Jersey Shorewas a cultural phenomenon that rocked the world. The hit guilty pleasure series shocked viewers withthe boldly brash characterswho took to the beaches of New Jersey and did nothing butshow their true colors. Like any successful series, it’s always no surprise when you attempt to capture lighting twice. In America, there was no other series that could even compete withJersey Shore, soother MTV markets tried their hand at bringing their trashy characters to the screenin their own versions.
For example, Mexico hadAcapulco Shore. Spain hadGandia Shore. In Poland, it wasWarsaw Shore. In the United Kingdom, it was the equally iconicGeordie Shore. But asGeordie Shorerose to prominence, there was another program that captured equal attention for its similar presence and concept. That show was calledThe Valleys. Running for three seasonson MTV in the UK,The Valleystook the idea of “small town people with big city dreams.”
What Was ‘The Valleys?’
Picture it. It’s 2012.A year earlier, MTVUK launchedGeordie Shore. It was time to premiere their latest attempt at television gold. Say hello toThe Valleys. Capturing the allure of outrageous television,The Valleysfollows nine young adults from South Wales Valleyas they move to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, to live out their dreams. The six-episode first series earned success and a second series was ordered. And then a third.
The first series followed these youngsters with high hopes and big dreams,living and working humdrum jobs as they aspire to find fame and glory.Living in the hustle and bustle of the Welsh capital, they all happened to live together under the same roof.As seen on any reality television series, when you put a group of big personalities in a house together, drama is about to ensue. The first season featured a cast comprised ofAron Williams, Carley Belmonte, Darren Chidgey, Jenna Jonathan, Lateysha Grace, Leeroy Reed, Liam Powell, Natalee Harris, andNicole Morris. With the exception of Williams, the cast would all return for another series. Series two would add twinsJason and Anthony Suminski. The final series addedJack Watkinsto the cast. No matter who was partying in Cardiff, the show followed the same chaotic formula.
The Valleyswas essentially,according to Closer Online,Geordie Shorewithout the class. The cast was filled with strippers, builders, and models that earned their honoraries as outrageous. The outlet lovingly wrote thatThe Valleyswatched “South Wales' biggest wannabes team up for the infamous Valleywood Nights tours, descending on clubs up and down the UK to pump up punters and generally cause absolute carnage.” Seems like a winning recipe to me!Risque romps and drunken antics were all the rage onThe Valleys.The series had all the makings of a breakout hit. Fighting. Bitching. Backstabbing. But something just didn’t take off the way that its British counterparts did.Perhaps it was just too chaotic. Maybe it just went too far. In America, viewers seem to thrive over these antics. ForMTVin the UK, they felt it was best to give it the ax. LikeJersey Shorein the States, there was a highly critical fraction of the country who disavowed the series. For example, Welsh singerCharlotte Churchcalled the show “exploitative” of the country she loves.
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It’s time to move past the GTL of it all.
The boobs are out. There are pints in hands. They wear more makeup than clothes. This was the representation of youngsters from the South Wales Valleys on television. The tagline of the first series was,“Will they make it in Cardiff or end up back in the valleys.“For the cast ofThe Valleys, there was more to this opportunity. This was a chance of a lifetime to change their entire career trajectory. This was their ticket to stardom. It was a make-or-break experience that was dependent on the exact make-up of the cast.
The breakout star of the show was Lateysha Grace, the fresh-faced 19-year-old with a “modestly sized bum” who had a panache for ratting on her housemates. Gym-loving Darren Chidgey considered himself “the best thing to come out of the Valleys.” There was Natalee Harris whocame in like a wrecking ballas a late entry and the ex of Chidgey. Liam Powell was Chidgey’s resident wingman who was considered a “cheeky chappy.” Aspiring DJ Carley Belmonte spent part of her time proclaiming her love for her “best friend Chidgey” only to have that washed away quickly. Leeroy Reed had a dream of being a big-time rapper, but entered The Valleys with an extensive rap sheet. Jenna Jonathon was the fan favorite that didn’t mesh with the rest of her cast. Then there was ditzy hairstylist Nicole Morris, known for her infamous hair. Aron Williams was not long for the show but was known as a kick-boxing champion. The Suminksi twins came in to shake things up, which they achieved. The archetypes matched the formula for a reality show of this nature. It’s not interesting having nine individuals get along.The Valleyswere filled with a group of young adults who all thought they were the stars.But they didn’t shine equally brightly.
As their boss, Jordan Reed, put it in the trailer for the series,“you may take the kids out of the valleys, but you can never take the valleys out of the kids.“It wasa battle to watchwhether the fun and games would override the duties they were meant to perform for work. Butlike on other showslikeThe Real World, the work aspect of the experience was soon pushed to the wayside for the dramatics. Their bosses, Jordan Reed andAnna “AK” Kelle, were players on the show. They were the anchor to the exploits.They had the power to send them back to The Valleys. It reached the line, but poor work ethic and unruly actions would cause the show that was being created to be compromised. The cast could get away with murder and just receive a slap on the wrist.
‘The Valleys’ Was Never Going To Be ‘TOWIE’ or ‘Geordie Shore’
Following the cancelation ofThe Valleys,The Mirror gave five potential reasonsas to why it was right for MTVto end the program. They included, “Geordie Shoredoes it better, people want more than drunken bar fights, there’s only so much ‘banter’ the world can take, the storylines were wearing a little thing, and Lateshya.” With these as the base examples, and other shows fulfilling a similar slot in the genre, it was going to be hard to remain in the spotlight. Having a bit of a “trashier” edge,The Valleysran its course.
When their central star, Lateshya Grace, had a break-out appeal, appearing onBig Brother UKand her own program,Million Dollar Baby, life afterThe Valleyswas possible. It needs to be equally crucial for others. It just wasn’t as profitable for some of the cast. LikeJersey Shore, the personalities' appeal was the persona they presented on the show. Breaking out of that mold was not an easy transition. The stars ofThe Valleysnever quite reached the prime height of fame like many individuals who appeared onGeordie ShoreorThe Only Way is Essex. There wasn’t aCharlotte Crosby, Holly Hagan, orSophie Kasaei. There wasn’tAmy Childs, Harry Derbridge, orGemma Collins.Star power is crucial.The Valleyshad shock value, just no star power with longevity.
UnlikeGeordie ShoreorTOWIE, The Valleys has sort of been lost to history. It was part of the cultural reality phenomenon of early 2010sshock television in the UK. Even though it was the Welsh answer to its British counterparts, three seasons were all it could produce. Yet, looking back at this series, during the period it thrived, it exposes the contents of a time capsule and what will be remembered in the future. The Valleys existed to help boost TOWIE and Geordie Shore. They needed competition to prove they were the superior shows. No matter what,The Valleys’ability to engage viewers with “trash TV” is enlightening on its own.The Valleysis available to stream onApple TV.
