Reality television has continued to show its inclination towards the lives of those with a knack for extravagance. TLC’s most popular show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo has been renewed for another season this winter.
Originally a feature on the similarly well-known series Toddlers and Tiaras, 6-year-old Alana Thompson and her mother June Thompson soon became viewer favorites and consequently received their own show. The show follows the family as they compete in beauty pageants and through various adventures such as selling lemonade.
Part of the allure derives off of Alana’s hyper activity and bold statements, heightened by her mother’s “Go-go juice,” a concoction of Red Bull and Mountain Dew which she says “makes her want to pull my mama’s hair.” Alana downs one bottle before each competition to help her win.
Many viewers have expressed negative critiques for such lifestyles saying that they’re the “dumber, whiter, obese version of the Kardashians with about half as many teeth.”
Although the show has sparked controversies, these debates seem to have magnified their popularity. The duo has appeared on Dr. Drew, CNN and were parodied on Jimmy Kimmel Live as well as Saturday Night Live. The show’s ratings matched those of Bill Clinton’s Democratic National Convention speech and beat the overall convention. In addition, the show has attracted 2.8 million viewers. Due to this massive response, the duo, which used to make $2,000 to $4,000 per episode, now enjoy $10,000 to $20,000 per episode.
Although both good and bad attention were attracted, “People have opinions, but if people actually sit down and talk with me and my family … we’re not ignorant people like everybody says.” She says that her family enjoys what they do and feels no regrets.
