June Shannon's newest reality show premieres on Friday. WE tv's Mama June: From Not to Hot will document the "physical and emotional metamorphosis that will leave one of America’s most recognizable personalities virtually unrecognizable," per the network. Indeed, Shannon is set to go from 352 lbs to a size four during the seven-episode series — an incredible amount of weight for anybody to lose, with or without surgery. (You can read more about the unhealthy messages the problematic show is potentially sending viewers here.)
In this sneak peek at the premiere, we see Shannon sitting down with bariatric surgeon Dr. Michael Feiz to discuss her options, including the benefits and restraints of going the surgery route. Shannon — whose first show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, was cancelled after reports that she got back together with an ex who spent 10 years in prison for molesting Shannon's 8-year-old daughter — is interested in getting a sleeve gastrectomy. The procedure, which is less complicated than a gastric bypass, removes a large portion of the stomach by cutting and stapling the organ into a small tube shape.
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"In the first year, everyone can be successful," Dr. Feiz tells Shannon, warning, "Not everyone is." He explains to the 37-year-old that she has to implement changes outside the OR in order for the procedure to be successful. "It's important to understand that our job is not only going to happen in the operating room...The surgery is [also] having a good support system and having a change in the entire household."
That all seems like sound medical advice. But when Feiz tells Shannon, "We're not doing this just so you can look a certain way," you almost have to laugh. The show is literally called Mama June: From Not To Hot, and the premiere touts Shannon's ex Sugar Bear's wedding as the the motivation for Shannon's plan to get a "revenge body." You can't market the show as an unbelievable makeover, in which a 352-lb woman goes down to a size four, and tell us it's not about the way Shannon looks.
Considering this is a 2-minute clip in a seven-episode series, it could be a leap to judgement to write off the entire show. But consider us skeptical.
Mama June: From Not To Hot premieres on Friday, February 24, at 10 p.m. on WE tv.