'Famous in 12' Episode 3 Recap - 'Lace, Leather & Karma'

By Lynsey Mukomel
@lynseymukomel

*Contains spoilers*

Premise

'Famous in 12' is gossip-channel TMZ's attempt to spread some good will. Ringleader Harvey Levin concocted a social experiment to see if a regular family can catapult into fame in 12 short weeks — just by shameless self promotion, his all-knowing guidance, and of course social media. The Artiaga family was the lucky winners from the casting call, and was flown out to live in L.A. for the show. The family consists of three girls — Maariyah, 19; Jameelah, 22; and Taliah, 27. Mom Angie and Stepdad Mike have been married 16 years.

Episode Recap

The show appropriately opens with a sister argument. Maariyah and Taliah feel Jameelah gets more attention and camera time than they do, and rightfully so given Jameelah says her rise to fame will be "selfies". Angie defuses the tension over a family dinner and comments that "fame is not worth tearing our family apart." An interesting comment given all reality shows in the history of the universe tears people apart. Did you do your research, Angie?

Mike gets a call from Harvey about an interview he set up for a disc jockey gig. Mike wants to be a world-famous DJ, he even calls himself DJ Mike Starr. He and Angie meet Todd Barnes, a businessman that works with various nightclubs around L.A.. Luckily for Mike, Todd likes what he hears and offers him a 20-minute set at a night club. Without even asking which club it is Mike accepts. (And let's be honest, what's the point of Harvey setting up the meeting if it doesn't mean Mike will have an opportunity to DJ on the show?) On the big night Jameelah, Taliah, Angie and DJ Mike Starr all head out to the mystery bar he'll be playing at. To his surprise they arrive at the Abbey — one of the most popular gay bars in L.A. — and is told he'll be wearing a speedo while performing. Mike doesn't miss a beat and rocks the revealing swimwear, impressing Todd and some customers that joined his stepdaughters on the dance floor.

After the commercial break the attention turns to the girls as they go out for a night on the town. Ironically they see Jonathan Cheban, Kim Kardashian's best friend, while at dinner. The three boldly approach him for some advice and leave feeling more "empowered". But let's not overlook Jameelah's awkward question about Kim's sex tape. She wonders if that's why Kim got famous. Isn't it Hollywood 101 to not bring that up? Jonathan played along but not before warning that some people would "get up and leave" when asked something like that.

The girls are then invited to a lingerie party that may help boost their social status, but of course mom and dad wouldn't appreciate them leaving the house barely dressed. Instead they hide their real outfits in a bag and change in a parking lot near the event. Upon arrival they don't recognize any attendees, and the show's editing depicts them wandering aimlessly around the party, bored. It's too bad considering their mom found a photo of what they really wore on Twitter and wasn't happy, so it doesn't seem like it was worth all the hassle.

The most dramatic portion of this week's episode came towards the end, when the girls find out TMZ published a "Who Would You Rather?" poll on their site. The results revealed that Maariyah, the youngest at 19 years old, is the most appealing to viewers. Taliah and Jameelah finished with 15 percent and 38 percent respectively. Just like making a guy choose between two friends, the poll created major drama in the Artiaga household. Jameelah makes a low blow at Taliah about finishing last. She states that her ranking was due to being a mom (she has a 6-year-old son) and no one "wants her". What a loving and supportive sister.

After yet another family meeting in which absolutely nothing was accomplished to fix the fighting between sisters, it's time for a meeting with Harvey. As he explains in the beginning of the show, he sits down with them once a week to track their "fame" progress. This is done by giving them updates on their social media following and a number ranking for their popularity. They must reach 90 by the end of the 12 weeks or, as Harvey puts it, they'll be sent to the dog house for failing.

This week's results showed Maariyah is the most popular out of the three sisters (and don't forget most desirable according to the viewers and fans that took part in the poll). Harvey reported Mike's popularity went up 25 percent after his DJ set and that only one out of every 10 people like Jameelah. Ouch! The family currently sits at 58 on the fame scale Harvey seemed to have made up all on his own, a five point uptick from last week.

Viewers are left with a makeshift cliffhanger after the meeting. Mike feels like Angie is "giving up" on the family because she's realizing the impact the quest for fame is having on her daughters and their relationships. Who knows what next week will bring. If I had to guess I'd say more drama, but I'm no psychic!

Lynsey Mukomel is a senior at Columbia College Chicago studying Broadcast Journalism. Upon graduating she will be applying for on-air reporting jobs, and hopes to one day pursue investigative reporting. In addition to securing competitive internships in the Chicago area, she works for her school and anchors a weekly webcast. To learn more about Lynsey visit her website at lynseymukomel.com.