MTV got us all caught up on the girls from 16 and Pregnant Season 2b with an hour-and-a-half “Where Are They Now?” special earlier tonight! Just in case you missed it, here are recaps of what each of the girls are up to in the order they were aired on the episode.
***To find out more about each girl click on their names and it will take you to our original profile posts on each with all sorts of photos and background info. (All except for Megan, who was victimized by a scheduling conflict that had me out of commission for a few days.) To find out even more about any of the girls, click on their names in the category links above or on any of their posts!
Brooke Smitherman-Tarrant
First and foremost, Brooke and Cody are still happily married! Cody still works at the Quik Trip convenience store and the two were able to save up enough money to buy the barn they looked at during their episode, which they had placed on Brooke’s parents’ property where they will get to have their own home while still being close enough for the grandparents to step in and “kidnap” their grandson Brody whenever they want.
I really liked Brooke when I first saw her episode and seeing the update only reinforces that opinion. She’s both mature and bright and her relationship with Cody seems healthy enough to survive the extreme burden of having a child so young. Congrats to both of them for being one of the very few couples from any of the seasons to stay together!
Felicia Cooke
Felicia Cooke makes a shocking confession which she says she hid from the MTV producers – she cheated on Alex! She explains that her infidelity is why Alex treated her so badly on the show and that she feels bad that he was portrayed so negatively for something that was her fault. As you might expect, thetwo are not together and Felicia basically raises their daughter Genesis herself with the help of her family.
Baby daddy Alex makes an appearance and the two talk about what happened and it’s obvious that getting back together is not an option for him and he appears to still be very sensitive about Felicia’s fooling around. Felicia gets emotional as she expresses a desire to turn back the clock and take back all the bad things she did to Alex, which apparently went beyond just the infidelity.
Kayla Jordan
Kayla Jordan and her son Rylan’s father J.R. were another casualty of too much too young as Kayla announces they broke off their engagement just five months after filming stopped. The decision was Kayla’s and it was met with a good deal of resistance from J.R., who eventually had to concede. The couple still attended senior prom together, but according to Kayla the event was a “disaster.”
On a positive note, Kayla graduated high school shortly after filming stopped and she’s currently enrolled at Gadsden State Community College. She’s also started doing Zumba to lose weight after gaining close to 40 pounds while pregnant and plans to give prom another go with a younger man she is currently interested in who is a senior in high school.
Markai Durham
As you may know from their MTV special, Markai Durham and James got pregnant again and decided on abortion. The tough decision was made because they felt they couldn’t handle a second child – fiscally or physically.
Otheriwse, Markai and James’ daughter Za’karia is doing great and it appears the two have put the tumultuous and violent aspects of their relationship behind them. They are currently living together with Markai studying to be a mammalogist (someone who trains mammals like sea lions and dolphins) and James working full time as an account rep, which Markai explains is essentially debt collection. In addition to her schooling Markai also does peer counseling, promoting safe sex to young women.
Emily McKenzie Peterson
Emily McKenzie Peterson and Daniel got married soon after filming stopped and moved to Birmingham where they are both currently in school. Emily is pursuing a career in nuclear medicine and Daniel is working towards being an E.R. nurse.
But, the story isn’t quite the happy ending that it may appear to be on the surface. Emily explains that she only got married because she and Daniel were going to be living together and she felt pressured by family and friends to make things official. In the clip the two bicker over chores and it’s obvious that they are going to have a hard road ahead staying together. Emily admits she wants to leave but doesn’t want to go through the hassle of breaking up or jeopardize the security provided to Liam by the two of them staying together. To make things worse, she says she only has one friend left from before she was pregnant.
I suppose if there is a silver lining to this story it’s that the couple’s son Austin appears to be healthy and doing well. Also, Emily says she has gained confidence and is less reluctant to express how she feels. (She jokingly says on the show that she has a “bitchier” personality.)
This one really bummed me out because I really like Emily and I thought she and Daniel might be able to make things work. I hate to hear her say things like she’s only staying married for her son, but then again the willingness for self-sacrifice is part of why I like her so much in the first place. I hope they are able to provide Liam the security he needs while still being able to each find contentment themselves.
Ashley Salazar
After giving her daughter Callie up for adoption to her aunt and uncle, Ashley Salazar went off to New York City to follow her dream and attend college. But she missed her daughter Callie and transferred schools to the University of North Texas (where she is studying journalism) to be closer to her. In addition to school, she is also working for the Princeton Review and continues to write on her blog.
On a very sad note, Ashley still feels regret over giving Callie up for adoption. She says that it feels as though the adoption broke her family up and that if she went to court to get Callie back none of her family would back her up. Her mom agrees and tells her it isn’t because they don’t love her but because Callie doesn’t have a voice in the decision.
I feel it’s very important to add to the “Where Are They Now?” clip as far as Ashley goes. She has met a really cool dude who apparently treats her great and it seems that her feelings of guilt about Callie are getting more and more manageable as she moves on with her life. Oh, and part of moving on with her life is publishing a book! Titled Bittersweet Blessing, the book is due out this fall! CLICK HERE to read all about it!
Megan McConnell
After taping their episode of 16 and Pregnant Megan and Nathan broke up and appeared to be heading down that all-too-familiar road of broken relationships. But, after they were separated about six months, Nathan made a complete 180 and his “daddy instincts kicked in.” The couple moved in together and had a whirlwind engagement that resulted in a wedding on February 27 (just two weeks after Nathan proposed.)
Megan has graduated and is currently has a temporary job at an OB office. The most surprising news comes from Nathan, who didn’t just cut back on his video gaming and partying as part of his 180, but also plans to join the Army! That pleases Megan immensely because she grew up in a military home and wants the same life for their son Blake.
Aubrey Wolters Akerill
Aubrey Akerill foreshadowed her controversial update with a post on Facebook that read, “Damn, about to be hella judged!!!!!” Lawdy lawd – I think she may have been right!
Aubrey Wolters Akerill and her husband Brandon relocated to Washington state and moved into Brandon’s dad’s house. Things “sort of went downhill” for Aubrey and Brandon while in Washington and the two have since split up. Aubrey admits that she knew on the day they got married that their marriage would fail and Brandon admits he didn’t want to marry her in the first place. (Ouch!)
Let’s touch on the positives before moving on. Aubrey got her GED and is now an English major in college, although she is currently taking a couple months off to pursue work. Oh, and in spite of all the drama, Austin is a great baby! Aubrey can’t say enough about how great he is and his good-spirited demeanor on camera seems to back that up!
OK, now on to the hella judgment… When Austin is with Brandon on the weekend, Aubrey likes to par-tay! “If I want to be young and go out dancing I can do that!” she declares.
While preparing for their night out in front of a mirror a friend asks Aubrey if she’s ready to move on from Brandon with the question, “Are you looking for a boy?”
“Who says it has to be a boy?” Was Aubrey’s reply. She backed that up in some party footage in which she made out with another girl while the two of them danced on top of a pool table. But, to demonstrate her amphibious nature and non-exclusivity to swimming in the lady pond, she was also taped at a club dancing with two guys who were getting’ their smooch on.
And speaking of dancing and guys, Aubrey decided to stir up even more shibbit when she mentions that she is considering stripping at some point in the future, arguing that it pays great.
But perhaps the thing that will have 16 and Pregnant fans the most irate is how she acted with Brandon in front of Austin, arguing loudly with lots of profanity. So much profanity in fact that it appears as though Liam repeats Aubrey by innocently saying “F**k you.” Unbelievable!
Maybe it’s just me, but I think Aubrey is just a bit of a rebel and this “Where Are They Now?” special was just her chance to thumb her nose at the whole 16 and Pregnant phenomenon and all the haters that inevitably hound each and every cast member. Even so, it is sad to see yet another couple fall by the wayside and another child’s future getting a little bit dimmer.
UPDATE – CLICK HERE to read some of Aubrey Akerill’s responses to the tidal wave of criticisms she received after the episode aired!
