If truth really is stranger than fiction, TLC‘s new reality show MILF Manor is an excellent example. It features eight single women in their 40s and 50s, trying to find love with one of eight men in their 20s. However, the first episode started with a shocking twist: The potential suitors were the sons of the women who seeking love.
When production revealed the twist, the moms and their sons stared at each other in astonishment, and an unforgettable reality TV moment was created. Whether you love or hate this controversial new show, you’ll be surprised to hear how the casting process really went.
How did TLC cast ‘MILF Manor’ without the contestants knowing?
According to The Washington Post, casting the show was tricky. Producers had to find single moms of the right age who had single sons interested in dating significantly older women. They found contestant Kelle Mortensen, who was 50 years old at the time, through her Instagram page.
The producers invited Mortensen to take part in an “empowering” dating show that paired up older women with younger men. Although she didn’t seem entirely clear about the premise, she agreed.
Producers also told her they were inviting her 20-year-old son, Joey, to come along to give her support. So when the women were introduced to the young men they would date, Mortensen and Joey were shocked right along with everyone else.
Cast member Kelle Mortensen enjoyed it, but did she think ‘Milf Manor’ was empowering?
Mortensen was quick to adjust to the unusual premise. Shortly after the sons were revealed, she let everyone know where she stood. “I’ll be in the hot tub at 10,” she exclaimed. “Sorry ladies, I might be sleeping with your son!”
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Mortensen appreciated her time on the show, saying it gave her the opportunity to spend time with her son and see how he relates to women. In all, she called it “an amazing experience,” and said she’d love to do it again.
That said, Mortensen didn’t really think the show was entirely empowering. According to Reality Blurred, the show’s creator, Daniela Neumann, claims she didn’t know what the phrase “MILF” stood for when she named the show.
But Mortensen and her fellow moms did know, and they agreed that terms like that can impact how they feel about themselves. “I think that’s where society is totally messed up,” she said.
Some ‘Milf Manor’ moments have been truly disturbing
The show has definitely caused a firestorm of reactions. Neumann insists she doesn’t know why people are so worked up: “I’m not quite sure what the big deal is. No one’s doing anything wrong. And these are all consenting adults. I don’t really understand it, but I think that anything that provokes conversation is a very positive thing.”
Perhaps viewers are reacting to games like the one where the moms were blindfolded and had to run their hands over the men’s shirtless torsos to see if they could guess which one was their own son.
Or maybe they’re put off by the competition where both mothers and sons tried to guess which sexual secret was their own family member’s. The cast members had to come clean after writing their secrets anonymously. These included “I slept with my son’s best friend” and “I participated in group sex with several women.”
Whether Milf Manor is a brave new concept that empowers women, or as one critic called it “perhaps even a rock bottom” for reality TV, it’s achieved what it set out to do. It got people talking and watching. Even if they’re horrified.
