Adam Barta & Tan Mom Dish on New Reality TV Parody Series

#THEDISH, a five-episode hilarious parody of reality television starring “Mama June” Shannon and Adam Barta, is now available to stream on Tubi TV.

Following rich widow Cynthia Beaumont, who gives Barta a blank check to create a new type of reality show unlike any the world has ever seen before, he enlists celebrity friends including Shannon, the infamous Tan Mom (Patricia Krentcil), as well as 80s pop sensation Debbie Gibson, media personality David Pakman, and a slew of drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Barta sees this as his chance for global stardom; however, everyone else is seeking to steal the spotlight and seize the opportunity to stage their own comebacks to reality TV glory.

The show was inspired by Barta’s own botched pursuit at reality stardom.

“#THEDISH is gimmicky, overly dramatic, and wildly absurd,” he says. “Like all reality shows, we blur the line between fact and fiction, but what makes #THEDISH different is that we tip in the audience when we do.”

OFM sat down with both Barta and Krentcil to talk more about the series.

Adam, can you begin by telling us how the concept and idea for #THEDISH came to fruition?

Adam Barta: I was a music artist back in 2020. Patricia and I were doing these songs, and we had all this success on Howard Stern, but I had to pivot because the world went crazy once the pandemic hit. I couldn’t perform or do live shows, so it became this thing where I was asking myself, “How can I become creative? How do I do what I do, which is make people laugh, sing, and have fun?” So, I started throwing myself heavily into YouTube and online streaming, and I quickly found that I had such a passion and love for creating these comedic skits, and this reality TV angle that I found with these YouTubers. It all blended together.

Over the next couple of years, I sort of assembled this cast of motley characters. From Tan Mom to Mama June to drag queens, I was like, this is actually a TV show. I think this is something that could live outside of YouTube live streaming. With the dynamic of everybody coming together, I was like, “Let’s put this out there,” and it was just sort of born.

And this is your first full series. How meaningful is that for you?

AB: It’s very special for me, especially because this was something I had talked about with my mom, who passed away in 2016. Here we are seven to eight years later, and the fact that she is in the show, there’s a scene that we filmed that is so incredibly special for me. For anyone who has lost a parent, they know how hard this can be. So, to have them with you on a journey of achieving your dream is something I could never have asked for at this point in my life. Regardless if the show is a hit or a flop, I am so proud of it, and I always will be.

Like you mentioned, the show includes Mama June and a slew of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens, and we also have Debbie Gibson, Cynthia Beaumont, and Tan Mom. Patricia, how did you get involved with this project?

Patricia Krentcil: Number one, Adam has been my friend for over 10 years. We’ve been through a lot together, and it’s been amazing to watch him grow. We were doing songs together left and right, and then we finally had a great hit, “Free 2 Be Me.” Howard Stern is a very good friend of mine, so once it went on there, it went wild. After that, the people that Adam knows and associates with encouraged me to work with him further. Then he came up with #THEDISH. I believe in Adam. Reality shows are a joke, but life is a joke. He’s done such a great production, and I’m glad this is something I went into with him.

How did you and Adam initially meet?

PK: We met at a restaurant in New Jersey called Zinburger. The paparazzi were following me, and what I went through was complete insanity. I honestly couldn’t leave my house much. To make a long story short, we’re at the restaurant; I had a few drinks too many, and I started singing “Diamonds in the Sky,” and I kissed Adam, not knowing he was gay. That’s how we met, and we’ve been friends ever since!

AB: And there’s video of this on Howard Stern if you want to watch!

What did you enjoy the most about working on this series?

PK: I just loved hanging out with Adam and doing it. This was such a fun project to work on.

AB: What I think is also interesting about Patricia is that in episode one, you see her, and she just has this surgery. So, she looks very bloated and overweight. She’s not that comfortable with herself and hates the way she looks, but towards the end of the series, she does this photoshoot. I think part of the juxtaposition is how bad she looks in episode one by her own admission, and how good she looks in episode five. She has this turnaround story arc where she goes from kind of a hot mess to a really pretty hot mess (laughs).

I read that many scenes in #THEDISH, although highly exaggerated, actually happened. Is this true?

AB: Yes! Everything that happened in this series is true, except for the part where I get a threatening text message. In reality, I did get a text message from someone saying they were going to find me and kill me. Like, they texted me my address and called me the F-word. It was terrifying, and we were initially going to include this in the show, but when it took on this comical tone, it didn’t really fit in the narrative. We were like, we need to change this. Let’s make it funny, so we made it where someone was trying to expose my Drag Race audition tape.

Ultimately, what do you hope viewers take away from #THEDISH?

AB: That the state of reality TV in 2023 is ridiculous. It’s so stupid, and you cannot take it seriously. You can’t help but laugh at it. I want to give audiences an opportunity to say, look, we know when two housewives are sitting down to have dinner, and they’re throwing dishes, we know it’s a setup. It’s funny, and it’s OK to laugh because it’s so stupid. It’s not serious. Honestly, it’s a tribute to the audience. A tribute to reality TV watching audiences who want to shout, “This is stupid!”

PK: Exactly. #THEDISH is just a funny new reality show, and I hope people just like it. It’s a joke.

Adam, have you always had a passion for entertainment?

AB: Yes. My dad gave me my first camcorder when I was 15, and I had such a passion for filmmaking. I then diverted my career into music because I started to have success doing that. My career as a musician evolved by doing duets with people like Tan Mom, Octomom, and Honey Boo Boo, and it just seemed like a sketch comedy show was the next step.

What about you, Patricia? Did you always have entertainment aspirations?

PK: I spent my whole life modeling, and I’ve done so many movies and songs, which would have been much better if Adam directed. Better for me, at least (laughs). I needed his guidance, and he’s always been there for me. But yes, I’ve been a part of the industry since I was born.

After the whole media frenzy that happened 10 or 11 years ago, and you being dubbed as the infamous Tan Mom, I thought you would have wanted to stay out of the public light. You said in other interviews that the media basically crushed your soul.

PK: They completely crushed my soul, but then I met Howard Stern, and that was the beginning and end of it all.

You turned that negative into a positive.

PK: Yes. People know me as Tan Mom, but they call me by my name now, Patricia Marie. It was the losers who wanted to try and default me, and of course, that’s what was going to be made public. You could literally see photographers in my trees, it was insane. And the owner of the tanning salon where this happened, she came out saying she never did this, but she still went with it. Imagine having your whole life go upside down.

Adam, any word on if there will be a second season of #THEDISH?

AB: We’ve already started creatively brainstorming for season two. Again, it really comes down to, unfortunately or fortunately with streaming, the audience. At the end of the day, it’s a business, and that’s what TV is. In order for more episodes to be made, we need money and an audience. I already have the framework for Season 2, and I’ve talked to Patricia and other certain people like Tammie Brown, and they’re on board for coming back, so it’s just a matter of the show growing, gaining the audience, and working with a budget it deserves. But 100%, we are planning to do more.

Before we wrap up, do either of you have any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like the mention or plug?

AB: We have another series called Tan Talk, which Howard Stern fans will love. It’s three episodes, and it does involve Tan Mom contacting Jeffrey Dahmer on a Ouija board, so there’s that!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Barta by following him on Instagram @adambarta, or visit his official website, adambarta.com. Follow Krentcil on Instagram @realtanmom, while the latest updates on #THEDISH can be found @thedish_official.

Season 1 of #THEDISH is now available to stream on Tubi.

Photos courtesy of Aquetra Media