Politics

'Life's a Tripp': Scathing Reviews for new Bristol Palin Reality Show

Bristol Palin's new show "Life's a Tripp" debuts on Lifetime on Tuesday. Reviews for the first episode are in, and they aren't pretty.

The new show focuses on the young mother's move from Alaska to Hollywood and back, "giving viewers a unique look at the difficult decisions she has to make for her relationships, career and family," according to Lifetime's website.

The show's trailer begins with Bristol reflecting "I think it's weird having my life broadcast to everyone." Paparazzi snap her picture while she sits on a coffee shop patio. Her voice-over chimes in, "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

Why she would offer her life up for a reality TV show, then, is unclear.

Still, some people's lives, regardless of motive, make for dramatic reality television. Bristol Palin's may not be one of them. "In spite of their occasional expressions of enthusiasm for the 'adventure,' we're left with a show about two sisters, temporarily billeted in a Beverly Hills mansion, mostly complaining about Los Angeles, each other and their lives," the LA Times says.

The trailer flashes clips of Bristol and her younger sister, Willow, exchanging verbal jabs. "You're an immature 20-year-old mom," Willow says, sounding apathetic while she toys with the straw from her iced drink.

The trailer also shows footage from the already famous incident between Bristol and heckler Stephen Hanks, who is now suing Lifetime for defamation. But the New York Daily News says even this juicy footage "can't save" the show: "As trips go, this one's a yawn."

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The Washington Post's review is even more scathing:

Mike Huckabee joined in the critique after Bristol supposedly skipped an interview on his radio show. On Bristol's deriding of the constant swirl of media attention surrounding her life, Huckabee says: "If you go on 'Dancing with the Stars,' or go on a lecture tour, or do a reality show, then, all bets are off ..."

Bristol responds on her blog: "Is Mike Huckabee joining into that scorn supposed to intimidate me?"

It will, however, be up to viewers to decide whether "Life's a Tripp" is worth tuning in for. All the negative publicity may indeed help burnish the show's debut ratings.

Perhaps more uplifting for Bristol fans is the possibility that she will appear on an All-Star cast of "Dancing With The Stars." Fans are currently voting for which past stars they want to appear on the All-Star line-up, and she's one of the contenders.

"Life's a Tripp" debuts Tuesday night at 9 p.m. in Alaska on Lifetime.

Contact Laurel Andrews at laurel(at)alaskadispatch.com

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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