‘My Strange Addiction’: One ‘Human Doll’ Almost Lost Their Nose
Thanks to My Strange Addiction, fans have found out about some rather unusual hobbies. From a man who wanted to look like Justin Bieber, to a woman who eats a square foot of mattress a day. The show was bizarre, even by reality TV standards. While some of the stories were often twisted to get better ratings, some people on the show were very much real, like the living Ken doll who almost lost his nose.
What is ‘My Strange Addiction?’
My Strange Addiction is a documentary series that explores some of the hobbies or obsessions outside of the norm. While the show is called My Strange Addictions, many of the subjects on the show don’t have a true addiction.
Dr. Peter Martin, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee told ABC News, “These are more obsessions rather than an addiction. These obsessions are things that in general alleviate anxiety, and it has a place in the person’s psyche. That activity relaxes them. It’s something that they do because they’re worried that something terrible may happen.”
There were definitely some unusual obsessions on My Strange Addiction. The show explored the creepy, the outlandish, and the completely bizarre. It was sort of like Ripley’s Believe it or Not, but a little edgier.
One woman on the show ate her husband’s ashes. Another is addicted to tanning beds. Perhaps one of the stranger episodes was of a man who is married to a doll. People who went on the show often did so for attention and knew what they were getting into. For others, they merely thought they were going to get their fifteen minutes of fame. They had no idea they were really getting their fifteen minutes of notoriety.
Some ‘strange addictions’ weren’t that strange after all
TLC has been known to edit its shows in an effort to make things more exciting, and My Strange Addiction gets more than its fair share of rewrites. For example, Divya Anantharaman was a taxidermist who the show portrayed as extremely creepy. In reality, she runs a very tasteful and ethical taxidermy business that caters to museums and designers.
Another group of young women were showcased on the living dolls episode. They thought they were just on there to show their love of Lolita fashions. They were shocked when with how they were portrayed when the episode hit the airwaves. The man who was also on the living dolls episode knew what the show was about, however, and he didn’t hesitate to share why he’s addicted to looking like a Ken doll.
The Human Ken Doll story was real
Rodrigo Alves is a reality TV star from Brazil who holds a fascination for Ken dolls. In fact, he has spent thousands of dollars to look like one. He was portrayed to have an addiction to plastic surgery and has gone under the knife several times in order to achieve his dream. It almost didn’t all turn out so well, however.
In 2016, Alves underwent surgery to get a more Ken-worthy nose. His body rejected the new nose, and he developed necrosis, which is the death of most or all cells in an organ or tissue, and can lead to issues like gangrene, according to MedLine Plus. It was so bad that doctors feared he would have to have his nose amputated.
Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. Alves did indeed lose part of his nose, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. It’s now “significantly smaller,” according to Screen Rant, but he still has his nose.
Alves has continued to undergo plastic surgery since then. One surgery was estimated to cost around $35,000 in British Pounds. It appears that Alves’ ‘strange addiction’ continues on.
