It’s no secret that reality TV is among the easiest and the cheapest to produce, and in a time where the entertainment industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, reality TV is thriving. This reality TV revolution in 2020 and 2021 has been the perfect time for the Discovery family of networks to unveil its newest endeavor, Discovery Plus. With its programming and channels being almost entirely non-scripted and reality based, the streaming service has been a success.
Reality TV galore
The original programming that the service offers along with reality tv classics from TLC, Food Network, HGTV, and more does not disappoint. While a lot of the content is based off of existing series, like extensive deep diving into the 90 Day Fiance universe, one stands out in particular. This series is Toddlers & Tiaras: Where Are They Now? Capitalizing on the love of nostalgia during the pandemic and a wild fascination with childhood beauty pageants that captured America’s attention in the 2010s, Toddlers & Tiaras: Where Are They Now? is a goldmine.
Programming that helps viewers escape from their own lives and enter the real lives of other people has done extremely well since its invention. Toddlers & Tiaras found wide success as audiences found themselves invested in the lives of these little girls competing in pageants. But, as the girls grew up, they mostly faded from our TV screens and subsequently, our memory. Ever since the series end in 2016, we’ve been wondering, where are they now?
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Different paths
In the miniseries, we get to see old favorites like self described “Hannah Montana” Tootie, Pageant dad David and his daughter Ava, and the famous Eden Wood. It’s nice to see how these girls have continued on with their lives since ending competing in pageants, with many of them enrolled in college or completing high school. While some have stayed in the performance world like broadway bound Liana, some have veered on a different path like Savannah Sprinkle of the Sprinkle Sisters, who is a dedicated farmer.
The nostalgia in seeing these little girls all grown up and reacting to their younger selves with their mothers in tow is a bright light in what has been an already grim year. And as for Discovery Plus original programming, they’ve hit this one out of the park and I hope audiences are graced with a second season of Toddlers & Tiaras: Where Are They Now? sooner than later.
