Occam's razor:the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Maybe the whole being broke thing is all a part of the show. Wouldn't be the first time a reality show tinkered with reality.

I've never watched Teen Mom but so many of MTVs reality shows appear scripted with out-of-work actors being the stars. Jersey Shore, Laguna Beach, etc. look so fake. Some shows like Date My Mom, Parental Control look even more fake.

I was reading an article talking about someone taking donations to send catelynn and tyler to college but now it kind of seems like they dont need it. Speaking of does tyler make any money, it seems he is just as featured as catelynn is.

They all go out to eat for every meal in every episode. That's always annoyed me about the show. When I'm broke and hungry I hit the spam isle at walmart.

As someone who went to a college costing over $40k a year, I'd kill to make $60k a year, and I'm 6 years out of college.

Stupid political science/philosophy degree.

Wait, so kids who didn't have the foresight to use birth control aren't savvy enough to live on $60,000 per year?

What a revelation.

Snark aside, it is probably a combination of the narrative forced on the show by the producers and the network coupled with the lottery effect. People who get money in a windfall with no cause and effect association and no education to handle it tend to have a hard time managing that money.

I was watching this show with my wife and we had the conversation that they must get paid for the show. We decided that the money was probably put into a trust or something until the show had ended. $60,000/yr isn't an insane amount of money but it would impact the shows narrative of how hard it is to be a teen mom.