Hoarders - General Discussion

[CoyoteBlue]

So the whole family was just devastated about the violent abusive drunk dying? Everyone was singing his damn praises and Louvinia was blaming Flora for not making the violent drunk want to come home promptly? 

Jesus, these people have issues. 

And, to be fair, it's not Flora's responsibility to take care of Louvinia's kids. I can see why she might be pissed that everyone's worried about the kids and her making her home suitable for the kids. They might have gotten a little farther by focusing on her enjoying her retirement in a comfortable, clean home. I mean, I guess that didn't last if she didn't stick with aftercare, and telling her she was finally free of the alcoholic and could enjoy her home now wouldn't have been as effective if she glorified him as much as the rest of the family....

[LittleIggy]

The daughter was so pretty. Her “fiancé” needs to step up his game. He shouldn’t have left his family to live in a roach motel. Even after the cleanup it said there was still no working water heater. As someone here mentioned, they should move somewhere more affordable. 
Since Flora isn’t accepting aftercare, she will probably go back to hoarding.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I wonder if the water still worked, and they just didn't have hot water? (I missed part of the beginning information, because of thunderstorms)  Either way, even in lower Alabama, the tap water in the summer isn't warm (I live in lower Alabama, and after a hurricane, I had no electric power for a couple of days, and that water was cold).     They did have window air conditioning units too, but I don't know if they worked.   

On a lot of the trailers I've been around (I used to live where a lot of the houses were trailers), the water heater is accessed by a door on the outside, and if the trailer wasn't heated, then the pipes could burst, or under the trailer too, and until they saw water running, they wouldn't know.   I bet that Flora hadn't had anyone check the supports under the trailer, or any mechanical systems in years.   

Also, since mobile homes have wood floor under the carpet, or linoleum, then I bet if the water heater started leaking, or a pipe broke, that the water would rot out the floor.   You get the same issue if a toilet, or faucet is leaking, and you don't find and fix it very quickly.  

 I bet if the daughter, and grand kids moved out, and the other family members didn't visit, that the hoard wouldn't be rebuilt so quickly, or at all.     It sounded like the youngest daughter, and grand kids just showed up with their suitcases in hand, and stayed.   

 I also suspect that the infestations were made worse by the daughter moving in, because that was a reason she was evicted.   If the daughter, and her fiance really want to move together, then moving from Daphne, AL would help, I live a few hours away, and you can rent something a lot cheaper than what the daughter said apartments are going for. 

No aftercare, the trailer needs the supports fixed (they do need attention, so I bet that's what the 'structural issues' referred to.   Also, the pipes under the trailer can freeze without winterizing them, and without a working furnace, it can get cold enough to burst a pipe,  If you have a big water leak, it's going to impact the ground under the trailer, and can undermine the supports that keep the trailer balanced, and structurally sound.   

After seeing the BSOJ (update at the end), where Flora isn't accepting aftercare, and says her treasures were stolen from her, then I bet she was down at the thrift store the next day shopping.   My guess is that deep down, she doesn't want the daughter and grand kids living in her house, and the hoard is a way to keep people out of her life, and bothering her.      

The real answer is to empty the trailer, and have it hauled away, and put up a new one, but you know that won't happen.    

Edited August 25, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, enoughcats said:

When they showed the window falling out, It was a major sign of structural damage (and if you think that there aren't formosan termites in the walls of that trailer....). 

Instinct tells me that the Aunt was stirring up trouble every night and that she was resting up days 2 and 3 to do her manic best those nights.  

I was thinking, "you knew the window was leaking and you're surprised there's mold in the wall?"

Also the aunt was pissing me off. Did they just bring her for teevee drama? They knew before they even got there (based on the phone call Louvnia described) she wasn't going to be supportive and she obviously couldn't actually help do any of the physical work.

7 hours ago, CoyoteBlue said:

So the whole family was just devastated about the violent abusive drunk dying? Everyone was singing his damn praises and Louvinia was blaming Flora for not making the violent drunk want to come home promptly? 

Jesus, these people have issues. 

I noticed they had put the framed photo of them on the nightstand, too. I understand her wanting to keep it but maybe not right next to your bed? 

[AZChristian]

I think I'm done with Dorothy (whom I used to like).  She's suddenly becoming the professional organizer AND a psychologist all rolled up into one.

When Flora was complaining that she wanted to do the sorting at her own pace, I wondered why she hadn't ever seemed to do any sorting BEFORE the clean-up crew got there.  Like for YEARS.  She claimed to have plans for all of that stuff.  Yeah, right.

I was angry at her daughter for moving into that roach-infested mess.  I was angry at her daughter's fiance because he LET her and their kids live there.  Are there are no shelters?  Is there no emergency housing available at all?  Do either of them work?  Are they using condoms to prevent additional children from being born into that situation?  

That disabled aunt was able to get out of that wheelchair and bounce pretty well on that bed.  She was making it all about her.  "I can get on this bed.  I can come and visit now."  Self-centeredness seems to be a family trait.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I was angry at her daughter for moving into that roach-infested mess.  I was angry at her daughter's fiance because he LET her and their kids live there.  Are there are no shelters?  Is there no emergency housing available at all?  Do either of them work?  Are they using condoms to prevent additional children from being born into that situation?  

I can't speak to the couple's use of birth control but I believe the daughter when she said there was no where else to go. Most communities don't have shelters for families (women and children and single men but often not for couples or couples with kids) so the couple would have had to split up (which they did). Many people consider shelters to be unsafe (and they often are). Flora's house was really, really bad but there were no strangers coming around. No danger of anyone stealing what little you had or beating on your kids. 

I don't know if the daughter is working but even if she was, I am guessing she doesn't make enough to cover the cost of child care.

I felt very badly for her. She truly had very limited options, none of them good.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I am so glad that a community I used to live in (Enterprise, AL) had several shelter options through a local charity, for men, women, and families (they bought an old motor court/motel and redid it).     I wish the daughter, with or without the boyfriend, would move elsewhere, and have better options.   Daphne, AL is a higher cost area (it's on higher ground, and even during Katrina didn't flood), and unless either the fiance, or the grand daughter get a really good job, they won't be able to afford it, especially if the previous landlord did an official eviction.   I felt so sorry for the daughter, and her kids having no where to go except Flora's vile roach palace.  

Edited August 25, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[ams1001]

48 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

I don't know if the daughter is working but even if she was, I am guessing she doesn't make enough to cover the cost of child care.

I felt very badly for her. She truly had very limited options, none of them good.

I was trying not to judge too much because we don't know all the details and I don't know anything about the area or what kind of job prospects there are or what it really costs to live there. Also she's young (I'm not sure if they mentioned her age but from one conversation I gathered she's in her early 20s). Moving elsewhere costs money but it might be something worth saving for.

59 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I think I'm done with Dorothy (whom I used to like).  She's suddenly becoming the professional organizer AND a psychologist all rolled up into one.

She comes across as very patronizing when she tries to psychologize. 

[camom]

Quote

Self-centeredness seems to be a family trait.

I agree.  I understand that sometimes circumstances are out of your control, but as far as I could tell, none of them were doing much to improve their situation (other than calling Hoarders to do the work on the house).  The kids did seem to work hard, though.  Flora really bugged me.  She obviously didn't want her daughter and grandkids there and would have been perfectly happy living in her own filth.

 

[sempervivum]

Same old, same old. Flora wasn't worth 2 hours. I was annoyed that they let her get away with claiming she couldn't afford to repair anything, even though she clearly had many thousands of dollars to spend on junk purchases.

It sounded like the psychologist guy didn't call CPS, which seems unethical to me, what with the mold and no working water heater. Daughter was cute, and seemed fragile, but is an irresponsible idiot. I may have missed an explanation as to why the fiance and the 2 older brothers couldn't chip in to help her get out of crazy mom's hovel; older bro was so good looking and seemed sincere (he also had a nice vocabulary). Also, at the time this was filmed, businesses were begging for help- at good wages, so I don't want to hear about how they couldn't get a job to help their sis/girlfriend.

Edited August 25, 2020 by sempervivum
further point

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Same old, same old. Flora wasn't worth 2 hours. I was annoyed that they let her get away with claiming she couldn't afford to repair anything, even though she clearly had many thousands of dollars to spend on junk purchases.

It sounded like the psychologist guy didn't call CPS, which seems unethical to me, what with the mold and no working water heater. Daughter was cute, and seemed fragile, but is an irresponsible idiot. I may have missed an explanation as to why the fiance and the 2 older brothers couldn't chip in to help her get out of crazy mom's hovel; older bro was so good looking and seemed sincere (he also had a nice vocabulary).

She probably spends money as she gets it and doing the repairs would require having a lot more money at once. (Notice they made a big deal about deciding what to do with that $100 she got for the cars and praising her for using it to pay a bill rather than buy more junk.)

The fiance (was he? or just boyfriend? either way they're his kids, too) was living with his mother but she had other kids (of her own) plus foster kids, which was the reason given for why Louvnia and her kids couldn't live there. (Sorry, if it was a matter of not enough space...I would have put some air mattresses in the living room before letting my grandchildren live in a roach-infested hoard). They didn't say if he was working or contributing financially to his kids' expenses.

I don't think they mentioned at all why the brothers couldn't (or didn't) help. I was wondering about that, too. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The issue with the kid's father was that with most fosters you can only have so many people in one house or apartment.   It also sounds like the daughter, Lovinia, moving in with her two kids was going to be endless.        I doubt there is any way that Lovinia, and the kids will ever be able to afford their own place in the area they live in.   

Flora is another hopeless case.   I don't care how everyone raved over the finished house, or claimed to want to keep it clean, I'm sure it's filled up again, and the grounds too.  I also suspect that the structural work, and heat/air conditioning, and water heater repairs will never happen.   

[sempervivum]

13 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

She probably spends money as she gets it and doing the repairs would require having a lot more money at once.

Oh, I know all about the culture of poverty/inability to delay gratification. Add that to 'crazy', and you get Flora. But they at least could have brought up the common sense logic of  'if you didn't buy crap for a month, you could afford to get the water heater fixed', or whatever. If nothing else, I'd be curious to hear how she'd respond.

[lovesnark]

I fell asleep before it was over. But, I felt really bad for Lovinia. I have a rental property and an eviction on your record is an automatic no when you're applying for rentals. It sounds to me like her landlord was a slumlord and evicted her as a way to keep from having to fix the infestation in the apartment she was renting. Sadly, it happens all the time. The landlord probably bought a couple cans of raid, sprayed the place and rented it again. When the new tenants complain, he'll tell them to buy some bug spray and threaten to evict them if they complain again. I wish Lovinia would have contacted a tenants rights group to learn how to document everything the right way in order to withhold rent until a landlord fixes it. You have to do it a certain way. Off to finish watching................

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, lovesnark said:

I wish Lovinia would have contacted a tenants rights group to learn how to document everything the right way in order to withhold rent until a landlord fixes it. You have to do it a certain way. Off to finish watching................

Agreed.  I do believe she said earlier on that she stopped paying rent because of the bugs.  You can't JUST stop; that puts the tenant in violation of the lease.  As you said, it has to be done a certain way.  The money has to be placed in escrow, and all of the money will eventually go to the landlord . . . WHEN he performs his responsibility of making the place habitable.

[NYCFree]

The people of Louvnia’s generation were the best looking hoarder family I think we’ve seen. I also loved the eldest brother’s comments and observations.

There is a lot of stuff happening within that family that we didn’t see. It’s kind of unusual that Louvnia was forced to stay at home while her brothers were free, and that this happened within this century, not fifty years ago.

[JudyObscure]

1 hour ago, NYCFree said:

It’s kind of unusual that Louvnia was forced to stay at home while her brothers were free, and that this happened within this century, not fifty years ago.

Flora was probably afraid Louvinia would get pregnant and want to bring up her children in Flora's home ... oh wait.

  The Alabama heat was getting to Dorothy's poor sweaty  head and she actually seemed to believe that Flora was upset over throwing out the roach covered clothes because she wanted to donate them.  No, Dorothy, come on now, Flora had already said she wanted to keep her stuff for herself because it was stuff she spent her hard earned disability checks on! 

Flora and I both were tired of Dorothy's frantic exclamations that they had to do this for the grandkids. How many times did Flora have to glare at Dorothy before she caught on that Flora doesn't care about those kids anymore than she cared about her own children when they were young and the house was so hoarded it drove their father away.  The step-father may have come home drunk from time to time, sitting in bars all evening will do that to you, but I don't blame him for not wanting to stay home in roach-town with Flora.

I do hope someone sees the show and offers a place to Louvinia and her children.  Lots of people in the country have a little run down house or old camper on their property.

[lovesnark]

1 hour ago, NYCFree said:

The people of Louvnia’s generation were the best looking hoarder family I think we’ve seen. I also loved the eldest brother’s comments and observations.

There is a lot of stuff happening within that family that we didn’t see. It’s kind of unusual that Louvnia was forced to stay at home while her brothers were free, and that this happened within this century, not fifty years ago.

Louvnia was so beautiful! I also wondered why she was living at the roach motel with her mom instead of one of her brothers. Maybe they lived quite a way from their mom and she wanted to be close to her boyfriend so he could see the kids often? It just didn't make sense to me for her to be staying in that nasty house with her kids. 

[atlantaloves]

Okay gang, I'm out, after many years of this show, it's just too grim. Enjoy you guys, but this show is making me feel mentally ill.  I'm off to hunt dust bunnies and clean my bathroom grout, Kissy! 

[RobustRutabaga]

On 8/24/2020 at 8:36 PM, ams1001 said:

Dorothy is getting on my nerves and they haven't even started yet.

Dorothy was particularly intense in this episode! I feel like after so many seasons, she's seen it all and has no more time for any excuses.

"...full of cockroach" indeed! 😨

[Ligeia]

I really dislike Dorothy. She always seems so fake and sugar-coated ! And overstepping. Couldn't she get a clue Flora didn't give a damn about the grandkids ? She seems to think she has so much insight when she's actually so far off base.

This episode was such a bore to watch, I almost fast-forwarded through the end. Do we really need to know the entire family's feelings every single minute ? That's when the 1 hoarder / 2 hours format really hurts. There was so much boring talking and blaberring and self-pitying and excuses ! With every single one of them ! Except maybe the youngest son who didn't talk much. It was all "poor me", "poor me", "poor us" all the time, gimme a break.

I'm also fed up of the constant repeats due to the streched-out format. I think, after hearing it 15 times, I might get that you stay up all night to fight the roaches off your kids. I also might get there are roaches on the bread after seeing the same shot 23 times (approx numbers, I didn't actually count lol).

I feel sorry for the daughter in a way but god, she doesn't seem very bright, does she ? Or there's something we haven't been told. Because running away from a roach infested home to go to mom's roach infested home ? Seriously ? With the hoard as a bonus ? Didn't she think, like at all, before stopping paying her rent ?  Something doesn't add up. Was the daughter responsible in some way for the infestation ? Is she a hoarder herself ? Could it have something to do with the brothers not helping her ?

As a conclusion, a screenshot that sums up most hoarders pretty well :

Edited August 26, 2020 by Ligeia

[Elizzikra]

Quote

 no working water heater

I think that alone would not necessarily require a CPS referral, as long as they had running water. They can heat water for food and even for baths for the little kids. But the mold - I don't really understand why that wasn't a problem. It seemed confined to the one room they blocked off but wouldn't that shit also travel through the air?

[hookedontv]

On 8/12/2020 at 9:24 AM, JudyObscure said:

My son is a vegetarian who occasionally treats me to a Youtube video produced by the animal rights folks.  Believe me the horrors that go on inside turkey plants are some of the worst.  It would take someone as hardened and heartless as Becky to work there so they probably can't be choosy about the  personal hygiene of the personnel.

Thank you. This was my first thought too. Becky has no empathy nor cares about anyone else since she works there. She will never change. 

[hookedontv]

On 8/24/2020 at 8:26 PM, ams1001 said:

So the daughter was evicted because the landlord didn't want to deal with a problem and now she can't get another place because she was evicted. Catch 22.

I just wondered why the boyfriend/baby daddy didn't get a place for all of them in his own name. But he is living at his mom's - maybe he can't afford it on his own (like a background check/employment check won't show enough $$ from his own income to afford a place?) 

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

I think that alone would not necessarily require a CPS referral, as long as they had running water. They can heat water for food and even for baths for the little kids. But the mold - I don't really understand why that wasn't a problem. It seemed confined to the one room they blocked off but wouldn't that shit also travel through the air?

The same night we watched that Hoarders episode, we had watched an episode of some of those Alaskans who live way out in the middle of nowhere (the REAL ones, not the farcical Alaskan Bush People).  One couple has a little one about a year old, and they showed him getting a bath in a big tin tub - with water heated on the stove. 

So I agree with you - a water heater is probably not a requirement.  But I also agree with you that any residence with black mold is NOT a safe place for people to live - children or adults.  I wonder if the production crew ever calls code enforcement on their way out of town so that SOMEONE is keeping an eye on the living conditions for those kids.

[enoughcats]

The Grandmother mentioned  "my money" and that she had had a nervous breakdown and that she got benefits.  Is there a chance that her benefits check is increased if she is also housing additional family members (daughter and two grandchildren)? 

[mamadrama]

58 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

The Grandmother mentioned  "my money" and that she had had a nervous breakdown and that she got benefits.  Is there a chance that her benefits check is increased if she is also housing additional family members (daughter and two grandchildren)? 

Not really. HER benefits wouldn't increase if they're based on her health. Only if she is the legal guardian of her grandchildren and, even then, to receive money they'd need to have a disability. We no longer have a welfare program that hands out money just for being poor, though some states have programs for those with kids (like TANF). The benefits are time limited, though, and not forever. If she's receiving benefits, though, then she could be drawing SNAP and those are based on the number of people in the house. So basically she would financially benefit if:

- she's the legal guardian and the kids qualify for TANF 

- she's the legal guardian and the kids have a disability

- someone in the house draws SNAP 

[mamadrama]

3 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I think that alone would not necessarily require a CPS referral, as long as they had running water. They can heat water for food and even for baths for the little kids. But the mold - I don't really understand why that wasn't a problem. It seemed confined to the one room they blocked off but wouldn't that shit also travel through the air?

Yup. Children need a bed, adequate food, and a way to bathe. Lack of water heater isn't a sign of neglect. Some people choose to live that way. The garbage, mold, etc would definitely be a CPS offense, though. 

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I just wondered why the boyfriend/baby daddy didn't get a place for all of them in his own name. But he is living at his mom's - maybe he can't afford it on his own (like a background check/employment check won't show enough $$ from his own income to afford a place?) 

The daughter said that for a $900/month apartment you had to earn four times that to qualify. That's $2,800 a month. Not a very high annual salary but maybe out of either of their range?

[sara1025]

On 8/25/2020 at 7:37 AM, AZChristian said:

I think I'm done with Dorothy (whom I used to like).  She's suddenly becoming the professional organizer AND a psychologist all rolled up into one.

When Flora was complaining that she wanted to do the sorting at her own pace, I wondered why she hadn't ever seemed to do any sorting BEFORE the clean-up crew got there.  Like for YEARS.  She claimed to have plans for all of that stuff.  Yeah, right.

I was angry at her daughter for moving into that roach-infested mess.  I was angry at her daughter's fiance because he LET her and their kids live there.  Are there are no shelters?  Is there no emergency housing available at all?  Do either of them work?  Are they using condoms to prevent additional children from being born into that situation?  

That disabled aunt was able to get out of that wheelchair and bounce pretty well on that bed.  She was making it all about her.  "I can get on this bed.  I can come and visit now."  Self-centeredness seems to be a family trait.

I wondered this as well, $800/month isn't bad for an apartment at all (then again where I live, you can't get a decent 1 bedroom apartment for less than $1,300/month). Between the two of them, if they worked even minimum wage jobs full time they could probably earn 3 times the rent amount. But I suppose there's the issue of childcare.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I looked, and in that area, a two bedroom is almost a thousand a month.    I bet no one will rent a 1 bedroom to a family of four, or even three if the boyfriend didn't move in.        If the daughter's previous landlord did a formal eviction, or even tells the apartment managers that the daughter left under threat of eviction, then she's not getting an apartment.     If the previous landlord mentions that she had a roach infestation, or alleges other bugs, then no one will rent to her anyway. 

We only have the daughter's story of what happened with her previous apartment, so I'm not going to judge the landlord from that.    Also, if there is a infestation, who knows if it's from another tenant, the apartment had one before that came back, or if it was stuff that the tenant brought in.     

Going on a national TV show, stating that you did a do-it-yourself rent strike, had a hideous roach infestation, but moved back to Flora's house with a roach infestation for the record books, and need another apartment, was not a smart move.  

One mistake I will never make again is to use cardboard boxes to store anything.   Anything that's cardboard goes right into recycle the same day it arrives.    

If I store things, I only use plastic storage bins.   

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Ligeia]

I just thought of something : maybe the daughter's previous place got infested because she brought something from her mother's home that had roaches/eggs in it ? Sounds very plausible

[QuinnInND]

4 hours ago, Ligeia said:

I just thought of something : maybe the daughter's previous place got infested because she brought something from her mother's home that had roaches/eggs in it ? Sounds very plausible

It wouldn't surprise me. It's so hard to not take them along in stuff. But the landlord should have sprayed anyway. Maybe he was a slumlord and the place had roaches anyway. Maybe both. Who knows. But the fact that the landlord wouldn't spray is ridiculous. 

[AZChristian]

7 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

It wouldn't surprise me. It's so hard to not take them along in stuff. But the landlord should have sprayed anyway. Maybe he was a slumlord and the place had roaches anyway. Maybe both. Who knows. But the fact that the landlord wouldn't spray is ridiculous. 

As distressed as she was about the roaches crawling on her kids at Grandma's house, I don't think it was a lifestyle that she would tolerate in her own place.  It sounded like a circular problem.  He evicted her because she didn't pay the rent because of the roaches because the landlord wouldn't spray.  

There looked to be more roaches in that hoard than there would have been had she brought them with her to a pristine house.  They were already there and thriving.

She was young and might benefit from a social worker or someone who could advise her on things like subsidized housing, how to legally withhold rent, etc.  

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, QuinnInND said:

It wouldn't surprise me. It's so hard to not take them along in stuff. But the landlord should have sprayed anyway. Maybe he was a slumlord and the place had roaches anyway. Maybe both. Who knows. But the fact that the landlord wouldn't spray is ridiculous. 

When I was first out of college, I lived in an old apartment. It was fine for the first year or so and then we got roaches. By the time I moved out, the landlord was spraying pretty much every two weeks but we could never get rid of them. It was revolting. But mostly they just move from one apartment to another, back and forth. When I finally moved out, I tossed most of my stuff and what I kept, I double bagged, washed in hot water and made sure was clean. Once i moved to a new place, I never saw another bug.

My point - it's hard to get rid of roaches. I don't blame Louvina for moving out and I can absolutely see where she might have taken the bugs from her mom's house to wherever she was living - but they might also have already been there and she brought some new ones to her mom's house too.

[sempervivum]

23 hours ago, enoughcats said:

The Grandmother mentioned  "my money" and that she had had a nervous breakdown and that she got benefits.

I assume you're referring to Flora. I thought it was kind of funny that her job was housekeeping in a hotel (as I recall), and she claimed her breakdown was because she had worked for a month without time off (presumably under duress). I truly hope that the state wouldn't give her lifelong disability payments for that! I suspect that as usual there are lots of details being left out of the sob story.

[QuinnInND]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

 

She was young and might benefit from a social worker or someone who could advise her on things like subsidized housing, how to legally withhold rent, etc.  

She's going to have a hard time getting any type of housing with an eviction on her record.  

[enoughcats]

For comparison a British hoarding show.  Rats. eight days to clean up.  Sold house for more than expected, even (shudder) with one floor eight inches lower than it should have been because of the weight of the hoard. And they sold a few of his treasures that really were antiques and artifacts. 

[Guest]

On 8/25/2020 at 1:09 PM, NYCFree said:

The people of Louvnia’s generation were the best looking hoarder family I think we’ve seen. I also loved the eldest brother’s comments and observations.

Agreed! The collective family were all lovely and gorgeous. 

That being said, this episode was a huge snooze fest for me. Waaaaayyyyyy too much standing around in a semi-circle in the yard yakking. 

I remember years ago loving the episodes in which Dorothy appeared. In the more recent seasons, she's turned into a shrew and all too ready to play up the drama for the cameras. 

[camom]

I really don't like the two hour format, especially when it's only one hoarder.  It gets boring.  We see the same shots of rats or roaches or poop bags over and over again.  I end up not only disliking the hoarder more, but the professionals as well.  The only one I think deserved the two hour treatment was the Julian Price house.

 

[JudyObscure]

On 8/26/2020 at 3:38 PM, Elizzikra said:

Quote

I just wondered why the boyfriend/baby daddy didn't get a place for all of them in his own name. But he is living at his mom's - maybe he can't afford it on his own (like a background check/employment check won't show enough $$ from his own income to afford a place?) 

The daughter said that for a $900/month apartment you had to earn four times that to qualify.

Can that be right?  I once had an apartment with rent that cost a little over half my monthly pay.  I got paid every two weeks and had to use one whole paycheck plus some saved from the last one to pay the rent but the landlord didn't care so long as I paid it.

 

On 8/26/2020 at 8:12 PM, sara1025 said:

Between the two of them, if they worked even minimum wage jobs full time they could probably earn 3 times the rent amount. But I suppose there's the issue of childcare.

If one worked evenings and one worked days they wouldn't need childcare.  I know several young couples who do that.

 

On 8/27/2020 at 9:49 AM, AZChristian said:

She was young and might benefit from a social worker or someone who could advise her on things like subsidized housing, how to legally withhold rent, etc.  

Yes, here in Ohio, I'm pretty sure, as a single mother with two small children, she could get subsidized housing, food stamps and other benefits. 

[auntjess]

10 hours ago, camom said:

I really don't like the two hour format, especially when it's only one hoarder.  It gets boring.  We see the same shots of rats or roaches or poop bags over and over again.

I end up skipping to the end, but I do think this is probably pandemic programming.  I'd rather see still more repeats, than this though.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The price Louvina quoted was for a 1 bedroom in Daphne, AL.     It's a high cost area (I live across the state from there), and $900 was on the low side for an apartment complex with amenities.   Also, I don't think anyone would rent a one bedroom to an adult, and two kids, plus the boyfriend might move back too.    Four people in a one bedroom isn't right.     The strange thing about prices in that area is that the home buying prices aren't much different where I live, but the apartment and home rental prices are a lot higher.     It's a desirable area because it's close to the shore, but raised up so it doesn't flood.     It was fine all through the hurricanes that have come near there.    Whatever happens, Louvina needs to get away from her mother's place, it was so obvious that Flora didn't want them there.    I think part of the reason Flora didn't really mind the roaches is because the hoard, and the vermin kept other people away. 

 

[enoughcats]

8/31/2020

Cindy: years of code enforcement, court cases, save son's property , save her store, lose everything.

 

[FormerMod-a1]

It looks like we get Matt and Dr Z tonight!

 

[ams1001]

She had her son at 16 because she wanted to "grow up with him"...um, shouldn't you be grown up before you bring a kid into your life? 

If the son paid for it, I wonder why they didn't transfer the property into the his name when he turned 18...(though from what Dr. Z is saying it seems maybe that wouldn't have made a difference).

I always wonder how people get multiple trailers...at least her late husband running a trucking company explains this one...

 

[ams1001]

Should have taken bets on how long that "good attitude" Matt (or was it Dr. Z) mentioned would last...

[CrazyInAlabama]

You can buy used semi trailers.   People use the trailers, and used moving pods for storage, often for hay or animal feed.  

Cindy may be the worst from this season.    The fact that she says a foreclosure she stopped paying the mortgage on was 'stolen' from her, and that makes me wonder how long before she snaps, and hurts someone.  So Cindy is happy to get rid of the son's property, on land he paid for, and should be in his name, but won't get rid of her stuff?   I love the auctioneers recognizing stuff they sold her at auction, and said everything in the store, and storage units needs to go, because it costs more to unload the buildings, and organize than it's worth.   

Why don't they start with the cars they have titles for, and haul them out and sell them?    I'm not liking Cindy at all.    The worst thing is that it's actually Cody's land, and Cindy kept the title, and hoarded it endlessly.    So now Cody will lose property he owns, but is in the mother's name, and he paid the taxes, and now it will be gone. 

Byhalia, MS, I didn't even know it existed.   (Byhalia is at the north of Mississippi, south east of Memphis).

This woman had many years to sell stuff, clean out, and keep the property, but she won't do it.  

Even now Cindy says the county won't be able to do anything to her, but she's wrong.    Wonder how long before the SWAT team shows up after she hurts someone?  Her attitude to the Codes Enforcement inspector was awful.   She's going to end up with the county junking everything, and then putting a lien on the property for the fines ($30,000+), and the clean up. 

Cindy is just as delusional as any other hoarder, and even meaner than most.     

Another one who thinks thousands of pounds of junk is all valuable, and she can sell it.  

Dr. Z really thinks she'll get through to a hoarder someday, she's as delusional as the hoarders.    Dr. Z, they call simply moving stuff around is 'churning'.      I hope this is the one time the county, and codes enforcement do their job, and clean it out.     I can't believe the landlord and storage units haven't evicted her, and tossed her junk. 

Dr. Z says Cindy is focused?  Yes, on ignoring everything. 

BSOJ (Black Screen of Justice or whatever it's called)-No more cleanup since the filming, Cody and Amanda gave up , store lockers are gone for non-payment, no aftercare.    

Exactly the ending I anticipated. 

Edited September 1, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[ams1001]

I wonder if her storage space will show up on Storage Wars or some show of that ilk.

[CrazyInAlabama]

From what I've read, Storage Wars is totally scripted, and they put stuff in the lockers to 'discover', so Cindy's junk probably all went right in the dumpsters.   

Cindy is so hostile, and delusional about her right to do what she wants, that I'm just glad the crew got away from this episode without anyone getting attacked.     My guess is more is coming onto the property, than ever left.     I'm just glad the son, Cody, and Amanda gave up on Cindy.   I would stop paying the taxes on the property too, since it's all in Cindy's name.  I would also tell the county that I'm not paying Cindy's taxes any longer. 

Everything ended up the way it looked like from the first five minutes.    I hope Cody and Amanda stay strong, and don't put up with Cindy's bullying.    

It totally irritates me that Cindy took the land her son bought all of those years ago, and never transferred it back.    She's a selfish nut case.   I hope the son and daughter-in-law both hold a firm line, and never let her move in on their home, or other property.    Sadly, since the land is in Cindy's name, and the huge fines ($30,000 at the time of filming) will be attached to the land title, Cody will never have that land back.   I'm sick of lying hoarders getting more time.   However, I hope when the bulldozers came to clear the land, that the SWAT team came first to arrest her.   I can see her going after someone. 

Her claim that no one could foreclose on the house at the beginning, and the courts stole her stuff, and had no authority over her told me all I needed to know about her.      I really wish we had the Hoarders: the Aftermath, of the forced clean up of that property, while Cindy is in the back of a police car in handcuffs watching everything happen. 

Edited September 1, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama