WHAT WENT WRONG?

I’ve kept up with the Kardashians over the years, and despite being once impressed by their ascent, Season 15 struggled . . . to say the least. One might think the Kardashians would perform strongly given the drama in their personal lives, but this was their least authentic on-screen effort of all time.

OFF SCREEN

Off screen, Kanye West’s mental health made the news, Tristan Thompson cheated on Khloe Kardashian just days before giving birth (the family later questioned whether Khloe forgave him too fast), Kourtney’s relationship with a much younger man named Younes drastically changed her personality and threatened her filming time, Rob ended up in a nasty lawsuit with Blac Chyna, and the list goes on. On screen, hardly any of this was mentioned. It was certainly brought up, but it was not explored in typical Kardashian fashion, and the family’s decision to keep much of their private life private is reflected in the ratings.

THE TRUTH (AS I SEE IT)

Because I can read between the lines, here’s what I think is really happening (note that I have no insider knowledge, and this is all conjecture). First, the Kardashian family never liked Tristan Thompson, and they all feel as if Khloe consistently sacrifices her own life for the life of her partner. They are therefore none too pleased that she moved to Cleveland for much of the year, and Tristan’s infidelity is the icing on the cake. Second, Kourtney’s ex-boyfriend was possibly controlling, and the family felt she was filming less and less and just cashing the fat paychecks earned by everyone other than her. I also surmise that Kourtney is not a fan of Scott’s new girlfriend, which was RARELY brought up. Third, Kanye does not want his mental health to be discussed on the show, nor does Kim. As a result, it’s carefully edited in ways that make little sense. As for Kylie, she’s hardly ever featured, and she certainly does not discuss issues in her personal life, making for very boring scenes with the lip kit mogul.

In summary, if you aren’t going to show your personal life, a show about your personal life will fail.