If I've learned ANYTHING from watching DrP this past season, it's that the editing dept. must be hoarse from crying wolf! You know we haven't seen the last of FUF1. I don't believe they are suddenly going to quit screaming at each other at close range or that a single one of them got their ass of their shoulders.
Stay tuned....

I would have to give kudos to Erin for seemingly coming the farthest (with the exception of the Cayman Tyrade). Second would have to be Alex (except for lying like a rug but she did get busted). It's amazing how much older they all looked in less than a year.
I agree about Erin's recognizing her problem intrapersonally / interpersonally. She did seem like she was "getting it" as far as what it takes to make progress. I would guess the Cayman Tyrade was a postive turning point for her and Alex.

So in a year or two....
Erin will be working as a counselor, having gone back to school.
Marty will be shacking up with Gas Station Woman.
Alex will come to realize the whole marine biologist dream was just that.
Katherine will be dressing like Britney Spears and cussing out her folks and boyfriend between drags on her cigarettes.
And Nathan will find videos of his family's DrP shows more entertaining than the Wiggles.

Ewww! Can I get some bleach for my brain? Robin. pussy. Blah! But still, hee!

I finally got around to watching my TiVo'd "Anatomy of a Divorce: Part I" yesterday, and I thought John's lawyer sounded South African. All Things Considered just did an oral history of the end of apartheid, and when I heard the lawyer talk, it reminded me of the accents I'd heard on those broadcasts.



"Luckily" for us, even when the show goes on hiatus, I suspect DP will still be around -- he doesn't seem like the kind of person to keep a low media profile. There is an interesting interview with him in the new issue of TV Guide. Sample quote: in response to a question of whether he regrets getting involved with the Shape Up! dietary supplements, DP says, "If I knew then what I know now, no, I wouldn't have. I didn't examine it closely enough, because of the motives I had going into it, which was to fund the battle against childhood obesity. It was a 100 percent charity play. I've never made a dime off of any of those products whatsoever. And the products are really good, in my view. But I think never having been a celebrity before, that I underestimated the attack factor and the examination factor that goes on with anything I do."

Poor DP... you'd think he'd have listened to his BFF Oprah, who has been famous way longer than he has, and allegedly tried to warn him away from endorsing the products!

People like CrazyShoppingLady, Linda bring out the arsonist in me. It would just need one match a piece to her house, her three storage units and one to Grandma's house while she's out delivering papers. Then the insurance money could pay off all the debts and Grandma could take her share and go live in a condo in Florida. Linda was beyond sympathy. She didn't seem to care whose lives she ruined, evidently she drove off her son's fathers a long time ago, and she didn't seem to mind what she had done to her own mother. All so she can get a high, knowing that she has some stupid crap no one else has and that those calendars were "75% off!"

Those hoarders are tough to deal with. I would feel like a lunatic with that much crap around me, and I'm not even a neat freak.

Believe it or not, its an actual disease called Disposophobia and the most famous Disposophobiacs were the Collyer brothers of NYC. You can read about them here. Its a longish article but very interesting.

I felt so sorry for all the people in that woman's life.

Dude, he was on some news program discussion how Americans were dealing with the images of torture in Iraq. He will find a way to pontificate on anything.

Packrat Polly made me want to finish unpacking all my moving boxes right now (alas, laziness took over again). I guess her disorder isn't serious enough for DP to keep her off the show (or does that only apply to people in the audience?).

I was surprised at the way DP handled the transvestite guy's situation. I agreed with him... how the hell did that happen? TG's not going to change so his girlfriend needs to decide if she can handle it. If she can't, she needs to move on for both their sakes. At least he told her a month into the relationship instead of waiting for their wedding night.

The TransvestiteBoyfriend said he was so gorgeous that he's halted traffic. Yeah, right.

I agree about those hoarders.... it is a real dysfunction and something she needs professional help to get over. However, she has to want to get over it. That's sad that she can't see how it affects others, and doesn't care anyway.

Transgender Couple was a gimme. I was somewhat surprised to hear DrP go back to giving "for real" advice on that one. Someone needed to get the girlfriend to acknowledge what was honestly happening and why. The number one deal breaker was that she didn't want to raise kids with this guy. To me, it ends there. He didn't seem concerned with working on this problem so that answers that! At least she realized this before they got married or she got knocked up (ie: straight wife / gay husband from earlier show).

Metal Detector Couple needs real help too. As DrP read off the guy's traits, all one had to do was replace "metal detecting" with "drinking" and that would have brought that problem into focus real quick! I was glad to hear the guy admit he realized why he was obsessive. And if I may be blunt.... Mrs. Metal Detector could help the issue by dropping about 100 lbs. Ever think he was staying away to avoid anxiety brought on by her weight? Maybe she should get out and walk with him instead of sitting around the house trying to call him. I'm hoping that's part of why DrP suggested counseling for both of them.

None of my business. but. call your insurance company and tell them what's going on. Your regular doc told you that by this point he would induce? And he gave you no backup doc? Did you see any other OB during your pregnancy? (For instance, my practice has five docs and you have to eventually see all of them, just for these kinds of circumstances). Get 'em on the horn and raise unholy hell.

You are close to delivering. You need a doctor. Sorry, honey, but I'm putting my foot down on this one!!

On topic: Shopper/hoarder woman needs Flylady, and quickly!

percolata you are my soul sister... my friend let his crazy MIL fill their garage top to bottom with old newspapers and magazines. When he would complain, I suggested a "mysterious fire" that would solve the problem. You have really assuaged my guilt- thank you!

And funnily enough, these hoarders would not even miss the missing items!

Hexele, how's the Flylady thing workin' for ya?! :)

Yay! It's about time! It was refreshing to see some real crazies, as opposed to the self-absorbed bourgeois whiners we've been subjected to. (And as a self-absorbed bourgeois whiner, nothing bores me more than watching others of my kind).

Anyway, Old Mother Hoarder needs that Life Laundry chick from the BBC more than Dr Shill. The entire mess into the crusher!



I'm sure he does halt traffic but not because he's gorgeous. Scare-fucking-ry. Anyone taking bets that he spends his weekends prowling dark truck stops?

CrazyShoppin'Lady could have one mother of a garage/yard sale to pay off her debts.

doG knows I am not a big DP fan, but in fairness to him, I was subjected to his appearance on Larry King (it was playing in the lobby of the Comcast office when I went there to trade in my busted digital cable adapter for a working one). Larry King said that DP was booked there to talk about his new cookbook, but that he (LK) had decided to make the whole show be about Iraq and torture and the beheading and how to help kids deal with these things. He said he would book DP back for the book flogging show, and what about those images, doc?

We have a winner for word-of-the-week!! LOL!!

Too bad DrP didn't get those gals that messed with Katherine's room to go over to MeeMaw Hoarder's digs.
Now that would have been entertainment gold!!
Just the expression of seeing all that crap loaded into the back of a trailer and then up in flames would have been worth sitting thru both FUF's, WLC, RRR, and the Divorcing Psychos!

The only way this would work out is if someone other than CrazyShoppingLady Linda or Grandma took over Grandma's finances. I know from family experiences that even if there was some wad of cash to bail them out that Linda would be right out there spending it and when hers was gone guilting poor Grandma and promising it was just this once until Grandma loaned her more. If Linda's in such bad debt, why doesn't she have a 2nd or even a 3rd job - she'd earn money to help pay off her debts and it would cut her shopping time way down and that poor little old lady wouldn't have to have a paper route till they put her in the ground!

Ha! Today's show made me feel good because it made me look normal in comparison. That's a rare thing.

Transvestite guy was actually quite good looking out of the women's drag, he looked hideous as a woman. I kept waiting for the shirt to come up to show his belly button and all the stomach hair. He really didn't seem to care to be there either. Dr. Phil was totally right about this one, they should not stay together.

I've seen documentaries on hoarders and its quite insane. This lady seemed more um...normal than those people but she has a serious fucking problem if her mother is working to beat down her debt. Dr. Phil said something about part of being mature is saying no to yourself. Well yeah, but this lady was like 60, its wayyyy beyond that by now. She could knock down some of that debt selling that crap on a stick on ebay, I agree with DR above. Her sons should just raid the house little by little so she won't know anythings gone. Either that or it'll be "Where the fuck is my 10th pair of I *heart* USA earrings?!? Huh bitches?!"

The hoarding woman just did not get it and Phil did not get through to her. Ugh. Very frustrating to me. I have a friend who has gotten her mother into such debt by borrowing money from her that her mother might loose her house and then ... my friend's entire family moved in on the poor old woman. I just don't understand people who will do things like that to their aging parents. That woman was just impossible. Word to the arson. Yikes! She really didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what she was doing. I just don't get it. I think her sons (or other relatives) need to get some sort of control over the grandmother's affairs and kick that insane hoarder out on the street. Not compassionate of me, I know, but it was sooo frustrating to watch that segment! I'm still fumin'.

Oh, and pages back I mentioned the 'boat load' of therapy Erin and Marty were getting and somebody apparently thought I was tlaking about what PHIL has been doing. No, not what I meant. I thought I heard Phil refer to the fact that he was sending them to therapists which he was paying for now that supposedly they aren't going to be on the show regularly anymore. What Phil does on TV does not count, in my book, as therapy.

Part of the problem with this woman (on DP) is that the mother is co-dependent. She should never have co-signed a loan, much less loaned her any money in any other way. Heck, it's one thing to do it when the child is young (college age, for example) and manipulative in terms of having to have the latest fashion, but when the daughter is 60? Major co-dependency going on.

Not to rag on an 80-year-old grandma, but given her loaning of money, etc., she's part of the problem. I don't care how much the daughter did in terms of getting the mother to give her the money, the mother should have said NO and shut the door. Likewise, WTF is up with the mother allowing the daughter to put all that stuff in her home? And I bet that didn't just start happening 'yesterday' but has been happening for years...yet again, another sign of major co-dependency.

Grandma has helped create the situation she's in - and she also should have never taken on the frickin' paper route. The daughter should have to take 10 extra jobs to keep her payments current, if that's what it takes. Grandma is a mom who has apparently never been able to say "NO" to her daughter which is a major problem.

In this case (and others like it), both the 'offender' (daughter) and the 'helper' (mom) need therapy.

BibiBella:



Wordy McWord. They're caught in a cycle of dependence and co-dependence that will need a mountain of therapy to fix.

An ex was in a similar cycle. His problems were alcoholism and total immaturity. After heart surgery a few years ago, his mother stepped in and began paying all his bills (rent, car payment, insurance, utilities, etc.). She continued doing that even after he had recovered and could work but wouldn't. When he finally got a job, she kept doing it, allowing him to spend his paycheck at the bar and on sprees/binges in Atlantic City. As if that isn't enough, she also takes his shirts to the cleaners, cleans his apartment and picks up his prescriptions at the drugstore. When I asked her why she did all this, her reply was that parents should do everything for their children. I think he also manipulates her into doing it through anger/emotional abuse, which lets her believe he is still her little boy who needs taking care of. And nothing gets a co-dependent/martyrdom addict going like feeling needed. She cannot and will not see that she is setting him up for a major fall. She's in her 60s and has health problems. What's going to happen to him when she dies and there's no one to take care of him? Sure, she's made financial arrangements in her will, but that doesn't solve the problem of him taking care of himself in regards to the day-to-day living stuff she does for him. His sister has her own family, he's estranged from his father and his stepfather has had it with him. He's so fucked.

Any wonder I fled less than four months into the relationship when it finally sunk in that he wasn't looking for an adult relationship, but a second mommy, and nothing I did was going to make him grow up?

The odd thing to me about the show is that (as I recall) Dr. Phil NEVER called the grandma on her co-dependent behavior. IIRC, he never even brought up the fact that there's mega-co-dependency going on here and that it will take more than the daughter getting help to change this. Not sure why he didn't 'cause usually when this is the situation, he's quick to call the other party on their part in the bad behavior.

And I found it odd (again, my memory might be off) that Dr. Phil didn't address the issue that there's a deep core issue going on that causes this woman (daughter) to engage in this behavior. He addressed the approach of cognitive behavioral therapy which is good and needed, but unless this woman (IMO) addresses the deeper issue of what she is avoiding and what she's trying to 'fill up' by doing this, she'll never get any better. She's no different, IMO, than an alcoholic or drug addict in the sense that she's overdosing in a behavior that she uses to avoid feelings and to avoid dealing with some type of deep pain. The shopping and constant buying allows her to 'numb out' and check out of reality (kinda like what DP told metal detector guy he was doing by obsessively doing his metal detecting -and even the guy realized that this was what was going on).

I have a feeling that daughter doesn't want help anyway so likely nothing is going to change in this situation. Grandma will die doing a paper route and unable to even move through her own home and daughter will just continue to get buried in her own home (if she doesn't lose it to debt).

Linda's whole family is screwed. For god's sake, the son said his mother had ruined her credit....$160,000 in debt!......so he lets her use HIS CREDIT CARD now. How insane is that!

If this is a legit illness such as alcoholism, why not do an intervention? Call the local Goodwill people to come over, box that shit up and take it to their stores. Let Linda sit and watch while these people do it....it's called shock therapy.

ITA that this is elder abuse and the Shill should have brought that up and demanded that someone "talk" to Linda about it.

I don't believe that the transvestite guy simply enjoyed dressing up. He stated that he only felt good when he was dressed as a woman. This sounds to me more like transgenderism. This man wants to be a woman. He also stated that he enjoys being around women more than men. Hello~~. Save your money for the operation.

Believe it or not, I have a family member who buys even MORE junk than Linda. I haven't been in the home for several years, but it was hideous then and I've heard it is much worse now. It is all from garage sales and flea markets so it is "cheap," so luckily no one has gotten caught up in a web of debt, but there's a big conspiracy of silence around it so I doubt anything will ever change. I joked with another relative about buying this person the FlyLady book, but I suspect it would disappear within a few days, buried under a new pile of "finds." It really is an illness. I admire the son who was able to convince his mom to go on DP's show, and I truly hope she is able to make some progress. This is one follow-up I would dearly love to see.

As for the transvestite... I wish I could encourage his girlfriend to read Jennifer Boylan's autobiography, SHE'S NOT THERE. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. The author ultimately had a sex change operation, which was a great thing for him, not so cool for his wife (the kids seemed to have been young enough to adapt). Since the guy would obviously prefer to be a woman 24/7, I suspect there's surgery in his future.

One thing I didn't understand about Dr. Phil's segment with the guy who cross-dresses...maybe someone better informed on this subject can help.

In the guy's taped piece, he said that "he began cross-dressing as a child to get attention from his father". He also said that he enjoys the attention he gets as an adult when he cross-dresses. Usually when behaviors are developed to get others' attention, there's a psychological issue at root...not simply that the person is 'that way'.

Now, I'm not a psychologist, it would seem that there's far more here psychologically than a man who wants to be a woman. But Dr. Phil didn't address this, so I'm confused.

Any thoughts?

Transvestites and transsexuals are two completely different things. They are both points along the gender dysphoria continuum, but the two labels are not interchangeable ones. I missed the ep but it sounds to me like this guy is technically neither, but a drag queen (which is a third completely separate thing). My understanding of the distinctions, according to my brother's now-retired therapist who is an expert in this area:

Transsexuals are people who believe they were born in the wrong body. They want to be the other gender. It has nothing to do with their sexual orientation and practices, and such people can be gay or straight or something else same as anyone.

Cross-dressers are people who are content being the gender they are and have no desire to change, but who get either sexual or emotional gratification from dressing up as the other.

Drag queens are people who are content to be the gender they are etc, but enjoy performing of exhibitioning as the other gender. So unlike cross-dressers, there is an extra element here of part of the thrill being public display. Which fits with what you guys said about this guy claiming he did it to get attention :-)

If you want more technical definitions, I suggest the excellent book "True Selves" by Dr. Mildred Brown, which explains all of the gender conditions that are currently recognized, and goes into special detail ont he treatment and life of a transsexual (the book was geared to family members).

The cross dress guy was definitely in the Transvestite Zone (new store at the mall) -- his stuff about being more emotionally connected and satisfied when he was dressed as a woman is classic.

But, speaking of drag queens, did anyone catch Robin on the Daytime Emmys? Her face freeze when Ellen won for best show made me worry that her collagen had frozen, but then -- and thanks to y'all -- i realized that her expression must be a BitchFace On Botox: looks sorta like she's simultaneously furious and trying to stifle a fart -- it really was a stunning moment, but sadly the horror's burned into my retinas...possibly forever.

I just realized what other free gift Dr. Phil gave to the FUF1 participants....look at Alex pre-baby in the hoards of clip footage they throw into every show (this show being on clip overdrive since it was wrapping up the season) then advance to the end of the show footage and look at Alex now.

Two words: Nose Job.

Perhaps she went to the same Hollywood plastic surgeon as Robin frequents for her Botox? Or maybe she went to the Extreme Makeover doc since Phil and he became friends over WWC Monica? Mommy Erin is looking quite a bit younger herself. Perhaps it was a mother-daughter bonding experience? Extreme Spa?

My grandma-in-law is a serious hoarder too. She has kept every issue of Ladies Home Journal since 1941. My husband tells me stories about how she filled up room after room with her junk, then added new rooms to the house. In fact, when she and my grandpa-in-law return in their dual his-and-hers trailers to their house, they have to live in the trailers because there's no room in the house for them to do more than use the bathroom and the stove. Its a total diseas, but other than threatening to put a clause in her will forbidding her heirs to sell or dispose of anything without forefiting the whole estate, she has never hurt anyone with her obsessive stuff hoarding. I was waiting for DP to urge the sons to get a court order to keep mom away from grandma and to protect her from the elder abuse clearly going on. I was terribly disappointed that he didn't. No matter how crazy co-dependant grandma is, the rest of her family should protect her from her daughter.

I don't have a problem with transvestites in general, but dang I hated transvestite guy from Friday's show. I felt so sorry for his poor girlfriend, who obviously lacked self-esteem, and he was totally willing to take advantage of her vulnerability. She was torn to peices over wheather or not she could live with is cross dressing and wheater she could live without him, and all the while he's sitting there with a 'love it or leave it' smirk in total confidence that she's not going to leave him. I don't know, there seemed to be something almost abusive in that realtionship. Forcing her to go out in public with him dressed as a woman knowing it degrades her sense of self; coming to bed in women's negligee knowing it skeeves her out. Any person that engages in behavior repeatedly that they knows makes their partner feel degraded needs to be kicked to the curb.

Yeah, Mrs. Metal Detector was fat, but then again, so am I and Mr. Pissy loves me anyway. Mrs. MD could have been a super model and her husband would still have been combing the beach for pop tabs. He's just a fucktard.

Ooh, I'm so proud of myself for correctly identifying John's attorney's accent on the "Anatomy of a Divorce" shows! I Googled Suzanne, and she is indeed South African. Here is her bio from her law firm's web site. "She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Law degree in 1978, and practiced in South Africa for 15 years." And yes, her bio prominently mentions her appearances on Dr. Phil.

Today as I walking through my local Big Lots what did I spy - boxes and boxes and boxes (a whole row of shelves) full of Dr. Phil's diet bars, shakes and other crap. Can't believe it's already at Big Lots - guess Dr. Phil won't be getting rich off that stuff!

KimberleeJean, I read a book about the Collyer brothers a while back; they were so sad. I'll just bet there are hoarders around every corner, if we only knew. During my father's last years, his old age dementia was taking that route. It was my job to help him move to a smaller house and every single piece of clutter, right down to used envelopes, was a thing of great value that he "might need someday."

I know the CSL's old mother and sons were enablers but I can just imagine how persuasive she can be. My husband and I are the anti-hoarders. We're minimalists to the max and a few times a years we get a great cathartic rush by cleaning out our already bare house and taking things to Goodwill or the landfill ( oooh, the landfill makes us hot.) Consequently, our garage, attic and a few closets are almost completely bare and just as soon as our friends and neighbors become aware of this, the requests begin. Could we store such and such for them just until so and so? We have to be strong to refuse and they always get a little miffed at us.

---
Every transvestite I've ever seen, seems convinced that he looks really hot and that people are staring at him because he's so gorgeous, instead of because he's a big broad shouldered man dressed in women's clothes. That guy's poor little girl friend should put on his mini skirt and boots and long red wig and learn that she could stop traffic ,too. Plus pick up some extra cash!

Wow, and it took dr. phil like 15 minutes to analyze that thing. You just hit the nail on the head in one sentence.

Mega, mega-word. Talk about selfish and self-consumed - he was all about him and his needs without any consideration, IMO, for her needs and desires and her feelings. And dude, get over yourself. You cause traffic accidents 'cause you look so hideous in drag, not because you're so hot.

Girlfriend needs help too. I recall DP saying that this was her FIRST relationship and given her age (late 20's or early 30's), I found that very odd. That seems to say that she's got some men issues going on if she's never really dated before this point in her life (I mean, I was a late bloomer in the dating game, but had a serious boyfriend right off the bat in college despite dating very little in high school - but not having a relationship until your late 20's or early 30's?).

With that being the case (this being her first relationship), she has no way to know that this relationship and offensive behavior (offensive in some ways to her like making her feel less of a woman, etc., not saying it's offensive in general) is not necessarily healthy or what a great relationship can be like.

One good thing, though - her intuition is screaming at her that this is not working for her so hopefully she'll listen to that and save herself a lot of heartache and humiliation. If she thinks it's bad now, imagine how hard it will be if they did marry and have kids. Regardless of how therapists always say how resilent and adaptable kids are (and they are but there are limits to some things, IMO), I can't imagine - at really young ages - that growing up seeing a dad dressed like a mommy would be healthy from a gender-identity and sexuality standpoint.

If the coming week is the last show of FUF2, that raises several questions. The FUF1 lasted from Alex being 6 or 7 months pregnant to Nathon being 6 or 7 months old. FUF2 started when Stacy was 6 months pregnant and it will end before she has the baby. My Questions are 1. Does one or both quit the show or their marriage. 2. Does DP kick them to the curb. 3. If 1 or 2 happen how is DP going to try to save face and not take responsability for bring them on the show without helping them. In the last 2 weeks I have started to wonder if DP is not behaving in the manner he has because he wants higher ratings during sweeps month but because he is a bad therapist. His yelling at people, belittling them, being passive/aggressive (if someone disagrees with him, he tells them they just want to be right and in a condesending tone tells them they are right and then ignores them) and allowing unqualified people (his son and wife) to give advice would get his licsence pulled at the least. Maybe even have charges pressed. Sorry for the run on sentence. I wonder if I am now seeing his true therapy style

Since every show ends with the disclaimer that the info presented is for entertainment purposes only, I'm not sure if he's at risk for legal action against him for his therapy techniques. He did have some legal trouble in regards to unpaid bills (see The Smoking Gun), not to mention the flack over his endorsement of dietary supplements.

Ooo, I found an archive of DP related links here.

Oh, Percolata, I know that rush. Can it be that we are addicted to anti-stuff? My personal high is the consignment store. Get rid of crap and make some $$$, arrgghhhhhhh [/Homer Simpson].

I don't know if Alex got a nose job because often women's noses change while they are pregnant. Why? I have no clue, but I have read it several places. I do think she needs to cut that hair, though. They are pretty girls.

Well, my understanding is that it is not quite so simple. He is not willfully being selfish---it's a compulsion which he cannot control. It would be like saying that someone is selfish for being gay. He simply IS that way. He cannot control it.

If she has trouble dealing with it, it is absolutely fair for her to say "I do not want to live with this therefore I do not want to live with you." But expecting or wanting him to stop is just not going to work.

SnowDog, I was questioning if his behavior in private practice was the same.

It probably was, aszxas. He had a run-in with the state board several years ago (late 80s maybe) about sexual misconduct with a patient. He didn't lose his license, but he did get a reprimand, which was probably why he quit private practice (BTW, the alleged incident happened in my town, Wichita Falls, TX).

I've found more DP-related links:

What really happened when the overweight women went to the restaurant (scroll down to "Shrink Wrapped").

You too can become an obnoxious bald man for only $19.95 a month!

Since information about his first marriage has seeped onto the internet for public consumption, it is easier to see Phil in much the same way we see David Blaine--"for entertainment purposes only."

None of us know, of course, how acrimonious the dissolution of Phil's first marriage was, or how bitter the first Mrs. might be. (Apparently she hawks coffee mugs that have their wedding picture along with the legend,"What was I thinking?"). However, like Laura Schlesinger, Phil gives off that holier-than-thou vibe that allows him to freely berate the mere mortal who commits all manner of sins and possesses all manner of character flaws and neuroses.

You know the old expression, "What you are is shouting so loudly that I can't hear what you're saying?" Maybe you have as much right getting into the faces of cheaters, Phil, as Dr. Laura does to women who pose nekkid for men to whom they are "not legally wed."

I mean, if people want to ask for your advice and you're paid to give it, hunky dory. But table that righteous indignation along with the bullying tone. You are rapidly becoming a bag of pop culture catch phrases, and they have a very short shelf life. (How's that workin' for ya? Soft place to fall. Here comes the judge !Where's the beef? ...Get it Phil?)

I was just getting ready to post this same thing. I saw the stuff in Big Lots in Springdale, AR on vacation and now I've seen them here in Hot Springs, AR. I can't eat the darn stuff because there's still too much sugar in it (not that I would buy his crap anyway) and I'm diabetic.

Thanks for the links Snowdog. The "Shrink Wrapped" one was really interesting to me. I think that's the first show that caused me to start to question DP. The whole thing seemed edited to discredit two nice women with interesting things to say.

Gemmadoll:

I saw her briefly on some bio of Phil, last year. She seemed likable, not bitter, with a nice wry sense of humor. I think the marriage was fairly short and all she really said was that she realized she wasn't Phil's type, that he prefered the froo-froo type with lots of make-up and fake boobs. Hee. I hope she makes a killing on those mugs - others could say "I demanded more of myself," "That dog wouldn't hunt," "a hard place to fall"...

Tell me, did her voice sound like river rock being poured through a sausage grinder or was that an acquired taste for Phil?

BTW, I wonder if she promised to keep it zipped for a bit of cash reward? If I had an ex husband who made millions after our divorce selling bad advice and diet shakes I think I'd blackmail him from here to next Tuesday. ("I shall require a vacation cottage on Martha's Vineyard to forget the whole drunk-with-my-thong-on thing, Phil. That also includes shredding the polaroids.")

re: shrink wrapped. Yeooowww, thanks snow dog, that was interesting -- great link! I'm only surprised at how blatantly he sets these things up, then the author mentioned that he is just drawing on his expertise at setting up courtroom wins. My view is the only view, and since it's my show and my editing, I will ensure that my view is the only one that ever sounds rational or right. And if you insist on continuing to disagree, I'll toss up my hands and act long-suffering at your irrational expense.

Gyahhh, it's enough to make you (almost) feel sorry for Stacy. percolata, hard place to fall? Priceless!

Bets on when the Phil's Phabulous Phall happens? It has to be a Martha-sized fall, with various networks cancelling their subscribtions to the show.

Off topic: someone asked me a few pages back how Flylady was working for me. Well, I'm not behind! And I can honestly say that since I started, the house is not a humongous embarassment to me, so if my MIL were to drop by, I wouldn't want to completely sink through the floor. Most days, I go to (my made) bed with a clean kitchen, picked up clothes and only a small "Mt. Washmore". I also subscribed to the menu-mailer, and although I only use it sporadically, everything I've tried has been a hit. How about you?

Did anyone else feel like they were trapped in the Twilight Zone during today's WLC show? There are no words.

Hi all. I am a long time TWoPer but have just recently started reading this wonderful thread. It is wonderful because now I know that there are others out there who think that Dr. Phil is an asshat.

I actually used to like Dr. Phil back when he was on Oprah. I only saw him occasionally and he seemed to give good no-nonsense advice. He was a little corny but he seemed genuine. But now, watching his show often gives me the heeby-jeebies (and that's just when I see Robin's pinched little face). And now reading this thread I realize that he's worse than I thought!

It's not that you have to be perfect to hand out good advice. That's not it. Even a guy with a bad first marriage can tell a person who spends too much money to stop and find out why she does it. It's just common sense really. What bugs me about him is, well, there are so many things:

1. His shows seem just a little too staged and now thanks to the excellent link above, we know that they are. I know it is for entertainment purposes, but did they think that guest wouldn't talk?
2. The.gifts.have.got.to.stop. This is not the Price Is Right. "Erin and Marty, you have fucked up your kids royally! Johnny, tell them what they have won!"
3. We get it. You wrote a book. One day I half way expect that I will find a copy of his book under my couch while I am watching his show.
4. Corn-pone wisdom and bullying are fine if the person has a simple problem that is not earth-shattering (i.e. "I don't like the way my boyfriend dresses"). But it is irresponsible and perhaps borderline malpractice to bring on guest with serious problems (i.e. serious marital problems) and then give them half-assed advice.
5. If you are going to throw your "perfect" marriage into everyone's face, then at least be a man and mention your first "imperfect" marriage. Otherwise STFU.
6. Using your totally unqualified wife and son to give serious counseling is just wrong. What the hell do they know?

I wonder how much of this is created by the people who "handle" Dr. Phil. Could they have told him to use Robin as a prop or was that his own brilliant idea? Clearly the producers do the staging of the shows. And I am sure his "people" encourage him to Shil his book. But still, as he always says "how's that working for you?" Asshat.

Welcome, Medigal, it always feels good to convert someone over from the dark side, although I agree that DP was good on Oprah. Maybe we can only stomach small doses.

The WLC: I wish that everyone got presents when they lost weight. Because I am on schedule to drop about 30+ lbs. soon, and I would love a hot tub.

GOOD ONE!!
hmmmm... so you say this guy wrote a book?? hhhmmmmm....
next your going to tell me he put out like diet food or something!!
go figure.

And a big Wordy McWord to:

I'm starting to get frustrated with my own counselor for not rewarding any of my breakthroughs!
I can't seem to convince her how much it would help ME if she could finance my vacation... or at least a gift certificate for someplace.

And as far as the pre-interview videos that supposedly tell their "story". Could the production on those be any more lame??!!
So is it the universal sign for marriage problems when a couple stands back-to-back??
That's great especially when they tape a psycho parent and the rest of the family has to experience the hell "for the camera"!!

You're welcome folks! Sometimes I think I need to go on DP's show to deal with my obsession for digging up dirt on DP.

The "Shrink Wrapped" story cleared up some confusion for me. I've been fat for 15+ years and I've never had an adult call me fat or make rude remarks at the salad bar, so I was bumfuzzled when I heard the "hidden microphone" comments some of the thin people made. It's just so sneaky and unethical for DP's crew to pay someone to say nasty things to catch it on film, but it's nothing new for them. Heh, y'all already know how I feel about the Kid With Knives segment.



HA! Guess we all need to vacuum under the couch more often.

Oh, and I love FlyLady, Hexele. The program helps me keep organized. I think DP should have her on the show everytime he has a family that needs help keeping their lives running smoothly.

First ElDeMarge said
Then our new pal Medigal said

and I felt so cleansed.

I never saw such a long, boring, tasteless display of conspicuous consumption in my whole life. The forced enthusiam just never let up. It wasn't enough to have a guitar signed by Lyle Lovett and presented by Leann Womack we had to hear Phil say it cost five thousand dollars! I'll bet the audience was exhausted from all the squealing and clapping and grinning. They should win fabulous prizes.