Newlyweds

I don't ususally watch reality shows. But today Lifetime's Sunday line-up of trashy movies was not as compelling as it was advertised to be. So, between running the sweeper and flipping channels I happened upon MTV's Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The show follows Nick Lachey (of the boy group 98 degrees) and Jessica Simpson, teen pop sensation. The two stars married recently--I'm not sure when.

Anyway, the show chronicles their lives as solo recording artists and newlyweds trying to adjust to each other. I have seen snippets of the series before, but never a whole episode until today. I really hate to say this, but Jessica Simpson needs to grow up! Yes, reality shows are edited so that the moments of conflict predominate. Yes, the producers like to make their subjects fit into stereotypes--Jessica is the naive new wife; Nick is her reasonable, mostly patient husband. But after watching a few episodes today, I find it hard to believe that what viewers are seeing is not at least somewhat true to life.

Jessica appears to be unable to do anything. She can't open the garage door; she can't go camping without whining the whole time; she can't get used to the demands of her husband's career; she can't even pick up her clothes. She and Nick have a beautiful home that is always a mess. Okay, so maybe Jessica never had to do anything when she lived with her parents, but you'd think that she and her hubby would either learn to clean up after themselves or get a maid. To be fair to Nick, it appears that the majority of the mess is Jessica's. I honestly don't know how he puts up with this.

I am really not sure why the duo agreed to make this series. Jessica looks like a twit, and I'm not sure how long Nick is going to be able to contain his anger toward her. This show cannot be doing anything to enhance their images, unless you buy into the idea that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Perhaps people will buy Nick's records out of sympathy for what he has to put up with at home. But Jessica's previous image as sweet and innocent has been shot to heck.