Even people who aren’t fans of Dr. Pimple Popper are aware of the show for one unpleasant reason: the ads. Boils, warts, zits, cysts, and blisters, sometimes of enormous proportions, are flashed across the screen with the kind of close-up detail no one ever asked for. 90 Day Fiancé fans have been particularly vocal about their dislike of the ads. They’ve tuned in for an evening of snacking while watching relationship drama, and are suddenly bombarded with the sorts of images that will put you off your popcorn.
Dr. Pimple Popper follows Dr. Sandra Lee, a dermatologist, as she deals with strange and unusual cases, such as a man who grew what she called an extra nose. She started her own Youtube channel where she talked about her work before she eventually got her own TLC show, which premiered January 3, 2018.
Dr. Pimple Popper appeals to fans of gross-out entertainment. Viewers enjoy being shocked by the bizarre and unusual growths on the human body and their messy removal. In order to draw in that unique audience, advertisers feel the need to show the graphic nature of the medical cases, both before and during treatment. But it’s difficult to express the details the show doesn’t shy away from without grossing out most of the population, who can’t understand the appeal.
It got so bad, someone started a change.org petition to stop the commercials. While the petition is at least a couple of years old, people continue to occasionally stumble upon it and sign it. It’s not that people think the show shouldn’t be allowed to air, they just don’t want it thrown in their faces when that isn’t the kind of show they have tuned in to watch.
Unfortunately for 90 Day Fiancé fans, they won’t even be safe by making the move to Discovery+. The streaming service is hosting the spin-off series, Dr. Pimple Popper: This Is Zit, delving even deeper into the excavations of various growths. The basic Discovery+ subscription includes commercials, so fans are still in danger of being bombarded with unpleasant images while trying to follow troubled relationships and drastic makeovers.
TLC has ignored the disgusted groans of their views for years, refusing to cease their ads. Maybe Discovery+ will listen to their viewers and adjust the advertising. With a little creativity, maybe advertisers will be able to find a way to entice certain viewers without repelling all others.
Source: Change.org