You may disagree with the presentation, but it's still a documentary about real people's lives. If you watch the show you'll realize it's very sympathetic to the people suffering from obesity. I agree (as mentioned originally) these are extreme cases though.
And a Potemkin village still has real people in it. The point is: TLC [1] reality TV programs exist to entertain. They'll choose the most entertaining examples, not the most typical or illustrative. That bias means that's it's especially problematic to use them to show how "these people are."
[1] The network of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" fame
I agree with you we shouldn't generalize, but ironically you're doing the same thing about television shows. If you've watched the show, what do you find disagreeable about it? If you haven't watched it, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge.
Anyway, I concede it's a bad talking point for the point I was making.
EDIT: On second thought, my original comment is such a tangent I probably should not have made it. While I may disagree with some of the details of your reasoning, I agree with your overall point.
