Thursday, August 9, 2012

Abby and Brittany Hensel, conjoined 22-year-old twins, get their own reality TV series on TLC

From The NY Daily News:

Abby and Brittany Hensel — the 22-year-old conjoined twins of Oprah Winfrey fame — are back in the spotlight with their own reality TV show.

TLC’s “Abby and Brittany” follows the sisters as they graduate from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. and embark on the job hunt.

“Everywhere they go, they get the stares,” says a friend of the twins in a preview for the show. “I don’t know how they do that every day.”

The sisters — who share a body but have two heads — first fascinated the nation when they were featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1996 - just 6 years old at the time. The same year, they appeared twice on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

The Hensel twins have also been featured in documentaries on The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and in Time magazine.

In a preview for the reality the show, Abby and Brittany appear in graduation caps and gowns, sunbathing, riding a bike and even driving a car — living life like any other recent grad.

“We throw it out there, and we let it go,” Abby says of the twins’ unique situation.

The sisters are dicephalic parapagus twins, sharing several organs but each with their own distinct personalities — and their own driver’s license.

Brittany controls the right side of the body, while Abby steers the left (and it’s her foot on the accelerator).
“Abby and Brittany” will also follow the twins as they travel through Europe.

The show premieres Aug. 28 on TLC.