted for Larry to get off of her property with profanity and followed it up with a violent shove.
MTV Covers Up CPS Case?
At the time of this writing, this is a breaking story that is still developing but what we know now is that Jenelle Evans has been summoned to court by Doris Davidson, the mother of Nathan Griffith, who is the father of Kaiser Griffith, Jenelle's second son. Still with us? Doris believes that her grandson, Kaiser is not safe living under Jenelle's care and requested emergency custody of him alleging that Kaiser and his older half-brother Jace have been locked out of the home by Jenelle and there are possible allegations of physical abuse as well. This all came out after it was made public that Jenelle's newest child, her first daughter Ensley Jolie Eason, fathered by boyfriend David Eason, tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychotropic cannabinoid that is found in cannabis. It looks like Jenelle is in massive hot water in regards to the legal custody of possibly all three of her children. But was any of this made known of the recent episodes of Teen Mom 2? Not a whisper which leads fans to believe that MTV was covering up the CPS and court cases to keep Jenelle filming.
Check Up Host Dr. Drew Accused Of Being In Cahoots With Execs And Covering Up Issues
Dr. Drew has been involved with the Teen Mom cast since the girls were actually teens (not in their mid to late twenties like they are now) and has watched not only their children but the moms grow up as well throughout the years. Hosting the season finale specials called Check Up with Dr. Drew can't be an easy feat. All of the pent up emotions and frustrations from dealing with rumors and fellow cast member drama has been building up to this point and it reaches a fever pitch right there on the stage. The show is intended to rehash what happened in the season and talk about what the girls, baby daddies and kids are currently up to. But many fans of the show have criticized Dr. Drew for missing golden opportunities to press the cast members for answers to hot topics. Since Dr. Drew works closely with the execs and producers for the reunions, it stands to reason that the "powers that be" work hard alongside Dr. Drew to make sure that certain topics are off limits per the girls' requests demands and the result is less reality, more scripted conversations and disappointment for fans.
All Those Reunion Fights - Encouraged By Crew?
What's a reality show reunion without tears and a fight? That's what TV audiences are waiting for... when all of the tension from the previous season has built up... when all of the dirty looks and Twitter feuding finally comes to a head. And we'd be naive to suggest that all reality show producers don't add to the drama in some way to make their stars crack on stage. That being said, there's a lot of fighting going on the Teen Mom reunions. Physical fights that involve the stars and their parents like the time Roxanne DeJesus ran on the stage, took off her red pump and chased Devoin (the father of her daughter Briana's baby, Nova) around, red pump aimed at his head. Or the time Michael Abraham (Farrah's father) got a scuffle with Matt Baier (Amber Portwood's ex) after Michael rushed on the stage to defend his daughter's honor. What we're saying is that there have been many times in which family members are backstage but manage to get past security and producers to the main stage to wreak havoc and we're pretty sure the powers that be at MTV could control that... if they wanted to.
Firing Farrah (For Joining The Other Industry) And Re-Hiring Her!
Teen Mom had taken a break before coming back with the newly-named Teen Mom OG starring the same but now older (no longer teen) moms. A lot can happen during a hiatus and that was especially true for Farrah who decided to take Vivid Entertainment up on their offer to produce an XXX tape billed as a "leaked private tape now made public." But there was talk of a contract with Farrah's signature. Talk show offers were being delivered to Farrah by the truckload to find out the truth. All of this chaos was happening at the time that Teen Mom OG was filming. Fellow Teen Mom OG cast member Maci was disgusted with the fact that producers would allow Farrah on the show after her affiliation with the other industry. She issued an ultimatum to MTV, saying that she refused to film if Farrah was going to be on the show as she didn't want her young child associated with "that" in any way. Words were said, venom was spat and in the end, Maci finally gave in. Feisty Farrah remained unapologetic and defiant throughout Maci's shaming attempt. And naturally, cameras were there to capture it all.
Cole And Chelsea Claim Crummy, Unfair Editing Jobs Make Aubree Appear Neglected
Chelsea Houska-DeBoer is something of a Catch-22. Fans gravitate to the mother of two because of her ideal life. Out of all of Teen Mom girls, it would be easy to argue that Chelsea's life is the sweetest of the bunch. Financially secure, she's found true love in husband Cole DeBoer who by all accounts seems to be an incredible stepfather to Chelsea's daughter, Aubree with Adam Lind.
Now Chelsea and Cole have a new baby, Watson. They even have a precious pig named Pete! Life is perfect for Chelsea... and that really bites for MTV. Aside from Adam testing positive for meth recently, there's no drama in Chelsea's segments. Now that Adam has refused to film and has cut ties with the show, Chelsea and Cole claim that MTV is editing scenes to make it appear that Aubree is being emotionally neglected. “I’m so sick of filming great things and cute things and them trying to dig so deep and create something out of nothing by adding dramatic music," Chelsea said. "They tell us to trust them with our story. And I’m seriously heartbroken that she will see this someday and think that’s how it was.”
Producers And Film Crew Allow Amber To Beat Gary Instead Of Stepping In?
Thanks to Amber, her explosive temper and violent tendencies, MTV had to issue one of those public service warnings about domestic abuse before any episode that featured her fighting with her ex, Gary Shirley was shown. Amber has been physically violent with Gary numerous times which caused an outrage of people who called MTV out for protecting a double standard. If MTV cameras were rolling when Gary hit Amber (hypothetically speaking) on countless occasions, wouldn't a producer, a camera man or someone step in to stop the abuse? Yet, Amber laid her hands on her now ex-boyfriend multiple times and during one infamous fight, she even pushed him down a flight of stairs. Thankfully, this toxic couple is no longer together and they have managed to find a way to co-parent their daughter, Leah in a semi-peaceful existence.
Jenelle And Producer Kristen - The Pregnancy Scandal
Fans of the show understand that Jenelle Evans sort of "collects" kids as she goes from one relationship to another. Dr. Drew probably said it best one night at a reunion special when he asked Jenelle point-blank what kind of birth control she was using to make sure that "this" doesn't happen again. Dr. Drew was referring to Jenelle's lack of impulse control and string of poor parenting choices leaving her children in emotional distress. When Jenelle hinted at maybe having another child, viewers from home could actually see the good doctor wince – most everyone was crossing their fingers that Jenelle was crossing her legs wasn't planning on having any more children. But one day producer Kristen asked Jenelle, "Are you guys pregnant?" "No, I'm not at all actually," Jenelle said with the most awkward expression while boyfriend David sat smirking in the corner. It turned out that David and Jenelle were involved in a car accident and Jenelle had to disclose that she was in fact, pregnant. From there, the police report got leaked and back to Kristen who clearly didn't believe Jenelle's bald-faced lie.
Port-A-Potty Problems
Farrah Abraham was just an ordinary girl from Omaha, Nebraska who enjoyed cheerleading and an after school job until she found out that she was pregnant at sixteen and applied to be on a new MTV reality show called 16 and Pregnant. Now, she's twenty-six, full of scandals and apparently, she's also too good to allow the staff and camera crew that made her famous in the first place to "use the facilities" in her home. That's right, Farrah will not allow any MTV exec, producer or camera person use the bathrooms in her huge mansion-like home. Instead, she orders a port-a-potty rental and it sits outside her garage until film production for the reality show is wrapped up. Talk about biting the hand that feeds her! MTV producers have expressed confusion and understandable aggravation over this issue while fans are outraged that Farrah could possibly be so snooty.
Teen Mom 2 Producers Bringing Back Briana For Sis Brittany's Drama?
Resurrecting former cast member Briana DeJesus from the defunct Teen Mom 3 series couldn't have been a hasty decision. Why, fans wondered, are they bringing back Briana from Teen Mom 3 when the second cast is still full with its original members? Considering that the show's time has to be split four ways and cramming four storylines into the forty plus minute time slot is not the easiest thing to do, it seemed strange to want to add a fifth member to an already full show. But some superfans think it's because certain cast members like Chelsea Houska don't bring much to the show in terms of drama. If the MTV execs were looking to spice things up for Teen Mom 2, one look into the past of Teen Mom 3 is all it would take to give them the perfect answer. Briana may not be a firecracker herself but big sis Britt is all about that fire. After all, she learned from the best... from her shoe-throwing mama! So far, Brittany has not disappointed. She has attitude and snark for days and has already threatened to beat up both of Briana's baby daddies. MTV producers, mission accomplished!
