TLC’s Unexpected Season 6 Gets us Talking

TLC’s Unexpected is back for its sixth season, giving viewers lots of opportunities to open up conversations about unplanned pregnancy. The popular unscripted series follows the journeys of five teenage couples and their families as they navigate the joys and challenges of teen pregnancy and early parenthood. Power to Decide is proud to collaborate with the show to bring conversation-starters, information and resources to viewers to help jumpstart these important discussions.

We know that teens want to hear from their parents and other adults in their lives about sex, love, relationships, and how to navigate it all. Relating to TV shows like Unexpected can be a natural, fun way to bring up discussions about these important topics and think about how your family might handle similar situations. Plus, you can encourage your young person to think about how an unplanned pregnancy would affect their own lives.

Season 6 follows three familiar faces and seven new ones, documenting their journeys with pregnancy and parenthood. Read on to learn more about what to expect from each of their stories as the season unfolds.
 

Jenna (19) & JJ (19)

Not only have Jenna and Aden split up since we last saw them, but right now they aren’t speaking to each other. Jenna, her son Luca—who is now 2— and best friend Delanie have moved to South Carolina, and she is now dating JJ. Jenna’s dad, Matt, misses his daughter and grandson now that they’ve moved out, but he says he knows the move is, “An important thing to do for her to find herself as a young adult.” Even though Jenna says she doesn’t want another baby, she and JJ aren’t using birth control right now.
 

Kayleigh (15) & Graham (15)

Kayleigh and Graham met at a church youth group and started to date three years ago. Graham says that he felt ‘nauseous’ when Kayleigh told him she was pregnant even though the couple used condoms when they had sex. Kayleigh’s mom, Mandy, had talked about sex a little with her daughter but believed her when she said she wasn’t having sex. Mandy’s still working to adjust to the reality that her baby will soon have a baby but is supportive of Kayleigh.
 

Emalee (18) & Nate (16)

Even though they go to school together, Emalee and Nate met on social media when she was a junior and he was a sophomore. Together for just under a year, they found out they were expecting their first child, a boy, two months into dating. Emalee didn’t anticipate their relationship lasting, but now that she’s pregnant she knows that they’ll be in each other’s lives forever.
 

Aniyah (17) & Dakwon (17)

Aniyah believes that she and Dakwon didn’t wait long enough to have sex after she started on birth control and that’s how she got pregnant. The couple describe themselves as opposites with Dakwon being quiet, shy, and relaxed while Aniyah graduated from school early and with honors and calls herself ‘extra.’ Aniyah’s mom Ashley had her first child at 17 too, so while she’s fully supportive of her daughter’s choice to become a mom, she worries that Aniyah doesn’t understand that motherhood means she won’t be able to put herself first anymore.
 

Lilly (22) & Lawrence (21)

Since last season, Lilly and Lawrence’s young family has experienced some hard times. They have their hands full parenting 5-year-old Aliyah and 2-year-old LJ. At the same time, after two and a half years of being engaged, the pair are trying to plan for a wedding they don’t have the time or the money to have.  

Watch new episodes of Unexpected on Mondays at 9/8c on TLC, and catch up whenever you want on max. Throughout the season, we will provide viewers with more ways to talk about unplanned pregnancy and use the situations to jumpstart your own conversations. Check out PowerToDecide.org/Unexpected for more information and join the conversation in social media with @PowerToDecide, @TLC, #Unexpected, and #TalkingIsPower!