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A year ago, Kate Gosselin was attempting the tango (and, in the process, boosting the ratings) on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Nowadays, she's back on familiar ground: Her show, Kate Plus 8 (TLC, Mondays, 10 p.m. ET), is quietly chugging along, chronicling the family's (minus Jon) recent trip to Australia and New Zealand.
About 1.5 million viewers tuned in to the series' season premiere on April 4 -- a respectable number, but nowhere near the 25 million who watched her on DWTS. It's also plenty short of the nearly 10 million viewers who tuned into the season premiere of Jon and Kate Plus 8 in season 5. (That, of course, was the season that Kate inadvertently showcased her crumbling marriage.)
The thing is, a million-and-a-half viewers might not be enough to keep Kate Plus 8 going. According to ABC News, some TV industry experts say that if the show's ratings don't rise, Gosselin might be out of a job.
If that does happen, what should Kate's next move be? Like it or not (and she probably doesn't), Gosselin garners her highest ratings numbers when her love life is in the tabloids. So a dating show aimed at finding her a new man would be the most obvious way to recapture viewers. It's not the most tasteful idea, of course. (Can anyone name a classy dating show?) But while the circus atmosphere around Gosselin's love life last year wasn't exactly tasteful, either, it gave her lots of opportunities to make money.
After Gosselin was eliminated from DWTS in 2010, rumors flew that she might be ABC's next Bachelorette. Creator Mike Fleiss quickly laid that idea to rest on Ryan Seacrest's radio show. Gosselin, too, shot down the rumor on Jimmy Kimmel Live! "It's a little stronger than no, it's more like never!" she said. "I'm married to my kids and my career."
But Gosselin has been known to put her pride aside for the sake of supporting her family. If Kate Plus 8's low ratings have actually put her career in jeopardy, she might reconsider a dating show stint as a professional jumpstart.
Gosselin is arguably TLC's biggest star. Even if Kate Plus 8 fails to bring in the ratings they're seeking, the network would no doubt be open to giving her another shot. Why not a dating show? People could watch Gosselin try again, having learned from her mistakes made with Jon. There's never been a shortage of opinions about Gosselin. So viewers would no doubt have a lot to say about her suitors, her decisions about who to send home, and whether she deserves to find love again at all. And all the while, the ratings will rise ever higher. A win-win for everyone!
