First, I have to apologize for joining the Kardashian bandwagon so late in the game. I’m not exactly a reformed hater, I guess I just didn’t have much of an opinion of them until someone left my TV on E! while I happened to be hungover and immobile on a recent Sunday and I caught a Keeping Up With The Kardashians marathon. It’s not like I was ignorant of the Kardashian crew  as I would catch episodes of the show here and there, maybe read an article in a tabloid if I was in a nail salon or airport, but for the most part, reality TV shows, and certainly E! shows – well they’re just not normally my bag. It’s not that I would actively choose not to watch one of those shows, it’s just that I wouldn’t actively choose to watch, either.

But as I recently discovered, all it takes is a marathon of episodes for you to find yourself wildly addicted to all the antics of America’s other First Family.

I now find myself passionately pro-Kardashian and I’ve decided I’m going to be their new biggest fan and as such I feel it is my duty to tell you, the fine readers of HelloGiggles, just why it is that the Kardashians are the Best TV Family.

(And yes, this week’s List of Stuff is coming to you from the same nerd who wants to have a pet Ewok. And yes I realize there are like nine hundred preexisting Kardashian-themed articles on this website. Just bear with me, this is going to be fun!).

1. The number one most important thing to every Kardashian is FAMILY. If you watch an episode, even just one, you’ll notice almost immediately, that every source of conflict, every major plot-point, just about every interaction, all comes back to how these people are a family who love each other and prioritize family first, above all. This family cares about loyalty, commitment, compassion, support, friendship, communication, encouragement, trust… and I mean I could keep going. They might seem vapid or materialistic upon first glance, but I promise, the more time you spend watching them, the more you realize the things they care about are each other — and that’s really just why they act the way they do. Furthermore, they are a family I think a lot of people can relate to. The sisters squabble like sisters do, their parents challenge their kids to be better and to work harder, they suffer heartbreak and embarrassment just like everyone else.

2. Kris Jenner is a great mom. I mean it you guys. Kris Jenner loves her kids more than anything in this world. I mean, that is, essentially, the premise of the entire show! Kris Jenner is a mother to these six children and she really kicks ass at being one. Also, Kris Jenner is probably the one to thank for making this show so family-centric. Essentially the plot of every episode is that something is wrong with someone in her family (this extends to significant others as well, obviously) and it is distressing her and thus she (or someone else) sets out to solve this problem. The other thing I love is that Kris is pretty much a normal mom in that her children are so easily embarrassed by her (most recently because of the grunting noises she makes while she plays tennis, when she got drunk and fell into the pool on their family vacation, etc) — I think everyone relates to being mortified by a parent, and even though this is a family that seems to have every luxury available to them, they experience familial mortification just like everyone else. And even better — these kids rag on their mom, just like everyone else. Watching them is like hanging out with the big rowdy family I never had but often longed for.

3. Their life is awesome and all that awesomeness is fun to watch. A lot of the appeal of the Kardashians is that their life is ridiculous. So why not sit back and enjoy that? I certainly am not flying to Dubai on a whim for a hotel appearance! Part of me wants that life, and part of me couldn’t be happier I don’t have it — but no matter what, I am consistently entertained by it.

4. Khloe is the best big sister to Kendall and Kylie. Khloe Kardashian is without a doubt the most fun of the older three sisters, and for Kylie and Kendall, she is an especially amazing older sister. It’s interesting because normally the babies of the family are the most spoiled, but because in this family it’s their older sisters who are the stars (or at least, that’s how the show started out, with the three Kardashian sisters the focal point), Kylie and Kendall sometimes fade into the background – they’re accustomed to watching the older Ks in the center of attention. You can see that all the older sisters pick up on that, but Khloe really finds a way to stir up extra fun for her little sisters.

5. Khloe and Lamar. YOU GUYS. Their love! I love their love. I want their love! These two are so goo-goo eyed for each other and yes it’s occasionally sickening but most of the time the baby talk and PDAs are totally endearing, and it makes me want to find someone I love as much as Khloe loves Lamar and someone who loves me as much as Lamar loves Khloe. Don’t deny their love, you guys. It’s fierce.

6. Scott Disick is a gem. Scott may be the self-purported Black Sheep of the family, but he’s one of my favorite characters because he is just that — a character! He is hilarious and surprisingly witty. I don’t think he could headline a stand-up show anytime soon, but he’s got some quips that make me LOL (like, really out loud, too) more than anyone else on the show. Scott gets worked up in the most hilarious ways and it’s fun to watch him freak out. His friendship with Rob is really sweet and even though he and Kourtney are obviously an unconventional couple with a whole lot of issues that need some working out, I like him with her, if at the very least for the entertainment factor!

7. Kim Kardashian is presently dating Kanye West, and it is adorable and so is her family’s interest and approval. Poor Kim, Her lovelife has been rough you guys. The sex tape? The 72 day marriage? No thank you. I think Kim deserves love, and she deserves it with someone awesome. Someone like Kanye West. I love Kanye West. I’ve seen him in concert a bunch, I buy all his albums — I don’t care that he’s narcissistic and like one time interrupted Taylor Swift or whatever, I just think he’s great — it’s all part of the Kanye package! He finally popped up on the show in its most recent episode and it was really fun to watch the rest of Kim’s family sort of gather round and probe her with questions about her new beau, but also be excited, supportive and happy for her. So yeah, duh, I am in full support of the Kim and Kanye relationship. He’s a super-star, she’s a super-star, they’re both beautiful — they belong together! It’s perfect. Also? Look at this face:

YOU GUYS! That is one smitten kitten right there! Kanye totally is into Kim! And I also have to say that I think Kim is behaving just as adorably regarding Kanye. She totally blushes when anyone in her family or Oprah (yeah, I watched all those interviews with Oprah) asks her about Kanye and genuinely seems happy about the relationship. YAY! I want them to stay together forever and to make beautiful babies and start some clothing lines together and have ridiculous homes all over the country and maybe build a castle somewhere in Los Angeles or something.

8. The Kardashians work hard. Okay I know that some of you might scoff at this statement, but again, all it takes is one episode to see that this is true. The Kardashians are all hard-working. Their work might be very different from most people’s because their work is being famous for being famous and then promoting their famous brand (it’s also very confusing, if you think about it) but they are working hard at it, and they are working constantly. The girls especially. And at the end of the day while they all might put family first and career second, I think what’s really happened is that this group of people has found a way to merge the two, a way to prioritize both career and family. It is, essentially, the American Dream.

 

Okay so they’re just a great family with a lot of fun stuff going on and I could watch them for hours, as could the rest of us, clearly, because they are a money-making machine and everyone loves them and I’m probably going to go buy Kris Jenner’s memoir the next time I’m in an airport bookstore. Truth be told, I’ve had an old episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on pause the entire time I’ve been writing this and I just can’t take it anymore. I have to get back to my viewing. I need to spend some time with my favorite family on TV!

 

Keeping Up With The Kardashians Season 7 Promo Image and Kanye West episode still courtesy E!