My 600-lb Life
My 600-lb Life is a reality television series that has aired on the TLC television network since 2012. Each episode follows a year in the life of morbidly obese individuals, who begin the episode weighing at least 600 pounds (270 kg), and documents their attempts to reduce their weight to a healthy level. Update episodes, called "Where Are They Now?", feature one or more previous patients, picking up a year or more after their original episodes aired.
| My 600-lb Life | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Kilos Mortales (Latin America) |
| Genre | Reality |
| Directed by | Jonathan Nowzaradan Conor McAnally |
| Starring | Younan Nowzaradan, MD |
| Composer(s) | David Hamburger |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 110 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jack Tarantino Cameo Wallace Ron Bowman Jeff Keels Graham Davidson Tom Mireles Jonathan Nowzaradan |
| Producer(s) | Leslie Appleyard Amy Yerrington Dawn Cooper Johnson |
| Production location(s) | Houston, Texas |
| Cinematography | Taylor Rudd |
| Editor(s) | Shrader Thomas Jennifer Kovacs Gareth Dawson John Gehrke Knox Hughes |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 45 Mins (excluding advertisements)(Season 1-4), 85 Mins (excluding commercials) (Season 5-) |
| Production company(s) | Megalomedia |
| Distributor | The Learning Channel |
| Release | |
| Original network | TLC |
| Original release | February 1, 2012 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Patients are placed under the care of Iranian-American Houston surgeon Younan Nowzaradan (often referred to as simply "Dr. Now"), who first has them attempt losing weight on their own by following a strict diet, and then depending on the patient's progress may offer gastric bypass surgery or sleeve gastrectomy to further assist in weight loss.[1]
Concept
This series was originally a five-part miniseries involving four morbidly obese patients. Because of its popularity, new episodes were filmed, including a "Where Are They Now?" retrospective in Season 4 that follows up on previous patients to track their weight-loss journey months or years after bariatric surgery.[2]
In Season 1, patients were filmed over a period of seven years (2004–2011). Beginning with Season 2, patients were filmed for only one year. In Season 8, certain patients' stories were filmed for only six months.
Beginning with Season 5, new episodes began filming as 2-hour episodes instead of 1-hour. This was previously done with Melissa's Story (split into two parts) and Lupe's Story. Recap episodes titled under "Supersized" and "Extended", which include additional facts and footage respectively, also aired during this season.
Subject outcomes
Seven patients have died since appearing on the show.
- Henry Foots, who was featured in season one, died of an illness unrelated to his weight loss surgery on May 16, 2013.[3]
- Sean Milliken, who was chronicled on the fourth season of the show, died on February 17, 2019, from an infection.[4]
- LB Bonner, who was featured on the sixth season of the show, died by suicide on August 2, 2018.[5]
- Lisa Fleming, also a third sixth season participant, died on August 23, 2018.[6]
- Rob Buchel was featured in season six and suffered a fatal heart attack on November 15, 2017, during filming of the show, while staying in a skilled nursing facility in Houston.[7] Buchel's death was the first in the series to be featured during the patient's respective episode.
- Kelly Mason, a participant on the show's seventh season, died on February 15, 2019, from heart failure. Mason's death was the second in the series to be featured during the patient's respective episode.[8]
- James King, a participant on the show's fifth season, died on April 3, 2020.[9]
Susan Farmer, who appeared in an episode on the show's third season, notably faced neuropathy as a result of her weight, which was profiled on the show.[10]
Spin off
Beginning in January 2015, TLC began airing My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?. The purpose of this spin off was to update viewers on the weight loss journeys of people featured on previous seasons. As of 2018, five seasons of the Where Are They Now? follow-ups have aired.
Lawsuit
In 2020, several news outlets reported that several former patients of Dr. Nowzardan who appeared on the series, and the family of one patient, LB Bonner, who committed suicide, had brought suit against the show's production company, Megalomedia, alleging negligence and claiming that the company failed to cover medical costs. [11][12]
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||
| 1 | 6 | February 1, 2012 | March 26, 2012 | TLC | ||
| 2 | 8 | January 7, 2014 | February 25, 2014 | |||
| 3 | 10 | January 7, 2015 | April 8, 2015 | |||
| 4 | 12 | January 6, 2016 | May 18, 2016[13] | |||
| 5 | 14 | January 4, 2017 | April 16, 2017 | |||
| 6 | 16 | January 3, 2018 | May 9, 2018 | |||
| 7 | 20 | January 2, 2019 | May 15, 2019 | |||
| 8 | 16 | January 1, 2020 | April 15, 2020 | |||
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (7 yrs) | Total Weight Loss (7 yrs.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | Melissa Morris | 31 years old | Livingston, TX | 653 pounds (296 kg) | 206 pounds (93 kg) | 447 pounds (203 kg) | |
| 3 | Donald Shelton | 34 years old | Pasadena, TX | 675 pounds (306 kg) | 390 pounds (180 kg) | 285 pounds (129 kg) | |
| 4 | Henry Foots | 47 years old | Houston, TX | 715 pounds (324 kg) | 275 pounds (125 kg) | 440 pounds (200 kg) | Deceased, age 54 |
| 5 | Ashley Randall | 24 years old | Killeen, TX | 617 pounds (280 kg) | 253.1 pounds (114.8 kg) | 364 pounds (165 kg) |
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos. or from later peak weight) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zsalynn Whitworth | 42 years old | San Antonio, TX | 596.7 lbs | 349.9 lbs | 248 lbs | |
| 2 | Olivia Cruz | 46 years old | Chicago, IL | 580.3 lbs | 241 lbs | 339 lbs | |
| 3 | Penny Saeger | 45 years old | Elkton, MD | 530 lbs | 495 lbs | 35 lbs | |
| 4 | Chuck Turner | 45 years old | Beaumont, TX | 693.7 lbs | 268.5 lbs | 425 lbs | |
| 5 | Christina Phillips | 22 years old | South Haven, MS | 639.7 lbs | 390 lbs | 267 lbs (EPW-earlier peak weight) | |
| 6 | Paula Jones | 39 years old | Jonesboro, GA | 533.8 lbs | 390.5 lbs | 160 lbs (LPW) | |
| 7 | James Jones | 37 years old | Frankston, TX | 728 lbs | 376.7 lbs | 352 lbs | |
| 8 | Tara Taylor | 35 years old | Lafayette, LA | 606 lbs | 328 lbs | 278 lbs | |
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos. or from later peak weight) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber Rachdi | 23 years old | Troutdale, OR | 657.6 lbs | 390.5 lbs | 267 lbs | |
| 2 | Susan Farmer | 37 years old | Eddy, TX | 607.6 lbs | 340 lbs | 267 lbs | |
| 3 | Pauline Potter | 50 years old | Sacramento, CA | 673.5 lbs | 529 lbs | 149 lbs (LPW) | |
| 4 | Bettie Jo Elmore | 24 years old | Potosi, MO | 654 lbs | 498.7 lbs | 156 lbs | |
| 5 | Angel Parrish | 42 years old | Kerrville, TX | 570.4 lbs | 261.8 lbs | 309 lbs | |
| 6 | Joe Wexler | 31 years old | Johnson City, TN | 777 lbs | 592.6 lbs | 200 lbs (LPW) | |
| 7 | Laura Perez | 41 years old | San Antonio, TX | 594.6 lbs | 357.8 lbs | 237 lbs | |
| 8 | Charity Pierce | 39 years old | Cedar Rapids, IA | 778.8 lbs | 496.6 lbs | 282 lbs | |
| 9 | Chay Guillory | 23 years old | Charenton, LA | 597.5 lbs | 478.7 lbs | 119 lbs | |
| 10 | Marla McCants | 43 years old | Nashville, TN | 800 lbs (estimated) | 534.2 lbs | 266 lbs (estimated) | |
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos. or from later peak weight) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nikki Webster | 33 years old | Little Rock, AR | 649.7 lbs | 443.4 lbs | 207 lbs | |
| 3 | Brittani Fulfer | 32 years old | Tualatin, OR | 605 lbs | 375.6 lbs | 230 lbs | |
| 4 | Chad Dean | 42 years old | Hagerstown, MD | 701.4 lbs | 441.5 lbs | 260 lbs | |
| 5 | June McCamey | 43 years old | Houston, TX | 590.5 lbs | 389.2 lbs | 201 lbs | |
| 6 | Dottie Perkins | 34 years old | Oxford, MS | 641.9 lbs | 520 lbs | 149 lbs (LPW) | |
| 7 | Gideon Yeakley | 33 years old | Mustang, OK | 649.9 lbs | 429.6 lbs | 220 lbs | |
| 8 | Ashley Dunn-Bratcher | 27 years old | Kemp, TX | 725.1 lbs | 470.5 lbs | 255 lbs | |
| 9 | Teretha Hollis-Neely | 47 years old | Detroit, MI | 800 lbs (estimated) | 461 lbs | 339 lbs | |
| 10 | Randy Statum | 35 years old | Hull, TX | 655.9 lbs | 441.9 lbs | 214 lbs | |
| 11 | Milla Clark | 47 years old | Fayetteville, TN | 751 lbs | 598 lbs | 153 lbs | |
| 12 | Sean Milliken | 26 years old | Cameron Park, CA | 919 lbs | 548 lbs | 455 lbs (LPW) | Deceased, age 29 |
| 13 | Lupe Samano | 39 years old | San Bernardino, CA | 642 lbs | 360 lbs | 295 lbs (LPW) | |
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos. or from later peak weight) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandi Dreier | 29 years old | Vancouver, WA | 587.9 lbs | 360 lbs | 228 lbs | |
| Kandi Dreier | 29 years old | Vancouver, WA | 604.7 lbs | 384 lbs | 220 lbs | ||
| 2 | Ashley Reyes | 30 years old | West Hills, CA | 668.8 lbs | 414 lbs | 254 lbs | |
| 3 | Cynthia Wells | 42 years old | Oklahoma City, OK | 610.3 lbs | 454 lbs | 156 lbs | |
| 4 | Kirsten Perez | 38 years old | Longview, WA | 612.5 lbs | 442 lbs | 170 lbs | |
| 5 | Doug Armstrong | 36 years old | Wichita Falls, TX | 684.8 lbs | 462.4 lbs | 222 lbs | |
| 6 | Erica Wall | 44 years old | Lompoc, CA | 661.6 lbs | 471 lbs | 190 lbs | |
| 7 | Diana Bunch | 55 years old | Seattle, WA | 601.1 lbs | 336 lbs | 265 lbs | |
| 8 | Michael Dominguez | 32 years old | Glendale, AZ | 635.9 lbs | 348.7 lbs | 287 lbs | |
| 9 | Nicole Lewis | 23 years old | Marion, OH | 684.6 lbs | 521.3 lbs | 163 lbs | |
| 10 | Tanisha Cleveland | 32 years old | Silsbee, TX | 588.7 lbs (later 603 lbs) | 484 lbs | 119 lbs | Took place over 2 years |
| 11 | James King | 46 years old | Paducah, KY | 735 lbs | 788.6 lbs, dismissed from program in Month 11 | 55 lbs (LPW) | Deceased, age 49 |
| 12 | Tracey Matthews | 45 years old | Lorain, OH | 605.9 lbs | 388 lbs | 218 lbs | |
| 13/14 | Steven Assanti | 33 years old | Cranston, RI | 730.8 lbs | 677.5 lbs | 131 lbs (LPW) | |
| Justin Assanti | 27 years old | Cranston, RI | 604.2 lbs | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos. or from later peak weight) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rena Kiser | 39 years old | Houston, MO | 549 lbs | 278 lbs | 271 lbs | |
| Lee Sutton | 42 years old | Houston, MO | 714 lbs | 411 lbs | 303 lbs | ||
| 2 | Janine Mueller | 53 years old | Seattle, WA | 678.2 lbs | 566 lbs | 112 lbs | |
| 3 | Liz Evans | 35 years old | Freeport, TX | 721.3 lbs | 368 lbs | 353 lbs | |
| 4 | Alicia Kirgan | 32 years old | Madison, IL | 622.3 lbs | 436 lbs | 186 lbs | |
| 5 | Karina Garcia | 38 years old | Converse, TX | 633.2 lbs | 398 lbs | 235 lbs | |
| 6 | James "L.B." Bonner | 29 years old | Lexington, SC | 642.3 lbs | 326 lbs | 316 lbs | Deceased, age 30 |
| 7 | Lisa Fleming | 49 years old | Mobile, AL | 704.3 lbs | Unknown, dismissed from program in Month 6 | Unknown | Deceased, age 50 |
| 8 | Robert Buchel | 41 years old | Forked River, NJ | 842.1 lbs | 502 lbs, died during filming in Month 9 | 340 lbs | Deceased, age 41 |
| 9 | Tamy Lyn Murrell | 45 years old | Covington, KY | 591.7 lbs | 346.2 lbs | 246 lbs | |
| 10 | David Bolton | 35 years old | Houston, TX | 747.1 lbs | 386 lbs | 361 lbs | |
| Benji Bolton | 32 years old | Houston, TX | 582.5 lbs | 218 lbs | 364 lbs | ||
| 11 | Renee Biran | 53 years old | Valdosta, GA | 631.8 lbs | 381 lbs | 250 lbs | |
| 12 | Sarah Neeley | 25 years old | Dayton, OH | 642.3 lbs | 393 lbs | 260 lbs | |
| 13 | Schenee Murry-Hawkins | 27 years old | Indianapolis, IN | 665.2 lbs | 664.4 lbs, dismissed from program in Month 8 | 48 lbs | |
| 14 | Jennifer Jess | 42 years old | Bend, OR | 636.3 lbs | 426 lbs | 210 lbs | |
| Marissa Jess | 26 years old | Bend, OR | 573.1 lbs | 341 lbs | 232 lbs | ||
| 15/16 | Roshanda Perrio | 30 years old | Lafayette, LA | 803.7 lbs | 605.7 lbs | 198 lbs+ (final weight given at 11 mos.) | |
| Brandie Perrio | 29 years old | Lafayette, LA | 620.6 lbs | 382.3 lbs | 238 lbs+ (final weight given at 11 mos.) | ||
| Clarence Perrio | 33 years old | Lafayette, LA | 582.7 lbs | 437.9 lbs | 145 lbs+ (final weight given at 9 mos.) | ||
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos. or from later peak weight) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Octavia Gahagans | 42 years old | Kansas City, MO | 692.3 lbs | 456 lbs | 236 lbs | |
| 2 | Brianne Dias | 30 years old | Florence, OR | 742.2 lbs | 358 lbs | 384 lbs+ (ended at 11 mos.) | |
| 3 | Robin Mckinley | 40 years old | Meade, KS | 648.7 lbs | 395 lbs | 253 lbs | |
| Garrett Rogers | 20 years old | Meade, KS | 607.3 lbs | 337 lbs | 270 lbs | ||
| 4 | Justin McSwain | 27 years old | Rock Hill, SC | 687.5 lbs | 353.5 lbs | 334 lbs | |
| 5 | Holly Hager | 38 years old | Ellijay, GA | 658.1 lbs | 418 lbs | 240 lbs | |
| 6 | Lacey Hodder | 29 years old | Bay City, MI | 691.2 lbs | 435 lbs | 256 lbs | |
| 7 | Brandon Scott | 33 years old | Columbus, OH | 718.4 lbs | 383.7 lbs | 335 lbs | |
| 8 | Maja Radanovic | 33 years old | Portland, OR | 689.4 lbs | 592.5 lbs, left program in Month 8 | 97 lbs | |
| 9 | Tiffany Barker | 28 years old | Marysville, WA | 672.5 lbs | 415 lbs | 257 lbs | |
| 10 | Destinee LaShaee | 27 years old | Pineville, LA | 669 lbs | 440 lbs | 229 lbs | Born as Matthew LaShaee |
| 11 | Jeanne Covey | 39 years old | Big Sandy, TX | 702.4 lbs | 670.7 lbs, left program in Month 6 | 32 lbs | |
| 12 | Aaron Washer | 30 years old | New Braunfels, TX | 718.1 lbs | 402.7 lbs | 315 lbs | |
| 13 | Kelly Mason | 41 years old | Greensboro, NC | 725.5 lbs | 383 lbs, died during filming in Month 10 | 342 lbs | Deceased, age 41 |
| 14 | Annjeanette Whaley | 30 years old | Hillsboro, OR | 679.1 lbs | 405 lbs | 274 lbs | |
| 15 | Angela Gutierrez | 44 years old | Ross, OH | 608.4 lbs | No second weigh-in, left program in Month 8 | Unknown | |
| 16 | LaShanta White | 39 years old | Kenner, LA | 662 lbs | 529.5 lbs, briefly dismissed from program in Month 9 | 160 lbs (LPW) | |
| 17 | Cillas Givens | 35 years old | Fairview, OK | 729 lbs | 313 lbs | 416 lbs | |
| 18 | Mercedes Cephas | 37 years old | Cincinnati, OH | 773.2 lbs | 692 lbs | 81 lbs | |
| 19 | Angela Johns | 39 years old | Massillon, OH | 643.3 lbs | 594.6 lbs, dismissed from program in Month 8 | 49 lbs | |
| 20 | Vianey Rodriguez | 35 years old | Chicago, IL | 594.8 lbs+ (1st weigh in at month 4) | 369 lbs | 226 lbs+ (made some progress before first weigh-in) | |
| Allen Lewis | 51 years old | Chicago, IL | 648.1 lbs+ (1st weigh in at month 4) | 376 lbs | 272 lbs+ (made some progress before first weigh-in) |
| Ep | Patient Name | Starting Age | Location | Starting Weight | Ending Weight (12 mos.) | Total Weight Loss (12 mos.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Hambrick | 34 years old | Wylie, TX | 686.5 lbs | 393 lbs | 294 lbs | |
| Lonnie Hambrick | 35 years old | Haltom City, TX | 612.7 lbs | 368 lbs | 245 lbs | ||
| 2 | Lindsey Witte | 39 years old | Hills, IA | 647.6 lbs | 438 lbs | 209 lbs | |
| 3 | Bethany Stout | 40 years old | Alva, OK | 604.7 lbs | 504 lbs, left the program in Month 11 | 100.7 lbs | |
| 4 | Julius (J.T.) Clark | 32 years old | Claremore, OK | 892.2 lbs | 491 lbs | 401 lbs | |
| 5 | Gina Krasley | 28 years old | Tuckerton, NJ | 606.7 lbs | 556.2 lbs | 50.5 lbs | |
| 6 | Travis Henry | 31 years old | Carrollton, TX | 617.3 lbs | 379 lbs | 238 lbs | |
| 7 | Joyce Del Viscovo | 44 years old | Gardner, KS | 759.2 lbs | 623.8 lbs, left the program in month 12 | 134.4 lbs | |
| 8 | Carlton Oglesby | 24 years old | Columbus, OH | 786 lbs | 544 lbs | 242 lbs+ (ended at 6 mos.) | |
| Shantel Oglesby | 31 years old | Columbus, OH | 638 lbs | 424 lbs | 214 lbs+ (ended at 6 mos.) | ||
| 9 | Seana Collins | 22 years old | Kansas City, MO | 659 lbs | 661.3 lbs | 2.3 lb gain | |
| 10 | Ashley Bernard | 31 years old | Carenco, LA | 637 lbs | 504 lbs | 133 lb | |
| 11 | Tommy Johnson | 38 years old | Winnsboro, LA | 641 lbs | 423 lbs | 218 lbs | |
| 12 | Coliesa McMillian | 41 years old | New Roads, LA | 643 lbs | 499 lbs | 144 lbs (ended at 6 mos.) | |
| 13 | Dominic Hernandez | 37 years old | Fresno, CA | 672 lbs | 650 lbs, dismissed from program Month 6 | 22 lbs | First patient in the show to be currently homeless |
| 14 | Megan Davis | 24 years old | Taylorville, IL | 604 lbs | 481 lbs | 123 lbs | |
| 15 | Ashley Taylor | 24 years old | Temple, TX | 486 lbs | 469 lbs | 17 lbs (ended at 6 mos.) | |
| 16 | Leneatha Reed | 40 years old | Meridian, MS | 604 lbs | 575 lbs, left program in Month 6 | 29 lbs | |
References
- King, Brittany (May 30, 2017). "My 600-Lb. Life Dr. Nowzaradan on Why It's Difficult for Patients to Keep the Weight Off". People. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- "'My 600-lb Life: Where are They Now?': Have They Kept The Weight Off?". The Huffington Post. March 27, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- "Henry Foots Obituary". Retrieved November 17, 2017 – via Legacy.com.
- "My 600-Lb. Life Star Sean Milliken Is Dead at Age 29". people.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
- "'My 600-Lb Life' Star L.B. Bonner Dead At 30". Aug 3, 2018. Retrieved Feb 20, 2019.
- Hearon, Sarah (August 24, 2018). "'My 600-lb Life' Star Lisa Fleming Dead at 50". US Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- Bever, Lindsey (March 2, 2018). "A 'My 600-lb Life' participant died while filming his fight to lose weight". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Kelly Mason Becomes Second 'My 600-LB Life' Subject To Die During Show's Filming, Suffering Heart Failure". Inqisitr. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
- "James D. King". Milner & Orr. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- "Woman whose weight left her temporarily paralysed loses 19 stone and learns to walk again". metro.co.uk. April 9, 2015. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
- "Three More 'My 600 Lb Life' Cast Members File Lawsuits Against Show's Production Company; Their Lawyer Says They "Intend to End This Show"". The Ashley's Reality Roundup. 2020-02-27. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- Delott, Simon (2020-02-28). "My 600-lb Life Sued by FOUR Former Stars: End This Show, NOW!". The Hollywood Gossip. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "My 600-lb Life". January 1, 2000. Retrieved April 20, 2017 – via IMDb.
External links
- My 600-lb Life at TLC.com
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