About
Intervention was a reality television series in which the friends and families of people with various kinds of addictions would stage interventions to persuade the addict to seek treatment. Dramatic clips from the show have frequently circulated online in the form of videos and animated GIFs.
History
Intervention ran from March 6th, 2005 to July 18th, 2013 and featured a wide variety of addictions, including alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive shopping, compulsive exercise, drug addiction, food addiction, inhalants addiction, gambling addiction, plastic surgery addiction, rage addiction, self-injury, sexual addiction and video game addiction.
Online Presence
On May 18th, 2011, the “Fuck Yes Intervention” Tumblr[1] blog was launched, which highlights screen captures and animated GIFs from the show (shown below).
On February 6th, 2012, Intervention cameraman Chris Baron did an “ask me anything” post on the /r/IAmA[3] subreddit about his experiences on the show, which gained over 1,800 votes (91% upvoted) prior to being archived. On May 29th, 2013, the VH1 YouTube channel uploaded a parody of Intervention in which a woman suffers from an addiction to twerking (shown below). In the first year, the video gained over 4.1 million views and 4,300 comments. On June 13th, the pop culture blog Vulture[2] published an article listing the “5 Most Unforgettable Episodes of Intervention.”
Related Memes
Walking on Sunshine
Walking on Sunshine is a video remix series based on footage from an Intervention episode detailing a young woman’s struggle with inhalant addiction. The videos usually feature the 1983 hit single with the same name by the English-American rock band Katrina and the Waves for comedic effect.
Best Cry Ever
Best Cry Ever is a series of remix videos based on a scene from Intervention, in which former boxer Rocky Lockridge has an emotional breakdown as his son professes his love for him. Due to the unordinary nature of his high pitched cry, the video became a popular source for parodies and remixes on YouTube.