All Episodes Talk: Let’s Talk About Dr Phil the Show

[BusyOctober]

Finished the episode with God n' Jesus woman.  He won't take the advice, but Jack the husband should run run run and never look back.  Aside from her beliefs, I think a big warning sign of Brooke's mental issues is her animal hoarding. Her "parrot rescue" is code for "I require unconditional love 24/7 so I surround myself with living things who depend on ME to provide for their very existence".  I also think it's telling that she chose birds to hoard rescue since she sounds like a flock of deranged squawking seagulls when she starts her shrieking tirades. She was even flapping her wings in an agitated manner.

The 2nd guest and her sun damaged skin...I will be running to the store later to restock my SPF and moisturizers.  She was 55 but her face looked 10 years older.  The sun is no joke, especially for those of us freckled, pale, blue-eyed Celts.

I really wish $hill would stop with the whoring out of his wife's and sons' various projects.  Why spend the last 15 minutes of most shows telling us about your kid's "amazing" rock band or the other one's "life changing" Doctor on Demand?  Robin & her transforming skin care is BS.  If I want to "transform" myself into a figure in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, I will find out who did Robin's multiple plastic surgeries and fills.  People watch Dr. Phil to see people with problems get help, and maybe be able to apply Phil's advice to their own issues.  The shilling takes time away from those cases.  Plus I think its gross and very icky when he shifts from talking to a person in crisis and his/her family, to spouting off about eye cream.  Talk about a disconnect.  It's so disrespectful.

[kitten59]

On 3/28/2017 at 9:30 AM, patty1h said:

During today's show with the woman (Brook) who believed that God talks to her, Phil made a speech before she came out, asking that the audience be respectful to her because the mentally ill are not to be mocked.   I don't remember him asking for this consideration in previous shows with people that are of questionable mental capacity, like the girl who thought she was having Jesus's son.

I think he really started making a point of doing it after the Shelley Duvall fiasco. He got an enormous amount of bad press and backlash for having her on.

[ed2962]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 2:30 PM, patty1h said:

During today's show with the woman (Brook) who believed that God talks to her, Phil made a speech before she came out, asking that the audience be respectful to her because the mentally ill are not to be mocked.   I don't remember him asking for this consideration in previous shows with people that are of questionable mental capacity, like the girl who thought she was having Jesus's son.  I think he did this because the guests issue involved religion and that's a topic that could push the buttons of some viewers.  But I bet when Jesus's mother eventually comes back on , Phil won't bother asking for this niceness.

Back to the guest Brook - I would run screaming from her:  four previous marriages, lots o' drugs, too many birds, God talking, miracle sewer clearer, fence climber, dragonfly!   Doesn't bi-polar/schizophrenia cause one to start having religious visions and thoughts?  That guy lost the lottery - 3 years of marriage and then BOOM!

I hope the help that Phil offered benefits Brook - it's just that those facilities he associates with have an awful track record for success stories.

Holy fuck... they shill some other face products other than Robin's but spin it so they can mention their son who is a musician and that he's touring.  Oh, the humanity!

I think Phil made that statement because over the few months he's had some guests on his show who clearly had mental problems and he's been accused of exploiting them ( Shelly Duvall etc). He made a similar statement when he brought the girl who thought she was pregnant with Jesus on for the second time. He claims these shows are teaching tools, but somehow we the audience never learn anything about mental disorders, we just hear these people's delusions. I think he just says it to deflect criticism.

 

EDIT: Kitten59 just beat me to it.

Edited March 30, 2017 by ed2962
I think I owe someone a coke

[ed2962]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 4:47 PM, ClareWalks said:

He does it very rarely, but I remember him doing that before (I remember one example of a woman with OCD who had a lot of rituals, Dr. Phil gave that warning to the crowd). He seems to be more protective of some people than others, and I'm not sure how he decides who gets his divine mercy.

I think it might be when he has the more extreme people on. An adult son who might probably perhaps be bipolar won't warrant a special statement, but someone who has a disorder even a layman can see may get the disclaimer. And now that I think of it, bird lady had a pretty volatile personality. Phil might have been trying to make sure the crowd didn't inadvertly set her off.

[ed2962]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 6:13 PM, Gam2 said:

Doesn't it seem as if every person he has on his show lately has to be sent to one or another in-patient center that he talks about all of the damn time? Does he have a financial interest in these centers? Does anyone know? Or has he decided that he'll only have people on his show that he can send to these places? It's gotten as bad as shilling Robin's face crap every episode. Oh. Today, he shilled another face cream scam. Wonder how plastic woman felt about that?

I have no idea if Dr Phil profits. I always assumed that the centers would treat his guests in exchange for the free publicity?

[Aquarius]

12 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Plus I think its gross and very icky when he shifts from talking to a person in crisis and his/her family, to spouting off about eye cream.  Talk about a disconnect.  It's so disrespectful.

That's a perfect way to put it.

[ed2962]

I recently saw the show with the mom and the 30yr old alcoholic daughter where the daughter bailed out at the last minute. What I thought interesting was that the mom had footage of the 30yr old drunk but wouldn't let them show it because she had an 18yr old starting college and thought it might be too embarrassing for her. Dr Phil then saw fit to try to shame them. "Oh, you're more concerned about your reputation than you are about saving your daughter's life!" I'm like, yeah the 30 yr old might die if she doesn't get treatment, but she won't die cuz you didn't show her intoxicated on TV.

 

Also, lying cheating husband episode...Phil sent them to pre-marital counseling? Sure, they got married too quickly, but their problem wasn't arguments over work, money, or child raising...that stuff seemed fine. It was that he kept cheating!

[LisainCali]

On 3/29/2017 at 6:21 PM, ed2962 said:

I have no idea if Dr Phil profits. I always assumed that the centers would treat his guests in exchange for the free publicity?

That's what I think.  IMHO, if a business is plugged on a popular program, it is free advertising.  I'm not bothered enough to look up what advertising rates are for a popular, syndicated show.  Plus an endorsement from Dr. Phil, or Oprah.....well, it's a good deal for everyone. 

You can argue with me about ethics, or whatever.  BUT, it does Dr. Phil no favors to send these troubled guests to a facility where they will be beaten, berated, starved, mocked...for free.  This needs to be a win-win-possible win for all of them....Dr. Phil, the treatment center, and the addict.  I think these places have dismal success stats, but I'm not sure.

but AA, NA, SA....are free.  

[cooksdelight]

I found this and had to share

[tardistravler]

Watching a super old episode where this teenage boy's father is dating a 17year old (extremely controversial relationships). The snark that this boy has is very refreshing. I would just love it if he hosted a show and snarked on the guests. 

For example the 17 year old is like oh I don't know about going back to school. The teenage boy is like: oh I do monday-friday and it's better than being jobless and not a graduate. 

[b2H]

Not seeing an 'in the Media' thread:

Bill Maher included Dr. Phil (along with Dr. Oz) as TV doctors who shouldn't be acknowledged, as part of his New Rules on Friday night.

[cooksdelight]

No one has commented on the episode last week where the daughter came to Dr. Phil because her alcoholic mother was ruining her life, she was faking shaking hands and other things..... I watched it and was really taken aback by how Phil attacked the mother. Is he not aware that alcoholism is a disease, and the people afflicted with it cannot control their actions? He's worked with other alcoholics in the past, I was surprised he jumped on this woman so quickly.

[MrSmith]

@cooksdelight It was probably a re-run. I know there weren't many episodes that recorded for us last week, and we have our TiVO set to record only new.

[cooksdelight]

It's original air date was 02/01/17 and I guess I missed it the first time around.

[Aquarius]

10 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

No one has commented on the episode last week where the daughter came to Dr. Phil because her alcoholic mother was ruining her life, she was faking shaking hands and other things..... I watched it and was really taken aback by how Phil attacked the mother. Is he not aware that alcoholism is a disease, and the people afflicted with it cannot control their actions? He's worked with other alcoholics in the past, I was surprised he jumped on this woman so quickly.

Yes, I thought that was Phool at his blow-hard worst.

What was the point?  So that the daughter had a safe place to get up in front of the world and let everyone know her mother is a blathering alcoholic mess?  The woman douses herself with a fifth of whisky a day (for starters, she then needs five shots to get to sleep at night).  Not only is there a dependency there, it's likely she's trying to obliterate herself because she can't deal with what a mess she's made of her life and what an awful person she has become.  Why would we parade her out in front of everyone and carry on about what an awful person she is?  She does bad things when she's drinking - she admitted it - she lies and steals and doesn't put her daughter first.  Some of these things aren't necessarily directly related to the drinking, but it seemed to me she was trying to take ownership of those things as well.  So why the need to attack her?  Just to prove you can "get real"?  Yeah, tough guy, you made an alcoholic woman break down and cry.  That's getting real.

[cooksdelight]

All the things the mother did are directly related to being an alcoholic. I know plenty of people in that daughter's shoes, but you don't go on national TV, yelling "it's all about me, look at her" like that. 

[Wings]

I don't watch his shows on addiction.  He is a big Christian and believes AA works when there is overwhelming information to the contrary.   AA degrades and shames addicts.  There is no philosophy connected with it that gives anyone personal power which is essential for every problem in life.  Leaving "it" up to god doesn't not work, even for Christians, never mind atheists and agnostics.  

[MrSmith]

15 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I don't watch his shows on addiction.  He is a big Christian and believes AA works when there is overwhelming information to the contrary.   AA degrades and shames addicts.  There is no philosophy connected with it that gives anyone personal power which is essential for every problem in life.  Leaving "it" up to god doesn't not work, even for Christians, never mind atheists and agnostics.  

Interesting. As someone who's never had any kind of addiction problem (and only has one surviving uncle [of 2] who went to AA and no longer drinks), I never stopped to think about whether AA works or not and whether there are any options. Thanks for teaching me something today!

[b2H]

57 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I don't watch his shows on addiction.  He is a big Christian and believes AA works when there is overwhelming information to the contrary.   AA degrades and shames addicts.  There is no philosophy connected with it that gives anyone personal power which is essential for every problem in life.  Leaving "it" up to god doesn't not work, even for Christians, never mind atheists and agnostics.  

Very close friend just celebrated his 40th year of sobriety on St. Patrick's day, preceded by his younger brother a month earlier and his sister will get her 28th year of sobriety later this year.  108 years of sobriety among the three of them.  I'd call that pretty successful.

That said, with any effort to sobriety, the will to be sober is paramount.  It's like the old joke goes:

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Three.  But only if the lightbulb wants to change.

[Wings]

On 4/4/2017 at 10:10 AM, b2H said:

Very close friend just celebrated his 40th year of sobriety on St. Patrick's day, preceded by his younger brother a month earlier and his sister will get her 28th year of sobriety later this year.  108 years of sobriety among the three of them.  I'd call that pretty successful.

That said, with any effort to sobriety, the will to be sober is paramount.  It's like the old joke goes:

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Three.  But only if the lightbulb wants to change.

Sure it works for some.  Good for them!  I don't believe AA helps people reach the place of sober being paramount to them.  They say god is going to take care of it, just "let go and let god."   This is a huge problem with AA.  Your family went in with this conviction, most likely.  

Edited April 6, 2017 by wings707

[ClareWalks]

Just started watching today's show about "my troubled transgender child" blahblahblah. I hate when Dr. Phil does these shows. He always ends up yelling at the transgender person that they need to respect their relatives' bigotry and shit. Currently they're talking about how Hope has become a prostitute and how this means the kid is out of control or something, meanwhile this is the story of the lives of so many transgender women because it's hard for them to get jobs. Hopefully Dr. Phil touches on that, but probably not. He panders to the bible thumpers.

[Wings]

I am fine how he spoke with Hope.  She had a terrible attitude that clearly began when she was a teen.  She is leading a dangerous life.   I question whether his dual diagnosis center will help her but she does need some guidance.  

I was appalled that he did not put mom and grandma on blast for their ignorant notion that they needed time.  It has been years!   Just do it.  Accept your kid, who does NOT have a birth defect and read up on gay and transgender.  You are not going to find the answers in the bible.  Stop making all of this wrong and stop your hand wringing.  And stop making it about you. Love that child!  Assholes.  

Shame on you Dr Phil.  

ETA.  I am not convinced she is trans gender.  She may be going the step further into trans territory in a cry for help.  My take.   She is searching, that is clear.  I think she is acting out because she so desperately needs to be loved. Dr Phil picked up on that, I thought.

  She needs help and he gave her the only resources he believes work.  Well, lets hope, not sure on that. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by wings707

[farmgal4]

23 hours ago, wings707 said:

Sure it works for some.  Good for them!  I don't believe AA helps people reach the place of sober being paramount to them.  They says god is going to take care of it, just "let go and let god."   This is a huge problem with AA.  Your family went in with this conviction, most likely.  

I'm not sure what AA meetings you've been attending, but I think you may want to seek out some different ones.  Seasoned AA members and the Big Book tells us that we will have to work very hard in order to get, and stay, sober.  It is SUGGESTED that we find a Higher Power, but it doesn't have to be God; it can be a sponsor, an AA group, a friend, etc.  A Higher Power is suggested, because we need someone/something greater than ourselves to help guide us through the recovery journey.  "Let Go and Let God" only means that we need to let go of things/people/situations that we have absolutely no control over.  It doesn't mean that we lay our life in God's lap and say, "Here you go, God; fix me!"  Do 12-Step recovery groups help everyone?  No, but I believe "It Works If You Work It" and if you've truly reached rock bottom, you'll be willing to try almost anything in order to get better.  JMHO 

[BusyOctober]

Just watched today's ep with the latest "troubled teen".  Too bad the authorities didn't step in when the girl was a toddler.  She might have had a chance, but as it is her mother is an enabling loser who never gave her kid any kind of stable baseline.  For starters, she names her daughter "Tanyadawn"...really? Way to establish her future...appearing nightly on stage with Amber Jade, Kristal Rose and Tammi Lee.  The aunt was no better.  A little too self righteous and eager to be the better adult in Phil's eyes.  

And per usual, all her bad behavior was due to someone else's actions against her.  Not her fault, no way, uh-huh. For everyone playing Troubled Teen BINGO, cover the squares with "it was self defense" & "the other girls are just jealous of how gorgeous I am". This girl is attractive but her aunt and her mother kept harping on how beautiful she was, as if the world should be her oyster because of it.  Those good looks will fade and quickly if she keeps up her life style.  Better that she get some education, skills, employment and counseling to make her son's life better than what her own dumb ass mother handed down to her.

[jpc1]

I'm 20 minutes in to today's episode, and I have two initial thoughts:

(1)  As insufferable as Tanyadawn is (and she is severely insufferable), she never had a chance!!  Between  s***shows of MisfitMom and AuntieAwful, how could any kid have turned out OK?  And, as BusyOctober said:

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

For starters, she names her daughter "Tanyadawn"...really?

Even divided into two words would be OK - "Tanya Dawn".

(2)  Where does Tanyadawn's Latina accent come from?  Neither MisfitMom nor AuntieAwful have one.  Is it fake?  Also, she seems to be going for the duck-lipped Ariana Grande look.  Am I right?

[charmed1]

"Tanyadawn, you're a gorgeous, blue-eyed blonde who had to grow up in the ghetto!" My eyes rolled all the way out of my head, down the street and around the corner. Please. All three of those women looked like dudes and I'm sure plenty of those girls in the "ghetto" look and act 10 times better than precious Tanyadawn. The only cute member of that family is the baby, with his full head of grown man hair. Don't kid yourselves, ladies.

[LisainCali]

My favorite quote was from Auntie.  "I'm worried that Tanyadawn will meet up with the wrong people."  

Ummmmm, Tanyadawn IS the wrong people.   The parents of the good kids won't want their children to meet up with HER.  As a matter of fact, parents with even a few extra dollars would move to another city/state to keep their child away from her.  

Good Lord!  

[Aquarius]

I didn't think the aunt and mother kept harping on her good looks.  They kept harping on just about everything else, though.  "Harpies" is a metaphor that would be insulting to the monsters of myth.  What wholly unpleasant people.  Discussion?  No, let's just YELL to MAKE OUR POINT!  I think I might disappear for days if that's what I had waiting at home.

There was another aunt, worse than the one on stage.  Can you imagine what she must be like?  Holy moly.

Yes, from birth and her unfortunate name, Tanyadawn never had a chance.  Peach trees don't grow pears.  She was awful, but she was only 17.  What excuse did the two fully grown adults with her have?

It's sad that Tanyadawn had to go and procreate.  She'd do well to find an adoptive family for that child.  There are open adoptions these days, and that would probably be her best option if she wanted to give her child any chance at a real life while maintaining contact.

I loved how the aunt's plan was "calling Dr. Phil."  OK, whatever.  At least even Phool had the sense to feign falling off his chair at that one.  Although you could tell, he loved it.

I was pretty surprised, though, that at the end Phool didn't call on Robin's skin care line to help them all with their low self esteem.  I guess that's a plus in his column.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Aquarius

[Wings]

Not that it matters but they are pronouncing her name Tonya Dawn, not Tanya.  There are tons with that name on FB, I stopped counting at 40!  Who knew it was that common?! 

They all talk at once, at the top of their lungs, which I found hysterical.  What a bunch. 

Loved his solution.  And the would screw it up in 2 weeks!

Edited April 5, 2017 by wings707

[Aquarius]

9 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Not that it matters but they are pronouncing her name Tonya Dawn, not Tanya. 

How does one pronounce "Tanya" if not "Tonya"?  My college roommate was named Tanya (no Dawn, just Tanya), and that's how she pronounced it.  I've never heard it pronounced like "Tan-ya."

[Dakisela]

31 minutes ago, charmed1 said:

"Tanyadawn, you're a gorgeous, blue-eyed blonde who had to grow up in the ghetto!" My eyes rolled all the way out of my head, down the street and around the corner. Please. All three of those women looked like dudes and I'm sure plenty of those girls in the "ghetto" look and act 10 times better than precious Tanyadawn. The only cute member of that family is the baby, with his full head of grown man hair. Don't kid yourselves, ladies.

I swore I detected an adams apple on the girl!!!

[Wings]

7 minutes ago, Aquarius said:

How does one pronounce "Tanya" if not "Tonya"?  My college roommate was named Tanya (no Dawn, just Tanya), and that's how she pronounced it.  I've never heard it pronounced like "Tan-ya."

Tanya is typically prounced, tan (what the sun gives you) - yuh. 

[Aquarius]

8 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Tanya is typically prounced, tan (what the sun gives you) - yuh. 

Not the Tanyas I have known.  Nor the Tanjas and Tanias.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Aquarius

[Toaster Strudel]

Did I get that right or did $hil deny Tanydawn the opportunity to spend some time at the ranch because her hag aunt & enabling mom would undo the work?  If anyone deserves a break from these two gorgons, it's her!  Give her some peace for a couple of weeks!  At least she'd get to experience normal people for some time, it may have a lasting impact.

$hil started immediately by putting Tanyadawn in her place.  But the person that really needed to be brought down several pegs was Aunt 100 Decibels.  She was probably on her best behavior, too, with the TV cameras rolling.

All in all Tanyadawn seemed pretty calm and rational dealing with that irritating shrew.  I tip my hat to her.

[Nancypants]

Aunt 100 Decibles, Awesome! Aunt is so angry, a selfrighteous Right fighter, what a Witch. Mom is stupid as hell. TD would maybe had a fighting chance if the old hag aunt would stop harassing her.

[Brattinella]

All the Tonyas I have known are TAWN-ya.  Also the Tanyas.  Etc.

[Showthyme]

I was calling for the Uber driver to take me to hell but you all saved me. Tanya Dawn is not beautiful and barely qualifies for pretty. She is average and has masculine features like her mom and aunt. Sweetie, no one is jealous because you are beautiful. Blue eyes and blond hair doesn't make you special. 

Thanks to Aquarius for pointing out a Dr. Phil family that may benefit fron Robin's products. We knew there had to be one. 

[Jaded]

Tanya Dawn sounds like a name some Tanya Tucker fan would think up.

[MrSmith]

We couldn't even get through that whole episode. Those screeching harpies gave me a damn headache before we were 40 minutes through the hour! And when the aunt referred to Tanyadawn as "blonde", I was like "There's nothing blonde about her, except her highlights." I think Tanyadawn is actually pretty, but based on her mom's and aunt's looks ... she ain't gonna age well. So, she'd better straighten, fly right, and use her looks to get herself a worthwhile husband while she has the chance. Cause 15 years from now, it's going to be a whole lot harder.

[BusyOctober]

1 hour ago, MrSmith said:

So, she'd better straighten, fly right, and use her looks to get herself a worthwhile husband while she has the chance. Cause 15 years from now, it's going to be a whole lot harder.

Unfortunately, looks or no, I don't think Tanyadawn is going to find a Prince Charming to give her the love and attention she desperately wants.  She is more likely to end up like her mom...4 kids by 4 different men and raising them all as a single mom.  Besides, any guy who is "worthwhile" isn't going to be running in the same circle as this chickie. The worthwhile guys are in school &/or working.  Not adding to their list of crimes rap sheet.  Not sitting in the back of a police car. Not hanging out in the streets with other drop outs and drug dealers.

  That's why the focus on her looks bothers me.  Yes, it is a nice benefit of genetics if you are born with good looks.  But that shouldn't be the end of a person's self development or the basis of how they value themselves.  Parents need to tell kids (especially girls) that they have other more admirable qualities besides their beautiful eyes, hair, body. We tell our 10 yo daughter lots of positive things besides how pretty she is. She is smart, her writing is well thought out, she's a good friend, helpful, a great artist, plays her flute well, is truthful, keeps going even when things get tough, etc.  Even when I say "Oh, you look so beautiful today!"  I try to remember to add something like, "You have a good fashion sense." so she feels like she had decision making power.  However, we also tell her when she has done something wrong or unacceptable.  We don't treat her like a special snowflake and she knows that in the real world everyone doesn't get a trophy. 

[MrSmith]

@BusyOctober All good points. I should have explicitly stated what I meant by straightening up and flying right, and that is that she needs to get her ass back in school and do the things she needs to do to better herself. Looks only get you "in the door" when it comes to relationships, anyway; you have to have some personality, intellect, and interests/hobbies in order to keep the relationship going. And, of course, the end goal shouldn't be "getting a man" and I'm sorry that I made it sound like that. Her goal should be developing herself, discovering the things that interest and excite her, and working toward a career in a field that lets her capitalize on her interests and passions. Once she does that, she should have achieved the balance and maturity to decide whether she wants a relationship, and done the self-development required to be able to find someone worthwhile who'll love her for her (and also love her kid).

So far, porn or stripping look to be her best options. LOL

[cooksdelight]

7 hours ago, Jaded said:

Tanya Dawn sounds like a name some Tanya Tucker fan would think up.

Yep, I was thinking the same thing. Tanya Tucker/Delta Dawn. Down here in the south, we pronounce it TAN-yuh. 

[Wings]

16 hours ago, Aquarius said:

Not the Tanyas I have known.  Nor the Tanjas and Tanias.

I have only encountered one Tanya and she pronounced it like it is spelled.  I don't see how you get Tonya out of that spelling.  Maybe it is just me.   **shrug** 

ETA.  It is highly likely that her mother just didn't know how to spell it properly.  

Edited April 6, 2017 by wings707

[BusyOctober]

10 minutes ago, wings707 said:

 It is highly likely that her mother just didn't know how to spell it properly.  

Or use birth control properly.

[MrSmith]

34 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I have only encountered one Tanya and she pronounced it like it is spelled.  I don't see how you get Tonya out of that spelling.  Maybe it is just me.   **shrug** 

ETA.  It is highly likely that her mother just didn't know how to spell it properly.  

Well .... at least it's not the craziest/stupidest spelling possible. I've seen "Falesha" for "Felicia". And then there are names like "Anastasia", which is pronounced "Ah-nuh-stah-see-uh", "An-uh-stay-zha", and other ways, depending on where you're from or what your preference. So, I can see getting a pronunciation of "Tonya" out of "Tanya". In fact, I would  argue that pronouncing "Tonya" as "tah-nyuh" would be more wrong than pronouncing "Tanya" that way.

[Dakisela]

1 hour ago, MrSmith said:

Well .... at least it's not the craziest/stupidest spelling possible. I've seen "Falesha" for "Felicia". And then there are names like "Anastasia", which is pronounced "Ah-nuh-stah-see-uh", "An-uh-stay-zha", and other ways, depending on where you're from or what your preference. So, I can see getting a pronunciation of "Tonya" out of "Tanya". In fact, I would  argue that pronouncing "Tonya" as "tah-nyuh" would be more wrong than pronouncing "Tanya" that way.

The WORST I've ever seen was some poor unfortunate child named Ta-A.  Pronounced "Ta-dash-ah".  Can you imagine?????

[patty1h]

This is from the follow-up show that Phil aired today.  I didn't see the original show with this guy Bill who went to the Ukraine and married a woman after 3 months.  However, I wanted to punch the 71 year old slacker in the throat after seeing him boohoo about everything.  He was so pathetic and needy and he seemed to be stunted in his emotional age.  I couldn't tell if he was very adventurous, traveling the world, or has some very poor impulse control, popping around and marrying women after a short time.  His wife seemed like she drank his Kool-aid; I didn't like her passive-aggressive attitude towards the mother - she seemed to be trying to lay a guilt trip on her about throwing them out.

This guy Bill is delusional about finding a job - not sure how many places are in the market for a 71 year old with a background in lounge singing.  I get the feeling that Bill was all bold with Phil, but that he called Momma after the show and tried to wheedle/whine his way back into her home.

[Toaster Strudel]

That old kaker Bill was acting like an immature 17 yr old! Wawawa Frank Sinatra!  His singing sounded like the old goat that he is.  I really enjoyed this 71 yr old being so dependent on his 90 yr old mom... but chasing women all across the world because they're not jaded like Americans.  As if his green-card seeking bride with the lip injections, cobbled face skin and child in tow isn't jaded especially after finding out her American Romeo has not money.

[Gam2]

I remember when this geezer was on Dr. Phil's show before. What a loser. And who talks to his mother like that??!! Shame on you, Bill. Get a damn job.

[ClareWalks]

The followup show was kind of interesting, I guess. I enjoyed the cameo appearance by Erica Rose, except there was no mention of her stint on The Bachelor and Bachelor Pad (she probably wants to forget that ever happened, if she has any brains at all).