S01.E03: Where Are They Now? Penny and Tara

[cheatincheetos]

Remember the first season of Extreme Couponing when they had that great angry red-faced woman in Ohio named Amanda? The one that would yell at her husband and snap her fingers etc? That one who had four lanes checking her groceries out at once and danced between them trying to watch over everything? the same Amanda who wrote on her blog about getting in an angry fight with a store manager about a deal on 200 Cadbury chocolate eggs to the point she was banned from the store? She would be a perfect couponing buddy for Pennyloafer if Pennyloafer would just get outta Pee-bed. Red faces and yellow brick roads.

[CarolMK]

One thing I've observed in regards to Penny, she does appear to love her little boy, Liam and I suppose she does love her husband too, even though all we pretty much saw was that she ordered him around a lot. She did mention on her Twitter than her couponing goes to help her food pantry at church. So I'm wondering how involved is she

with her church..can she ever attend services, and does she have any friends from it that she sees socially?  Most of these people seem very isolated from society and cut off

from the world, but I'm wondering if that's the case with Penny. She had also mentioned she does crafts as a side business on her Twitter..did the show mention that at all?

[KarmaG]

One thing I've observed in regards to Penny, she does appear to love her little boy, Liam and I suppose she does love her husband too, even though all we pretty much saw was that she ordered him around a lot. She did mention on her Twitter than her couponing goes to help her food pantry at church. So I'm wondering how involved is she

with her church..can she ever attend services, and does she have any friends from it that she sees socially?  Most of these people seem very isolated from society and cut off

from the world, but I'm wondering if that's the case with Penny. She had also mentioned she does crafts as a side business on her Twitter..did the show mention that at all?

 

There is no church. That's her cover story so she doesn't look as bad as we all see her. If there was a church I am sure we'd have gotten a look at it like we did with James.

Edited February 22, 2015 by KarmaG

[Guest dutronc]

There is no church. That's her cover story so she doesn't look as bad as we all see her. If there was a church I am sure we'd have gotten a look at it like we did with James.

Wasn't that Chuck? I don't think James went to church on screen. 

 

Penny mentioned her beading/crafts in the first episode, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't mentioned in the follow-up episode. 

[cheatincheetos]

... She had also mentioned she does crafts as a side business on her Twitter..did the show mention that at all?

I remember some kind of jewelry or beadwork was mentioned in the first episode because people on the forum afterward were thinking about her unsanitary conditions and asking who would dare touch that stuff.

[cheatincheetos]

One thing I've observed in regards to Penny, she does appear to love her little boy, Liam and I suppose she does love her husband too, even though all we pretty much saw was that she ordered him around a lot.

She may love them. She needs that love to become stronger than her love of life as a human honeybee larva, though.

[hoosiermom]

Doesn't Penny realize her lies will come out when the show is aired?

[ethalfrida]

I wonder that about all the shows, hoosiermom.

[4leafclover]

She (and Pauline) will just blame it on "editing."  

[hoosiermom]

Can you say delusional?

[Cherrio]

She may love them. She needs that love to become stronger than her love of life as a human honeybee larva, though.

 Yes

 Also, if she felt real love, she certainly would not be subjecting Liam and Edgar to the kind of life they lead.  Edgar is an adult, so I dont care about him, but her son is being abused and endangered.  We have already listed all the disgusting things. Can you imagine what kind of bullying and teasing that poor kid gets?  Its been immortalized now on national television of him riding Penny like a beached whale in her wheelchair in public.

          If she truly loved him, she would do whatever it takes to get healthy and its obvious she has not made any effort at all.  Her real true love is food.

[KarmaG]

Wasn't that Chuck? I don't think James went to church on screen. 

 

Penny mentioned her beading/crafts in the first episode, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't mentioned in the follow-up episode. 

 Probably. James Chuck, they're all the same to me at this point :P

[gunderda]

Doesn't Penny realize her lies will come out when the show is aired?

 

To a normal person, yes, but Penny does not believe she's lying. In her world everything she says is truth and we are all idiots.

[scowl]

To a normal person, yes, but Penny does not believe she's lying. In her world everything she says is truth and we are all idiots.

 

When Pauline was trapped in a lie that the physical therapists had never called her (when they had called her three times), at least she looked slightly guilty when she doubled down on the lie claiming they never told her they were physical therapists before she hung up on them. 

[Taylorh2]

I wanted Dr. Now to have the call transferred into the exam room that Pauline was in and have her take the call right there.

[AndreaF]

Penny's Yellow Brick Road Cake

 

rofl!  Oh, man.. this is flipping hilarious! 

 

It figures that Penny, the WORST person EVER EVER EVER on this show, who I can't STAND (even though she can miraculously reach her own vagina), would be the one featured on a rerun that I landed on the other night while flipping through channels!   Even WORSE...

 

... I watched it.  *sigh*  Anyhow, moving along!

 

I did notice that while she was making her Cleopatra joke, that her voice was syrupy sweet and that she was smiling up at everyone... was she flirting??  Is this how she tries to get male attention?  Was it like an infant-filling-its-diaper type of smile, or was she trying to be charming in the face of humiliation?  Does she even register embarrassment while galloping around Delusionville?  GAH.

 

Poor Liam.  I hope and pray that that little boy comes out of this childhood unscathed.  She may be super loving to him, but he sees how she treats Edgar and everyone else in the world.  He's such a little cutie, that I feel badly for him.

 

ETA: Regarding her weight and not being able to walk, maybe she's only 4 feet tall? 

Edited February 25, 2015 by AndreaF

[cheatincheetos]

 

ETA: Regarding her weight and not being able to walk, maybe she's only 4 feet tall? 

Aside from the weight, she has used her legs so little that they severely atrophied. In the scene where they had her try to stand on her feet, it was painfully obvious that they weren't going to support her. They are almost like those tiny vestigial legs or spurs that pythons have.

[AndreaF]

Aside from the weight, she has used her legs so little that they severely atrophied. In the scene where they had her try to stand on her feet, it was painfully obvious that they weren't going to support her. They are almost like those tiny vestigial legs or spurs that pythons have.

I see what you're saying.  I hadn't even given atrophy one moment of consideration, but it's entirely possible that my attitude towards Penny is so piss-poor that I assumed she was faking all of the little squeals and moans and whimpers and grunts and ... bleah.  She's a real piece of work, vestigial legs and all. 

 

I also have zero sympathy towards Edgar.  As others have noted, their job as parents is to protect and nurture their son, but that's not possible since all of the adults' time is spent shoveling food into Penny's eternally gaping maw -- and poor Liam is left under a blanket of hamburger wrappers. 

[cheatincheetos]

Like a sarlacc

Pretty much, except that "they rarely feed" according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarlacc.

She could however be a sarlacc with an eating disorder. She also wouldn't exert herself by moving her tentacles to grab food. She'd just yell at Edgar to move the victims closer.

Edited February 25, 2015 by cheatincheetos

[AndreaF]

Like a sarlacc

Yes!  But, I'd dare to presume that the sarlacc is WAY to classy to crap where it eats... and sleeps.  And watches tv.  And plays with its baby sarlacc.  And...

 

Oh, never mind -- I'm making myself ill over here! 

[cheatincheetos]

I was cringing the whole time Penny was on. I am not buying that she lost 230 pounds.

She lost it by twerking on webcam for 25 cents off coupons! #brainbleach

[Armchair Critic]

I saw somebody mention it before, but Penny is like the humans in the movie Wall E.   With her lying in bed so much her legs and feet are going to stop working and it's her own fault.

 

My daughter had a project at school so I had to drop her off which made me have to hustle to get to work on time today. Those are the times I think it would be nice to have a husband to help me out. That's why I shake my head that Penny thinks she is a great mother, her husband is the one who does all the work for her little boy Liam. If Edgar left her she would probably have to go into a nursing home, she should be kissing her husband's behind because who else would do all that for her? Even a paid employee is not going to put up with all her nonsense. But in Penny's mind she thinks that Liam and Edgar are lucky to have her. In reality she is an albatross around their necks.

[Grasonville]

Injust saw the original Penny episode for the first time.  I thought I couldn't think less of her from the Where are they now episode - but I was wrong.  Saying she does more for her son than some working moms really shows her delusion.  Well that and claiming that the scales are wrong - and telling the ambulance driver she must have lost 340 lbs by now - oh - and she doesn't need anyone telling her how to reach her "goals" because she knows what is best for her.

[PityFree]

Penny reaching her goals = Penny reaching her vagina

[gunderda]

[quote name="AndreaF" post="863432" timestamp="1424844440

I also have zero sympathy towards Edgar. As others have noted, their job as parents is to protect and nurture their son, but that's not possible since all of the adults' time is spent shoveling food into Penny's eternally gaping maw -- and poor Liam is left under a blanket of hamburger wrappers.

 

Edgar could learn a thing or two from the boyfriend/husband on Angel's episode that just aired.  He said if she didn't do something to help herself then he would take their son and leave because being a 24/7 caretaker is not what he signed up for. 

[Hero]

Penny reaching her goals = Penny reaching her vagina

Lol! She probably lied about that, too.

[riverblue22]

I just saw the original Penny episode as well.  She reminds me of Robyn Sullivan Brown of Sister Wives fame.  Nothing is ever her fault, she can not take responsibility for anything.  It's always someone else's doing.  Poor Liam.

[BostonBlonde]

  While I hate the whole “I’m a food addict” mentality, Penny does show addict behavior in the way she manipulates and abuses others to get her needs met.

 

I agree & also detest the whole "I'm an addict" bullshit.. Excuses & more excuses. Sex addicts, drug addicts, food addicts all use the same BS song & dance.

My fav is "I have a disease" OMFG No. Cancer patients have a disease...you can stop eating, sleeping with 20 different people or put down the crack pipe. Cancer patients have ZERO choice.

 

If Liam weren't in the picture, I would respect Edgar for standing up or walking out. But since Liam is witness to all of this...I understand why over time and after a thousand nasty scenes Edgar just doesn't fight it anymore.

 

Idk...I feel if Edgar really cared about Liam & his well being he would get him the fuck out of "Shit in my bed in the living room" Ville & give him a real chance at life...which will still be a long shot after a childhood like his....He will have life long issues. Guaranteed. 

 

Who are the people on her Facebook page telling her what a great job she is doing?  Are they real?  Have they seen the show?  Has SHE seen the show?  Denial isn't only a river in Eygpt.

 

RIGHT????!!!!! I cant believe there is even ONE person supporting this nonsense & abuse of a child. Disgusting.

 

 Yes

 Also, if she felt real love, she certainly would not be subjecting Liam and Edgar to the kind of life they lead.  Edgar is an adult, so I dont care about him, but her son is being abused and endangered.  We have already listed all the disgusting things. Can you imagine what kind of bullying and teasing that poor kid gets?  Its been immortalized now on national television of him riding Penny like a beached whale in her wheelchair in public.

          If she truly loved him, she would do whatever it takes to get healthy and its obvious she has not made any effort at all.  Her real true love is food.

 

Yes, yes & more yes!

[Guest]

I watched it again today, too (because I hate myself). When she chastised Edgar for not getting her pickle order right (I want the SPEARS! NOT THE SLICES!!!!) I just wanted to beat the TV with the remote.

 

And her whining about her small wound that prevented her from getting out of bed. Dude -- we've seen people in FAR worse shape on this show who are quite mobile -- get UP.

[Tielsmomma]

Ok, finally able to see this show. Tara - way to go! Penny - ugh. Her husband wore the most apt Halloween costume ever. Prisoner. He has got to get away from her.

[DangerousMinds]

Addiction IS a disease with a genetic component.

[cheeztoast]

I just saw Penny for the first time (just started watching the show last week and read the forums before I saw this episode).  First, I'm ashamed she's from my home state.  Second, her attention-whore-i-ness is more disgusting than her soiled pee pads and her treatment of her husband.  He's definitely an "abused" husband in the same way that hoarder spouses are abused - I'm sure he gets a torrent of shit if she doesn't get her way.  WIth that said, he repeatedly states that he knows how bad the food is that he feeds himself and his son in addition to her shitty choices.  After the nutritionist leaves and she's like "what a bunch of bullshit" he laughs.  Obviously, he thinks everything coming out of Penny is genius and everybody else doesn't understand.  Nobody understands how hard she's worked at losing weight (lying in bed, scarfing down home-made deep fried wonton, hand-mixing hamburgers from her bed, lying in the corner, so far away from the TV she might as well be in the parking lot).  Edgar is clearly a Stockholm Syndrome victim - he's bought into the lies.  He doesn't work because lord knows Penny couldn't soil herself on her own.  Poor Liam.  Cute kid, BTW - sad that I see him having a horrific adult life.  And with Edgar's luck, Penny will live to a miserably old age.  He will never see the light and leave her on his own.  It'll be his death or hers.

[DangerousMinds]

IIRC, Edgar does work (maybe part-time?).

[Muffyn]

On the "super-sized" episode, they said Edgar works 40 hours a week at an auto parts store.  If any of his coworkers saw this show, I'm sure his work life is extra special now.

[Guest dutronc]

 

My fav is "I have a disease" OMFG No. Cancer patients have a disease...you can stop eating, sleeping with 20 different people or put down the crack pipe. Cancer patients have ZERO choice.

 

Let's also pretend like no one judges people who have lung or skin cancer, or cervical cancer, or that no one points to lifestyle factors that may or may not statistically up a breast cancer risk. The basic definition of "disease" is a disorder or breaking of function and behavior. Addiction definitely fits that, especially when it's self-destructive, and not, "omg, I'm so addicted to Starbucks."

 

I think Penny's illnesses are more complex than Tara's. Tara seemed to be like all the others who ate for comfort, and this dysfunctional relationship with food caused a lot of serious problems. Penny's issues seemed far more complex because of her mindgames. I don't think being an abusive, manipulative jerk is a mental illness per se but I suppose it could be. Tara seemed like a good person who was trying really hard to fix things. 

Edited March 28, 2015 by dutronc

[Aw my lahgs]

Penny is what, 500 pounds? And can't walk... Let's see, in the last few weeks we had Charity (800 pounds, weird leg fat and butt wings and all) WHO WALKED!! Or Joe, also 800 pounds, who not only WALKED but also took care of his own hygiene.... Penny is 300 lbs less and acts as if she weighted 1,500 pounds...

[toodles]

Penny was on again today.  And again I watched it.  What is wrong with me??

[notyrmomma]

toodles - It seems that there is a marathon on today and I have it on in the background as I work from home.  It keeps me from snacking all day, LOL

[BostonBlonde]

Penny is what, 500 pounds? And can't walk... Let's see, in the last few weeks we had Charity (800 pounds, weird leg fat and butt wings and all) WHO WALKED!! Or Joe, also 800 pounds, who not only WALKED but also took care of his own hygiene.... Penny is 300 lbs less and acts as if she weighted 1,500 pounds...

 

I just watched this episode & I didn't see if that was addressed. I gasped when I saw it. What in God's name was going on?

Edited April 8, 2015 by BostonBlonde

[racked]

I know everything that can be said about Penny already has been, but I just watched both of her episodes back to back and...wow. She is really a piece of work. 

 

Her sisters seemed so sincere in their concern for her, but were never shown interacting with her and I wonder what effect that has on her. Penny's update ended with her saying she is completely happy with her life. Something about her just made me think she sees herself as a thin woman. Most people on this show have a lot of self-hatred, but Penny seemed to have the exact opposite. Maybe she's hiding it well, but she seems to love herself.  Watching her husband try to heave her out onto their porch and her son asking them to hurry as Penny says "I know Daddy is just taking way too long today." My God, this woman is unreal. 

 

Tara was a joy! I am so interested in her not wanting further skin surgery. I love that she loves herself as she is and that's part of her acceptance. The whole skin surgery after weight loss topic is really fascinating to me.

[algebra]

I don't understand couponing. Must of the stuff people buy is processed, self-stable junk. The money you "save" is probably going to be put towards future medial expenses.

I agree. I look at the coupons and none of them are for anything I would eat. Mostly junk like Chips and cookies. . On top of that, no stores near me ever have double coupon deals or allow you to purchase more than two items on sale or anything like that. I have attempted to do this every ten years or so, starting in the 70s and it has never worked for me. I am baffled by the whole idea of it

[Miss Chevious]

Ditto to the above. When they start making coupons for fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh chicken breasts, I'll start using them. I've never seen a coupon for 50 cents off a head of lettuce or a stalk of asparagus!

[scowl]

Ditto to the above. When they start making coupons for fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh chicken breasts, I'll start using them. I've never seen a coupon for 50 cents off a head of lettuce or a stalk of asparagus!

Last weekend I went to a wedding reception with some people who had very small incomes. Naturally we started talking about food.

 

Their perception was that fresh anything must be expensive. Fresh food is what people with lots of money eat. They don't even bother going into the produce section any more because they'll be tempted to buy stuff they can't afford. They thought if it's not in a can or a box, they can't afford it.

 

I had never heard anything like this before. Are upscale grocery stores like Whole Foods and Nature's making people think that fresh food is some kind of luxury?

[legaleagle53]

Last weekend I went to a wedding reception with some people who had very small incomes. Naturally we started talking about food.

 

Their perception was that fresh anything must be expensive. Fresh food is what people with lots of money eat. They don't even bother going into the produce section any more because they'll be tempted to buy stuff they can't afford. They thought if it's not in a can or a box, they can't afford it.

 

I had never heard anything like this before. Are upscale grocery stores like Whole Foods and Nature's making people think that fresh food is some kind of luxury?

 

In a word, yes.  There is also a perception that fresh food takes longer and is more difficult to prepare than something in a can or a box.  When the demands on your time leave you basically five minutes in a day to cook anything, you're simply going to take the path of least resistance every time, which translates to more processed food that just has to be heated up or that can be taken home already cooked. 

[scowl]

In this case these people were all semi-employed and had plenty of time during the day to prepare anything, so I don't think that was a real factor in their food selection. I got the impression that, like many people on My 600lib Life, they either don't know how to cook anything or don't feel it's worth learning. You can buy a box of something, heat it up, it tastes great and you think you're saving money.

[legaleagle53]

In this case these people were all semi-employed and had plenty of time during the day to prepare anything, so I don't think that was a real factor in their food selection. I got the impression that, like many people on My 600lib Life, they either don't know how to cook anything or don't feel it's worth learning. You can buy a box of something, heat it up, it tastes great and you think you're saving money.

 

Oh, I never said that those perceptions are accurate; I only said that they exist.  I actually agree with you that the real issue for most of these people is simply that they can't be bothered to learn to do things any differently.

[Miss Chevious]

ITA with above post. C'mon, how hard is it to steam some broccoli or throw together a salad. And it's a no-brainer to put a piece of fish on a baking sheet and stick in the oven for a few minutes. Anyone can do that. To say you can't is just another excuse. It's a lot more work to make Hamburger Helper IMO. People who eat in an unhealthy way do it because they want to.

[scowl]

They would have said that hand-made salads and fresh fish were fancy foods that people with lots of money could eat and that bag salads and frozen fish were all  they could afford. 

 

I remember what started this. We were eating baby carrots and someone said they wish they could afford fancy food like this. I had never heard anyone call baby carrots "fancy food". That's when we found out that these 20-somethings didn't even bother going into the produce section any more because the food is "too expensive" for them. I'm not sure if they really believed this or were just too lazy to cook a meal.

[ethalfrida]

In a word, yes.  There is also a perception that fresh food takes longer and is more difficult to prepare than something in a can or a box.  When the demands on your time leave you basically five minutes in a day to cook anything, you're simply going to take the path of least resistance every time, which translates to more processed food that just has to be heated up or that can be taken home already cooked. 

To me, that still boils down to "I don't want to". Preparing fresh foods has always been inconvenient and time consuming. Take the life of farmers, for instance. Chickens have to be fed, cows herded, cotton planted, hay mown, etc all by a certain time of day. People worked from "can't see in the morning until can't see in the evening". That meant that those who were also the cooks started a pot of beans or soup before work and left it cooking while they went outside to pick the cotton, gather the eggs etc. The main meal of the day was usually served by noon which is what southerners call dinner with supper being a light snack in the evening.

 

My mom and family carried that tradition on even though we grew up in Los Angeles. My mom would always start dinner right after breakfast especially when she worked. Dinner was always ready when we got in from school.

 

It is even easier to do this in these times because of the convenience of markets locally. If people wanted to retain these healthy options they could easily do so but they don't.

 

And just to be fair, I watched another documentary this weekend where children we asked to identify various vegetables and fruits. They were so cute but it was sad that they could no tell the difference between an onion and a beet. Or celery. Or potato. We can suppose that having fast, processed and pre-cooked meals given to you all the time the need to identify vegetables and fruits would not be something thought about.

[scowl]

It's no trouble to throw some baby carrots into a sandwich bag. These 20-somethings thought baby carrots were exotic and expensive like caviar and veal, something that rich tycoons eat at their cocktail parties. I wonder if they had ever seen them before. At least they knew they were carrots, but there aren't a lot of orange vegetables.