Teen Mom’s Amber Portwood has been a trainwreck from day one. She’s abused her daughter’s father on camera – twice. She’s lost custody of her daughter, she’s had a suicide attempt, and she’s been in rehab. She’s also she’s been in jail and two of her ex boyfriends also happened to be ex cons. As I’ve mentioned here several times, one of my main issues with Teen Mom is that the girls are shown financially struggling on the show, but that they make very good money behind the scenes. Well Amber’s brother posted a new blog entry calling out MTV for just that, and explaining how his sister got the job in the first place.

For those of you who are wondering whether or not I said everything that was in Life & Style magazine, I will tell you yes and no. Really I did not say anything that no one already knew. Second, the editor of the magazine called me and asked me to either confirm or deny what other sources were saying. Unfortunately this time I confirmed. I love Amber very much but she has changed considerably since she was “16 and Pregnant.” See, back then she was barely making a few hundred dollars a month for doing the show. She was the same person that I had always known her as growing up. As the years went by her salary gradually went up higher and higher. This is because MTV associates are a bunch of sadistic assholes who continued to lure her in with more money as an incentive to stay on the show. Over time a few hundred dollars a month turned into tens of thousands. During this time she also gradually changed. She lost her way and became someone else. She is over-dramatic and thinks of herself as an A-list celebrity.

I personally believe that these little blackout spells that she has is just a cry for help and a way to go back to where everyone will do everything for her, Seasons. It makes me sick to know that so many people look up to individuals on MTV. They are/were people just like you who only got on TV to exploit themselves and act like dumb asses. Let me tell you a story about how Amber got on the show. My ex-wife tried to sign us up for a show called “Engaged and Underage.” They called me and told me that they wanted to film us. I told them that we were already married and they said, “that’s fine.” They wanted to do a special with us. Get married and then turn around and tell our families that we had been married for over four months at the time. I told them that they were not going to make a mockery out of my life. I wish Amber would have had the same mentality as me. When I deployed to Iraq in 2007 Amber found out that she was going to have a little girl. Of course, MTV called my ex and said, “hey, we are doing a show called 16 and pregnant, know anyone who would be a good candidate.” So they got Amber’s name. Had I been home I would have told her just how sadistic MTV was. When I came home on mid-tour leave I found out that she was not only pregnant but that she was also going to be on a MTV show. This made me furious because I knew it would ruin her life. Fast forward to today and we can all see that Amber is a complete train wreck. Most of you might say that it is Amber’s fault because she signed up for the show. I would agree, slightly. MTV is slowly ruining her life day by day and they do not care for one reason, ratings. Now Leah has a dysfunctional mother because she wants to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. My last point that I wish to make is this. If you are making $15,000 plus a months then why even have a show about struggling mothers. None of them are struggling yet they are forced to say they are. This is no longer a show about how hard it is to be a mother. Instead it is a show about how one can go from being broke as hell to have a shit ton of money for simply having a kid. Now there is going to be a season 4. They are not even TEENS anymore. Call it something else like, spoiled snotty rich inconsiderate hateful bitchy mothers who make thousands for spreading their legs. End of story.

[Shawn Portwoods’ blog via ONTD]

I heard the creator of Teen Mom on NPR’s Talk of the Nation this summer. I was really fired up about the way she completely dismissed the money issue in regards to how the moms are portrayed. I pulled my car over and sent an e-mail to them asking about it, but this was the only thing that creator Lauren Dolgen said about the fact that the stars make over a quarter of a million a season, but are shown trying to make ends meet on the show:

“Yeah, we don’t really disclose what our casts get paid, but the girls are compensated… You know, I think all of the girls will have struggles with or without the money they get from the show. You know, they have to raise a child, and they – you know, that costs a lot of money. And they have to raise themselves, too.” – NPR

Bullsh*t, right? MTV is portraying a fake reality and then acting like there’s no problem with it. That’s pretty much what they always do, but they’re tried to act like Teen Mom is some kind of documentary and a cautionary tale for kids who want to get pregnant. It’s just showing the stars, and countless viewers, how to be reality stars. I’m glad Amber’s brother called them out. I doubt his sister would be any more together if she wasn’t on Teen Mom, though. She’d just be broke.

Also, re-read this part of Shawn’s entry “MTV called my ex and said, “hey, we are doing a show called 16 and pregnant, know anyone who would be a good candidate.” So they got Amber’s name. Had I been home I would have told her just how sadistic MTV was. When I came home on mid-tour leave I found out that she was not only pregnant but that she was also going to be on a MTV show.” Does it suggest that Amber got pregnant to be on the show, or just that she was already pregnant and that Shawn’s fiance gave MTV her name? Maybe Shawn doesn’t even know.

Amber is shown on 4/11/11. Credit: Fame