For Alana Thompson, or as America knows her, Honey Boo Boo Child, life is as normal as it gets. Bobbing for pigs’ feet at the Redneck Games with her sister, saying things like “A dolla makes me holla, Honey Boo Boo” around her house, she also drinks her “go-go juice,” consisting of part energy drink and part caffeinated drink, administered by her mother before every pageant show. But what makes her show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” so compelling to watch? Why does TLC air this show? What is it about this humble and mediocre family that makes millions tune in every week?
The Thompsons were discovered through their participation in “Toddlers in Tiaras,” a reality series documenting young girls and the pageant lifestyle they live. After all the great reviews and the positive feedback they received about the family, The Learning Channel (TLC) decided to offer the family their own television show. The general manager of the television network had this to say: “Alana and her family have become a pop culture phenomenon. What you see is what you get, and we are excited to share even more of their unbridled hilarity, sincerity and love with our viewers.”
As a television show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” gets about 2.4 million views per episode. Ratings are so high for the Thompsons, Fox News coverage of the Republican National Convention in August had less viewers when competing with an episode of HCHBB, weighing in at 1.2 million. With all eyes on them, surprisingly, fame has not taken a toll. After the second episode aired on television, the family was given a huge raise by the network. They were expecting between $5,000 and $7,000 an episode and are now receiving between $15,000 and $20,000.
The show’s Facebook page has 134,807 likes (at the time this article was written) with regular updates, videos and pictures, including behind the scenes footage of TLC crew members laughing in the family’s face. This seems to be because of the outlandish things the Thompson’s say.
Do I recommend watching “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”? Only if you need a bit of a pick-me-up from the cruel world we live in.