Summer TV: Teen Mom

I've always been a big fan of Teen Mom.  And I felt vindicated when the New York Times ran an article about how it can be used as a tool to teach about safe sex.  Serious newspapers take this show seriously!  This is no Jersey Shore.  People have said that Teen Mom glamorizes teenage pregnancy, but anyone who watched the previous seasons would know that isn't true.  These girls struggle with money, school, terrible boyfriends, custody battles, family issues, substance abuse, homelessness, depression, and even a child protective investigation.  It's not easy and the show makes that clear. 

But as the third season continues, the girls have become tabloid fixtures and for the first time it seems to me that the show may be doing more harm than good.  Two out of four of the moms have gotten breast implants.  Some are talking about modeling and acting as though they can now turn their stint on MTV into a full blown career.  And why wouldn't they think that when you look at Bristol Palin?

While some girls can presumably afford plastic surgery, Catelynn and Tyler have reportedly been evicted from their apartment.  It seems that none of these teens can figure out how to manage their MTV paychecks responsibly.  Amber's child protective case has made her the object of harassment in her neighborhood.  Clearly, Amber has issues she needs to work out, but most struggling parents who are working with Child Protective Services are not also subjected to public humiliation, only those being followed around by MTV cameras. 

If the show was meant to teach young people the perils of teenage parenthood, the lesson has certainly been lost on some, including the cast themselves.  Maci is pressuring her new boyfriend to have another baby even though she now has a two-year-old and is still a teenager herself. 

Teen Mom is documentary drama of the most engaging sort.  You will cry; you will cringe; and you will be grateful it isn't you.  Educational tool - probably not, Entertaining television - absolutely. 

Summer TV: Project Runway

I did not forget about my summer television mini-series.  I love competition shows.  Some of my favorites are Top Chef, American Idol, and Project Runway.  There's nothing a judge-y person like myself loves more than judging people on TV.

Like most great reality television, this season of Project Runway has a great cast of contestants including an Asian man with impeccable taste and a cosmopolitan accent that I can't place, a curmudgeon of an old man who used to design for major fashion houses, a good sprinkling of interesting gay men, and a woman who just learned how to sew a few months ago.

The challenges this season have been especially creative.  In one, the contestants had to make an outfit out of materials made entirely from a pet store (see judging below of an outfit made out of hamster bedding!) and in the most recent episode they had to dress models on circus stilts.  It's not the typical set of circumstances under which designers work, but it adds a lot of fun.

The two best parts of the show, however, are the runway show and Tim Gunn.  The runway show is a fun batch of eye candy and Tim Gunn is the picture of classiness and style.  Plus, his catch phrase makes the show: "Make it work."  It also doesn't hurt that the show highlights my favorite city, the fashion capital of America, New York.

Catch new episodes on Thursdays at 9:00 on Lifetime