MTV and the Garden State formed an unholy alliance years ago with the debut of Jersey Shore, a harrowing documentary series about the devastating impact of Ed Hardy shirts and tribal tattoos on one sleepy seaside town.
Both parties experienced tremendous good fortune in the years that followed–MTV with the Teen Mom franchise, and Jersey with the slow, meatball hoagie-fueled decline of Governor Chris Christie.
So hopes were high when it was announced that the network execs who gave us Snooki and the state that gave us Springsteen would once again be joining forces for Teen Mom: New Jersey.
The project was announced over the summer, and MTV immediately cranked the hype machine up to 11.
Within days, there was sky-high anticipation from the same demographic that made Teen Mom: OG and Teen Mom 2 smash hits.
Social media pages were launched, and the identities of the show’s stars were teased as though they were the members of a new Simon Cowell-founded pop group.
So you can imagine the waves of surprise and chagrin that rippled across the internet yesterday when The Ashley’s Reality Roundup reported that MTV had pulled the plug on Teen Mom: New Jersey before the show ever made it to air.
Yes, it seems that the show will never see the light of day, and its “stars” are every bit as confused as its potential audience.
“Last weekend the girls on the show got calls basically informing them that the show isn’t going to air,” a source tells The Ashley.
“They didn’t really give them an explanation—just the standard ‘We’re moving in another direction’ line. The girls are really upset because they’ve worked so hard on this project and were really excited for its premiere.”
Details are scarce, but it sounds as though MTV simply passed on the show, presumably after getting their first glimpse at the finished product.
It’s worth noting that the show was not produced by 11th Street Productions, the company responsible for the 16 and Pregnant and the original Teen Mom shows.
It’s another reminder that you can capture lightning in a bottle twice, but not three times, as Teen Mom 3 so poignantly reminded us.
Sigh. At least we’ll always have the original series.
So practice some self-care and watch Teen Mom: OG online to get yourself through this difficult time.
There will only ever be one Farrah Abraham, which is both tragic and wonderful news.
