Read Teen Mom Confidential: Secrets & Scandals From MTV's Most Controversial Shows Online
Authors: Ashley Majeski,Sean Daly
Tags: #General Fiction
ABORTION:
On December 28, 2010, MTV aired a special called “No Easy Decision” in which Markai Durham discussed why she chose to end her second pregnancy.
ADAM LIND:
Chelsea's baby daddy and father of Aubree.
ADOPTION:
Three girls - Catelynn, Lori Wickelhaus and Ashley Salazar - chose to give their babies up. The aftermath of Catelynn's decision is a key plotline in the
Teen Mom
series.
ALGONAC (MI):
Hometown of Catelynn and Tyler. Pop: 4,110.
ALEEAH & ALIANNAH SIMMS:
Twin daughters of Leah and Corey. Born on December 16, 2009.
ALETHEA MONTANTE:
Former neighbor and close friend of Farrah. Featured on fourth season of
Teen Mom
.
ALLENTOWN (PA):
Hometown of Kail and Alexandria Sekella. Inspiration for 1980s hit by Billy Joel. Birthplace of actress Amanda Seyfried. 12th most conservative city in America.
ANDERSON (IN):
Hometown of Amber and Gary. Pop: 56,129. Median income: $32, 577. Birthplace of the postage stamp vending machine.
ANOREXIA:
Eating disorder that afflicted Kayla Jackson (
16 and Pregnant
, season three) throughout her entire pregnancy. When Kayla nearly passed out one day, it is discovered that she hadn't eaten, in hopes that she would stop gaining weight.
APRIL BALTIERRA:
Catelynn's mom. She became the stepmother of Catelynn's boyfriend Tyler when she married his father, Butch.
ASHLEY DANIELSON:
Farrah's sister. She appeared on Farrah's
16 and Pregnant
episode, as well as throughout the
Teen Mom
series.
ARABELLA SEKELLA-McCANN:
Daughter of Alexandria Sekella and Matt McCann. Featured on
Teen Mom 3
. Born on July 18, 2011.
ASHLEIGH EVANS:
Jenelle's sister. Ashleigh appeared on a few episodes of
Teen Mom
. In 2012, she got into a bitter feud with Jenelle after she claimed that Jenelle stole money from her.
AUBREE HOUSKA:
The daughter of Chelsea Houska and Adam Lind. Born on September 7, 2009.
- B-
BARBARA EVANS:
Jenelle's mom. The pair often clash about Jenelle's partying, boyfriends, and how Jenelle's son, Jace, should be raised. Jenelle signed over parental rights to Barbara during the filming of
Teen Mom 2
.
BENTLEY EDWARDS:
Maci and Ryan's son. His appearance on the show caused the name Bentley to become the fastest growing boy's name of 2011, according to the Social Security Administration.
BETHANY CHRISTIAN SERVICES:
Michigan adoption agency that Catelynn and Tyler used to find their daughter's adoptive parents.
BITTERSWEET BLESSINGS:
The autobiography released in 2012 by season two cast member Ashley Salazar.
BOOB JOBS:
Jenelle, Maci and Farrah all had breast augmentation surgery since the birth of their children.
BRANDON & TERESA DAVIS:
The adoptive parents of Catelynn and Tyler's daughter, Carly. They appear in several episodes of Teen Mom.
BRITTANY TRUETT:
Jenelle was videotaped beating up her former friend in March 2011. When the footage went viral, both were arrested along with another girl.
BUTCH BALTIERRA:
Tyler's dad and Catelynn's stepdad. His fondness for breaking the law and illegal drugs often landed him in the slammer throughout the series. His alleged attack on Catelynn's mother served as major storyline of the show's fourth season.
- C -
CARLY ELIZABETH DAVIS:
Catelynn and Tyler's daughter (b. May 18, 2009). She was adopted at birth by Brandon and Teresa Davis.
CHARLES ANDREW LEWIS:
Father of Jenelle Evans' son, Jace. Though he is referenced on Teen Mom 2, he never appeared on the show.
CHATTANOOGA (TN)
: Maci's hometown. Pop. 167,674. Birthplace of the tow truck.
COUNCIL BLUFFS (IA):
Hometown of Farrah Abraham. Birth place of inventor Lee De Forest, known as the “Grandfather of Television.”
COREY SIMMS:
The father of Leah's twin daughters. They married on October 17, 2010. The wedding served as part of the first season finale of
Teen Mom 2
. Corey and Leah's divorce was finalized on June 21, 2011.
CUSTODY:
One of the most hotly contested issues on the show. Amber and Gary, Maci and Ryan, Kail and Jo, and Jenelle and her mother, Barbara often got into arguments over how much time they got to spend with their children.
- D -
DALIS CONNELL:
Former girlfriend of Ryan Edwards. Appeared on the fourth season of
Teen Mom
.
DANIEL ALVAREZ:
Briefly dated Farrah during the summer of 2011. Their courtship was filmed and shown during the fourth season of Teen Mom.
DAWN BAKER:
The adoption counselor who helped Catelynn and Tyler find adoptive parents for their daughter Carly. Dawn was also instrumental in getting Catelynn cast on
16 and Pregnant
.
DAWN SPEARS:
Mother of Leah Messer (and a former teen mom herself).
DEBRA DANIELSON:
Farrah's mother. She is arrested during the first season of Teen Mom for assaulting her daughter.
DEREK UNDERWOOD:
Farrah's ex-boyfriend and the father of her daughter, Sophia. He was killed in a car accident on December 28, 2008 at the age of 18.
DEVOIN AUSTIN II:
Absentee father of
Teen Mom 3
star Briana DeJesus' daughter, Nova.
DIA SOKOL SAVAGE:
Creator of
16 and Pregnant
and
Teen Mom
. She has also written and produced several independent films.
DR. DREW PINSKY:
Host of the “Life After Labor” finale specials, as well as the season finales reunions. In 2011, he revealed that several of the
Teen Mom
girls often call him to chat and get advice.
DRUGS:
In her memoir, Farrah reveals that she used drugs, particularly cocaine, before and after her daughter Sophia was born. Butch, Jenelle, Ebony Jackson and Jo Rivera have all been arrested for drug-related offenses.
DUSTIN SULLIVAN:
Jenelle's court appointed attorney. He had no idea that his client was an MTV celebrity when they first met.
- E -
ENGAGEMENTS:
Several of the girls became engaged during their time on MTV. Cameras rolled as Leah accepted a proposal from Corey during the first season of
Teen Mom 2
. While filming the third season of the show, Jenelle accepted a proposal from Gary Head. (The couple split soon after). During the fourth season of
Teen Mom 2
, Kail gets engaged to boyfriend Javi Marroquin.
- F -
FACEBOOK FAN PAGES:
Most of the girls featured on
16 and Pregnant
and the
Teen Mom
shows have their own
Facebook
fan page, some of which are run by the girls themselves. Although they were forbidden by MTV to do so, several of the girls from the third season of
16 and Pregnant
used these fan pages to campaign for a spot on
Teen Mom 3
.
FLORIDA:
The summer home of Farrah and daughter, Sophia, in 2011.
- G -
GED:
Chelsea finally obtained her GED in 2012, after struggling for years to get it. Amber is using her time in prison to work towards hers.
GRADUATION:
Several of the girls, including Maci and Kail, graduated from high school early after finding out that they were pregnant.
GARY HEAD:
Jenelle became engaged to the Marine in May 2012, after dating him for a few months. The relationship ended after both were arrested after a fight in June 2012, in which Jenelle claimed Gary beat her up and tried to strangle her with a bed sheet.
GARY SHIRLEY:
Father of Amber's daughter, Leah. Gary was awarded full custody in December 2011.
- H -
HONESDALE (PA):
Kail's hometown. This tiny Pennsylvania town, located 32 miles northeast of Scranton, has a population of about 5,000.
- I -
ISAAC ELLIOTT RIVERA:
Kail and Jo's son. Born on January 18, 2010.
- J -
JACE VAHN EVANS:
Jenelle's son. Born on August 9, 2009. Before he was a year old, Jenelle signed over custody of him to her mother, Barbara. Jace's father is Charles Andrew Lewis.
JAMES DUFFY:
Jenelle's boss during the third season of
Teen Mom 2
. Their relationship soured and Jenelle had James arrested for cyber-stalking after he posted photos of her partying on his Twitter account.
JAMIE McKAY:
Featured on the third season of
16 and Pregnant
, Jamie shocked her Twitter followers in October 2012 when she revealed she had recently had an abortion.
JEREMY CALVERT:
Leah's second husband. They started dating in August 2011. Jeremy proposed on Christmas and the couple married in April 2012.
JO RIVERA:
Kail's ex-fiancé and the father of her son, Isaac. The couple struggled to co-parent after their breakup and often fought about the way their son should be raised.
JORDAN WARD-FINDER:
Jordan was already pregnant for the second time when she filmed the
16 and Pregnant
season 3 “Life After Labor” reunion special, causing one MTV production member to call her “an embarrassment” to the show.
JORDAN WENNER:
Kail's ex-boyfriend. Jordan began dating Kail during the second season of Teen Mom 2. Their relationship ended in the spring of 2011.
JOSE “JAVI” MARROQUIN:
Married Kail in a secret ceremony in Allentown, Pennsylvania in September 2012. The ceremony took place nearly one year to the day that they made their relationship official.
- K -
KATIE YEAGER:
The Wyoming teen appeared on season four of
16 and Pregnant
and was later chosen to appear on Teen Mom 3.
KIEFFER DELP:
Jenelle's on-off boyfriend has a long history of run-ins with the law. Both were arrested together multiple times, starting in October 2010.
KYLE KING:
Maci's boyfriend during the second, third and fourth seasons of
Teen Mom
. They moved in together and were considering marriage before breaking up in January 2012. The couple briefly reunited during the summer of 2012, but ended things for good that September.
KYLE REGAL:
Maci briefly dated the Supercross racer after breaking up with Kyle King. Although he was never seen on the show, Maci was dating him when she filmed the Teen Mom season four reunion special. They broke up in May 2012.
- L -
LAUREN DOLGEN:
MTV development executive who came up with the idea for 16 and Pregnant in 2008. She later served as an executive producer for its spin-offs,
Teen Mom
and Teen Mom 2.
LEAH LEANN SHIRLEY:
Amber and Gary's daughter. Leah was born on November 12, 2008.
LIFE AFTER LABOR:
The “Life After Labor” reunion specials are filmed at the end of each season of
16 and Pregnant
. The girls are contractually obligated to participate in the shows, which take place in either Los Angeles or New York City.
- M -
MACKENZIE DOUTHIT:
One of four girls chosen for
Teen Mom 3
, she was also featured on the fourth season of 16 and Pregnant.
MEGAN NELSON:
Chelsea's best friend and former roommate. Megan moved out of the house she shared with Chelsea after Adam moved in. In July 2011, Megan became a teen mom herself when she gave birth to her son Hunter at the age of 19.
MICHAEL ABRAHAM:
Farrah's dad. Michael was constantly screamed at and belittled by his daughter during the filming of
Teen Mom
. Michael is now officially divorced from Farrah's mother, Debra, and lives in Austin, Texas.
MILITARY:
Several of the fathers featured on
16 and Pregnant
have gone on to serve, including Josh Rendon (husband of Ebony Jackson), and Brian Finder (husband of Jordan Ward).
MORGAN J. FREEMAN:
The executive producer of
16 and Pregnant
,
Teen Mom
and
Teen Mom 2
. He also produced other shows for MTV including
Laguna Beach
and
Maui Fever
.
MY TEENAGE DREAM ENDED:
Farrah's 2012 memoir made the New York Times' E-book Best Sellers list, while the accompanying music CD was overwhelmingly panned by critics for its heavy use of auto-tune and rambling lyrics.
- N -
NAZARETH (PA):
The Pennsylvania town that Kail was living in when she filmed her episode of 16 and Pregnant.
NASHVILLE (TN):
The hometown of Kyle King. Maci moved here during the second season of
Teen Mom
to be closer to her boyfriend.
- O -
OAK ISLAND (NC):
The small seaside town in North Carolina that Jenelle and her mother, Barbara, call home. Pop: 6,571.
- P -
PUBLIC SPEAKING:
Several of the
Teen Mom
girls - including Catelynn and Maci - have spoken at high schools and colleges about preventing teen pregnancy. Catelynn and Tyler also speak as adoption advocates.
- Q -
QUESTIONNAIRES:
The girls being considered for
16 and Pregnant
have to fill out a series of questionnaires and complete a psychology test before being cast for the show.
- R -
RANDY HOUSKA:
Chelsea's dad. Randy has been outspoken about his hatred for her on-and-off-again boyfriend, Adam Lind.
REHAB:
In the spring of 2011, Amber Portwood and Jenelle Evans both spent time in the same drug rehab facility in Malibu, California, with Amber checking in just after Jenelle left. In March 2013, MTV once again paid for Jenelle to attend a rehab facility to help her battle her addition to various drugs.