Pretty Wild! (E!)

PRETTY WILD! is a reality series about the trials and tribulations of a mother and three sisters/up-and-coming models living and working in Los Angeles, California. Former Playboy model-turned holistic healer Andrea Arlington is raising her three daughters, 19-year-old adopted daughter Tess Taylor, 18-year-old Alexis Neiers, and 15-year-old Gabrielle Neiers, in a home with little structure and few rules. Thanks to their mother’s unique homeschooling, professional modeling opportunities, and for the two older sisters, lots of partying, they are becoming fixtures of the trendy Los Angeles social scene. But their wild journey takes an unexpected detour when Alexis finds herself in very serious legal trouble. While Andrea rethinks her parenting style, the tight-knit family tries to make sense of what is happening while still trying to live a life without boundaries.

The original intention of the series was to highlight how these up-and-coming models are following the wild footsteps of their mother. But Alexis’ unexpected arrest in connection with a high-profile teen burglary ring (which occurred while the show was filming) has shifted the voyeuristic show towards a new and more dramatic direction. The result is a program that mixes scenes of the sisters crying over Alexis’ troubles in between their lingerie modeling events and moments of rebellious over-the-top behavior.

The attempt at showcasing the overall family’s uninhibited behavior in the midst of these circumstances not only seems like a poor choice, but also shows the lengths to which some people will go to for a shot at stardom. Ironically, what they unintentionally succeed at doing is showing both parents and teens what can happen when kids choose (and are allowed) to live too much on the wild side.