Viewers love reality TV that offers oodles of diva cattiness, family discord and OTT meltdowns. So where does Ryan Seacrest’s more family-friendly Married to Jonas, slot in? Debashine Thangevelo caught up with Kevin Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, to find out.
GIVING the nod to a reality TV show when fame already has a vice-like hold on you is like opening a porthole to greater bedlam. This is more true of celebrity couples.
And history has also been a warning of the jinx that befalls couples once they open that Pandora’s box. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline (Chaotic), Carmen Electra and David Navarro (Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave) and Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy (Bethenny Getting Married and Bethenny Ever After) have felt the full brunt of the reality TV plague.
So why then would Kevin Jonas, who has cultivated a relatively wholesome image (since those early footprints made as Disney Channel stars with brothers Joe and Nick) invite the cameras into the home he shares with wife Danielle?
I caught up with Jonas this week.
“I am very good,” he answers the phone. “I’m at home in New Jersey, having breakfast.”
Unperturbed by the so-called couples’ curse, he admits: “That’s one of the things. It was hard. They (the family) were like: ‘I don’t know.’ We said we wanted to try it, what is the worst that could happen?”
Then again, surrounded by their close-knit family, that grounding and love clearly override any tumult that threatens to surface. So that, in and of itself, is a powerful weapon against any jinx.
Also, with the very adept Ryan Seacrest at the producer’s helm, they are in good hands.
Season one of Married to Jonas saw the starry-eyed couple navigate life as newlyweds enjoying suburban bliss juxtaposed with the mania of the celebrity of the Jonas Brothers the world over.
Of the experience, he says: “It has been surprisingly good for me and my wife. We have learnt a lot about each other. We are a young couple and have to learn about each other through situations. The show allowed us to talk more and more. To make sure we are 100 percent in the same headspace.”
And he really does straddle two worlds on and off stage.
“Each day is a unique one,” he admits. “It is not normal to go down the street without getting noticed. You have to take moments in your stride. Then you have arguments. It is a growing thing.”
Those yearnings to just switch off do visit him every now and again.
He laughs: “Yeah, of course there are moments when you want to pull your hair out. Luckily, we have been very lucky. I have found someone who is my best friend through good and bad.
“I don’t think people realise how much hard work it is. It is constant, the camera is always following you. If you are at home watching television and you want to be a slob, just for a moment, if the camera is there you have to be a bit more restrained.”
A baby is the talking point in season two.
He points out: “There is nothing yet. It is something we want. We have to just take each day moment by moment. I want to spend as much time with the newborn, but we know we have to be smart about the timing. We will see what happens.”
On the family overextending their stay, he chuckles: “They have been incredible house guests and have not taken up too much of our space. I was more gung-ho about it than Dani was. She definitely looked like, ‘Oh no!’
“It comes down to a simple fact – you do for family. I was raised that way as well as Dani. They are still here. Been here since February.”
With five albums and more tours on the cards for the band, his schedule remains as manic as ever.
“We have events coming up. I just came back from Mexico and will be going to Vegas next week for the Miss USA pageant.”
With several film and TV credits to his name, I ask him if he wants to expand on his acting opportunities.
He says: “Maybe. It just depends. My brother Nick just finished his leading role in a film (Careful What You Wish For). It all depends on what we want to do and the timing of things.”
Married to Jonas may not follow the conventional anarchic blueprint of reality shows, but the traditional family values have struck a chord with viewers.
And if the humility and unflinching family bond I gleaned during our tête-à-tête is anything to go by, this Jonas couple might survive the curse after all.
Who knew wholesome could be entertaining, too?
• Married to Jonas airs on E! (DStv channel 124) on Sunday at 9pm.
While the Jonas Brothers, who found fame on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, remain impervious to the pitfalls of the child stars-gone-bad syndrome plaguing Hollywood, the same cannot be said of other Nickelodeon and Disney’s notable finds, who are running riot in adulthood. Although Disney tips the scales of notoriety… Here’s a look at some who have been making headlines:
• Amanda Bynes: Troubled much, Ms Bynes? Gone is that squeaky-clean image cultivated in All That and its spinoff, The Amanda Show. Drunk on the fame of her TV and movie roles (What A Girl Wants, She’s the Man, Hairspray, Sydney White and Easy A), she has gone down that career-sinking depraved path of self-indulgence…. From being arrested for a litany of criminal acts from driving under the influence to being in a hit-and-run to having her drivers license suspended. Her latest exploit was being arrested in her apartment for smoking weed. Looks like someone has lost the plot big time.
• Demi Lovato: Disney’s Camp Rock helped her infiltrate the elite. But as her success escalated, so too did her troubles with bulimia, drugs and alcohol. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Unlike Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, she seems to have gotten her “ish” together.
• Miley Cyrus: She went from sweet-natured in Hannah Montana to raunchy, wilful and wild with her musical career gaining more mileage. Although her on-again-off-again romance with the delectable Liam Hemsworth is truly indicative of her bad girl ways.
• Vanessa Hudgens: This High School Musical sweetheart shed that image when nude pictures made their way on to the net. Funny how the “leak” coincided with the release of one of her movies. Oh well, anything to stay relevant I guess!
• Ryan Rottman: Famed for Gigantic (Nickelodeon), he attracted some serious attention when he was arrested for driving under the influence in 2011.
• Miranda Crossgrove: In getting her breakthrough with Drake and Josh and moving to iCarly, she went on to become the second highest paid child star on TV in 2010. But her move to the world of music spelled a downward spiral of rehab and depression for her.