In late March, MTV announced its decision to rebrand its defunct show, Pretty Little Mamas, as Teen Mom: Young Moms Club. The transition has been a bit confusing, and if you're still wondering why Pretty Little Mamas is now the Young Moms Club, you might appreciate this primer about the change.
Pretty Little Mamas aired from Aug. 30, 2018, to Sept. 6, 2018. The series — which followed the lives of five young moms and friends — Alyssa Abrenica, Chandlar Walby, Cheyenne Latu. Nicole Plesko, and Nikki Hussey — lasted for only two episodes. The show was pulled from MTV without any explanation, and many fans assumed the series was done for good. But at the end of March, MTV rebranded the show as Teen Mom: Young Moms Club. What's interesting about the change, however, is that the show has nothing to do with the Teen Mom franchise.
“[The show’s crew and producers] have no clue why MTV would do this, being that ‘Pretty Little Mamas’ or whatever they’re calling it now has completely different producers, completely different crew and nothing to do with us,” a source told The Ashley's Reality Roundup. “They basically just renamed ‘Pretty Little Mamas’ and are trying to sell it as a ‘Teen Mom’ show.”
Longtime Teen Mom OG cast member Tyler Baltierra also expressed confusion about the idea, tweeting: "Umm...didn’t they already try airing this show before & it failed? So changing the name & using the leftover footage in order to attach it to an already existing successful franchise is somehow going to make it work?"
Sheesh. Tell me how you really feel, Tyler.
The drama and confusion among fans hasn't been lost on MTV. Case in point: The network took to Twitter on Thursday, April 4 to address the ongoing doubts.
"Time to address the elephant in the in the room. We understand the confusion around the announcement of #YoungMomsClub," the show's account tweeted. "At the heart of #PrettyLittleMamas was a story of 6 moms trying to navigate life, relationships and motherhood."
It added: "We quickly realized that story is best told through the #TeenMom lens. You’ve seen some of their journey, but we hope that you’ll take a chance to experience the rest."
Hmm. It sounds like MTV was eager to switch up Pretty Little Mamas' format, and ultimately decided that it was best to follow in Teen Mom's footsteps.
It's also no coincidence that Young Moms Club is airing after Teen Mom 2 — it's pretty clear the network wants to nab some viewers from that demographic.
Still, all of this information doesn't answer the question of why MTV feels so strongly about this group of women. It's a bit curious, in my opinion, that the network has put so much faith into their stories, despite the show's initial failure.
Either way, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out. With the addition of a new cast member (Heather) and a fresh coat of paint, it's possible this rebrand will work out in the long run.
