Toddlers & Tiaras: Season One

Toddlers & Tiaras opens a window on the insular world of kiddie beauty pageants, including mother/daughter and glitz competitions. In the latter, contestants go all out with hair extensions, false eyelashes, and fake teeth, resulting in a porcelain-doll look. The TLC-aired series begins in Austin, TX, with the Universal Royalty Pageant, which offers a $5,000 prize (most of the parents could use the money, especially since some spend as much as $3,500 on dresses). Over the course of four years, now 6-year-old Rebecca Alley has won 31 crowns and 21 trophies; her competitors include 9-year-old Meaghan Jones and 2-year-old Ava Perez. Stage moms and dads frequently take the spotlight, and they're just as single-minded as their reputation suggests (Ava's father, David, for instance, favors the color pink and seems more obsessed with the contests than either his wife or child). In subsequent segments (some of which feature little boys as well as girls), the show travels to Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Although most of the kids appear well behaved, 2-year-old Marleigh spends much of the time crying and smearing her makeup, while 4-year-old Kaleigha sports a serious attitude problem. Unfortunately, in a few cases the family structure is barely sketched out, so viewers can't always tell who has siblings or married parents (details that would have lent the series more substance and complexity). Viewers also hear from directors, judges, and coaches in this compilation of all nine episodes from the 2009 first season. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)