This topic was broached yesterday, somewhat arbitrarily, in the comments to this post. But it totally deserves a post of its own or twelve.
I speak of Hoarders, the new A&E documentary series described by its creators thusly:
Each 60-minute episode of Hoarders is a fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis. Whether they’re facing eviction, the loss of their children, jail time, or divorce, they are all desperately in need of help. In a fly-on-the-wall style, we’ll capture the drama as experts work to put each on the road to recovery.
I have seen three episodes of Hoarders, and this is what I can tell you.
*Hoarders is 100 times more interesting than Intervention, for the simple reason that a guided tour of someone’s hoarding is way more visually interesting than a guided tour of someone’s alcoholism. Intervention‘s main subject is bottoming-out addicts. Hoarders‘ main subject is whole houses packed with crazy. Best of all, the crazy-packed-house-dwellers are sane enough to know that they need help, and get it before our eyes. Instead of Intervention‘s packed-off-to-rehab denouements, Hoarders devotes the second half (at least) of each episode to hands-on dismantling of craziness. It’s strangely heartening to watch these people—with the help of charming professionals—face fears they are absolutely certain will kill them but of course do not.
*Hoarders contains some of the grossest footage I’ve ever seen on television. A key moment in every story line comes with the visit of the first non-acclimated party to the rancid space, as you see the smell land on their faces. In the next scene, they’re hidden behind protective masks. The most recent episode featured a lady who hoarded cats, and featured extensive footage of rotting cat corpses being pulled from a packed-to-the-rafters garage. I covered my eyes for at least three minutes of it.
*I dream of appearing on Hoarders for hoarding episodes of Hoarders, which I will compulsively copy onto VHS and DVD and file away in cat-pissed-soaked cardboard boxes until the city threatens me with a letter.
*Hoarders is the first TV show in history that will make you legitimately excited about tidying up your house.
Full episodes of Hoarders are available here. If you see only one, make it Jake and Shirley. (Shirley’s the sweet gross cat lady, but Jake’s a heartbreakingly sad and amazing 21-year-old gay kid who lives through a psychotic nightmare and somehow comes out hopeful…)
Yes! I was just talking about this! There was a marathon on Monday, I watched it for three hours. I like Hoarders even better than Obsessed, because it’s more reliably jaw-dropping, and you get the payoff of seeing their lives drastically bettered by the end of the episode.
Jake’s story was the only one to make me tear up. Definitely the best episode.
I felt so bad for them!
*Spoilers*
It was so sad to see the pain on Shirley’s face as she realized her cats had to go- all of them. The worst part was learning that so many of them were sick and had to die, how gut wrenching. Her husband seemed to be quite a bit happier, and I think that he might try to keep things tidy around the home. He was pretty into the prospect of cleaning up and removing all of the pets.
Jake’s story was just as bittersweet. YOU could totally see where his hoarding comes from, He also seemed pretty bi-polar/manic. Its sad, you could tell in the interviews that his dad really loves Jake, but his dad needs serious help, probably more than Jake. The kid should move in with his boyfriend or his mom. The dynamic between father and son was horrible to watch, personally.
Also wanted to add about Jake- at least he really seemed treatable. He was crying for help and obviously does not want to die, or else he would not be reaching out for help. Since he is young and seemed to be cognizant of his issues, he has the strength to heal. Hopefully his mom and lover can come together for him to get him the treatment his needs.
When is the episode with George Bakan?
Jake and Shirley’s episode was by far the best. The only character that made me teary-eyed was Linda, in the very first episode. Her situation was just so sad, even though Steven’s story made me want to hit the television. And, Linda had a hot son for whom I felt so much sympathy.
Linda’s son, if you’re reading this, call me!
Jill evoked pain. The not-frozen-food episode. GAHHHH. That one had me covering my eyes.
Jake’s was filled with hope, but I also couldn’t help but see so many young gay drama queen issues at hand. His constant threatening of suicide was so “Cry for Help” that I could only picture the suicide attempt in The Rules of Attraction every time he threatened it. Not to mention his older boyfriend who looked so helpless and was probably one of those insecure gay men who find security in having younger guys want them. He needed more self-security to withstand Jake’s issues.
Shirley was psychotically sweet. I want to know how they could stand the smell. Cat waste is so awful smelling. And rotting corpses? They just didn’t notice it. That one was sad because their world had gotten so small they didn’t remember what life used to be like.
Sorry. Too gross. BBC has these two old ladies going to people’s filty, cluttered homes and picking things up and smelling them. Ew! I have to change the channel.
If you get BBC America, check out How Clean is Your House? Two ridiculously British women clean filthy filthy houses from top to bottom. I love it when they test for bacteria and stuff. This was the first show to make me excited to tidy up my house. Excited in a completely terrified way…
I have seen one episode. Couldn’t take my eyes off it, but finished with zero insight into what makes these people tick.
Also the psychologist lecturing the food-hoarding lady about her irrational attitudes had beliefs about food safety, preservation, shelf dates, etc., that were every bit as irrational.
i was once married to one of these. have no interest in revisiting the nightmare. he was fixated on something he called ‘retrotech’. that’s right–large clunky metal objects with embedded old dirt and grease in and on them. good times.
I hoard books. Mrs. Fnarf thinks I need an intervention (or at least a clout with a cast-iron frying pan).
David, thanks for watching local. Made in Seattle.
David Bloom! Tell me more: schmader@thestranger.com.
Whoops, comment 12 was from me, not the SECB.
Screaming Flea Prods. They also produce Three Sheets and a number of other shows.
@12/13, I noticed that Linda was in Everett, and Steven was in Olympia.
I noticed Linda’s son is somewhere near there Everett too.
😀
Yes but Three Sheets is kinda for 19 year olds who Idolize nearly convicted sexual harasser Zane Lamprey and his embarrassing troops throughout Europe (Lookout here come the Americans!) and Hoarders is a pretty decent show.
This might be the best TV show ever. I was so glad I have it in HD for the food hoarder lady. This show needs to have a smell’o’vision scratch and sniff special.
Jake’s father was so codependent. It really seemed like he couldn’t deal with Jake cleaning up his act and moving on, because then he’d be leaving his dad behind. I know he was drunk when he tried to chase the therapist off, but it was still kind of sickening.
Augh, can’t we all just get along? No matter what you think about Three Sheets or Hoarders it’s great to have two well reviewed and diverse shows made here in Seattle. One person’s crap is another person’s treasure, right, and that seems appropriate for both, I think.
I love this show! My sometimes messy house feels like the cleanest, most sparse, sparkling clean haven of anti-bacterial nirvana after I watch Hoarders. Even that one chair with enough cat hair to make a new cat is practically sterile looking to me now.
I came so very close to being one of these people, once. I had a dog, three cats, a rabbit, seven birds, three frogs, two salamanders, two toads, and only god knows how many feeder mice, crickets, mealworms, etc., in a tiny single-wide mobile home. All I ever did was clean and feed, feed and clean. And bury corpses. I know now that it was severe suicidal depression causing it – my subconscious found a way to force me to stay alive. I couldn’t off myself with all those critters depending on me.
So terrifying. My great-grandma was (paths through the house, I would get lost/stuck as a child) and it’s progressively better, but still there through each generation. Usually a visit to my grandparents is enough to make me spend a few hours cleaning my house, getting rid of stuff.
I’m restoring a house where some family lived since 1937 an left everything. Over 500 egg cartons. Junk piled up to year knees in almost all rooms. Five beds. Literally 40 trash bags of clothes and I am still not done. I have probably spent 200 hours cleaning. How, or why anyone could justify living like that is beyond me!
@21: I think a key difference is you actually cleaned. And you buried the corpses.
Glad you made it through.