Hoarding: Buried Alive - General Discussion

[AZChristian]

She was so disabled she couldn't even throw away her own used needles, but when she walked from the patio to her car (to pout, sulk, and avoid reality), she didn't need a walker or even a cane, and there was no limping or slow movement?

 

The only thing in that house not covered by roaches was her medicine.  Kind of obvious what's important to her . . . maintaining her facade of physical illness.  Her only "illness" is mental, and she referred to the doctor who could help with that as a "b***h" and refused to talk to her. 

 

Pathetic.  Criminally pathetic. 

[califred]

She'd probably feel a lot better with her house cleaned up. Of course then she's less victim.

[onlyme14]

In the cases where these people rent, I mostly feel sorry for the property owners.  And I know it is difficult to evict someone these days, but yikes.  I would be furious if I had one of these hoarders renting my home, only to find out I couldn't evict them.   I know it is a mental illness, but allowing it to continue doesn't help either.  When the city says they are going to evict someone, at times I think they should follow through and just do it.

 

 

[Calamity Jane]

I used to be a huge fan of this and the other Hoarders show, but I just can't....I know there is real mental illness here, but I just can't handle watching people who refuse to help themselves, even after all the help they have received.  It sickened me to see Rhonda smile while she told us how well she was doing.  I had to turn off the TV.

My daughter is a mental health clinician who works in a county jail.  She has story after story of the things that happen, but one time when her brother suggested she should write a book or TV script, she said, "No, you can't use people's mental illness for profit from entertainment."  And she's right, and at this point, that's all this show had become. It's like telling schizophrenics to stop hearing voices or bipolar people to just calm down.  There's more to it!

 

 Are they making new episodes?  I think they should not because what we see over and over again is that these people are mentally ill, and they are not going to change by getting their homes cleaned up.  Meds and therapy might help, or might not, but house-cleaning is not the solution, their issues are deeper and more entrenched than lack of organizational skills.  Once in a while there's a person who just got swallowed up in mess, but most of them are clearly out of touch with reality. It's just frustrating and upsetting to watch them refuse to see the truth of their situation!  I'm done with both shows.  

[BooksRule]

I just caught the end of today's marathon.  It was the one with the twin sisters who had already been evicted out of one home (it was then demolished), then they were having a second home cleaned out so that they wouldn't become homeless.  After the floor collapsed under the guy taking out the bedroom door, the house was deemed uninhabitable and they moved into a hotel.  Finally, after getting a few 'treasured' pieces of furniture from the old house, they proceeded to purchase a THIRD home that the audience got to see all nice and clean at the end.  They were so excited, showing off all of the empty shelves and places to put stuff.  Have they ever done a follow-up show to this episode?  I am curious as to how long it took to hoard up this--once again, THIRD--house.  (It only took four years to make the second one into a condemned dwelling).  Those sisters really needed mental help desperately.  When they looked into the camera, their eyes had no expression in them.  Sad, but scary too.  (I did laugh at the scene where they were making the list of books from their 'library".  That one sister was so ticked off that these 'irreplaceable' books were being trashed.  I didn't see too many of the covers, but from what I could tell, they could probably replace most of them with a couple of trips to the local Goodwill.)

Edited June 7, 2015 by BooksRule

[Guest]

Have they ever done a follow-up show to this episode?

They haven't but I think we can all agree that the new house is probably ready for the wrecking ball, too. The two of them were seriously, seriously mental ill.

I watched the episode yesterday, too. And I couldn't believe the state of their hoarded up Mystery Machine either. Vehicles like that should be cited -- there is no way they (or any other person with a hoard on wheels) should allowed on the road. The rear-view mirror is worthless unless they're using it to eyeball the shifting weight of their garbage pile.

[BooksRule]

And I couldn't believe the state of their hoarded up Mystery Machine either. Vehicles like that should be cited -- there is no way they (or any other person with a hoard on wheels) should allowed on the road. The rear-view mirror is worthless unless they're using it to eyeball the shifting weight of their garbage pile.

 

I know!  I work in a library, and recently made a trip of about 70 miles round trip to pick up a book donation.  The items were all boxed up, but they filled my car (an SUV).  The back part, the back seat, the front passenger seat and the floors were filled with boxes.  I couldn't see out of the rear-view mirror nor the passenger side mirror.  (Probably a stupid thing to do, but It was my last chance to get the materials, so I had to do it in one trip).  I was very nervous the entire trip back and stayed in the right lane all the way down the highway, because I couldn't see to change lanes.  Once I got on smaller roads, it was better.  Never, never again.  I can't imagine driving around like that all the time.  Maybe it would be better to have someone in the passenger side who could help navigate. (Or not--those ladies seemed to argue a lot).  I would have liked to see what the hotel room looked like after a few weeks (or even a few days).

[JudyObscure]

Today it's Darlene (and Doug.)  I remember them well.  Darlene says, "Anytime you see I am always freshly showered."  I guess that's to get the smell off just before she leaves the house.  I have to admit I'm always a little ashamed of the fact that the hoarders seem to take more time with their make-up and hair than I do.  I've been known to go Krogering with just a dab of lipstick and jeans& T-Shirt.  It always strikes me as odd to see a woman standing in sewage, carefully applying eye shadow.

 

Another memorable moment is Darlene's sister, looking at -- and smelling -- the hoard for about thirty seconds, then turning to run out and having a panic attack at the door when she realizes. "I'm locked in!"  That would be me, I think.

[LuciaMia]

And what an episode to have on at 10 o'clock in the morning.

I read a synopsis of it and it said Darlene and Doug decided not to continue living there and decided 'to put it on the market.'  Market? They must have simply sold it for the property; who in their right mind would have bought that house even after cleaned up.

[JudyObscure]

Who would even buy a house on the same block as that septic tank situation?

I do agree with Darlene about one thing -- her therapist wasn't very good. Darlene, in her typical hoarder denial didn't want to believe that her stuff was contaminated if it was in a different part of the house from the sewage. She wanted a concrete, scientific explanation for why it had to be discarded and all the therapist could say was, "Er, well, it's septic." The hazmat disposal man did a much better job when he started naming, "Typhoid, e-coli,tetanus..."

[TaraS1]

Rewatching Rhonda's episode and I do believe that the sentence, "Rhonda, you deserve to have pee pads that haven't had dead people on them." might be the most extraordinary thing I've ever heard uttered on one of these shows LOL

[JudyObscure]

Lorena from Seattle today. You might remember the hip length blonde hair she's been hoarding -- and that she blows it dry in the kitchen. Her sister was threatening to take her little girl, Alexia. These kind of cases are so frustrating. No one wants to see a mother and child who love each other separated, but then, why not allow the show to throw out your crap when you say your daughter is everything to you? Alexia is very articulate for her age and gives lots of insight into what it's like for children of hoarders. She says she has to be gentle in the way she treats her mother because Mom is "fragile."

Lorena's beautiful older daughters lose me when they came to visit and, before they even enter the house, tell their mother she "stinks," because of her smoking. One addiction at a time, bitches! Today's not the day to take away her main stress crutch. I've noticed these shows smoke-shaming before.

Lorena says she's saving most of her junk for a yard sale. Why doesn't the show let her have one? An organized yard sale takes a lot of planning, but who says it has to be organized? Put up a sign saying, "Everything must go, make an offer," and start dragging it out. Some people love digging through piles for "treasure."

Lorena finally quits mumbling through clenched teeth when it's time to scream at her sister for weeding her garden. Weeding is Lorena's "fun thing to do." Sister Tanya storms off, Lorena smokes.

Five weeks later Lorena has cleaned off the magazine rack, widened the paths, and created a 3'x 3' space in her daughter's room. So her sister is satisfied and Alexia says, "Now we are very, very, very happy." Sigh.

Edited July 14, 2015 by JudyObscure

[JosieThePussycat]

I'm watching the "She's Going To Jail" episode, with Bonnie - the hoarder who sold her house to a couple who didn't even look inside before they bought it. I'm completely beboggled. I cannot FATHOM spending house-level amounts of money without all due diligence. And I'm talking about inspections, maintenance records, that kind of thing. You would think walking in the door before making an offer wouldn't even have to be suggested!

[Guest]

I'm watching the "She's Going To Jail" episode, with Bonnie - the hoarder who sold her house to a couple who didn't even look inside before they bought it.

Was that the California couple? I think they bought it because they only wanted the land - they were just going to demolish the house anyway and build their own. (Thought I don't think that was explicitly mentioned in the show - but that's exactly what they did.)

[califred]

In California even now it's not that strange to not get inspections, etc.

If I was rich I would still never buy a house in California because the prices are ridiculous.

[califred]

Alicia has actual posts on the Hoarding:Burried Alive message board. She really is something

[ZaldamoWilder]

Dear God.   This episode is called:  My Teeth are Lost in the Pile.   I want to see what happens but I don't think I can do it.

[AZChristian]

Dear God.   This episode is called:  My Teeth are Lost in the Pile.   I want to see what happens but I don't think I can do it.

  

 

They find them.

[ZaldamoWilder]

 

[jcbrown]

Recorded a few of these last night. I am watching the one entitled something like, "A VCR for every day of the week."  I've never wanted to slap someone on TV as much as I want to slap the idiot son. Father and son and son's girlfriend live in the squalor and the drama is whether they can clean up the house to keep the father out of jail on a code violation and to bring home the preemie baby the two younger idiots have created. Son evidently lacks all life skills, speaks so unintelligibly he has to be subtitled, and reacts to every imagined slight by trying to attack. The three idiots deserve each other and I hope the baby is taken away just as the twelve cats were. Just makes me wonder how they thought they were coming off on TV because I cannot imagine why they did the show.

[Momof2boyz]

Recorded a few of these last night. I am watching the one entitled something like, "A VCR for every day of the week."  I've never wanted to slap someone on TV as much as I want to slap the idiot son. Father and son and son's girlfriend live in the squalor and the drama is whether they can clean up the house to keep the father out of jail on a code violation and to bring home the preemie baby the two younger idiots have created. Son evidently lacks all life skills, speaks so unintelligibly he has to be subtitled, and reacts to every imagined slight by trying to attack. The three idiots deserve each other and I hope the baby is taken away just as the twelve cats were. Just makes me wonder how they thought they were coming off on TV because I cannot imagine why they did the show.

OMG- i watched this episode too last night and I came here hoping someone else had. Those poor cats and that poor, poor baby. I hope they took the baby away too. What pathetic lowlifes that father and and son were. And what was up with the son anyway? He seemed developmentally disabled. Maybe fetal alcohol syndrome ? Very odd. The girlfriend seemed pretty simple too. Her step mother seemed normal. So sad and pathetic.

[Momof2boyz]

Dear God. This episode is called: My Teeth are Lost in the Pile. I want to see what happens but I don't think I can do it

Watched this one last night too. I had seen it before too but couldn't resist watching it again. Another pair of mentally disabled chemically impaired toothless misfits.

Edited November 11, 2015 by MyAimIsTrue
Fixed quote formatting issue

[grisgris]

Does anybody know if there will ever be any new episodes of this show?

[notyrmomma]

Recorded a few of these last night. I am watching the one entitled something like, "A VCR for every day of the week."  I've never wanted to slap someone on TV as much as I want to slap the idiot son. Father and son and son's girlfriend live in the squalor and the drama is whether they can clean up the house to keep the father out of jail on a code violation and to bring home the preemie baby the two younger idiots have created. Son evidently lacks all life skills, speaks so unintelligibly he has to be subtitled, and reacts to every imagined slight by trying to attack. The three idiots deserve each other and I hope the baby is taken away just as the twelve cats were. Just makes me wonder how they thought they were coming off on TV because I cannot imagine why they did the show.

Holy Crap Batman!  I didn't see this again the other night, but it burned in my memory the first time I saw it like a year ago.  And since then, I still have some lingering questions, like:

 

1. Her baby was in the NICU, right?  What the hell was she doing there sitting around the house for the entire taping at that show?  If I had a baby in the NICU, I would be there 24/7, only leaving to shower every other day or so.  But I have never had a baby in the NICU, so maybe there is only a small window where you can visit?  I can't imagine this though...My son was hospitalized when he was about 6 mths old and either me or my husband was with him at all times.

 

2. Wthat in tarnation did that chick do to piss her mother off so bad that she wouldn't immediatly remove her from that hell hole?(or was that her stepmother?)  If my mom walked into that house, she woudn't have spent even a half a second talking to those morons.  She would have told me to grab my purse (and nothing else from that infested house) because she was taking me out of there.  

 

3. Do you think all four of them (the dad, the son, the girlfriend, AND her mom) all suffered from a little (or a lot) of cognative disabilities??? It's almost not fair to even make fun of them.

 

I think the dad did end up going to jail though.  I hope the baby never had to move into that house.

[jcbrown]

 

 

1. Her baby was in the NICU, right?  What the hell was she doing there sitting around the house for the entire taping at that show?  If I had a baby in the NICU, I would be there 24/7, only leaving to shower every other day or so.  But I have never had a baby in the NICU, so maybe there is only a small window where you can visit?  I can't imagine this though...My son was hospitalized when he was about 6 mths old and either me or my husband was with him at all times.

2. Wthat in tarnation did that chick do to piss her mother off so bad that she wouldn't immediatly remove her from that hell hole?(or was that her stepmother?)  If my mom walked into that house, she woudn't have spent even a half a second talking to those morons.  She would have told me to grab my purse (and nothing else from that infested house) because she was taking me out of there. 

3. Do you think all four of them (the dad, the son, the girlfriend, AND her mom) all suffered from a little (or a lot) of cognative disabilities??? It's almost not fair to even make fun of them.

I have similar questions.

 

1. Maybe the NICU would not allow filming and that is why they all spent all their time "junkin'" and hanging around their house of squalor doing nothing? Sometimes the episode implied that the baby could not be released yet; sometimes it implied that the baby was waiting for them to clean up the house. If there was any sort of case worker involved anywhere I can only imagine they would not have allowed a fragile infant to be released to a hellhole like they lived in.

 

2. Yes, it was the stepmother but still what kind of person sees those living conditions and does not say, "We are getting the hell out of here. We'll discuss it in the car. Your baby will not be living here." She seemed rational but maybe she had been worn down by seeing her stepdaughter date and get knocked up by Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel?

 

3. Totally agree. The father and son certainly both seemed to have intellectual deficits and the girlfriend had at least self-esteem deficits if she agreed to date Cletus. I felt badly for all of them for being on TV and would have felt worse if they had not made me so stabby.

[Momof2boyz]

I noticed that the girlfriend was always sitting down in a chair while all the action was going on and in one shot there was a middle aged man with a similar body type and lazy body language sitting next to her. Maybe her father? For some reason never interviewed or perhaps he was but it was not included?

Edited November 12, 2015 by Momof2boyz

[LovingLeo47]

I am watching hoarders this episode with Cary from NYC is heartbreaking. He has a mental illness. His friends are screaming at him telling him he lives like an animal.He is ill why can't they see this? Why isn't he hospitalized? I know at the end of show they say the hoarder is working with aftercare funds but this is a mental illness I never see any episode that says they are working with a psychiatrist or on medication. It is terrible to see someone suffering and unless you or a family member experience some sort of mental illness you can't understand it.

[JudyObscure]

Episode: "Somewhere in My Pile"  (First Aired: May. 01, 2013) Playing on some odd station (DLF?) right now.

I remember this one!  Beverly lives with her three dogs and mountains of clutter in Canada, happily awaiting official visits from cute young Constable Kurtis.  She has taken time to put pink streaks in her hair to match her blouse and lipstick, but it doesn't seem to have occurred to her that the ankle deep dog doodle might put a damper on the romantic mood. This one is funny and pathetic in equal parts.  Love the sweet dogs.

[notyrmomma]

Episode: "Somewhere in My Pile"  (First Aired: May. 01, 2013) Playing on some odd station (DLF?) right now.

I remember this one!  Beverly lives with her three dogs and mountains of clutter in Canada, happily awaiting official visits from cute young Constable Kurtis.  She has taken time to put pink streaks in her hair to match her blouse and lipstick, but it doesn't seem to have occurred to her that the ankle deep dog doodle might put a damper on the romantic mood. This one is funny and pathetic in equal parts.  Love the sweet dogs.

If I recall correctly, the Constable was a real sweetheart, even to her, and she was acting like a hose beast.  She was also the one that had all the dog outfits.  She said she needed them when she walks the dogs and the doctor was like, from the look of this place, you don't walk them that often. LOL

[JudyObscure]

Yes!  Good memory!  It was Dr. Beaton and she said, "Tell the truth, when was the last time you walked the dogs?" and they both burst out laughing. it was fun to see a hoarder called on her pile of baloney for once, and the fact that Beverly could laugh at herself made her likeable for a few minutes.  Her Border Collie was obviously trying to get pettings from the cameraman and professionals through out and that was fun, too.

 

The channel finished off the marathon with a couple of British hoarders who collected milk bottles and records.  I'm going to keep an eye on DLif from now on.

[stillhere1900]

Oh she was a piece of work wasn't she? I came in on the end of hers, but I well remember her lecture to all of us about being wasteful. She feels so very superior to those of us who contribute to the landfill while she just contributes to the landfill in her living room. Big difference.

 

I think I saw this one last night. Was this the one where the hoarder went into her SUV to scream ?

[JudyObscure]

I'm not sure, Stillhere.  I remember someone screaming in her SUV and another one going into her car to pout because her therapist was so cruel.  I get them all confused.  I do remember that the "cruel," therapist had responded to "This is all my kid's fault for not cleaning!" with, "But ultimately it's your house isn't it?"  Wooooh.

[stillhere1900]

Recorded a few of these last night. I am watching the one entitled something like, "A VCR for every day of the week."  I've never wanted to slap someone on TV as much as I want to slap the idiot son. Father and son and son's girlfriend live in the squalor and the drama is whether they can clean up the house to keep the father out of jail on a code violation and to bring home the preemie baby the two younger idiots have created. Son evidently lacks all life skills, speaks so unintelligibly he has to be subtitled, and reacts to every imagined slight by trying to attack. The three idiots deserve each other and I hope the baby is taken away just as the twelve cats were. Just makes me wonder how they thought they were coming off on TV because I cannot imagine why they did the show.

 

Dude! i just watched this episode.  The son (Joseph) is clearly a psycho maniac. I wonder what happened with Cheryl and the baby ? I really really hope that she came to her senses and left there.  When the therapist was going down into the basement, I had a horror movie running through my head.

 

DON'T GO INTO THE BASEMENT!!!!!  lol

[stillhere1900]

I

 

 

2. Yes, it was the stepmother but still what kind of person sees those living conditions and does not say, "We are getting the hell out of here. We'll discuss it in the car. Your baby will not be living here." She seemed rational but maybe she had been worn down by seeing her stepdaughter date and get knocked up by Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel?

 

 

 

 

I laughed so loud when I read "Cletus the slack-jawed Yokel"  that my cat jumped off the bed and ran under it. lol

I wonder if the stepmother offered to let Cheryl and the baby live with her but not the psycho maniac 

Edited February 26, 2016 by stillhere1900

[Laurap]

I am watching re runs of Hoarders today. My heart is broken watching these two folks from Pittsburg living in the filthiest hoard I have seen so far

It is just crazy that these two are living in this filth, owe back taxes and huge utility bills and have an apartment on the property they want to rent out. You can't even get to the apartment because of all of the trash. Just NUTS.

I wish there was a way to find out whatever happened to these folks and if they lost the home and where they are now. I often winder what has happened to these people.

Any one have any updates on these folks?

[stillhere1900]

Ugh. Yesterday I caught the rerun of the woman whose home was overrun by roaches. She claimed to be "disabled" and sat in a lounge chair in her living room surrounded by a mountain of trash -- comprised mostly of empty 12-pack containers of Pepsi. Her ex-husband allowed the kids to live in the filth because the wife would "lose her benefits" if he pressed for custody. So, instead they live in a home filled with roaches and a bathroom with a mountain of used sanitary pads piled high on the floor.

She was a loathsome beast.

 

 

I just watched this one. What a vigil/loathsome women she is. Blaming the condition of the house on her kids. Not talking any responsibility at all.  I wanted the therapist to ask the dad why he was okay with leaving his kids in that filth. He had to get out of there but it was okay to leave the kids? 

 

What a total POS he is.

 

There is nothing that he can say to explain why he left them there. He didn't take them because he didn't want the responsibility of taking care of them.

[ethalfrida]

He said she needed the kids for income. 

[stillhere1900]

He's a piece of shit.

[ZaldamoWilder]

He's a piece of shit.

 

accordingly, he should still be living on top of the pile too.

[stillhere1900]

accordingly, he should still be living on top of the pile too.

 

He could have insisted that *SHIT HOUSE*  his kids were living in be cleaned up. He should have gone in, taken the teens and just started cleaning. Starting with kitchen and then on to each of the kids bedrooms. What was she going to do....Call the cops?   I would have dared her to.

Edited March 18, 2016 by stillhere1900

[JudyObscure]

You and me Stillhere, let's do it! She was far too lazy to actually get up and fight anyone for her stuff. Once he her husband bagged it up and put it out for the trash she would never have the energy to bring it back in. Still, to be safe, I would put it in a truck and take it to the landfill while she was still screaming. I would do it while the kids were in school so that they wouldn't be hated, blamed and reviled by their mother forever. I'd just clean it up and leave. If she started to call the police with some story about theft, I would grab her phone and toss it into the nearest pile. With any luck she would sit in her big throne of squalor and rant herself into a stroke.

[notyrmomma]

Sherry.  She really didn't have any "stuff," just trash (save for a couple baskets that her now deceased mother made).  They also had the terrible roach and BLACK WIDOW problem.  BLACK WIDOWS!  The dad is a total piece of shit.  Those poor kids were surrounded by two pieces of shit and lived in a landfill.

[stillhere1900]

Sherry.  She really didn't have any "stuff," just trash (save for a couple baskets that her now deceased mother made).  They also had the terrible roach and BLACK WIDOW problem.  BLACK WIDOWS!  The dad is a total piece of shit.  Those poor kids were surrounded by two pieces of shit and lived in a landfill.

 

Oh! You mean the mother who could "climb out of her grave and make more" ?

[Jeeves]

OMG. Sherry's episode was on this afternoon on DLife. What a beast she was. Hosebeast. Creature from Hell. Waste of space.

 

Yeah, I'm not a fan. Those poor kids! Her daughter has to take care of Sherry's fat lazy ass, and Sherry blames the KIDS for the condition of the house. 

 

I'd love to know what has happened to those kids since the episode aired. I hope to hell someone rescued them from that house of horrors. And charged BOTH the damned parents with child abuse.

[califred]

Sheri was a horrible person, I hope her kids get out when they can.

[stillhere1900]

Karen::S5/E1  2013:  "You're Not Taking My Kids"

I've never seen this episode before.

 

Karen looks are totally confusing me. She has the body of a younger woman but her face & hair are like the wicked witch of the west. She looks OLD

 

Caryl, a  school counselor called CPS after she went into the home in see what it was like. Karen said....

"I can't believe she called CPS" 

"I can't believe her reaction"

"I'll never forgive her"

I'll never trust anyone ever again"

 

I don't remember ever seeing Dr. Becky tear up like when she saw the condition of that poor mangy dog and how the two boys were living. They must smell horrible going to school.

 

I know this is an old episode but........whoa!!!!

Edited April 14, 2016 by stillhere1900

[JackiFL]

Cary is a man who is suffering, I agree. Hoping he has  found some peace in his life. 

[atlantaloves]

They did a follow-up to this show and the two women were still staying clean a year later, however the man who was a total hoarder would not answer his door to be filmed. The lady with the cats is totally okay and quite happy. Thank God, they were so sad, and yes they would have had no place to go.

[stillhere1900]

Anyone watching the "Where Are They Now" episodes ?

[atlantaloves]

whoa nelly...seriously....this woman does not need to live.