10 Things That Never Made Sense About The Secret Life Of The American Teenager

ABC Family, now Freeform, has been into the teen drama genre for a long time. Shows like Make It or Break It and The Secret Life of the American Teenager are some of the most well known. The latter is famous for its portrayal of teenage sex and pregnancy.

People who watched The Secret Life when it originally aired fondly remember the juicy gossip and love triangles, but the show can be comically cringe-worthy to revisit. There are plenty of things about it that don’t make sense, but these are the most obvious ten.

10 Amy And Ben’s Relationship

There are a lot of toxic relationships on The Secret Life, but Amy and Ben’s is one of the absolute worst. The teens start out in a sweet romance that borders on saccharine at times. Ben is very committed to Amy in the beginning but grows tired of her attitude and does not like being tied down. Amy rejects Ben’s attempts to revive the romance, and that is when he gets with Adrian. In addition to all the confusion of their dating days, the teens attempt to get married!

9 The Wishy-Washy Friendships

High school can be a difficult time to build friendships that last, but the kids on The Secret Life especially struggle with it. They aren’t always there for one another and are much more inclined to stab each other in the back.

Life is hard enough that it would make more sense for them to be supportive of each other continually. Instead, the community responsibility comes in waves: a baby shower one day, a sabotage the next.

8 The Guidance Counselors

There are three guidance counselors in the duration of The Secret Life. Mr. Molina is the first, but he violates school policy by helping Adrian find her birth father, and the counselor doesn’t last too long. The second is Dr. Bink, who is somehow hired after getting fired at her previous school for taking a student to the prom. The last, Kaitlin O’Malley, is the most stable. She actually helps the teens work out their problems and plan their lives and careers. With enough craziness already going on in the show, it doesn’t make much sense to switch guidance counselors this many times.

7 The Juergens Family

Amy Juergens might be frustrating girl, but her family isn’t any better. Her parents’ marriage is falling apart, her sister becomes just as devious as her dad, and her family is literally split in half when Ashley lives with her dad and Amy stays with her mom. The problems that George and Anne Juergens won’t deal with grow worse and worse. They’re not left with much time to help their kids out, and it shows.

6 Emphasis On Sports

Athletics are often a big part of high school experiences, but The Secret Life really amplifies the football culture. Jocks and cheerleaders are some of the most popular kids in the hall, and the world of the French horn players is not explored much beyond the horrors of “band camp.” Jack Pappas is the big man on campus, and Grace Bowman is the lead cheer girl for part of the series. It just doesn’t make sense for shows like this to keep emphasizing this stereotype.

5 Amy’s French Horn Skills

Fans often point out the fact that Amy somehow manages to be a teen mom, get into bad romantic relationships, and practice the French horn. Though she is rarely seen practicing, she is somehow good enough to get a music scholarship to attend college in New York. This just doesn’t add up.

4 Ricky’s Attraction To Adrian

Ricky Underwood is a strange guy. He has gone through a terrible childhood and really comes a long way throughout the series. However, fans just don’t get why he is constantly pulled back to Adrian. She is gorgeous and familiar to Ricky, but he goes to therapy to try to break free of his past issues. Adrian certainly does not help him with that. Ricky finally lets go of the relationship, but it is hard to understand why that takes so long.

3 Ashley’s Attitude

Ashley’s attitude worsens throughout the show until she exits before the final episodes. The teen expresses some real hatred towards her sister, Amy. Ashley is best friends with her father one minute and can’t stand him the next. She kind of acts this way with her mother, too. While Ashley goes through a ton of family drama, she could be kinder to the people around her and refuse to give in to her family’s poisonous ways.

2 Ben The Bad Boy

Ben Boykewich is the least likely kid to become a bad egg, but he sinks deeper and deeper into some atrocious behavior. His complicated relationship with Amy leads to his broken marriage with Adrian, who miscarries his baby. Ben and Adrian don’t last, and he moves on to an even worse girlfriend after that.

Ben and Dylan burn down a high school, Ben accuses an intern of sexual misconduct, and Ben turns his back on the father who gave him everything. A couple slip-ups might be passable, but Ben just can’t get along with anyone.

1 Portrayal Of Teenagers

The most unnecessary part of the drama is its constant negative portrayal of teenagers. They’re always screwing up, making poor decisions, or getting pregnant. Teenagers go through a lot, but not all of them live in a never-ending cycle of poor judgment. The show would more make sense if it was a little more inclusive of different teen personalities, like the responsible Lauren Treacy.

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