Why Twitter Is Concerned For Samantha's Daughter On My 600-Lb. Life
The new season of My 600-lb. Life on TLC debuted on December 30 to much fanfare — and a lot of fan reaction on Twitter. Why? The two-hour premiere focused exclusively on the story of Samantha Mason, a single mom from Colorado whose weight gain peaked at 974 pounds. Over the course of the show, viewers learned that Samantha's difficult childhood led her to turn to food for comfort, a habit that eventually led to her dangerously unhealthy weight and restricted lifestyle. Her condition was so precarious that she was unable to travel to see Dr. Now, the bariatric surgeon who has performed miracles for patients in past seasons; instead, she turned to a Colorado-based colleague, Dr. Heydari, for her gastric sleeve surgery.
Samantha's daughter, Bella, has been one of her strongest supporters in her weight-loss journey, though she's clearly upset by her mother's slip-ups. In a scene where Samantha orders a plate of ribs in a YOLO moment, Bella admits, "It's really hard to watch my mom like this." She tries to hold it together, even as her mother struggles with feelings of despair and defeat in the hospital. "I'm so overwhelmed," Bella confesses. "It's really hard to watch her spiral; I'm trying my best to keep a positive mindset."
Viewers offered as much — if not more — sympathy to Bella as they did to her mother.
Viewers were worried about Bella's well-being
As the episode unspooled, fans of the show shared their thoughts on Twitter with the #my600lblife hashtag. Some offered support to the star: "Down to just a little over 600; come on Samantha, keep going!!!" one user tweeted. Another fan posted, "Samantha seems motivated and has a good support system. I hope she is successful."
Others, though, noted the strain Bella seemed to be under as Samantha vented her frustrations at her from a hospital bed. One response noted, "Yo Samantha ... therapy works. Bella is an angel putting up with this abuse." To the scene where Samantha splurges on ribs, a fan tweeted, "I wonder how Samantha feels eating all that food in front of Bella, knowing it could kill her." In a similar vein, a viewer posted, "Samantha, you need to get passionate about life! Your daughters future depends on it."
Yet another TLC viewer expressed hope for both mother and daughter, tweeting: "I really hope that Samantha stays focused, motivated, and gets her life back on track after everything that she went through with her health. Her daughter needs her."