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S08.E04: J. T.'s Story


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J. T. is almost 900 lbs. with a 100 lb. lymphedema on his leg and a food addiction that is bound to kill him if he doesn't change.  His girlfriend takes him to Houston, but when his behavior drives her away, J. T. is left with only Dr. Now to help.  

J.T. is somewhere between 800 and 900 pounds, so of course he has a girlfriend.  I'm sure she fell for his sparkling personality and his smile (it's always the smile).  Of course, it seems this same personality drives her away.  I'm sure he's a charmer!

This is the regular episode thread. It will be open after the US East Coast showing.

Original air date 2020.01.22

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They didn't show anyone else living in that half-way house. I wonder if the other tenants were keeping their distance. It has to be hard to see that leg in person.

Is this the biggest lyphedema we've ever seen? The ones who "need" food to fix everything, just don't get it at all. He hated the hospital and gf leaving because he couldn't get any food otherwise. I'm sure he was begging her to bring food in which is why she got fed up.

 

And he needed new shorts, the ones he wore for 80% of the episode were the worst clothing we've yet to see, covered in holes and tied on. I mean I know he probably couldnt order a pair. I DID appreciate that he wore clothes though.

Edited by calpurnia99
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I really was ready for a success story after Lindsey, and Bethany, but sorry, I didn't find JT likable, or even worth hoping he would succeed.   He's driven his girlfriend away, and either drove Cousin Blair away, or swallowed him in one gulp, disrespected Dr. Now, lied about trying to lose weight until it was his only option.       Even if JT loses all of the weight, gets the Lymphedema taken off, and everything else, he'll still be the same self-centered, jerk.    I really doubt that he will keep weight off either.   

It could be the other halfway house residents were avoiding being shown on camera, either for privacy reasons, or maybe they were at work like JT said.   It depends on what kind of halfway house it was, or maybe it was a group home instead.  

 I just hope the former girlfriend went home, kept the adorable dog, Bella, and is healthy and happy, and in a relationship with a decent human being.   I also hope she never deals with JT again, because he's the living example of an emotional vampire. 

(On the supersized episode, and maybe on the original, Cousin Blair found the halfway house for JT.    I think it's all he could afford)  

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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28 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 

It could be the other halfway house residents were avoiding being shown on camera, either for privacy reasons, or maybe they were at work like JT said.   It depends on what kind of halfway house it was, or maybe it was a group home instead.  

 

I think it might have to do with privacy issues. 

I did notice that from the shoulders up, he didn't look that big. I expected at his weight for him to have no neck etc... as we see in so many of these people. 

Edited by libgirl2
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I think Now gave him special treatment because JT is one of, if not THE biggest person who's been featured, and because he had NO support system. 

His more cheerful/positive attitude at the end (plus his actual progress) gave me some hope that he might actually get to his goal, and I would be interested in seeing that. 

However, even if he gets there, I don't have much hope for his long term success. He is one of the worst gluttons I can recall on this show, and you can't change that in just a couple of years, especially with nobody close to him. I can't imagine him dealing with getting an education/career, finding a job, etc. 

And yeah, why on earth doesn't he have a phone or laptop, at least? I don't remember even seeing a TV in his original apartment. 

32 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

And he needed new shorts, the ones he wore for 80% of the episode were the worst clothing we've yet to see, covered in holes and tied on. I mean I know he probably couldnt order a pair.

If he had internet access, he absolutely could have ordered giant clothing for himself. I wonder if those tattered shorts were some showrunner attempt to gin up some sympathy for a very unappealing poundicipant?

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I only saw the end of this episode so I didn't see his horrible behavior at the start, but I too noticed that he looked almost normal sized from the shoulders up which was kind of weird.  

I felt really bad for him about that leg though - that was horrible.  I hope he is able to get it removed - that will give him a huge drop in weight in a single surgery!

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17 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

He had shut himself off from all the niceties normal human beings enjoy like clean sheets and fresh air.

Regarding the sheets . . . when a person admits to only being able to shower "about once a week," it would seem that unless the sheets are changed daily, "clean" would be a foreign concept.  

I was surprised Jessica didn't leave sooner than she did.  He was a taker, and there's only so much a person should be expected to give before a relationship is deemed to be abusive.  

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On 1/20/2020 at 8:10 AM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

J.T. is somewhere between 800 and 900 pounds, so of course he has a girlfriend.  I'm sure she fell for his sparkling personality and his smile (it's always the smile).  Of course, it seems this same personality drives her away.  I'm sure he's a charmer!

 

She loved how he could inhale an entire pizza in under three minutes. Impressive!

1 hour ago, calpurnia99 said:

And he needed new shorts, the ones he wore for 80% of the episode were the worst clothing we've yet to see, covered in holes and tied on. I mean I know he probably couldnt order a pair. I DID appreciate that he wore clothes though.

He economized on clothes so he'd have more to spend on food.

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I noticed the dog being very careful to never be in front of J.T.

It was always after you......no I am not going first.  No way buddy. I will pee in your bed before I walk in front of you.

I don't think it ever occurred to him that the house is empty because people work.  He wants to travel the world, so how long before a Go Fund Me page shows up?

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2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I really was ready for a success story after Lindsey, and Bethany, but sorry, I didn't find JT likable, or even worth hoping he would succeed.   He's driven his girlfriend away, and either drove Cousin Blair away, or swallowed him in one gulp

 

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

I think Now gave him special treatment because JT is one of, if not THE biggest person who's been featured, and because he had NO support system.

 

Did he ever explain where the rest of his siblings are or why he appears to have zero relationship with any members of his immediate family? (I saw that his parents were drug addicts and that he had to take care of all of his younger siblings but must have missed any discussion of where they are now).

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His worn and tattered clothing is so sad and indicative of how far he's fallen. It seems like there must be someone they know that could make a simple (if humongous) pair of stretch pants for him.

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33 minutes ago, Gbb said:

 

 

Did he ever explain where the rest of his siblings are or why he appears to have zero relationship with any members of his immediate family? (I saw that his parents were drug addicts and that he had to take care of all of his younger siblings but must have missed any discussion of where they are now).

It crossed my mind that perhaps in a bid for sympathy, he greatly exaggerated his childhood tale of woe to such a degree that none of them wanted to be included in filming.   

Well, that and he's such an enormous asshole that maybe they cut off ties with him long ago.  

Or maybe both.  

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My takes on J.T.:

Another unlikable, hard-to-root-for patient. And seeing how obsessed he is with food and his crappy attitude about the diet over the majority of the show, I really don't see long-term success for him. His only redeeming quality was how much he loved his dog (who was SO cute!).

Also, that lymphedema was really nauseating. I had a hard time with this episode because of it. I kept fast-forwarding.

Edited by WonTon
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2 hours ago, ethalfrida said:

I wonder why he got to stay in a halfway house and others did not. He also reminded me of Steven Asante.

Also, got surgery when he had no one in Houston.  
Maybe housing prices are getting higher, because one person was allow to room in a house, and now a shelter, after a very long hospital stay.
I'd thought Dr. Now would have removed the lymphodema first, then bypass surgery, as he'd done with others.
I really want to see that gone.

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Reading live chat and seeing how many people love to read while eating. How about when you're enjoying your lunch and a book and a co-worker starts yapping at you.

Reading also slows down how much food you can shove in your face.
 

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51 minutes ago, Persnickety1 said:

It crossed my mind that perhaps in a bid for sympathy, he greatly exaggerated his childhood tale of woe to such a degree that none of them wanted to be included in filming.   

Well, that and he's such an enormous asshole that maybe they cut off ties with him long ago.  

Or maybe both.  

I would not be in the least surprised if J.T.'s family wanted nothing to do with this shitshow.

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7 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I would not be in the least surprised if J.T.'s family wanted nothing to do with this shitshow.

I sometimes feel jaded about the tales of woe. Maybe because I managed to get through it without having what looks like a giant scrotum hanging off my body.
 

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My guess is the halfway house was all he could afford, and at least there would be someone to make sure he was still alive.    In a single room somewhere, no one would check on him at all, or in a studio like the one he had in Oklahoma. 

My personal guess is that Dr. Now knew that taking off the Lymphedema would be dangerous, because of his sanitation, and I'm guessing that being overweight was not his most dangerous health issue.    He was a bad surgical risk, even after he lost so much weight.  The gastric sleeve surgery only takes between 60 and 90 minutes.   So the health risk is much less, than a Lymphedema surgery that probably takes many hours to cauterize blood vessels, and closing the wound would be an issue too.    Also, I don't know how much blood loss there is from gastric sleeve surgery, but I bet the Lymphedema surgery with all of the vessels involved, that blood loss would be a big problem. 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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44 minutes ago, WonTon said:

My takes on J.T.:

Another unlikable, hard-to-root-for patient. And seeing how obsessed he is with food and his crappy attitude about the diet over the majority of the show, I really don't see long-term success for him. His only redeeming quality was how much he loved his dog (who was SO cute!).

Also, that lymphedema was really nauseating. I had a hard time with this episode because of it. I kept fast-forwarding.

I think many did also, JT is a wounded soul ,yet in 12 months managed to lose 401lbs  ,so far the biggest loser this season ..

1John Hambrick34 years old 686.5 lbs393 lbs lost 294 lbs

1Lonnie Hambrick35 years  612.7 lbs368 lbs lost 245 lbs

2Lindsey Witte39 years old647.6 lbs438 lbs lost 209 lbs

3Bethany Stout40 years old 604.7 lbs504 lbs, dismissed from program in Month 6100.7 lbs

4Julius (J.T.) Clark32 years 892.2 lbs491 lbs lost 401 lbs   Amazing

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1 minute ago, jcbrown said:

I could not finish this one. I watched the first hour or so but like others have said, I found him so unlikeable I found myself wishing for him to fail.

I did the opposite and saw the end last night, but watched the beginning today.  He had a much different attitude at the end.

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3 minutes ago, readheaded said:

I did the opposite and saw the end last night, but watched the beginning today.  He had a much different attitude at the end.

Yes, I missed the beginning so I couldn't figure out why everyone was hating him so much. 

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I wonder if there’ll be a Part Two or follow up? How much did that huge lymphoma weigh? Surely it was removed at some point. 

Dirty sheets, depressing room. I even thought I saw a bug crawling on him.  It’s sad how people can sink so low into depression. This level of obesity is more about mental illness than junk food addiction. 

Dr Now possesses a kind disposition, but people like JT need therapy and lots of it. We only get one chance at life and he could’ve been a handsome guy living a much fuller life.

So sad. Hope he’s ok. The wee dog too.


 

 

 

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2 hours ago, nokat said:

Reading live chat and seeing how many people love to read while eating. How about when you're enjoying your lunch and a book and a co-worker starts yapping at you.

Reading also slows down how much food you can shove in your face.
 

Reading would certainly slow down some of these poundticipants, however I can only recall one who actually read.  I think I eat more when reading because it’s so mindless, when the food is finished but the book isn’t I just want more food.  It’s something I really can’t let myself do any more.  

A6E89D03-9388-49E1-821C-D36C0F9ABDB4.jpeg

Edited by ThereButFor
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5 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I would not be in the least surprised if J.T.'s family wanted nothing to do with this shitshow.

Me, neither. I'll bet the other group home people didn't want to be on camera, either.

4 hours ago, nokat said:

How about when you're enjoying your lunch and a book and a co-worker starts yapping at you.

This is why I eat in the kitchen at the other end of the office. Fewer people at that end so much less kitchen traffic down there, and no one sits in there to chitchat.

My favorite story from my ex: (Note: we met at work; years ago now and not at my current workplace.) On his first day he came into the breakroom with the manager, who introduced us. I was on my break, reading a book and eating an apple. I said "hi" and went back to my book. He thought I was a... well let's say, "unfriendly." We ended up dating (several months later) for two years. I do not remember this encounter in the slightest. He told me this story and I was like, "I was reading!" (He is also a reader.) (We were on good terms for a while after we broke up, but things didn't end particularly well in the long run, so I'm sure in his telling I'm back to being the, uh, "unfriendly" one. With a capital B. I'm okay with that.)

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Dr. Now visibly laughed when JT said his goal was to travel the world and move to Japan. 

I had to chuckle when JT said trying to get out of his bed was like climbing out of cotton candy or pudding. 

Damn that was a sad apartment he was holed up in. I was shocked when he finally dropped the attitude, and pulled a tub of broth out of that delivery bag at the end. I will give credit where due, the guy is sticking to it and going it almost entirely alone which has to be incredibly hard. Why no Lola?  

I don't have too much sympathy for the girlfriend. Neither of them seemed very likeable or to have much of a personality. She said she met him online and when she went over there to meet him (cuz he can't get out of bed!) she felt comfortable around him. Um, like you mean if he was a killer or pervert you could out run him? 

I bet once JT starts feeling better, making friends and working he becomes a totally different person. 

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6 hours ago, FormeryHeavyJ said:

All throughout the show his voice reminded me of Milton from Office Space.

Milton.jpg

I love that stapler.  HA!

4 hours ago, Pondlass1 said:

I wonder if there’ll be a Part Two or follow up? How much did that huge lymphoma weigh? Surely it was removed at some point. 

Dirty sheets, depressing room. I even thought I saw a bug crawling on him.  It’s sad how people can sink so low into depression. This level of obesity is more about mental illness than junk food addiction. 

Dr Now possesses a kind disposition, but people like JT need therapy and lots of it. We only get one chance at life and he could’ve been a handsome guy living a much fuller life.

So sad. Hope he’s ok. The wee dog too.


 

 

 

You did

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1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

Dr. Now visibly laughed when JT said his goal was to travel the world and move to Japan. 

I had to chuckle when JT said trying to get out of his bed was like climbing out of cotton candy or pudding. 

Damn that was a sad apartment he was holed up in. I was shocked when he finally dropped the attitude, and pulled a tub of broth out of that delivery bag at the end. I will give credit where due, the guy is sticking to it and going it almost entirely alone which has to be incredibly hard. Why no Lola?  

I don't have too much sympathy for the girlfriend. Neither of them seemed very likeable or to have much of a personality. She said she met him online and when she went over there to meet him (cuz he can't get out of bed!) she felt comfortable around him. Um, like you mean if he was a killer or pervert you could out run him? 

I bet once JT starts feeling better, making friends and working he becomes a totally different person. 

I was totally prepared to see a huge burger.  I was pleasantly surprised.

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22 minutes ago, Snarkastikate said:

I'm as hard on these poundicipants as anyone, but I have to give this guy a lot of credit.  He saw the light and lost 400 lbs in a year, that's amazing.  And in a strange city with no support network.  AND while carrying around a 100 tumor-like lymphedema.  That's spectacular really.    

I actually  wound up  sorta  liking him  at the end. His cousin  seemed  nice. The girlfriend,  notsomuch. 

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This episode was extremely hard for me to watch.  I thought I had seen enough at this point not to be shocked. I can't believe that he was not bedridden.  He certainly was an eating machine. There is no way I thought he would be able to stick to Dr Now's diet. But somehow he controlled his massive emotional eating. He looked very depressed.  I think there is a nice looking guy buried under all that fat.  

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17 hours ago, Persnickety1 said:

Well, come sit by me because I'm totally jaded by their tales of strife and woe and childhoods that didn't include unicorns, daily rainbows, and magic in the air.  Ugh.

We've all had our crosses to bear and most of the time these 600PL'ers really seem to be stretching to blame their poor decisions (including gluttony) on something that happened during their teenage years...yet pictures show the poundparticipant was already hitting maximum PSI at about 5 years old.  I also find the ones that try to blame their parent(s) are usually the ones who take minimal (if any) accountability for their piss poor choices in life.  While I understand these things can have an impact (and have the childhood from hell as my first-hand experience), I don't consider this any excuse as an adult to not seek out help to deal with the issue.  To me, this asshat gorging his way up to 900 lb is no different than one of the addicts on Intervention who are one step away from death but playing Russian roulette with a needle in their arm.  Same potential end result (death), just different methods.  Like that dumb bitch last week eating herself to death in front of her kids whilst perseverating about her own mother's attempted suicide.  Ugh, these people.  

This asshole tonight had parents who started using drugs?  Well, where's the world's small violin so I can play him a tune.  I'm sure countless kids go through similar scenarios growing up and don't end up hauling a 200 lb table around wherever they go. 

He had to (GASP) go get a job and go to school?  Shake hands, asshole, I worked and went to school, too, and was giving most of my salary to my perpetually broke-ass parents.  Big deal.  Life goes on.  Get some therapy and learn to deal with it.  Or chose not to get therapy, STFU, and take accountability for your choices.  

I still want to hire myself out as a "fat sitter" and supervise every bite of food that goes into these clowns' mouths.  "I NEED PIZZA!!!"   "No, what you NEED is to lose the equivalent of 3 people from your body...here's a low-fat mozarrella cheesestick, bon appetit!"  "I NEED A MILKSHAKE!!!"  "No, what you need is hydration.  Here's a 32-oz bottle of water with lemon juice to quench that thirst, bottoms up!"  

These people would hate my fucking guts...but the fuckers would definitely lose the required weight and Dr. Now would love me ❤️  

 

JT really seems to have mental issues , his face became really strange when Dr Now weighted him and spoke direct to him about life goals at the rehab  ... He doesn't seem to have the mental skills of a adult ,yet he was about to lose 401 lbs in a year... I will take a dozen more JTs over one Bethany ...

10 hours ago, Snarkastikate said:

I'm as hard on these poundicipants as anyone, but I have to give this guy a lot of credit.  He saw the light and lost 400 lbs in a year, that's amazing.  And in a strange city with no support network.  AND while carrying around a 100 tumor-like lymphedema.  That's spectacular really.    

Amen,He is a strong person to continue on with all ,he had against him..

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1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

Yes, he was strange. I'm not sure what to make of him. Yes he did lose 400 pounds but that still leaves him at almost 500 pounds IIRC. Which is morbidly obese. 😒

If JT was able and willing to lose 401lbs in 12 months ,I have a feeling he will make his goal weight in the near future with Dr Nows guidance.. Ps his lymphedema growth is around 100lbs and will be removed ..

Edited by AVM
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I gave up on this one when we were told JT had been ordering in food at the rehab he'd been sent to, so I was really surprised to read here that he lost over 400lbs. I was sure he was going to fail. He was both dull and unlikeable, so I couldn't be bothered to invest any more time in him when I had Marriage at First Sight waiting for me too.

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On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 11:39 AM, auntjess said:

Also, got surgery when he had no one in Houston.  
Maybe housing prices are getting higher, because one person was allow to room in a house, and now a shelter, after a very long hospital stay.
I'd thought Dr. Now would have removed the lymphodema first, then bypass surgery, as he'd done with others.
I really want to see that gone.

I was thinking he did the weight loss surgery first as JT was still mobile even with the 100lb lymphedema.  They would want him in the best shape possible before undertaking the extensive lymphedema removal surgery...

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On 1/23/2020 at 1:56 PM, Pondlass1 said:

I wonder if there’ll be a Part Two or follow up? How much did that huge lymphoma weigh? Surely it was removed at some point. 

Dirty sheets, depressing room. I even thought I saw a bug crawling on him.  It’s sad how people can sink so low into depression. This level of obesity is more about mental illness than junk food addiction. 

Dr Now possesses a kind disposition, but people like JT need therapy and lots of it. We only get one chance at life and he could’ve been a handsome guy living a much fuller life.

So sad. Hope he’s ok. The wee dog too.

I was very surprised that Dr Now didn't send him for therapy, but I don't think a session or two with Lola or that little guy whose name escapes me would even make a dent in his issues. I wonder if something was done off camera - I think a combination of therapy and medication would be beneficial for him.

I also think that the girlfriend being gone is better for him. She was a codependent enabler, and wouldn't actually be surprised if part of the reason she left was because they couldn't gorge on junk all day long.

Edited by lizajane
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2 hours ago, essexjan said:

 so I couldn't be bothered to invest any more time in him when I had Marriage at First Sight waiting for me too.

That show's still on?

 

1 hour ago, lizajane said:

 that little guy whose name escapes me 

Dr. Paradise! I hope we'll see him this season.

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