JERSEY MOMS
MTV’S “TEEN MOM” is taking its toddlers, trials and tribulations to the Garden State.
The network recently announced “Teen Mom New Jersey,” the latest spinoff of “16 and Pregnant” — the hit reality show that debuted in 2009 and evolved into “Teen Mom.” The new series will air this fall. Viewers got their first glimpse at the series last Sunday during a short promo at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, and MTV included the title in their fall TV lineup.
Details on the show are scarce, and the network said more information would be available in the coming weeks.
“New Jersey” joins “Teen Mom 2” and “Teen Mom 3” as the fourth spinoff in the franchise.
It also becomes the latest Jersey-set reality show to grace the small screen, following in the footsteps of shows like “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” “Jersey Shore,” “Jerseylicious” and more.
MTV did not reveal why it opted to grant New Jersey its first location-centered spinoff, but the choice does not seem to be indicative of the state’s teen pregnancy rate.
The Garden State ranked 46th out of 50 states in the number of births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years old, with just 14.8, according to a 2015 federal study.
By comparison, Alaska, Indiana and Nevada all had 30.3 births per 1,000 teen moms, while Arkansas had the most, with 43.5
New Jersey teen birth rates have also been steadily decreasing since 2010.