Honey Boo Boo‘s rise to fame is a case study in reality television.
The 19-year-old TV personality – who became an overnight media sensation thanks to starring on season 5 of TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras – is the subject of VICE’s November 12 episode of Dark Side of Reality TV.
“She was interesting to watch. She had funny things to say, and, you know, she’s doing real extraordinary, outrageous kinds of things, I guess,” a woman began in the exclusive clip given to Us Weekly ahead of the episode’s premiere, later adding of Honey Boo Boo’s rise to stardom, “It snowballed pageantry on a level that is unexplainable.”
Jack Tarantino, a former TLC executive, added, “People just love the dynamic between her and her mom and her sister. They were real and they were authentic. There was no artifice at all.”
Kayla Sims, whose daughter EverRose Sims also starred on the TLC reality series, also spoke candidly about Honey Boo Boo (real name Alana Thompson).
“Bless her heart. She is for real,” Kayla said in the clip. “They’re not acting. And I didn’t want people to think that we were like that. I was raised to be very respectful of people, and, you know, not to flaunt everything.”
Honey Boo Boo, her mom, June “Mama June” Shannon, and the rest of their family skyrocketed to fame on Toddlers & Tiaras. They later starred in the TLC spinoff, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo for four seasons from 2012 to 2014. Though the series was canceled, the family picked up where they left off on We TV’s Mama June: From Not to Hot, which premiered in 2017. Its sixth season finished airing in June.
Toddlers & Tiaras premiered on TLC in 2009 and ran for six seasons until going on hiatus in 2013. The show was subsequently picked up for another season, which aired in 2016, before being canceled.
Toddlers & Tiaras is the latest reality show explored in VICE’s Dark Side of Reality TV. Vicki Gunvalson, who starred on The Real Housewives of Orange County from season 1 to season 14 (and has appeared as a “friend” in later seasons), spoke about her experience on reality TV during an episode that aired in October.
“I definitely feel like it’s a deal with the devil,” she said on the October 29 episode, recalling that she didn’t get paid for the show’s first season and allegedly made around $5,000 for season 2. “Not much money, I didn’t even have an attorney look over my contract. I had no idea what I was doing.”
The Coto Insurance founder, who dubbed herself the OG of the O.C., also claimed that reality TV is what led to her divorce from ex Don Gunvalson. The pair tied the knot in 1994 and finalized their divorce in 2014.
“People ask me if I regret doing the show and when I look at my relationships I’d say yes. With Donn, 100%, the show had an impact on our relationship,” she said. “Being on TV 100 percent had a role in our divorce because it puts a lot of pressure on a marriage. I think we would’ve survived if I wasn’t on the show. So that I regret.”
Dark Side of Reality TV airs on VICE Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
