As far as reality TV goes, there’s gross, there’s super-gross… and then there’s “My Strange Addiction.” Launched by TLC in 2010 (it’s on The Learning Channel! We’re learning!), “Addiction” profiles seemingly normal people with deeply abnormal compulsions -- mostly to eat things not generally considered edible. Like cigarette ashes. Or household cleanser. Or rocks.
We’re thoroughly repulsed by the things these people put in their mouths… yet we can’t look away. So in honor of “Addiction’s” Season 4 premiere this week, we’re looking back (through our fingers) at the most disgusting things people have eaten on this show. Just to give you some sense of the ick factor here, “Addiction” has shown people eating dirt, cat treats, and dryer sheets -- and those didn’t even make our list! Read on... just make sure you’re not eating anything while you do.
Cat Hair
Lisa loves her cat. Oh, did we say “love”? We meant “lick”; she licks her cat. On this week's premiere, she happily snacks on clumps of cat hair like they’re potato chips. “It’s so soft and fluffy… like cotton candy, almost,” she says. Almost, but not really. Because cotton candy is food, and cat hair is not. Even her sister Andromeda thinks she’s crazy… and she’s named Andromeda!
Urine
Need some help vomiting? Urine in luck! Carrie drinks five glasses of her own pee a day… and she looks so healthy because of it, doesn’t she? She just loves the taste; watch here as she swishes it around in her mouth like a wine snob and declares, “Hmmm… maybe a little lemony!” Honestly, we couldn’t even get through this entire clip without turning away in disgust. Even we have limits.
Cigarette Ashes
Bianca is really craving a cigarette right now… no, not to smoke, silly. To eat! In addition to eating pottery (an issue in and of itself), this girl chows down on the ashes from her sister’s cigarettes, calling them “kind of salty, kind of gritty.” And don’t forget, kind of disgusting. Best part: when she eyes her sister’s cig and says, “That cigarette looks really good… the ashes look good.” You know, because actually smoking a cigarette would be ridiculous. That stuff will kill you.
Glass
Josh already looks like a circus freak, so it’s not a total shock that he’s addicted to eating glass. He prefers champagne glasses and light bulbs, because of the thin glass used to make them. Makes sense, right? What doesn’t make sense: This guy is engaged! Some girl said to herself, “Would I like to spend the rest of my life with a glass eater? Why, yes I would!” We know the singles scene is tough, but c’mon.
Household Cleanser
Crystal started out using her household cleanser for its intended purpose of cleaning… but then the smell of it made her mouth water. Now she eats it every day, licking up big clumps of it like it's Fun Dip or something. Did we mention she’s been doing this for thirty years? How is Crystal still alive? So many questions… very few answers.
