Teen Mom is back, and you’ve never seen it like this before. The controversial television show that began in 2009 with 16 and Pregnant is making its return to MTV this Tuesday after a nearly three year hiatus and already has its fair share of drama surrounding the premier. Between cast member feuds, new babies (!), and plenty of Farrah Abraham’s antics, this season is bound to be memorable.
But what have the original Teen Mom girls been up to since they stopped filming in 2012? A lot has changed for the girls as they have matured from teenagers into young adults. Let’s recap.
Amber Portwood, 24, has come a long way since the last season of Teen Mom. In 2011, she was convicted on drug possession charges and sentenced to five years in prison. However in 2012, she was released after only 17 months for good behavior. While in prison Amber earned her GED and finally realized what she needed to do to stay sober and eventually regain custody of her now 6 year old daughter, Leah. Not only is Amber committed to maintaining her sobriety this season, but she has also decided to try her hand at romance with a new boyfriend. “We are very happy. I’ve never felt this way about somebody else in my life,” she confided to MTV News. Amber’s former fiancé Gary Shirley is also releasing his own line of condoms… so, there’s that.
Catelynn Lowell, 23, is facing some big changes this season! After a stint on VH1’s Couples Therapy with her fiancé and the father of their first child, Tyler Baltierra, the couple announced they were expecting their second child together in January of 2015! Previews for this season not only reveal the couples excitement and preparation for their new baby, but also their turbulent relationship with their first child’s adoptive parents. Will Catelynn and Tyler be able to smooth things out with their daughter’s parents before the arrival of their newborn?
Speaking of babies, Catelynn isn’t the only cast member expecting this season. Maci Bookout, 23, and her fiancé Taylor McKinney also announced they are expecting a daughter in June of 2015. Maci already shares six year old son Bentley with ex-fiancé and resident teen dad hottie, Ryan Edwards. How will Maci’s pregnancy affect her rocky relationship with her ex?
And finally Farrah Abraham, perhaps one of the most infamous cast members in the franchise, or at least the only one who can give Jenelle Evans a run for the most tabloid articles written about her. When the show ended in 2012, Farrah was living in Florida and studying culinary arts. Currently, the 23 year old lives in Austin, Texas with her parents who help to raise her daughter, Sofia, while Farrah pursues her career in the adult entertainment industry. In 2013, Farrah’s sex tape with porn star James Dean was “leaked” online (I’m not going to link you, but if you haven’t seen some of the ridiculous gifs from this you need to go look them up). Farrah followed the release of the tape with not only an erotic novel trilogy appropriately titled, Celebrity Sex Tape, but a line of sex toys and a stint as a performer at an Austin gentlemen’s club, and a leaked sequel to her first tape. When filming began on this season in summer of last year, Farrah was originally not invited back with producers and fellow cast members citing her new career choice as one “that didn’t really match with what the show was about”. Right, because Amber and Jenelle doing drugs on camera promoted healthy sexual activity as well…
However, things changed in December when producers realized that Farrah’s career choice wasn’t as bad as they had originally made it out to be and invited her back to the show. Will Farrah make peace with her producers and fellow Teen Mom castmates this season? And how will MTV balance Farrah’s appearances at porn conventions and strip clubs with their message of safe sex?
This season isn’t just different in terms of the mom’s lives either. Unlike in previous seasons, the cast will break the fourth wall by interacting with film crew and producers during tapings. The new season of Teen Mom: Original Girls airs this Tonight on MTV at 10/9 c!