On Sunday, I Am Cait premiered on E! after months of buildup to what many felt was the most highly-anticipated debut in the history of reality TV.
The network expected a large chunk of the 17 million people who watched Caitlyn’s interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC to tune in.
Unfortunately, all that hype did not translate into big ratings …
A mere 2.7 million people watched the premiere of I Am Cait.
To put that in perspective, roughly 4.2 million watched the "All About Bruce" episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
The ratings aren’t disastrous, but if the audience continues to shrink (and it usually does following a heavily-hyped premiere) then Caitlyn might be facing the embarrassment of starring in a one-season-and-done reality show.
Worse, she may be forced to deal with a gloating Kris Jenner.
According to Radar Online, Caitlyn sees the ratings bust as a lost battle in her ongoing war with Kris Jenner.
“Caitlyn is unhappy with the numbers, and hates losing to Kris Jenner, and the rest of the Kardashian family," says one insider. "There has been tremendous pressure on Caitlyn, and she feels that she has let the transgender community down.”
Kris and Caitlyn just met for the first time yesterday, and some sources say they’re still not getting along, while others claim the momager offered Cait some advice on how to improve her show’s ratings.
Says a source close to the star:
“Caitlyn’s kids feel that there is just a lot of fatigue on behalf of the public, and she should have waited until later this year to do a reality show."
"Live as a woman and deal with the legal consequences of the fatal car crash," they added, referring to her car accident earlier this year.
"Caitlyn didn’t want to listen to her kids’ advice, and this is why some of them, including Bart and Brody won’t participate in the show.”
Yes, Caitlyn may be sporting a new first name these days, but her concern over reality ratings, and the constant conflict within her family?
She’ll always be a Jenner. Just saying.