Ever since shows like The Real World and Survivor showed American television networks that “reality” shows could do huge numbers in the ratings, they have become a mainstay of the medium. In fact, these days there are so many “reality” shows on the air at any given time that it is extremely difficult to keep track of them all.
Likely due to the fact that there are so many “reality” shows out there, it makes sense that as time goes by it seems like they are becoming even more outrageous. A perfect example of that, it could easily be argued that My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding is one of the most over the top shows that is aired by a major television network.
In order to truly enjoy a show like My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, it is imperative that viewers buy into the idea that the things that happen on it are real for the most part. Sure, everyone expects the show’s drama to be ratcheted up during the editing process and its stars to ham it up but still, it is a big problem if major aspects of the show aren’t real. For that reason, it is a crying shame that some viewers have come to believe that one of the show’s storylines was fake. Far from the first or worst TLC scandal, if proven true this could still be very damaging for the network.
A Popular Series
Inspired by a British “reality” show called Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, TLC’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding aired 5 seasons that were made up of 8 episodes apiece. On the air from 2012 until 2016, the show even inspired a spin-off series called Gypsy Sisters that aired 4 seasons during a similar timeframe.
Said to revolve around the marriage customs of Romani-Americans, the show’s title referred to those people as gypsies even though many people consider that word offensive. Definitely, a show that seemed to court controversy, MBFAGW often seemed to be criticized at every turn, especially by people in the Romani community. One of the reasons why the show was ridiculed a lot is that many of its stars were not from the Romani community. On top of that, many observers felt the show inspired racially motivated bullying and its advertising was outright racist.
Despite all of the criticism My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding received, or perhaps because of it, the show remained popular throughout much of its run. For proof of that, look no further than the fact that on top of airing its normal episode load in 2012, TLC also produced a pair of specials called "The Stanley Sisters" and "The Aftermath". On top of that, there is no question that many viewers loved watching My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding to see the wild dresses.
What Viewers Saw On Television
During the season two finale of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, viewers started to realize that Heather Small and Brandon Boswell were unlike the rest of the show’s couples. After finding one another online, 18-year-old Small and Boswell who was 16 at the time seemed to believe that they’d found the person they were meant to spend their lives with.
As My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding viewers saw, soon after Heather Small and Brandon Boswell met in real life, they got engaged. Unfortunately for the couple, fans were told that their families had feuded for years and things were intense enough that at first, Small’s mother wouldn’t let her take Boswell’s last name.
Amazingly enough, a family feud wasn’t the pair’s only struggle as Heather Small’s education was portrayed as a major point of contention as well. The reason why that was a big deal was on the show was that Small’s mother was adamant that she needed to finish her education. On the other end of the spectrum, Small’s future mother-in-law felt that finishing high school would make her too proper to be a “proper gypsy wife”. If all of that wasn’t dramatic enough, Small’s mother was portrayed as hating her husband to be.
How Real Was It All
As is the case with many TLC “reality” shows, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding continues to be talked about even years after it was canceled. While that can be a great thing considering the network benefits from airing reruns, it can also be a big problem when the chatter makes the series look bad.
Unfortunately for TLC, in 2020 a Reddit user that goes by u/inmyownworld_ag called out just about every detail of the Heather Small and Brandon Boswell storyline. Claiming to have gone to school with Small, they questioned how important education could be to her family as according to them, she was “CONSTANTLY absent from school”. Next, they claimed that the whole drama around Heather taking her husband-to-be’s last name was made up as he wasn’t even a Boswell. On top of that, they claimed that at least on Facebook, Small’s mother was “super friendly” to Boswell. Finally, the poster claimed that Small and Boswell never even got married and that at the time of his writing, she was engaged to another guy that they were “completely certain isn't a gypsy”.
Of course, it should go without saying that trusting a random Reddit user’s word about a major TV show isn’t a great idea. However, given the fact that My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding has historically been accused of deception, it isn’t overly surprising that some viewers give the claims credence.