TLC has produced plenty of shows centered around odd plots, such as 19 Kids & Counting or My 600 lb Life. Typically, the shows have their heart-warming moments about family and have feel-good endings. Although their latest show has incorporated the oddity and family aspects, many viewers are shocked by the premise.
MILF Manor has a concept similar to CBS’ Love Island, where a group of singles stay in a villa and hope to find a romantic connection during their time there, while partaking in games or challenges. What separates this show from all other reality dating shows is that the contestants range from 40-year-old to 60-year-old women, and their 20-year-old sons.
This was even a shock to the contestants, and this plot twist was revealed to them in the first episode. When the producers were casting, the show was advertised towards single mothers who had a single son in their 20s that would help them find the right guy. This vague wording made the show sound like the sons would step into a “matchmaker” role, rather than dating alongside their mothers.
Now that the eight mothers and eight sons are in the villa together, they start to meet and flirt with each other. This is also through the help of some of the games the producers created for the contestants. In the first episode, the women were blindfolded while their sons were shirtless in a line, and the women had to guess which was their son purely by touch. In the second episode, each contestant had to write down a secret, and the mothers and sons had to guess which was their mother’s or son’s secret, which led to some conflict among one mother-son pair.
Like every reality show, drama is created between the contestants as well. Some arguments have broken out between mothers about being secretive, jealousy appears throughout members of the villa, and the mothers and sons are often protective of each other, acting as potential obstacles in their blooming romances. The family dynamic adds another layer of drama that rarely any other show has, which can either be argued as unique or too strange.
Despite the unusual premise, the producers claimed to have pure intent and a more wholesome purpose when creating the show. According to Daniela Neumann, managing director of the company responsible for creating the idea and co-producing the show, Spun Gold TV, the show is meant to erase any stigma around women dating younger men, and to empower women. However, the show was not received this way.
Many dedicated TLC watchers are disturbed by the show’s concept and are strongly against it. TLC’s Instagram posts about MILF Manor are flooded with negative comments saying “This needs to be taken off air” or “I found this absolutely disgusting.” Some people on TikTok agree, and have expressed their negative stance in the comments of posts about the show, calling it the “toughest watch of all time” or “rock bottom.”
While TLC definitely created a unique concept for a reality dating show, it may be crossing lines with some morals and societal norms. But is the show so bad it’s good, like a car crash that you just can’t look away from? With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 17% and an audience rating of 25%, majority of the viewers seem to be “hate-watching,” yet this still drives viewership up. So despite the low ratings and backlash, will MILF Manor be renewed for another season?
If you’re interested in seeing the show for yourself, you can catch up on the first five episodes that are currently out. MILF Manor airs every Sunday on TLC at 10 p.m. EST, or watch it any time of day on Sundays on Discovery+.