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S06.E00: Steven & Justin Assanti: Where Are They Now?


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Steven Assanti's dysfunction escalates, pushing his relationship with Dr. Nowzardan to the brink, and a risky decision is made to save Steven's life, while brother Justin accepts the leap to go to Houston to finally accept help. 

TLC has released episode 1 of season 6 online in advance of the US airing on January 2nd.  So we are opening this thread to allow discussion of the new episode.  A few things to note: 

  • This is an episode thread, not a live chat thread.  If you've watched the episode, post away.  Please don't update the thread with your thoughts every few minutes.
  • This thread contains spoilers.  The episode is officially unaired in the US.  If you haven't seen the episode, read at your own risk.  You do not need to use spoiler tags in your posts.

We will be back to our regular thread line up when the episode airs in the US.

As always, use your snark wisely, remember we are here to talk TV, and hey, let's be careful out there!  You will be viewing Steven Assanti.  You do so at your own risk.

Happy posting!

@PrincessPurrsALot and @frenchtoast

ETA:  This is now the regular episode thread for the 1/3/2018 showing of the Assanti episode, a tale of two (damaged, annoying) brothers, a (enabling) father and a really great dog.  The thread will unlock at the end of the east coast showing. 

 

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Spoiler

If you don't like naked Steven, DON'T WATCH!!!!!!  You can't unsee it.  Still scheming for drugs, still whining about about how mean people are, still eating crap food and still making excuses.  

Well, I guess I didn't need a spoiler tag, but I would rather be safe than sorry.  Awesome Dr. Now smackdown though.

Edited by toodles
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So...was that the entire episode? Or it's another two-parter and TLC only posted the first episode? The show ended with Justin and Steven Sr fighting about...Justin leaving the house? 

Big laughs when Justin said he couldn't go to Houston because he had to run his "business" and needed to "pay his bills" then he ups and doesn't leave his own bedroom for two days because he had a fight with his father. 

As for Steven—two things: 1.) legs aren't supposed to have angles; and 2.) if I were Dr Now, I'd be all, "Oh, you want more Vicoden? Sure! Here, let me write you a script for the highest amount of Vicoden that's prescribable. I'll give you, what? 60? 120? Let's say 120. OK. Now, for maximum effort and to solve everyone's problem, please, please take them all AT THE SAME TIME."

The only living creature in that family deserving of my sympathy is the poor dog.

ETA: OH! I forgot about poor Cupcake who is also deserving of sympathy. I rolled my eyes into my skull when naked Steven was cleaning out her litter pan and said, "we always like to keep the litter pan clean." Um...really? Then why are you scooping out about a weeks' worth of poop and pee right now?

Oh god, I hate him so much. 

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I watching it now, this is actually painful to watch.  I think I'm going to need some pain pills  to finish.  Justin's just as much of an idiot.

 

Edited to add: Dr Now has made me giggle twice though

Edited again to add: may I have that hour back?  That was a complete waste of time.  The most interesting part was when they told Jazz she needed to  lose 30 pounds! Oh crap, that was one of the commercials. 

Edited by notyrmomma
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On 12/21/2017 at 7:06 PM, Giant Misfit said:

So...was that the entire episode? Or it's another two-parter and TLC only posted the first episode? The show ended with Justin and Steven Sr fighting about...Justin leaving the house? 

 

Haven't watched yet but it's probably just the first hour of a two-hour premier. TLC did the same thing with MBFFL - a one-hour teaser for what will be a two-hour episode once it airs. Either way, a train wreck to end all train wrecks no doubt. 

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This does seem to be the first hour of a two-hour premiere.  My key take-aways:

  • Be the absolute worst, totally non-compliant, still get surgery
  • Steven Sr. is a whiner and a fool
  • Wow, they have a great dog.  Gorgeous and sweet.  Would it be wrong to drive across country to steal a dog?  
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12 hours ago, Eldemarge said:

The thought of Steven out in society, totally free in a normal body and not confined to a bed or a room makes me shudder.  

Fear not, this will never, ever happen. 

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They're running the original episodes again and I forgot just how terrible a person he is. He truly does not have the capacity to care about anyone but himself. I doubt he's ever going to get any better, physically or emotionally, and he's just going to die overweight with nobody caring about him except his father. It's not shocking to me at all that he's apparently still the same.

Edited by missnoa
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On 12/26/2017 at 3:20 PM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

This does seem to be the first hour of a two-hour premiere.  My key take-aways:

  • Be the absolute worst, totally non-compliant, still get surgery
  • Steven Sr. is a whiner and a fool
  • Wow, they have a great dog.  Gorgeous and sweet.  Would it be wrong to drive across country to steal a dog?  

Road trip to save the pup and Steven's cat!  

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I would like to know more about the "mother" of both brothers.  I recall them briefly mentioning her once or twice but nothing recently.  In the previewed new episode that I watched today, absolutely no mention of why she is absent in their lives.  As the father seems relatively "functional" (he apparently owns a home and car and has a job) I believe there has to be some "missing link" of information about the mother that might possibly explain how BOTH sons turned out to be so morbidly obese and severely dysfunctional.

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12 hours ago, pdlinda1 said:

I would like to know more about the "mother" of both brothers.  I recall them briefly mentioning her once or twice but nothing recently.  In the previewed new episode that I watched today, absolutely no mention of why she is absent in their lives.  As the father seems relatively "functional" (he apparently owns a home and car and has a job) I believe there has to be some "missing link" of information about the mother that might possibly explain how BOTH sons turned out to be so morbidly obese and severely dysfunctional.

They do talk about her some in the first episode (I think it was the first one). IIRC, she left the family when the brothers were young and had no real contact with the family. At some point she did contact Stephen and ask him to move to MA to be closer to her but he moved and she spent all her time drinking or something. I don't remember if it was a drug/alcohol thing or a mental illness thing. Or both.  Basically she still had nothing to do with him. Supposedly, the trauma of his parents always fighting and then his mother leaving is what started the weight gain and it just got worse from there. They don't really talk too much about her though. I think there was maybe some abuse either from her or from one or more of her boyfriends. Justin mentions something about it in the same episode. Why he is such a horrible excuse for a human being is still a mystery. Though there is clearly some kind of mental illness he's (not) dealing with.

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1 hour ago, Maggienolia said:

They do talk about her some in the first episode (I think it was the first one). IIRC, she left the family when the brothers were young and had no real contact with the family. At some point she did contact Stephen and ask him to move to MA to be closer to her but he moved and she spent all her time drinking or something. I don't remember if it was a drug/alcohol thing or a mental illness thing. Or both.  Basically she still had nothing to do with him. Supposedly, the trauma of his parents always fighting and then his mother leaving is what started the weight gain and it just got worse from there. They don't really talk too much about her though. I think there was maybe some abuse either from her or from one or more of her boyfriends. Justin mentions something about it in the same episode. Why he is such a horrible excuse for a human being is still a mystery. Though there is clearly some kind of mental illness he's (not) dealing with.

IMO, simply based upon professional experience, there may have been a MAJOR mental health/addiction history with the mother that caused the divorce.  I wonder where Steven SR. met this "lovely," married her and chose to have 2 children with her before she went into exile.  It's pretty clear why NEITHER boy wants to engage in therapy.  Perhaps, neither wishes (or has the capacity), to relive the past, process it, and "move on." I also wonder about the financial arrangements of the divorce.  Perhaps the mother is on disability. 

Unfortunately, for the rest of us, although Justin seems to have some capacity to "function" , Steven JR. is probably going to need disability assistance for the rest of his life, and his medical bills (and support care) are clearly astronomical!!

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Well Steven seems pretty pleased with himself just how he is. He seems to think his disgusting habits, both with food and otherwise, are adorable and endearing. Now it could be his underlying mental illness that precludes him from seeing that it’s not cute or funny, but choice or mental illness, he’s never going to change. 

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3 hours ago, pdlinda1 said:

Unfortunately, for the rest of us, although Justin seems to have some capacity to "function"

See now, I think Steven is so bad that he makes Justin look normal.  No grown ass man locks himself up in his room like a teenage girl, refusing the go to work (for his OWN company), because his father asked him to drive to Houston with him to see Dr. Now and his brother.  Justin just isn't an exibitionist like his brother, but he has his own deep mental issues.

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On ‎12‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:06 PM, Giant Misfit said:

So...was that the entire episode? Or it's another two-parter and TLC only posted the first episode? The show ended with Justin and Steven Sr fighting about...Justin leaving the house? 

Big laughs when Justin said he couldn't go to Houston because he had to run his "business" and needed to "pay his bills" then he ups and doesn't leave his own bedroom for two days because he had a fight with his father. 

As for Steven—two things: 1.) legs aren't supposed to have angles; and 2.) if I were Dr Now, I'd be all, "Oh, you want more Vicoden? Sure! Here, let me write you a script for the highest amount of Vicoden that's prescribable. I'll give you, what? 60? 120? Let's say 120. OK. Now, for maximum effort and to solve everyone's problem, please, please take them all AT THE SAME TIME."

The only living creature in that family deserving of my sympathy is the poor dog.

ETA: OH! I forgot about poor Cupcake who is also deserving of sympathy. I rolled my eyes into my skull when naked Steven was cleaning out her litter pan and said, "we always like to keep the litter pan clean." Um...really? Then why are you scooping out about a weeks' worth of poop and pee right now?

Oh god, I hate him so much. 

IKR? poor cat! 

omg the legs! how would you begin to de-bulk them?

not trying to be funny but, how do you find your d*** to go to the bathroom?

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1 hour ago, Ocean Chick said:

Guess this is an episode I can safely skip.  Watching Steven be an ass the first time around was more than enough for me.

Yeah. its pretty much more of the same & ends abruptly with no resolutions like its half an episode 

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This episode was totally unnecessary.

All that was needed was a 5 second clip of Steven being a total jerk, then a black screen or two with white text stating his current weight loss, his continued struggle with his opioid addiction and problems interacting with people.

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On 12/31/2017 at 5:27 PM, xls said:

IKR? poor cat! 

omg the legs! how would you begin to de-bulk them?

not trying to be funny but, how do you find your d*** to go to the bathroom?

LOL! I have often wondered how guys go to the bathroom when they are that huge. Plus, I would think the weight of the fat would be really painful to that "area". 

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I’m watching this now and I have no idea why. I think I may need rehab to stop watching these brothers and their wacko father. All of them are just vile and disgusting. I can’t even really hate watch because they are just gross, entitled victims that take not one bit of personal responsibility for their situation. What kind of parent raises children like this? The boys are like toddlers acting out and the Dad enables. Such a bizarre mess. I’m quite surprised Dr. Now has not fired them. They are beyond help because they accept no responsibility. Everything is handed to them, courtesy of our tax dollars. I’m fed up. What assholes.

Edited by AntAnn
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These losers are both wastes of skin (lots and lots of skin). I had forgotten their earlier episode, which I also could not stand. After the seventeenth begging for opioids (about five  minutes in), I was done. Not watching these idiots. 

Edited by jcbrown
Cats helping me too much
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4 hours ago, Cherrio said:

He is probably buying his drugs off the street now.   No way he wasn't high.

I think you are right. I can’t even imagine the amount of drugs it would take to get him high, ie. out of pain. Major money on the street for sure, I would think. Then! Add all that junk food. Boggles my mind. Weirdos.

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I’m wound up now, lol, bear with me. Steven and Justin can not read labels? Dr. Now was very specific about calories. The boys obviously can’t read or add, oh well, so read the label and ask Siri to add for you. Not rocket science folks. They are famewhores. Not much different from the K-clan with their cosmetic surgery, IMHO. The Dad is a nut. A pimp-dad. Would that be a Dadager? 

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I just started watching this show after reading about it on the Whitney Thore show board. I started watching that show for inspiration and tips on losing weight but it hasn't really gone in that direction. Steve is that same sort of manipulative slob as Whitney but at least he refers to his junk food as a drug. 

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The only 'person' worth shit in that family is their beautiful dog. All the rest can fuck all the way off.

I can't even bring myself to hate Steven.  He is an aberration not worth the energy.

So... all that really happened this episode is these assholes positioning themselves for another 2 hour 'special' follow-up. Justin on his way to Houston thinking he lost weight because he can feel it is the equivalent of "I can wash my vagina now"  and Steven ... being Steven. 

The only thing I found surprising was that hobby store being still in business. 

Dr. Now brought the laughs this episode.

Steven after surgery: "Dr. Now, can I have a hug?"

Dr. Now was like:

giphy.gif

The show really needs to stop with the closeups of Steven's elephantine legs. We get it - they are gross!

Steven basically ruined his body. No  coming back from that. 

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As for the hobby store he had to buy more inventory so they didn't run out when he was away! WTF!!! The dad made some comment: This is costing me money. The dad pays for all of it - it is a big black hole.

He should do it as an online business. I don't get it, just go to his supplier when he has an order. Apparently the dad is putting all his money into the business which is running at a huge loss, because I guess he loves his son. He wants his son to live his dream. It's not like he has tons of customers in there buying stuff. Most of this same exact stuff is available and bought by hobbyists on line. It's so dumb!

 

I (like a jackasss) Looked at Steven's facebook page. He posted a video of himself with xmas lights draping his fat naked body while singing some song.  He posted another video of himself on a toilet. He considers himself a celebrity.

Dr. Now gave him too many chances. I am sure he gained back the initial weight he lost.

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8 hours ago, AntAnn said:

I think you are right. I can’t even imagine the amount of drugs it would take to get him high, ie. out of pain. Major money on the street for sure, I would think. Then! Add all that junk food. Boggles my mind. Weirdos.

Did you catch the part where they had to give him 5x the anesthesia of a regular person for his endoscopy?  Ho.lee.chit  Also I was like "pfftt" when he woke up from his endoscopy coughing and crying - I just had one done a couple weeks ago and my throat didn't even feel scratchy and I wasn't nauseous or anything (a little groggy, but that is normal).

 

52 minutes ago, spankydoll said:

I just started watching this show after reading about it on the Whitney Thore show board. I started watching that show for inspiration and tips on losing weight but it hasn't really gone in that direction. Steve is that same sort of manipulative slob as Whitney but at least he refers to his junk food as a drug. 

I'm now coming out as a shipper of Steven and Whitney.  They would get along swimmingly together, they are both fame whores, slobs, and both chose their sexuality for shock value/convenience. 

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Why did I watch this?

Why did I watch this?

Why did I watch this?

As to why both boys are so fucked up, I imagine Mom (or lack of Mom) is a factor. But Dad is exactly the kind of man I LOATHE. Always bellowing like a jackass and cussing at the boys, either to be "tough" or under the guise of being funny. And he is either stupid or demented to keep feeding his son's pizza and lasagna and meatball sandwiches while bemoaning their lack of progress. I can't imagine why the mom took off. JFC. 

Steven is way too mentally ill to benefit from surgery. Especially if he thinks he is the male answer to Whitney Thore and posts naked videos of his smelly self. He needs to stay fat. I wonder if he thinks he is a fluffy fetish porn star. He ain't no ZsaLynn (sp?)    . He's not even Chris Christie. *

Speaking of smelly, his dad wears the same shirt every day. I'm sure he has the scent of lilacs wafting about at all times. 

I know of addicts in denial but I do not think I ever heard anyone rationalize eating crap as a substitute for painkillers?? Doctor Now won't give me painkillers so I have to have my food. Okay...

* I am not suggesting Chris C does porn. Though he is out of a job these days. 

Edited by Tabbygirl521
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Has it been confirmed that Steven and Justin's mother was MASSIVELY addicted to hardcore drugs while she was pregnant with them? Because I would bet every penny I have and every possession I own that *that* is a huge part of this family's problem.

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23 minutes ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

Why did I watch this?

Why did I watch this?

Why did I watch this?

As to why both boys are so fucked up, I imagine Mom (or lack of Mom) is a factor. But Dad is exactly the kind of man I LOATHE. Always bellowing like a jackass and cussing at the boys, either to be "tough" or under the guise of being funny. And he is either stupid or demented to keep feeding his son's pizza and lasagna and meatball sandwiches while bemoaning their lack of progress. I can't imagine why the mom took off. JFC. 

Steven is way too mentally ill to benefit from surgery. Especially if he thinks he is the male answer to Whitney Thore and posts naked videos of his smelly self. He needs to stay fat. I wonder if he thinks he is a fluffy fetish porn star. He ain't no ZsaLynn (sp?)    . He's not even Chris Christie. *

Speaking of smelly, his dad wears the same shirt every day. I'm sure he has the scent of lilacs wafting about at all times. 

I know of addicts in denial but I do not think I ever heard anyone rationalize eating crap as a substitute for painkillers?? Doctor Now won't give me painkillers so I have to have my food. Okay...

* I am not suggesting Chris C does porn. Though he is out of a job these days. 

I'm echoing your "Why did I watch this?" The marathon was on yesterday (in prep for the new season, I guess) and I actually lost track of time. Were there initially two 2-hour shows for the Assanti brothers? My girlfriend is sick so I went out to get her some ginger ale and also to take care of a few things at my own house, because I'd finally gotten so sick of watching them mewl and cry and manipulate, and when I got back an hour later, it was STILL ON. I know these three give plenty of material but I have a ton of respect for people who can stomach all four (?) hours of that tripe. 

 

As far as addicts turning to food, isn't that sort of a thing too? I've never gotten close to addicts or addiction, but I am a fairly heavy drinker and so are some of my friends. Due to circumstances (personal goals, pregnancy, etc.), many of us have taken a long break from alcohol and find ourselves craving sweets. My pregnant friend has said she craves the sugar she used to get from alcohol. It seems reasonable, right? Then again, like I said, I have no experience with addiction whatsoever. 

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Just now, monagatuna said:

As far as addicts turning to food, isn't that sort of a thing too? I've never gotten close to addicts or addiction, but I am a fairly heavy drinker and so are some of my friends. Due to circumstances (personal goals, pregnancy, etc.), many of us have taken a long break from alcohol and find ourselves craving sweets. My pregnant friend has said she craves the sugar she used to get from alcohol. It seems reasonable, right? Then again, like I said, I have no experience with addiction whatsoever. 

For addicts, if they don't get to the root of the issue, they can just end up trading one addiction for another, & often there are multiple addictions at one time.

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My thoughts:   There are so many deserving people who need weight loss surgery and deserve it.  They will take the opportunity and run with it.  These two entitled slops don’t.  It’s all a waste.   It obvious that TLC thinks they will bring in ratings.  Dr Now is a bigger idiot to treat them. 

I’d rather see someone on who appreciates the opportunity and succeeds.  That’s why I watch. 

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The small "large meatball sub with cheese" was amazing to me. It reminded me of Jim Gaffigan's bit about how people think every single item at Subway is healthy. "I can't have a hamburger, it's bad for you. I'll have five balls of hamburger on a bun big enough for five hamburgers. Smothered in cheese and sauce."

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I'm sure they thought those buckets of pasta were healthy too. I also laughed at the fact that Justin said that getting food out with his dad was their time together. I thought he meant, sitting at a restaurant and eating and conversing. He meant picking up food and coming home, most likely TV on!

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5 hours ago, spankydoll said:

I just started watching this show after reading about it on the Whitney Thore show board. I started watching that show for inspiration and tips on losing weight but it hasn't really gone in that direction. Steve is that same sort of manipulative slob as Whitney but at least he refers to his junk food as a drug. 

Do not judge all the people on this show by these two...men? Some of them are very inspiring. The two I liked best were the twins from last season, I think it was the first show of last season, you wanted to cheer for them at the end.

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On 12/26/2017 at 0:20 PM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

This does seem to be the first hour of a two-hour premiere.  My key take-aways:

  • Be the absolute worst, totally non-compliant, still get surgery
  • Steven Sr. is a whiner and a fool
  • Wow, they have a great dog.  Gorgeous and sweet.  Would it be wrong to drive across country to steal a dog?  

Not in this case.  It would be an act of humanitarian (dogitarian?) kindness.  

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5 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

He wants his son to live his dream

Hee.  My son't dream was to play professional football.

Doesn't mean I'm buying him the Carolina Panthers.  

(And frankly, SHOW, I'd rather see a second "Where are they now" follow up on that sweetheart Brittany who just warmed my heart!  She had the best attitude and the sweetest smile ever!)

Edited by Carolina Girl
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32 minutes ago, nr65000 said:

His odd almost coquettish reactions at times (like when his brother showed up) or when someone is wiping his ass or tending to him in some way seem extremely disturbing.

Steven Assanti reminds me of Machiavelli.  He's a liar, bully and as you explain his coquettish reactions are disturbing.  He's a predisposed master manipulator who needs therapy.  The best manipulators can tell when you're at your wits end, and just at the moment you can't take anymore, they back off.  Steven backed off when he realized how upset Dr. Now was.  Steven's father should treat Steven the same way Dr. Now is treating him.

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Please tell me that I'm not the only one who, when Justin was lamenting that he "didn't want to end up like Steven," was tempted to yell at the TV, "you already are!"

I find myself bereft of snark right now. These three "men" are a festering boil on the ass of humanity. Steven Sr. is criminally passive aggressive and a terrible enabler, Justin has the emotional reactions of a particularly surly teenage boy, and Steven Jr. is a whole mess o' dysfunction. Damn, I got nothin.'

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Until I saw Steven Assanti on my TV, I had never, ever thought, "the entire world and everyone in it would be better off if that person were dead." Until Steven Assanti, I would have thought that was too cruel and extreme a statement to make.

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1 hour ago, nr65000 said:

His odd almost coquettish reactions at times (like when his brother showed up) or when someone is wiping his ass or tending to him in some way seem extremely disturbing.

It's funny you should use the word "coquettish" to describe him. Last night I watched, mostly because I hate myself, a FB video he made on December 16. In it, he's totally naked in a dark room with Christmas lights strung around his neck. He's singing, "Santa Baby" to the camera. I couldn't think of a word to describe it to myself last night (other than "gross") but coquettish is the perfect descriptor. 

He also hasn't lost any weight so that lap band procedure was a complete waste of time and money. 

I'd say enough already with this family of psychos, but it sure seemed that Justin was on his way to Houston -- which could only mean they'll be back next season. I mean, honestly, if they want to have a garbage person on the show every year, why can't it be Penny?

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7 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I know of addicts in denial but I do not think I ever heard anyone rationalize eating crap as a substitute for painkillers?? Doctor Now won't give me painkillers so I have to have my food. Okay...

As we food addicts are painfully aware, food is very much a drug. And it’s even harder to kick then say alcohol. If you’re an alcoholic,  you never take another drink. If you’re a food addict, you can’t quit eating completely because you’ll die.   Dr. Now Took away the drugs, so he is using food more than ever.   Actually, I was surprised at his honesty about it and his self awareness. 

51 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Until I saw Steven Assanti on my TV, I had never, ever thought, "the entire world and everyone in it would be better off if that person were dead." Until Steven Assanti, I would have thought that was too cruel and extreme a statement to make.

I have thought that many times watching him. Some people are not worth the air they breathe. Unfortunately, that is a reality of life. What does he contribute to society? He is self-destructive and he makes everyone around him miserable.

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