Ahhh, TLC. With such informative shows as Cake Boss , Little People, Big World , Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and 19 Kids and Counting .
It’s no wonder they call it The Learning Channel!
Today, we’re going to talk TLC rules.
Rules that the educators that populate The Learning Channel’s programming have to follow every single day.
TLC is all about Reality TV.
Right?
And nothing is more real than following a strict set of rules that determine how you act.
1: They have to watch what they say.
They don’t just have to watch what they say on TV either, it’s offscreen too.
Remember, TLC is trying to portray these people’s lives as reality, so they need to act like it when the cameras aren’t rolling .
2: TLC monitors what you spend.
Just like a mom or dad, TLC will make sure that you’re not spending too much money.
However, the network doesn’t shy away from sending some of them on expensive trips… so they can get some good footage.
3: No private life.
Well, considering they need as much footage as possible to make your life a TV Show, then it’s no surprise these stars rarely get any alone time.
That’s the price of fame, I guess.
4: Social Media is controlled, too.
It’s not just private lives, public lives and spending habits that are controlled, TLC also has to watch what you say on social media.
In fact, they’re extremely cautious of this.
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5: Stick to the script!
So, if you hadn’t already guessed, a lot of the things on TLC are scripted.
It is imperative to the survival of a lot of shows that their stars follow a script.
6: No music.
This may seem harsh, but it’s for a pretty decent TV reason.
The people on the TLC shows can’t play music because the network doesn’t want to pay for the rights to use the songs.
7: Relationships.
Remember when your parents made you keep the door open when you had… ahem… “a friend” over? Well, imagine that but it’s a gigantic TV network.
All your romantic relationships will be monitored by TLC.
8: They have to get an entertainment attorney.
That’s right, a special attorney for showbusiness. And they have to be present before you sign anything.
This is mostly just a tip and not a rule, but it might as well be.
9: Fake addictions.
I know. I know. It’s hard to believe that the show that featured a man literally in love with his car is fake, but you have too.
Yes, some of the addictions on My Strange Addiction are… hm… “embellished”.
10: Child actors are unpaid.
You’d think that a network like TLC would have money coming out the wazoo, but if they do they certainly don’t flaunt it .
Some of the actors on shows are considered “volunteers” and a lot of the child actors never even got paid.
11: Background Checks.
TLC makes you go through extensive background checks before you get on their shows.
90 Day Fiancé star Paul Staehle had to do this, and his criminal record didn’t help him at all.
12: The network decides your dress.
Most of the time this isn’t true, in fact, they’ll give you a whole warehouse of dresses to choose.
However, sometimes, it’s one of four. They do that to speed up the filming process.
13: In fact, the celebrities are the biggest snakes!
Any time there’s a celeb team up, they have no problem breaking an alliance.
But that could just be for views, tbh.
13: Even if they say they won’t, they still will.
I’m of course talking about when someone says “don’t worry, we won’t film this” or “don’t worry, we’ll cut it out in post”.
TLC stars are advised never to believe that .
15:’Toddlers In Tiaras’.
Not only did most of these beauty pageant stars not get paid, but they would often get forced into them by TLC.
Yeah, turns out it wasn’t the parents!
16: They actually preferred flawed people.
It’s all about those rating numbers kids!
Where would we be if we were watching TV that was only about good people?
14: If you have a shady past, keep it quiet.
We mentioned the background check, but every major star has to have SOME drama right?
Well, not too much . They have to keep quiet about really serious things.
15: If you’re on 90 Day Fiance, you better make it work.
Otherwise, TLC will be coming for you.
The network wants to make sure that the show upholds its look.
Speaking of which…
16: Even the shows you think are real are fake.
Our 90 Day Fiance entry should have given that away.
A lot of the shows are, in fact, scripted.
But remember, that doesn’t mean that things don’t run amok!
There have been plenty of scandals behind some of the most popular shows!
Which is your favorite TLC show? Let us know in the comments!
20: You have to go along with their budget.
Networks can be pretty cheap, but it’s not up to you to have a say in what gets spent.
You just have to go along with it!
