Kate Gosselin Comfortable Dating In The “Safety” Of Reality TV Series – TCA

Kate Gosselin, former star of TLC’s Kate Plus 8, came to TCA to talk about her new reality series for the network in which she goes on dates.

On stage with 18-year old twins Mady and Cara, Kate wanted TV critics to know her children are well-adjusted and intelligent and that living virtually their whole lives on-camera “has enriched their lives and taught them about people’s intention” to a degree other kids their age do not enjoy.

At age 18 – and 15 for the sextuplets – her children are able to chose what has been “almost a job,” Gosselin said.

“Obviously, as parents, we want to do what’s best for the kids,” she clarified.

Kate Plus Date has no re-dos and there are no scripted lines given to her children she insisted. “Dear God,” she added, “I can’t even get them to do their homework sometimes, so they’re not going to spit out lines.”

Reality TV immersion has “opened up so many opportunities for our family,” she enthused. “It’s been great … essentially a family business that has allowed me to work with my kids, in and out of the frame.

“Everything has good and bad,” she acknowledged, but the reality-TV “goods overwhelm the bads.”

When someone asked Mady and Cara if their mom is strict, Gosselin jumped in to say, “I am a very protective parent, as you probably know; it comes from a place of love.”

Gosselin left date-finding details to the producers, sometimes not knowing the name of the the man she was meeting until minutes before. That’s because it was difficult for her to articulate what she was looking for, she told TV critics.

The professional matchmakers did not confine their field to men living close to Gosselin. But, she pointed out, she had not been able to find anyone closeby in the past decade.

Still, she assured critics, “This is a very real show in that I am looking for someone. This was a journey and it was really neat” she said, explaining she wanted to date on TV because of “the safety it provides.”

In the process of made-for-TV dating, Gosselin said, “I learned so much about myself.”

Asked if her children will have their own reality series, Gosselin said it’s up to them, adding, “I think it’s something Mady and Cara have discussed.”

Mady, who spoke briefly a couple times during the Q&A, and Cara, who had not opened her mouth, did not speak up.