Things Everyone Gets Completely Wrong About My 600-Lb Life

There is a serious public infatuation with TLC's hit show "My 600-lb Life," which has aired for 10 seasons. There's something about watching people who strive to get healthy, turn their life around, and be their best possible selves that automatically hooks you. That's not to say the intense drama of the show doesn't reel you in as well! It's safe to say that this reality show has changed so many lives for the better, regardless of some of the negative press.

The face of "My 600-lb Life," Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, has sometimes faced scrutiny for his sternness with the patients — often referred to as his "tough love." He told People, "It's a daily challenge to work with some patients that can be self-destructive. My job is not to get aggravated, but to find a way to motivate them to work hard to get to their goals. There are times where I think it's necessary for some tough love and I have to be stern with them, so I show some of my concern and frustration."

A majority of the patients are able to keep the weight off post-show and surgery, not just because of the physical help they receive but the emotional help as well. They are able to get to the root of the cause: why they compulsively eat and how they can mitigate this as a coping mechanism for whatever trauma they've faced. Still, there are some things about the series that people get wrong.

Eating can be a comfort to many people struggling with or healing from different types of trauma. One of the steps for the patients in "My 600-lb Life" is seeing a therapist throughout the weight-loss program so that they can get to the root issue of why they began overeating in the first place. Additionally, the patients' "enablers" must also seek treatment or understand why and how they need to be managed, along with both parties' lifestyles. Changes need to be made and people held accountable!

For patient Cynthia Wells, Dr. Now explained that he wanted her to seek treatment for her "emotional attachment" to food, in order to be successful and keep the weight off ... and she did! As of June 13, 2021, Wells appears to be happy and healthy posing with two of her five children on Facebook!

Unfortunately for Season 4 patient Sean Milliken, it was his home life that did not allow him to manage his celebrated recent weight loss. Upon returning home to his mother Renee, he gained most of the weight back and then some. Sadly, Milliken's mother passed away, as did Sean shortly thereafter. He was only 29 years old at his time of death.

Steven James Assanti was easily one of the most entertaining patients to watch on the beloved TLC show — albeit obscene, rude, and sometimes even dangerous. Cue the infamous hospital scene, where he threw a total temper tantrum for the most trivial hospital grievances. Many speculated that Assanti's bizarre and temperamental behavior was only for the cameras. According to TV Show Ace, they detail (in a now-deleted TikTok) that many fans became concerned for him after a "cameo" surfaced where Assanti appeared to be slurring and did not seem to be "mentally present," as the website suggests.

Additionally, Assanti appeared to be missing many teeth, and his hair seemed patchy and missing in strange places — overall, just very unhealthy. Assanti has deleted and reinstated his Instagram a few times; as of 2021 he's back and posting very odd and concerning selfies. One of the most particularly disturbing Instagram photos was one captioned, "Fav pic of myself." Many fans commented things like, "Seriously? Do you see a Psychiatrist?" We hope Steven is taking his fans advice seriously and talking to someone to absolve any lingering issues.

Assanti's Instagram bio also states he is now married to "the love of his life" and has a stepdaughter.

The idea of undergoing surgery is often scary, even if it's a routine procedure. Dr. Now is one of the worlds leading bariatric surgeons, and the patients can rest assured they are in good hands. This is why it was shocking to many viewers when Radar Online reported in 2019 that one of Dr. Now's patients, Michelle Park, had filed a malpractice lawsuit against him back in 2012. Dr. Now (and the anesthesiologist) were sued for allegedly leaving a "6.69 inch piece of tubing" inside of her that wasn't found for 22 months post-surgery. 

Park claimed that in addition to suffering from physical pain, she dealt with the mental stress of having to go through surgery again and the expenses that go along with it. Something interesting did happen, though — a year after the lawsuit was filed, it magically disappeared. Radar Online listed their source as Harris County Court, explaining that the mysterious dismissal may have been due to a secret settlement being worked out on the side. Additionally, in 2015 Dr. Now was sued for medical malpractice when he left a stainless steel connector plus tubing in someone. Jeez ... even doctors make mistakes? That's not comforting!

Another patient, Coliesia McMillian, was one of several former patients who has died since first appearing on the show, due to "natural causes" from complications from the bypass surgery she underwent a few months before. Per TMZ, her family stated, "they don't know the exact cause of death, but says her health went downhill after she underwent weight loss surgery and sadly, she never recovered."

When a patient is as heavy as 600 pounds, cleaning their home or apartment is virtually impossible — they have to rely on others. Viewers thought perhaps the messy living situations were designed for shock value. A lengthy thread on Reddit proved this theory wrong! A user posted and asked documentary filmmakers or cameramen about the most "messed up behind-the-scenes experience" they ever had. A camera operator for TLC did not hold back and replied with the following:

"Probably the worst was on My 600 Lb. Life. One family was moving out of their apartment, and we were shooting the move. They were very very unsanitary. Instead of cleaning up their dog s*** in the small 2 bedroom apartment, they would put plants on top of it. We had to use a menthol oil on our upper lips to withstand the stench. The grandma was sleeping on a bed in of the bedrooms. When they went to remove the bed and flipped it over, thousands of bugs scattered out of the bed all over the room. The 80-something year old woman was sleeping on a bed that was infested with roaches and god knows what other bugs. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."

It seems that the messy homes are real. The patients and their family are at risk in such unhealthy environments, and although TLC could probably offer a cleaning service before filming, it wouldn't be as good for ratings.

While it's true that many of the patients on "My 600-lb Life" do receive disability and are unable to work, that isn't the case for everyone.  Zsalynn Whitworth from Season 2 took advantage of the fact that she was so large; some men find that very attractive and are willing to pay the big bucks for some photos or videos. This is better known as a fat fetish, or a "big beautiful woman" fetish.

Whitworth was able to pose in her underwear on certain websites as she was trying to earn money for gastric bypass surgery, before being chosen by TLC to appear on the show. She eventually lost weight, and posing on the fetish websites was no longer an option. Whitworth told the San Antonio Times that some of the men still contact her, asking her for dates or pictures. She has to explain a few things to them. One, she's married. Two, she lost the weight! "When I tell them I've lost a bunch of weight, they say, 'Oh my God, what happened?'" says Whitworth. "I tell them, 'I woke up.'"

Patient Samantha Mason took the fetish one step further and began charging people to watch her eat on film. Albeit unhealthy, Mason's daughter said it actually helped her self-esteem in addition to making money. "It kind of makes her happier because those people just find her as beautiful. They find her as a human being, not some huge maniac."

Many have speculated that patients are making a killing off appearing on "My 600-lb Life." That couldn't be further from the truth. According to TV Over Mind, patients are only paid a flat rate of $1,500, labeled as an "appearance fee." Some viewers have wondered if they are paid royalties, like actors, if the show airs more than once (as it usually does). The answer is no; however, it was disclosed that they reportedly receive a $2,500 moving stipend from the network to enable them to move closer to surgery and Dr. Now's office.

According to the same website, their medical expenses for seeing Dr. Now is covered for up to a year — not a bad deal! InTouch Weekly reported that they thought taxpayers were the ones actually footing the bill for the patients' weight loss surgery, but that's not the case. Per the contract, TLC foots the bill for the gastric bypass surgeries if the patient qualifies — these surgeries cost between $20,000-$30,000, per The List. No wonder the appearance fee is so modest! They do not, however, pay for any skin surgery that might be preferred or required. It's also been reported that the patients are paid another small fee of $1,500 to appear on any "Where are they Now" specials — the costs don't stop after surgery, so bringing in that money is necessary!

The bathing and shower scenes in "My 600-lb life" have proven to be the most awkward for fans to watch, according to an article by InTouch Weekly. Many viewers expressed on sites like Reddit and Facebook that they find it extremely humiliating to the patients, and they have no idea why TLC would force them to do this.

Well, it seems as though one of the patients set the record straight. Season 3's Bettie Jo Elmore, said in a (now-deleted) Facebook Q&A that "TLC pays participants extra money if they agree to be filmed in the shower." One user on Reddit also commented, "In another thread I read some people saying that the person portrayed gets extra money if they allow the crew to film them showering. Makes sense I guess. I definitely don't like seeing that part though. At least I know the format of the show by now so I just fast forward right on through."

It appears that most fans seem to be on the same page about these bathroom scenes, agreeing that this truly strips the patients of their dignity. Perhaps it's time TLC rethinks this.

Not all patients walk away from the show with a positive experience. Patient Dottie Perkins became the latest cast member to sue TLC's production company, Megalomedia. Perkins surprised many with this specific lawsuit, claiming that the show's producers fabricated her weight loss to make it look like she was gaining weight and failing the program, when that wasn't the case at all! Perkins was in fact losing weight. While other lawsuits claimed that the company forced the patients to eat junk on camera or not pay for the entirety of the medical bills, Perkins' lawsuit was the first that claimed weight fabrication. Media outlet Starcasm reported that her lawsuit alleged, "Defendants falsely portrayed that Plaintiff was gaining weight when she was actually losing weight. Ultimately, this resulted in her being admitted to a hospital so her diet could be monitored."

Additionally, patient Amber Rachdi took to Facebook to document her time on the show, which she described as "crummy," writing in part, "They exert a certain kind of pressure and lack a human touch sometimes. They assumed we would be difficult and were rather forceful with their demands? It didn't feel good, respectful or mutually beneficial working with the production." She ended her rant by stating the experience wasn't something she'd want to repeat.

Many people may be under the impression Dr. Younan Nowzaradan doesn't enjoy his job and is only in it for the money. He often gives patients what he calls "tough love," and does appear to lose his cool on occasion, out of frustration. The simple fact is that he wants to help his patients and gets frustrated as he has someone's life in his hands. Their morbid obesity is a matter of life and death — we'd be frustrated if no one was listening to us as well.

In an interview with Houstonia Magazine, Dr. Now clears up the rumors that he's helping these patients because he wants to be rich. "Looking at the moral obligation that we've got, you see somebody who has no life who could have a life. We don't need to be rich. We do make a living, but we don't need to worry about making a living out of every patient we see." His son, Jonathan Nowzaradan, oversees the production company Megalomedia, but it's unclear how much revenue is brought in through that.

It's safe to say Dr. Now gets a lot of heat from the public and from his patients, but he remains deeply devoted to the cause.