Virginity was once a desirable and coveted trait, signifying purity and innocence. But, it turns out we no longer admire these qualities, and with the prevalence of sexuality in North American culture, a virgin beyond his or her teens is not only a late bloomer, but a social outcast.

So when the never-been-kissed and 650-pound David Smith began documenting his weight-loss journey for television viewers around the globe, it was natural that his virginity at 32 years of age and non-existent love life ended up being the focus of what became a one-hour freak show titled 650-lb Virgin.

“The first documentary wasn’t made specifically about my love life but it turned into that,” explains Smith, whose weight prevented him from living the life of an average bachelor in his prime. “The main story is everything that I’ve overcome and if my love life gets tangled up in there, that’s fine with me, too.”

What makes Smith’s story different from the succession of half-ton individuals battling the bulge on TLC — aside from his modest net weight — is his drive to lose inches the natural way. While many morbidly and super-morbidly obese people opt for gastric bypass surgery, which divides the stomach cavity for rapid and effortless weight loss, Smith managed to slim down using the old-fashioned method of diet and exercise, dropping nearly 40 pounds in the first month alone and more than 400 pounds altogether.

But his success didn’t come without obstacles. After losing 100 pounds, Smith says he came close to giving up, and after entering the dating scene in search of his first girlfriend, he gained a portion of the weight back.

“I got down in weight but put it back on because of the pressures of dating,” he says. “I felt that in a way this weight would be a blanket as far as me not having to put any effort into going up to girls because I was a little bit heavier. It’s unfortunate because I really want this but subconsciously, I put it on.”

Touched on in the original film, Smith’s ongoing quest to finding love paved the way for a follow-up documentary, 650-lb Virgin: The Weight is Over. It is in this sequel that viewers follow Smith as he dabbles in bar-hopping, speed-dating and even meow mixers, on top of the matchmaking, blind dates and Internet dating he’s also reluctantly explored with the assistance of a dating coach.

“I hate going to the dating events and stuff like that,” Smith laments. “And when I did go to the dating events, I had the cameras on me so I didn’t know if these girls were into me or just being on TV; I felt uncomfortable about that.”

Despite finding only moderate success on the dating scene, Smith has not only put his morbidly obese days behind him, but he traded in his V-card between filming for the original documentary and its successor. Nevertheless, he still considers his love life to be awkward and nausea-inducing. Meanwhile, he hasn’t gone out socially since filming wrapped three weeks ago.

Smith’s reality isn’t exactly the hopeful picture painted by his latest television appearance. But while dating anxieties persist, Smith continues to date Carolyn, the massage therapist he met during filming, and has become a role model and sex symbol for fans worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the self-conscious Smith regards this adulation as “a lot of pressure. But it’s pretty weird. I don’t see myself as that at all. I don’t see myself as a sex symbol. You have to have a lot of sex to be a sex symbol.”

650-lb Virgin: The Weight is Over premières Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 p.m. ET, TLC.

 

Thoughts? szolis@tvguide.ca

 

 

Whether it’s reality or scripted TV, Stephanie firmly believes the most important element to any series is a sordid romantic story arc.— Grey’s Anatomy’s MerDer, Laguna Beach/The Hills’ Lauren and Jason, The Office’s PB & J, and General Hospital’s Spoily, to name a few. The more dysfunctional a couple is, the better.

A proud single gal with an obsession for everything New York, Stephanie is one relocation away from living out her dream as a Carrie Bradshaw impostor. In the meantime, her weekly column scrutinizes the most explosive couples, crushes and relationship catastrophes to unfold on the small screen.

 

 

Follow TV Guide Canada on Facebook