Episode 1: Welcome to Camp Shane

Welcome to Camp Shane — one of the first weight loss camps for kids. In its 50+ years of operation, Shane was a haven for children who felt discarded by the real world. Kids who were bullied, excluded, and ostracized became confident and embodied. Campers gained friends, made romantic connections, and discovered a sense of identity. Celebrity endorsements and media coverage assured parents that Camp Shane was life-changing, but inside its gates, things were far from perfect.

Camp Shane—one of America’s longest running weight loss camps for kids—promised extraordinary results. Campers who began the summer in heavy bodies were often unrecognizable when they left. In a society obsessed with being thin, it seemed like a miracle solution.

But there were some dark truths behind Camp Shane’s facade of happy, transformed children. Kids were being pushed to their physical and emotional limits as the family that owned Shane turned a blind eye. More than 50 years after its founding, host Kelsey Snelling is bringing the real story of Camp Shane to light.

In this eight-episode series, she unpacks and investigates stories of mistreatment and reexamines the culture of fatphobia that enabled a flawed system to continue for so long. Along the way, she reveals and weighs the heavy price of shame.

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