Big Ratings for Jon & Kate but Are They Faking it?

Here's are five reasons why I believe Jon and Kate's marriage problems are completed fabricated.
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Last night's premiere of Jon and Kate Plus 8 on TLC generated huge ratings.

According to reports, the Jon and Kate Plus 8 season 5 premiere on May 25th 2009 achieved 9.8 million total viewers and 4.3 million viewers in the Women 18-49 demographic - TLC's best ratings ever!

That's not surprising considering the tabloid media storm surrounding this reality couple's marriage crisis.

What is surprising is that everybody believes this story is true - that Jon & Kate are having serious marriage problems.

Here are five reasons why I believe this story is completed fabricated:

ONE: Timing is Suspect -- The story broke a little over a month prior to the season premiere. That's convenient! And, I'd say almost too convenient!

TWO: Lack of Evidence
-- The details provided by the tabloids are inconclusive at best. Sure, Jon was seen with a younger female out a club and sun tanning on a lawn - but he's never been caught in the act of doing anything that serious! Plus, Kate was allegedly getting too close to her bodyguard. Give me a break!

THREE: Big Money is at Stake - According to reports, Kate Gosselin makes an estimated 75K per episode. That's a lot of money - especially in this economy. If Jon & Kate lose the show, they lose that income. And, after watching the show, I'm not confident that they could find a way to financially support their family.

FOUR: It's Reality TV -- Anybody who would put themselves on a reality TV show is not the same as your average Joe. It's hard to imagine how you could do that to yourself and your family. So, if this couple is willing to put themselves and their 8 children on TV, it would not be far-fetched to conclude that they would conspire to "fake" their marriage drama to boost ratings.

FIVE: It's Season Five!
Every reality show runs its course (except for MTV's Real World). With Jon & Kate Plus 8 in its fifth season, it really didn't have that much more steam left. But, this marriage drama has given the franchise an entire new life.

I'm going on the record and saying that I believe this is the biggest publicity stunt of 2009 and will be remembered as one of the biggest publicity stunts of all time.

One person that would disagree with me is People Magazine's deputy managing editor Peter Castro.

"If they are acting, they should both win an Emmy for best acting performance. It would be an extraordinary snow job," says Castro.

What do you think? Are Jon and Kate marriage problems for real or are they faking it to keep their show alive?

Vote HERE and sound off below!

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