GEORGETOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — A local doctor recently made his reality TV debut on TLC's hit show "1,000-Lb. Sisters."
Dr. Eric Smith of Georgetown Bariatrics and Advanced Surgical Services is featured in its second season.
Kentucky sisters Tammy and Amy Slaton-Halterman are the stars of the TV show. They rose to fame after a silly but dangerous video of them doing the "Chubby Bunny Challenge" went viral.
The TLC show tracks their weight loss journey. Dr. Smith treats the show's star Tammy Slaton and her brother Chris.
"I think it's a great honor!" Smith told LEX18 in an interview.
He said the film crew is small, so the impact on the practice was not big.
"I think they do a really good job of not being overly intrusive to our practice," Smith said. "I think from the beginning I wanted to make sure it would never compromise the care that we give to our patients."
But it still took some getting used to. He said the first few minutes with a film crew inside the office was definitely different, but once he got talking it was business as usual.
What he's not used to, is getting recognized. But don't call him a celebrity.
"I wouldn't call myself a celebrity but it's all fun," Smith laughed. "I think it's great exposure for our practice and our hospital."
While Smith said he appreciates being on the show, he has a job to do. And that includes being brutally honest.
"Our first goal, long-term goal, is we have got to get at least 100 pounds off you," Smith said to Tammy in an episode. "If we do not reach that, we can't move forward with surgery."
We asked him what it was like to have these tough conversations with his patients like Tammy.
"Sometimes you have to have those conversations with them that say look if we don't make these changes, the outcome is not going to be good and I think many of these patients need that honesty if they're going to be successful," he said.
Smith is rooting for their success, whether his patients are stars of a reality TV show or not.
Season 2 has finished airing, but you can stream the episodes on Discovery+.
