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Louis Theroux which delves into the weirder fringes of American society.
1998
In Dallas, Louis meets TV evangelists Marcus and Joni Lamb, and joins a group of hardline Christians called The Family as they visit the Deep Ellum entertainment district.
Louis has a close encounter with the community of hardcore UFO believers in the South West of America - but not even an illicit foray into the ultra-top-secret Area 51 military base and a garbled message from the planet Koldas can answer all his questions.
Louis strips off and plunges into the world of Porn. From the glossy high-end productions to the sleazy "gonzo" flicks, he gets intimate with the men and women who bang for bucks. But is it all as fun as it seems? And what happens when you can't "get wood"?
Louis travels to the American North West, a place where survivalists, white separatists, and paranoid "freedom fighters" are arming themselves against the "New World Order". Meet the "radical nuts" and "noodles" who shoot first and ask questions later.
1999
Louis investigates the world of television informercials and tries to sell a paper shredder on television as an infomercial host.
Louis journeys to Southern California to investigate the weird world of wife-swapping. Is he man enough for the group room? And what do you do if you want to touch someone's primary erogenous zones?
American black nationalist groups have been branded anti-Semitic, homophobic, misogynist and even racist by the mainstream press. Louis Theroux goes to Harlem in New York to meet its proponents, and meets the Reverend Al Sharpton, the main point of contact in the black nationalist movement. Theroux also meets Khalid Abdul Muhammad, dubbed by the media 'the most dangerous man in America' and visits the Israeli School of Universal Practical Knowledge, who believe that blacks are the true Israelites and that all English monarchs until early modern times were black. Theroux also joins Al Sharpton on a march on Wall Street to protest at the shooting by New York police of Amadou Diallo, who was shot 19 times.
Louis has to overcome his nerves to enter a demolition derby in car-mad Michigan.
Louis meets the hordes of out-of-work actors in New York as they try to land a part – and even goes on an audition himself, for a job on a Norwegian cruise ship.
How real is wrestling? How dangerous is it? Does Louis have what it takes to become one? Just some of the questions Louis answers in this adventure into the American subculture.
2000
Louis infiltrates the American self-empowerment movement to see if he too can use trance technique to unlock the secret to personal wealth and sexual attractiveness . But is it possible to be too good at picking up strange women, even if you wear glasses?
Louis travels to India to witness Westerners seeking enlightenment. In Goa he meets 57-year old American astrologer Deepak who studies meditation. He moves on to meet Mike, who is a follower of Swami Ganapathi Sachchidananda, and Amma who claims spiritual powers through hugging people. He joins Amma on a pilgrimage with 400 believers on their three-month tour of India. He also meets Swami Ganapathi Sachchidananda, but is not convinced that the Swami's techniques differ from those of magician David Copperfield, whose stage show the Swami once enjoyed while visiting Las Vegas.
Louis visits the whites-only communities that want nothing to do with a multi-racial South Africa and discovers a world of fire-breathing Boers ("Don't get cocky with me, my friend!") and unrepentant German Nazis.
Louis travels to California, home of the body beautiful, to see if he can join the world of extreme body building. After working out with Guy Grundy, a leading amateur, he soon realises he is not cut out to be a muscle man and goes off in search of another role in the bodybuilding world. Theroux travels to Charles Peeple's farm in Connecticut, where Peeple's has transformed his farm into a playboy mansion for female body builders. While here, Theroux gets a part in a female muscle film being made at the farm.
Louis visits a Bangkok marriage agency where Western men meet Thai brides.
Louis storms the Ghettos of the Dirty South with his own unique Gangsta Rap Flava. But how will the real-life players and pimps take to a rapper who enjoys fine wine and playing with kittens? And when they talk about "slapping bitches," that's a joke, right?
Louis Theroux
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