Britney and Kevin: Chaotic
Encyclopedia
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic is an American reality television
series, which aired on UPN from May 17, 2005 to June 14, 2005, starring American recording artist Britney Spears
and her then husband, Kevin Federline
. It was created by Anthony E. Zuiker
, while Spears and Federline served as the executive producers. The series largely consists of home videos created by Spears and Federline, along with some added commentary, beginning with their courtship during the European leg of Spears' The Onyx Hotel Tour
in Spring 2004, and ending with their marriage
on September of the same year.
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic received negative reviews from contemporary critics, who deemed the series as Spears' career suicide, while noticing the singer's excessive narcissism
and criticizing the themes of the series as too explicit. The series received a nomination for "Choice TV Show: Reality" at the Teen Choice Awards of 2005
. The DVD release of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic was accompanied by Spears' first EP
of the same name. A single from it was released, titled "Someday (I Will Understand)
". The lyrics of the song refer to a feeling of empowerment as a pregnant woman. The music video for it was released after the final episode of the series.
UPN
to release her own reality television
series. The series would feature footage from the singer and her then husband, Kevin Federline
, and would be aired in six episodes. "From the day that Kevin and I met, there have been constant rumors and inaccurate speculation about our lives together," Spears said in a statement about the series. "I feel that last year, the tabloids ran my life, and I am really excited about showing my fans what really happened, rather than all the stories, which have been misconstrued by journalists in the past. As I mentioned before, I am now going to be expressing my personal life through art". The series was initially titled Britney & Kevin: Can You Handle Our Truth?, before being officially announced as Britney & Kevin: Chaotic, with "Can you handle our truth?" being its tagline. The theme song of the series, "Chaotic", was written Michelle Bell
, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Henrik Johnback, while produced by Bloodshy & Avant
.
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic first aired on May 17, 2005. The first episode, titled "Can You Handle My Truth?", pulled in an audience of 3.5 million viewers, and featured several discussed themes such as sex and love. The following episodes featured home videos created by Spears and Federline, along with some added commentary, beginning with their courtship during the European leg of Spears' The Onyx Hotel Tour
in Spring 2004, and ending with their marriage
that September. The singer revealed that the series helped the couple to know each other more, saying, "I didn't know [Kevin] that well, and when I got the camera out, it made me feel better. It's really weird because it was like all this tension at first. We were so nervous being together. I'm really shy, and when I had the camera in my hand, it made me feel more outspoken. I think it helped at first." Only five episodes of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic were aired. The last episode, titled "Veil of Secrecy", featured the world premiere of the music video for "Someday (I Will Understand)
" (2005).
considered the series an "insult to common sense and decency", while commenting that "Britney's ridiculous behavior in "Chaotic" confirms the obvious transparency of her status as a "celebrity product" and the calculated nature of her success". He also noted that music critics would "easily open the floodgates for new and creative ways to discuss her offense to pop culture's attempts at meaningfulness". Aaron Beierle of DVD Talk
reviewed the series as "an absolute disaster of the highest order", while saying, "[Britney & Kevin: Chaotic] is an absolutely watchable and horrifying train wreck of a series". Slant Magazine
writer Ed Gonzalez noted that "the show's extreme shooting style makes it especially hard to stare at what is—no more no less—a totem to the pop singer's narcissism", criticizing the fact of Spears and Federline's "views on sex, life and love suggest someone [...] they're the only person on the face of the earth".
Josh Wolk of Entertainment Weekly
felt that Britney & Kevin: Chaotic was Spears' "career suicide by videocam", commenting, "the truth is not only that she's vapid, but that she's self-obsessed to a dangerous degree". Wolk also noted "many intersecting things wrong on this show and with Britney that I can't possibly prioritize them. I can't say that the sheer narcissism is the main problem, since that may be a byproduct of the overwhelming stupidity showcased here". Laura Fries of magazine Variety
perceived the series as "a visual assault of nauseating camera angles, likely to upset even the most desensitized TV viewer. Note to Spears: Learn how to use a camcorder before basing a show on its usage". Hayley Butler of Jam!
gave the final episode of the series a mixed review, saying it "was full of tear-jerking moments" and "the only episode not full of stupid jokes, childish behaviour and Britney's thoughts on life", commenting that Spears and Federline wedding scenes "looked to be a very emotional and touching event". Butler also wondered "if they feel their show served its purpose. They annoyed us, made us cringe, gave us their insights on life and love and finally, annoyed us some more. However, if the whole point of the show was to prove their love is the real deal, well I have to say, Britney & Kevin: Mission Accomplished".
, while Spears was nominated for "Choice TV Personality: Female", and Federline for "Choice TV Reality/Variety Star: Male". However, reality television series American Idol
, American singer Bo Bice
, and American recording artist Jessica Simpson
won the awards, respectively.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series, which aired on UPN from May 17, 2005 to June 14, 2005, starring American recording artist Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and her then husband, Kevin Federline
Kevin Federline
Kevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
. It was created by Anthony E. Zuiker
Anthony E. Zuiker
Anthony E. Zuiker is the creator and executive producer of the American television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He produces all three editions of the CSI franchise: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY...
, while Spears and Federline served as the executive producers. The series largely consists of home videos created by Spears and Federline, along with some added commentary, beginning with their courtship during the European leg of Spears' The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her fourth studio album In the Zone and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the album was announced in December 2003...
in Spring 2004, and ending with their marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
on September of the same year.
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic received negative reviews from contemporary critics, who deemed the series as Spears' career suicide, while noticing the singer's excessive narcissism
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
and criticizing the themes of the series as too explicit. The series received a nomination for "Choice TV Show: Reality" at the Teen Choice Awards of 2005
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
. The DVD release of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic was accompanied by Spears' first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of the same name. A single from it was released, titled "Someday (I Will Understand)
Someday (I Will Understand)
"Someday " is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, from the bonus CD of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. It was released in Europe as a single on August 21, 2005, by Jive Records. In July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, later revealing she would be...
". The lyrics of the song refer to a feeling of empowerment as a pregnant woman. The music video for it was released after the final episode of the series.
Background
In April 2005, it was revealed that Spears had made a deal with television networkTelevision network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
to release her own reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series. The series would feature footage from the singer and her then husband, Kevin Federline
Kevin Federline
Kevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
, and would be aired in six episodes. "From the day that Kevin and I met, there have been constant rumors and inaccurate speculation about our lives together," Spears said in a statement about the series. "I feel that last year, the tabloids ran my life, and I am really excited about showing my fans what really happened, rather than all the stories, which have been misconstrued by journalists in the past. As I mentioned before, I am now going to be expressing my personal life through art". The series was initially titled Britney & Kevin: Can You Handle Our Truth?, before being officially announced as Britney & Kevin: Chaotic, with "Can you handle our truth?" being its tagline. The theme song of the series, "Chaotic", was written Michelle Bell
Michelle Bell
Michelle Bell is an American female Singer/Songwriter/Producer from Ohio. Michelle's songs has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.She has written songs for Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Paulina Rubio, Nas, Kelis, and Jennifer Lopez...
, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Henrik Johnback, while produced by Bloodshy & Avant
Bloodshy & Avant
Bloodshy and Avant are a music production and songwriting team from Sweden made up of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg...
.
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic first aired on May 17, 2005. The first episode, titled "Can You Handle My Truth?", pulled in an audience of 3.5 million viewers, and featured several discussed themes such as sex and love. The following episodes featured home videos created by Spears and Federline, along with some added commentary, beginning with their courtship during the European leg of Spears' The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her fourth studio album In the Zone and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the album was announced in December 2003...
in Spring 2004, and ending with their marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
that September. The singer revealed that the series helped the couple to know each other more, saying, "I didn't know [Kevin] that well, and when I got the camera out, it made me feel better. It's really weird because it was like all this tension at first. We were so nervous being together. I'm really shy, and when I had the camera in my hand, it made me feel more outspoken. I think it helped at first." Only five episodes of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic were aired. The last episode, titled "Veil of Secrecy", featured the world premiere of the music video for "Someday (I Will Understand)
Someday (I Will Understand)
"Someday " is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, from the bonus CD of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. It was released in Europe as a single on August 21, 2005, by Jive Records. In July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, later revealing she would be...
" (2005).
Critical reception
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic received negative reviews from contemporary critics. Taylor Carik of Flak MagazineFlak Magazine
Flak Magazine was a pioneering American online magazine, founded in 1998. The chief editor is James Norton, the managing editor is Joey Rubin. , it reported over 250,000 unique visitors monthly. In 2008, Flak suspended publication....
considered the series an "insult to common sense and decency", while commenting that "Britney's ridiculous behavior in "Chaotic" confirms the obvious transparency of her status as a "celebrity product" and the calculated nature of her success". He also noted that music critics would "easily open the floodgates for new and creative ways to discuss her offense to pop culture's attempts at meaningfulness". Aaron Beierle of DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
reviewed the series as "an absolute disaster of the highest order", while saying, "[Britney & Kevin: Chaotic] is an absolutely watchable and horrifying train wreck of a series". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
writer Ed Gonzalez noted that "the show's extreme shooting style makes it especially hard to stare at what is—no more no less—a totem to the pop singer's narcissism", criticizing the fact of Spears and Federline's "views on sex, life and love suggest someone [...] they're the only person on the face of the earth".
Josh Wolk of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
felt that Britney & Kevin: Chaotic was Spears' "career suicide by videocam", commenting, "the truth is not only that she's vapid, but that she's self-obsessed to a dangerous degree". Wolk also noted "many intersecting things wrong on this show and with Britney that I can't possibly prioritize them. I can't say that the sheer narcissism is the main problem, since that may be a byproduct of the overwhelming stupidity showcased here". Laura Fries of magazine Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
perceived the series as "a visual assault of nauseating camera angles, likely to upset even the most desensitized TV viewer. Note to Spears: Learn how to use a camcorder before basing a show on its usage". Hayley Butler of Jam!
Jam!
Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....
gave the final episode of the series a mixed review, saying it "was full of tear-jerking moments" and "the only episode not full of stupid jokes, childish behaviour and Britney's thoughts on life", commenting that Spears and Federline wedding scenes "looked to be a very emotional and touching event". Butler also wondered "if they feel their show served its purpose. They annoyed us, made us cringe, gave us their insights on life and love and finally, annoyed us some more. However, if the whole point of the show was to prove their love is the real deal, well I have to say, Britney & Kevin: Mission Accomplished".
Awards
Britney & Kevin: Chaotic received a nomination for "Choice TV Show: Reality" at the Teen Choice Awards of 2005Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
, while Spears was nominated for "Choice TV Personality: Female", and Federline for "Choice TV Reality/Variety Star: Male". However, reality television series American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, American singer Bo Bice
Bo Bice
Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. is an American singer and musician who placed second to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol. He has recorded three studio albums, including one on RCA Records...
, and American recording artist Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
won the awards, respectively.