Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna revealed that they are expecting a baby girl on their E! reality show, “Rob & Chyna,” which premiered Sunday night.
The move was straight from the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” playbook. Aside from a comic book-esque visual effect that was used to transition scenes (and didn’t go over so well with viewers discussing the show on Twitter), “Rob & Chyna” is very much like the show that made the Kardashian family a household name.
The premiere featured appearances by Kris Jenner and Scott Disick, the father of Kourtney Kardashian’s three children. There was even a trip to Sky High, the trampoline park that has been featured on “KUWTK.” Clearly, the family (and executive producer Ryan Seacrest) aren’t about to mess with a formula that works.
The gender reveal was a source of tension on “Rob & Chyna.” Chyna said that she wanted to share the news with “a cool surprise,” but she got annoyed with Rob for telling his mother before they could come up with a plan. (Fun fact: The Kardashian matriarch calls Chyna by her real name – Angela.)
But the major source of drama in the “Rob & Chyna” premiere was the couple’s explosive fight about trust issues, which led Chyna to throw Rob out of the house. Rob sought advice from Disick, who knows a thing or two about being kicked out, while Chyna confided in Jenner.
“Rob & Chyna” marks Rob Kardashian’s official return to reality television after a very public weight gain and reported struggle with depression. Last year, as “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” aired an episode that examined the family’s efforts to help Rob, the youngest Kardashian sibling refused to appear on camera.
But Rob was thrown back into the spotlight earlier this year when he began dating Chyna, a model, who was once a close friend of Kim Kardashian and also happens to be the mother of a 3-year-old son with rapper Tyga. Tyga is well known in the “KUWTK” universe for his controversial relationship with Kylie Jenner, and Rob’s relationship with Tyga’s ex reportedly caused a rift among the siblings.
Rob returned to the family’s flagship reality show in May. Last Sunday, the mid-season finale of “KUWTK” prominently featured Rob and Chyna’s relationship issues as Rob sought advice from his sisters after a major fight with Chyna. Despite their strained relationship, Khloe invited Chyna to her birthday party and the model reluctantly accepted.
Both Rob and Chyna addressed the controversy during the premiere of their show.
“In the beginning, my family was definitely giving me a lot of s-- for talking to Chyna, but they just don’t know her and they don’t know how helpful she is,” Rob told viewers. “My life went from in the dark, in my room for like three years, gaining a grip of weight to, like, getting it together.”
“It’s been a long process trying to get along with the Kardashians,” Chyna said. After Jenner inadvertently revealed that Rob had ruined the gender reveal surprise, Chyna couldn’t resist throwing a tiny hint of shade: “I mean, I guess that’s just the Kardashian family – talk, talk, talk, talk, talk,” she told viewers.
Rob’s famous sisters were vocal supporters on Twitter of the couple during the show’s premiere.
A promo for upcoming episodes showed Kim Kardashian counseling Chyna on her and Rob’s relationship issues, which have generated headlines for months and were left unresolved at the end of the “Rob & Chyna” premiere. Things appeared to be smooth sailing in the two days ahead of the premiere, though, when Rob shared a picture of the couple on a date.
Even if the couple have resolved their issues in real-life, “KUWTK” history tells us that won’t stop the drama from playing out on “Rob & Chyna” in the coming weeks.
