At first sight, you would think that Labor of Love is a carbon copy of The Bachelorette. Personally, I thought it would be your typical show about finding love. But when I watched the first episode, it turned out to be something more interesting. Instead of it being merely about finding a husband, it was also about finding a partner to raise a family with. It’s a good time to summarize the show before getting into my review.
What is Labor of Love? Labor of Love is a show about a 41-year-old woman named Kristy Katzmann, who wishes to become a mother sooner rather than later. A lineup of 15 men strive to become fathers and have a desire to do it with her. She gets to know the men throughout the episodes, and as time progresses, she rules them out. Kristin Davis of Sex and the City is there for Kristy as a guide. You don’t see Kristin too much in each episode, but she talks a few things out with Kristy and appears as if she knows about the process.
The Good: As stated earlier, the show turned out to be something more interesting. I liked how the plot involved an interesting end goal and not just fluffy romance (in other words, finding a Prince Charming). Although, fluffy romance played a big part in this show. Kristy looks like an older version of former Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere. I actually watched the show thinking it was Iris, but without the French accent. I thought that any of these men would be lucky to go to sleep and wake up to an Iris Mittenaere look-a-like every day.
The Bad: That said, parenthood being on the line brought some problems. There was cattiness between some of the men. And as time progressed, Kristy saw some problems with the men herself. She eliminated Keith for his anger problem and she eliminated Marcus for having a house mom. There weren’t any bad eliminations, but if you can’t take care of yourself, you definitely can’t take care of a young human being. If you can’t conduct yourself properly, you don’t need to become a father either. The strange thing is that Marcus had a nice house and an established career, so it was awkward for him to have a house mom. A maid is different, but god forbid his house mom would’ve been invading the couple’s business all the time like the ones in scripted shows.
For the problems I saw, I didn’t like how Stewart sent gifts most of the time. For me at least, it’s going to take a lot more than gifts to get me to stay with you. Another problem I saw is that Kristy would get a bit too intimate with more than one man. I also didn’t like how she complained that “time is running out.” She’s 41, and more women are choosing to have a child later in life nowadays. Some of them have their first child in their early 40s, while some don’t even have their first child until they’re in their 50s (remember Janet Jackson?). Medically, there are risks to giving birth later in life, but it can be done. I’ve only touched the surface of my problems, and the rest of them will be explained in “The Ugly” section.
The Ugly: As interesting as the plot of the show is, a reality show truly isn’t a good place to find love, let alone a father who will care for your child for 18 years minimum. The dates in this show were interesting and unconventional, but it takes more than just a few short dates to find everlasting love. If you know about The Bachelor, you know that the vast majority of couples split right after the show ends (sometimes it’s revealed a week later). Believe it or not, Kristy was on The Bachelor years ago herself. And with multiple men being candidates for one woman (or multiple women being candidates for one man), it doesn’t give anyone a chance to form a real connection with one person. That is, if they are even suitable for that one person. There is a lot of pressure in those circumstances, and having cameras all in your business definitely doesn’t help.
I’m also skeptical on if Kristin is really qualified to give family planning advice. She has never given birth to a child (not even through IVF) nor has she ever been married. Although, she has adopted two children. It may sound brutal, but I am for real. Would you rather receive family planning advice from someone who has never been married nor given birth or someone who has done both? The latter, right? I’m not going to say she’s a bad mother to her adopted children, because I don’t know her parenting tactics. However, I wouldn’t want relationship or childbirth advice from someone who has never gone through those stages themselves.
Final Verdict: Labor of Love is actually an interesting show—if you only take it as pure entertainment. The drama was juicy, but it doesn’t translate well when parenthood is on the line. A man who gets salty with other men on a reality television show is not father material. That said, if there were to be another season of Labor of Love, would I watch it? Sure, why not? It helped pass the time.
Though unsurprisingly, Kristy and Kyle have broken up. Kyle was the man she chose in the finale. Having watched this show from the beginning, I knew none of them were going to be long-term partners. The vast majority of reality show couples don’t last. However, Kristy can go solo as a single mother. I don’t see a problem with that. As long as she has a support system of family, friends, professionals, and other people she trusts, I think she can make her motherhood fantasies a reality. Going on a reality show for love isn’t a good decision, but I wish her nothing but the best moving forward.
