Why do you watch "Hoarders"?

Unclutterer ForumsUncluttering and Organizing in the MediaHoarders on A&E -- Season 2

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Started 2 years ago by zchristy
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zchristy
Member

I read a conversation on the Hoarders Facebook page that got me thinking. In it, people were talking about what a BORE the Chris & Dale episode was because the hoarders were only moderate. There was no bugs or skeletons or feces, so it was "boring". It appeared they were watching for the shock factor.

I've read other people who say they clean after every episode - the final "reveals" inspire them to improve their living spaces.

I am inspired by the finish and I love the stories- sad as they may be- of the people profiled. I'm still trying to define my answer, but why do you watch Hoarders?

Posted 2 years ago #
Julsave
Member

I watch it on-line as I catch up with my filing in my home office. I watch it because it always puts me in a "clean it up" mood.

Posted 2 years ago #
Wendye999
Member

Watching the show encourages me to process why I save things that I do. I have a serious clutter problem, but think it's more related to depression than hoarding issues. That is, I don't keep much for sentimental or emotional reasons, but I was raised to recycle and don't care to throw away stuff that is still usable by someone, if not myself. I want to deliver it to the appropriate agency, which takes a fair amount of effort. Freecycle is helping a lot in that regard because people will pick items up from my porch. I also need to get in touch with Purple Heart because they pick up too.

The show usually lights a fire under me too...every commercial break I'm inspired to hop up and take care of something. It helps that the show airs on Monday nights...my trash/recycle pickup is on Tuesday. On the night the show aired (last season) of the woman who saved all the expired food, I went straight to the fridge and cleared out everything that didn't belong!

All in all the show has been helpful to me. When something falls on the floor and I'm tempted to let it be (or think that I'll get to it later), I think of those folks who have floors just covered with stuff that they can't even identify...and make the decision to take care of it rather than ignore it.

Posted 2 years ago #
opadit
Member

I watch it to remind myself to focus on my people, not my things. It's a way to recognize the destructive thought patterns for acquisition and hoarding that I sometimes slip into, and it helps me resist them.

Also, frankly, it serves as a kick in the butt to straighten up so that I can properly dust and vacuum my home. Hate to say it, but I do come away from a lot of the scenes thinking, "At least I never got that bad."

Posted 2 years ago #
javamonster
Member

I actually turned it on initially for the Train Wreck factor, got interested in it. I also used to watch Clean House, but when I saw when they worked on the homes of a few (not many-they screen pretty well) hoarders with REAL problems and didn't know how to deal with them, I stopped watching. Not all the people on the show who participated truly understood what they were in for. One neurotic woman hated absolutely everything that was changed, even her adult daughter's bedroom; but if she wanted to keep her daughter at home, she had to let her clean up her room from her, the mother's, crap.

Anyway, one of the reasons I turn Hoarders on sometimes is to passively aggressively get my husband to understand that although we have clutter (mine and the children's) it's not anywhere near as bad as it could be, and most of it is from the reality of having children in the house. He flips out too much and only notices when things are NOT done, as opposed to noticing the things that ARE cleared up. I hate that. What's the point, then?

It also a relief to me that I am NOT a hoarder; that I'm no where near as bad as he would have me believe. His grandmother was a type 4? hoarder, I think. Papers, cat litter, crap, junk, piled high in her house. They had to rent an enormous storage box the size of an 18 wheeler container to move her crap into when she moved into my FIL's house.

Posted 2 years ago #
Samdan
Member

Shows like 'Clean House' and 'Clean Sweep' angered me. I kept seeing low-handed jokes made on the messy person's expense. The people featured on these shows had messy homes, but they didn't have real, pressing, and emotional problems that needed fixing.

I watch 'Hoarders' because it's the first show I've ever seen that deals with hoarding as a serious issue. In it you see people with real problems that usually need to be dealt with as soon as possible (e.g. eviction, losing their spouse/kids, etc.). These are people who are not only living in these messy situations, they're also dealing with other issues that may or may not be associated with their hoarding (e.g. depression). 'Hoarders' makes it known that the clutter is only a byproduct of bigger, more complex issues. Trained professionals who specialize in hoarding meet with these people, unlike the actors/comedians/entertainers on other shows.

One of the main things I like about this show is that it is finally bringing to the mainstream the idea that there really are people out there with this disorder who do feel ashamed about their homes, have serious issues and need help. 'Hoarders' has shown that it treats the condition with respect. Because of this, more and more people who are hoarders or have loved-ones who are are finally acknowledging that their frustration, resentment and fears can be overcome with the right resources. They're not alone in their secret. They're not alone in their shame. Now, they're more willing to reach out for the help they need.

Posted 2 years ago #
JLBanker
Member

I am with Wendy on this one when she says "Watching the show encourages me to process why I save things that I do."

In my early twenties I had a minor shopping addiction (I'm 35 now). I was going through a lot back then and to cope I would go shopping and buy "collectables". It got pretty bad and contributed to a LOT of debt. Sometimes I need reminders to not become that person again so Hoarders is a good show that gets me thinking and reminds me of the person I used to be.

I am not a heavy watcher and I really could do without the hardcore feces/dead animal episodes. The ones I like to watch are more like the Chris & Dale episodes.

Posted 2 years ago #
charmed2482
Member

i only what episodes online occasionally. i mentioned the show to my mom and she immediately felt the need to tell me "I'm not that bad". she is getting better but i grew up in a house/apartment that was almost always filled with clutter. it didn't seem to really get that bad until after she stopped drinking, so i think she sort of replaced drinking with collecting stuff. i still feel like i have to much stuff even though I've given up a lot in the last several years b/c of moving and such. so I'm still working towards living a more minimalist life(which i know is not for everyone especially my mother). but watching the show really puts this into perspective for me, i used to have so much crap that i wasted so much money on. i always want to clean after watching hoarders, and while watching and its nice to know that i will never be that bad. i do hope those people get the help they need through being on the show and don't just end up back where the were.

i watched one episode recently where they took everything out of this guys house so he could see what it would feel like to live in a clean space not filled with stuff and that's something i think that would help a lot of people(not all) and hope to see them do it more often.

Posted 2 years ago #
queenofkaos
Member

I also find that it really puts me in the mood to clean. I started doing one major decluttering project during the commercials, there are 2 back to back shows so I was able to do some great things.

For some reason they've been playing reruns every week now on the channel I'm watching, I'm hoping they will put new ones on soon.

It really does give a sense of relief when you have dealt with clutter in your life to know that yours isn't that bad. Maybe that's not nice but while it inspires me to do better, it also makes me feel good about my own house and the progress I've made over the years.

Posted 1 year ago #
Aunt Cloud
Member

No, I don't. The attempted "cure" within two days of intense clean-up is no more effective than a two-day camp for an obese person (and, as we've seen on "The Biggest Loser", even a hands-on, boot-camp style program doesn't always work).

These people need serious help. I wouldn't watch a person with schizophrenia, bulimia or any other mental disorder try and be instantly fixed. With the hoarders, with the exception of Season 1 Steve (?), no one really wanted to change. Most of them were digging in their heels, not really understanding why people were freaking out when finding decomposing pumpkins or cats in their homoes, and basically making life miserable for the cleaning crew and their families.

I would gladly watch it if people would actively try and change their mental hard-drive. Most of the episodes I've seen so far have left me sad, angry and extremely fruetrated. I don't watch many hours of TV a week, so I'd rather watch something that makes me smile, not want to throw something at the TV.

Posted 1 year ago #
Aunt Cloud
Member

No, I don't. The attempted "cure" within two days of intense clean-up is no more effective than a two-day camp for an obese person (and, as we've seen on "The Biggest Loser", even a hands-on, boot-camp style program doesn't always work).

These people need serious help. I wouldn't watch a person with schizophrenia, bulimia or any other mental disorder try and be instantly fixed. With the hoarders, with the exception of Season 1 Steve (?), no one really wanted to change. Most of them were digging in their heels, not really understanding why people were freaking out when finding decomposing pumpkins or cats in their homoes, and basically making life miserable for the cleaning crew and their families.

I would gladly watch it if people would actively try and change their mental hard-drive. Most of the episodes I've seen so far have left me sad, angry and extremely fruetrated. I don't watch many hours of TV a week, so I'd rather watch something that makes me smile, not want to throw something at the TV.

Posted 1 year ago #
chacha1
Member

I come from a family with a history of depression/anxiety issues. In some it manifested as a need to obsessively get rid of things; others went the opposite way. I am bipolar that way! Sometimes I want to get rid of everything I see, and other times I can't let go.

I don't watch "Hoarders" on anything like a regular basis. To me it is like "What Not to Wear," I need to be in the mood for it and generally speaking I am only in the mood for it when I feel myself sliding up or down the scale, aware that I need to get in tune with myself and balance my personal weirdness.

I think the show is doing a service by legitimizing the disorder, and since they make it clear that these people are not being compelled to participate, and that many follow-up services are being offered, I don't think they are exploiting the subjects at all. If the show helps even ONE person recognize and address a problem before it becomes a crisis, isn't that a good thing?

Plus, seeing the worst-case scenario sure does put things into perspective when I'm contemplating the dust bunnies under my couch.

Posted 1 year ago #
suzjazz
Member

I'm terrified that I will become a hoarder. I have way too much stuff and I am not getting rid of it as fast as I'd like. Watching the show reminds me that at least i still have my sanity, unlike these poor souls. But for how long?

Posted 1 year ago #
squidy
Member

I can't lie. For me it's mostly just masturbatory.
It does inspire me to clean and to get rid of stuff. (Because I form weird attachments to objects too..) But after I'm done cleaning, I keep watching. And I fantasize about more cleaning.

I think this is because, for me, it's a bit personal. There's a family of hoarders (about an 8.5 out of 10 as they would be rated on the show..) that I let myself get a little tangled up with for a while, and I'm still not really over everything that happened. But at least I'm not fantasizing about throwing a certain member of that family off a cliff anymore.

Not that I'm saying I'm animus or apathetic towards all hoarders. I do sympathise with the people on the show more often than not, and it's pretty heart-warming whenever the cleaning and therapy are successful.

But I still experience a lot of less-than-savory thoughts and emotions while watching the show, and I get a sort of twisted satisfaction from it.

Posted 1 month ago #
Parsifal
Member

One of my relatives was a hoarder - as bad as anything you've ever seen on TV, and worse. I want to understand how people turn out that way, and why.

Posted 1 month ago #
writing all the time
Member

I watch from time to time, to see how the mental health issues are dealt with. Like others, I can't watch every episode. If one of the professionals called in is being harsh or demanding, that episode gets turned off.

I had the privilege of listening to a panel of folks involved in a Hoarder type show. The psychologist, the adult daughter of a woman who was featured, a previous 'hoarder', and a professional organizer. It was eye-opening for me, and I came away with a better understanding of what happens in the whole hoarding process.

Posted 1 month ago #
writing all the time
Member

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29981109/
The above is a link to a documentary called 'My Mother's Garden'. It's the work of a film maker whose mother is a hoarder. Parts of it are hard to watch, so be forewarned.

For me, it's more complete and more intimate. It might be available on Netflix.

Posted 1 month ago #
Rosa
Member

I only watch the show Hoarders with a friend who likes all those TLC shows. But in general I like all the hoarding media, including Hoarding, Buried Alive and the various movies about hoarders/collectors because I think the "real" hoarders' thought process/rationalizations give insights into why all of us accumulate so much.

Also, I read a lot of COH blogs and memoirs, and the more analytical books about hoarders, and i think there is a lot of similarity between hoarding and addiction, in terms of how people parent and the process their kids go through. It's very affirming without leading me down the rabbit hole of "what exactly was going on with my parents?", because one of my parents is a confessed/treated/sober addict and the other still maintains he acted just like that before he ever started using, so reading about addicts & alcoholics puts me mentally between them, not in a good position to learn much.

Posted 1 month ago #
shebolt
Member

I watch for several reasons:

Pure train-wreck entertainment;
To remind myself that I'm not that bad off;
To remind myself that, under the right circumstances, I could end up like that;
To inspire myself to get up and clean something.

Posted 1 month ago #
lucy1965
Member

I can't bear to watch it. My former best friend and her husband were Level 4 hoarders when I knew them. Repair people refused to enter the apartment. When their landlady finally had enough (I found out after that they'd been making only partial rent payments for a year), they asked to move in with us; when I counteroffered -- help finding and securing a new place, moving, and starting the paperwork for disability payments for her husband -- I was cut off.

Posted 1 month ago #

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