This is the end of MTV's Teen Mom. The original group, anyway. We still have Jenelle Evans and her buddies on Teen Mom 2 to endure enjoy, as well as a new group to learn to love to hate on Teen Mom 3.
I'll admit – the Teen Mom series finale left me craving more Teen Mom; however, after watching these reunion "specials," I can honestly say I'm ready to move on. On Part One of the reunion special, which was taped the first weekend of March, Dr. Drew Pinsky talked to Catelynn Lowell, Tyler Baltierra, and Farrah Abraham.
Part two brings us the rest of the original cast. Well, almost. Amber Portwood is still at summer camp. <wink, wink>
Maci and Ryan… Sitting in a Tree…
Before Dr. Drew obsesses about Maci Bookout and Ryan Edwards living happily ever after, he asks Maci about college. She says, "I'm doing good now. After my first two years, I just realized how fast it was going by. I stopped making excuses. Aside from Bentley, that should be the most important thing." Maci adds she is done wasting her time and money. Also, she travels at least once a week to speak to teens about teen pregnancy.
CLICK CONTINUE READING FOR MORE!
Ryan's custody/court talk this past season took Maci by surprise. She says, "I don't understand, really, what his issue is." Maci feels as if she gives Ryan more days with Bentley than any judge would already. But, at the same time, Maci argues, "I don't think they [Ryan and company] understand that I’m his [Bentley] mother. At this time in his life, I am the most important person to him."
The big shocker of the reunion – Maci and Kyle King are no longer together. Apparently, Kyle was talking to girls (on the computer) that he once dated and/or slept with, and Maci left. She says, "When it happened, I didn't give him a chance to explain himself." That's certainly one way to approach it… perhaps, though, not the most adult-like. Maci adds, "I didn't give him a chance to admit anything… there was no reason to have a conversation about it."
Kyle joins Maci onstage. He's wearing denim on denim, as well as noticably thinner and oranger.
Dr. Drew says, "Kyle, Maci says she found something on her computer." Kyle says he talked to a few girls – old friends from Nashville – and that's it. Maci's like, this has happened before, and now she's tired of dealing with it.
Kyle doesn't think he was cheating, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's sad about their breakup. Kyle shares, he was tired of the arguing. Maci, of course, has no idea what he's talking about. Maci cries, "I don't feel like Kyle wanted to put the effort into working for it." Kyle feels "over it." Honestly, it was beyond obvious on Teen Mom that Kyle was checked out of their relationship.. I have no idea why he agreed to buy that house "with" Maci.
Are Maci Bookout And Kyle King Back Together?
Dr. Drew says to Maci, "This is still the same guy that we all agree is a great guy and good for Bentley all this time. He didn't change into a different person." Maci, Yes, he did. Dr. Drew, No, he did not.
Dr. Drew asks Kyle if he felt trapped. Not necessarily trapped, but he says, "For the longest time, I didn't think about myself. I was trying to make something out of me and her perfect that wasn't just so we could be there. For Bentley, I guess." When Dr. Drew asks Kyle if he would have stayed with Maci as long if it were not for Bentley, he just shrugs. Maci chimes in with, "We would have never been together, because me and Ryan would still be together [if there wasn’t a Bentley]." Is she delusional?
Dr. Drew says, "I'm very interested to find out how Ryan fits into all of this." Of course he is. Note to Dr. Drew: stop trying to create drama where there is none. Why would Ryan – who cannot stand Maci – "fit into" Maci and Kyle's facebook chat woes?
Thankfully, Ryan knows Dr. Drew is nuts. You can see it in Ryan's face… he totally thinks Dr. Drew is a quack.
First, they talk about Bentley's birthday. Dr. Drew points out, Maci set up Ryan, Maci was in the wrong. Maci whines, "Even if we had planned to do separate things, I don't understand why, for some reason, Ryan has a very big issue with us doing anything together with Bentley."
Ryan says, very matter of fact, "We don't get along." Going all the way back to 16 & Pregnant, Ryan admits they never got along and he was never happy with Maci. They were only together for four months before Maci got pregnant.. Maci describes their relationship as high school lust… yet, Maci thinks they'd still be together if she hadn't gotten pregnant. Based on.. what, exactly?
Dalis Connell joins Ryan and Maci onstage. At the time of this taping, Ryan and Dalis have been together for nine months. Ryan says they're in love, and Dalis says she enjoys Bentley.
For some strange reason (visions of sugared threesomes dancing in his head?), Dr. Drew wants Maci and Dalis to be BFFs. Maci whines to Dalis, "I've been patient. I want to know how to make you be more comfortable with me." Dalis basically suggests to Maci, stop being such a bitch and two faced behind my back. Maci plays dumb. Dalis reminds Maci that she texted Ryan at the beach, implying Ryan would have a better time with Maci. Maci warns Dalis, "Don't go there, or I'll tell you something you don't want to hear."
Dr. Drew is like… oh no, let's go there. Maci claims, while at the beach, Ryan texted Maci first, asking to come to her room. Why? She doesn't say. Presumably for a booty call. Ryan denies texting Maci.
Dalis stops the nonsense and says, "I respect Maci. I've made it clear to everyone that I respect her as a mother, and I always will. You can't just be his mother and then do ex girlfriend tendencies." Again, Maci plays dumb. Dalis is like, texting Ryan, wanting to be with Ryan, tweeting about Ryan, lusting after Ryan, talking trash about me. Maci says to Dalis, "I apologized to you and the way you treated me continued."
Then, Dr. Drew is like, this is getting too interesting, let's talk about the possibility of Maci and Dalis being BFFs again. Dr. Drew asks Ryan, "Don't you want Maci and Dalis to hang out?" Ryan says, "I don't understand why they have to hang out. I don't want to hang out with Maci… why should Dalis have to?" Best line of the night!
Dr. Drew says to them all, "I'm pulling for you. I am."
Ryan cracks up and says, "What are you pulling for?" Exactly. Get over yourself, Dr. Drew.
Gary: Picking Up Amber's Pieces
Gary Shirley, who looks like a parade float dressed in plaid shorts, shows up in Amber Portwood's place.
Once again, Amber is unable to attend the taping because she's dealing with "legal and personal" issues. Dr. Drew has a statement written by Amber (or one of MTV's Teen Mom writers) to share. This taping/statement happens before Amber's five-year prison sentence:
"I cannot be there with you guys today because I had a probation violation. Right now, I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life. I guess I just got lost. I went to jail because I had an addiction to opiates. You live and you learn… and that's real. It's time for me to stop partying and realize that even though I'm 21, I'm not a normal 21 year old. I'm a mother, which means I have to grow up quicker and start acting like a mother. I miss Leah a lot. She's a little mini-me. I see pictures of her, and I think about where I went wrong and how I can fix it so she can be proud of me. As for Gary, I know that he's a good dad. I hope he finds happiness, even if it's not with me. I know we probably won't get back together. He has too many insecurities when it comes to our relationship, but I hope that one day we can have a good relationship between us and Leah. My number one priority right now is dedicating my life to being sober, to being a sober person. And to show my daughter that people make mistakes but you can always come back. If Leah learns anything from me, she should see how becoming a teen mom can change you. How everything is postponed. I made the show for a reason. Some decisions change your whole life. If you don't want to take responsibility and use protection, then don't have sex. This isn't how you show someone you love them. One night can change your whole life into a sad story. I hope people look at my story and say, 'That's not the way I want to go.' I know everybody pictures me as a mean person who cusses and hits people, but that's not me. That's just what I had to go through to grow up and learn. I want to show everybody that I can do it and I can start living a straight life and getting my family back in order."
Dr. Drew asks Gary what he thinks about Amber's statement. He just says, "That's a lot of truth." Dr. Drew's professional opinion, after one phone call with Amber, is that she's sober and "changed."
Farrah Abraham Calls Gary Shirley A "Pig"
"Gary, you said some pretty harsh things to Amber this season," says Dr. Obvious. Also, he adds, that Gary wasn't too happy about Amber's new boy toy. Gary says, "It wasn't about the boyfriend, it was how she met him and that story, which I'll talk about if I need to." Dr. Drew gives Gary the floor. Gary continues, "She comes back from rehab.. really good relationship, real good terms, right? Then, all of a sudden, nothing changed. Rehab didn't help her. It was like a resort."
Dr. Drew asks Gary how Leah reacts to all of this. Gary explains that Amber hasn't stepped up to be a mother to Leah in a "very long time." At this point, he says, Leah has been with him for over a year, so Amber's absences don't really affect Leah anymore.
Paging, Dr. Dumbass… can we hear the rest of the boyfriend story?
Moving right along, Gary gets sad and tells Dr. Drew he's depressed. Dr. Drew cuts him off, because that's what made-for-TV psychologists do when someone goes off script, and asks, "How are you going to prevent Leah from making the same mistakes?" Well, Gary thinks because he and Amber are no longer together, Leah is good. Gary adds, "Leah's super smart, like her daddy."
All Together Again
Cateylnn, Tyler, Maci, Ryan, Gary, and Farrah are all onstage now. Also, Leah, Bentley, and Sophia.
Photo credit: MTV
