MTV returned with a fourth season of 16 and Pregnant last night.
In the first of back-to-back episodes, viewers were introduced to cheerleader Mackenzie and BF Josh, who has dreams of making it big on the rodeo circuit.
He’s already had a few too many concussions, though, and his most recent injury, to the neck, was actually sustained a car wreck. Doesn’t bode well.
The highlight, if you can call it that, was Mackenzie donning a full cheerleading outfit, thinking she can still cheer with the best of them at 36 weeks.
Clearly, Mackenzie and Josh are in denial, and the second episode featuring Katie and Joey showed another twosome almost equally as overwhelmed.
Katie gave up her dreams of college, while both of them wound up living with his parents during and after the pregnancy. Their ambitions are all on hold.
Despite the new 16 and Pregnant cast, the broad point remains the same: This is not a glamorous life, but one girls and guys should think very hard about.
Raising a baby upends lives permanently, and is not something many can handle at a young age. This should be a deterrent, or at least a cautionary tale.
Of course, these are basically unofficial audition tapes for Teen Mom, which will pick the most interesting 16 & Pregnant stars for its mega-hit spinoff.