Review Essay: Rough Draft

Should you Keep up with the Kardashians?

When you hear ‘Kardashian’, what’s the first thing to pop in your head? Odds are a majority of Americans know this famous family, and are not too fond of them. Why is this the case? This large family created a reality show about the daily activities that pertain to their lifestyle. If we think about all of the nonsense reality shows out there (16 and Pregnant, Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives, Jon and Kate plus Eight), Keeping up with the Kardashians is not a shameful reality show, and I say this because I spent most of the summer of 2013 watching every episode.

Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie (and Rob) compose the KarJenners. Besides the fact that all their names start with a K, this Klan has other unique aspects of their family dynamic. Every episode gives the viewer a glance of what life is like for the glamorous family. Taking place in Calabasas, California, the cameras follow the Kardashian kids as they out to eat, work out and visit each other’s houses. I know, it doesn’t sound like much, but every episode finds a way to add more drama than the previous one. One reason this show is so popular is because people are intrigued by the lavish lifestyles of these girls.

Set aside your personal opinions of the “reality” stars, and look at the numbers. These “reality” stars have their fair share of viewers. So far, the family has had twelve seasons, with season one beginning in October 2007. Rick Kissell from Variety reported that season 12 had about 3.19 million viewers, which added to the overall family net worth to about $339,396,343 as of November 2016. 3.19 million viewers seems like a lot, but the show has been experiencing a slow decline of fans.

Perhaps the Kardashians became a more household name in 2009. In season 3, Khloe Kardashian was arrested for driving under the influence. On their way to jail, Kim took a selfie (before they were even called ‘selfies’). This has been a major source of popularity among social media users as they mock the relationship between the sisters. Some claim the Kardashians rose to fame because of the sex tape Kim made with Reggie Bush in 2003. Perhaps you are familiar with the famous family because of their late father, Robert Kardashian. Mr. Kardashian was the attorney for O.J. Simpson during his controversial 1995 trial. Maybe you were appalled by the 72 day marriage between Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries. Or it is possible that you became familiar with the tainted marriage of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom. The couple were “married” for seven years. Their divorce would have been complete much sooner if it weren’t for Odom’s brothel binges and miraculous recovery from a drug overdose. Or were you among the later group of followers, and discovered the Kardashian family when the former Olympian, Bruce Jenner, became Caitlyn Jenner. Maybe you shared a laugh when you found out Kim Kardashian and Kanye West named their daughter after a direction (North West).

Keeping Up with The Kardashians is not the only television show the Kardashian family has starred in over the years. Kris Jenner has produced nine spin off series (so far) for her family (including one talk show for herself) throughout the years. Catriona Wightman composed a guide to all the Kardashian shows: Kourtney and Khloe take Miami (2009), Kourtney and Kim take New York (2011), Khloe and Lamar (2011), Kourtney and Kim take Miami (2013), Kris (2013), Kourtney and Khloe take The Hamptons (2015), Dash Dolls (2015), Kocktails with Khloe (2016) and most recently Rob and Chyna (2016) and Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian (2017). Kris manages all of her children and this has shown to be a source of tension among the sisters as they fight for their mother’s time and attention. “The Momager” tries to ensure all of her stars have opportunities to grow. When I say grow, I mean grow their net worth. The sisters have displayed much hatred and anger towards their mother when she signs them up for gigs and events that they don’t want to attend or simply don’t have time for. In Kris’s mind, money is everything.

The show was originally set to follow the interactions between the older three siblings, Kourtney, Kim and Khloe. As the show gained more popularity, the family moved into Calabasas. Their new location ensured they would be near all the action. Even the older sisters followed their mom, stepdad and younger sisters so they could all live close together. Fast forward to 2016 when the youngest sisters, Kylie bought her fourth house. E! Network’s Francesca Bacardi did the math. Kylie is not even of legal age to drink, but she has already spent $22.5 million on three of her four houses. Did I mention these houses are located in the same neighborhood? Kylie’s older sister, Kendall, 21, has kept her housing urges to a minimum. She owns a $6.5 million house in Los Angeles.

When each member of your family has the ability to own more than one mansion, is this really considered “reality”?  The famous family doesn’t live the same lives as their viewers.  They are so out of touch of reality, they wouldn’t be able to recognize their previous selves, literally. Kim, Kris and Kourtney have admitted to going “under the knife”. There has been speculation that Kylie and Khloe have followed in their sisters footsteps, but the two girls deny it. Another luxury these girls have is the ability to go on all expenses paid vacations multiple times a year, courtesy of their television show network, E! (Because we all know the family can’t afford to pay for vacations themselves). One of my favorite vacations was when the family went to Bora Bora, and Kim was thrown (playfully) into the ocean by her former husband, Chris Humphries. After a few minutes, Kim realizes her $75,000 diamond earring fell out and freaks out. Kourtney tries to calm her sister down by shouting, “Kim, there’s people that are dying.” At least one Kardashian sister has her priorities straight!

Many would argue the Kardashian/Jenner family has done nothing to be famous. I argue that being a model (Kendall), lip kit entrepreneur (Kylie), mother of three (Kourtney), being the victim of a robbery (Kim) and having the best “revenge bod” (Khloe) is truly something to be famous for. The truth is, the KarJenners have no talent and no sense of reality. Yet, somehow they manage to gain popularity and attention every day.

The long days I spent inside my house during the summers were boring. I couldn’t find anything decent to watch. Luckily, I stumbled upon E! and spent my summer days with Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie. They turned my dull summers in Minnesota into lively times in California. It is so easy to become engrossed with this show because it offers a glimpse of what celebrities do every day. Many of the celebrities we worship are not able to relate to us peasants- and the Kardashian’s are no exception. Regardless of your personal opinions of the Kardashian’s, there is no denying the fact that they are pure entertainment.