Either MTV is determined to capture every aspect of vapid, status-obsessed teenagers' lives and transform it into inane, completely forgettable half-hours of television -- or they're friggin' geniuses. In my mind, The Real World, groundbreaking though it may have been, simultaneously set the bar and lowered it for the ensuing decade-plus of reality TV. MTV has always been at the leading edge of convincing self-consumed teens to split open their lives and share all of the boring, messy details (Engaged & Underage, Made, Laguna Beach, The Hills, so on and so forth). We live in an age now where humanity's worst (and very rarely, its best) are on full display, week after week, for the glory of nothing greater than some paltry prizes, big ratings or six months of C-list notoriety.

My Super Sweet 16 (somehow entering its fifth season) often feels like a mirror held up to MTV's core audience (teenaged girls and guys), one which reflects the ugly, venal reality that the generation of 16-year-olds now maturing will probably throw all of their elders into nursing homes when they hit 50 or so, sell their parents' houses and use the cash to host bitchin' beach parties. 95 percent of the kids featured on this skin-crawlingly fascinating series are spoiled, bratty, epically stupid and possessed of a sense of entitlement that is truly staggering. Throwing a fit because the car your parents gave you is the wrong color? Howling in misery because a party doesn't unfold exactly the way you planned? Demanding outrageous (and occasionally, near impossible) things like having major pop stars perform at your birthday? The mind reels - yet you keep watching. Therein lies my point about MTV being geniuses. They know this stuff is pure human trainwreckery, but you can't turn away. Watching and waiting to see when the shit hits the fan (and it inevitably does, every single episode) is the only reason to tune in. Oh, that and what MTV says is "what it's really like to turn 16 these days." (Insert stifled laughter here.)

Paramount hasn't tricked out these first two seasons of My Super Sweet 16, dumping each season onto its own disc and housing the whole shebang (one disc on each side) in a slimline keepcase. It's worth noting that the online sources I checked mention two episodes in Season 2 that, for whatever reason, aren't on this set (Amanda and Carlysia). For both seasons, all episodes are playable separately or all together.

The Video:

Presented as originally broadcast on MTV, the first two seasons of My Super Sweet 16 bow on DVD with a passable 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer, retaining the grainy look typified by shows shot on video. There's the odd visual defect here and there but it's due to the source material and no fault of the transfer. Visually, this is probably as good as it's gonna get.

Again, in keeping with the show's original broadcast specs, the two seasons arrive on disc outfitted with Dolby 2.0 stereo tracks that preserve every elated squeal, every frustrated sob and every half-hearted thank you with acceptable fidelity. The instances where dialogue is less than intelligible (I'll avoid any wisecracks there), MTV helpfully provides burned-in subtitles onscreen. No optional subtitles are included.

Curiously, with two episodes missing from the second season, neither of them materialize as bonus features. Instead, the first disc boasts a bonus episode of My Super Sweet 16 following Chelsie as she plans her big day, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Super Sweet 16 movie. The second disc houses another bonus episode (Alexa's quinceanera) and trailers for Super Sweet 16: The Movie, My Super Sweet 16: Season 5, Laguna Beach: The Complete Third Season and Bam's Unholy Union.

Wonder why foreign countries hate Americans? Look no further than My Super Sweet 16, a slick, half-hour MTV series that glorifies obscene celebrations of stupid, spoiled brats who should be locked up in sensory deprivation chambers until they're 21. The mind reels - yet you keep watching. Therein lies MTV's genius. They know this stuff is pure human trainwreckery, but you can't turn away. Watching and waiting to see when the shit hits the fan (and it inevitably does, every single episode) is the only reason to tune in. Oh, that and what MTV says is "what it's really like to turn 16 these days." (Insert stifled laughter here.) If you're a fan (God help you), then you won't find much to sink your teeth into here, aside from the episodes. This is a solid rental otherwise.