Meet the mother-daughter pairs of 'sMothered,' who are extremely close and do things like get nipple piercings and sleep naked together

• The reality-television series "sMothered" follows extremely close mom-daughter relationships.
• The seven duos on the TLC show do things like sleep naked and get nipple piercings together.

Cathy and her 36-year-old daughter, Ashley, know they have an unusually close relationship, but even they were shocked a few years ago when they learned they'd been on a first date with the same man.

"Every single guy I have ever dated or brought home, they either fear my mother or fall in love with her. So that's been an issue," Ashley told Insider.

Since they've accidentally courted the same man on two different occasions, they now check with each other before any dates, they told Insider.

Cathy, who says she's been super close to Ashley since she graduated from college, has gone as far as allowing her daughter to create an online dating profile for her — but their closeness goes beyond romance. They have matching nipple piercings and have gotten tattoos together, too.

Ashley told Insider their first body-modification experience was Cathy's idea. They both decided to get floral tattoos, but Cathy's ended up looking like a vagina, which they laugh about to this day, Ashley said.

The pair are two of the stars of TLC's "sMothered," a reality show that follows mothers and daughters with extremely close bonds.

In season four, "sMothered" has a cast of four returning duos from past seasons and three new mother-daughter pairs, including its first-ever duo featuring a transgender woman.

Meet the six other mom and daughter pairs joining Cathy and Ashley on "sMothered."

Paula and Francia sleep naked together

Francia, the 47-year-old mom of Paula, who's 27, likes to party with her daughter to stay youthful, while Paula makes her mom lunch every day.

They also share a bed and sleep in the nude. Francia told Insider they always wanted to show off their bond to the world and agreed when a casting director reached out to them on Instagram.

Coming from Colombia, Francia said people in the US tend to view her relationship with Paula as strange, but after being on "sMothered," Francia said she's comforted knowing other women are close with their daughters.

Shay and Angie grew closer when Shay transitioned

Angie said she became even closer to her daughter, Shay, since she came out as a transgender woman.

Shay, the show's first transgender star, said being on "sMothered" reignited her purpose in life, which is to make people laugh and forget about their stress.

"Me and my mom are best friends, and I love her to death, and that's why we both decided to do the show. But the primary reason was that I wanted to be a voice for the trans people that didn't have a voice of their own," Shay told Insider.

On the show, Angie teaches Shay how to shave, and Shay comes to Angie for advice on hair, makeup, and clothes.

But Angie's advice crosses a line when she tries to help Shay lose weight during season four.

"I realized that if I truly wanted to see some progress, I need to do it on my own because I can influence myself. I can give myself that motivation," Shay told Insider.

She says she and her mom have agreed to disagree about how to best lose weight, but their relationship is still as strong as ever.

Angelica and Sunhe share bathwater and a bed

Angelica and her mom, Sunhe, are returning "sMothered" cast members known for sharing bathwater.

In a previous season, Sunhe explained that she doesn't drain her bath when she's done, but lets Angelica get into it, which builds "trust."

"People want to find something wrong in a relationship when they don't understand it," Angelica told The New York Post. "But my mom and I are close. There's nothing wrong with it."

On the first episode of season four, Angelica says she called off her wedding to ex-fiancé, Jason, after he seemed hesitant to go through with it. Sunhe wasn't a fan of their relationship.

They still all live together, though, along with Jason and Angelica's daughter, Amara. The two women often get in heated arguments with Jason about childcare and housework.

Cher and Dawn say they can read each other's minds

Cher and her mother, Dawn, like to look as close to twins as possible, so they dress, talk, and act alike. Cher has said her mom is her best friend.

They've also said they can read each other's minds, even with Cher living in New York with her husband and baby, while Dawn is in Florida.

On season four, Dawn tries to convince Cher to move her family back to Tampa so they can be physically closer.

Cristina and Kathy live on the same street but have to get used to spending more time apart

Cristina now lives five houses down the street from her mother, Kathy — much to Kathy's dismay. She wishes her daughter lived next door.

On season four, Cristina takes on new responsibilities when she opens the restaurant Pizza Boy, in Chicago, with her husband, Carlo. Kathy can no longer spend eight to 10 hours with her daughter every day, which makes her feel a bit jealous.

"I like being around Cristina, not only because she's my daughter. She makes me laugh constantly. When she was gone this weekend, I was lost. I didn't know what to do with myself," Kathy told Insider of their bond.

Since filming wrapped, Kathy said she's proud of Cristina for her successful business venture.

Lauren does a secret at-home IVF treatment with the help of her mom

On season three of "sMothered," Lisa helped her daughter Lauren do at-home insemination to get her pregnant, but they didn't tell or include Lauren's wife, Laura Leigh.

The tensions mount further in season four, when Laura Leigh says her now-pregnant wife has to learn to separate herself from Lisa more, putting an end to their sleepovers and bathtub FaceTime chats.

You can watch "sMothered" on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.