'MILF Manor' and 6 More of the Strangest TLC Shows, Ever

Just when you think TLC’s programming choices could get any weirder, the network delivers a new show that seems designed to make audiences cringe. The latest entry in the channel’s long line of questionable shows? MILF Manor, which is basically a real-life, TLC version of 30 Rock’s fictional reality series MILF Island. But a dating show that brings together hot moms and their much-younger sons is far from the only WTF show that TLC has greenlit. From a series about uncomfortably close siblings to a game show set in a hospital, these are some of the strangest TLC shows ever.   

‘MILF Manor’ recently premiered on TLC

A teaser for MILF Manor promised viewers a “shocking twist,” but it wasn’t hard to guess that this dating show about older women looking for love with younger men would involve moms and their adult sons. But the predictability didn’t lessen the ick factor, especially once we got a look at the first episode, which featured a challenge where the blindfolded moms had to guess which guy was their son by feeling his bare chest. Yikes. Many viewers agreed the show’s concept was deeply unsetttling and gave it a hard pass. 

“I watched the first episode and it was so disturbing and uncomfortable!!” one person commented on Instagram. “Won’t be watching more.” 

‘Extreme Sisters’ looks at ultra-close siblings

There’s being close to your sibling, and then there’s whatever is happening on Extreme Sisters. The show – which returns for its second season on Jan. 23 – follows several pairs of ultra-close sisters. Cast members include a set of Australian twins who share a boyfriend, triplet sisters who sometimes speak in their own language, and sisters who revealed that as children, they would use the toilet at the same time. It’s all too much for some TLC viewers. 

“Shame on you TLC, there’s some weird shows they play but this is the one I have to draw the line, one person commented after the network shared a season 2 teaser on Instagram.  

‘sMothered’ focuses on mothers and daughters with a tight bond

Like Extreme Sisters, but with moms and daughters, sMothered has been going strong for four cringeworthy seasons. The show’s cast includes moms and daughters who share the same bathwater, shower at the same time, sleep in the same bed, and share underwear. Unsurprisingly, all that closeness tends to cause issues with other people in their lives, especially husbands and boyfriends. Is any of it real? Some people suspect it’s heavily scripted (via Distractify), but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. Ditto for the similar show, I Love a Mama’s Boy, which follows moms and the sons they love a little too much.  

Critics were divided over ‘Best Funeral Ever’ 

Chances are, you don’t remember, the short-lived reality series Best Funeral Ever, which aired two short seasons between 2013 and 2014. It focused on the over-the-top homegoing celebrations that took place at a funeral home in Dallas. Despite the title, the show was “surprisingly not a monstrosity,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Others disagreed. Best Funeral Ever invited viewers to gawk at the mourning traditions of the predominantly Black cast, turning them into a form of ghoulish entertainment, a critic for The Washington Post argued.    

“TLC’s exploitation of how families mourn their dead is shameful in an era in which we can barely focus on keeping each other alive,” wrote Clinton Yates. Even more disturbing? The funeral home at the center of the show was later sued for mishandling human remains, including storing bodies without proper refrigeration and giving families the wrong ashes, Texas Monthly reported.

‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ was a behind-the-scenes look at child beauty pageants

Toddlers & Tiaras offered TLC viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of child beauty pageants. Many people were appalled by what they saw, including overbearing stage moms, backstage tantrums, and enough hairspray to put a new hole in the ozone layer. Critics were particularly disturbed by the way some young contestants were sexualized, including one who dressed up as Julia Roberts’ prostitute character from Pretty Woman and a 2-year-old who donned a Madonna “Blonde Ambition” tour costume, complete with cone bra. The show also spawned the spinoff Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, a show that “reinforce[d] the worst stereotypes of Southern culture,” per People. 

‘Labor Games’ was a game show that took place in the delivery room 

Add Labor Games to the list of TLC shows that sound fake but are actually real. In this show, host Lisa Arch and a TLC film crew surprised laboring moms in the delivery room, offering them a chance to compete on a game show and win “fantastic prizes” – all while in labor. Surprisingly, some parents-to-be agreed to be on Labor Games, but medical experts slammed the show, saying it added unnecessary risk to an already intense experience.  

“During labor, emergencies can arise,” ABC News’ Chief Health and Medical Editor, Dr. Richard Besser said. “This is one of the most important moments of your life. I think this is a really bad idea to have a camera come in at that moment in your life.”

‘Honey, We’re Killing the Kids’ used scare tactics to get parents to change their behavior

Parenting makeover shows aren’t unique to TLC. But the channel gave the Supernanny concept a grim twist with 2006’s Honey, We’re Killing the Kids. Based on a BBC show of the same name, this series featured an expert showing stunned parents terrifying computer-generated images of what their children would look like at 40 if they didn’t start eating healthy and exercising more. The wake-up call was followed by a bootcamp that would supposedly transform the family’s life and health in just three weeks. PopMatters described it as “a mean-spirited makeover” and “scare tactics as entertainment.”

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