Yidio Exclusive: Kardashian Step-Dad Bruce Jenner Reveals the Secret to the Family's Success

Former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner wants to make it clear - this “Keeping Up with The Kardashians” business is not his first reality rodeo.

“My first reality show was the first show I ever did - 35 years ago. The show was called ‘Battle of the Network Stars.’ I got on that show, working with Howard Cosell, and I had never even held a microphone before,” Jenner told an audience at Reality Rocks in Los Angeles this weekend.

Given Jenner’s long history with reality TV and serious Olympic training, we asked him if he had put his celebutante step-daughters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney through any kind of reality TV training regime to get them ready for their ratings-smashing storm of the small screen.

Jenner told Yidio that if the Kardashians have a special sauce, it has everything to do with confidence.

“Well you wonder as a parent if your kids are really listening, but I’ll give you a funny story,” said Jenner.

“Years ago, way before we even talked about the reality show, Kimberly came down the stairs and she says ‘God, I’m so nervous.’ And I asked her’ why are you nervous?’ She said ‘I have to do an on-camera shoot today and I have to get on the microphone and talk to people.” I understood why she was nervous, having had to be in front of the camera without a lot of experience before myself. I said to her ‘repeat after me and remember this – the ability to grow is directly related to the insecurity you are willing to take into your life,’” he said.

“What I mean is that you have to step out of your comfort zone, and you have to realize that every time you get that feeling of insecurity, it means you are growing with that feeling. It’s a growing experience that should make you feel good in your heart. I told her ‘if you go out there today you’ll do a phenomenal job, and in the future you’ll do even better.’ And she always brings that up,” said Jenner.

The Bruce Jenner One-Step Celbutante Training Program seems to have worked not just for Kim, but for the whole family.

“I try and push the kids to get out of their comfort zone all the time, to try new things, to push that envelope. You’re not always going to win, but you have to try. And the first time I saw her on TV on the microphone, she was great – she was a natural. It’s been fun to watch all my kids grow.”

And grow they have. Between the shows, appearance fees, fashion lines and endorsements, the family raked in $65 million last year alone. Kim, Khloe and Kourtney are in the Top 100 most followed Twitter accounts and Kim Kardashian currently is neck and neck with President Obama in that category.

The Kardashians currently have four (count ‘em, four) reality shows – “Keeping Up with The Kardashians,” “Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami,” “Kourtney and Kim Take New York” and “Khloe & Lamar,” which just premiered Sunday.

Jenner thinks the shows are doing so well because they offer audiences something they can all relate to (no, it’s not the sex tape – why can you relate to that, you sicko?).

“From the beginning, I’ve told E! that in order for this to work,  these have to be family shows. They have to be about a loving family who has issues and drama and all of that, but the bottom line if that everybody loves each other and everybody has each others’ back. Those are things that people can identify with – family issues,” said Jenner.