There's nothing subtle about the title of TLC's new "live and learn" series that takes a "Supernanny" approach to what's essentially a diet makeover show. It's called "Honey We're Killing the Kids."
Each week, wooden and almost-lifelike nutritionist Lisa Hark shows parents pictures of what their children might look like at age 40 through the use of computer modeling, supposedly based on their current lifestyle and eating habits.
Inevitably, the kids end up looking as terrible as possible.
Week after week, it seems as if "Honey" will be the same show: Families with bad habits get instruction on how to reform, Hark harps on them, they make some strides, the end.
Hark is director of the Nutrition Education and Prevention Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
People are also reading…
In tonight's episode, Hark comes to Pittsburgh to help the Rickard family.
Mom and Dad (Melanie and Rocky) are smokers. Anthony, 12, and Stevie, 8, play video games, get no exercise and eat too much junk food.
"I must warn you, you may not like what you're going to see," Hark tells the Rickards before showing what the kids may look like in the future. The children age into what resemble criminal mug shots.
"By allowing them to live that lifestyle, you are killing your kids," Hark scolds. "I predict that unless things change dramatically, they will not reach 60."
Hark visits the Rickard home once weekly for three weeks and lays down the law each time.
First up: The parents must quit smoking, the kids need to spend less time playing video games, and everyone should eat more healthful food.
The Rickards go shopping, have dinner out at a restaurant and get penalized for spending their weekends watching sports events on TV. They have to atone by spending time in the woods.
By the end of the hour, not every problem is solved. While Melanie has quit smoking, Rocky has not.
More important from the show's perspective, the children seem to be more active and eating more healthful food.
It's one thing for adults to consent to make fools of themselves on reality TV, but for parents to make that decision for their children — isn't that potentially harmful?
Don't think such concerns haven't crossed the mind of Melanie Rickard.
"I am worried for the kids," she said. "Anthony is very well-liked in school and he has a lot of friends, but there are still people who will say, 'Hey, fatso, I saw you on TV. I always knew you were a slob.' I think that's what he's afraid of."
Rickard said she signed the family up for the series after coming across a pitch on the Internet looking for families with worries about their children's health.
Rickard also said most of the family's health improvements were temporary, although she hasn't started smoking again.
Despite some of her concerns, she doesn't regret her family's participation.
"It was a good experience," she said. "We learned a lot. We got to do things we never would have done before."
●"Honey We're Killing the Kids" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays on TLC.
