It seems like every week, there is a new reality series to get obsessed with. There are tons of wealthy reality stars and the list just keeps growing. But back in January 2020, TLC premiered a new series called Hot and Heavy, and it was controversial right away.
It's always fun to see what the daily life of couples is like, which is why a reality show about marriage can be so fascinating. But this show focuses on "mixed weight relationships" where the man is slimmer than the woman, and it's easy to see why this is upsetting viewers.
10 The Cast Members Felt Fine About The Show
There are a lot of things that reality TV fans should know about Hot and Heavy. First of all, it turns out that the cast members felt fine about being on the show, so it doesn't sound like they had the same reaction as viewers did.
Kristin Keadle, who is on the show with her husband Rusty, said, “I don’t feel exploited at all. I feel empowered, I feel like I have a voice now in this world.”
9 There Are Only Three Episodes
When a reality show (or a show of any genre) has only a few episodes, it seems like it was canceled right away and the rest of the filmed episodes don't get a chance to see the light of the day. That isn't the case with TLC's Hot and Heavy.
There are only three episodes of this TLC show. Three couples are followed: Rusty and Kristin, Chris and Joy, and Ricardo and Adrianna. Episode one is called "Mixed Weight Love," episode two is called "Ghosts Of The Past," and episode three is called "Heavily Ever After?"
8 Experts Don't Love The Term 'Mixed Weight Relationship'
Right away, there's a big problem with this show, and it's the words "mixed weight."
Experts aren't big fans of the term "mixed weight relationship" which does make sense. An expert who runs Be Real, a campaign in the U.K. about feeling good in one's body, Liam Preston said, "It only seeks to highlight the differences in a couple's shape and size."
7 Even The Trailer Upset People
When people get a chance to see the trailer for a new reality show, they get a first glimpse at the reality stars, but in the case of Hot and Heavy, it wasn't a positive thing.
People were upset after watching the trailer, according to The List. CNN called it "it's turning into a bigger deal than the network may have imagined" and The List said that many publications weren't happy with the show.
6 The Show Acts Like The Women Have Trouble Breathing
It's definitely not very romantic that in some scenes on the show, the women seem to have trouble breathing.
According to Center For Discovery, the camera angle will be "upward" so they look even heavier, and there will be "isolated audio of their breathing" so it seems "labored." This is not only strange but it's also very offensive, adding to the show's controversy.
5 Chris And Joy Don't Love The Show's Name
Some reality shows last for one season and perhaps that will happen with this one, too, especially since a lot of people aren't big fans of the name of the show.
It makes sense that the cast members have had something to say about the name of this TLC show. According to Your Tango, Chris said people could think that Joy is "heavy" and he's "hot," and they both agreed that they don't enjoy that reading of the title.
4 Chris And Joy Chatted On A Dating App
According to Your Tango, Chris and Joy chatted on a dating app and this is how they fell for each other. Chris headed to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she was living, and they decided that they wanted to be together. Now they live in Sacramento, California.
This is an interesting fact about one of the couples on the show that reality fans should know about, as it sounds like they have a great connection.
3 People Have An Issue With The Couples For Other Reasons
According to Center for Discovery, the couples are well-off financially, everyone but Ricardo is white, and in traditional marriages.
They aren't diverse, so it makes sense that people would take issues with the couples being portrayed on the show for that reason.
2 Joy And Chris Say That People Aren't Nice To Them
Two stars of the show, Joy and Chris, have said that people aren't nice to them because they're in a relationship. Chris said, "I don't think a lot of couples deal with constant judgement."
The couple also said that they liked being on the show because, as Joy explained, "I would say I feel most accepted as a couple when we're around couples that are like us."
1 Experts Say It's Fatphobia
There's a serious problem with TLC's Hot and Heavy and that's the fact that it brings up the issue of fatphobia. Samatha Puc said that the show is all about "systematic fatphobia."
Puc wrote several tweets about the show and she said, "Stop treating fatness as if it's a plague until it suits your needs to treat it as entertainment. It's neither."