Teen Mom 2 Season 8: 10 Things To Expect

Source: MTV

Since 2011, Teen Mom 2 has become just as popular as the original Teen Mom series, and while the stars certainly aren’t teens anymore, there is no end in sight for the popular MTV show. While things got a little confusing when Teen Mom 2 season 7 began airing in 2016 and then ran season 7B in early 2017, we are now heading into the eighth season! A lot might have changed over the past six years for Leah Messer, Chelsea Houska, Kailyn Lowry, and Jenelle Evans, but one thing that never ceases is the drama, and season eight is looking to be one of the most intense yet. With the new season premiering on July 17, 2017, here are 10 things to expect from season 8 of Teen Mom 2.

10. A New Teen Mom!

Season eight is going to be big for many reasons, but the show is literally getting bigger as a fifth Teen Mom has officially been added. Fans of the franchise might remember Briana DeJesus from the foruth season of 16 and Pregnant and the solo season of Teen Mom 3. Even though Teen Mom 3 only had one season, DeJesus has stayed in the headlines after her plastic surgery makeover and her many feuds with different Teen Mom stars including Jenelle Evans, and some interactions with Kailyn’s ex Javi. Despite early reports that the four original stars were not happy about the change, DeJesus stated, “They’re excited to have me on. All those rumors going around the internet are completely false, none of us are beefing.”

Source: Instagram

9. Babies, Babies, Babies

Fans know that Teen Mom is all about the mother-child relationships and all of the challenges in becoming a young parent, but this season there is going to be more focus than ever on babies. Season 8 will feature the pregnancies of four out of the five stars with Briana, Kailyn, Jenelle and Chelsea all expecting during the time of filming. Since Chelsea welcomed her son Watson with her husband Cole, and Jenelle welcomed her daughter Ensley with her fiance David during the time the new season was still filming, we will most certainly see their two new additions on the season, but Briana and Kailyn were still pregnant when filming wrapped.

Source: Instagram

8. Different Formats

Many longtime Teen Mom 2 fans were not happy about the addition of the fifth star, and things got worse when it seemed that the four original women would get less screen time. Kailyn Lowry responded to one Twitter user who asked if they were extending the time of the show or if the stars would just get less time, saying, “We will get shorter time. Around 5 mins each.” While that is true, it has since been revealed that the format will still be a 42 minute episode each week (without commercials) which means each of them will get 8 minutes of screen time per episode, but to make up for it the season will include three additional episodes. MTV stated that by adding the fifth mom, they will not be compromising anyone’s story and with three extra episodes everyone’s story will get told “one way or another.”

Source: MTV

7. Jenelle’s New Life

The one minute promo for the new season gave fans a glimpse of what to expect and for once things look positive for Jenelle Evans. For seven seasons Jenelle’s life has been one of the most dramatic and intense, but this season we are expecting a lot of positive moments for the star who is now mom to Jace, Kaiser and Ensley. It looks like MTV cameras were there for David’s romantic proposal, and after buying their secluded property in the woods last season, we will finally see the finished house and their new life together in their brand new home! Of course, along with an engagement comes wedding planning and since we now know that the pair are getting married on September 23, 2017, fans can also expect to see Jenelle wedding dress shopping and getting ready for the big day.

Source: Instagram

6. Teen Dad Drama

With a few exes and new loves there is no shortage of dad drama to go around on Teen Mom 2 and while it is always a focus, we might be seeing less of it than normal. According to reports, the only dads who have confirmed they have signed on for season eight are Jeremy Calvert, Leah Messer’s ex and Addie’s father, as well as Kailyn’s exes Jo Rivera and Javi Marroquin. While it isn’t clear if that means we will see nothing of Adam Lind, Corey Simms or Nathan Griffith, it has become increasingly obvious over the past few seasons that Adam and Corey are not very interested in filming. Meanwhile, it also isn’t clear if Briana’s first ex, Devoin Austin, who appeared on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom 3 as the dad to their daughter Nova, is going to be on Teen Mom 2. As for her second daughter Stella’s father, Luis, Briana said in a promo he would be on the show, but since she found out he had cheated on her throughout her pregnancy, we don’t know if fans will be meeting Luis.

Source: Instagram

5. Kailyn’s Third Pregnancy

There are going to be four pregnancies to focus on during the show, but there is no doubt that the one fans are most interested to learn about Kailyn Lowry’s. Everyone was stunned when the star announced she was in fact expecting her third child, and it wasn’t Javi Marroquin’s even though they had only recently separated. There will definitely be a lot of discussion about Kailyn being a single mom to three children, and how her exes reacted to the news, but for fans hoping to get to know more about ‘Baby Lo’s’ father Chris Lopez, there will be no such luck. It has been reported that Chris wants nothing to do with the show, or be in the baby’s life, and MTV even offered him a pretty attractive contract to appear but he wouldn’t take it. Since he refused, it means his name can’t be mentioned and his face can’t be shown on camera.

Source: Instagram

4. New Family Dynamic

Even though some may not be happy with the addition of Briana DeJesus as a fifth star of the show, it is happening, and after seven seasons many are wondering why? In a couple of promos of MTV catching up with Briana, she revealed that she got the call “out of the blue” and in one clip one of the producers explained the importance of her involvement. “You have all of this love and family, and it is female, okay. It is all female here, you’ve got your mom, you’ve got your sister, you’ve got you, you’ve got Nova, and you guys bring something new to the table,” the producer said. Many will remember that Briana’s mom Roxanne and her sister Brittany were a huge part of her story and it seems MTV wanted to take the opportunity to delve into the lives of the entirely female family unit and how they operate.

3. Jenelle vs. Barbara

On the Teen Mom 2 season 7B reunion show, fans saw Jenelle and her mother Barbara get into one of their biggest fights yet which even involved the cops, so like all the seasons before, viewers should be prepared for even more Jenelle and Barbara battles in season eight. In the time between filming, however, Jenelle explained that the two had reached another custody agreement after Jenelle was yet again denied full custody of Jace, but was granted more visitation, and it seems their relationship has deteriorated even further. In interviews since, Jenelle said she doesn’t see there ever being a reconciliation with her mother: “You know we went to court about Jace and I got a visitation schedule set, but she’s still kind of bent out of shape because I still have resentment towards her for still keeping my son and we still butt heads.” She then added, “I think our relationship’s lost. I don’t ever think there’s really coming back at any point in time.”

Source: MTV

2. Kailyn’s Custody Battles

Throughout the seasons, Teen Mom 2 audiences have seen Kailyn’s relationship with Isaac’s father Jo go from enemies to amicable to actually friends, and the result has been great co-parenting for Isaac and way less arguments about custody. Unfortunately in the reunion show, Jo’s fiancee Vee angered Kailyn when she brought up possibly changing the agreement in court to give Jo what he deserves when it comes to his son, so it is safe to say the issue will come up again and we can expect to see either more conflict or a reconciliation between Vee and Kailyn. Another surprising reunion moment was when Javi and Kailyn were calm, civil and friendly after an entire season of bitter fighting and along with seeing their co-parenting relationship develop. Season eight will most likely include the two coming to a custody agreement over their son Lincoln. As for her third baby, it is understood that the father Chris Lopez doesn’t want anything to do with Kailyn or the baby, so maybe she will avoid at least one dramatic custody battle.

Source: Instagram

1. Leah’s Single Life

Although Leah Messer might not have the excitement of a new engagement or baby on the way like the other moms, her story is never boring! After two divorces and three children it seems Leah has embraced the single life and the trailer for season eight shows glimpses of what fans can expect from Leah as she focuses on herself and her daughters which includes her going back to school. Of course, there is always the possibility of a new man coming into her life and it is certain dating will be a focus on Leah’s story this season. Additionally fans can expect to learn more about Ali’s health struggles as cameras were seen tagging along to one of her recent trips to the hospital where she underwent extensive testing as Leah, Corey and their families try to learn more about Ali’s very rare form of muscular dystrophy and how her life will change as she gets older.