News & Updates
CHEDDAR: Mama June, Honey Boo Boo, and the Whole Family are Back in New Season of ‘Mama June: From Not to Hot’
WORLDSCREEN: “Thinkfactory’s Story Factory”
No matter what genre Thinkfactory Media is tackling, story comes first. And that certainly holds true for its new event series, My Great Big Live Wedding with David Tutera, in which the production company is telling the stories of the ten “most deserving couples in America” as they throw them weddings they’re likely not soon to forget.
There’s a two-time cancer survivor. A son of a Charleston church massacre victim. Two wounded warriors. A lung transplant recipient. Resilient victims of Hurricane Irma. Survivors of the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting in Las Vegas. And nonprofit organizers committed to helping at-risk youth. Thanks to My Great Big Live Wedding—a brainchild of Thinkfactory CEO Adam Reed and Lifetime’s Gena McCarthy—they’re all getting the weddings of their dreams, planned and officiated by wedding maven David Tutera.
“It was one of the most difficult castings we have ever done because you have to treat it with the respect it deserves,” Reed tells TV Real Weekly. “You have to give the wish fulfillment but also tell the backstory. You don’t want them to be dark; you want it to be a hopeful, uplifting, amazing story of humans who are so well-deserving because of who they are and what they’ve been through in life.”
The premiere episode on Lifetime brought My Great Big Live Wedding to Southern California, where Redmond Ramos, a former Navy Corpsman combat medic who lost his leg after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan, married his firefighting partner Krista Cona. Speaking to TV Real just days before it aired, Reed says, “It’s like literally every day this show gets bigger and bigger because these stories we’re telling, they’re so incredible that the deeper we
get, we just want to do a more amazing job for their wedding. And now I’m going, Okay, it’s time to go live, so here we go!”
“Typically, when you’re running a show, you go, Here’s your showrunning team, here’s your creative and you go. [With My Great Big Live Wedding], we have to make sure the casting and story teams are interfacing with the live team, who is interfacing with David’s vision and his team, and putting the wedding on,” Reed adds. “It really takes a village on this show to seamlessly integrate to pull this off.”
While My Great Big Live Wedding has its unique set of challenges, unscripted programs are familiar territory for Thinkfactory, which has been behind the successful Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Marriage Bootcamp and Mama June: From Not to Hot series, all of which have sold internationally.
“Everything we develop and sell here at Thinkfactory, we really try to look at it from a global perspective,” says Reed, who has little doubt that My Great Big Live Wedding will follow the same route. “You can easily go, Hey, who are the most deserving couples in the U.S., and now who are the most deserving couples in whichever territory that you’re in.”
The idea of celebrating the nuptials of the “most deserving” couples sets My Great Big Live Wedding apart from other wedding-genre series—as does the fact that it’s live. Audiences, who serve as an extended guest list, root for the couples in real time and get to partake in surprises the show has planned for the newlyweds, while also being taken aback by twists even they don’t know are coming.
Though Reed acknowledges that a segment of the audience will tune in for the “what could go wrong” factor inherent in a live show, My Great Big Live Wedding’s live element isn’t the bedrock of the series.
“If you lead with live, you’re dead. This show has got to stand alone,” says Reed. “At the end of the day, we’re telling a story, and we’re sharing characters with the world. And if you don’t love a story, if you don’t love a character and there aren’t real stakes—if those three things aren’t available, it doesn’t matter how live a live show is; no one is going to watch. We really try to look at it as: live is the cherry on top, it’s never the ice cream.”
The stories, of course, are the ice cream in this metaphor. “The stories that we can tell, and the backstories of these people, that’s what’s going to suck you in,” says Reed. “If you’re not crying three minutes into the show, we haven’t done our job.”
With My Great Big Live Wedding, Thinkfactory has put together a wedding-genre series, a human-interest docuseries about some of America’s most inspiring individuals, a potential global format—and a live show. It fits in no genre and many genres. These are the sorts of formats, the sorts of programming risks that Reed is animated about.
“I’m excited to see more and more networks not only willing to take those risks, but recognizing that Thinkfactory is kind of on the forefront of trying to bust genres, and think a little bit extraordinary and figure out how do we elevate and stand apart from all of the noise that is out there,” says Reed.
“We’re known for literally producing in every genre of programming, and it’s the way we built the company,” Reed adds. “We never wanted to be, Hey, we’re just a doc company, or we’re just a format company or just a live company. We’ve done every genre of programming, and that’s why we’ve been so successful and continue to be.”
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KARE 11: “MN couple gets married on national TV”
POST BULLETIN: “From viral video to the wedding of a Lifetime:
Probably the most personal moment in their lives so far — that moment you probably recall, when she, wide-eyed, took her first breaths with her newly transplanted, healthy lungs — was shared more than 100 million times online.
Now for the big encore.
Tuesday night on live television, Jennifer Jones and Rob Ronnenberg, of Byron, will be married on a nationwide reality show, Lifetime’s “My Great Big Live Wedding with David Tutera.”
It’s a newish weekly program that selects “America’s most deserving couples,” tells their touching stories and washes their nuptials in glitz and glamour.
Jennifer, 41, and Rob, 39, were contacted by the producers after they had posted a series of internet videos, starting with one in October 2017, showing Jennifer taking her first breaths following lung transplant surgery at Mayo Clinic.
Jennifer has cystic fibrosis, and her breathing problems had taken a severe turn by the summer of 2017, when she was listed for transplant at Mayo. The recovery, with some ups and downs, has overall been “fabulous,” she said, enabling her now to do “a lot of the little things,” like “playing with my kids or just walking down nine stairs to go tuck my kids into bed.”
“I can’t watch that video … without crying every time,” she said. “It’s just amazing being able to breathe again,” she said. “It’s a completely different world than what I was living in before.”
Yet, while they have a deserving story, they are also, in Jennifer’s words, “simple folk,” and in Rob’s words, “not really big attention people” — and thus really not the reality-TV types.
Sure, their description of what’s about to happen is peppered with all of the “amazings” and “incredibles” and “I can’t believe its” that many of us would probably use in their place. And, let’s be honest, it will be a ceremony and celebration beyond their wildest dreams.
But their participation in this, the couple says, boils down to just a small handful of big things — mainly one that is public and a couple personal.
First, the public one: “It’s given us a platform for our cause — cystic fibrosis awareness and the need for organ donation,” Rob said. “We do appreciate it from that angle.”
It’s not enough to just check the box on your driver’s license that says you’re a donor. “The important thing is to share your wishes with your family,” Rob said. “Your family has to make that decision. They can say, ‘We didn’t know.’ … They can choose not to donate.”
Speaking of donors: That’ll be one of the personal aspects of the ceremony for Jennifer, who plans to carry a small photo of Lacey, the donor whose lungs made Jennifer’s new life possible.
“It was important to me to somehow honor her through this,” she said. “Obviously, we wouldn’t be here without her.” Lacey’s mother provided the photo, which has been worked into the bridal bouquet.
And the ceremony will not be complete without a big role for one of Jennifer’s biggest backers.
“My dad walking me down the aisle is something that is very, very special to me,” she said. “I think that’s going to be a special moment for him and me.”
Most other aspects of Tuesday’s wedding are secret — the location in St. Paul; the wedding dress, which Jennifer tried on Friday wearing a blindfold; and a handful of other surprises waiting to be hatched on the couple, their guests and TV viewers.
Post-wedding, the couple will live in Byron, combining their families — Rob’s two grown children and 15-year-old daughter, and Jennifer’s 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. She is a photographer, he works in the Rochester Building Safety Department. They’ve been engaged for about three and a half years.
No honeymoon is planned for now. “We wouldn’t even be getting married yet if it wasn’t for this show and the dream wedding,” Rob said. “We didn’t have plans, and we’ve been focused on her health and everything else. This has really been an amazing thing.”
View the full article here.
AOL: “Mama June reveals she’s ‘gained weight back’ two years after lap-band surgery”
It’s been two years since June “Mama June” Shannon shared her incredible weight loss to the world thanks to a lap-band surgery. But has she gained all the weight back?
In a shocking new trailer of the upcoming season of Mama June From Not to Hot, the WE TV reality star reveals she has once again packed on the pounds.
“I’ve gained a little bit of weight back but I’m not ever going to be 450 pounds again,” Mama June revealed.
The intense trailer shows highs and lows of the upcoming season, with Mama June’s weight struggles being a major cause for the family’s concern.
In the video clip, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson‘s mom is filmed munching on a giant cake, ice cream and fried foods! She also has a heart-to-heart with a woman who appears to be a trainer.
“I want you to be the biggest weight loss story of 2019,” the woman tells the star.
In August 2018, June admitted she gained 50 pounds back after the weight loss surgery.
Meanwhile, the trailer also shows Alana struggling to keep up with her dancing schedule and a blowout fight between Lauryn Shannonand her husband, Joshua Efird.
The new season of “Mama June: From Not To Hot” premieres March 15 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Watch the trailer below.
View the full article here.
HOLLYWOOD LIFE: ‘Mama June: From Not to Hot’ Trailer: Is Mama June Pregnant? – Watch!”
Is June Shannon going to become a mama for the fifth time? That’s what the season 3 trailer for her hit show is teasing and the hints aren’t subtle at all!
Life is never boring in June Shannon’s household, especially when TV cameras are around. On Feb. 21, the trailer for season 3 of her hit show Mama June: From Not To Hot dropped and the latest plot twist is that the 39-year-old grandmother and mother-of-four could become a mom for the fifth time, thanks to her boyfriend Geno Doak, 43. The man doing the voiceover for the trailer lays out the situation, saying that June – who lost a jaw-dropping total of 300 pounds by the end of season 1 – is “in danger of packing on the pounds and proving the haters right.” The person adds, “Is she chowing down on stress? Or is she eating for two?”
Interwoven between these hints are clips of June gorging on food. At one point she says, “I’ve gained a little bit of weight back, but I’m not going to be 450 pounds again.” But, in another clip, she says, “Grandma Flow is a little late for her visit this month.” If those hints aren’t as subtle as a sledgehammer, a shot of June’s sister Joanne “Doe Doe” Shannonconfronting Geno drives the point home. She asks him, “Did you knock my sister up?”
If he did, Geno could be leaving June to raise “the baby” (according to the trailer), because he is filmed being arrested and walking out on her in two separate scenes. But June isn’t the only person facing relationship drama this season. Her newlywed daughter Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, 19, is arguing with her husband Joshua Efird, the father of her 14-month-old baby, Ella. “One lie turns into another and then our marriage is over,” she says to him in one scene. Joshua kicks down the door in another shot.
It’s not all depressing drama though. Fans will get to see behind-the-scene footage of Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, 13, competing on Dancing With the Stars: Juniors and it looks like she has a crush on her partner Tristan Ianiero. Season 3 of Mama June: From Not To Hotpremieres on WE tv on March 15 at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central. In the meantime you can get your fix by watching the wild trailer above.
View the full article here.
OK! MAGAZINE: “Mama June Admits to Gaining Weight After Lap-Band Surgery in ‘From Not to Hot’ Season 3 Trailer”
Mama June and her family are gearing up for season three of Mama June: From Hot To Not and it’s going to be their most jam-packed season yet. The exclusive trailer gives fans an insight into June’s health journey and her battle to keep the weight off two-years after her lap-band surgery
IN TOUCH: “Does Mama June Gain the Weight Back on ‘From Not to Hot’ — or Is She Actually Just Pregnant?”
If you’re a Honey Boo Boo fan, you probably watched in awe like the rest of us as Mama June Shannon managed to shed hundreds of pounds on Mama June: From Not to Hot. But now that season 3 is rolling around, the challenge isn’t losing weight but keeping it off. And that challenge is proving particularly difficult. The reality star may be going back to her old ways — and her old weights — but another health development may complicate things further. Despite being a grandma, June may be expecting another little Honey Boo Boo of her own. Watch the videoabove to check out the trailer for season 3, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube ChannelOpens a New Window. .
View the full article here.
PEOPLE: “Mama June Questions If She’s Pregnant as Her Boyfriend Gets Arrested in From Not to Hot Trailer”
Mama June Shannon has gained some pounds since her dramatic weight loss — but could she be eating for a little one on the way?
In a new supertease of Mama June: From Not to Hot, which returns to We tv in March, the reality star admits to gaining some weight back since her physical transformation two years ago.
“I’ve gained a little bit of weight back, but I’m not ever going to be 450 pounds again,” Mama June says.
The trailer then cuts to footage of Mama June’s boyfriend Geno Doak being arrested.
The footage suggests Mama June’s weight gain could be either her “chowing down on stress” — or “eating for two.”
“Grandma flow is a little late for her visit this month,” the reality star says, referencing her period, before the video flashes to a shot of an OB/GYN center.
“Did you knock my sister up?” Mama June’s older sister Doe Doe asks.
While Mama June has previously admitted to wanting to marry Doak, it appears that the couple is going through a rough patch.
“I have no sympathy for you,” Doak says to Mama June as he walks away, leaving her crying alone on her bed.
“Will Geno leave June and the baby?” the teaser questions.
The new season will also follow Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson‘s journey on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors and the tension between Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon and her husband Joshua Efird, who welcomed daughter Ella Grace in December 2017.
Still, the most dramatic part of the upcoming season is Mama June’s “biggest showdown ever” with Sugar Bear’s girlfriend Jennifer, who may be revealed as “the biggest weight loss story of 2019,” says manager Gina Rodriguez.
“Whatever, you are no competition,” Mama June says while working out at Fit Farm. “You better be afraid,” Jennifer replies.
Mama June: From Not to Hot returns March 15 at 9 p.m. ET on WE tv.
View the full article here.
ET ONLINE: “Mama June Is Back to Her Old Eating Habits in ‘From Not to Hot’ Season 3 Trailer — Watch!”
Is Mama June returning to her problematic eating — or is something else going on?
On Thursday, We TV dropped the first promo for the upcoming third season of Mama June: From Not to Hot, teasing that, after losing an astonishing 300 pounds, the reality star is once again eating loads of fatty snacks and carb-filled meals. The trailer showcases June Shannon indulging as her friends and family attempt to point out the lapse following her incredible progress and sleeve gastrectomy.
“I’ve gained a little bit of weight back,” she admits to the camera. “But I’m not ever gonna be 450 pounds again.”
However, there could be another explanation for her newfound appetite. The ad hints that June’s period is late and she’s wondering if she and her boyfriend, Geno Doak, could be having a baby together! June even pays a visit to the doctor to get some answers.
Fans also get a behind-the-scenes look at how June’s daughter, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Shannon’s, flirty partnership with Tristan Ianiero was going on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, before she was eliminated. The clip also offers a hint at her other daughter, Lauryn Shannon’s, chaotic marriage to Joshua Efird, including him kicking down a door. Needless to say, the upcoming season is loaded with plenty of ups and downs with the Shannons.
ET previously spoke with June about her and her daughters’ battle with their weight. In January of 2018, she proudly shared that Alana was carefully avoiding fried food and has already seen some progress.
“Alana actually went on a no-grease diet and she’s been, actually, doing pretty good with it,” she shared, adding that her now-13-year-old daughter “doesn’t eat fried food” and is “trying to cut back on soda. That’s something she did [and] that I had [not] done.”
“She’s lost about five pounds, so that’s a huge accomplishment for somebody,” she added. “It was for me. You can put on the weight very easily but it’s not that easy to come off. I promise you.”
June went on to explain that she’s deeply concerned that her children will battle their weight for years to come, just like she has.
“I am worried about their health because I don’t want them to go through what I went through,” she said. “So many people judge on other people and so much on body image, and it’s not about what your body is. I was healthy. I don’t have any medical issues. So for me, I did it for myself and you have to do it for yourself.”
The new season of Mama June: From Not to Hot premieres on March 15 on We TV.
View the full article here.