‘Teen Mom OG’ Ratings Continue to Drop Despite Mackenzie McKee Joining the Cast; Mackenzie Remains Optimistic About Her Place on the Show

“I was really pumped about seeing myself in the official ‘Teen Mom OG’ iPad-intro, but this definitely takes away some of the excitement.”

MTV’s latest attempt to boost declining Teen Mom OG ratings didn’t exactly deliver. 

Radar Online reports that the show has been on a steady decline since Farrah Abraham was fired and Bristol Palin quit after one season, and the latest addition to the show (as of this week’s episode), former 16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom 3 star Mackenzie McKee, didn’t give the series the boost it was hoping for. 

“What’s that, MTV? Did you just say you want me back?!”

According to TV By The Numbers, Monday night’s episode brought in 693,000 viewers—a significant drop from the 773,000 viewers who tuned in to the July 29 episode. 

As The Ashley previously told you, Season 8 kicked off June 10 with a two-hour premiere that brought in some strong numbers—- 990,000 and 920,000, respectively. Comparatively, the Season 7B premiere—-Bristol and Cheyenne Floyd’s debut episode—- brought in 957,000, while 1,319,000 viewers tuned in to the Season 7 premiere.  

“You want my advice on how you can boost ratings? Two words: more blazers.”

Despite the good start for Season 8, viewership dropped from 990,000 to 868,000 by Week 2 and again to 849,000 by Week 3. Viewership hit a Season 8-low on July 22 with 658,000 viewers, but as we mentioned above, the July 29 episode managed to pull in an additional 100,000 viewers. 

MTV’s decision to add Mackenzie mid-season was influenced by her large social media following—- over 770,000 on Instagram—- which the network believed would bring in more viewers. Unfortunately, even with Mackenzie’s debut episode featuring both infidelity issues with her husband and her mother’s cancer fight, the numbers dropped yet again. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yv6zGAcCf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Mackenzie seems optimistic, though, about her place on the show. In a new interview with Us Weekly, the mom of three stated that she “would love to continue sharing [her story]”. 

Mackenzie wasn’t exactly welcomed to ‘Teen Mom OG’ by its existing cast members– or the show’s fans— but she said she was not surprised by the cold greeting.

“I think it’s expected with any new girl,” she told the magazine. “It’s kind of like life when you are in a circle of friends and all of a sudden this new girl comes in and tries to be your friend, and you’re like, ‘What?’ I definitely expected it before it even happened. I think [the other ‘OG’ girls] just felt a little bit blindsided, so it was kind of shocking the day they found out [and] they made comments. I think it’s going to be okay after everyone gets settled and used to things.”

From what The Ashley hears, no decision has been made (yet) about whether or not Mack will stay on the show as a full-time ‘OG’ cast member.

On the bright side, ‘Teen Mom OG’ is doing a whole lot better than Teen Mom: Young Moms Club did. That trainwreck-of-a-‘Teen Mom’-show brought in just 304,000 viewers for its premiere season this year, despite receiving the repackaging treatment and a new name after having previously bombed as Pretty Little Mamas. 

‘Teen Mom: Young Moms Club’/’Pretty Little Mamas’/whatever the hell they’ll try to call it next year currently holds the record for worst ratings of any ‘Teen Mom’ franchise show. Currently, Teen Mom 2 remains the best-rated of the bunch.

RELATED STORY: ‘Teen Mom OG’ Continues to Draw Huge Viewership After 10 Years: A Look at the Ratings of the ‘Teen Mom OG’ Season 8 Premiere

(Photos; MTV, Instagram) 

55 Comments

  1. i mean, i stopped DVRing after they decided to add two randoms to the show a couple years back… and i really just am not into watching Cate & Amber sit on a couch.


  2. Of course ratings have been on a steady decline. It started before McKenzie when Cheyenne’s whiney ass became a cast member. The chick was an adult by the time she had her kid. She’s not even a teen mom and she’s a spoiled brat!


  3. Not going to watch someone that abuses animals or someone that doesn’t vaccinate their kids. Or people that make that much money for nothing.


  4. I don’t understand what the big deal is, they can’t determine a HUGE ratings boost after just one episode, can they?


  5. Josh is just a cheater. She knew this years ago and he’s a cheating loser. He and his friend have all the Buckle Bunnies chasing them around these rodeos and then cheating with them. If this marriage is going to last, which I truly doubt, Josh needs to get back home and get a job near the house where he comes home every evening to his family and puts more effort into his family. Mackenzie knows all about the Buckle Bunnies and had to know this was going to happen.


    1. That may be true. But there comes a time when Mackenzie will need to trust Josh (and vice versa). Either one of them could cheat (whether they are working close to home or far away). If the marriage doesn’t have trust than it won’t last. That is what is wrong with society today, people don’t take their vows seriously!!!


  6. LoL it’s not Mackenzie’s fault. I stopped watching a while ago but would tune in if I remembered it was on. Complete stopped after the Amber thing because why would I want to watch them play happy family when I know what happens?


    1. Holy shit, Sir Nibs! This is the first comment of yours I’ve ever seen without a down vote or the raunchy snark of yours I love so much! 😉


          1. Come on Red, I know you have a penchant for the ladies. Am I wrong about Mackenzie? You wouldn’t?


  7. I’d much rather watch the follow-ups to see how the 16&P girls turned out who weren’t given six fig MTV contracts for the past several years. Those stories are more like REAL teen moms, some of whom struggle financially. Some of them might have actually made something of themselves like Taylor – her success story is way more interesting than these divas. The TMOG and TM2 moms live in McMansions and get a new giant SUV every season. Not realistic at all for the vast majority of teen moms.


    1. I fully agree! This is something I would watch, or something with the dads. I like the dads on the show, but what about single dads? That would be interesting to me.


  8. I used to look forward to these shows but I haven’t watched any this season. Ryan’s drug addiction is the best thing that happened to Maci and Taylor. What else would we watch? Her drinking and dropping off her kids at daycare all day so she can mail shirts? Even his addiction isn’t entertaining now. Amber sabotaging her life again isn’t something I want to see. She needs mental help. Catelynn and Tyler caring for their daughters (occasionally) that they wish were sons. No thanks. I am going to watch the Mackenzie episodes to see how they are. Her story seems like it might be interesting. Her husband is a douche though so I hope he isn’t featured much.


  9. I mean, the OG’s story lines are redundant and boring at this point. They got cancelled in the past because Amber went to gel, I wouldn’t be surprised if she went to gel this time and it got cancelled again. TM2 has always been more entertaining to me anyway. I would miss seeing Bentley and Leah grow up though.

    Mack Mckee is optimistically delusional, she better enjoy the little bit of screen time they’re giving her this season, because I don’t see her coming back next season. Her segment was BORING, and predictable. Now I see why it took them so long to sign her on…and if it was because of IG followers, clearly she bought majority of her IG followers…she rarely has more than 12k likes out of the 772k “followers”.


  10. Time to cut these women loose, it’s past it’s sell by, and has not helped reduce teen pregnancy’s, it’s just made girls want to get knocked up for fame and money….
    Your disgusting mtv, you’ve condoned DV, Drugs, Animal and Child abuse, murder, cheating, and child exploration.
    All in the name of ratings.

    I’m done with this farcical show, I’m no longer watching and putting money in to the pockets of these, nasty ass people.


  11. Not a surprise… This whole season is a snoozefest. I feel sorry for Maci regarding her PCOS but it’s the same convo every time: PCOS hurts and Rhiiine didn’t talk to Bentley.
    Cate and Ty welcomed then abandoned a new baby every 2nd day for a trip or a night out, same old shit.
    Cheyenne has a new bf because Corey will never date her, big whoop.
    And I would rather watch an apple rot than another scene with Amber on her couch.
    This show should have ended a loooong time ago. And these girls’ lives would be a lot more interesting if they had to find a REAL job hahaha


    1. I would’ve loved to see each girl find an actual profession and navigate in the real world. That would’ve been a great show


  12. While Mackenzie is definitely not blessed in the brains department, I think the ratings decline has very little to do with her, and more to do with people being fed up with the same storylines on TM. Beyond that, certain cast members (looking at you, Amber and Jenelle), appear to have been rewarded for their bad behavior, and viewers are over participating in that. I stopped watching 5+ years ago and only check this site for the comments. I’ll occasionally watch a short video on MTV’s Facebook page if one pops up in my newsfeed, but that’s it.

    Teen motherhood is hard, their lives didn’t turn out the way they planned, they’re linked to their baby daddies for life, and nothing has ever been the same. We get it. Stop beating a dead horse. The show needs to end entirely, regardless of who is on it.


  13. I hardly watch anything mentioned on here anymore. If it wasn’t for the Farrah faces I might have to get a hobby! :p


  14. It’s been 10 years and the story is the same.

    Catelynn I’m depressed and it’s Brandon and Teresa’s fault.

    Amber- I’m depressed and it’s everyone else’s fault except mine.

    Maci- Ryan and Budwiser.

    The same goes for Teen Mom 2

    Kaylin- New baby daddy who’s dis?
    Briana- New baby daddy who’d dis?
    Leah- Boring day to day life with the girlses and an occasional loser boyfriend.


  15. I will watch every week if they put Nicole and Josh on the show. They should have been on since the beginning… TRAIN WRECKS


  16. It’s time to shut TM down. Soon it will be called Grandma OG
    Only a few of these women actually made something of themselves. The others need to find a real occupation and get on with life


  17. How long does MTV plan on filming these people, til their 50 yrs old? It’s just time to stop, it’s getting boring and many are losing interest. Doesn’t matter if they add new cast members. Yeah sometimes the storyline gets interesting, but overall, still boring. Sometimes it seems like their reaching for storylines. Just my opinion, but I think perhaps they should go back to doing 16 and pregnant. At least with that, it’ll be new and interesting seeing different people.


  18. At this point, they’d probably be better off starting with a whole new ’16 and Pregnant’ batch and just doing Where Are They Now? specials for all the current girls.

    All the people that watched from the beginning are getting fed up with almost-thiry-year-olds acting like teenagers, and all the teenagers haven’t invested ten years of their lives in this drama to give a shit.


  19. I think ratings will continue to drop, as there’s no more real storyline. As these girls get older, the following that grew up with them is as well…and aging out of the demographic for this show. Essentially…are all getting to old and too wise this boring ass shit.


    1. I agree. But I’ve said this before, it’s one of my few guilty pleasures. No matter how annoying a person is or how irritating something someone says is, I get COMPLETELY sucked in. I sometimes feel like one of those Garfield suction cups that people used to stick on their windshield!!!!


  20. I tried to give her a chance and watch, but then she opened her mouth and I just can’t stand that voice so I fast forward through her segments…Cheyenne’s too!


  21. Maybe the ratings drop had nothing to do with Mackenzie. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because people are tired of watching a cast whose members act like animals.


  22. I want to watch and give McKenzie a shot. She should have been on instead of Cheyenne to begin with. She was a teen mom plus, she’s much more interesting than Cheyenne.


  23. she needs to go. She’s always been condescending to everyone she talks to- she’s not always right.


  24. I felt like she was overreacting about the Josh/infidelity thing because he really didn’t do anything wrong. The guy he was with was the one picking up the women. But when she asked him if he would just tell her the next time something happene, he said “I don’t know”. I don’t know what to think.
    Granted she isn’t the best judge of character about a lot of things, I do feel for her with what she is going through with her mom. I’ve been there. But unfortunately my mom passed away. I too felt like she does. To her, “her mom is the glue that is holding everything together and if she loses her, she just feels like everything is just going to fall apart”. Losing a loved one or watching a loved one fight a seemingly losing battle IS NOT EASY!!!!!


  25. I’m done watching now that idiot is on the show.

    In teen mom 3 I had to skip past her segments.


    1. She was so bad at caring for her kid that I thought the grandparents would get custody. I couldn’t watch, either.


    2. I actually stopped watching and just read the recaps. It’s time for it to go. They are all pre menopausal practically. Its run its course. I want to see the where are they now special a couple years after the show ends. That would be interesting.


      1. I also stopped watching, and only come here for the comments. It really is just the same old stories being dragged on for years now, and the interesting stuff that you see happening in the news is either not even filmed or is shown so long after it happens that it’s old news!


      2. That what I’ll be doing, just reading the recaps on here.

        I can’t stand Mack n josh.
        Bringing on another animal abuser, has pissed me off.

        🖕🏾 You mtv and teen mom oh and teen mom 2.

        Soon it will be teen mom grandmas to be.

        Menopausal moms is more like it.


  26. Just put a fork in this garbage. The real show will be watching them try to make money after the exploitation of their poor teen choices gets cancelled.

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