JosieThePussycat

I saw elsewhere on the internet that she's in Chimacum. Multiple sources placing her there. And that's weird, because her story just ran again - repackaged for Hoarders Overload - and the crawl clearly said she's in Vermont. Unless there are two women with the same name in two different states and each had a spectacular barn fire, the show presented inaccurate information. Why would they do that?

I was truly gritting my teeth through that portion. I had arthroscopic knee surgery, and had debilitating pain for almost a year afterward. I couldn't even stand the weight of a small bag of frozen peas meant to bring down the inflammation. And no, nothing showed up on the x-ray, nothing showed on all the other tests they could throw at it, and no one at any point accused me of lying about the pain. And it was depressing. I cried a lot of out sheer frustration. I was in my late twenties, on crutches and then a cane, for about a year. If someone called me a liar based on a medical test I would've planted that cane between their eyes. Then when Olivia sucked it up, said "Dr. Now was right", and got back on the horse, I thought - well, what the hell do I know. :D I think Zsalynn is like most people who've discovered something amazing and new, or have had a revelation that's tipped their view of their world. They tilt waaaaay over into this new line of thought, and only gradually come back to a balanced center. She spent so much time - most of her life - obsessed with the number on the scale. Now she's said "Enough!" and she's defiantly refusing to look at that number at. all. She's smart, and she's strong. She'll correct course, and eventually land somewhere between obsessing over the scale, and obsessing over not obsessing over the scale. She's gotta try this new mindset on in its most radical form first.

Catching up on this one. She is truly amazing. She knows so much better! than the professionals she's consulting! She know more about weight loss than Dr. Now. She knows more about what her body needs and what's dangerous that her physical therapist. She knows more about healthy eating than any nutritionist. She knows more about what's fair and what's reasonable than any and all of the above. If she knows so damned much, why is she still in exactly the same situation? As someone with an eating disorder, I've started watching this to remind myself where I've been and what I still need to do. This hour just taught me what kind of people to stay as far away as possible from. There's nothing surgery can do for her.

I'm just not sure what to think about what seem to be omissions in Dr. Now's early consults with his clients. We see the same general conversation each time, and I can't fathom he and his programs succeed without a stronger, immediate retraining in the emotions and the mental processes of compulsive overeating. He says "stop eating that way." He says to the family "stop feeding her that way." But no actual teaching. We don't see him imparting knowledge about how these things take hold of the human mind, and not only what has to change ("eat less" - no, really? shock!) but what it will take, what tacks we now know have never worked, what does work, what success will look like. (Hint: never linear, never perfect.) Lupe said to him so plainly, "I'm an emotional eater. I get bad anxiety. And then I eat until I get sick." Almost every patient could have said exactly the same thing - although some clearly didn't have the self-awareness, others seemed to be lacking only the words. But we only occasionally see a therapist, usually late in the hour, and then for crisis intervention rather than behavioral reshaping. Overcoming compulsions and addictions is not a matter of willpower. Countless people suffering from those ailments have their misery further compounded with that common misconception. When Lupe very succinctly nails exactly why she's 600 pounds, Dr. Now has the usual followup: "Who brings you the food?" Well, that's important. Who the enablers are and how they play into the picture - of course that matters. But it's one of a very few factors that he highlights each time. We never hear about or see him address the brain changes that we know take place with these compulsions, so it's easy to assume the clients aren't learning about them. Not learning about the science of addiction, the coping mechanisms to overcome it. When they fail - they have no grasp that their very chemistry and wiring are now working against them because that's the damage that's been wrought through their habit. So they gain 20 pounds back, and they hate themselves. Knowledge is power. It would make their road just that much easier to know that this is not a matter of their evil, terrible selves making crappy choices again, but that their very mind and body are fighting against them. Imagine how helpful even that small shift in attitude would be. "I don't suck; I'm not terrible; I'm fighting my brain and more appetites than I ever realized. My mind is contorted by what it's been through. I can't choose for that not to be the case, and it will take time to change it. Research says I can change it, and that it will be slow and difficult. This is all part of the process." I wish we had some indication of if and when this kind of cognitive behavioral training comes into the picture. If it does, it's important to show that. If it doesn't, some of these success stories are beating even bigger odds than they're discussing.

I have some small knowledge of rehab, and I've never heard of any kind of restraint - physical or chemical - being used at one. Rehab places aren't medical facilities. That's why we see the addicts first going to detox, then to a different place for rehab. For chemical restraints, you'd need a diagnosis, a monitoring physician, and either permission from a competent adult (I don't think he'd qualify) or someone legally assuming his care. I took that to mean he was deliberately distorting his voice, not that it was being done digitally. I think it was induced by the chemicals - it was always at its lowest immediately after he pulled the nozzle away from his mouth, then quickly went back up in pitch. Someone posted on another discussion board that he'd known huffers and seen that effect in action. I wish they'd stop time-shifting these episodes. I've now got the Tivo set to record an extra two minutes, and I STILL miss the last BSOD.

You and me both. I wondered why he didn't buy in bulk by mail. Hundreds of cans in one swoop!

I hate that. I understand operating on that principle, but the confrontations swing so wildly from "please stay, we're here for you, we love you" to "now listen about ME". Not that the latter isn't critically important! But transition is horrific, and in the shoes of the addict I think I'd close right down at the contradiction. Alcoholics are easier for me to watch because hey, they're drinking liquid! I drink liquid every day! But the shooting up and throwing up? Nuh-uh. Those are great episodes to have on in the background while I clean, because I don't get a sudden eyeful of that. (I do miss the BSOD that way, but I can go backtrack if I feel I've missed something relevant. BSODs offer new information. Needles jammed into arms, legs, and necks I've seen enough of.

YES, and wasn't that a nice little break from the poopy bathtub parade? Especially juxtaposed with Barbara. Gosh, she broke my heart. I actually can see being long-term emotionally uprooted by losing everything you own as she was, provided you're inclined that way naturally. One big trauma can throw an mentally delicate personality over the edge. Jeez, the pain on her face. Ow, ow, ow.

Maybe because I watch very little TV, but - do Hoarders and Intervention and that ilk run these ads more than other shows? Maybe we're seen as more sensitive, empathetic viewers susceptible to dramatic appeals. (Sarah McLachlan who does these ads for the SPCA can't even watch them, but says they've made over 30 million dollars.) He rocks soo hard! Very early on, he covered more explicitly than I have ever heard on the show what happens to the brain of a hoarder. The other therapists try more to meet the clients on their own turf - rationalizing, working within their frame of reality. Tolin tried right up front to tell her that her own instincts, the choices she had made til now, couldn't be trusted because her brain has become muddled. I know from dealing with my own mental illness that you must tear down and rebuild your thinking process if you want to heal. Tolin jumped right to it. I wish the others brought that up as fast and as clearly as he did. Yeah. Although Hoarders' producers have absolutely crossed the line into exploitation any number of times, the professionals - therapists and cleaners both - do seem motivated primarily by helping the client. That includes being honest about limitations regardless of show biz considerations. Good for them. On the same note - I like that he gave her every possible chance to show any potential at all for improvement, before he ultimately gave up. Makes me ponder the difference between this telescoped approach vs the normal trajectory, which lets the therapist take time to learn the person's thinking processes and plot a way forward. These guys have, what, one day of prep and three days of taping? (Edited because I'm indecisive by nature.)

I don't mean in the sense of "OMG how can you watch this!!". I mean - have you established your own pattern of what you do and don't watch in every episode? I've fallen into the pattern of always skipping some parts; sometimes skipping others; and always watching others. Here's what that looks like: I always skip everything before the titles - the "preview" segment. It's one long tease, and won't tell me anything I'm not about to see anyway. I watch the first parts of the biographical story. I want to know who everyone is and how they relate to the addict. I want to know how the addiction came about. I often skip the rest of the "before" part. Once I know who's who and what's what, I don't need to watch some contrived confrontation where everyone oh-so-spontaneously shows up at the same house - even if they haven't see each other in months. This feels more exploitative than any other part to me. In some cases it's got something to offer. Too often it's beating home points that have already been made. I watch the pre-intervention without fail. Some truly honest stuff rises to the top here. I always fast forward through the "so-and-so thinks she's going to her last interview" biz, with the ominous music. Eh. I watch the beginning of the intervention, to see if the addict will settle in and listen. But I skip the letter reading. I watch as it fast-forwards to see if anything unexpected is happening, in which case I'll go back to watching. But I don't need to hear all the letters - unless one of the writers is due for a come-to-Jesus moment of their own. En route to rehab: FF. At rehab: watch. Post-rehab: watch. Final titles: slow FF so I can see the BSOD tell the last of the story, at a good clip and without listening to that treacly music. There's no other show I've fallen into such a predictable pattern with! You?

Wow, thanks for that! I thought they stopped paying attention years ago. (Understandably so.) Everything you were afraid was true: look up "cotton ball diet"! Worth noting tho: I'm in the media, and I know how often something is trumpeted as a "trend", when it's in fact something that one person might have done once, as relayed to a friend through a neighbor's aunt!

Oh, where to begin. I'm stunned anyone watches this in real time. PR (and countless other shows) have already proven how overstuffed the finale shows are with commercials and promos. Why set yourself up for the aggravation? I watched the whole thing in about 45 minutes. Kelly: My heart broke for her. She was robbed and wronged. Sure, it was clear she wasn't designing for the suave, sophisticated crowd. So what? She knows who her target is and she spoke to them. I can't fault a designer for aiming for an audience I can't relate to. The question is: did she do it succesfully, with consistency and solid craft, with an understanding that the runway is in essence a performace space? Yes, yes, and yes. All that, and with a dollop of humor to boot. Love her. I commented earlier how cheap her stuff looked to me. Her runway completely won me over. Oh, Edmond. I hope he realizes that he was judged wanting by a panel of judges whose job is NOT to reward good design, but to make (allegedly) good television. It really was between him and Kelly for the legit win. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to fly him out to me and have him make me a wardrobe. (Anybody else get the sense he's a much better designer on his own time, minus the frenetic PR silliness?) Everything that could be said about Ashley has been said - preordained, unrealistic clothing, etc. - and I disagree on only one point: Zac was right when he lauded her consistency and color choices. Her complete collection countered the washed-out pastels we saw in her preview with flashes of blue and teal, and the head-dresses picked up all the colors. The styling was lovely. (But as someone already mentioned: good lord, some of that walking! Gorgeous though she was, I thought the first model was going to fall right over. What weird tromping!) Candice. Damn, I think the stress got to her, and her strong inner core failed her. Like a lot of you, I wish she'd said, screw'em all, and showed everything the way she'd first designed it. She may still have gone down, but would have been true to herself. And I agree that she's got a future and a following from having done the show. The PR honchos know two very important things: there's a strong audience that will just keep watching, no matter how bad it gets; and they have no competition. No way anyone would fund a saner, more authentic competition sans all the pseudo-drama, which is the only thing that could kill this off, because PR is a behemoth now. So they're set, and happy, and this will keep running with its endless sprogs of spinoffs until everyone involved dies or retires. They've got nothing to lose by keepin' on keepin' on. And the wet cotton balls! Don't forget the cotton balls. I'll give a test drive to Project Runway Junior because some of those kids seem genuinely astounding in their maturity and skill, and I want to see what they come up with. Sadly, they're in for some tough ife lessons about television "reality" and life's unfairness. (Edited because I need an editor and can't afford one.)

I just don't see those qualities in Candace (arrogance, rhymes-with-witchness). I see a woman who is assertive and confident, who speaks straightforwardly. In our culture I think that often gets read as arrogance in a woman. ETA: The rest of your post - her craftsmanship, the disingenuousness of the judges, Kelli's personality - agree 100%.

As soon as the camera went to Kelly's collection during Tim's visit, I said out loud, "Oh my god, that looks so cheap". Then I was stunned when Tim praised it. Get mesh in different colors?? How about losing the mesh? She pulled out one or two hangers with outfits you'd swear were designed for young ice skaters or child pageants. Tim's been off the mark sooo much, and it's impossible to miss now that we're into the third season of him embracing something only for the judges to spit on it. And yes, his shaking is noticeable. I hope he's well but I wonder what's going on. The instructions for the finalists to go off for 48 hours and come back with a completely overhauled collection for FW is pure Project Runway. I'm grinning at the comments here that they should be given five or seven days. Ever watched the show before? ;) To their credit, though, and to my eye - they're moving ever so slightly away from drama for drama's sake. Maybe they've been called out on it so often it's started to sink in. The final four are all basically decent, mature adults. It's more like Face Off in that sense than it's ever been. Unfortunately they haven't absorbed Face Off's genuine commitment to honoring craft and skill, and still have producer fingerprints all over the judging and horribly contrived scenes like Edmond's "surprise" save. Bottom line: this show doesn't trust its viewers to care enough about the art and craft of fashion creation to keep it going, so it gets shoved into the corner like some extraneous but necessary bother. Thus the "do this all over in two days!" instead of giving the designers a chance at actually designing something with care, and judging that. Ashley: quilted fabric on a larger woman? shksabelle is definitey onto something with the "fat acceptance" theory, because only that or sheer silliness could account for this choice. "Let's add another inch to your hips, that'll be great!" Not so much. I love Edmond. I love that almost childlike, joyous cast to his bright, open smile. I love his humor and his warmth. Not a darned thing to do with the clothes he makes, but I just wanted to get that off my chest. ;) He's not the strongest contestant, but he's very good, especially under pressure. I wonder if that's why he left so much to do in the last couple weeks of prep time: he's better with a tight deadline. I want Kelly to win, and I wish her sneak peek gave me any confidence she could do it. She's not just my emotional favorite. I love the personal style that speaks in her designs. But with that tacky concept ... argggh. I'm afraid she won't pull it off. I really want to be wrong! Prediction: it's Candace. I'm more than okay with that, she's done some beautiful stuff, and imo has the strongest, most consistent construction skills. The conflation of Springfield with Boston and (apparently) any location within fifteen miles of San Francisco with the city itself is irritating. ETA: Nina had the perfect take on Ashley's headpieces: she interrupted the endless conversation about them to say, "Do you want them to talk about the clothes, or the hats?" Bingo!

I agree with you as far as a strictly professional situation, but - isn't the whole point of these pre-finale home visits to fill out the picture of the designer as a person, with a family and a home (or access to a beach ;) and a backstory? I mean, if I had an order to get out, I wouldn't call in the client to meet my boyfriend or hand him a sandwich I'd named after him, either. This was all about "who are you, where did you come from, who are your people, what formed you?".