After watching the ups and downs of three whole seasons of the show, 1000-Lb. Sisters fans are now convinced the ladies have swindled the TLC network in a huge way. Did Amy Halterman and Tammy Slaton con the network for cash? Have they fabricated their life events to seem more interesting? Read on to find out why fans seem to think there’s some deception at play between the ladies and the popular reality network.
1000-Lb Sisters Never Really Delivered
Shows like Too Big and My 600-Lb. Life has been big hits for the TLC network. These programs revolve around people suffering from morbid obesity. They chronicle the individuals daily struggles as they fight to lose weight and change their lives.
When 1000-Lb. Sisters started airing its first season a few years ago, fans expected that this show would give them a similar fix. The whole concept revolved around Amy Halterman and Tammy Slaton, two very large siblings who together, had weights totaling right at one-thousand pounds. Initially, the show’s main focal point was to showcase their journey as they made a commitment to getting their food addictions, and their health back on track. The pair were given access to high-profile weight loss physicians and specialized care geared toward helping them reach their goals.
In the beginning – it seemed that the show was off to a great start. The ladies began undergoing treatment. Amy saw the light when an early weigh-in at a junkyard sent her reeling into self-actualization. From there, we saw Amy Halterman work hard to achieve a lot of early success. Dreams of losing enough weight to safely have children motivated the real personality. Eventually, she lost enough weight to have the surgery.
Now, three seasons later, Amy has backslid into an unhealthy diet lifestyle and no longer seems concerned about her goals. Tammy, never really had progress to backslide on. She continued to decline in health until finally agreeing to go into an intensive rehab program for food addiction.
Documentary or Mockumentary?
Initially, 1000-Lb Sisters had a similar ‘mission’ to other TLC programs. The show foreshadowed the pair receiving treatment, and losing weight. The program would document their lives as they moved through the process. Only this show had a unique spin – These two ladies are a couple of downhome poor Kentucky southern girls.
TLC seems to believe the only thing more entertaining than ‘fat people’ are ‘less sophisticated people. The show made light of the ladies’ country twang and slang. Despite early episodes being filmed in the sisters’ home, TLC made sure to let poverty shine through every shot.
Numerous Reddit threads over the last few years have made it a point to muse over the fact that TLC likes to allure interest by creating shows that revolve around those less fortunate than most. This is even applicable to the stories featured on shows like My 600-Lb Life. The majority of those who participate are from low-income households. Many whom could never afford to make the changes on their own.
Photo Credit: TLC
Did Amy Halterman and Tammy Slaton Con TLC?
As fans of the show wait impatiently for Season 4 to start filming, critics of the show are now convinced that the siblings may have swindled the network. How? Well, as previously mentioned, the show never quite delivered on its original concept. In fact, after Amy’s surgery and recovery – there hasn’t been much focus on weight loss since. Their brother, Chris Combs, however, did manage to get bariatric surgery – and still, Tammy has made zero progress toward that goal.
Since her procedure, Amy has since had one son and is now pregnant with her second child. From the first episode, Amy has always been honest about her motivation for losing weight. She wanted to be able to have kids. Now that she is about to be a mother for a second time – the 34-year-old seems to have no interest in continuing her health betterment.
In fact, over the course of season three, many of her relatives were quite blunt about the fact that Amy has abandoned her diet and no longer cares about making any progress. She insists that she is fine, despite numerous warnings that not being diligent will lead to her gaining the weight back. Likewise, until the point of voluntarily making her way to rehab, she had made little-to-no progress over three seasons of the show.
Others say that TLC is to blame. Why? Because when the ladies stopped making progress toward better health – they simply just switched the focus. The last two seasons of the show focused more on Amy and Tammy’s siblings and the family’s adventures than they did on improving their health. Viewers also wonder if a fourth show is even sustainable at this point. Unless Tammy makes progress, the network may not have any angles left to focus on. Fans believe this is looking more and more possible as there are rumors that Amy Halterman is backing out.
How many more seasons do you think 1000-Lb. Sisters will last? tell us in the comments.