Why Did ‘1000-Lb Sisters’ Just Warn Viewers They’re the Problem?

Ever get that eerie, existential shiver when your favorite guilty-pleasure reality show begins with a disclaimer so on-the-nose it might as well reach through the TV and snatch your remote? Yeah, same. There I was, popcorn in hand, ready for another wild ride with TLC’s 1000-Lb Sisters—and boom, here’s a warning basically calling me, you, and anyone else within earshot deeply depraved for even entertaining the idea of watching. Is it meta commentary, pure satire, or just a slightly-too-accurate reflection of that part of the brain that can’t look away from a slow-motion car crash? Whatever—you ever stop and wonder, “Am I the drama?” This tongue-in-cheek intro pairs perfectly with the wild world of the Slaton sisters, their family squabbles, fart jokes, and yes, our undeniable obsession with what might just be the rawest reflection of ourselves in badly lit HD. Feeling attacked yet? Good. That means you’re paying attention . Craving the full cringe (and the cringe within yourself)? LEARN MORE

ATLANTA—Reminding you that the views expressed in the show serve as a reflection of your own depravity, a disclaimer that aired Tuesday at the beginning of TLC’s 1000-Lb Sisters stated that something is very wrong with you for watching this. “WARNING: The following episode speaks to the deeply and irrevocably messed up part of your psyche that compels you to tune in to this show,” the disclaimer read in part, explaining that your choice of a television program in which profoundly overweight and depressed sisters indulge in a litany of unhealthy behaviors, regularly have blowout fights with their family, and incessantly make childish fart jokes is indicative of major issues that exist in you, the viewer, who gawks at their experience. “All people and events depicted in this show are a perverse expression of your own twisted mind, in which you have somehow concluded not only that it’s okay to watch two nearly bedridden and uneducated sisters struggle to perform basic tasks, but that it’s actually a form of entertainment.” The disclaimer went on to state that viewer discretion would be advised if you had even a minimal capacity to exercise discretion, but clearly you do not.