Hoarders - General Discussion

[ams1001]

12 minutes ago, RobustRutabaga said:

It was okay for me! I too was curious if they were that sloppy or rushed. But I made this screengrab from last night's episode - if that's the place where the error might've been.

Interesting...I played it OnDemand just before I posted that and it definitely said Holarding.

Edit: Someone posted this "screenshot" (literally a photograph of their TV screen) on the facebook page.

Edited December 1, 2021 by ams1001

[RobustRutabaga]

18 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Interesting...I played it OnDemand just before I posted that and it definitely said Holarding.

Fascinating! My DVR's copy snagged it from the broadcast itself (not On-demand). I wonder if they fixed it in time for broadcast but the OnDemand was an "unproofed" or early edit copy they uploaded in advance or something before a final edit pass. They've been using that title card for ages (years?) so, it's so odd a typo would slip in for this one episode. Maybe the title cards are done separately for resolution/sizing/font reasons for on-demand vs. broadcast or something.

[LeesburgLee]

On the subject of food expiration dates... As it happens, I got a link to this article in my email today: “Is Expired Food Safe To Eat? The Truth About Expiration Dates.” The link is to the All Recipes site.

The article includes definitions for commonly used terms, like “Best by” and “Use by,” and includes some guidance on shelf life/refrigerator life for general categories of foods. I found the article interesting, so I’m passing it along. One quote from the article:

Quote

“In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states on its website that, with the exception of infant formula, product dating is not required by Federal regulations. The food dates or "expiration dates" we're so familiar with are actually not indicators of food safety at all, they are simply the manufacturer's suggestion as to when their product is at best quality.”

Don’t get me wrong, I agree that saving tons of food for years and years is not the best plan, especially for a hoarder, but it feels like Dr Z and Dorothy are overreacting sometimes. I think this was one of those times.

 

[all4mom2]

Thank you; I feel vindicated!  I was beginning to wonder if I was seeing things...

Even I don't recommend eating foods that "expired" a decade ago, but I actually accepted some 1- to 2-year-old packaged and canned items that a friend found in the dark recesses of her cabinets while moving (she didn't rotate her stock, as is recommended) that she was afraid to feed to her small children.  Lived on them free for a month and lived to tell the tale!  "Hoarders" definitely overreacts.

Edited December 1, 2021 by all4mom2

[Ligeia]

Well based on your comments I guess I'll just skip that new episode as well...

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, all4mom2 said:

Thank you; I feel vindicated!  I was beginning to wonder if I was seeing things...

Even I don't recommend eating foods that "expired" a decade ago, but I actually accepted some 1- to 2-year-old packaged and canned items that a friend found in the dark recesses of her cabinets while moving (she didn't rotate her stock, as is recommended) that she was afraid to feed to her small children.  Lived on them free for a month and lived to tell the tale!  "Hoarders" definitely overreacts.

I think the Hoarders folks have the extra concern of the fact that usually their old food is piled in filthy kitchens crawling with bugs, so I think some extra caution might be warranted. But still. Just harping on the dates and not the storage conditions makes it seem a little over the top. (Though, unless they chose not to show it, this particular house seemed relatively clean, as hoarded houses go. I didn't notice any stains or obvious damage in the after pics.)

[all4mom2]

28 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I think the Hoarders folks have the extra concern of the fact that usually their old food is piled in filthy kitchens crawling with bugs, so I think some extra caution might be warranted. But still. Just harping on the dates and not the storage conditions makes it seem a little over the top. (Though, unless they chose not to show it, this particular house seemed relatively clean, as hoarded houses go. I didn't notice any stains or obvious damage in the after pics.)

Everyone knows to wash the tops of cans before opening them - I hope - and as long as the packaging is intact, the food inside should be fine (of course NOT if it's soaked through with rodent urine).  But to get hysterical because a "use by" date has passed is over-the-top.  I just hate the amount of food waste in our society.  If my grocery store would offer "expired" items at a discount instead of sending them to the land fill or whatever they do with them, I would happily take advantage of that!

Edited December 1, 2021 by all4mom2

[essexjan]

On 11/30/2021 at 6:29 PM, suzeecat said:

Krisitan?  Krisitan?  Did anyone ask the poor mother when she was filling out the birth certificate to double-triple-check the spelling?

That's pretty much all I got out of this ep except that she was left with a very nice home.

I think it was the captions that were mis-spelled because he was also captioned with his correct spelling of Kristian several times too.

I can imagine the producers going on and on at Dr Zas that she needed to find out what the secret was that Peggy refused to let her daughter tell, but try as she might, Peggy wasn't telling, good for her.

This was a really boring episode. I've been re-watching Hoarding: Buried Alive recently, and they crammed so much more into an hour than Hoarders can put into twice the time. (That show lost its way too, when it had a few people on there who were seriously mentally ill - an Elvis impersonator who was bullied by so-called friends, and a former teacher who'd had a breakdown after receiving a death threat from a student, to name just two. But I always liked it better than Hoarders.)

[all4mom2]

My favorite is still "Hoarding: Behind Closed Doors" or "The Hoarder Next Door," the British version with the Greek psychologist Stelios Kiosses.  He, too, gets a little in the weeds with his talk therapy and woo-woo techniques, but it's so much more watchable and even amusing.  He's also easy on the eyes!  The two organizer ladies are also fabulous.  You can find a few episodes on YouTube, sometimes under "Only Human."

Edited December 1, 2021 by all4mom2

[Cherpumple]

11 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I think the Hoarders folks have the extra concern of the fact that usually their old food is piled in filthy kitchens crawling with bugs, so I think some extra caution might be warranted.

I agree. I also think they focus on expired foods as one of the "easy wins" to get the clean-up rolling. Empty fast food containers? Easy decision. Item destroyed by vermin? Easy decision. Expired food? Easy decision. Obviously, this doesn't always work with the hoarder's disordered thinking, but the organizers do tend to at least try to tackle the more obvious garbage before addressing the items with clear emotional attachments.

9 hours ago, essexjan said:

I can imagine the producers going on and on at Dr Zas that she needed to find out what the secret was that Peggy refused to let her daughter tell, but try as she might, Peggy wasn't telling, good for her.

Yeah, that was uncomfortable to watch. And even though I was super curious, it felt invasive when the daughter talked about it at the family meeting when Peggy wasn't there.

9 hours ago, essexjan said:

I've been re-watching Hoarding: Buried Alive recently, and they crammed so much more into an hour than Hoarders can put into twice the time.

I gave up on that show when I saw several episodes in a row that spent the first 40 minutes showing multiple walkthroughs of various friends and family oohing and aahing about how bad the hoard was, then about 10 minutes of clean-up, then *poof* the "after" reveal. I'm here to watch a good clean-up, not endless repetitive tours of a hoard.

But I'm not super happy with the current format of Hoarders, either. There's just way too much set-up and family drama, and the pace is far too slow. Hour-long episodes featuring one hoarder would be more than enough for me.

[theajw]

When did Dorothy become so damn insufferable?  Badges?  

While I'm not advocating for a return to the days of sailcats and pickles and possums, this season has been so boring.  

[Tango64]

14 hours ago, theajw said:

When did Dorothy become so damn insufferable?  Badges?  

I thought the badges were so stupid and demeaning. I'm a grown ass adult and if you come at me with your cutesie scout badges and sash for anything I'm trying to accomplish, I'm going to tell you to fuck right off. Don't treat me like a child.

[Lostinthehouse]

Did anyone else think that Peggy was too lazy to get rid of anything, and not really a hoarder?  That clean-up was just too fast!

[LeesburgLee]

6 hours ago, Lostinthehouse said:

Did anyone else think that Peggy was too lazy to get rid of anything, and not really a hoarder?  That clean-up was just too fast!

Peggy was getting rid of things at a really fast pace, and letting go of a huge percentage of the stuff, too. So, this occurred to me...

Dr Z kept pushing Peggy about her previous counseling, asking her why, if she'd had therapy, there was so much stuff still in the house. Dr Z kept saying that Peggy hadn’t really let the therapy sink in and change her behavior, and she had concerns, was going to speak to the aftercare counselor, etc. But Peggy was able to let things go, without the usual hoarder foot-dragging, whining, meltdowns, and other fussing.

Couldn’t it be that the previous therapy did work, resulting in Peggy's willingness to let things go, and her ability to avoid the usual hoarder behavior?

Peggy didn’t want to talk about her earlier therapy but Dr Z wouldn’t drop it, and I think that just made Peggy dig in - I would have, too. I think the earlier therapy led to Peggy's success with getting rid of the junk, and Peggy just didn’t want to discuss it.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering if the therapists or the hoarders apply for the show for the free clean out?    With the woman near Asheville, and Peggy, I suspect that's exactly why nothing was touched, and they cleaned out almost everything.   I can only imagine how much it would cost to get the massive hoards cleaned out, dumped, and have the cleaning and repairs that happen done.    This is the eighth episode, and the 13th doesn't list Hoarders, so I wonder if it's the season finale?         

[borealis]

9 hours ago, LeesburgLee said:

Peggy was getting rid of things at a really fast pace, and letting go of a huge percentage of the stuff, too. So, this occurred to me...

Dr Z kept pushing Peggy about her previous counseling, asking her why, if she'd had therapy, there was so much stuff still in the house. Dr Z kept saying that Peggy hadn’t really let the therapy sink in and change her behavior, and she had concerns, was going to speak to the aftercare counselor, etc. But Peggy was able to let things go, without the usual hoarder foot-dragging, whining, meltdowns, and other fussing.

Couldn’t it be that the previous therapy did work, resulting in Peggy's willingness to let things go, and her ability to avoid the usual hoarder behavior?

Peggy didn’t want to talk about her earlier therapy but Dr Z wouldn’t drop it, and I think that just made Peggy dig in - I would have, too. I think the earlier therapy led to Peggy's success with getting rid of the junk, and Peggy just didn’t want to discuss it.

I wondered this too. I kept thinking that it looked like the therapy she'd had DID work. And them pushing her to share an intimate detail about her life that she did NOT want to share PUBLICLY on a TV SHOW really bugged me! Just cos she doesn't want to tell YOU, Dr. Zasio, doesn't mean it's going to hinder shit. She SAID she'd been in therapy for it! I mean, I understand these people need help and need to be pushed somewhat, but really???

It also bugged me about the food, not because of the expiration dates necessarily, but because Dr. Zasio asked Peggy if she'd be okay with them throwing out expired food. Peggy essentially said no, although she did start to try to explain herself. But Dr. Zasio kept asking her what she wanted to do! Then when Peggy would start trying to explain her 'no' answer, Dr. Zasio acted like Peggy wasn't hearing the question and would repeat it!! Zasio was SO obviously trying to change Peggy's answer from NO to YES, but she kept couching it as "We just need an answer, Peggy." I wanted to pull my hair out!! Peggy WAS giving a straight 'no' answer, she just felt she had to justify it. If a "no" answer was indeed okay as Dr. Zasio was SAYING, then she should have just stopped at NO, said "we don't need details", and then packed up the food to be organized later!!!

I've watched both Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive since their first episodes, and this ep made me remember what used to bug the crap out of me about Hoarders-- that first of all, EVERYONE, except Matt and mostly Cory, tend to treat the hoarders as 5 year olds instead of just adults with a serious issue. Second, they sometimes try to badger them into giving them the answers THEY want (except Matt, whom I ADORE, he's so good w/people). I mean, just be straight that there is a certain answer that is preferred, instead of this manipulative gaslighting bullshit! 

 

[all4mom2]

17 hours ago, LeesburgLee said:

Peggy was getting rid of things at a really fast pace, and letting go of a huge percentage of the stuff, too. So, this occurred to me...

Dr Z kept pushing Peggy about her previous counseling, asking her why, if she'd had therapy, there was so much stuff still in the house. Dr Z kept saying that Peggy hadn’t really let the therapy sink in and change her behavior, and she had concerns, was going to speak to the aftercare counselor, etc. But Peggy was able to let things go, without the usual hoarder foot-dragging, whining, meltdowns, and other fussing.

Couldn’t it be that the previous therapy did work, resulting in Peggy's willingness to let things go, and her ability to avoid the usual hoarder behavior?

Peggy didn’t want to talk about her earlier therapy but Dr Z wouldn’t drop it, and I think that just made Peggy dig in - I would have, too. I think the earlier therapy led to Peggy's success with getting rid of the junk, and Peggy just didn’t want to discuss it.

Maybe Z&D's new strategy is to be as obnoxious and insufferable as possible so the hoarder will do a quick clean out just to get rid of their annoying arses!

[Guest]

On 11/30/2021 at 8:16 PM, RobustRutabaga said:

On 11/30/2021 at 7:56 PM, ams1001 said:

Interesting...I played it OnDemand just before I posted that and it definitely said Holarding.

Fascinating! My DVR's copy snagged it from the broadcast itself (not On-demand).

I DVR'd it from the original broadcast time, too. The title screen I saw when watching the episode said, "Holarding." Maybe the person in post was stoned. 

[RobustRutabaga]

On 12/4/2021 at 3:34 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

This is the eighth episode, and the 13th doesn't list Hoarders, so I wonder if it's the season finale?         

Based on https://epguides.com/Hoarders/ , tomorrow's (Dec 6th, "Martha") episode, the season's 8th, might be the last of the season given the last couple of seasons were only 8 episodes also.

[ams1001]

13 hours ago, RobustRutabaga said:

Based on https://epguides.com/Hoarders/ , tomorrow's (Dec 6th, "Martha") episode, the season's 8th, might be the last of the season given the last couple of seasons were only 8 episodes also.

According to Zap2it, yes, Martha is the finale.

Martha deals with deception from a married man, frail health, and caring for her parent's last moments in life; not wanting to ask friends and family for help strains relations and allows the clutter in her place to spiral out of control.

 

[RobustRutabaga]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Martha deals with deception from a married man, frail health, and caring for her parent's last moments in life; not wanting to ask friends and family for help strains relations and allows the clutter in her place to spiral out of control.

Man, I'd love it if this were Martha Stewart. What a watch that would be! (She has to put all those leftovers components from her crafting projects-of-the-day SOMEWHERE!)  Alas, I don't think we're so lucky. 😄

[all4mom2]

"Deception from a married man."  Imagine that!

[Ligeia]

Looks like this episode is gonna be a snoozefest as well... Where are my animal hoarders and poop ladies ? The show has become so tame I don't see any point to it anymore. And it's not like the show's actually helping the hoarders any more than before... Thankfully I still have a few older seasons to watch, from before the show completely chickened out and was too afraid to offend to produce anything remotely interesting.

[all4mom2]

I don't need more grossness, thank you; cockroaches and feces aren't what makes these hoarder shows interesting (see: the tasteful British versions).  It's trying to fill two hours with 1/2 hour of actual content that is putting us to sleep.  Are you listening, TLC?

Edited December 7, 2021 by all4mom2

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's season finale, San Antonio, Texas, Martha.   

Not specifically this hoarder, but all hoarders lie about when they started hoarding.   They always claim they haven't been hoarding for long, but the relatives tell how long they've actually been hoarding.     They always have some item that everyone has to find, but they buried it under garbage.  The hoarders all say they want people around, but they don't.    Trying to guess when the hoarder will start rebelling is the only mystery. 

This is about this specific episode. I don't like Dr. Tolin, and the new organizer.    They both will do anything to keep the filming going.    The organizer virtually dragged the hoarder to the dumpster truck, and wanted her to see the trash her daughter was tossing, and trying to start a fight.   So, the organizer is blaming the daughter when the mother rehoards?    The organizer said, "we don't want her rehoard", Martha will anyway.   Martha's been a hoarder for many years, and drove her own parents out of their home, so Martha will never stop rehoarding.   

Martha's been a hoarder forever.   She drove her own parents out of this house and trashed it.   Then she had her father climbing over the hoard in his late 90s, apparently without air conditioning, in San Antonio.     

 Then, how the hell did this woman get a kidney transplant living in that pile of trash?   

Martha's just lucky her daughter let her move into her house.   I'm betting the hoarder would have trashed her daughter's house, but daughter won't let her.  She's lived in the daughter's house since the transplant.   Martha just wants to play the victim, and I bet her daughter will hear from Martha, and anyone Martha can get to take her side, about how the daughter threw out all of Martha's good stuff.    I bet Martha would love to get back in her own house, so she can hoard it again. 

The daughter is right, she tortured her parents.   She drove her parents out of their own house, and then moved her 90+ year old father into her hoard.     By the way, I noticed the huge amount of HSN and other online or TV shopping unopened boxes, they were everywhere.   And the father's clothes?   Some still had the tags on them.   

Martha is so full of it, and Dr. Tolin feeding her lines to say to her daughter is ridiculous.    What Martha did to her parents, and now living with her daughter is not going to be forgiven.   I really like her daughter, she tells the truth.   Martha did torture her parents, especially her father.   Dr. Tolin trying to get the mother and daughter back together is going to fail.    Dr. Tolin and Martha talking about getting rid of the father's clothes is so pathetic, some of those clothes weren't even worn.   

So, I bet Martha's offer for the cars won't be good enough for her, and then Dr. Tolin butts in again.    I'm sure Martha will feel victimized, because she's a perpetual victim.  (Yes, Martha sells two cars, but keeps the other car because she claims she can make more selling it herself. )

They should have ripped those curtains down, they look like they're ready to fall down.      I agree with the daughter, and think Tolin, and the organizer should shut up.    I hope that Martha will move back home, and let her daughter and family have peace and quiet.   The daughter is the one that had Martha the gloomy living in her home for years.   Good for Yleana for putting her mother in the game room, and not disrupting the children's lives by taking one of their rooms, and giving it to Martha, or even worse moving her into the daughter's room. 

BSOJ-Martha is attending aftercare, and still is healthy, and moved home.      (My guess is the aftercare therapist is a captive audience for Martha, and gets to hear how everyone else ruined her life.)

(My guess, the junked car will always be in the car port, and I bet Martha will be back on the phone, or online ordering stuff immediately).    

Edited December 7, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[ams1001]

I can't get rid of the sentimental things that belonged to my parents...but I can bury them in tons of random junk so I can't see/use/enjoy those sentimental things.

Makes sense.

[borealis]

What the hell?? Why is the daughter (who OBVIOUSLY wants to help her mother) getting SHIT!?!! Every episode, the organizer & counselor says that not EVERY SINGLE THING can be touched because it takes too much time! This is bullshit. Good for Yleana for calling them out. This is frustrating for ME, I can't even imagine how SHE feels! UGH!!! 

[LGraves65]

Yleana is all of us. 

[Tango64]

Yleana is my hero! Good on her for standing up for those poor grandparents who spent their last years crawling around in filth. 
Fooey on the expert guy who kept challenging her and trying to let the hoarder control every little decision when she clearly was not competent. 

[enoughcats]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Then, how the hell did this woman get a kidney transplant living in that pile of trash?

The lack of running water would have been a block, unless her address was given as her daughter's house. 

I thought the Grandchildren's hugging their Mother was the only real thing I saw, that and the Daughter's take on the whole mess.

Was Martha heavily medicated? we'll never know.

Was Martha living off her parents' income - if so, no way was she letting them move elsewhere. 

Martha's compliance, Martha's 'whatever you say/want/think' just rang totally false to me.  Especially the hypothetically tossed out money. 

It's over and feels the same as when a self invited house guest overstayed a three day visit by four days.  It's good when it stops, and better forgotten. 

[borealis]

Yleana was right to call it "tattling." "Ooh, look what your daughter over here is doing, throwing out trash!!! How do you feel about that?!" I loved it when Yleana asked "Does that upset her, or does that upset YOU?" I am confident that Yleana knew those bags were trash & felt okay to throw away. But I may be projecting a bit because I've cleaned out a hoarded house before, had to make judgment calls & was VERY careful to make sure I was throwing out trash, not anything else. But it was easy to spot TRASH, and it was so easy to see that Yleana's an honest person & trying to be mindful of all that. Not too mention, later they showed the professionals piling heaps of trash off the floor, right into garbage bags & then the dumpster!! No examining it. So where was the tattling on them??  

Plus the organizer, Carolina, actually told Yleana she felt Yleana was looking for a short term goal of just clearing out the house instead of long term goal of her mom not rehoarding. I'm positive she does not want her mom to rehoard, cos guess who gets to clear it (again) when her mom passes? It felt like they singled Yleana out, and she's already been through enough shit.

[Ligeia]

7 hours ago, all4mom2 said:

I don't need more grossness, thank you; cockroaches and feces aren't what makes these hoarder shows interesting (see: the tasteful British versions).  It's trying to fill two hours with 1/2 hour of actual content that is putting us to sleep.  Are you listening, TLC?

What makes this show interesting to you if it's not the grossness ? I'm genuinely curious. We all know the show is all about entertainment and shock value and not about actually "curing" hoarders. I watch the show out of morbid curiosity just like everyone else I believe, whether they admit it or not. It's quite fascinating to see these dark corners of the human soul. I'm just honest and unapologetic about it.

Without shock value, Hoarders is just an empty boring shell.

[Gravity Check]

1 hour ago, Ligeia said:

What makes this show interesting to you if it's not the grossness ? I'm genuinely curious.

I'm not the person you asked, but I can't deal with the grossness. I watch because I'm a complete sucker for "before and after." I like makeover shows, weight loss shows (like The Biggest Loser), remodeling shows. Also, I'm not a hoarder at all, but I do have clutter that I like/need to get rid of, so this serves as an inspiration to me to get at it!

[JudyObscure]

Long, long ago Martha allowed herself to get pregnant by some guy she wasn't married to -- she might not have known he was married to someone else, but she knew he wasn't married to her -- and thus she became a lifelong burden to her parents. 

I just can't stand that.  I made many dumb mistakes when I was young, but I dealt with them myself. I just hate the way people like Martha feel entitled to their parents' homes and money forever.  They were allowing her to have the entire upstairs of their house and she hoarded it to such an extent they had to move into their vacation home to get away from her.  Then when her father was too old to live alone he came back to His house and she abused him and allowed him no clean space at all.  I have zero sympathy for her and her life of whining because some man "let her down."

[auntjess]

Cory posted this on Facebook.

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, auntjess said:

Cory posted this on Facebook.

He's a better person than I am.  I'd have thrown the stone AT the hoarder in that time span.

[Roxie]

8 hours ago, borealis said:

Yleana was right to call it "tattling." "Ooh, look what your daughter over here is doing, throwing out trash!!! How do you feel about that?!" I loved it when Yleana asked "Does that upset her, or does that upset YOU?" I am confident that Yleana knew those bags were trash & felt okay to throw away. But I may be projecting a bit because I've cleaned out a hoarded house before, had to make judgment calls & was VERY careful to make sure I was throwing out trash, not anything else. But it was easy to spot TRASH, and it was so easy to see that Yleana's an honest person & trying to be mindful of all that. Not too mention, later they showed the professionals piling heaps of trash off the floor, right into garbage bags & then the dumpster!! No examining it. So where was the tattling on them??  

Plus the organizer, Carolina, actually told Yleana she felt Yleana was looking for a short term goal of just clearing out the house instead of long term goal of her mom not rehoarding. I'm positive she does not want her mom to rehoard, cos guess who gets to clear it (again) when her mom passes? It felt like they singled Yleana out, and she's already been through enough shit.

THIS.  All of this!  Why do they make so much of the hoarder getting to see everything, then show us those shoveling trash scenes?  And for gosh shakes, isn't the most important thing IN THIS MOMENT to clear out the house?  There will be plenty of time for therapy later!

[sempervivum]

As far as I'm concerned, they can cancel this again (?). It's become even more annoying than it is boring.

I'd love to know if there is any actual scientific research on hoarding. The various psychologists and therapists all act like 'the science is settled'- like, the hoarder must make decisions about objects in order to (somehow?) overcome the trauma or whatever triggers hoarding behaviour. Any proof or is this just conjecture? 

[amacmom]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

He's a better person than I am.  I'd have thrown the stone AT the hoarder in that time span.

But I had a PLAN for that rock. 😜

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, amacmom said:

But I had a PLAN for that rock. 😜

It was my mother's! It has sentimental value!

[Claire85]

I recently finished the book “Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things” by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee that I found interesting. There is a brief mention of Dr. Tolin as someone who has conducted studies on hoarding. 

I thought the organizer was out of line. No, Carolina, your goal is the short term clean up. The family’s long term goal is to get Martha help. You’re leaving in a few days. Just let the family toss stuff without having to talk to you about it. 

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Claire85 said:

I recently finished the book “Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things” by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee that I found interesting. There is a brief mention of Dr. Tolin as someone who has conducted studies on hoarding. 

I've read that but it was a long time ago. I have the ebook; might have to read it again.

[enoughcats]

A summary of Dr. Tolin's publications, mostly for the general public.  It mentions more than 100 scientific papers.

If I can find the Amazon Scholar link to those, I'll post it

[all4mom2]

14 hours ago, Ligeia said:

What makes this show interesting to you if it's not the grossness ? I'm genuinely curious. We all know the show is all about entertainment and shock value and not about actually "curing" hoarders. I watch the show out of morbid curiosity just like everyone else I believe, whether they admit it or not. It's quite fascinating to see these dark corners of the human soul. I'm just honest and unapologetic about it.

Without shock value, Hoarders is just an empty boring shell.

I watch the show -- or, rather, used to -- in spite of the "shock value."  Mind you, I watch more than my fair share of TLC reality garbage shows and love every minute of it, but the British versions in which a collection gets out of hand or sentimental items can't be parted with are more fascinating and relatable to me than people who simply litter in their own houses.  I can't fathom people just dropping trash on the ground outside, much less inside.  Uncontrolled mental illness and/or depraved gutter values don't interest me.

And two hours of Zazio and Tobin droning on and on definitely don't interest me.

Edited December 7, 2021 by all4mom2

[patty1h]

Just watching Martha's episode now.  I had no sympathy for her reason for hoarding - that a man betrayed her 30+ years ago so she needs to buy stuff and fill up her home.  Um, okay.   

Speaking about grossness, she told Tolin and the organizer that she washed herself with wipes and peed in a bucket and threw the urine outside.  What about the poop?  Yeah, I went there - old lady pooping in a bucket.  I am fascinated by how this mental illness takes over and lets people disregard their health, environment, kids, husbands, pets, etc. and want to hold onto old garbage and live in filth.

I'm confused about how these hoarders who have their pipes break/no water can afford to order boxes and boxes of crap to fill up their homes but don't think to hold onto some of that money in order to get a plumber in.  I assume they're embarrassed to let a workman in to see their mess but it's ludicrous to see a person who wants another delivery of some trinket from QVC or Amazon more than running water.

If this show doesn't come back, I won't be upset.  It has gotten routine and the doctors don't seem to be there for any real help, just to annoy the poor relatives who come to help.

Edited December 8, 2021 by patty1h

[CrazyInAlabama]

The workmen couldn't get through the hoard to fix a pipe, or air conditioner, or anything else.   It's simply impossible.   The hoarders are also afraid someone like a plumber will tell codes enforcement, or the fire department or someone else, about the condition of the house, and they will condemn it, and ban the hoarder from going there.  

I couldn't stand Martha with her passive-aggressive martyr act.   She was awful to everyone, before the show and during.    I'm sure her daughter gets the blame for anything that's missing, or anything else that goes wrong.   

The psychologists always do referals to local therapists, because the show ones are just there (in my opinion) to keep the filming going, plus they aren't licensed to practice in the states they appear in.   They don't have the time or location to have a long term relationship with the hoarders anyway. 

Edited December 9, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I'm confused about how these hoarders who have their pipes break/no water can afford to order boxes and boxes of crap to fill up their homes but don't think to hold onto some of that money in order to get a plumber in.  I assume they're embarrassed to let a workman in to see their mess but it's ludicrous to see a person who wants another delivery of some trinket from QVC or Amazon more than running water.

I think it's embarrassment about the condition of the home but I think it's also fear that someone will call the authorities. I also think it's sheer logistics - no repair person can even reach whatever is broken to try to work on it. I have an ordinary-messy basement; not a hoarded basement, and it's a chore to move stuff around enough to get a new refrigerator delivered or the water heater fixed.

[theajw]

I am starting to think the show has run its course, too.  As I said upthread, I don't long for the return of sailcats; I just want hoarders who will keep my attention for the episode's span, and the two-hour running time is feeling ever more bloated.  

[BlazingBloomers]

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/01/11/redwood-forest-owned-by-king-tut-of-hoarders-in-santa-cruz-mountains-begins-new-chapter/
 

Here is an update on Roy with all the cars. I haven’t seen his episode in quite some time but I thought he was battling cancer that had taken a turn for the worse and that was 10 years ago. Am I confusing him with someone else?

[CrazyInAlabama]

There was another hoarder named Gary in Colorado, who did have a terminal cancer diagnosis.   I'm not sure if he was on Hoarders, or Hoarders: Buried Alive.   However, Gary and Roy look very similar, their property is very similar, so they would be easy to confuse the two men.  

Edited January 11, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama