When Jenelle Evans was fired from Teen Mom 2, producers were presented with an interesting problem:
Evans was widely despised by both her co-workers and the show's cast, but nonetheless, her absence would be keenly felt.
After all, drama is gold in the world of reality TV, and no one delivers it quite like Jenelle.
And the folks at the helm of the Teen Mom franchise know firsthand how the loss of a good villain can affect a show's viewership.
In the weeks after Farrah Abraham was fired from Teen Mom OG, for example, fans rejoiced that they would no longer be subjected to her word-salad tirades and diva demands.
But Teen Mom OG ratings have been plummetting since Farrah's departure -- a sure sign that sometimes, audiences need someone they can love to hate.
Producers did their best to fill Farrah's shoes, casting not one but two moms to take her place.
In the end, one of them, Bristol Palin, lasted only a single season, while the other, Cheyenne Floyd, has been mostly met with indifference by fans.
So when it came time to replace Jenelle, producers did not enter the decision lightly.
In the end, they cast Jade Cline, another 16 & Pregnant alum.
And this time, it seems producers have learned from their past mistakes and hired a mom who's easy to work with, but who still brings plenty of drama to the table.
“She’s been lovely to work with; honestly a real dream,” a production insider tellsThe Ashley's Reality Roundup.
“Everyone really likes her. She’s reliable, and has treated the crew and producers with respect.”
Another insider echoes those sentiments, confirming that Jade is essentially the anti-Jenelle.
“Jade has been the exact opposite of Jenelle,” the insider reveals.
“She is not a diva whatsoever— which some of the other girls on these shows tend to be— and has not had any issues with anyone on the shoots. It’s been a refreshing and nice change, actually."
Asked to describe working with Jenelle, the second source said simply, “Chaos!”
“It was so touch-and-go. We never knew if we were actually going to be shooting if we were scheduled to film with Jenelle,” the insider tells The Ashley.
“And if we did film, [we didn’t know] if we would get any usable footage, if she would storm off and refuse to film, or if David [Eason] would try to mess with the shoot.”
But that doesn't mean Jade's scenes will be lacking in emotion:
“Jade’s story is just really sad,” one behind-the-scenes source tells The Ashley.
“There were some super-tense moments, especially concerning her ex-boyfriend that were very scary.”
The source adds that Jade is a reality TV natural, and she's provided the cast with so much usable footage that she was able to finish filming well before her castmates.
“There was so much to film!” the source says.
“We have so much footage we don’t need any more for this season," the insider adds.
"It was so easy to get, not having to deal with canceled shoots and drama queen tantrums!”
We're sure Jenelle will handle the positive reports about her replacement with the level-headed equanimity and gentle good humor for which she's become famous.