Season after season, TLC's My 600-lb Life has documented the unscripted journeys of
countless morbidly obese moms, dads, sons, and daughters on the road to a healthier,
more independent life. But that doesn't mean that the cameras capture the full story. Here's
everything they tried to hide on the show.
My 600-lb Life may show you just how difficult it is for participants to shed half their
body weight, but the road to recovery is far from over after the cameras stop rolling.
Some stars thrive while others find it hard to keep the weight off and live a normal life,
one that doesn't involve over-eating and remaining housebound.
"I cannot function without wontons. They're not the best thing for me."
But the show does follow-up with some of its former cast members months or even years after
their TV debut. The spinoff series My 600-lb Life: Where Are they Now follows former series
favorites as they continue with their weight loss journeys and do things they could have
never done before.
In 2015, TLC caught up with Zsalynn Whitworth from Season 2, who lost 400 pounds on the
show, and even more weight after the cameras turned off. That transformation gave her the
confidence to even start dating for the first time since her divorce.
"My life is so much better now."
Just because you get to appear on a popular reality TV show doesn't necessarily mean you've
hit the jackpot. According to Starcasm, each of the show's cast members receives $1,500,
what is considered to be a "talent fee" for the initial episode, which typically takes
a year to shoot. And even when it comes to royalties, stars typically miss out no matter
how often their episode airs. If they agree to appear on the show's spin-off series, My
600-lb Life: Where Are They Now, they do receive another check.
Participants also receive a relocation stipend of $2,500 prior to making the move to Houston,
Texas, where Dr. Now is based, according to Starcasm. It's necessary to relocate in order
for the patients to meet with Dr. Now and qualify for weight-loss surgery. But sometimes
that relocation fee doesn't go very far. Following the death of favorite star Robert Buchel,
a GoFundMe was created for his fiancé, Kathryn, to help cover costs of the relocation, plus
hospital and medical bills.
"I've been fighting this weight-loss battle for 31 years. And I made my life a prison.
And I've imprisoned Kathryn and my mother too, with me."
My 600-lb Life participants are rewarded for their appearances with financial assistance
for one year, which typically covers Dr. Now's expensive medical fees, according to Starcasm.
And that's assuming they qualify for weight-loss surgery during the year-long filming process.
If they do qualify within the timeframe, and undergo weight loss surgery, they may lose
the weight, but then comes another obstacle: excess skin. Skin removal surgery is an option,
but it's not covered by the show because it is considered to be a cosmetic procedure.
And qualifying for it could take more than a year, much longer than it takes to shoot
an episode.
"I want it removed basically so I'm normal. I don't feel like less of a woman with it,
I just want to be able to be a normal woman."
Considering the timeline, the stars of the show often turn to crowd-sourced fundraising
in order to raise the cash necessary for other procedures. Chad Dean of Season 4, for example,
raised nearly $6,000 on GoFundMe for skin removal surgery following his massive weight
loss on the show.
"The goal is to keep losing, and provide for the family."
Although many 600-lb Life stars are married when the cameras start rolling, some of their
relationships have a habit of collapsing during post-production, or later. In Touch even went
so far as to say:
"Most [600-lb Life stars] end up getting a divorce."
This includes Season 2's Christina Phillips, who weighed 700 pounds at the start of her
journey on the show, and roughly 400 pounds less by the end. Her husband Zach, who was
featured on her episode, didn't support his wife's decision to lose weight, and, according
to Phillips, is no longer in the picture. She said on the show,
"It became clear that me becoming independent [from Zach] was not going to work for him."
"My family doesn't realize how hard it is for me to watch them eat what I want, in front
of my face."
Like Phillips, Zsalynn lost more than weight on Season 2 after also dealing with an unsupportive
husband, who was admittedly only into extremely large women.
"I've always liked bigger women, you know? Why settle for a hot dog when you can have
a steak?"
She announced her divorce in 2015 during her My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now special,
revealing on the show,
"He didn't want me to lose the weight and I didn't deserve to feel bad about choosing
my health."
"Big can't be beautiful when it means my daughter may not have a mother."
Though being a single parent came with its own challenges, Zsalynn said she was doing
better than ever.
"And I don't see any of my family or friends unless they come to see me."
My 600-lb Life typically focuses on the participant's overeating habits and mobility issues at the
beginning of each episode, but what cameras may not necessarily show you is just how dirty
some of their homes might be as a result. A man claiming to be a camera operator for
the hit TLC show alleged on Reddit that My 600-lb Life took him to some of the filthiest
homes he's ever seen. He revealed,
"One family was moving out of their apartment, and we were shooting the move. They were very
very unsanitary."
He explained that this particular family covered up their dog's excrement with plants, and
when they went to remove a bed from one of the bedrooms, they discovered, quote, "thousands
of bugs" living under it for who knows how long. He added,
"It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."
Since its premiere in 2012, seven of the show's stars have died, according to People magazine
as of April 2020. And one of the first participants on the show, Henry Foots, died in 2013, just
over a year after his episode aired. He visited Dr. Now's office in hopes of losing much of
his 750 pounds. While it's not clear exactly what caused his death, a local Houston news
channel reported just months prior to his passing that he may have suffered some sort
of, quote, "medical episode" while driving a shuttle bus, thus causing an accident.
Former star Sean Milliken died at just 29 years of age, a couple of years after starring
on the reality TV show in 2016, when he originally weighed more than 900 pounds. Complications
from an infection lead to his death, according to a post on his father's Facebook page, via
TMZ.
"I could believe in a future now. Where I'll be able to go out and do things."
And some stars have even died during filming. Kelly Mason appeared on the show in 2019,
weighing more than 700 pounds. She was able to lose some of the weight but around the
ninth month of filming she tragically passed away from a heart attack.
Each episode of My 600-lb Life details a patient's year-long weight-loss journey. But if you're
wondering where these people come from and how they land the role, according to Distractify,
it may be as easy as calling Dr. Now, visiting the doctor's website, or responding to the
show's casting call. But while any of those avenues may get someone through the door,
it doesn't necessarily mean they'll appear on the show.
First, the applicant needs to meet the initial weight requirement of at least 600 pounds.
And if cast, the potential star will also have to abide by Dr. Now's rules, which, as
fans of the show know, doesn't always happen.
"And you're already losing control."
Dr. Now told People magazine,
"There have been a few patients I felt I could no longer help. I will always be available
if they need me. If they won't stick to the program, at some point, I can [no] longer
help them and they are taking resources from someone else who needs it."
Although many stars of My 600-lb Life are unable to work and thus receive disability
benefits or financial support from family members, some stars are able to make a living,
even at the outset of their weight-loss journeys. How do they do it? Well, some turn their obesity
into cash by modeling on fat-fetish sites, where users pay for suggestive pictures of
big, beautiful women.
"I felt like Miss America. I decided you know, whatever size I am, I'm just gonna be this
size."
Season 2 star Zsalynn earned money that way, posing in underwear on a site when she weighed
around 600 pounds. She modeled mainly to raise money for weight-loss surgery, that is, until
she landed a role on My 600-lb Life. And she wasn't the only show alum to earn cash by
modeling. Season 3 star, Pauline, whose online alter ego was "Paulee Bombshell," also posed
on those types of sites, according to Starcasm.
Dr. Now is an integral part of My 600-lb Life, but that doesn't make him immune to controversy.
In addition to starring on the series, Dr. Now also works with patients unaffiliated
with the TLC show, and one such patient even sued the doctor.
According to Radar Online, a woman named Michelle Park filed a lawsuit against Dr. Now and his
associate for malpractice after claiming the pair left a, quote, "[Almost 7 inch] piece
of tubing" in her body post-gastric sleeve surgery in 2012. According to the lawsuit,
"The tube punctured Mrs. Park's colon [and required] the surgical removal of a part of
her colon."
As a result, Park allegedly suffered physical pain and impairment, as well as additional
medical expenses. But in the end, the suit was dismissed, with Radar Online suspecting
a secret settlement could have been reached. Dr. Now did not deny that a tube was left
inside the patient, but he told the outlet,
"The lawsuit against me was dismissed because I was not the one who left the tube."
Sometimes reality TV isn't very real, at least, according to My 600-lb Life star Dottie Perkins,
who claimed in a lawsuit against the show's production company, Megalomedia, that her
TV story was fabricated, per Starcasm. Perkins, who appeared on the fourth season of the show,
claimed some of the scenes were staged and edited in a way to make it look as though
she was gaining weight when, in actuality, she was dropping pounds after seeing Dr. Now.
Her lawsuit stated:
"[To] support [Megalomedia's] narrative, they created a dynamic where [Dottie] would not
follow the diet. To do this, [Megalomedia] forced [Dottie] to [eat] excessive amounts
of unhealthy and fattening food. This would lead to confrontations with [Dr. Now] in which
he would criticize her for not being able to follow the diet."
The lawsuit also stated that Perkins ended up being hospitalized on the show to have
her diet monitored, despite the fact that she was losing, not gaining, weight.
"So all I can do is try harder every day, and no matter the situation, to keep getting
healthier."
So what exactly replaces the burgers, fries, and shakes that My 600-lb Life stars have
come to rely on, prior to appearing on the show? A high-protein, low-fat diet, according
to Distractify. Upon visiting Dr. Now, patients receive a customized diet plan, one that is
meant to dramatically reduce their caloric intake from upwards of 7,000 calories, to
just roughly 1,200 calories a day.
For women, Dr. Now recommends eating a daily diet that includes; Five to six one-ounce
servings of grains like brown rice and quinoa, healthy fats like fish, nuts, and olive oil
as well as fruits and veggies, among other healthy foods.
"We're gonna give you the tools, but you have to do the work."
It's necessary for Dr. Now's patients to become familiar with the controlled diet, since,
following gastric bypass surgery, they will be unable to eat as much as they had before.
The doctor's website explains,
"Weight loss surgery may address the mechanics of how much food you will need in order to
feel full, or how much of the nutrients and calories are absorbed into your system. But
the surgery does not control your own post-surgical behavior."
Emotional distress, gross negligence and unpaid medical bills are just some of the claims
made by former 600-lb Life cast members against the show over the years. According to The
Sun, transgender star Destinee [filed a $1 million lawsuit against Megalomedia, claiming
she was taken advantage of during filming. In the lawsuit, she alleged that producers
pressured her to shave her beard and only paid for one therapy session even after she
told them she suffered from gender dysphoria and needed professional help.
The death of LB Bonner, a Season 6 fan favorite, who took his own life, also resulted in a
lawsuit filed by the family against the production company, according to Starcasm. The lawsuit
claimed the company failed to provide him with mental health services and forced him
to film when he wasn't ready. According to a text chain included in the lawsuit between
Bonner and one of the show's production assistants, Bonner expressed concerns about his mental
health, to which the assistant allegedly responded,
"Fake it till you make it."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)