Teen Mom Confidential: Secrets & Scandals From MTV's Most Controversial Shows (25 page)

Katie Yeager's life story has all the ingredients of a spectacular, runaway train wreck: abusive, cheating boyfriend, incarcerated, drug-dealing father and an unplanned high school pregnancy. But the witty, doe-eyed Wyoming teen who always dreamt of becoming a psychologist - has somehow managed to beat the odds. Now, as she prepares to begin her junior year at the University of Utah in September 2013, and struggles to raise cutie pie daughter Molli on her own, the former kiddie pageant queen looks poised to become the breakout star of
Teen Mom 3
.

“Being a part of it has given me an opportunity to be able to show my daughter that her dad and I have struggled and made sacrifices for her simply because we have unconditional love for her,” Katie shared in a late 2012 Facebook posting. “I am proud of myself for growing such a thick skin and being brave enough to share my life with such a judgmental and rude world.”

The series - premiering later in 2013 - will also peek into the day-to-day dramas of cheerleader Mackenzie Douthit, dancer Alexandria Sekella and Valencia College freshman Briana Dejesus, who all appeared during the fourth season of
16 and Pregnant
. “They picked more wholesome girls this time,” a show source reveals. “Each one has a job, family support, and goes to school. None of them have drug addictions or any major psychological damages.”

Still, there is plenty of drama to look forward to. Much of Katie's story line will focus on school - she recently received an Associates degree from Western Wyoming Community College - her struggle for independence and the challenges of moving on from hot-tempered baby daddy, Joey Maes. The couple called it quits, an insider says, “because Joey had been physically and emotionally abusing her for over a year.”

Katie seemed to confirm that report in a blistering March 2013 social media post, apparently referencing the short fused coal mine worker: “When you say it's my fault for staying with him when he was abusive for over a year you're just being inconsiderate. Fear is powerful. Don't pretend like you know the sacrifices I've made and the shame that it has caused me. Rebuilding who you once were isn't easy…” She also re-tweeted messages of support from fans, replying to one by revealing “All the violence is followed with I love you'd and it'll never happen again and then somehow is blamed on you.” [sic]

Katie, once a competitive swimmer, told us she is contractually forbidden from giving interviews without permission from MTV. But we were able to track down several people close to the young mom, who say she landed in the hospital in late 2012 with serious bruising and several cracked ribs after a heated altercation with her ex. “That's when she moved out and left him,” a childhood friend reveals. “They are civil now.” Show sources hint Joey “will be a main focus of the show” as the season progresses.

Several people familiar with Katie and her family say she had a “pretty average” childhood - but things quickly became complicated by the time she started high school. She's the oldest of three children. Sister Blake was 16 and brother Riley was 14 at press time. Her mother, Luci, is a hairdresser; father, Russell Armstrong, races cars and runs an auto body shop in Green River, Wyoming. (Both of Katie's parents hate that she is part of
Teen Mom 3
and will rarely be seen on camera.) The family temporarily relocated to a small town near Jackson Hole when Katie was 8, so her father could expand his business.

Katie - a self-described “social butterfly” - spent much of her youth in the pool. She attended swim practice twice each day and competed on two different teams in middle school. “She went to state (championships) each year and was highly ranked,” a friend says. The family moved to Green River when Katie was ready to begin high school, hoping she could secure a swimming scholarship. But just two weeks into her freshman year, Katie's life went off the rails when her father was arrested for “Conspiracy To Distribute” Methamphetamine. “[He] wasn't released until I was almost 17,” she shared on Instagram in early 2013. “We are just now slowly rebuilding our relationship and trust.”

Friends say Katie gave up swimming and started hanging out with “all the wrong kind of people” after her father was sent to lockup in El Paso, Texas. “All she wanted to do was party,” we're told. “She never experimented with drugs...but went through a phase where she would black out on Friday and wouldn't remember anything until Sunday.”

Making matters worse, she was also nursing a broken heart after her first boyfriend, Coleman, moved away. “He was the only guy I ever loved,” she told friends. Together they shared the heartache of losing their dads and the intimacy of losing their virginity. Coleman headed to Colorado, where he now attends culinary school and owns his own food truck. He has invited Katie to one day join him with the promise they would marry. But deep inside, Katie knows that will probably never happen.

As she lost control of her life, Katie began to sink into a deep depression. During her sophomore year, she started dating an older guy (whose name we have been asked to withhold). Friends say he tried to lead her down a path of drug abuse. On one particular night in December 2008, he invited Katie over to party with him and his best friend. Katie, at the time, was tending to her own best friend after a long night of drinking and declined the offer. A few hours later, her boyfriend's friend was pronounced dead from an overdose of heroin. “That was the night she stopped partying as much and started to focus on herself and school.”

Katie had known Joey for most of her life before they started dating. She would often spend summers with her grandparents who lived in the same town as his dad. During their junior year in high school, Joey was sent away to a drug and alcohol treatment center. He returned almost a year later and headed straight to her house. The relationship was casual at first -- mostly hanging out at parties and on the weekends. “It wasn't anything either of them saw going anywhere,” a friend remembers.

Katie was more focused on attending college - she was accepted to Denver University, Utah University, Colorado State and Boise State - and Joey planned to enlist in the military after graduation. But things became much more serious when Katie discovered she was pregnant. Almost overnight, she ditched her friends and began spending all of her time with Joey. Panicked and depressed, she concealed the pregnancy from almost everyone until a month before graduation.

Single motherhood is never easy, but Katie seems to be making the best of it. She finished her first year of school with a 3.5 GPA. In October 2012, Katie shared an update on her life via Twitter: "Ima mother, work two jobs, going back to college full time, taking online classes to be a certified pharm. tech until I finish school," she wrote. "Taking 2 month pharm tech course so I can make $ while I'm working on my masters." [sic]

She also appears to have finally found love again. In March 2013, Katie posted a shirtless photo of her new man Scott Eversull. “He thinks he's so cute sending me pictures of him in MY favorite pants he stole,” she wrote. Scott, too, has been sharing online about the red-hot romance, tweeting: “I still remember the first time we kissed.” On his official page (discovered by
Wetpaint.com
), Scott reveals: “ive been in trouble for about 3 years now and im not proud if any of it. i recently graduated from red top meadows in wilson. ive learned alot and ive learned to help others." [sic]

According to the school's official website, Red Top Meadows “provides residential treatment and therapeutic wilderness programs for adolescent males with behavioral, emotional and/or mental health issues.” Sounds like Katie's new man could add some real spice to her life - but we'll have to wait to see that during season two.

* * * *

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT KATIE FROM TWITTER

* She wants to home school her daughter.

After the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Katie told her more than 20,000 followers the tragedy was "one of the many reasons why Molli will be home-schooled. Who shoots kids? Why do we live in a world like this? #PrayForNewtown.” She later followed up, adding: "Makes me sick to my stomach. Whatever happened to schools being a safe place for children to learn."

* She was the original Honey Boo Boo.

"#DidYouKnow I did pageants from the time that I was 2 until I was 16," she shared on October 19, 2012. "Yeah I was the original #ToddlersInTiaras." In another post, shared: “I did pageants for so many years that the smell of some hairsprays makes me sick.”

* She has a great sense of humor.

In February 2013, she wrote: "Baby you're the reason I get up in the morning! Just kidding I need to pee."

* You don't want to cross her.

After allegedly catching Joey in the act with a girl named Brigette, she gave him a public dressing down: “No, I'm not jealous of your new girlfriend. I feel sorry for her, because she's dating an unfaithful selfish assh0le.”

MACKENZIE DOUTHIT
Miami, Oklahoma
(b. October 17, 1994)

Baby:
Gannon Dwayne McKee
(b. September 12, 2011)

Baby Daddy:
Joshua McKee

Episode 401:
March 27, 2012

The perky, blonde cheerleader had a hard time keeping her boyfriend, Josh, off the rodeo horse. During her episode, she even considered leaving him due to his refusal to stop riding and get a job to help support their son.

Since we last saw Mackenzie, she's gone back to high school and cheerleading, and she and Josh have had their share of relationship drama. The couple got engaged shortly after their
16 and Pregnant
episode aired, only to call it off the following year and just “go back to dating.” In January 2013, Mackenzie announced on her Facebook page that Josh had proposed again and that they were planning to marry in April. Josh was planning on joining the military and Mackenzie and Gannon were planning to go with him to California, where he'd be stationed.

Although she had already bought her wedding gown, Mackenzie announced in March 2013 that the wedding was off and she and Josh were over, due to Josh being “too much like his dad,” whom Mackenzie does not get along with. However, the couple was back together by the end of the month.
What We'll See On
Teen Mom 3
:
Mackenzie and Josh attend their high school prom. We'll watch as Mackenzie tries to juggle motherhood, high school, her relationship and cosmetology school. We will also see Mackenzie attempt to deal with the drama between her and Josh, some of which stands from past infidelities, according to an inside source. In addition, Mackenzie, who was still not on birth control during the filming of the first season, is rumored to have a pregnancy scare. Mackenzie also deals with issues relating to her Type I diabetes.

BRIANA DEJESUS
Orlando, Florida
(b. May 24, 1994)

Baby:
Nova Star DeJesus
(b. September 9, 2011)

Baby Daddy:
Devoin Austin II

Episode 403:
April 3, 2012

Briana's episode of
16 and Pregnant
centered on Briana and her sister, Brittany, both of whom found themselves pregnant as teenagers but ended up making very different choices. Brittany chose to have an abortion, while Briana gave birth to a daughter, Nova, despite the fact that the baby's father wanted nothing to do with Briana or their kid.

After her episode aired, Briana enrolled in community college and got a job at a clothing store. She continues to raise her daughter on her own, with the help of her mother and sister. She has kept a relatively low online profile since her
16 and Pregnant
episode aired. She did, however, share the struggles she faced as a teen mom on her Twitter account in March 2013.

"Some people just don't understand that I'm a mother, not a regular teenager… Being a mother has turned me into this freak, like I enjoy doing things just to see a smile... That smile is so rewarding...Being a mother has taught me to be so caring and loving.... I sometimes feel obligated to do too much for others...not good at all!!"
What We'll See On
Teen Mom 3
:
Devoin makes an appearance at Nova's first birthday party, despite having been absent for most of his daughter's first year of life. Briana will attempt to venture back into the dating scene, without much success.

ALEXANDRIA SEKELLA
Neffs, Pennsylvania
(b. December 4, 1993)

Baby:
Arabella Elizabeth Sekella-McCann
(b. July 18, 2011)

Baby Daddy:
Matthew McCann

Episode 405:
April 17, 2012

When we last saw her, Alex, who blames faulty birth control for her pregnancy, was faced with having nowhere to live, and dealing with a boyfriend that was more into getting high than taking care of their daughter. (Who could forget the scene in her 16 and Pregnant episode in which she goes to his house, in labor, and begs him to come to the hospital with her?)