Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

[MizDaisy]

Chaos on the set of HB2.

‘HONEY BOO BOO’ ROCKED BY FREAK ACCIDENT - The National Enquirer

I get that there are all kinds of people in the world, and an audience for any freak show, but to me it's about making a 7 year-old the focus of the circus that is HB2. Her mother insists when it stops being fun for Alana, she'll end it, but Alana was clearly exhausted and acting out during their recent promotional interview tour in LA. At her age, that behavior is her way of saying I've had enough.

[prhoshay]

How much more Maury Povich can this be?????

[Shoepie]

Oh my! They have huge ratings. I have little doubt that there will be another season. PETA will get on them about the snake incident. June had every right to freak out and leave.

I don't watch the show because it bores me to tears; the 2 episodes I watched, anyway. But, like the Kardashians, it is hard to escape the madness.

[Tilden]

Chaos on the set of HB2.

‘HONEY BOO BOO’ ROCKED BY FREAK ACCIDENT - The National Enquirer

I get that there are all kinds of people in the world, and an audience for any freak show, but to me it's about making a 7 year-old the focus of the circus that is HB2. Her mother insists when it stops being fun for Alana, she'll end it, but Alana was clearly exhausted and acting out during their recent promotional interview tour in LA. At her age, that behavior is her way of saying I've had enough.

This is just all terribly sad. The key incident I can kind of understand--I'm sure he thought he was throwing the keys to her as opposed to at her, and that kind of thing can happen easily enough without any maliciousness involved--but the snake thing was just outright cruel. I'm also kind of surprised there isn't somebody on the set from the local humane society if they're using animals, unless reality tv doesn't require that the way other shows/films do. It's not like I'm a big snake fan, but I don't think it's appropriate to kill a snake and cut its head off to play a stupid, scary practical joke, and to do so on a show really ought to violate the rules about treating animals appropriately on sets. Makes me worry about that chicken too, in addition to the kids on the set, of course (as opposed to instead of). I mean, they did name it Nugget. Is it going to end up on Alana's dinner plate when they get sick of it? She was already traumatized by the snake, or at least it sounds like she was.

[Tilden]

Oh my! They have huge ratings. I have little doubt that there will be another season. PETA will get on them about the snake incident. June had every right to freak out and leave.

I don't watch the show because it bores me to tears; the 2 episodes I watched, anyway. But, like the Kardashians, it is hard to escape the madness.

I would think the ASPCA, or whichever group is supposed to be watching out for the treatment of animals on television/film/stage, isn't going to be happy either. There are actual rules about what you can do to an animal for the purposes of entertainment, and they are supposed to be treated humanely. Certainly the snake wasn't, if it was killed and had its head cut off for the sake of a practical joke. I'd think that would set the proper authorities to watching for what happens to the chicken (should make TLC worry about that too, as they'd be the ones liable if the laws regarding animals on sets are being broken).

Now if we could just get somebody to watch out for the kids....

[MizDaisy]

Makes me worry about that chicken too, in addition to the kids on the set, of course (as opposed to instead of). I mean, they did name it Nugget. Is it going to end up on Alana's dinner plate when they get sick of it?

Well, the family named the roadkill deer they ground up for burgers. Alana was shown more than once patting her stomach while talking to the deer she ate, so I don't think they'd hesitate to make nuggets out of Nugget when the novelty wears off.

Now if we could just get somebody to watch out for the kids....

Yeah, I'm all for animal welfare, but Alana is just as deserving of protection from her parents'/TLC's exploitation.

[prhoshay]

What's with having a Halloween special in January??? Makes no sense at all.....big surprise.

[Tilden]

Well, the family named the roadkill deer they ground up for burgers. Alana was shown more than once patting her stomach while talking to the deer she ate, so I don't think they'd hesitate to make nuggets out of Nugget when the novelty wears off.



Yeah, I'm all for animal welfare, but Alana is just as deserving of protection from her parents'/TLC's exploitation.

Thing is, it's probably easier to define/determine animal abuse on the set and go after TLC for it than determining whether Alana is actually at risk. In fact, the first child abuse case ever prosecuted successfully used the laws against animal abuse to go after the abuser, as there were no effective laws, at the time, about child abuse but there were laws about animal abuse. So the prosecutors pointed out that humans are mammals/animals, so the laws about animals applied to children too. Strange and sad, but true (of course, this was a very long time ago too).

[MizDaisy]

Thing is, it's probably easier to define/determine animal abuse on the set and go after TLC for it than determining whether Alana is actually at risk.

Only domestically filmed SAG (Screen Actors Guild) productions are required to provide on-set access to American Humane Association representatives for monitoring the use of animals while filming. Since reality shows aren't SAG productions, they're not subject to that requirement as described here, from the AHA web site:

Most reality programs are not Screen Actors Guild productions; therefore, they are not required to notify American Humane when animals are being filmed. And, unfortunately, reality programs typically do not contact American Humane to have their animal action monitored.

Movie Rating System

SAG requirements for child actors would also provide some protection for Alana, but people on reality shows aren't members of SAG and therefore receive none of the benefits of membership. A fact that makes reality shows so attractive to production companies.

[ClosetRTWatcher]

Chaos on the set of HB2.

‘HONEY BOO BOO’ ROCKED BY FREAK ACCIDENT - The National Enquirer

I get that there are all kinds of people in the world, and an audience for any freak show, but to me it's about making a 7 year-old the focus of the circus that is HB2. Her mother insists when it stops being fun for Alana, she'll end it, but Alana was clearly exhausted and acting out during their recent promotional interview tour in LA. At her age, that behavior is her way of saying I've had enough.

The way this article was written makes it hard for me to take seriously. They really seem to be trying to make mountains out of molehills. I agree with a PP that they key incident was likely a accident and that he was just trying to gently toss the keys to her rather than hit her in the face. I also doubt there was much (if any) risk that she was going to be BLINDED by it!

That snake thing was gross. I also agree that they shouldn't be killing any animals for the sake of the show. The article made me think Alana was probably more traumatized by her mom's reaction than by the snake itself.

There was a comment at the end of this article that gave me pause:

"And that may not end well for Mitch, warns the source. Anna’s last boyfriend, Caleb Clark, broke up with her after she admitted she had cheated on him – and told him the baby she was car*rying might not be his! Caleb still thinks he’s little Kaitlyn’s fa*ther but says that Anna’s family has blocked his efforts to get a paternity test."

How can the family "block" him from a paternity test? If he really wants to know can't he go to court and have them compel the family to allow it?