Before I delve into my thoughts on the show, I have to say Chelsea Settles' face is like the sun....warm, bright, beautiful. When she smiles or has a genuine laugh (not that the nervous laugh we hear when she faces an uncomfortable topic), she is something to behold.
In last night's premiere episode, we get a glimpse into Chelsea Settles' world which consists of taking care of her ailing mother - a diabetic who is in need of a kidney transplant - while working and attending school.
Initially I was pretty pissed that the producers felt it necessary to shoot Chelsea "shame eating" in her car. My thought was, here we go into "circus-freak territory". But I am hoping that the producers will take the high road by delving deeper into how food soothes her like a drug (which is common for many people), as shown when she eats a candy bar at school and a feeling of calm washes over her.
Her doctor tells her that she is morbidly obese and she should only consume 1200 calories a day. Why the doctor didn't set her up with a nutritionist I'll never know. He's asking her to make a drastic change in her life without the proper skills to attain success. I guess it's makes for more interesting television if we watch her wander around the supermarket without a clue as to how find food that is both nutritious and satisfying. She joins a gym and we can feel her sense of happiness and accomplishment when she get through a strenuous workout.
We follow her as she picks up her long distance boyfriend from the airport. He's in basic training out of state, and wants her to move in with him get married, and pop out some babies. Oh and he cheated on her, but he's trying to to the right thing by asking her to marry him. Oh and he's not supportive of her dreams and goals. Oh and he has to remind her that she's gonna be uncomfortable in the City of Angels 'cuz you know.....ummmm she's fat. A keeper that one is.
More humiliation comes her way as she is literally pushed aside at a club while thinner women are admitted without a hassle, then taunted about her size in the parking lot when she leaves the club - specifically the entrance of the club - in shame.
In true reality show fashion, Chelsea finds a really cute place in Venice Beach over the internets, and her new roommate is sooooooo boho cool....cuz' finding cute house in a hip city sight unseen happens that easily.
Chelsea is a plucky lass and it's impossible not to like her. I'm hoping along her journey she finds her lady cojones. Will she find happiness in a the City of Dreams, a place that is a state of mind? We shall see.
Chelsea Settles MTV, Tuesday 11/10c
