Taboo USA

Taboo USA

Synopsis

It's time to dive deep into the red, white and taboo of America. Each episode will be themed (topics will be inspired by the highest rated Taboo episodes through the years) and deliver insights into American subcultures that practice the weird and the unbelievable.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Secret Passions

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    Everyone is born different and it's these differences that make up a colorful and diverse world. But for some, being born different has pushed them into the realm of the Taboo. In California, two "natural-born" Satanists devote their lives to the Devil, while a man who believes he's really a dog, trapped in a human body, lives out his canine fantasies in Pittsburgh. Also, a dominatrix takes the idea of training "ponies" to a whole new level. And a real life vampire tries to step outside the stereotypical Hollywood mold, in the darkness of New Orleans

  • Body Shock

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    American society places great value on physical beauty and those who achieve a firm and fit body. However, when someone exhibits an abnormality, they are often shunned and viewed as an outcast, sometimes even labeled, Taboo. In Hollywood, Florida a transgender woman is left deformed after having illegal plastic surgery, while a Texas woman struggles to maintain her life after finding out she is allergic to almost everything around her. In Tennessee, a woman copes with a life altering transformation when her body starts growing nails out of her hair follicles, and in New England, a man pushes his body to limits thought impossible in the quest for...

  • Odd Jobs

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    Everyday, millions of Americans go to work and perform occupations that would be considered ordinary. Most have traditional careers and strive for a life of normalcy and creature comforts. However, there are some people that have professions that are on the fringe. Dynamic jobs, that many would find strange, and even, taboo. In Fresno, California a minister tries to exorcise demons from troubled souls, while in New York City, an unorthodox painter finds his niche painting with his own blood. In Miami, a man works as a professional escort for a bevy of female clients, and in New Orleans, a voodoo priestess performs rituals to help those in need.

  • Home Strange Home

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    To most, home is a place of gathering, a place for family, for comfort, a place to live, grow, and come back to. However for some Americans, home is based on different, more unusual definitions; definitions that many might find, Taboo. Just outside of Miami, a man's backyard has become a battleground for brutality and brotherhood, while in Las Vegas, a network of flood tunnels provides shelter and community for the less fortunate. In West Hollywood, a man takes in those that are broken, discarded, and made of fiberglass, and in Austin, Texas, a man carries his home on his back and onto the couches of hundreds

  • Strange Obsessions

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    From sports to art to personal interests, commonly drive the way Americans think, act, and relate to the world and the people around them. Outside of Fresno, CA one woman is the landlord to one thousand feline tenants. What started as a few furry friends has rapidly grown into what is now a cat sanctuary, for those less fortunate felines. After long weeks at work as a customer service manager and a geologist, one couple comes home, takes off their shoes and puts on their red noses. Zoe calls herself Shivers and Willy calls himself Quivers, and the two leave their house again, as blood-splattered clowns. In Staten Island, NY a wife and mother spends...

  • Extreme Obesity

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    From billboards to media to fashion, American consumer culture promotes the conflicting dreams of supermodel beauty , and super-sized diets. In a country where a third of adults are classified as obese, being overweight has become a common fixture. However, there are some whose lifestyles stretch the limits of what many might call, Taboo. In Westminster, Colorado one woman has not only accepted her size, but has made a business from those with a different sort of appetite; while in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a couple claims that a successful relationship is simply a matter of give and take. South of Los Angeles, a woman runs a nightclub that...

  • Forever Young

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    From the sorcerers stone to the elixir of life, the quest for eternal youth has intrigued humanity since ancient times. Fueled by a desire to remain feeling and looking youthful, the modern day hunt lives on. But for some, that drive for energy and immortality results in extreme methods that many might call, Taboo. In California, one man finds his elixir in the byproducts of his own body, while in Hollywood, a man turns to the knife to achieve a look that is a cut above the rest. In Los Angeles, a man obsessed with his physique searches for a needle in the haystack of youth, while in New York City, a Sri Lankan guru trades his appetite for more...

  • Strange Bonds

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    Forming meaningful relationships is one of the most basic drives in daily American life. But for some, what is "normal" is not what works - for some, relationships need that extra something that many might call, Taboo. In Baltimore, Maryland, one man ignores a long-standing tradition of bigotry, to befriend his enemies, while in Wilton Manors, Florida, a man and a woman have transitioned into new bodies. And in Los Angeles, a married couple finds happiness with each other, and each of their significant others.

  • Inked, Pierced & Hooked

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    The practice of body modification has pervaded religion, science, and art in cultures across the world since ancient times. Though in a country driven by image, there is an importance placed on appearances, which some Americans defy by pushing the limits of what is acceptable, and what many might consider, Taboo. In San Diego, California, a church congregation proves that they are hooked on God, while in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a band of inventors are compelled by a magnetic interest in hacking their own bodies. In Flagstaff, Arizona, a group of women stretch their artistic canvas, while in Austin, Texas, one man shows his wild side, inside...

  • Strange Medicine

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    In a country, where over 10 million people a year undergo cosmetic surgery, it is not uncommon to turn to the knife for aesthetic improvements. However in West Palm Beach, FL there is one surgeon who pushes the boundary of acceptable procedures having completed over 15,000 leg lengthening surgeries. In Homestead, FL, a health enthusiast chooses instead to embrace snakes by injecting their venom into his veins. Claiming that the venom is responsible for his good health, he has been injecting this potentially fatal serum for over 20 years. And, in Brooklyn, NY a certified leech therapist believes that these parasitic creatures can help heal clients...