Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is going from obnoxious to odoriferous. Last summer, the infamous TLC reality show chronicling the misadventures of the, um, salt-of-the-earth Thompson clan was all up in everyone's grill. When the so-bad-it's-good program returns for its new season later this month, however, it's gonna be all up in your nose.
In a gag that totally reeks of a marketing stunt, the network is distributing millions of "Watch 'n' Sniff" cards to Honey Boo Boo viewers starting later this week to be used for the first two episodes of the second season, which debuts on July 17. And we have a few of guesses as to what sort of smells will be included.
See also: Guilty TV Pleasures: Amy Silverman's Defense of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: Our Five Favorite Scenes in Celebration (and Yes, Anticipation) of the Season Finale Honey Boo Boo's Sketti: We Made It, Here's What It Tastes Like
Anyone who picks up the July 15 issue of People (available at newsstands, corner drugstores, and supermarket checkout aisles starting Friday) or the July 22 issue of US Weekly (available July 12) can nab one of 10 million of the scented and scratchable cards that can be used when watching both the season premiere and the second episode.
Specific numbers will appear on screen at various points throughout either episode corresponding with six scents on each card that viewers are encouraged to rub off and then smell. (Honey Boo Boo fans can also match up the smells via this website for a chance to win $5,000.) And according to Mama June herself, not every one will be pleasant.
"Take a big whiff and see what you smell," she says in an online promo video for the stunt. "Some don't smell too good."
Last year, millions of TV viewers -- including our own Amy Silverman -- were enraptured by the gonzo glimpse into the bizarre lives and southern-fried misadventures of the Thompson family and its lively kiddie beauty pageant queen Alana that the show (pretty much the guiltiest of all guilty TV pleasures) afforded them.
This summer, however, Honey Boo Boo fans are getting the chance to get up close and personal with the family in a way they probably never imagined. Since the stunt was announced last month, there's (naturally) been even more shocked reactions and declarations about how the show is the yardstick of how low pop culture has sunk. But, hey, that's what Honey Boo Boo is famous for, right?
Besides, interactive smelling experiences have been used as a gimmick for decades (from the days of the John Waters' cult film Polyester up to BBC using similar scratch 'n' sniff cards for its show Filthy Cities in 2011).
So what sort of scents are going to be contained on the card? Here are five of our best guesses. And as the above video promo strongly hints at, we're predicting some pretty horrid smells.
5. The Department Store Or as the rest of humanity calls it "the dump," which the Thompson's memorably visited last season in order to go shopping. Given the fragrant nature of most landfills, we're expecting to catch a whiff of such things during the first two episodes.
4. Bad Breath Hygenie isn't exactly of supreme importance in this family. For proof, look no further than wretched pie-holes of Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson (a.k.a. Honey Boo Boo's dad and Mama June's "shackin' up mate"). Alana's sis Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon also stated last season that she only scrubs her teeth for "special occasions." Think of it as an opportunity to play the home version of "Guess Who's Breath?"
3. Go Go Juice The drink of choice in the Thompson household is this combination of Red Bull and Mountain Dew, first made famous when Alana and Mama June were appearing on Toddlers & Tiaras, the show that begat Honey Boo Boo. Like the taste of the mixture, it boasts an unmistakable and sickly sweet aroma (believe us, we've smelled it) and it's certain the smell will also keep you wired for hours.
2. Mama June's Farts The matriarch of the Thompson family is more than a little outspoken about her proclivity for giving off noxious emissions, to the tune of a dozen or more times a day. We recommend skipping this one. Really.
1. Sketti Those who haven't attempted to make the family's favorite dish (check out Chow Bella's attempt and the vile results) can finally experience the smell of simmering ketchup and margarine simmering for themselves.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo's season premiere airs on July 17.
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