All The Juicy Details Behind My Big Fat Fabulous Life
First airing on TLC in January 2015, My Big Fat Fabulous Life is a reality television show that documents the life of Whitney Way Thore, who weighed almost 400 pounds at the beginning of the program. Whitney was discovered by TLC after a video of her dancing went viral, and the show follows her ups and downs with her weight and other aspects of her life all while still pursuing her passion for dancing. See what really goes on behind the scenes of the show and how Whitney's life may be more complicated than what's shown on TV.
The Show Almost Didn't Happen Because Of Spam
Incredibly, My Big Fat Fabulous Life almost wasn't ever made because of an email mix-up. After the video of her dancing went viral, TLC had a great interest in Whitney and sent her an email regarding possibly setting up a TV program.
Whitney, however, had all of her emails with the keyword "weight loss" in it sent to her spam folder. By chance, she looked through all of her spam emails before deleting them and stumbled across the one from TLC.
Whitney Has A Serious Medical Condition
Although obesity and medical problems go hand-in-hand, Whitney Way Thore has a medical condition that actually causes her to gain weight. Polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause the individual to gain an excessive amount of weight over an incredibly condensed period of time.
This is what happened to Whitney in college, in which she managed to gain more than 200 pounds while still performing as a dancer. This drastic increase in weight is what led to her being diagnosed with the condition.
Her Life Was A Nightmare In Her Youth
Although being a reality television star certainly has its perks, her life wasn't always as good as it seems. In her 2016 memoir, I Do it With the Lights On, Whitney explains that she suffered from relentless bullying in elementary school in fifth grade and was called "Baby Beluga."
Then, as she matured, she slimmed down, but the teasing didn't stop there, and the boys would continue to taunt her about her looks and her sexuality, calling her terribly unpleasant names.
She Developed An Eating Disorder
Unsurprisingly, all of this bullying surrounding her weight at such a young age led Whitney to develop an eating disorder. In 2015, she opened up about her disease during National Eating Disorder Week.
It was then that she confessed that she lived on a stringent diet for years so that she could binge eat on some occasions. Unfortunately, this unhealthy lifestyle continued well into her 20s when she overcame her struggles and accepted herself for who she was.
It's Unclear What Whitney's Parents Do For A Living
Being the star of My Big Fat Fabulous Life, it's no surprise that Whitney's parents, Glenn and Barabra, would appear on the show every now and then. However, as the show has progressed, we have been seeing more of her parents, with their arrival usually bringing about some drama.
Although we may see them sometimes, not much is actually known about the couple, as they keep to themselves except for what is aired on the show. One thing we know is that Glenn used to work with Millenium Print Group.
One Particular Supposedly Real Scene Was Faked
Of course, reality television shows are known for bending the truth, with some even guilty of making some things up entirely. My Big Fat Beautiful Life is no different, with many viewers speculating about one scene in particular.
During the 8K fun run in season four, a seemingly unknown stranger comes and helps Whitney make it to the end of the race. However, one fan noted on social media that if you look closely, you can see a microphone attached to his shirt, even though he isn't supposed to be connected to the show.
More Accusations Of Staged Scenes
The stranger at the fun run wasn't the only thing that viewers noticed that seemed like a set-up. During season three, there is a scene when Whitney is directly insulted by someone while attending the Pride parade, which shows just how horrible some people can be.
Yet, some claim that you can see the person is fitted with a microphone before they ever even get close enough to insult Whitney. The situation has been described as "the most uncomfortable fake insult."
Buddy Bell Has Been Arrested
While following Whitney's life, we have been able to meet a lot of people along the way, including her former roommate and best friend, Buddy Bell. As it turns out, his name isn't Buddy at all, but Luby Bell, but that's not what even has people talking.
Apparently, "Buddy" was arrested back in 2014 and charged with crimes that included second-degree trespassing, disorderly conduct, resisting a public officer," and more. This all took place at a Queens of the Stone Age Concert, which landed him with an almost $400 fine and over a month of probation.
Lennie Alehat Used A Fake Name On The Show
One of the many things that fans of the show desperately wanted to see was Whitney fall in love with and find the companionship that she had always dreamed of. For some time, it looked like Lennie Alehat might have been that perfect person for her. The two fell in love and even received the news that Whitney was pregnant.
Tragically, the couple would learn that it was a non-viable pregnancy, but that wasn't all the bad news. Viewers would also soon learn that Lennie Alehat wasn't who he appeared to be. His real name is actually Nathaniel David Lee.
Lennie Alehat Made The Poor Decision Of Getting Behind The Wheel
Lennie Alehat is another cast member that was arrested when he was driving in 2008. He was pulled over in North Carolina and was caught driving three times over the legal limit for alcohol consumption.
To make things worse, during the arrest, Lennie became aggravated and became physical with the officer, with the court documents stating that he "refused to stop spitting on the police equipment."
He Violated His Parole
Lennie was then placed on probation by the police department for his past crimes, although things only got worse when he violated his parole in February of 2017. While under arrest, it was discovered that Lennie also had two active warrants out for his arrest.
Apparently, back in 2016, he was charged after he threatened to kick and drag two individuals out of a store. Although his criminal record seemed to be the worst of it, Whitney's relationship with him also went south.
Whitney Ended Her Engagement To Chase Severino After He Was Unfaithful
Although it was obvious that Whitney and Chase's relationship had its fair share of ups and downs, it was still shocking to the audience to learn that the couple had split up.
Just months before, the two had announced they were going to get married before unexpectedly calling it off. Regarding the breakup, Whitney explained that Chase had reconnected with a woman and had been involved in an affair that resulted in a pregnancy between the two of them.
Chase And Whitney's Relationship May Have Been Fake
As audiences began to dig deeper into Whitney and Chase's relationship, some believed that Whitney and Chase were never actually together at all and that Chase was dating another woman named Sara.
This accusation came about after the woman in question, Sara, posted a picture on social media of Chase and her dog. However, what was interesting is that the brewery they were at re-posted the same picture, referencing Chase and Sara as the dog's "mom and dad."
A Less-Than-Romantic Getaway
More evidence that Whitney and Chase's relationship might have been fabricated for the show is how they acted when they weren't on camera. After getting engaged and going on a romantic trip to Paris, one would think that the two would be all over each other.
Yet, that wasn't the case. In fact, witnesses claim that the two sat in different rows on the flight back, collected their baggage separately, and seemingly didn't talk to each other the whole time. Seems unusual for a recently engaged couple.
Chase Severino's House May Not Have Actually Been His
After news broke that Chase had been unfaithful to Whitney, the Internet got to work trying to discover his deepest and darkest secrets. Some even came to the conclusion that Chase may not have even owned the house that he asked Whitney to move into with him.
Instead, some claim that the house belonged to Chase and his real girlfriend Sara because the "Welcome Home" banners looked like another woman made them. It also seemed impossible that Whitney wouldn't have known that Chase was involved with another woman in the neighborhood.
Whitney And Ryan Andreas Met On A Dating App
It's easy to forget that Whitney almost ended up in a romantic relationship with Ryan Andreas. The two first came into contact through a dating app, but after meeting in person, they decided that they would rather stay friends than be romantically involved. Ironically, it was actually Ryan that introduced Whitney to Chase.
However, the recent drama surrounding Chase's affair and the rumors that Chase and Whitney's relationship may have all been for the show certainly has rocked the boat with the three friends' relationship.
Ryan And Whitney Started A Fitness Company
Besides following all of the drama in Whitney's life, My Big Fat Fabulous Life is also used as a platform to help inspire people. So, she took her position of influence and loved for dance and turned it into a business, establishing No BS Active, with "BS" standing for body shaming.
Whitney teamed up with Ryan Andreas, and the two set up a subscription-based program that featured Ryan and Whitney doing the same exercises at different skill levels. Their goal is to show that anyone can get active, regardless of their body type.
It Didn't Take Long For Ryan To Be Out Of The Picture
Even though Ryan and Whitney had started their fitness company together, seemingly out of the blue, it appeared that Ryan was no longer part of the organization. Without warning, No BS' Instagram account was gone except for three posts, with none of them mentioning Ryan Andreas.
However, there was someone new on the Instagram page named Jess. Interestingly, Jess isn't someone random either, but is Whitney's personal trainer! So, it's assumed that Jess stepped in to fill Ryan's position in the company.
Ryan Could Have Left Because Of Chase
Of course, after it was clear that Ryan was out of No BS, fans of the show took to social media to share their own thoughts about what might have happened. Supposedly, Whitney commented that she feels uncomfortable being around Ryan because she thinks Ryan knows more about Chase's supposed infidelity than he lets on.
Although Whitney is the star of My Big Fat Beautiful Life, fans still couldn't help but feel bad for Ryan, expressing that he "didn't get enough support from Whitney."
Whitney And Buddy Bell's Relationship Has Raised Some Suspicion From The Audience
It may appear that Buddy Bell is just a good friend to Whitney, staying by her side after ending her engagement with Chris. However, the two "friends" seem to have more than just a platonic relationship and have even discussed moving in together!
This begs the question, are they just really good friends, or is there something more to their relationship than meets the eye? Even though they have been best friends for so long, maybe something will come of it in the future!
