If you’re a follower of all things Teen Mom, then by now, you’ve probably caught wind of the biggest development to the franchise since Farrah Abraham got fired for being Farrah Abraham.
We’re talking, of course, about Bristol Palin joining the cast of Teen Mom OG.
The news has already prompted several important questions:
Will Bristol be able to deliver the ratings?
Does the average MTV viewer even remember the 2008 election?
Does seeing Russia from one’s house count as collusion?
And, of course, how does the rest of the cast feel about Bristol’s casting?
Now, it turns out the answer to that last query could create some serious problems for the show’s producers:
New Girl
Bristol is one of the most famous former teen moms in the country, but the news of her casting came as a total shock, nonetheless.
Classified Info
MTV reportedly went to great lengths to keep the news under wraps, even going so far as to refer to Bristol by a codename in meetings and internal documents.
The Maci Connection
An insider revealed yesterday that Maci Bookout was directly linked to the decision to cast Bristol.
A Failed Gambit
It seems that at one point, Maci refused to continue filming unless producers assured her that they would no longer feature her first baby daddy, Ryan Edwards, on the show. Apparently, she didn’t want her eldest son to see his father struggling with addiction on TV.
Whoops
The move backfired, however, as producers decided to continue filming Ryan while simultaneously seeking out a suitable replacement for Maci.
Enter Bristol
And just like that, Bristol wound up joining the cast. Producers decided to keep Maci on the show, and in an ironic twist, Palin might wind up giving Bookout exactly what she wanted …
Taking a Standifer
According to Radar Online, Ryan Edwards and his wife, Mackenzie Standifer, have threatened to quit the show over Bristol’s casting.
Spilling the Tea
News that Ryan and Mackenzie Standifer will not be returning next season comes to us courtesy of Edwards’ parents, Jen and Larry Edwards.
Sitting This One Out
“No, we have not been filming,” the couple tells Radar Online. “The last time we filmed was when we were back in New York for the reunion.”
MTV Is Still In the Area
Interestingly, Jen and Larry admit that Maci and her husband, Taylor McKinney, are still filming.
Larry Tells All
“They haven’t been back to the house since,” Larry says. “Sometimes they film Maci and Taylor.”
Interesting…
So filming for the next season of TMOG has begun, but Ryan and Mackenzie are apparently not participating.
The Bristol Factor
Given the timing, it’s hard to imagine that Bristol’s casting had nothing to do with the fact that Ryan and Mackenzie are not involved in the upcoming season.
Two Possibilities
The question now is: Did the Edwardses quit because of Bristol, or producers fire them to make room on the cast?
Jilted Mackenzie?
At one point, producers considered hiring Mackenzie full-time, as a replacement for Farrah Abraham. They went in a different direction, and it’s possible that Standifer is extremely miffed about it.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Of course, it’s also possible that the producers decided that the show is simply over-stuffed with Bristol on board. After all, in addition to Palin, former The Challenge star Cheyenne Floyd is also joining the cast for next season.
Too Many Moms
While producers did want five moms in the vein of the recently re-structured Teen Mom 2, they may have felt that five full-time moms AND Mackenzie was simply too much for an hourlong show.
The End?
Whatever the case, it seems we may have seen the last of Mackenzie and Ryan on TMOG. But that might not be such a bad thing …
Free At Last
Mackenzie was never a fan of the reality TV spotlight. She recently returned to social media after a long hiatus, possibly feeling that it’s now safe for her, as she’s no longer on the show. And we don’t need to tell you the effect that fame seemed to have on Ryan …