TVSquad

NBC has a new reality series called The Baby Borrowers. When I attended NBC / Universal's Summer Press Event, I got to hear about it and meet some of the cast (two of whom are pictured to the right, Alicea and Cory). I also picked up the few first episodes and watched them this week.

The show is a social experiment where teens are put on the fast track to adulthood as they have to run a household and care for children in different stages of life.

First, the participants, whose ages range from eighteen to twenty, move into a quiet cul-de-sac in Boise, Idaho. After a quiet night of "newlywed" bliss, the girls wear a simulated "empathy" belly and the couples attend parenting class the next day. After their training, the couples take care of a real baby (ages six months to eleven months). Don't worry, those parents crazy enough to hand off their babies to random teens were able to watch on a live feed from a nearby house for the three days. Also, the couples were shadowed by professional nannies the entire time. At one time, "mom" left the house while "dad" was in the shower, leaving the children completely unsupervised. The nanny took care of the children for about twenty minutes and gave the teen participants a lecture on the dangers of leaving a child unattended.

What's interesting about the situation is the relationship between the teens and the volunteer parents. Some of the real moms felt the need to step in when the "moms" weren't doing an adequate job. Of course, their advice / criticism was met with the utmost maturity and self-reflection on the part of the teen participants, who always kept their over-inflated sense of entitlement in check. (Catch my sarcasm?) Also, the parents sat down with the teens after the three days were over to give them pointers and talk about the experience. This post-operation-babysitter meeting varied from teary good-byes to complete blow-ups.

The show, while contrived in many ways, has it's touching moments. Some are forced. Some are the result of crafty editing. But some are actually touching. One in particular comes to mind. One of the mothers who handed off her baby and then her toddler to Kelsey and Sean (a couple from New Hampshire) was a teenage mother herself. She talked about the importance of doing this show: it gives teens an insight into parenting and running a household at such a young age. And, hopefully, this show will deter them getting themselves into situations that will land them with a baby at such a premature point in their adult life.

At first, the mother came in and scolded the teens for doing a poor job (Kelsey, in particular, just checked out of the experience after getting frustrated). The mother then came back and had a heart-to-heart with Kelsey. She said some pretty wise things about being a parent and sympathized with Kelsey's frustrations.

After the teen participants give back their babies, they have three days with toddlers, three with pre-teens and their pets, then the teenagers, and finally seniors. What's great about all the three-day "crash courses" is the variety. Some teen participants get three brothers (along with their snakes, rats and iguanas). Others get to throw a slumber party for ten tweens. Still others get twin toddlers while the rest have a single toddler to care for. This makes for some good drama.

Here's a video from NBC.com about show:

Final Thoughts on The Baby Borrowers:

What's my verdict? Well, that depends on whether or not you like reality TV and what kind of reality TV you like. I do like reality TV. (If I had to choose, I would rather watch a scripted show. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have Big Brother on my DVR.) Also, I like straight-up skanky drama in my reality TV. Give me Rock of Love over The Baby Borrowers any day. But I think if you like any of the following shows, you might want to give TBB a chance: Supernanny, Beauty and the Geek, Wife Swap, or any other reality show that makes an attempt at throwing in a touching moment amist lots of drama. But, I'd love to know what you think. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

What does the show need? Umm, a prize would be nice. And eliminations. What can I say? I like contests.

What's the most annoying thing about this show? It's a toss up between teen 'tude and crying babies. I can only take either in small doses.

Will this really decrease the alarming number of teen pregnancies in this country? Probably not, although I'm pretty sure that these teens will wait a LONG time before having children...if they ever procreate.

Is this good reality television? Yes, it's a decent show.

Do I wish NBC would spend some more time, money, and energy on scripted television for its summer line-up? Yes, definitely.

The Baby Borrowers premieres on NBC Wednesday, June 25th, at 8 p.m. ET.