Pop Vultures

Today, guest poster Alexis Kienlen shares her unexpected addiction to Jon and Kate Plus 8.

I remember the first time I saw it. I was idly flipping channels when I spotted an Asian man and a Caucasian woman interacting with a mixed race child. I was instantly intrigued. I’m of mixed lineage too, and seeing mixed people on TV is rare. I paused to watch. That’s when I got sucked into the lives of the Gosselin family, and their show Jon and Kate Plus 8.

Jon and Kate plus 8 is a reality tv show on TLC. The show follows the lives of a young couple, Jon and Kate, and their eight children. The Gosselins got married when they were in their early 20s, and fertility treatments gave them a set of twin daughters. A few years later, the Gosselins decided to try for another child. With the help of fertility treatments, Kate ended up pregnant again…with sextuplets. As they are strongly Christian, reduction was not an option for them. The sextuplets (three girls and three boys) were born in 2004 when Jon and Kate were still in their 20s.

The concept for the show developed after the Gosselins did a one-hour TV special called Surviving Sextuplets and Twins The special was so popular that it was followed up by another special a year later. This eventually became the series, which currently draws in about 2.5 million viewers each week. Each episode has a central theme and style and most episodes involve some sort of “adventure.” In one episode, the eight children go to the Hershey Chocolate Factory; in another, they celebrate the Fourth of July. Some episodes focus on overall themes such as discipline or answering viewer mail.

In order to break up the sections with the family of 10 in high gear, Jon and Kate, and occasionally some of the children, sit on couches in an interview setting and are asked to respond candidly to questions asked by an interviewer who is never shown. Some of the show’s themes tend to the overly mundane and everyday. I admittedly watched an episode where the Gosselins got new carpet while trying to ignore the buzzing in my ears as my IQ level dropped.

When I initially started watching the show, I wanted to know more about the family and did some Internet research, scrolling through blogs, forums and websites to find more information. What I discovered is that the show caused powerful emotional reactions with most people. People either love it or hate it. They comment on the way Jon and Kate treat each other, on the things the children say, on every little nuance of each episode. This is not a show that people take lightly. The amount of criticism heaped on Jon and Kate stunned me. I kept watching, intrigued by people’s reactions. I wanted to develop my own thoughts about the show.

The show offers vicarious voyeurism, giving the viewer a chance to see what life is like with eight kids, ages 7 and 4. Viewers are not spared endless tantrums, the reality of potty training sextuplets, the threat of bodily fluids, or the outbursts of frustration on the part of the parents or children who have to battle nine other voices in order to be heard. Jon and Kate both lose their tempers and snap at each other. Kate, who is obsessive compulsive, worries incessantly about germs and is constantly and frantically trying to organize the kids and her husband. Yet, in my humble opinion, despite all their bickering, Jon and Kate do love each other and try their best to make their family work.

Jon and Kate are not perfect, and to their credit, they never pretend to be. I don’t agree with all their parenting methods or beliefs, but I don’t feel righteous anger about their actions. I freely enjoy watching the show even though I don’t necessarily approve of everything they do. They admittedly accept freebies from viewers who feel they’ve established a connection to the family through the show. Episodes have even included opening gifts sent to them by viewers. In one particular episode, Jon was given hair transplant surgery by a fan of the show who worked in a hair transplant clinic.

Why do I watch this show? It’s partially the kids. I rarely interact with children, and this show gives me the opportunity to watch eight of them, all of whom have their own distinct personalities and likes and dislikes. I’ve watched it enough to be able to identify all of the sextuplets, which tells you how much I tune in.

To be honest, I find the show comforting. It has a bit of routine, but there’s still enough information in it to make it new and interesting. I’m also attracted to it because the family is clearly not perfect. I can see their mistakes, their snipes and their shortcomings, and watch as one kid yells, “We don’t hit,” while smacking her sister on the forehead.

Watching the Gosselin household reminds me of watching Survivor crossed with a daycare, as various kids get sent to the corner in time out. Yet there’s something about this family that keeps me tuning in week after week. It’s somewhat embarrassing, but I’m far from alone.

Anyone out there count themselves among the show’s millions of viewers? Or do you have any of your own unexpected TV pleasures to share?

Alexis is a Canadian author and journalist with a love for apples and loose leaf tea. Visit her on the web at www.alexiskienlen.com.