S08.E18: Alicia and Pauline

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Alicia's relationship with her boyfriend Tim comes under the microscope in the 2nd year of her weight loss journey. And now in her 4th year, Pauline must beg her way back onto the program after quitting in a huff when her last weigh-in didn't go so well.

Please, please, please, for the love of all that is holy, do not have Alicia refer to Tim as Timmy.  We are all still recovering from last week's Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy . . . .  Alicia and Tim were both generally pleasant, low drama folks even though he is a recovering addict and she could eat a dozen donuts in one sitting.

Pauline and her put upon son Dilly, er, Dillon are back for where are they now round 4.  Will she still be riding her double wide scooter?  Will she do just enough to keep the show interested so she can get round 5? Will it ever end? Let's see how much more unlikable she can be.

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

[Concerned]

Two success stories with man trouble. One has a husband who manipulates her and the other has a son whom she manipulates. Also one gets a nice haircut and has outsized breasts while the other favors turquoise pants and having London broil sliced off her legs.

[Leilani]

Is Pauline wearing the same exact outfit that she was wearing three years ago? Both her son and her look exactly the same.

[PA SweetPea]

I had a busy evening so didn't get to watch live and join the chat. Hopefully someday my participation will be more regular. But holy cow, whoever thought that Pauline would finally grow up and take responsibility and do what she needed on her own. I never saw that coming! Great to see alicia get past her issues that were holding her back. After so many failures during the regular season, this episode was very welcome. 

[Dianaofthehunt]

The white jeans, though! I'm cryin'.

[cynicat]

I never believed the words "You go girl!" would come out of my mouth in relation to Pauline.  Maybe we really are in the apocalypse!  

[FormeryHeavyJ]

I had to punch out of the chat very early last night because one of my dogs....Jaxie….was staring at me.  He wanted to lay on my lap.  Mrs. Formerly Heavy J had the other three on/next to her (two Pugs and a Chug).  Jaxie is a Boston Terrier/French Bulldog mix and is my training partner.   Love to snark but how you can you refuse this face when he wants to sleep on you?

[ShoePrincess]

That turned out better than expected. Did Pauline really say that Dillon needs to have his own life? I hope so, although I wonder if he is capable of managing life on his own.

I hope Alicia turns out to be a success story. Good for her deciding to go to school. Love her new look. I sort of drifted off near the end. Did she lose that dead weight known as Timmy?

 

[Jeeves]

@FormeryHeavyJ, your priorities are right. What a cutie! Thanks for sharing the pic. It's been nearly six months since my Jasper went to doggie heaven, and I still miss him (Shih Tzu, cuddlebug, and all around happy mellow non-barky companion). 

@ShoePrincess, by the end of the episode, Alicia had enrolled in school, lost more weight, and was down below 300 in her final weigh-in. In her VO, she said that she told Timmy it would be okay for him to accompany her to her appointment with Dr. Now. Big step forward. But they were still together. IIRC she and Dr. Now discussed future skin removal surgery which would require her to relocate to Houston for the surgery/recovery. I don't think there were any specific plans made for that.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Apparently this was supposed to air last summer, along with the David/Benji/Erica update.   I read that Alicia is defending Timmy on her Facebook, so they're still together.     

Who does Pauline think she's kidding?   She'll never let her son have his own life, and he doesn't seem to fight about that any longer.    

Edited April 30, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[FormeryHeavyJ]

Dilly still rockin' the Moe.  Maybe for the next follow-up on his mother from hell he will rock the Curly.

[FormeryHeavyJ]

Jeeves...so sorry for your loss.  My wife & I were there in Dec 2018 when we said good-bye to Dale, our Shepherd/Lab mix of 15 years.  He was named for Dale Earnhardt.  

Jaxie & I are training for a 5k run.  Unfortunately no dogs are allowed so he will wait for me at the finish line.  I'll be wearing a "Team Jaxie" shirt with a cartoon picture on the front of a Boston Terrier wearing running shoes.

[Bugfrey Von]

Pauline has no internal monologue. She cannot stop giving herself ass pats for the most minute things. Poor Dillion. Hear me out. I think he has a lot of potential. He needs to have the surgery with Dr. Now and maybe see a chiropractor to help him with posture. New haircut, mini-makeover, boom. Eligible bachelor. What are the chances of Pauline being a good mother in law? 

[lilysmom]

It made me laugh how Timmy kept chiming in at EVERY dr's visits, trying so hard to say ANYTHING so that Dr. Now would pat him on the head for (because he was being so supportative, etc.) and Dr. Now kept shutting him down. He sounded like a kid who knows he did something he shouldn't have and is trying to make himself look good to his mom.

[sempervivum]

31 minutes ago, Bugfrey Von said:

Poor Dillion. Hear me out. I think he has a lot of potential.

I thought the same thing, at least as far as his looks. If he lost 100 or so pounds, and got his teeth fixed, a haircut, some decent clothing and grooming- he could qualify as tall, dark and handsome. His personality might be a different matter, although who knows? I don't think he's said more than 20 words in all the times he's been on this show.

Just the fact that Pauline would even consider white jeggings with those nightmare legs of hers tells me something about the extent of her self-delusion.

[Tabbygirl521]

6 minutes ago, lilysmom said:

It made me laugh how Timmy kept chiming in at EVERY dr's visits, trying so hard to say ANYTHING so that Dr. Now would pat him on the head for (because he was being so supportative, etc.) and Dr. Now kept shutting him down. He sounded like a kid who knows he did something he shouldn't have and is trying to make himself look good to his mom.

Very Eddie Haskell. 

[JJ1]

I saw where Alicia was upset because of the way the show portrayed Tim as being too controlling and non-supportive. I kinda agree with her. I think Tim just had a habit of making all the decisions because Alicia couldn’t or wouldn’t make her own life decisions. Until she developed the confidence to actually make a decision and follow through, I think Tim still felt that he had that responsibility. And that’s a very hard habit to break. Hoping their decisions these days are arrived at in a more equitable manner. Tim will probably be relieved once he realizes she can carry part of the load now. Very proud of Alicia for becoming her own woman!

[IvySpice]

It was such a departure to root for Pauline! I root for her to find some wide-leg dark wash jeans to fulfill her jeans hopes, and some white palazzo pants to fulfill her white pants hopes, and never the twain shall meet.

Dillon is still creepy in the extreme. If Pauline can step up, maybe he can too.

Alicia was unrecognizable, in a good way. I didn't have high hopes when I saw her hairstylist's Karen cut, but it came out OK. Good for her going back to college. That's inspiring.

[ilovebeaarthur]

3 hours ago, FormeryHeavyJ said:

I had to punch out of the chat very early last night because one of my dogs....Jaxie….was staring at me.  He wanted to lay on my lap.  Mrs. Formerly Heavy J had the other three on/next to her (two Pugs and a Chug).  Jaxie is a Boston Terrier/French Bulldog mix and is my training partner.   Love to snark but how you can you refuse this face when he wants to sleep on you?

What a beautiful dog! I have a Boston, so I'm a bit biased 🙂

[ethalfrida]

Dilly has been beat down by Pauline. He looked so sad and depressed. He probably doesn’t have the mental energy to function away from her but is resentful for having to be there.

[snarkish]

I didn't join in the live chat last night, because I've been FB friends with Alicia for a few years now, and she actually asked me for feedback on her episode (after I commented on her personal FB post about how mad she was about the episode and the unfair portrayal of Tim). I've followed her personally for years now and she's done very well. She is working and has been in a happy relationship with Tim, and obviously has lost more weight. She said they pieced together pieces of her dialogue. Even not knowing her online, I thought it was very odd that Dr. Now seemed so interested in her finding a career, hobbies, etc. Since when is he so interested in these things? What if she was happy being a housewife? As long as she was losing weight and keeping busy, like she mentioned, caring for their home and exercising, that's not any of Dr. Now's business. Very disappointed in the direction this show is going. Even Alicia expressed that she started out watching this show, like me, years ago to gain inspiration, not watch drama-filled episodes of people going nowhere, and obviously scripted stuff. 

[calpurnia99]

4 hours ago, lilysmom said:

It made me laugh how Timmy kept chiming in at EVERY dr's visits, trying so hard to say ANYTHING so that Dr. Now would pat him on the head for (because he was being so supportative, etc.) and Dr. Now kept shutting him down. He sounded like a kid who knows he did something he shouldn't have and is trying to make himself look good to his mom.

Alicia is very pretty- her face is really lovely. He was trying to keep her fat because he knows that if she were a normal weight she would be extremely attractive and out of his league. It was so obvious.

[Kid]

5 hours ago, Jeeves said:

 

@FormeryHeavyJ, your priorities are right. What a cutie! Thanks for sharing the pic. It's been nearly six months since my Jasper went to doggie heaven, and I still miss him (Shih Tzu, cuddlebug, and all around happy mellow non-barky companion). 

 

Jeeves, I am so sorry!!!  April 25 was the first anniversary of my Casey dying. So I lost him six months before you lost your Jasper. It sucks doesn’t it. So yes, FormerlyheavyJ did the right thing.

By the way, you Pounders were so comforting  when my Casey died and I appreciated it immensely!!!

And with regard to last nights episode, I’m really glad that Pauline  seems to have gotten herself in line. I hope so, because her son deserves a life.

[Tabbygirl521]

1 hour ago, snarkish said:

I didn't join in the live chat last night, because I've been FB friends with Alicia for a few years now, and she actually asked me for feedback on her episode (after I commented on her personal FB post about how mad she was about the episode and the unfair portrayal of Tim). I've followed her personally for years now and she's done very well. She is working and has been in a happy relationship with Tim, and obviously has lost more weight. She said they pieced together pieces of her dialogue. Even not knowing her online, I thought it was very odd that Dr. Now seemed so interested in her finding a career, hobbies, etc. Since when is he so interested in these things? What if she was happy being a housewife? As long as she was losing weight and keeping busy, like she mentioned, caring for their home and exercising, that's not any of Dr. Now's business. Very disappointed in the direction this show is going. Even Alicia expressed that she started out watching this show, like me, years ago to gain inspiration, not watch drama-filled episodes of people going nowhere, and obviously scripted stuff. 

But she herself told Dr Now she wanted to go back to school and Tim declared she wasn’t ready. She was trying to make her own decisions and Tim got in the way. I hope he’s learned NOT to do this to her. 

[jabinlbc]

I do not remember Alicia's original episode.  How long had she and Tim been together?  What was their story?

Personally, I saw him as being very controlling, and prior to her losing all that weight, she probably was okay with letting him make all her decisions.  He justified it by saying he was being protective of her, and I think she liked that too, as she did not have to do anything in life but eat.  I agree that he probably would prefer she stay overweight so he can continue to control her (I am assuming he also has a thing for overweight women). 

[CrazyInAlabama]

According to Starcasm . net, Alicia is now the 10th Poundticipant to join the lawsuit.   She claims the producers faked her pre-surgery mental exam.       She claims that she was promised a lot of therapy, and only the one session shown actually happened.    

I'm getting tired of people showing their 'journey' on TV, getting to the head of the line at Dr. Now's office, and then claiming they were duped. 

[SuzieQ]

Wow! People really don't like Tim.  Actually of all these people on here, they seem like the most normal couple, having normal couple issues.  He doesn't strike me as a bad guy.  I find them kind of cute together.  I do wonder how they ever got together in the 1st place though.

 

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS WEAR THOSE WHITE JEANS!!

Edited April 30, 2020 by SuzieQ

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering if Alicia has a history of bad choices, or getting scammed?    She did seem a little too trusting, and people can take advantage of that.  

In my own family, my father usually made the big decisions, and when my mother actually wanted her way (not often, she just didn't care about most things), it often was a disaster.  She would trust someone who wasn't trustworthy, and it never turned out very well.     It might be that from Alicia's background, she didn't choose well several times, and Tim doesn't want her to get hurt.   We did just get a tiny glimpse of Tim and Alicia, so who knows what their relationship is really like.   

Edited May 1, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, SuzieQ said:

Wow! People really don't like Tim.  Actually of all these people on here, they seem like the most normal couple, having normal couple issues.  He doesn't strike me as a bad guy.  I find them kind of cute together.  I do wonder how they ever got together in the 1st place though.

I liked Tim in the first episode, so I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. In some scenes he did come across as not such a great guy after all, but at the same time I can totally believe that the show might have edited it to give him a negative slant for their own purposes (of drama and internet clicks, of course).

(For instance, I side-eyed at the comment about him "letting" her join a gym, but I also considered that he might have been paying for it, in which case I can see how she might think of it in those terms. Who knows? But then some of his comments to Dr. Now didn't come off so great.)

(If Dr. Now truly thinks she was being abused, I think his comments in the office were inappropriate and likely to make the abuser angry and take it out on the partner later when they're alone. So I hope he was being hyperbolic. Or scripted.)

Edited April 30, 2020 by ams1001
i can't parenthesis

[SuzieQ]

11 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I liked Tim in the first episode, so I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. In some scenes he did come across as not such a great guy after all, but at the same time I can totally believe that the show might have edited it to give him a negative slant for their own purposes (of drama and internet clicks, of course).

(For instance, I side-eyed at the comment about him "letting" her join a gym, but I also considered that he might have been paying for it, in which case I can see how she might think of it in those terms. Who knows?) But then some of his comments to Dr. Now didn't come off so great.

(If Dr. Now truly thinks she was being abused, I think his comments in the office were inappropriate and likely to make the abuser angry and take it out on the partner later when they're alone. So I hope he was being hyperbolic. Or scripted.)

I agree that there were some scenes where he didn't come across well, but IMO, this is so heavily edited to make it not be a snoozefest.  That speech that Dr. Now gave him was so over the top and totally out of proportion to the things Tim actually said.  I really do believe these shows are more scripted than a regular tv drama.

[Tabbygirl521]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm wondering if Alicia has a history of bad choices, or getting scammed?    She did seem a little too trusting, and people can take advantage of that.  

In my own family, my father usually made the big decisions, and when my mother actually wanted her way (not often, she just didn't care about most things), it often was a disaster.  She would trust someone who wasn't trustworthy, and it never turned out very well.     It might be that from Alicia's background, she didn't choose well and we did just get a tiny glimpse of Tim and Alicia.  

Yeah, but how bad a decision would it be for her to go the gym? Or to school? Or to get a job? He didn’t strike me as evil but just way too controlling. 

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I liked Tim in the first episode, so I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. In some scenes he did come across as not such a great guy after all, but at the same time I can totally believe that the show might have edited it to give him a negative slant for their own purposes (of drama and internet clicks, of course).

(For instance, I side-eyed at the comment about him "letting" her join a gym, but I also considered that he might have been paying for it, in which case I can see how she might think of it in those terms. Who knows? But then some of his comments to Dr. Now didn't come off so great.)

(If Dr. Now truly thinks she was being abused, I think his comments in the office were inappropriate and likely to make the abuser angry and take it out on the partner later when they're alone. So I hope he was being hyperbolic. Or scripted.)

She flat out said that Tim told her he didn’t think she was ready to go to the gym. Then there was the scene where he said she was “too naive” to go back to school because “the world in changing - it has changed.” That just seems way too weird a viewpoint. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

11 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I thought the same thing, at least as far as his looks. If he lost 100 or so pounds, and got his teeth fixed, a haircut, some decent clothing and grooming- he could qualify as tall, dark and handsome. His personality might be a different matter, although who knows? I don't think he's said more than 20 words in all the times he's been on this show.

Just the fact that Pauline would even consider white jeggings with those nightmare legs of hers tells me something about the extent of her self-delusion.

Those weren't meant to be jeggings.  With her legs even wide-legged jeans would be tight. 😳

[cynicat]

12 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

That speech that Dr. Now gave him was so over the top and totally out of proportion to the things Tim actually said.  I really do believe these shows are more scripted than a regular tv drama.

I also liked Tim, although he may have been a bit overly protective.  He has stuck with her, and they look like a happy couple.  I love Dr. Now but was yelling at the TV for him to "stay in his lane".

[Tabbygirl521]

3 hours ago, cynicat said:

I also liked Tim, although he may have been a bit overly protective.  He has stuck with her, and they look like a happy couple.  I love Dr. Now but was yelling at the TV for him to "stay in his lane".

What bothered me was, until Erica finally did have the showdown about school with Tim, his “protecting” her seemed to be causing her to eat her feelings and her weight loss stalled. And she still needs to lose a couple hundred pounds. Once she asserted herself, things seemed to get back on track. So I hope Tim actually is the good guy he initially appeared to be and that he’s not getting in her way now. I’m looking forward to seeing if she does make it back to Houston for skin removal. 

[pdlinda]

On 5/1/2020 at 7:06 AM, Tabbygirl521 said:

So I hope Tim actually is the good guy he initially appeared to be and that he’s not getting in her way now. I’m looking forward to seeing if she does make it back to Houston for skin removal. 

From what I gathered from Alicia's FB postings from a group I follow, she's DONE with TLC and had nothing good to say about the experience of appearing in 2 episodes of the show.  One post said she was now working and is still together with Tim.

It specified that the episode we saw last week was actually filmed a year ago so I would conclude that if Alicia was going to have the difficult skin removal surgery it definitely would NOT be with Dr. Now.  I might add that this surgery is extremely expensive and is not covered by most insurance (don't know why...it should be.  It's not cosmetic)

Oh, I almost forgot!  A post stated that Alicia has joined the multitude of former participants in filing a lawsuit against Dr. Now.  She stated that they promised her ongoing and continuing therapy and never came through and that the production company also reneged on other financial benefits they promised but never delivered.

I think we have seen the last of Alicia and Tim!!!

[Scratches19]

Wow. Finally watching the replay. DR NOW is raking Tim over the coals right now and we are cheering him on. Wow! 
 

I knew her was trouble when I saw the flames on his car. Flame car = warning sign!!

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Scratches19

[FormeryHeavyJ]

On 4/30/2020 at 11:00 PM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Those weren't meant to be jeggings.  With her legs even wide-legged jeans would be tight. 😳

I went to bed on the original airing before that scene (thankfully!!!!) and only saw it on the repeat before Wednesday night's whine-a-thon.  I could only think of this when I saw it.

Edited May 8, 2020 by FormeryHeavyJ

[Twopper]

On 4/30/2020 at 12:04 PM, IvySpice said:

It was such a departure to root for Pauline! I root for her to find some wide-leg dark wash jeans to fulfill her jeans hopes, and some white palazzo pants to fulfill her white pants hopes, and never the twain shall meet.

Dillon is still creepy in the extreme. If Pauline can step up, maybe he can too.

I think the dvr cut out early because yesterday when I was watching the WATN with Dottie and whoever, I saw the end of Pauline's epi and she is flying over some city (Houston?) in a copter.  I don't think I remembered it from her episode, but I am almost afraid to look at my comments in the live chat and see if I mentioned it.  I really think this quarantine is doing a number on my mind. 

I can't look at her legs.  Sorry.  Not sorry.

[Ralphster]

Totally LOLing at the theory that Alicia is a catch and Tim doesn't want other people to steal his hot lady. Alicia has a turkey waddle neck and her body will always look freakish following the abuse she inflicted upon it. Plus like everyone else who has had this surgery and managed to lose weight, she looks 60. My guess is these people aren't getting the nutrients they need anymore. In my opinion WLS prevents people from getting the nutrients they need and ages people prematurely.

Dr. Now is a jackass. I could not believe how he treated Tim, who did not deserve the verbal abuse heaped upon him. Dr. Now never gave concrete examples of why Tim was the evil abuser Dr. Now claimed he was. Plus as someone else pointed out, if Tim really were that bad, Alicia would be in for it when they got home alone. Dr. Now is caustic and fun to watch but interacting with him firsthand would be unpleasant for he is not just blunt, but rude most of the time. The more I watch this show, the less I like him. He is out to make money and I think he does more with patients who have better insurance/financial resources than they sometimes deserve. Also WLS is just not a logical solution; if they can lose weight on their own, then keep doing that instead of mutilating your insides. Dr. Now is inconsistent with his recommendations and with how he treats various family dynamics. Sometimes he tells a patient it's her fault (or his) for gaining weight, then with Alicia he blames Tim for her stalled weight loss. I cannot with this charlatan, who can't even stitch up skin surgeries in a way that isn't Frankensteinish.

The way Alicia smiled and nodded while Dr. Now treated her SO like shit right next to her was just disgusting. If I were Tim I'd have dumped her for that. Tim's been supporting her and supportive of her for a long time; he did not deserve that treatment from the two of them. Alicia is weak-willed and ultimately pathetic.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Ralphster

[pdlinda]

On 4/30/2020 at 11:05 AM, snarkish said:

I thought it was very odd that Dr. Now seemed so interested in her finding a career, hobbies, etc. Since when is he so interested in these things? What if she was happy being a housewife? As long as she was losing weight and keeping busy, like she mentioned, caring for their home and exercising, that's not any of Dr. Now's business. V

I happened to catch the WATN last evening of this episode with Alicia and Pauline. 

From what I read on Alicia's FB she and Tim parted ways about a year (or so) ago. 

Her most recent posts show her in a happy (seemingly) place and working as a night clerk at some resort.  I was wondering if she ever finished her schooling to become a kindergarten teacher?  I was also wondering if she ever had her excess skin removed? 

I saw a pic of her and Brianna on FB and she was wearing a very form-fitting white dress.  From the looks of the pic she was about the same weight as she was at the end of filming? (not sure)

 

[snarkish]

33 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I happened to catch the WATN last evening of this episode with Alicia and Pauline. 

From what I read on Alicia's FB she and Tim parted ways about a year (or so) ago. 

Her most recent posts show her in a happy (seemingly) place and working as a night clerk at some resort.  I was wondering if she ever finished her schooling to become a kindergarten teacher?  I was also wondering if she ever had her excess skin removed? 

I saw a pic of her and Brianna on FB and she was wearing a very form-fitting white dress.  From the looks of the pic she was about the same weight as she was at the end of filming? (not sure)

 

I actually became FB friends with both Alicia and Brianne. I've messaged with both of them. Both are doing very well. They became best friends and Alicia moved to Oregon to move in with Brianne. Alicia is living her best life out there and loves to go hiking. Brianne has divorced Rick and now is in a very happy relationship, expecting a baby, and getting married in October. 

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, snarkish said:

I actually became FB friends with both Alicia and Brianne. I've messaged with both of them. Both are doing very well. They became best friends and Alicia moved to Oregon to move in with Brianne. Alicia is living her best life out there and loves to go hiking. Brianne has divorced Rick and now is in a very happy relationship, expecting a baby, and getting married in October. 

Thanks so much for your prompt response.  I catalogued the episodes I enjoyed the most over the years (with the exception of Justin none I can recall wanting to re-watch the last couple of seasons) so I have Alicia's (and Brienne's) to watch at my leisure.  I always see different aspects of each participant's weight-loss situation with each new viewing so that's why I posed the questions I did today.

Having lost 100lbs 15 yrs ago myself (and kept it off with a lot of hard work and diligence) the show always keeps me motivated to stick to the strict lifestyle I enjoy (despite (or maybe because of) it's food limitations.

I am delighted both Alicia and Brienne are doing so well.  They both deserve the best!!