LOS ANGELES—In a groundbreaking series that includes shocking close-ups of the 28-year-old subject eating a bowl of Froot Loops on the couch, the TLC television network premiered a new show this week that stars Benjamin Neufeld, a man who is 5 pounds overweight. “Some people may say we’re exploiting his condition, but we believe we are educating and enlightening Americans about the realities of what it’s really like to be a few pounds overweight,” series creator Tara Klein said in response to buzz circulating online after the release of a clip that viewers called “disgusting”—a scene in which the medical marvel is bent over and struggling to catch his breath after climbing only five flights of stairs. “In the first episode, we accompany Benjamin to an appointment with his doctor, where he is informed he weighs nearly 170 pounds. Despite this sobering news, Benjamin chooses to skip the gym for the third day in a row and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We will also be introduced to his girlfriend, Courtney, who is 4 pounds overweight herself and something of an enabler, as she often encourages Benjamin to sit down on the sofa and watch up to two hours of Netflix at a time.” Klein added that TLC would also be launching a new series that followed a family in which every member was under 5-foot-3.
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