S07:E21 The Assanti Brothers

[sagittarius sue]

On 5/23/2019 at 12:34 PM, TVbitch said:

This is a "where are they now" correct? 

I don't like to be spoiled, so before I read all the comments, can y'all just tell me if it is worth watching this guy again? 

This isn't a "where are they now" episode.  As I understand all this footage was filmed no later than June 2017.  It should've been used in the prior update show.  This show made me so angry that I've refrained from commenting on it.  I've had it with the Assantis and I refuse to watch any further shows on them.  Before we were comparing Angie J with Steven but she's just a nasty, cruel bitch.  He's a monster!

There was some talk about perhaps Dr. Now's age is showing, but again, this was filmed 2 years ago.

Edited May 25, 2019 by sagittarius sue
I'm so done with the Assantis I misspelled their name.

[Mothra]

42 minutes ago, CatherineM said:

As to his owning half the house, it could be Justin has an income outside his store. He might have gotten an inheritance. He might be on disability. He might have gotten a judgment from a car wreck even. Dad might have needed his income to qualify for a mortgage. It would explain why he doesn’t just walk from Dad. 

See, *this* is the kind of "supersized" information that would make me want to watch.  It'll never happen.

[ProTourist]

27 minutes ago, sagittarius sue said:

This isn't a "where are they now" episode.  As I understand all this footage was filmed no later than June 2017.  It should've been used in the prior update show.  This show made me so angry that I've refrained from commenting on it.  I've had it with the Assantes and I refuse to watch any further shows on them.  Before we were comparing Angie J with Steven but she's just a nasty, cruel bitch.  He's a monster!

Well, the episode is part of the "Where Are They Now?" series, but it's true that the footage is all a couple of years old, so not really 'now' at all, but just a continuation from where part three left off. Totally agree with the comparison of Steven vs. Angie J.

According to Justin there was some more-recent footage that they did not use, from after he returned home to Rhode Island. If the producers are thinking of saving that for a part five, then it may be a Justin-only episode, because according to one of Steven's videos, Dr. Now officially dropped Steven from the program, sending him a certified letter to advise him that he is no longer Steven's primary care physician nor his surgeon, shortly after part four would have ended (summer of 2017). I would guess the doctor's decision was prompted by Steven's theft of Justin's post-surgery pain medication.

[ProTourist]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

I remember Justin saying that Steven would hit him and "grab him" every single day.

I can only think of one thing that would cause a specific accusation of "grabbing" . . . seems to me that everything else would qualify as hitting.

This is certainly possible, but as heart-breaking as the prospect is, there are other forms of grabbing. Grab by the arm and twist it, grab by the neck and choke the person. When I was kid, another kid at school whom I had accused of cheating at a game in gym class, grabbed me by the fingers and twisted them in a specific way. I was as startled by the pain as I was that another kid my own age would know how to do such a thing. That taught me more than one lesson.

[ProTourist]

A couple of videos for those who may be interested:

Here Steven informs that he has been dropped by Dr. Now:

Here is an interview with Justin from this past fall, audio only on Justin's side. It's long and fairly dull, but there are some tidbits from Justin here and there -- your choice as to what you believe. I for one am doubtful that he has a genius-level IQ.

[ams1001]

OMG I can't even listen to him talk for four minutes. Gah. (I lasted just over 2.)

[TVbitch]

I watched it against my better judgement... and my better judgement was right. 

Justin needs assertiveness training. 

Dad needs to read Co-dependent No More.

Steven needs a personality transplant. 

[Concerned]

4 hours ago, ProTourist said:

The supersized version of this episode is scheduled for broadcast next Thursday evening, at 8PM. If anyone has the courage to watch it, please consider sharing info on the bonus scenes here, for those of us who do not have television or otherwise cannot tune in. Thanks in advance. 😊

Those supersized episodes are worthless. They should answer the kinds of questions raised on this board, but instead we will learn that Justin’s favorite color is blue and his father likes to read Readers Digest.

[toodles]

48 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

OMG I can't even listen to him talk for four minutes. Gah. (I lasted just over 2.)

Me too.  What a delusional drama queen.

[Kenzie]

4 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Here Steven informs that he has been dropped by Dr. Now:

"For my fans ... the media ... people who care about me ... my popularity ... true supporters ..."

He forgot to mention the one billion people who hate his guts.

[ProTourist]

I think this discussion could use a good laugh. Here is Senior dressed as a jackass last Halloween:

[ams1001]

I thought he was always dressed as a jackass...

[Mothra]

Yeah, why did he bother with the jackass teeth?  He already has them

Back to depressing:  I'm spending way too much time thinking about Justin and his abuse.

When the idea of sexual abuse was first floated here, I was reluctant to think about it.  There just seemed to be nothing to base it on--after all, being beaten up daily without anyone to defend you, plus having food withheld, seemed to me to be enough to explain Justin's hatred of Jr.

But Sr.'s obvious complicity and sadism re: Justin's treatment sent up an alarm that I think beating and normal (or "normal") mistreatment like Jr.'s taking all the food (I don't think that surprised anyone who's watched Jr. in action) raised.  Then I learned Justin had used the term "grabbed."  While I agree with ProTourist that the word itself can mean lots of things, I find it striking that Justin would mention being grabbed as part of serious physical abuse.  "My brother beat me mercilessly, plus he also was always grabbing me" doesn't sound to me like his brother was grabbing his arm.  If Justin were female and complained of being grabbed, even as "he was always grabbing me," I don't think we would automatically assume she meant "my arm."  Even "he beat me up and was always grabbing my glasses" makes more sense to me than Justin's complaint of a non-sexual grabbing.

When men speak of being grabbed, I think it generally refers to the genitals.  And if there were indeed sexual abuse that Justin does not want to talk about, saying he was "grabbed" hints at that without going into painful details, like further acts that he can't bring himself to speak about.

Has Justin ever expounded on what he means by "grabbed" on any forum?  I'm sure this isn't the only place where the suggestion of sexual abuse has risen.  I suspect that, of course, we'll never know for sure (and it isn't any of our business anyway).

[DC Gal in VA]

16 hours ago, ams1001 said:

OMG I can't even listen to him talk for four minutes. Gah. (I lasted just over 2.)

Heh heh, that's two minutes more than I could last ams1001. 😊

13 hours ago, Kenzie said:

"For my fans ... the media ... people who care about me ... my popularity ... true supporters ..."

He forgot to mention the one billion people who hate his guts.

Only one billion Kenzie? Hee. ☺

[TVbitch]

That sad model store has to be a front for selling drugs or laundering money, right? 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

So the man whose legs more resemble the photo below is telling us God must have a better plan for him? 

Does that plan include changing his hooves into feet?  The way that Steven is trying to make us feel sad that Dr. Now is no longer willing to help him is so ridiculous.  It's as if he expects us to start a petition to have Dr. Now take him back.  We'll add that to the list of things that won't happen!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Foolishly I listened to the "interview" with Justin.  That interviewer is terrible.  He chuckles at everything and clearly had no prepared questions.  He could have covered anything worth talking about in 5 minutes. 

We've learned that Papa Assanti is 64; he has a girlfriend in New Jersey, and he and Justin still live in the house that they co-own.  Although Justin said he gives Dad some "rent".  Um, no, dude, if you're on the deed you're helping pay the mortgage.  

Also Justin is not allowed to take photos with people.  He can only show his face; no body photos or even shoulders. He would love to flame the show but he could be sued for violating his contract.  Event though his show contract is over the restrictions continue. 

And Justin hasn't talked to Steven Jr. since they were in Houston. 

Justin also likes 70s-80s-90s heavy metal music.  He has a twitch channel but he uses it rarely.  He dropped out of high school due to bullying. 

Saved you all an hour of listening to an idiot chuckle and these two guys talk about nothing. 

For Justin:

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Foolishly I listened to the "interview" with Justin.  That interviewer is terrible.  He chuckles at everything and clearly had no prepared questions.  He could have covered anything worth talking about in 5 minutes. 

Thank you for your sacrifice.

[ProTourist]

1 hour ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

The way that Steven is trying to make us feel sad that Dr. Now is no longer willing to help him is so ridiculous.  It's as if he expects us to start a petition to have Dr. Now take him back.  We'll add that to the list of things that won't happen!

To me, that video from Junior is useful only for the information, which is good to know; the rest I ignore. But since we know that Junior has moved on and that Houston is long behind him, I would doubt he'd have any further interest in Dr. Now by this time anyway.

[ams1001]

36 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

We've learned that Papa Assanti is 64; he has a girlfriend in New Jersey,

No, no, no! Stay out of my state!

[ProTourist]

31 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

We've learned that Papa Assanti is 64; he has a girlfriend in New Jersey, and he and Justin still live in the house that they co-own.  Although Justin said he gives Dad some "rent".  Um, no, dude, if you're on the deed you're helping pay the mortgage.  

Also Justin is not allowed to take photos with people.  His show contract is over but it has ongoing restrictions. 

And Justin hasn't talked to Steven Jr. since they were in Houston. 

Justin also likes 70s-80s-90s heavy metal music.  He has a twitch channel but he uses it rarely.  He dropped out of high school due to bullying.

Dad's girlfriend in New Jersey is a professional clairvoyant, who charges five dollars a minute for telephone consultations. Yes, really. And she is considering moving up to Rhode Island. She and Dad have been dating since February 2018. She is the same age as Dad.

When Justin mentioned giving his father 'rent' I figured he meant board money, to contribute toward  household expenses such as utilities, groceries, etc. [I don't know if the house has a mortgage.] But from the way this guy talks, I find his claim of a 160 IQ difficult to believe. If he were that smart I think he'd be a lot more articulate, even without the formal education.

About the show contract, he mentioned that it was going to expire the following month (November 2018) but that it had a clause, in the fine print, that they could renew it indefinitely, and that they were going to renew it. He said he should have read the fine print before signing. Yeah, genius. But it's hard to believe that a contract can be renewed legally against the will of one of the parties, on an indefinite basis. I know nothing of contract law, but sounds fishy to me.

About the photographic restrictions, he could have been shown above the shoulders only, but given that he's so shy he probably didn't want to be seen on video.

Speaking of shyness, he mentioned that his social anxiety was so bad when he first opened up the shop that he couldn't speak to the customers; but that he has since got better and is okay talking to customers now. In fact, he has social events at the store some evening, where they come in to build models and he serves snacks.

He said that sometimes when kids come in to the store with their parents, and their parents don't want to buy them something, Justin gives it to the kid for free. I suppose that's nice, but not at all a good business practice.

Justin also mentioned that his father retired last year from the window cleaning business, and that after over thirty years with the same company he was still only paid fifteen dollars an hour, which is one of the reasons Justin likes being his own boss. But dad is driving Uber these days, to keep busy, and then hangs out at the shop. Justin mentioned too some of the things he does on the days his shop is closed (is only open Wed - Sat) such as attending auctions to purchase merchandise for the store.

I suppose Justin is getting along well enough with his father these days, since Junior has been out of the picture, that moving out is no longer a priority to him. But when he first left Houston, after all the stunts his father had pulled regarding Junior, it had been foremost in his mind. In fact, the show even filmed him looking at apartments back in Rhode Island, according to info Justin posted on another board.

I do wish them all well, all of them.

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, ProTourist said:

He said that sometimes when kids come in to the store with their parents, and their parents don't want to buy them something, Justin gives it to the kid for free. I suppose that's nice, but not at all a good business practice.

Depending on why the parent said no, it's not so great for the kids, either.

[ProTourist]

One question I have regarding Junior's surgery. Toward the end of episode three, Dr. Now mentions that he and the hospital were providing their services pro bono for Steven's sleeve gastrectomy, and I've wondered why. Could it be because Steven was such a high risk patient, and that their liability might be limited, if something went wrong, if they provided their services free of charge? Although I've always understood that the weight loss surgery is provided at no charge to the poundticipants anyway, so -- anyone have an idea about that?

Also wondering why Justin had sleeve gastrectomy rather than gastric bypass as had been Dr. Now's original plan for him. Perhaps Justin opted out of the more aggressive procedure because it would have meant a longer recovery time and staying longer in Houston, and he did want to leave asap.

[I know Dr. Now doesn't do many bypasses these days, but he had been planning it for both Steven and Justin. Ultimately he opted for the sleeve for Steven because the bypass would have been too risky for the condition Steven was in when surgery was finally performed, but Justin should have been able to tolerate the bypass.]

[CrazyInAlabama]

Gastric sleeve is much quicker than gastric bypass, and with a patient with issues, that can be a huge advantage for the surgeon, and the patient.      Some patients do get the bypass later, when they weight a lot less, their loss has plateaued, and their overall health is better.    The bypass can also have more long term issues for the patient too.   

I suspect Justin had the sleeve because Dr. Now had the suspicion that he might not move to Houston, or come back often enough for proper monitoring, and he was right.     

Edited May 28, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[ProTourist]

10 hours ago, Mothra said:

But Sr.'s obvious complicity and sadism re: Justin's treatment sent up an alarm that I think beating and normal (or "normal") mistreatment like Jr.'s taking all the food (I don't think that surprised anyone who's watched Jr. in action) raised.  Then I learned Justin had used the term "grabbed."  While I agree with ProTourist that the word itself can mean lots of things, I find it striking that Justin would mention being grabbed as part of serious physical abuse.  "My brother beat me mercilessly, plus he also was always grabbing me" doesn't sound to me like his brother was grabbing his arm.  If Justin were female and complained of being grabbed, even as "he was always grabbing me," I don't think we would automatically assume she meant "my arm."  Even "he beat me up and was always grabbing my glasses" makes more sense to me than Justin's complaint of a non-sexual grabbing.

When men speak of being grabbed, I think it generally refers to the genitals.  And if there were indeed sexual abuse that Justin does not want to talk about, saying he was "grabbed" hints at that without going into painful details, like further acts that he can't bring himself to speak about.

Senior did have a certain amount of complicity, certainly for the later years, but much of Justin's abuse occurred when both boys were living with their mother, who wasn't around much.

I understand what you mean about the way a man might use the word 'grabbed', and you may be right unfortunately. I still think it possible it was non-genital grabbing. To use your example, if Justin were female as you said but the sibling who was doing the grabbing were a sister rather than a brother, and she said "she was always grabbing me," I wouldn't assume that her sister was grabbing her down there or grabbing her breasts. I don't know, I'm probably being naive again, but Justin could mean that Junior was grabbing him while he was online or building a model and causing him to mess up, interrupting him, etc. It could be that Junior was grabbing his glasses, grabbing his arm when he was trying to eat, etc.

But knowing Junior as we do, it was probably the worst behavior imaginable. <sigh> That may even be the main reason why he wanted Justin to move to Houston and to reconcile with him -- so he could return to his 'old ways' with Justin.

[DC Gal in VA]

5 hours ago, ams1001 said:

No, no, no! Stay out of my state!

Hee ams1001 I feel your pain.

Here in the great Commonwealth of Virginia we have the dubious honor of having the courts make "special" arrangements for a 900 pound man who is a convicted cocaine dealer--two things I thought would never be seen in the same sentence, "900 pound man" and "cocaine"--to be cut out of his residence, transported to court by a legion of firefighters and delivered to court via that building's loading dock for sentencing; then he's off to prison.

https://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/judge-approves-unusual-court-transportation-plan-for-defendant-who-weighs/article_ec5e923d-ddbe-549c-aebd-4caea18556be.html

Oh the shame.

In comparison, having Steven Sr. occasionally visit your state to see his girlfriend doesn't seem all that bad now does it. ☺

Edited May 27, 2019 by DC Gal in VA
Additional comments to post a link.

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, ProTourist said:

But knowing Junior as we do, it was probably the worst behavior imaginable. <sigh> That may even be the main reason why he wanted Justin to move to Houston and to reconcile with him -- so he could return to his 'old ways' with Justin.

Sadly, I suspect now that that is the case.  I don't believe, though, that Justin would permit any kind of sexual interference now that he is old enough to assert himself.  I do believe that Jr. *and* Sr. would continue to abuse Justin in other ways--Jr.'s smirk when he talks about how he treated his little brother tells me that the memory of torturing Justin is a pleasant one, and know Jr. knows that he can torment Justin just by being in the same space.  Sr. has continued to torture Justin--front of cameras!--and I am not sure he has any idea that what he is doing is not just wrong and disgusting but abusive.  If Sr. behaves this way in front of witnesses, god knows what he does in private.

[ams1001]

48 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Hee ams1001 I feel your pain.

I couldn't help myself and googled NJ clairvoyant and found a link to find "reputable and credible" psychics and mediums. Scrolled through the NJ page of this psychic directory; one of them is a former Catholic nun. I wonder if Sr.'s lady is on the list.

[ProTourist]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I couldn't help myself and googled NJ clairvoyant and found a link to find "reputable and credible" psychics and mediums. Scrolled through the NJ page of this psychic directory; one of them is a former Catholic nun. I wonder if Sr.'s lady is on the list.

I don't think her identity is any secret -- the reference is right on Senior's (Steven Veillette) FB page -- her name is Channa Palumbo and she has her own FB page. You may like to check it out. She has photos and videos posted of herself with Senior, including of a recent trip the two of them made to Atlantic City. I must admit they look to be very happy together.

[ams1001]

19 minutes ago, ProTourist said:

I don't think her identity is any secret -- the reference is right on Senior's (Steven Veillette) FB page -- her name is Channa Palumbo and she has her own FB page. You may like to check it out. She has photos and videos posted of herself with Senior, including of a recent trip the two of them made to Atlantic City. I must admit they look to be very happy together.

Okay, I looked at her facebook page. (She's not on the NJ psychic list, btw.) My thoughts on mediums and whatnot aside, I can't totally hate her because she has a post looking to find a forever home for some adorable stray kittens and also she posted this, with which I can very much identify:

I hope he treats her better than we've seen him treat his sons.

Edited May 27, 2019 by ams1001

[aliya]

Can someone familiar with the Medicaid system tell me if it will pay for Steven to get surgery on his legs? These government programs can be weird. It seems that you can need a head transplant and nothing will be covered, but if you need some salve for a stye, no problem.  😩

I can't imagine that the situation with his legs can be resolved just through weight loss. Or maybe they're too far gone? Can they do surgery when you have moss on your legs?  I guess the same goes for James K - if the skin is so damaged, is surgery even a possibility? 

[newyawk]

Oy. I finally was able to look at this episode. Steven Assanti will always be a disgusting gross pig at any weight.

The dad is a saint for putting up with both of these ayholes he calls his sons.  (edited because after reading some of the previous posts, I realize I can't really call him anything close to a saint.)

I was a bit taken aback when Justin started punching his father while they were in the van and the dad was driving, I don't recall ever seeing him get nasty and violent like that before, i thought that was Steven's terrain.

I think it's hilarious that Steven essentially shaved himself a receding hairline. When I saw it from the back and his head looked like a older middle aged guy's with that band of hair around the lower half of his head and nothing above it, I LMAO.  

What an unpleasant family. Four updates is enough, I hope they don't revisit any of them again. 

Edited May 27, 2019 by newyawk

[Ben.w]

"Hello, I would ask how y'all doing, but I have an idea".....burn......😂😂😂... sorry, that was cruel.

I just got around to seeing this episode and it's like.... Wow, can anybody say "clusterfuck"?

Did anybody else get an off kilter feeling about Steven while he was doing well? I chalked it up to me just being Justin, but after the revelation with the pills it brought back to mind what Dr. Paradise said about people knowing if the heart doesn't match the words.

My sympathy for Justin ran really thin in this episode mainly because I was tired of seeing him act like a child and Steven Sr. was just unbelievable, I mean I get it, he loves his sons, doesn't want trouble and would go out of his way to avoid it  but it boggled my mind when he admitted he gave his ADDICT son some of Justin's pain pills... oh and let's not forget, after Justin has another one of his tantrums Sr. BUYS HIM A DOG!

This family is so insanely dysfunctional that it just 🤯🤯🤯. The only thing I was glad about in this episode was that Steven didn't test Dr. Now's patience like he did in the main episode. I felt so bad for Dr. Now having to deal with that asshat in season five it was just... ugh.

[Reciprocity]

As I was watching the episode, I kept wondering that Justin reminded me of someone. Then it came to me. I had recently watched A Ghost Story starring Casey Affleck.

Justin almost but not quite sounds like CA. I wonder how Justin would look 300 lbs lighter.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Reciprocity
punctuation

[Twopper]

16 hours ago, aliya said:

Can someone familiar with the Medicaid system tell me if it will pay for Steven to get surgery on his legs? These government programs can be weird. It seems that you can need a head transplant and nothing will be covered, but if you need some salve for a stye, no problem.  😩

I can't imagine that the situation with his legs can be resolved just through weight loss. Or maybe they're too far gone? Can they do surgery when you have moss on your legs?  I guess the same goes for James K - if the skin is so damaged, is surgery even a possibility? 

Maybe in some states it would.   As a general rule, the first treatment for lymphedema is compression treatment, and medicaid would cover the compression pump but would not cover a lot of the bandages needed if I am informed correctly.   Having had it for so long, Steven probably has a lot of tissue both that is severely damaged already.  I think if the damage is limited to a certain area which can be removed then surgery is possible.  Regardless of whether  you have medicare, medicaid or private insurance getting any skin removal after wls is not easy to get.   I think there is still a bill in Congress trying to get better treatment for patients (this mostly affects cancer patients). 

https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/441823-lymphedema-treatment-act-would-provide-a-commonsense-solution

[Twopper]

So the on demand episode I got was actually Assanti #3, but it had the episode description for #4.  The latter episode included a few scenes from the former so it took me a little while to figure out I had been duped into watching an earlier episode on demand. 

I am on the fence as to how much of the Father trying to reconcile the brothers was TLC-driven versus the dysfunctional family dynamic.  Maybe 30-70.  The last scene at the doctors office seemed more like it was TLC pushing the idea of both going to see Dr Now at the same time.  Otherwise,  I tend to think that despite being in the car together, the office should have sent Steven to one room and Justin to another so Dr Now could consult with them separately. 

Justin hit his dad pretty hard in the car, but it was after the dad made fists and shook them at Justin.  Since they did this on camera, I suspect there is more violence between them off screen.   I was surprised to realize Justin didn't drive.  I can understand Steven not driving because I don't think with his huge legs he would be able to operate the brake and accelerator. I almost felt sorry for the dad that he had to do all the driving, and he said he drove straight through which would be about 20 hours of driving, but then they left late because they couldn't or wouldn't leave before the snow storm.

Somewhere upthread I saw that Justin was claiming an IQ of 160.   I have enough trouble believing he has an average IQ.    I understand some of the patients who seem to be a bit dim having  trouble with measuring and calorie counting, but it seems like a genius would at least know how to look up calorie counts on the internet. 

Maybe he is somewhere on the spectrum? 

I probably have the episodes mixed up now.  There is a scene where right before Steven gets surgery he is seen talking to his mother who calls him John; he tries to goad Justin into talking to mom, but Justin won't.  So I guess he doesn't talk to her at all or at least won't do it on camera. 

I see back in May 2017 someone posted about the objections Steven made to the first episode of him.  So I guess it is Justin's turn to object. 

I am really upset about the cat.   I was unsure the first time I saw it if it was even Cupcake, but the second time I saw it the cat did look like Cupcake.  In the first scene the cat looked thin, but maybe it gained weight at the vet because it looked like it had plumped up a little.  At least Dad bought the proper food for the cat, and Justin did a nice job of petting it. 

I loved the shocked luck that Steven had when Dr Now mentioned painkillers and how the camera panned to his face.  Priceless.  I cannot blame Justin for wanting to be long gone when Steven and the Dad came out of the office, because I am sure they were both really angry at him for telling Dr Now.

Someone said there were 3 separate cars.  I think I only saw 2--a black van and a red one.  When they left Houston and were on the road in Pennsylvania somewhere (Harrisburg?) they had a red van.   So what was the other car?

Dad is so stupid.   Everyone watching this saw Gus the dog leave poop at the hotel.   Another reason to dislike dad. 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Twopper

[babyhouseman]

21 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Hee ams1001 I feel your pain.

Here in the great Commonwealth of Virginia we have the dubious honor of having the courts make "special" arrangements for a 900 pound man who is a convicted cocaine dealer--two things I thought would never be seen in the same sentence, "900 pound man" and "cocaine"--to be cut out of his residence, transported to court by a legion of firefighters and delivered to court via that building's loading dock for sentencing; then he's off to prison.

https://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/judge-approves-unusual-court-transportation-plan-for-defendant-who-weighs/article_ec5e923d-ddbe-549c-aebd-4caea18556be.html

Oh the shame.

In comparison, having Steven Sr. occasionally visit your state to see his girlfriend doesn't seem all that bad now does it. ☺

That's an interesting story. I'm from NC but have been to Va many times. One of the pounders admitted she was a drug dealer, and I wouldn't be surprised if others were as well. It's a "work at home job" that doesn't require much of them. 

[Otter]

Well, finally watched this and a bit of a snooze fest considering who the subjects were.  

There's so much stuff online about them it was like watching a 2 year old news broadcast.  Anyway ...

Steven is demonic.  Steven is still using opioids.  Steven has probably filled out all that loose skin by now.  Never trust anyone who thinks everything is funny.  He's not a stupid.

Justin will never be able to take on adulting.  Justin may make some money playing with toys.  Justin seems to have an inappropriate view of Toni(?) -- his eyes lusted after her when she put her hand on his leg on the bed and dad said he looks at her as a mother figure.  He's really damaged.  

Steven Sr.  -- I don't get him at all.   To be charitable, I'd say he means well and he's doing the best he can.  But he's doing more damage to both.  

Why do the docs think it's a good thing for the brothers to reconcile in any way at all?  They're grown men.  Steven is so toxic and so is Sr.  I feel for Justin and can literally feel his anxiety.  I have it, runs in the family but not manifested from experiences.  

Lastly and sorry for the long post, Steven's wife has a young daughter.  Can't help but be concerned.  

[ProTourist]

19 hours ago, aliya said:

Can someone familiar with the Medicaid system tell me if it will pay for Steven to get surgery on his legs? These government programs can be weird. It seems that you can need a head transplant and nothing will be covered, but if you need some salve for a stye, no problem.  😩

I can't imagine that the situation with his legs can be resolved just through weight loss. Or maybe they're too far gone? Can they do surgery when you have moss on your legs?  I guess the same goes for James K - if the skin is so damaged, is surgery even a possibility? 

2 hours ago, Twopper said:

Maybe in some states it would.   As a general rule, the first treatment for lymphedema is compression treatment, and medicaid would cover the compression pump but would not cover a lot of the bandages needed if I am informed correctly.   Having had it for so long, Steven probably has a lot of tissue both that is severely damaged already.  I think if the damage is limited to a certain area which can be removed then surgery is possible.  Regardless of whether  you have medicare, medicaid or private insurance getting any skin removal after wls is not easy to get.   I think there is still a bill in Congress trying to get better treatment for patients (this mostly affects cancer patients).

Amber Rachdi was in a similar situation with her legs. As far as I know she never had any skin removal surgery at all, because she could not afford it and opted out of a follow-up episode on the show where it might have been covered for her. Anyway, back in 2016 she posted the following in her own episode's thread here on this site:

Quote

Even though I'm down around 250 now, surgery on my legs would be difficult, because all of the soft tissues and skin of my lower legs were involved. It's easier to remove damaged tissue when you have discrete masses.

These days she refers to it as having "fluffy legs."

Amber is active on Facebook and Twitter, posts occasional updates and photos, and even answers an occasional (polite) question.

[ProTourist]

12 hours ago, Ben.w said:

My sympathy for Justin ran really thin in this episode mainly because I was tired of seeing him act like a child and Steven Sr. was just unbelievable, I mean I get it, he loves his sons, doesn't want trouble and would go out of his way to avoid it  but it boggled my mind when he admitted he gave his ADDICT son some of Justin's pain pills... oh and let's not forget, after Justin has another one of his tantrums Sr. BUYS HIM A DOG!

I posted this farther up in this discussion, but Justin denies that his father purchased the dog for him; that his father's voice over in that scene is false. He says he purchased the dog himself. I don't think there's any proof either way, so I suppose it is a personal choice as to which person to believe.

I would just add that Justin's 'tantrums' were a response to his father's deplorable behavior toward him, where he was pushed beyond endurance.

[Ben.w]

3 hours ago, ProTourist said:

I posted this farther up in this discussion, but Justin denies that his father purchased the dog for him; that his father's voice over in that scene is false. He says he purchased the dog himself. I don't think there's any proof either way, so I suppose it is a personal choice as to which person to believe.

I would just add that Justin's 'tantrums' were a response to his father's deplorable behavior toward him, where he was pushed beyond endurance.

Thanks Protourist. I made this post last night after I had just seen the episode, but now I've had a bit of time to process, you're right, that comment was a bit unfair to Justin. As to who got the dog it's anyone's guess.

It's interesting what you all had to say about Steven Sr., everything from him being an abuser himself to TLC manufacturing drama ("reality" television right?), it's what I like about this forum, you guys are all very insightful when it comes to human behaviour. From my point of view, I just think Steven Sr. had good intentions, I think he believed that one day he was going to be gone and his sons, who still rely on him, are going to have nobody to help them and all they'll have is eachother, so try and get them to bury the hatchet. It's dream the impossible dream, but it's probably all he had.... actually he might have been doing it more for Steven assuming that Justin is really on square financial footing. Snr might've seen Justin as quiet and, maybe, meek so he thought if he yelled, bullied and pushed Justin enough, Justin will yield and reconcile with Steven. With Steven he used food bribes which would explain the weight gain and also Justin's painkillers. As expected, it didn't work. If dear old dad hadn't been pushing his own agenda, things might've run a bit more smoothly.  

Honestly, I hope there's no Part Five, TLC thinks the Assantis are ratings gold (in the history of the show, no one else had had four 80 minute episodes dedicated to them, right?) but it's not. Featuring people like the Assantis drags the integrity of the show down. We all know that Steven Jr. would jump at the chance for a follow up episode, the dude LOVES attention; good or bad, he'll take it anyway he can. Yeah, Justin is the most normal one (albeit stunted in maturity) so I hope he moves far, far away from all of them. 

[CringeWatcher]

On 5/24/2019 at 6:03 AM, Concerned said:

The patriarchy that underlies Dr Now’s advice might be appropriate in his native country, but not in America.

If my good ole American dad were willing to pay all my bills, including full financing for a vanity project I could euphemistically call a “career,” and provide me with full time chauffeur service, and buy me a purebred puppy anytime I was feeling pouty, and in return all I had to do was follow a few basic ground rules, including seeing a medical doctor for follow up on a major surgical procedure, I’d welcome his “patriarchy.” 

Edited May 28, 2019 by CringeWatcher

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Somewhere upthread I saw that Justin was claiming an IQ of 160.   I have enough trouble believing he has an average IQ.   Maybe he is somewhere on the spectrum? 

IQ and autism spectrum disorders are two different things. Someone can have a high IQ and be on the autism spectrum.

[silversage]

When Dr. Now commented on Steven's lack of hygiene issue concerning the scaly leg /foot I thought he also was trying to tell him he smells in general.

[Twopper]

3 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

IQ and autism spectrum disorders are two different things. Someone can have a high IQ and be on the autism spectrum.

I guess I should have phrased that better or separated the comment into different paragraphs. I did not mean to imply that they were related at all.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

So my take on the house in Rhode Island, its a duplex correct ?  Do they own the whole house and rent upstairs or was it purchased as a 1/2 of a duplex.  Speaking of dwellings, why do I like those apartments in Houston, the fake Fireplace wall is kinda cool. Looks like they have at least tried to clean them up with flooring/paint-  however I can't imagine the stench in those places once Jr moved out and left his pee-pads behind.  I wonder how Sr could afford to smoke making 15.00 an hour and ciggie prices close to 10.00 a pack in RI ?  

[ProTourist]

36 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

So my take on the house in Rhode Island, its a duplex correct ?  Do they own the whole house and rent upstairs or was it purchased as a 1/2 of a duplex. [. . .] I wonder how Sr could afford to smoke making 15.00 an hour and ciggie prices close to 10.00 a pack in RI ?

As far as I know Senior and Justin own the whole house, as they are the only owners of record for that property. I don't know if they rent out any part of the house, but I would doubt it. They do have a spare bedroom since Junior left, but I'm sure they would want their privacy, and who would want to live with them?

Although Senior's hourly wage was relatively low, he said in a news interview back in 2015 that he worked ten to eleven hour days, which would have meant overtime pay for him. For the cigarettes, he may purchase them on an indian reservation, such as of the Narragansett nation, where the prices are generally lower due to no (or lower) taxes charged. [I have some relatives who do that.]

Edit to add: Yes, the house is 1.75 floors. I would guess that the upstairs rooms are not full height, that they have lower ceilings. My grandparents had a house like that in nearby Massachusetts. You could stand up straight, but could reach up and touch the ceiling.

Edited May 29, 2019 by ProTourist

[El maestro]

I have been reading for a while the different topics before deciding to join the discussion with my thoughts.  I usually don't watch a lot of tv but I follow this series.

Steven of course was playing himself as a maniac.  At least he doesn't try to manipulate the audience trying to fake that he is a better person that he really is.

Justin has been a great disappointment to me. Refusing to go to the doctor's office as if he were a  spoiled child shows me that sometimes he is just  trying to look for attention. He keeps telling the story of Steven abusing him when they were kids and using it as an excuse for doing whatever he wants.

Edited May 29, 2019 by El maestro

[CringeWatcher]

1 hour ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

 I wonder how Sr could afford to smoke making 15.00 an hour and ciggie prices close to 10.00 a pack in RI ?  

Plus feed +-1200 lbs’ worth of adult children.

[Ben.w]

Man, Steven can be a bit effeminate sometimes can't he? Like that scene where he playfully slaps his father's arm and tells him to shut up.