Until its cancellation on August 14, 2014, the filming of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo took place in McIntyre, Georgia. The reality show revolved around the life of Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, her parents, and three teenage sisters. Before cancellation, the show aired four seasons and for that reason, its popularity is evident. This post focuses on the fifth and sixth episode of the show’s third season.
Foremost, there is an abundance of ignorant behavior in Here Comes Honey Bo Boo where the subjects struggle with the English language. Throughout the watched episodes, there were many subtitles in every scene with the use of expressions such as “Y'all” and “ain’t,” coupled with accents so thick that what they say on camera is almost incoherent (Episode 5&6). The use of a language barrier between the Thompsons and the viewers emphasizes on the utilization of the Southern culture within the premises of the show, a fact that is further reinstated when the family attends a “blueberry festival” in episode six (5mins). In other words, with the language struggles, viewers remain conscious of the fact that the subjects of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo are different and for that reason, the essence of a non-actor celebrity emerges within the context of the show (Aequs Education 94). Accordingly, the show fits into two subgenres: celebrity and sub-cultures.
Still, language is not the only tool used in Honey Boo Boo. On the contrary, the placement of teenage daughters and a woman who was a teenage mother at the age of seventeen ensures there is conflict in the show and adheres to the need for an “inherent conflict” necessary for a program to work (Aequs Education 87). In a particular scene, one of the older girls voices her frustrations over the fact that she cannot go on a date without the interference of the entire family. The claim is proven true when the parents decide to take everyone on a “double date” with the girls and their boyfriends (Episode 5, 8mins). Another quality encompasses the use of cutaways among the subjects. For example, after hearing of her sisters’ double date, Honey Boo Boo informs viewers that she does not want to know “what happens on a double date” (Episode 5, 7mins). The subtle use of a child’s innocence to deliver humor would often go unnoticed simply because of the character portrayed by the directors. Nonetheless, the constant focus on the young Alana Thompson gives the show its “reality” essence.
Works Cited
Aequs Education. "Module Five: Idols and Survivors." 2015. Web. 29 April 2016. <https://aequs.firmex.com/projects/21/documents/30/viewer>.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo - Season 3 Episode 5 - Get a Job." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK24_zuS4HM>.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo - Season 3 Episode 6 - Funk Shway." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AygLAjjqSAE.
