S07:E21 The Assanti Brothers

[ProTourist]

Found this brief exchange with Justin on another message board. Thought it might be worth sharing here, if permitted:

[CrazyInAlabama]

That explains a lot, and I feel even worse for Justin.        

I know others who were told by a bio. mother that they wished they had never been born, and it's a soul killing thing to do to your child.      

[suev33 3]

Just caught some of last weeks show.   Why,  in the name of all that is good and decent, doesn't Steven cover up his body???  It hurts to look at it.  All the hanging, flab, and that leg...just....omg!  I know its for the show, but good lord......🙄😬🤢

[suev33 3]

On 5/25/2019 at 5:12 PM, ProTourist said:

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.

Show us your pupils up close, Steven

[Wanda]

Could someone please explain what I keep missing? Rewatching the 6:00 showing and they are in the car driving down to Houston from RI. Steven is on the phone being a royal jackass, cursing atJustin, saying he’s rude and he wouldn’t even open his door for him and he hopes terrible things for him,etc and Sr just sighs. Then suddenly Sr starts yelling at JUSTIN? Saying he has to call Steven back and apologize for hurting his feelings? That’s when Justin ends up smacking Sr. I didn’t hear what Justin said but it couldn’t have been worse than what Steven was allowed to get away with. dad deserved to get punched it looked like.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Wanda
Lost a sentence

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Justin said that while he was in Houston he wasn't going to see Steven Jr.  Yep, that's all.  So his big crime was saying he wasn't planning to visit his abusive brother which led to him being berated by both his brother and his father.  Jr and Sr were both out of line.  

[Snarkastikate]

I know there's some kind of scammy deal going on, but I can't quite figure out why in God's name ANYONE could be attracted to Steven in any way whatsoever.  Hideously repulsive inside and out.  So what's the deal with this GF or wife or whatever she is?

[Ellie Godfrey]

17 minutes ago, Snarkastikate said:

I know there's some kind of scammy deal going on, but I can't quite figure out why in God's name ANYONE could be attracted to Steven in any way whatsoever.  Hideously repulsive inside and out.  So what's the deal with this GF or wife or whatever she is?

Maybe she's like that woman who was briefly Charles Manson's fiancee.

https://nypost.com/2015/02/08/charles-mansons-fiancee-wanted-to-marry-him-for-his-corpse-source/

[Kid]

1 hour ago, suev33 3 said:

Just caught some of last weeks show.   Why,  in the name of all that is good and decent, doesn't Steven cover up his body???  It hurts to look at it.  All the hanging, flab, and that leg...just....omg!  I know its for the show, but good lord......🙄😬🤢

He is ugly inside and out.

[Cherrio]

2 hours ago, Snarkastikate said:

I know there's some kind of scammy deal going on, but I can't quite figure out why in God's name ANYONE could be attracted to Steven in any way whatsoever.  Hideously repulsive inside and out.  So what's the deal with this GF or wife or whatever she is?

Drugs

[babyhouseman]

2 hours ago, Ellie Godfrey said:

Maybe she's like that woman who was briefly Charles Manson's fiancee.

https://nypost.com/2015/02/08/charles-mansons-fiancee-wanted-to-marry-him-for-his-corpse-source/

Women claim to fall in love with prisoners who did awful things. It's been said Steven probably would've been a serial killer if he was thin.

[DC Gal in VA]

7 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Found this brief exchange with Justin on another message board. Thought it might be worth sharing here, if permitted:

Thanks so much for this ProTourist, that really explains a lot about why Justin is the way he is and especially why Steven Sr. should, but probably won't, respect his wishes to have nothing to do with Steven Jr.

I really shudder to think of a ginormous Steven at age 15 or 16 left alone with a small child unsupervised to do with as he pleases. Also, his mom sounds like a grade A piece of shit. I'll bet she's the kind of bitch who'll want to see Justin on her death bed to make amends in a vain attempt to avoid the flames of Hell she so richly deserves. If so, I hope that Justin tells her to kiss his ass.

So sad that Justin really had no mother, no father and a stone cold sociopath for a big brother when he was just a little kid.

[Ben.w]

It's sad that Justin was cheated out of Dr. Now's program because his father couldn't leave well enough alone.

But now that Steven Jr has fucked off to Des Moines - probably because he can score drugs there because his name isn't in the system like in Houston - well there's no reason Justin can't try again.

[ProTourist]

Hear ye, hear ye!  Steven Assanti now demands respect !  Read all about it!

[Ben.w]

22 minutes ago, ProTourist said:

Hear ye, hear ye!  Steven Assanti now demands respect !  Read all about it!

Why is it always the big TV boogeyman's fault for their bad behavior?

[Motor City]

I don’t know if this has been discussed before, but what is up with Steven’s feet and legs?  One of his feet looks like a horse’s hoof.  Does he ever wear shoes?

[CalpurniaF]

3 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Hear ye, hear ye!  Steven Assanti now demands respect !  Read all about it!

God bless indeed. 

What a freak.

[Swiss]

 I didn't watch this episode last week when it originally aired as I couldn't stomach the thought of watching that truly disgusting Steven and his father again.  I turned TLC on last night about 10 minutes before ScooterQueen Janine's new episode aired. Most of what I saw was interaction between Justin and his father.  All I could think of was that someone...Adult Protective Services..should swoop in and take Justin out of that abusive, horrific situation with his Father.  That man is sick to continually try and force a relationship between sick, twisted Steven and Justin. I'm not blind to the fact that Justin has issues but Steven and his father have ruined Justin's life. 

Those 10 minutes made me almost physically ill.   And that poor puppy should be rescued along with Justin!

Edited May 30, 2019 by Swiss

[toodles]

8 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Hear ye, hear ye!  Steven Assanti now demands respect !  Read all about it!

You reap what you sow asshat. You reap what you sow.

[babyhouseman]

10 hours ago, ProTourist said:

Hear ye, hear ye!  Steven Assanti now demands respect !  Read all about it!

If you hadn't acted like a jerk on a TV show, maybe you'd get respect. It's so stupid how these reality people do bad things on TV and then boo hoo at the negative reaction. 

I'm trying to figure out the tattoo on the wife's arm. 

[Cherrio]

1 hour ago, babyhouseman said:

I'm trying to figure out the tattoo on the wife's arm. 

I'm a Loser?

[PrincessPurrsALot]

13 minutes ago, Cherrio said:

I'm a Loser?

I'm with a loser?

[CrazyInAlabama]

A man who dances with excrement, steals pain pills from his brother, with dad's help after brother has surgery, and disrespects everyone he meets complains about being disrespected?  If he thinks the reaction was brutal from the update episode, wait until tonight's Supersize (I love that they call it that) airs, with extra scenes, and whatever nuggets of wisdom they put on the screen.       I just worry about Cupcake.    

[ProTourist]

40 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

If he thinks the reaction was brutal from the update episode, wait until tonight's Supersize (I love that they call it that) airs, with extra scenes, and whatever nuggets of wisdom they put on the screen.

If anyone here watches the supersized episode tonight, please consider posting highlights of the addition content here. Even if it's just which magazines Senior likes to read.  😄

[Cherrio]

I wish I could write the bonus information.

My first one would be, that the cab driver after helping Steven out of the van threw up after seeing his encrusted hooves.

The second would be, that I would bet , no I am certain that the Dad was/is supplying the drugs after Steven got cut off by the state.

Dad was/is probably going to several doctors claiming back pain or whatever.  Its no different then ordering him endless pizza.

[Ben.w]

I think Steven has realized that he's bitten off more than he can chew. He's a big time troll who thought he could kick up a storm on a televison show and laugh while the hate rolls in, but he probably never expected it to last this long, and now it's affecting his wife and step-daughter too. But as toodles so eloquently put it above you reap what you sow and he's going to find sympathy for him in real short supply. I wonder what happened to all his supporters, when I checked out his Facebook page before I remembered seeing all these people who loved his antics and thought he was hilarious (Stephanie might've been among them, who knows), they all probably faced a shit storm of harassment too and dropped off.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Dear old Dad, enabling Steven's stealing drugs as usual.   Bonus footage, so now we know how Dr. Now found out about the drugs Steven stole, and Dad's facilitating that.   Justin told Dr. Now.     Dr. Paradise certainly has Steven's number, doesn't he?     

I only watched the part where Justin was going back to qualify for surgery, and turned it off after the trip for the appointment.   There's only so much I can take.  

Edited May 31, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[ProTourist]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Bonus footage, so now we know how Dr. Now found out about the drugs Steven stole, and Dad's facilitating that. 

Oooh, did they say how Dr. Now found out? Did the camera crew who recorded the scene between Justin and Senior in the hotel, show the footage to Dr. Now? Or did Justin inform Dr. Now himself? Did Dr. Now make any comment about it? Any other tidbits? [Sorry for all the questions!]

Edited May 31, 2019 by ProTourist

[Cherrio]

They have it on tape. I would of called the police and have them arrest Steven and his Dad.

I am wondering if Justin is actually the bio son of Steven Sr.  If that's the case then its easy to see how he favors Steven.

Whatever the case, the father is hideous.

[toodles]

They cut out the scene where Steven wouldn't let them in to the apartment with the cat food. 

[Twopper]

14 hours ago, Motor City said:

I don’t know if this has been discussed before, but what is up with Steven’s feet and legs?  One of his feet looks like a horse’s hoof.  Does he ever wear shoes?

I think he has a lot of lymphedema in his legs.   I am not sure why they weren't treated with a pump and compression bandages, but maybe he would have pulled them off.

Not sure about the feet, but Janine is one of the few people on this show who seems to have normal feet.    When I saw Stephen's feet, my thought was that he needs to wear a pair of the boots they often put on horses.

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Dear old Dad, enabling Steven's stealing drugs as usual.   Bonus footage, so now we know how Dr. Now found out about the drugs Steven stole, and Dad's facilitating that.    Dr. Paradise certainly has Steven's number, doesn't he?     

 Thanks so much for watching this and taking one for the team.  We went out tonight, and I didn't even bother to record it.

[Carboncat]

2 hours ago, Twopper said:

I think he has a lot of lymphedema in his legs.   I am not sure why they weren't treated with a pump and compression bandages, but maybe he would have pulled them off.

Not sure about the feet, but Janine is one of the few people on this show who seems to have normal feet.    When I saw Stephen's feet, my thought was that he needs to wear a pair of the boots they often put on horses.

 Thanks so much for watching this and taking one for the team.  We went out tonight, and I didn't even bother to record it.

Yes, thanks for the info!  This episode didn't record.

[CatherineM]

I actually got to watch part of the supersize last night. We are staying in a hotel. About half way through I turned the channel. It not that I was disgusted, exactly, but it’s so rare I get to watch live cable, that I didn’t want to waste my time on them. 

[DC Gal in VA]

16 hours ago, Ben.w said:

I think Steven has realized that he's bitten off more than he can chew. He's a big time troll who thought he could kick up a storm on a televison show and laugh while the hate money rolls in, but he probably never expected it to last this long, and now it's affecting his wife and step-daughter too. But as toodles so eloquently put it above you reap what you sow and he's going to find sympathy for him in real short supply. I wonder what happened to all his supporters, when I checked out his Facebook page before I remembered seeing all these people who loved his antics and thought he was hilarious (Stephanie might've been among them, who knows), they all probably faced a shit storm of harassment too and dropped off.

ITA Ben.w about him being a big time troll; actually this asshole gives trolls a bad name. 

But what I believe he really had in mind was to be the next internet big sensation, get millions of fans/supporters and millions of dollars and, maybe just maybe, his own reality tv show.

I don't think that beast gives a damn about who his antics affects 'cause it's always, always, always all about HIM.

[DC Gal in VA]

15 hours ago, Cherrio said:

They have it on tape. I would of called the police and have them arrest Steven and his Dad.

I am wondering if Justin is actually the bio son of Steven Sr.  If that's the case then its easy to see how he favors Steven.

Whatever the case, the father is hideous.

See this really pisses me off! You are absolutely right, they should have been arrested. We have an ongoing opoid crisis in this country and it's people like Steven Sr. and Steven Jr. who perpetuate it. It is a total disgrace that both of them are not in jail.

[goofygirl]

Yep, I agree, I think Steven Jr thinks he's gonna get a reality show starring himself, wife and step-daughter.  Not sure who'd actually WATCH it ....

The new wife reminds me of one of those Life After Lockup women.  She looks familiar?

[CringeWatcher]

On 5/30/2019 at 12:03 PM, Swiss said:

 All I could think of was that someone...Adult Protective Services..should swoop in and take Justin out of that abusive, horrific situation with his Father.  That man is sick to continually try and force a relationship between sick, twisted Steven and Justin. I'm not blind to the fact that Justin has issues but Steven and his father have ruined Justin's life. 

Those 10 minutes made me almost physically ill.   And that poor puppy should be rescued along with Justin!

 Perhaps Justin, who is around 30 years old, should man up and get himself out of that sishuashion. Oh, and his daddy should stop buying him puppies.

[Mothra]

On 5/29/2019 at 6:12 PM, suev33 3 said:

Just caught some of last weeks show.   Why,  in the name of all that is good and decent, doesn't Steven cover up his body???  It hurts to look at it.  All the hanging, flab, and that leg...just....omg!  I know its for the show, but good lord......🙄😬🤢

I'm not sure I can put this into words, but it makes perfect sense to me.  I think Steven has decided that since he's been cast in the role of abuser, he's going to portray himself in the worst possible light in every possible situation.  It's why he's always smirking when confronted with his misdeeds and when his father blames Justin for ?being Steven's victim?

Actually, I don't this it's something he's doing consciously, but it's certainly whatever garners him the most attention.  For a child or a psychically damaged adult, any attention is good attention, and negative attention is better than no attention at all.  Hence the disgusting youtube videos, too.  If he's going to be the repellent villain in this saga, he's going to be the most repellent victim he possibly can be.

[B in Lee]

On 5/26/2019 at 8:51 AM, Mothra said:

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).

And sometimes a "grab" is just a "grab". I think we are trying to read too much into this.

[Toaster Strudel]

On 5/30/2019 at 10:14 PM, ProTourist said:

Oooh, did they say how Dr. Now found out? Did the camera crew who recorded the scene between Justin and Senior in the hotel, show the footage to Dr. Now? Or did Justin inform Dr. Now himself? Did Dr. Now make any comment about it? Any other tidbits? [Sorry for all the questions!]

I want to know, too!

[Twopper]

On 5/30/2019 at 9:14 PM, ProTourist said:

Oooh, did they say how Dr. Now found out? Did the camera crew who recorded the scene between Justin and Senior in the hotel, show the footage to Dr. Now? Or did Justin inform Dr. Now himself? Did Dr. Now make any comment about it? Any other tidbits? [Sorry for all the questions!]

I guess I was too sleepy when I watched this.  I just ff'd til I saw "bonus" and watched that.

I am still not clear so I will try to watch again.  I think Justin phoned Dr Now, but that's just something I inferred.

the first bonus was a scene in Justin's hospital room that foreshadowed the theft of the painkillers.  Also there was a lot of talk from Toni (or Tori). Not quite sure of what exactly her relationship is to Justin.  She seemed to vary between maternal and girl friend in a rather bizarre way.

I do not understand why Dr Now hasn't been drug testing Steven every time he comes in for any reason.    Maybe he was, and we never saw it?   I would have thought the routine would be to take his weight, then send a nurse in to oversee the drug testing, then have Dr Now enter.

On 5/30/2019 at 9:15 PM, Cherrio said:

They have it on tape. I would of called the police and have them arrest Steven and his Dad.

Well, both left the jurisdiction in a hurry.  At least the dad did.  Not sure how long it took Stephen to get to Iowa.    I wonder how he got there?

[ProTourist]

Thanks for your efforts, Twopper. I do wish Amazon would make the bonus scenes available -- we pay three dollars each for the episodes (though they do give a discount if you purchase a whole season). Some other television series have bonus clips available, but not this one.

[CrazyInAlabama]

At the end of the bonus scene where Justin and his father are discussing the pills, the father at first says something about how do you know Steven took the pills?   And then pretty much confesses that he gave them to Steven.    However, that implies that Steven came to the motel room, instead of the father stealing the pills and taking them to Steven on one of his visits.   I was outraged that Sr. wanted Steven to come for the surgery.    I can't imagine anything worse than Justin waking up to seeing Steven there.    

Later with the (I think it was expanded) session with Dr. Paradise, Justin said that Steven beat him up every single day until Justin was 18.     So it wasn't just Steven bullying him as a kid, but went on until Steven was well into his 20's.      I see why Dr. Paradise said forgiveness by Justin would be for his own peace of mind.   However, I think that in his dysfunctional family, that it would mean the father would keep on telling Justin to get over his brother's bullying, and joining into it himself.     Justin needs to get a plan for the day Steven's marriage breaks up, or dad dies, and Steven comes home to live in dad's house.   

[ProTourist]

7 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Later with the (I think it was expanded) session with Dr. Paradise, Justin said that Steven beat him up every single day until Justin was 18. So it wasn't just Steven bullying him as a kid, but went on until Steven was well into his 20's. I see why Dr. Paradise said forgiveness by Justin would be for his own peace of mind. However, I think that in his dysfunctional family, that it would mean the father would keep on telling Justin to get over his brother's bullying, and joining into it himself. Justin needs to get a plan for the day Steven's marriage breaks up, or dad dies, and Steven comes home to live in dad's house.

Thank you so much for this info, CrazyInAlabama! Yes, that scene of Justin's session with Dr. Paradise was definitely not present in the standard episode -- only Steven's session was included. I would love to see the additional scenes.

I don't know why the Assantis fascinate me, but they do. It may have something to do with the geography -- I used to have a lot of family in the area, and lived near there myself for a couple of years, so I'm very familiar.

And I think you're right that Justin needs a plan for the future, so he can continue to avoid Steven. I think it would be best for him to sell the house after his father dies, and split the proceeds with Steven if necessary, depending on the terms of Senior's will. Then they could continue to go their separate ways.

[El maestro]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:32 PM, CringeWatcher said:

 Perhaps Justin, who is around 30 years old, should man up and get himself out of that sishuashion. Oh, and his daddy should stop buying him puppies.

Justin basically had to be dragged to have surgery. It seems that he was not really interested in losing any weight at all.

[CrazyInAlabama]

 I think Justin knew that the father would use the trip to Houston for surgery as a chance to throw Steven in his face, and let him bully him again.   That's exactly what happened too.   The father arguing that Steven had cut down to 30 pills a week, from 60 being progress is ludicrous.      The father just doesn't get it, that getting 30 pills a week isn't cutting down at all, when street drugs are so available.     

I think that Steven or Daddy dearest, stealing the pain pills and giving them to Steven, acknowledged on film is the big reason that Daddy wanted to leave, and Steven did leave.   Texas doesn't play around with people coming there, and breaking the drug rules.  Especially, when it was shown on nationally broadcast TV.      The fact that Justin said he told Dr. Now, and Sr. claimed he gave the drugs to Steven, is enough for charges if they ever go back to Texas.      I think no one member of the Assanti family will be going to Texas ever again.    

[JJ1]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 I think Justin knew that the father would use the trip to Houston for surgery as a chance to throw Steven in his face, and let him bully him again.   That's exactly what happened too.   The father arguing that Steven had cut down to 30 pills a week, from 60 being progress is ludicrous.      The father just doesn't get it, that getting 30 pills a week isn't cutting down at all, when street drugs are so available.     

I think that Steven or Daddy dearest, stealing the pain pills and giving them to Steven, acknowledged on film is the big reason that Daddy wanted to leave, and Steven did leave.   Texas doesn't play around with people coming there, and breaking the drug rules.  Especially, when it was shown on nationally broadcast TV.      The fact that Justin said he told Dr. Now, and Sr. claimed he gave the drugs to Steven, is enough for charges if they ever go back to Texas.      I think no one member of the Assanti family will be going to Texas ever again.    

As a Texas resident, I sincerely hope you are right about them never coming back. Don’t need them here. Don’t want them here. Assanti family, just stay away!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

So much of the interaction between Steven Jr and Justin seemed set up for the show.  They do not like each other.  Jr is a horrific person and Justin has every right to break off ties.  But the show wants drama and forcing the two of them together brings the drama.  Over the years the focus has shifted away from caring for people toward what makes "good" TV.  This episode was a great example of that shift. 

[CatherineM]

I’d say all the forcing together was for drama, except that the dad really seemed invested in it. Justin also acted as if daddy was always doing it. 

I also wonder how many Texans called in the drug stuff to the authorities?  

[El maestro]

On 6/1/2019 at 7:20 AM, Mothra said:

I'm not sure I can put this into words, but it makes perfect sense to me.  I think Steven has decided that since he's been cast in the role of abuser, he's going to portray himself in the worst possible light in every possible situation.  It's why he's always smirking when confronted with his misdeeds and when his father blames Justin for ?being Steven's victim?

Actually, I don't this it's something he's doing consciously, but it's certainly whatever garners him the most attention.  For a child or a psychically damaged adult, any attention is good attention, and negative attention is better than no attention at all.  Hence the disgusting youtube videos, too.  If he's going to be the repellent villain in this saga, he's going to be the most repellent victim he possibly can be.

I agree. Justin is giving viewers what they want to watch and keeps playing the role of a psycho. I wonder what does he do when he is alone.

i spend some time teaching in schools and sometimes talking with the “bad kids” they told you they did not behave properly because it was their way to call for attention and they thought they were supposed to be bad when they faced their peers and teachers. Some of them were bad, but most of them were just posers.

Edited June 3, 2019 by El maestro