It is easy to forget that MTV pioneered reality television with "The Real World."
The innovators of reality TV, however, still employ a few fresh ideas.
"Engaged and Underage" has a title that is self-explanatory. The show follows a different engaged couple every week, chronicling wedding plans to life after the ceremony. Whoever made the decision to put Lauren and fiance David on the premiere episode should have been promoted by now.
Lauren and David are about to enter marriage with more baggage and issues than Liza Minnelli and David Gest. Lauren and David are 21-year-old devout Christians and virgins. David is also still attached to an umbilical cord.
Without the hilarious interactions between David, Lauren and David's mother, Bonnie, the show is almost nothing. The jaw-dropping commentary in the premiere is a direct result of the relationship between David and his mom. Adding to the debacle, David and Lauren will live in a small cottage in the back of his parents' house after they marry. This is certainly the product of logical foresight and shrewd planning.
Poor Lauren moved from New York to Florida to live in David's sister's room, so she could be with him and his parents. The wonderful foreshadowing of MTV programming gives the audience an indication a train wreck will ensue when David said, "I can tell my Mom pretty much anything." He does not disappoint.
Bonnie expresses jealousy and resentment because Lauren is taking her spot next to David in pictures. She misses when David's arm was around her, and not Lauren. In a brilliant transition to their cottage life, Lauren explains, "It will be different after we're married, when we move to our own house," to which every audience member should have cringed or laughed uproariously.
David quickly gives Lauren an indication of what married life will be like when he calls his mother from the cottage and insists they wave to each other. Lauren can only mutter that they will have to keep their blinds closed.
The engaged couple also wants to visit the bed and breakfast they reserved for their magical night, just to make sure everything is perfect. This results in the best line of the show, courtesy of David's mother: "Would it be weird if I saw pictures of where you guys would spend your wedding night?" Classic.
Later, Bonnie jokes that she has to crawl into bed with David tonight, because she only has a few nights left that she can do that. Lauren does not laugh. Bonnie insists they are just a close family, and there is nothing weird about that.
The remainder of the show features horrid clips from David's bachelor party. He is in women's underwear while buying condoms from a gas station.
Sadly, on the big day, their first kiss as husband and wife is less intimate than most of the moments between husband and mom. The couple still lives in Bonnie's backyard, three months after the wedding, and are called over for dinner and more quality time together.
"Engaged and Underage" promises to deliver moments inspiring laughter, pity and disbelief. These elements combine for a successful formula. Watching naive people getting blind-sided and predicting unrealistic changes in their future will always have appeal.
Glenn Forbes can be reached at forbes.47@osu.edu.
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