MTV’s new reality series Generation Cryo follows a real life lesbian as she tracks down her half-siblings who were all conceived via the same sperm donor. Breeanna Speicher is 17 and newly out to her friends and two moms, Sherry and Debra. In the beginning of the premiere episode, Breeanna jokes that her moms ordered up some sperm, put on some Melissa Etheridge, got out the turkey baster and she was born. (“They were in love and they wanted a kid and neither of them had a penis.”)
Breanna loves her mothers, but she’s always wanted to know the other half of where she comes from. She was able to find some basic information on the Donor Sibling Registry, including the fact she had 15 half siblings around the world. First she tracks down Hilit and Jonah, a brother and sister twin pair whose father couldn’t have children. She goes to visit with their family in Atlanta and finds an instant bond with them by comparing physical and personality attributes and also learning about their Jewish faith.
Generation Cryo is very much about Breanna’s personal journey, as she’s the driving force in connecting the dots and finding the sperm donor. So outside of her trying to find the donor and meet with her siblings, she’s also dating and trying to convince her moms that she knows she’s gay. Interestingly, her moms are now separated and Debra (her biological mom) is now back with men and thinks Breeanna could be going through a “phase” like she did. Her other mom, Sherry, is still a lesbian and doesn’t seem to think Breeanna could know for sure about her sexuality at the age of 17.
But Breeanna knows. She takes a beautiful girl out on a date and they share a kiss, and her friends love to talk with her about it. The great thing is that her half-siblings are also very accepting of her and she even has a conversation with Jonah about whether they prefer a nice pair of breasts or a great butt on a girl. (They both agree on the butt, for the record.)
Generation Cryo is such a different kind of reality show, one that is unpredictable and has some very real stakes for the people at its core, especially Breeanna. At a TCA panel, Breeanna reported that she’s just graduated high school and is trying to find herself, and her donor is part of that process.
“I think that I’m very happy with my family situation right now and the whole entire journey regardless of my parents being together or not is something I’m taking very personally,” she said. “I just graduated and I don’t really know-I’m trying to figure myself out and it’s a process that I’m going through sort of on my own. And now I have a lot of siblings to help me through it, which has been much needed. I don’t think that it would be any different [if my moms were still together], but then again I don’t know how it would have been.”
At this point Generation Cryo is still filming, and Breeanna said she has still not found her donor. Nor has she met all of her siblings. In fact, she’s discovered some along the way she didn’t even know she had.
“If they’re not interested in doing this, it’s pretty unfortunate, because it’s an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity,” Breeanna said. “The show gives us a great way to do it. It’s the best thing ever.”
Generation Cryo premieres in November on MTV.
