The Untold Truth Of 16 And Pregnant

When seeking expectant teenagers while casting for 16 and Pregnant, MTV posted a casting call on its website. The criteria was mostly obvious — producers were seeking pregnant teen girls, of course — yet also oddly specific. For example, the girls had to be 15 and older, experiencing pregnancy for the first time, and be at least five months along in her pregnancy. The casting call also specified that MTV was seeking "outspoken young women."

One of the show's most famous/infamous (and quite outspoken) 16 and Pregnant cast members, Amber Portwood, revealed to Cosmopolitan that a family connection landed her a spot on 16 and Pregnant. According to Portwood, her brother had been cast in a different MTV reality show, Underage and Engaged, when she was contacted by producers. "I didn't believe them at first, but they sent me a hundred-dollar check and a little tape recorder, so I did an audition tape for them and sent it back, and, boom, I was on the show," she recalled.