A reality TV powerhouse that doesn't even pay some of its biggest stars.
“Reality-free” reality TV.
Underpaid young talent.
Here are some of the strangest aspects of being a reality star on TLC.
As a TLC cast member, proper social media etiquette is crucial.
For reality television stars, posting on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook could
potentially lead to revealing spoilers of an upcoming episode, or even a future scandal.
Many viewers love looking at the social media handles of their favorite reality stars and
often check out their profiles while watching an episode.
Although engaging with fans is encouraged to boost an online following and motivate
viewers to watch the show, it's important to be cautious about what you post while in
the spotlight.
Case in point: In January 2022, People reported that 90 Day Fiancé star Alina Kozhevnikova
was fired from the TLC show after multiple posts with racist captions resurfaced across
the internet.
Additionally, Adam Busby of TLC's OutDaughtered found himself in a gun control debate on Instagram
after posting a picture of his daughters saying they were going to purchase ammunition.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Wedding Island star Sandy Malone stressed
the importance of not engaging with fans negatively when an episode airs.
She stated:
"If you are rude to people who care enough to watch your show on a public forum such
as Twitter, EVERYONE will hate you.
Being the villain on the show may be fine, but being a villain to fans is never okay."
As much as we want to believe there is some truth to what occurs on a reality television
show, at the end of the day, we know that some parts are allegedly scripted and often
taken out of context.
Typically, many elements of a reality show are written up by the producers to make the
series more enticing to the viewers, and the majority of the time, it works.
In 2012, TLC admitted to bending the truth about the accuracy of Breaking Amish after
rumors spread across the internet that parts of the show were staged.
They released a statement explaining that much of the show's content is fictionalized,
but there is also truth mixed in.
Courtney Wright, a bridesmaid who appeared on Say Yes to the Dress in 2013, also confirmed
that her experience on the show wasn't what it seemed when it aired.
When asked about her time on the show in an interview with 417 Magazine, Wright confirmed
that much of the footage is staged.
"For the Bridesmaids: what do you guys think?"
"Does it matter?"
When it comes to romance, certain TLC stars have not had the best luck.
To avoid any potential network scandals, TLC producers are required to monitor their stars'
relationships pretty closely.
As "Mama June" Sharon of TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo experienced, TLC stars are liable
to be kicked off a show, or even have their show canceled, if they date the wrong person.
While this might seem like an invasion of privacy, in some cases, it can prevent possible
dangerous situations.
Mama June received immense backlash when news spread that she was dating Mark Anthony McDaniel,
a registered sex offender.
McDaniel was later convicted of sexually assaulting Mama June's daughter Anna, and TLC subsequently
canceled the show in October 2014.
After the cancellation, the network released a statement which said:
"Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority.
TLC is faithfully committed to the children's ongoing comfort and well-being."
While you might expect that starring on a wildly popular reality television show would
mean you'd be set for life financially, that is not always the case — especially for
child stars.
Allegedly, TLC refuses to pay some of their child actors, while many adults across different
programs collect their paychecks.
Sandy Malone told The Huffington Post that even adult reality stars typically don't make
a ton of cash at the start of their career.
It's not until the show becomes popular and endorsement offers start coming in that they
begin to earn the big bucks.
Maxine Tinnel, a pageant organizer for TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras, told the New York Post
that many families and pageant kids are not compensated for their time.
Eden Wood, one of the show's most famous pageant queens, was also allegedly not paid.
Mickie Wood, Eden's mother, finds this especially perplexing, as she considered Eden the face
of TLC's programming for several years.
Much like the hiring process for more conventional jobs, potential TLC stars are usually subject
to extensive background checks before they're offered a role.
This is to ensure that the people they hire don't have an outrageous criminal record,
bad credit, or mental health struggles before their personalities are broadcast on national
television.
Sandy Malone told The Huffington Post that if a reality star's show becomes successful
and producers or audience members learn of any dirty laundry from the star's past, the
consequences can be severe.
If the information is particularly incriminating, the network might even sue the star for non-disclosure.
Often, reality stars are not portrayed the way they expect to be.
TLC, along with many other networks, typically decides how they want to depict their cast
while filming.
In her Huffington Post interview, Sandy Malone explained that the crew films everything and
anything that happens on set.
This thorough approach is because production typically doesn't know what clips they will
use until the footage is edited.
As a result, Malone warns other reality TV stars not to get too caught up about what
will wind up in an episode, since they have no way of controlling it.
"If I don't like it, I'm gonna scream and rip somebody's head off."
Even if cast members are promised a certain clip won't be used, there's a high likelihood
it will be featured anyway.
Malone elaborated that the crew members who make assurances to their cast on set are not
the same people who wind up making the final editing decisions.
She goes on to explain the best way to accommodate for this possibility is to be as honest and
decent as possible to minimize the threat of harmful footage.
This issue occurred specifically with Kate Stoltz, a former Breaking Amish and Return
to Amish star who tweeted that joining a reality TV show was one of her biggest regrets.
She explained that much of the footage is cut to be deliberately out of context, which
can be deeply harmful for its subjects.
Many would assume that since 90 Day Fiancé follows couples undergoing the process of
receiving a K-1 visa, the network would help make the process go a bit more smoothly for
their stars.
However, the network is not responsible for the cast's legal expenses.
In an interview with Deadline in 2018, executive producer Matt Sharp revealed that TLC does
not offer any assistance to guide the couples during the application process.
Instead, they seek out couples already going through the immigration process to make the
show more realistic.
"What's wrong Ella, what's happening?"
"Well Johnny just said that his visa got denied to Singapore."
Aside from handling the legal end of things without support from the network, cast members
are also expected to pay for it out of their own pockets.
According to immigration company Citizen Path, the total amount it costs to apply for a visa,
including additional application fees, can be well over $2,000.
Unfortunately for music loving reality stars, anyone on a TLC show needs to give up listening
to their favorite tunes.
The network isn't able to use music without paying for it to be featured, especially if
the rights to certain songs are costly.
Oftentimes, they won't pay for it, so listening to music on your phone or while you are getting
ready to go out is a big no no while filming.
Sandy Malone told the Huffington Post that this was actually one of the most difficult
rules for her to follow while filming, since music is a big part of her everyday routine.
She wrote,
"[I]f you're a baby reality show, nobody is paying royalties to Pink or Rihanna so that
you can jam out to 'Perfect' or 'Umbrella' to get psyched up in the car on the way to
a wedding."
Rather than listening to your favorite tunes on the way to an event, you can expect to
sit in the car answering interview questions, talking, and filming instead.
Since the cameras are always rolling, the chances of singing off-camera are slim to
none.
However, Malone also mentioned that, if a star is on good terms with their producers,
they might get to take a quick break to listen to a song or two.
It's safe to assume that when we see our favorite TLC stars going on lavish trips that the network
is coughing up all of the expenses.
While this may be somewhat true for certain families on the network, there is always a
catch.
Although TLC has funded luxury trips in the past, the network does monitor how and where
the money they provide is spent.
According to BuzzFeed, in November 2020, 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way star Deavan Clegg
revealed in a video on YouTube that the network required the cast members to pay for their
own flights while filming.
Since the cast chose to fly internationally, TLC did not cover any of their travel expenses.
However, Clegg confirmed that the network pays for their flights at the end of the season
to shoot the long-awaited tell-all reunion episode.
If you plan on joining a reality show any time soon, it might be beneficial to start
saving some extra cash!
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