Kourtney And Travis' Til Death Do Us Part Wedding Special Was Dead On Arrival

Kourtney Kardashian's wedding special was, as her sister Kim Kardashian would say, the least exciting to look at. When Kourtney and Travis Barker's "'Til Death Do Us Part" wedding episode was announced, it renewed hope that "The Kardashians" wasn't the best that the Kardashian-Jenner fam had to offer these days. Love them or hate them, Kourtney and Travis are the most visible and seemingly stable couple within their dynasty at the moment. Their penchant for oversharing plus their unprecedented triple wedding in Spring 2022 could've offered up an authentic special reminiscent of the content that made the family famous before their contracts with E! expired.

During the initial trailer, Kourtney and Travis promised that the special would be full of their "personal archive footage that we decided to share with the world." They also swore they'd break down the different energies of each of their three weddings, which took place in Vegas, Santa Barbara, and Italy. Basically? A three part marital saga, full of (likely) rash decisions, sentimental family moments, and the ornate architecture Italy is known for. Seated! 

However, upon actually watching the special, it's clear that this was less a catch up for those unimportant enough to score an invite, and more of a vanity project or cash grab. One thing's for certain: the special definitely didn't live up to any reasonable expectation — in fact, it was dead on arrival.

The Kardashians are pros at throwing wedding specials (even if sustaining said marriages hasn't worked out quite as well), so Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had some huge shoes to fill. Proving they were aware of the stakes, Travis proudly spoke about marrying in a lush Italian village. "When we talk about our wedding or we talk about our wedding to our kids, we're not going to be like, 'Oh, we just got married in Los Angeles or, 'We just got married in the desert, or San Francisco or Utah. It had to be like Italy." So, why did theirs fall flat? 

For one, a single 74-minute episode wasn't long enough to successfully document one wedding, much less three. Yet they crammed footage from three ceremonies, which took place weeks apart, into one episode along with family commentary and endless, pointless confessionals. If it felt rushed, it's because it was. Even Khloé Kardashian's wedding to Lamar Odom (which was the family's first unofficial special) managed to pack in her race to throw a lavish wedding in nine days, and of course all of the stress and family drama that came with it into its lone episode of "KUWTK." Of course, Kim Kardashian one-upped KoKo when she married Kris Humphries and then Kanye West, as both weddings boasted multi-episode arcs, covering the highs and lows of throwing a celebrity wedding. Kim and Khloé's wedding specials were events. Kourtney's felt like a footnote.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker also missed a golden opportunity to offer up a different side to their romance in "'Til Death Do Us Part." Since going public with their relationship, they've played up the more sensational aspects of their bond, like their willingness to kiss within feet of any camera and any number of people. But it would've been nice if Kourtney and Travis shared those sweet quieter moments between them in their wedding special. That probably wouldn't spark many headlines, but would've given depth to their bond.

Sure, there were a few moments that definitely tugged at a heartstring or two during the wedding special. From Barker's recount of his enduring fear of airplanes to Kris Jenner gifting Kourtney a ring from her late father, the doc wasn't completely devoid of sentiment. But they didn't even approach the depths they could've explored as a couple. Seriously, what do Kourtney and Travis really have in common besides making out? 

Beyond Kravis' uninspiring screen time together, anyone alive when the weddings took place likely got a play-by-play from the press and Kardashians themselves on Instagram months ago. From the celebrity-filled guest list to the couture fashion the family coordinated in, we had already seen it all. Therefore, aside from the actual vows, the special added little to the initial spectacle. Social media was still in its infancy when Kim and Khloé walked down the aisle, and it obviously worked in their favor.