Kriti Mehrotra
TLC’s ‘I Love a Mama’s Boy’ is a series that delves into some very unusual relationships, especially because the women find themselves with not just a significant other but also an overbearing — to say the very least — motherly presence. By highlighting the dynamics between the trio, it focuses on how the concept of close mother-son connections, which some might consider a blessing, can also border on unhealthy. In fact, a few incidents depicted here are so cringe-worthy that it even makes us wonder if the show is real or not. Hence, we did a little digging, and here’s what we found.
Is I Love a Mama’s Boy Scripted?
‘I Love a Mama’s Boy’ has always been touted as a reality television show, indicating that it is as authentic as possible. In other words, no dialogues, debates, or situations are penned down by professionals and then handed to the cast members to deliver in front of the cameras. But with that said, it also doesn’t mean that everything we see and hear is real. Since a lot of time, money, and resources are applied to bring together a highly dramatic and entertaining program like this, producers can twist some narratives in the post-production editing process to ensure successful plots.
Moreover, nothing really stops them from pushing the cast into surprising circumstances or urging them to elaborate and/or exaggerate their points. The easiest example of this can be Emily and Shekeb’s entire relationship. After all, not only is Shekeb an actor by profession but, strangely, he and Emily don’t have any pictures of each other on their social media profiles – not related to the series’ promo – even after almost four years together. It could be because of their tumultuous link and his mother’s disapproval, or it could also mean that their whole involvement is only for TV.
Amongst that, just a few of the uncomfortable things we witness here are: Bryan inviting his mother, Jayne, to accompany him and his new wife, Tracy, on their honeymoon, Jason’s mom Annette using a tracking device on him, and Matt going lingerie shopping for Kim with his mother. It is bizarre, yet it works for the mother-son duos. Despite all this, since the cast members have also not shared anything, there is no definitive proof on whether the series is real or scripted. Hence, from what we can tell, the producers only get creative leeway to modify storylines during editing, but that does not make the show a sham.
TLC has been behind many superhit shows in the past few years, including ’90 Day Fiance,’ ‘Sister Wives,’ ‘My Feet Are Killing Me,’ and ‘1000-lb Sisters.’ At the same time, though, it has come under fire for its negative portrayal of some stars. In particular, Adam Busby from ‘Outdaughtered’ hinted in 2019 that he was unhappy with how the post-production made him look bad without rhyme or reason. Now, we’re not saying that the same is done in ‘I Love a Mama’s Boy,’ but it could be a possibility. In short, reality programs are often not as authentic as they’re painted out to be; they’re just enough to be in the category.
Read More: Are Jason and Justina From I Love a Mama’s Boy Still Together?
