My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding
Genre	Reality
Starring	Sondra Celli Mellie Stanley York Nettie Stanley Kayla Williams Laura Johnston
Narrated by	Ellen K
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	33
Production
Location(s)	United States
Running time	40 to 43 minutes
Production company(s)	Firecracker Films
Release
Original network	TLC
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Original release	April 29, 2012 – present
Chronology
Related shows	Big Fat Gypsy Weddings Gypsy Sisters
External links
Website

Promotional image from TLC

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding is a controversial US reality television series that debuted on the TLC in April 2012. It claims to revolve around the marriage customs of Romani-Americans ("Gypsies") – allegedly members of Romanichal clans.^[1] It is a spin-off of Britain's Channel 4 series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.^[2][3]

It was announced in June 2012 that the series had been renewed for a second season, which debuted March 24, 2013. Season 4 premiered April 4, 2014 and Season 5 in February 2015.^[4][5]

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding has led to a spinoff series: Gypsy Sisters (2013).

Controversies

Both the British original and the American version of the series have faced a number of controversies, including allegations of racism in its advertising^[6][7] and causing racially motivated bullying.^[8] The Romani Gypsy community has criticized the series for misrepresenting the ethnic minority with non-Romani characters posing as “Gypsy”,^[9][10] and Billy Welch – a spokesman for Romani Gypsies – stated:

“

They called the show Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and you've yet to see a Romani Gypsy in it.[11]

”

The American version of the series has faced controversy and criticism from Romani-Americans, and from journalists and activists concerned with minority rights, claiming that the series is “wildly misleading,” cultivating racist stereotypes, and misrepresenting the American Romani/Gypsy community.^[12][13][14]

Episodes

Season		Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale
	1	8	April 29, 2012	June 17, 2012
	2	8	March 24, 2013	May 5, 2013
	3	8	April 3, 2014	May 22, 2014
	4	8	February 26, 2015	April 16, 2015
	5	8	July 17, 2016	September 4, 2016

Season 1 (2012)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
1	1	"Virgin Gypsy Brides"	April 29, 2012	1.68[15]
2	2	"14 and Looking for Mr. Right"	May 6, 2012	1.68[16]
3	3	"It's a Man's World"	May 13, 2012	1.58[17]
4	4	"Wild Gypsy Mellie"	May 20, 2012	1.30[18]
5	5	"Murphy's Secret Village"	May 27, 2012	1.34[19]
6	6	"Showdown at the Altar"	June 3, 2012	1.88[20]
7	7	"Kissing Cousins"	June 10, 2012	1.54[21]
8	8	"Blingtastic Baptism"	June 17, 2012	1.48[22]

Season 2 (2013)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
9	1	"Gypsy Traditions and Superstitions"	March 24, 2013	1.25[23]
10	2	"Double Wedding, Double Trouble!"	March 31, 2013	0.78[24]
11	3	"Don't Mess with the Nest"	April 7, 2013	1.04[25]
12	4	"She's Out of There, She's Got to Go!"	April 14, 2013	1.34[26]
13	5	"Loud Proud Gypsies"	April 21, 2013	0.81[27]
14	6	"Feuding Families and Broken Hearts"	April 28, 2013	1.02[28]
15	7	"All Bets Are Off"	May 5, 2013	1.36[29]
16	8	"Love Is a Battlefield"	May 5, 2013	1.37[29]

Season 3 (2014)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
-	-	"Most Blingtastic Moments"	April 3, 2014	0.82[30]
17	1	"A Love Worth Fighting For"	April 3, 2014	0.99[30]
18	2	"Big Dreams, Bigger Problems"	April 10, 2014	N/A
19	3	"Wed at First Sight"	April 17, 2014	1.12[31]
20	4	"Caught in a Gypsy Love Triangle"	April 24, 2014	1.10[32]
21	5	"You've Got to Fight for Your Right...to Marry"	May 1, 2014	0.95[33]
22	6	"Nukkie and Pookie Say I Do"	May 8, 2014	1.09[34]
23	7	"Wedded to Disaster"	May 15, 2014	1.05[35]
24	8	"The Masquerade Ball"	May 22, 2014	0.93[36]

Season 4 (2015)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
25	1	"The Greek Goddess and the Giant Gown"	February 26, 2015	N/A
26	2	"When Bridesmaids Go Bad"	March 5, 2015	N/A
27	3	"From Jail to Wedding Veil"	March 12, 2015	N/A
28	4	"Gypsy Jinxes and Wedding Hijinks"	March 19, 2015	N/A
29	5	"So I Married my Ex-Babysitter..."	March 26, 2015	0.96[37]
30	6	"Rituals, Rules and the Ultimate Gypsy Test"	April 2, 2015	N/A
31	7	"A Romney Rebel Returns"	April 9, 2015	N/A
32	8	"The Gypsy Ball: A Night to Remember"	April 16, 2015	N/A

Season 5 (2016)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
33	1	"Rotting Dresses and Candy Messes"	July 17, 2016	N/A
34	2	"Double Wedding From Hell"	July 24, 2016	N/A
35	3	"Gypsy Mamas Gone Mad"	July 31, 2016	N/A
36	4	"Mama Said Knock You Out"	August 7, 2016	N/A
37	5	"Welcome to Hillbilly Hell"	August 14, 2016	N/A
38	6	"Gypsy Princesses on the Prowl"	August 21, 2016	N/A
39	7	"You Don't Know Gypsy!"	August 28, 2016	N/A
40	8	"An American Gypsy in Romania"	September 4, 2016	N/A

Specials

No.	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
-	"The Stanley Sisters"	July 1, 2012	1.23[11]
This special revolves specifically around the Stanley Sisters: Kayla, Nettie, Mellie, and sister-in-law Laura. Nettie is struggling with her younger sister Mellie working at a strip club, believing it shames the family. Nettie is also worried about her 14-year-old daughter, Nukkie, running off to Princeton, West Virginia with a 17-year-old boy named Pookie, and tries to hunt her down but ends up with her daughter, Dallas, and Kayla quarreling with Pookie's family. Kayla is busy planning her son's baptism party. Laura helps Nettie look for Nukkie. Mellie is angry when Nettie and her daughter-in-law Lottie come to her workplace and confront her about working at the strip club.
-	"The Aftermath"	July 1, 2012	1.14[11]
All of the Stanley sisters convene to discuss the past season. The first topic on the able was the aftermath of Heath and Alyssa's wedding. Mellie explains that she hates Alyssa and wants to attack but rises above the situation and pretends that she does not exist. Nettie states that Alyssa is welcome to be a Stanley but claims Alyssa is spreading false information about her. Alyssa declines the invitation to the reunion but is given an exclusive interview to express herself to the Stanleys. Heath and Alyssa's marriage lasted a month, Alyssa moved back in with her parents to take care of her baby boy. Alyssa feels Heath is a bad influence on her son thus the reason for the divorce. Later, the girls pick out their favorite wedding dresses that have been worn throughout Season 1. Nettie and Nukkie have reconciled so Nukkie now lives with her mom again. Nettie accepts Pookie and agrees to let them date as long as it leads to marriage. Nettie and Mellie's relationship is tested with the aftermath of the confrontation regarding Mellie working as a stripper. Ellen K declares the reunion as one "Big Fat American Gypsy Wild Ride".

References

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