Teen Mom

Teen Mom is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 8, 2009. The series is a spin-off of 16 and Pregnant, and chronicles the lives of four of the original teenagers from that series as they navigate their first year of motherhood. In addition to teenage motherhood, the series focuses on themes of changing relationships, specifically, those of the family, friends, couples and school. It shows the struggles teenagers have to go through to raise their children.

The series' pilot episode was the highest rated premiere on MTV in over a year with 2.1 million total viewers. This record has since been surpassed by MTV's version of Skins, which had 3.26 million viewers during its first episode. The season one finale brought in 3.6 million viewers. The second season of the show premiered on July 20, 2010. For its second season finale, it pulled in over 5.6 million viewers. A spin-off titled Teen Mom 2 was announced for January 11, 2011.

Portwood's legal issues

Footage of Amber Portwood's violent behavior towards the father of her child, Gary Shirley, prompted an investigation from the police department in Anderson, Indiana, as well as Child Protective Services. On October 20, 2010, The Today Show aired a segment revolving around the depicted domestic abuse in both seasons. NBC's Dan Abrams discussed the possible legal consequences Portwood could face under Indiana law, and under the maximum punishment, Portwood could be charged with three felonies (conducting abuse in front of a child under 14, domestic violence, along with several related misdemeanors). Police have searched Portwood's apartment, finding "evidence that requires further investigation", although they would not specify what had been found.

On November 3, it was reported that Portwood agreed to allow Indiana's child protective services to monitor her for up to six months in the wake of her televised assault on ex-boyfriend Gary, which sparked hundreds of public complaints questioning her suitability to be a mother. Portwood was allowed to maintain custody of their two-year-old daughter Leah. On November 18, after an extensive investigation, Portwood was charged with three counts of domestic violence for incidents of abuse inflicted on Shirley that aired on the reality show. The same day, MTV released a statement concerning the charges filed on Portwood: "We are cooperating with all parties and hope for a quick and fair resolution that allows everyone involved to move forward in a positive manner.

Cast Member Hometown Biography

Maci Bookout Chattanooga, Tennessee Maci Bookout, the mother of Bentley Cadence Edwards, is described by MTV as the classic teenage overachiever who is smart, athletic, and popular. She had aspirations to go away to college with her friends after she graduated high school, but her dreams are now on hold as she struggles to take care of Bentley, take online courses at the state college, and to keep her relationship with her fiance, Ryan, alive. She got a tattoo that says "bulletproof" on her right shoulder, as a symbol that she will remain the same person she has always been through adversity. Although a patient mother and fiance, Maci gets fed up with Ryan when he does not help her juggle parenthood, school, and work.

Bookout said the reason she did the show was because she wanted to get a good message across and stated: "I really just wanted to show girls how hard it was to be a teen parent, I wanted girls who might get pregnant to see there are options out there to move forward with your life and still have goals." She has gone back to college after dropping her online classes, and now is majoring in journalism and hopes to write a book about her experience being sixteen and pregnant. She also speaks at local high schools to talk about teen pregnancy.

Farrah Abraham Council Bluffs, Iowa An aspiring model, Farrah is the mother of Sophia Laurent Abraham. Sophia's father, Derek Underwood, was killed in a car accident before her birth. In January 2010, Farrah's mother, Debra Danielson, was charged with assault in an Iowa court for hitting her. Due to the fight with her mom, Farrah and Sophia move into an apartment, then talk about moving into her mom's rental house across the street. She sees a therapist to discuss the rocky relationship with her family, as well as dealing with her emotions regarding Underwood and his death.

Catelynn Lowell  Port Huron, Michigan Catelynn is the birth-mother of Carolynn "Carly" Elizabeth. Described as a smart and funny high school senior, she struggles to adjust back to her normal life after her emotional decision to place Carly for adoption. The adoptive parents are Brandon and Theresa. Catelynn moves back home with her parents, but learns that her stepfather, who is also the father of her boyfriend Tyler, is not over her decision to place her daughter for adoption. During the season, Catelynn comes to terms with being a birth mother, moves in with Tyler and his mother when her mother and her stepfather moves into an apartment in another city, and gets engaged to Tyler. She and Tyler both get tattoos in honor of their daughter.

Amber Portwood Anderson, Indiana Amber is the mother of Leah Leann Shirley. Amber's journey into parenthood has been tough; she struggles to parent Leah, and stay with her fiance Gary. She used to be a self-declared party girl, but now discovers she has little time to do anything besides take care of Leah. Amber dropped out of high school when she discovered she was pregnant, but now is working on obtaining her GED. She struggles to balance school and parenting, and her dream of opening her own beauty salon seems far fetched now.