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Oh, Baby, NBC Reality Series Gives Teens Good Lessons In Never Being Borrowers

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

Those infamous 17 Massachusetts high school girls who may or may not have intentionally made a pregnancy pact might have changed their minds if they had seen "The Baby Borrowers."

This new NBC reality series could be like a "Scared Straight" for teens who think parenting isn't a big deal.

The trouble is most teens don't think much about any of life's consequences. That's the lesson to be learned in this somewhat controversial summer show inspired by a British series.

"The Baby Borrowers," debuting at 9 tonight, gives some teen couples fast exposure to adulthood by having them care for infants for a few days, and then picky tweens, some troublesome teens and finally some seniors with special needs.

It's what many people face over a lifetime, but it has been condensed into six weeks.

When NBC announced this concept in January, critics pounced on it like hungry cougars on rabbits.

The big question then was what kind of parents would loan their infants for this kind of television show?

Wouldn't the little ones be in harm's way in the hands of these lunk-headed pretend parents who might not know which end gets the diaper?

Not to worry. It turns out that the babes were constantly supervised by responsible adults, including the kids' real-life parents.

Five couples of teen "baby borrowers" were housed in nice digs and given plenty of baby care supplies. The real-life parents who loaned their children to the producers were across the street, watching on monitors. On-site nannies also were on call.

What emerges is a sort of "Big Brother" for little people. Viewers will see bickering, partying, slackers and those who step up to the responsibility.

There is no prize money and no eliminations. No one gets voted off. The teens don't win or lose; they just get a chance to "grow" or at least moan and groan about how hard it is to be responsible.

"The Baby Borrowers" would be more of a life lesson if the teen pretenders had to live in a mobile home or a small low-rent apartment (which is the case for many real-life teen parents who have economic struggles adding to their stress).

Producer Tom Shelley has said that the series urges teens to think twice about sex and pregnancy. The series has been endorsed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

CARLIN REMEMBERED: In honor of George Carlin, who died Sunday of heart failure, HBO is showing many of his specials this week. He did 14 for the network.

HBO2 will show 11 over two days including his first, "Carlin at USC," from 1977 and his last, "George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya," which debuted in March. Five of the specials air tonight beginning at 8. Six specials run Thursday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. "George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya" airs again at 9 p.m. Friday on HBO.

VIDBITS: Fans of "The Deadliest Catch," mark your calendars for Sept. 5 to 7. That's when Andy and John Hillstrand, two of the fishermen from the Discovery Channel's reality series, are scheduled as guests for the Tampa Boat Show at the Tampa Convention Center.

•For years, "Baywatch" claimed to be the most-watched series in the world because it had huge ratings in Europe, Asia and other distant lands. Now the most watched series is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," with about 83.9 million regular viewers across the globe, according to Europa Worldwide, which monitors viewing in 51 countries.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

To Market to Market

to Buy a Fat Pig, 10 p.m., WUSF, Channel 16

This is a lighthearted look at farmers markets from Baltimore to Hawaii and Decatur, Ga., to Santa Monica, Calif.

Donut Paradise, 10 p.m., Travel Channel

Doughnuts! Is there nothing that they can't do? The search for the best, biggest deep-fried treats includes fritters and bear claws, along with the glazed, jelly-filled and chocolate-covered kinds.

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