On last night’s 90 minute (seriously, MTV?) 16 and Pregnant we were introduced to Alex Sekella from Pennsylvania who lives with her mother and two younger siblings. She’s an aspiring dancer who works at a fast food job and teaches children how to dance at a local studio. Alex has been with Matt McCann for two years, and the pair couldn’t be more opposite. Alex is focused, driven, and a good student, while Matt is in and out of trouble. From the first two minutes of the show, you can tell he’s a deadbeat.
Alex’s mother took her to get on birth control as soon as she became sexually active (slow clap for her—seriously!), which is refreshing for this season. However, after trying to give her daughter the necessary precautions, Alex’s mom is less than thrilled with the current situation. Alex has two choices…adoption or find another place to live. Harsh, but sometimes there isn’t enough tough love on this show.
Matt is confused and not ready to be a dad. I must also mention that he’s always sweaty and looks like he’s on something. Matt is leaning towards adoption, but selfishly doesn’t want to miss out on his child’s life. Alex’s biggest fear is parenting alone. Matt has some great words of comfort with, “We’ll see.” It’s becoming more difficult for an almost nine months pregnant Alex to teach dance, much less practice. She shares her insecurities with her dance classmates. Alex admits that her pregnancy was an “oops” because they were using protection and she was on birth control. She reveals they didn’t get the Plan B pill because it was too expensive.
Talking with her younger siblings, they are brutally honest. Her brother wants to know if it’s against the law for a teenager to even have a baby. Out of the mouths of babes…you have to appreciate the candidness of a ten-year-old’s mind. Her mother discusses adoption with her, again telling her that no baby will be raised in her home. Alex is clearly torn. She wants to be a mom, and her mother reminds her that many adoptions can be open.
Alex becomes more convinced about motherhood while checking out cute clothing for little girls. Of course, she is smart enough to realize that a $28 outfit will take more than five hours of work to afford. She’s walking a mile to her fast food job contemplating her decision. Alex would like reassurance from Matt, but shockingly he’s MIA for their group mini-golf date. Her friends basically tell her she’s dating a deadbeat, but young love is clearly blind.
Her final ultrasound occurs, and after many voicemails, Matt is in attendance. He’s either drunk, high, or ridiculously hungover while he sits glassy-eyed in the corner, not engaging in any sort of conversation with the doctor. Winner! Later, Alex talks with a friend about her final decision, and she refuses to make it without Matt’s involvement. I see where she’s coming from, but basically everyone in her life is urging her to get rid of this dude. Over lunch with one of her best friends, a proposition is formed…her friend’s mother would like to adopt the baby. While it may seem ideal for some, to me it sounds too close for comfort, as the baby she has such a hard time parting with would become her best friend’s younger sister. Yes, she would get to see her child, but when it comes down to brass tacks, Alex would have to watch her daughter raised in her vicinity with no say, whatsoever. While I commend the potential adoptive parents, I can’t imagine how difficult that would be for all parties involved.
Matt is still being elusive, so she goes to speak with her friend’s parents. They can’t have any more children, and they want to adopt Alex’s baby. It’s a strange (but refreshing? Or just strange) conversation to watch. Her friend’s parents are willing to wait until she’s ready to make a choice, even if that decision isn’t made until well after the baby is born. The couple introduces Alex to their neighbor who needs a roommate to make rent. They would love for Alex to live there while she figures out what she wants to do.
She finally talks to Matt who is more concerned about a pet rabbit doing its business on him than chatting about their future. He’s again totally out of it, but Alex seems awestruck at how sweaty and cute he is. She tells him about the situation that has been presented, and he likes the idea of his child being adopted by a family down the street. Alex really wants to be called “mom” and make it work, and he thinks she’s not thinking enough about the baby…together they don’t make enough to support themselves, much less a child.
With a week to go until her due date, Alex shares her friend Brianna’s parents’ offer with her mother. Her mom understands her concern about being in such close proximity with her daughter knowing they will have the parental rights. However, her mother isn’t thrilled at the thought of her living with the baby at the neighbor’s house until she can make a decision. Her mom thinks that choice needs to be in place before the baby is born.
Alex takes Matt to speak with Brianna’s parents, and again, what is this dude smoking? Alex wants the potential adoptive parents to know that they will have the final say as to visitation. Matt supports the adoption, but thinks that Alex should have the final say. As he’s a year younger—a rising junior in high school—he knows he still has a lot to do before he can provide anything to support his child. Brianna’s dad doesn’t want to put any pressure on the teens, but his wife clearly hopes this will work out for them. As a trial run, Alex moves in some things next door but spends the night at Brianna’s before moving in. Of course, that night she goes into labor.
Before heading to the hospital, Alex sends many unanswered texts to Matt. Her mother arrives at Brianna’s to take her to the hospital…although several hours later she’s still having contractions and writhing on Brianna’s parents’ floor. Bypassing the hospital, the mother-daughter pair track Matt down on his bike…although it totally looked like he was trying to evade them. When Alex falls out of the car mid-contraction, Matt gives up on playing BMX star to get in the car.
After eighteen hours of labor, Alex is finally ready to push. She is beyond thrilled that Matt stayed with her the whole time. News flash…it’s what he is supposed to do…no props should be given. Arabella Elizabeth is born, and it’s the first footage of Matt not sweating up a storm. After giving birth, Alex is having serious reservations about adoption. Matt seems to bond with his daughter, and Alex hopes that he can commit to being a family.
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Alex calls a meeting with her mother and Brianna’s parents to tell them her decision. Brianna’s mother is devastated, and her mother is apologizing to them on Alex’s behalf. Brianna’s dad is one level-headed dude, may I add. Her mother tries to direct her daughter to a more stable support group, but Alex doesn’t want to hear it. She moves in with Brianna’s family’s neighbor and starts to set up her new life. Matt disappears again. Guess who is alone and doing all the work?
Alex’s roommate loves the baby, but she still needs her rent check. Alex promises the money, but she’s worried she’ll come up short as she hasn’t be able to go back to work. Matt makes a cameo, looking again like a hot mess, and she begs for him to help out financially. He is so out of it, he require subtitles. Paging Dr. Drew! After a week, Matt still hasn’t stepped up to plate, and Alex wants to move back in with her mom. Her mother will allow her to come back home, but she is highly disappointed with Alex’s lack of planning. Alex now is concerned that she can’t pay the rent for her last month.
Alex’s mom throws the pair a post-birth baby shower/welcome party. Alex looks thrilled, while Matt tries to stay awake. Mid-gathering, Alex receives a text that her former roommate is going to put her stuff on the curb due to non-payment of rent. Baby shower ruined. The party is cut short as Alex and her mom go to gather her belongings from the street.
Things seem to be looking up for Alex. Her mom is taking over the main responsibilities and her grandparents give her a car. Alex tries to act mature, but she doesn’t understand the terms “forward thinking” or even “planning.” She finds that childcare is way out of her price range, so she decides to take classes online when school resumes in the fall. Matt is still nowhere to be found. She finally hears from him on what is the first day of school…for him, not her. He stayed out too late and missed the bus so he needs a ride. Alex picks him up only to find out how much he reeks of partying. He’s too busy passing out in the car to care.
Alex is keeping up with cyber-school, and she’s allowed to bring Arabella to the dance studio to teach classes for extra money. Her classmates are horrified to find out how much of a deadbeat Matt is being. She quickly learns it’s hard to teach a dance class when her baby is spitting up all over the place. Shockingly, Matt agrees to come baby-sit while Alex heads to her second job at the fast food restaurant. Not shockingly, he doesn’t show up when he said he would. Her mother rightfully rails her for not getting a more responsible sitter.
Matt never showed up, so Alex had to miss her shift. Her mom is no longer pushing for adoption, but she completely pushing for her daughter not to make Matt her number one priority. Several days later, Matt arrives to see his daughter, and he clearly needs rehab. He makes Kieffer Delp look like a catch. Matt slurs that maybe Alex should have given Arabella up for adoption. He storms/stumbles out, promising not to be a part of either of their lives. Of course, Alex feels the need to chase him down, and he looks like he’s going to snap at any second. Luckily, he picks up his backpack and his box (yes, box) before things get violent.
Alex has resigned herself to being a single mom, but I’m still not sure she means it. She still speaks about how much she loves Matt in her ending “lesson.” She relives her reasons for not choosing adoption, but she is fortunate that her family has stepped up to the plate.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? DID YOU NEED AN EXTRA THIRTY MINUTES TO FIGURE OUT WHAT AN A$$HAT MATT WAS? COMMENTS ON ALEX’S CHOICE?
