Love it Professor Soap. Reminds me of one of my favorite June Carter/Johnny Cash song lines:

Soap, thanks for saying that. You know what? Shill doesn't really know what in the fuck he is talking about when it comes to this marriage thing, because every single one of us is different, so therefore we don't all conform to the same standard. Mr. C and I got together in autumn 1992, courted for two and half years, had an 16 month engagement, and married in May 1996. The truth of the matter is, for us anyway, we were pretty much married to each other by the middle of our first date...which was, ironically, a wedding of one of his fraternity brothers! We just knew that we were meant for each other, and we've been together ever since.

My mom and dad married when they were 21 and 24, respectively. They literally were "'til death do us part," married for 30 years at the time of dad's death. My in-laws are the same way: married right out of college, and have stayed married for 42 years now.

Shill is becoming insufferable in lording all over people, thinking he's the only one with the answers. Anyone who has been in therapy or knows a therapist understands that a true therapist provides NO answers...merely suggestions. The point of therapy is coming up with the answers yourself. I consider myself to have a great therapist who has helped me many many times in many many ways, but at no time has he ever told me what to do with my life. He has made many helpful suggestions, he has lent a supportive and objective ear, he has listed alternatives for me to consider, but never gotten all bossy and sanctimonious like the Shill. That's just not what therapy is about.

percolata:

Word, percolata. I really wonder what happened to the cats in the nearly-bankrupt and short-on-time family that also had a lizard and several dogs. Why did DP tell them to keep the dogs instead of the cars? I've had dogs and cats, and dogs are harder and more time-consuming to take care of.

Seriously. If I have to watch Dr. Phil heave his big, bloated ass up onto his high horse to preach at someone one more time, I am going to lose it. Come on Oprah; it is high time you threw on your ass-kicking boots and put Dr. Shill back in his rightful place.

I hate Robin. She is smarmy and pretentious. And unable to shop for herself, apparently. Ick.

Everytime a Booty Camp video shows a person eating a healthy meal with one hand and holding Dr. Phil's book with the other, please take a drink.

And I'm sorry, but I can't get all excited about these women going from a size 12 down to a size 8. Those are both healthy weights (sizes, whatever) and Dr. Phil seems to be doing his best to make every woman think that the smaller she is, the better she is. He's not saving their lives, he's giving them complexes so they should just save their tears of admiration for someone else.

Preach it! A size 12 is not fat! A size 12 is my skinniest natural weight ever. Why is this? Genetics. All of the women in my family have tits and ass. There's no other way to put it. We have generous cup sizes and round bottoms. We are also on the short side.

This body shape tends to lend itself to some chubbiness. I hated myself and my shape for a long time. I starved myself and smoked like a chimney in order to get to size 12. I was thin...but I wasn't healthy. I smoked two packs of Marlboro Reds every day. If I ate, it was lettuce or perhaps some ramen noodles; most of the time I just guzzled Diet Coke and SlimFast shakes. I still hated myself. I still saw "elephant" every time I looked in the mirror.

Now, through quitting smoking, taking lithium, and turning 30, I have put on weight and am now a 14/16 (women's sizes are unreliable). I'm not as thin, but now I am healthy. I kicked a deadly habit and got on the right medications. What's more, I got my head on straight about my size and my looks. I have boobs and a butt. What's wrong with that? Plenty of men like that look, especially Mr. Complicated. So I'll never be Elle MacPherson. Even at my skinniest, no one was going to mistake me for her.

Love the idea of taking a drink every time the book is shown. Couple that with Self Matters, and you'd be on to a solid drunk before the first commercial.

My mother lost fifty pounds by doing Weight Watchers and her thinnest was a size 14. She looked emaciated, quite frankly. It's all relative.

Word. I have just started a weight loss program becuase I want to start trying to have a baby over the summer. I have at minimum 70 lbs to loose before I'm a chubby-healthy weight, let alone before I get to weight loss for looks' sake. It depresses the hell out of me to see women below my target weight crying about how much they need to loose. Its quite discouraging to people with serious obesity issues.
God bless these women who feel great for having lost 25 lbs, its very nice for them and all, but boo-freakin'-hoo, they hardly deserve to be lauded as weight warriors. Much as I hate Richard Simmons, at least when he gets all emotional and self-congratulatory about how much he's helped someone, he's actually helped someone and the former fatty has typically lost 50-150 lbs.

Also, that woman who said "I look hot!" (christy, I think), so DOESN'T, with the Farrah Faucet throwback hair. Ugh. Crying over 25 lbs!

Word to all of you, particularly about the "size" fixation. During my skinny, 2 packs of cigs a day, years, my closet had clothes (all fitting perfectly) in every size from 12 (K-mart) to 2 (Sax's). As one comedian once said, "If you have enough money you can wear any size you want."

DP is way messed up about what makes an ideal weight. Under all my current fat I have a frame like Robin's. Size four ring, tiny wrists, etc. I can actually weigh as little as 105 without looking gaunt, but for Dr Phil to hold large framed, hour glass shaped women to these same size and weight standards is really, really wrong. I'd like to see the legendary 150lb Sophia Loren strut across his stage and slap his big bald face. Beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes and it's about time he admitted that.

Yeah, and that one who thought she looked "hot" made me sick, too. She reminded those awful Special K ads a few years back where the women are in front of the mirror in their little bikinis talking about how they look like rock stars, etc. Ugh. If it's going to make you conceited- don't eat it, girls!

Confession: I love Richard Simmons - I lost 60 pounds a few years back on his Move Groove and Lose, program. Very sensible and healthy.

I love Sophia Loren, percolata, and would pay good money to see that!

I like Richard Simmons too. He may be a little weird, but he's a good motivator and will travel all over the country to visit people who've written to him for help. He's done more for morbidly obese people than DP ever will.

So many astute observations, so little time...



See? That's the key. Every body is different. There is no one formula that applies to each body type. Like I said before, I'm a woman who comes from a long line of curvy women. Honest-to-God curvy. I take a medication that has a whopping potential for weight gain (18 lbs. for me, but some people gain over 100 lbs. on lithium). And this may sound silly, but I'm a Midwesterner...we're solidly built gals in Ohio. Farming folk.

I have had two doctors in the last five years tell me not to worry about the number I see on the scale and the size on the tags in my dresses. Although both numbers are high, both doctors say that I am almost ridiculously healthy (praise heaven), save for my chronic illness. All of my body parts are working right. I have all of my limbs. My cholestrol is pretty good, and my heart is strong. That's what I choose to focus on these days, rather than some silly number.

It's truly a cliche to say this, but it's true: it's all about attitude. I can honestly say that I have an easier time with both sexes at this size than I did when I was my thinnest. At this size, I am comfortable with myself. When I was my thinnest, I was a mess, and it showed.



Marilyn Monroe. Jayne Mansfield. Emme. Dorothy Stratten. Carrie Otis. Bebe Buell. Patti Hansen. Gia Carangi. Jennifer Lopez. Kate Winslet. Julie Parrish. Monica Bellucci. Oprah Winfrey. All of the beautiful women on Soul Food. And those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head.

True story: both Cindy Crawford and Elle MacPherson were turned away from some of the couture houses in Paris because the designers said they were "too fat" to model their clothes. They found work doing the Alta Moda in Milan, where Italian designers have more of an appreciation for curves.



I like Richard Simmons too. My reason for liking him is because he has been terribly overweight himself. He remembers how painful it can be, and he is compassionate about it. He hugs those in distress and listens to how they feel. He is not a smug, smarmy, self-serving asshole whose idea of "helping" is folksy unfunny sayings and drill sergeant techniques.

Guys, I read last night about how Dr. Shill is working Oprah's very last nerve, particularly over this weight loss stuff. Well, that makes sense, doesn't it? Oprah has struggled with weight issues her entire life. She finally seems to be comfortable with her size and IMHO, she has never looked more beautiful. I hadn't seen her show for a while and the other day I was waylaid with a headache and feeling sorry for myself on the couch...wow, she looks fantastic!

The article went on to say that "sources" say Oprah is also disgusted with the program becoming the "McGraw Family Fun Hour," with Jay offering advice, and now Robin getting into the act.

Speaking of Robin, I caught the show where she takes the women who lost the weight for a shopping trip and spa day on Rodeo Drive. I just wanted to barf so much. First, it was funny...Mr. Complicated was in the room at the time, took one look at the TV screen, saw Robin, and said, "Botox much?" Also, I didn't like the implication that you can only treat yourself to pretty new clothes and luxurious spa treatments if you have been "good" and lost weight. Nuts to that! I drag my 14/16 self to the salon regularly because while I may be overweight by the Shill's standards, I still get my look together! I couldn't believe that nonsense.

Then...and this just about gave me a myocardial infarction...did you catch Shill's comment back in the studio about how "Robin knows all of the places to go on Rodeo, and believe me, my wallet knows it"? (words to that effect?) What is this, an episode of I Love Lucy, where Ricky makes Lucy take a cocktail hat back to the store because it was too much money? I'm willing to forgive that kind of sexist attitude on Lucy because it was fifty years ago. The hell with Dr. Shill's attitude, though? The Big Bad Man makes the money, and The Little Woman spends it?

Now I have a vivid picture in my head of Robin crying "Dr Phil! Why can't I be in the shooooow?!?!".

Amen, percolata. I'm a post-baby size 12/14 but I've always been hour-glassed, even, dare I say, voluptuous. I also run 5Ks and want to do a half-marathon within a year. Often I look like a buffalo in a herd of gazelles and have the most damnable time trying to find athletic clothes that fit "round". (If you've ever seen BBC's What Not to Wear, I look like Suzanne, definitely not Trinny!)

I try to ignore the societal pressures, but it's hard to not feel "bad" about not being waifish. My opinion is DP doesn't help. And word, Cgirl, about rewarding folks only when they've been "good". I'm a advocate of the FlyLady system: love yourself NOW, treat yourself to the good things NOW. Only when you feel better about yourself and accept yourself as a whole will you be able to change the things you don't like. Waiting for the magical day that you're a size 4 before you buy pretty underwear will leave you feeling undeserving and in ragged cotton drawers for way too long.

I totally agree with everyone here. DP does nothing to help the body image/weight issue in this country. It's fine for him to say to people who are 300lbs. that they need to get off their can and hit his crappy book if it'll work for them, but to people who are healthy anyway, who the fuck cares?

I was a size 14-16, 5 or 6 years ago but I was unhappy. A lot of people are fine with that. I'm a lot like many of you, my genes are short with a tendancy to look heavy even at the slightest weight gain. So a 14 made me look like a giant clown punching bag. That was what made me frustrated, not the number size. I'm now much smaller but not because that's what's accepted by others, but because that's the way I like it. I keep up with work outs and my diet. Different strokes for different folks is really the only thing that works in weight loss, I eventually found out.

BTW, what ever happened to the 600lb. lady? Did they ever follow up?

katymo, she's probably off having bariatric surgery! No, we haven't seen a follow-up on the 600 lb. woman, or DP's fat relatives, for that matter.

I refuse to watch the booty camp shows. I think it's perfectly valid to help people who are obese and want to lose weight because the extra poundage is a health risk/making them feel miserable (as it was for most of the WLC participants). However, the booty camp concept just seems to be trying to make women conform to a very narrow standard of beauty.

I read an article in the paper the other day about how upscale women's clothing companies are cutting their garments much more generously to make their customers feel thin ("wow, I can fit into a size 4"!). There was an interview with a woman who refuses to buy anything in a size 6. Here is a link to the article.

You don't need to have a size in the single digits to be healthy and feel good about yourself. Focusing so much on the numbers on the scale, as the booty camp shows do, strikes me as very UNhealthy.

Not to mention, Richard Simmons is thin now. Do people just do anything Dr. Phil says? He's a fat guy giving out diet advice as if he didn't have a problem. Psssssssst, Dr. Phil : YOU'RE FAT TOO! Don't think that just because you yell at and judge fat people, most people can't realize that you could stand to lose a little or a lot of weight yourself!

Just finished watching the latest debacle with Stacy and Chris. omygod. Hopeless.

Stacy went after Chris when she first met him because he was teaching golf and training for a place on the golf tour. She truly thought that she was going to be a golf professional's wife and have lots and lots of money. THAT'S why she married him! She was never in love with him....period. She's always been a skank and always will be a skank.

Chris whines about being the product of divorce. Well, get over it. He's had more than enough support from his family and took the help when it suited him but chose to ignore everyone when everyone shrieked 'don't marry her'!

He wants 'closeness, a bonding, a happy and peaceful marriage'. She wants a 'joyful peace, a big front porch with a swing and a JEEP'! I'm dying laughing!

Chris has never been nor will he ever be an intellectual giant but no one deserves this shit from anyone. When you're kissing up to bankruptcy, do you go out and gamble your paycheck because you just KNOW that you're going to make a killing? And Brianne is her mother's daughter through and through. She learns well. Hmmm, wonder why Chris doesn't connect with Brianne.

This guy is so manipulated by these two women and he doesn't see any of it. They are both sucking the life out of him. Is it any wonder that he's disconnected? This isn't an excuse for him. It's a prayer that he might just grow a brain.

Looks like "next time" DP may be throwing up his hands with the FUF2 (join the club, DP!). Or, that's what he's going to threaten and Skankcy is going to tearfully agree to change. Interesting that he says she has been abusive to his staff.

So the only guest willing to stand up to him is going to get beaten down. Too bad I can't stand the skank and believe she deserves that and more. Much more. Looottts more. Heavy objects should drop. Heavy pointed objects. Did I mention I can't stand this skanky ho?

ETA: oooh, this is interesting. An article in Salon (you have to "watch a commercial" to get a pass to the article, but it isn't too painful) Click here.

DrCher: So are you a mom?

Chris really needs to get out of that relationship. Take your baby and run, Chris.

She is abusive to everyone. She deserves no credit for standing up to DP. She's a bitch on wheels.

Stacy is the one who wanted the help. But! Just to 'turn around' Michael and Chris. Stacy? Oh, there's nothing wrong with her~! My ass. I'm looking forward to the real showdown when DP lays it on her.

Believe me, I'm no fan of DP but I'm less a fan of Crazy Stacy.

I find it fascinating that Stacy chooses to be a Mormon, but then rebels against many of the religion's core beliefs concerning morality of its members. She then chooses to write to DP to help her family, but when DP gives her an assignment, she rebels and decides to do the assignment her way. This is in addition to her being difficult through the entire process. This woman clearly has issues with authority. I would be interested in finding out more about her background.

BTW, my husband came up with a solution to FUF2's financial problems. He suggested that Chris send Stacy out to prostitute herself. If she insists on being a skanky ho, why not make some money from it?

Thanks, Hexele, for the link about Dr. Shill. It will help me with the column I am writing about him for my blog. I didn't realize the amount of animosity I have for this man until I started writing it all down.

When I'm done, I'll post the link.

a thousand times YES! How about when Phil just gave up on her after she insisted that she HAD done the homework -- "OK, you're right." You can just tell that she's one of those people who will NEVER admit that she's wrong. Even when confronted with the tape that showed her saying "Chris should thank his lucky stars" that she got pregnant & adopted out another man's baby, she had some lame excuse. I must admit that I will be a little bit sorry if DP kicks 'em to the curb, because I find them so fascinatingly dysfunctional.

I am not surprised to hear Stacy has been abusive to the DP staff. They obviously hate her -- remember a few weeks ago, when she was given time to make her speech about how she was the victim of poor editing and how we weren't getting the "whole picture" of who she really is, and as she was talking, she was identified with the caption, "Has cheated on her husband three times."



bwah!!!!! thank your husband for the laugh of the day!

This pretty much says it all I think. *snerk*

I also loved how she's such a devout Mormon, yet couldn't even find the time to pray with her husband every day.
Man, this woman just blows me away with how delusional and hypocritical she is.
The jeep comment did crack me up.

I laughed at the Jeep thing too! Oh poor me, I'm SO aware of the cameras! Bah, WTF is with this bitch? Like some of you, as much as DP annoys me, he was so much more right than Slutty Stacy was. She's just not even trying! He was at least trying to be affectionate to this shrew hooker (she should!) of a wife and she can't even do her assignment. I was hoping DP would punch her in the face. As anti violence against women as I am, she deserves a good pop (after the baby is born). That poor baby, what did it ever do? God I hate that. Women who are dying to be parents end up barren and fuckfaces like Stacy pop em out like they're prizes at the country fair. Grrr!

Been watching Dr. Phil off and on for the past while and I'm not happy at all with what I've been seeing. It seems to me that DP never goes far enough with the advice he gives, which usually boils down to "do it". I'm all for "just do it" (sometimes you need to cut through the crap and just do what you know you should) but often that's not enough, and it's certainly not enough for everyone. Telling someone who is feeling overwhelmed, afraid and resistant to "just do it" doesn't work. A little emotional nurturing doesn't hurt, DP. And sometimes you need to hold someone's hand for a while and lead them down where they say they want to go.

Take today's show with Stacy and Chris. DP says "think of one thing you can do TODAY to make your marriage better". Fine. Not bad advice. Stacy says "I'm not sure how" (or at least she indicates it) and Chris dances around the fact that he also doesn't know what he's doing. These people AREN'T friends and each of them have truck loads of emotional baggage that has been interfering with their marriage (and their lives) for what seems like forever. What does DP do? He gets in Stacy's face about her not communicating clearly to the producers and has the nerve to say "do you want to be right?" when she speaks her point of view about it. Do you want to be right, DP? Can't you just say "there must have been a misunderstanding there" and move on? No, he pushed it, even going so far as to replay a tape of her. I realize he was trying to make a point about her judgement and perspective, but it seemed to me like he had a deer-in-the-headlights moment when he realized she may not feel what she expressed on the tape. I could totally hear him thinking "oh shit, all my analysis of her may be wrong!". I seriously question what type of "research" he does on his guests. Taped segments and producer's notes do not make research, DP. I remember a Dr. Phil show a long while back featuring single women trying to date (it was actually a series). One of the women was reading a list she had made. DP told her to read her "top three" on the list (I think it had to do with her internal beliefs and dialogue about herself). She read them. He made fun of her saying something about "out of all the items on your list, these were the ones you picked?!?!?" She said "well, one of your producers told me to say these!!!". They quickly moved on to the next person. When I saw that, I stopped trusting that what I was seeing was legit. I view everything said on Dr. Phil with skepticism.

And the "next week" previews for FUF1 scared the daylights out of me. Why are they still entertaining the idea of Alex dating? Why is DP dealing with "meeting the boy she wants to date" and treating Alex like she's a 40 year old woman deciding to get into the dating scene? I respect Alex's choices - I'm not suggesting she be treated like she's property or restricting her to the point of insanity, but give me a break - she's 15 years old! And a new mother! They talk about her dating like she's deciding to go to the store. And it's clear to me now more than ever DP is exploiting this poor, dysfunctional family for ratings.



Disgusting.

Apologies for the length, been reading the Dr. Phil thread for a while. Lot's of bottled-up DP snark.

I remember that show, and it sickened me. No "therapist" worth his or her salt would ever belittle someone seeking their counsel.

I've said all of this before, but I must bring it up again: I am currently in therapy for my manic depression. I will be in therapy for the rest of my life for it. It is a necessary component of my treatment. Because of my illness, I see the world differently than a "normal" person would. I had to learn how to deal with my unique view of the world.

Man, have I had some crazy fears, particularly when my father died and I had my nervous breakdown four years ago. I was not a rational person. I was afraid of the everyday things that we contend with every day: driving to work, holding down a job, sleeping at night...the list goes on and on. With the help of my therapist, I have learned to deal with my fears and get on with my life.

There is NO WAY I could have possibly made all of that progress with a therapist as judgmental as Dr. Phil is. There is no way whatsoever. When a person is in crisis and seeking help, the worst thing you could possibly do to them is belittle their problems and fears. The problems may not seem like anything of consequence to the therapist, but to the patient, they are very real and can be very overwhelming.

Sometimes a therapist just needs to listen, something that the Shill isn't terribly good at.

Sometimes a therapist just needs to hug his or her patient, because the patient needs the reassurance and affection. The only person Shill would want to hug is himself.

A therapist should never, ever be judgmental. He or she can offer their opinion on the things that the patient has done, but the patient should never be made to feel bad for their actions.

I just cannot imagine going to someone like Shill in the aftermath of my dad's death and telling him that I was afraid to go to sleep or that the thought of holding down a job was overwhelming. I can just see the smug smile, the mugging for the audience, and the "well, how's that working for you?" Not any better than your stupid "advice" is, you asshole.

complicatedgirl, word. I have been in a somewhat similar situation with my therapist, needing that non-judgmental person to talk to and get perspective and advice from. I hate to think where I would be today if my therapist was anything like DP. I would be a cowering mess, afraid to leave my house or eat more than 60 calories a day lest I vary from his view of what makes a "healthy" woman.
He says his show is not therapy but for the people who go to him for help, I think that they often think it is. I don't know if this is because they are desperate or just stupid but they clearly think that he can solve their problems and are willing to put up with his crap. It almost makes me sick.
By the way, I'm no fan of Oprah but I would really love to see her put him in his place.

Just read the Salon.com article about Phil. Very interesting. You know, I always take all articles about famous people with a grain of salt, b/c if you know many details of anybody's life and dislike them, you can find things that they've done wrong, no matter who they are.

That being said, that article freaked me the heck out. Does anybody know when the thing with "Bambi" happened? Lately, a long time ago? I've never heard anything about that! Weird ...

You know, I just can't bring myself to feel sorry for Chris. I mean, I think he's sincere and everything, but he's sooooo dumb. I feel a little sorry for him, but I just can't shake the feeling that he thought he was going to 'save' Stacey and this is just what you get when you get involved with somebody who's life is in a constant crisis (of their own making).

Oh snap! Oprah's getting mad? Who wants to bet that Dr. Phil ends up in the Las Vegas desert, rolled up in a rug with a bullet through his head? Don't fuck with Oprah; she got connections, yo.



I hate Stacy, don't get me wrong, but I got the warm fuzzies when she started challenging Dr. Phil. What really made me mad was when he said that Chris wasn't a lot of fun to be around and started laughing and making fun about Chris. Hey fucktard? This man's life is in ruins, okay? He's not going to be freakin' Mary Poppins.

There are lots of think to bash DP for, but he is not fat. You can't argue on the one hand that he should be more accepting of women with curves, like Oprah, and then on the the other hand be so picky about DP as to call him "FAT!" and say he a problem as if he was John Candy. DP is tall and has that footballer's build, but even with that, when they show the ever-popular clips of him in shorts and a tee-shirt playing tennis the only extra weight I see is just a bit of a pot belly (not big enough to notice when he's wearing suits).

In other news, Stacy is a sociopath.

I actually was quite angry on Skanky's behalf.

BTW, even though I call her that for rhyming fun I think she has many good qualities, improved, and redeemed. I applaud her for having the courage to stand-up to Dr. Phil and his ignoramus studio audience.

First of all, we got instant replay on that tape of her saying Chris should be grateful about the affair and Bodhan, something like 4 times. Secondly, I believe she was saying it with ironic intent, in the sense that the fiasco of the affair(s) and the baby convinced her she needed help and that it was what led to it and so Chris ought to be grateful. I think she knows he wouldn't be directly grateful but was trying to suggest that some good could come of it. Of course, she didn't articulate it well, and since such subtlety and irony would be lost on "Your-either-see-REALITY (As I see it!)-or-your-just-plain-psychotic!" DP -- whose brain still hasn't apparently mastered much beyond black and white and thinking -- nothing she could have said would likely have done the trick.

As for the much ballyhooed exercise, yeah, she did not do the exercise exactly as assigned, but she went along with the spirit of it (With a Good Spirit!), but that just won't do because as we all know by now it's always gotta be Dr. Phil's Way or The Highway!

What Stacy should have said was that she didn't do EXACTLY or ALL of what he asked but she did as much as she felt comfortable with which was what I think she was trying to say but rather badly. Also, why is there no feedback mechanism for guests to tell Dr. Phil what they are and are not comfortable with? Why does this man demand ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE? You know why he's so saintly with Robin... (?) ... because he's probably a shit everywhere else and to everyone else!

And I can't completely disagree with her, having to sit down each day and think up something new to salvage a tired-ass marriage with a fool you don't respect is a rather odious task. I actually think Stacy's idea was far more realistic because it takes time to observe your partner and see what is working or not though some internal daily meditation on the matter isn't a bad idea. But I object to his thinking that she needs to bow before his altar and say it all each day.

If Dr. Phil were REALLY interested in helping people -- or even in being a true scientist -- he would give them his ongoing feedback and recommendations and then observe the choices they made and the results they obtained. Instead, he is more determined then ever to be right and to be obeyed!

As Next Week's preview proves, it looks like Dr. Phil is getting ready to finally crush Stacy (Or at least get her to submit!) by way of The Usual Narcissistic/Threatened/Sexist/Conservative Male Retribution because a woman actually stood up to him.

I'm actually looking forward next week to see how he attempts to crush her. I can see it now, he claims she was abusive to his staff but what they probably found abusive was that she didn't worship HIM (Their God Dr. Phil), told them he wasn't always right and was abusive, and that perhaps they need to learn to think for themselves and be with a man who doesn't require that women follow him with their hand on his shoulder.

Chris is limited.

Stacy is downright maliciously cruel.

Its a statement on both of their behalves that they find themselves in this situation, as any self respecting man would have left Stacey a long time ago. Chris is no martyr, he's a masochist.

Still, I think you're giving her too much credit for badly attempting to describe the irony of the situation. I'm afraid she's simply not a nice human being. Sometimes it can be that simple.

Complicatedgirl and timeonmyhands; just wanted to go off topic for one second and say that you're both funny, smart and very intuitive and I'm way impressed at how you've managed to get on top of your illnesses. Great work on really hard tasks.

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Did you guys hear Dwana say she had a child? OMG. DP does get credit for getting past her defensive attitude with understanding and not smacking her.

What the heck is her mother thinking? The way to keep your child safe in a dangerous neighborhood is to teach them how to avoid and diffuse trouble not how to escalate it. I've always hated the "If somebody hits you, hit them back," advice. We're not animals, we have words.

Awww shucks, percolata. You've left me speechless, a hard thing to do!

Sure I can. I think he should stop preaching that everyone should be a certain size to be happy when he himself is not svelte. Sorry, I do think he's fat. If I went to a dentist who was giving me lectures on oral hygiene and he had only 3 or 4 gross, brown teeth, I still wouldn't listen to his advice either. Similarly, I would never buy a diet product from a guy with a pot belly.

percolata, thanks for saying that. I don't mean to go on and on about my therapeutic experiences, but I am just outraged that this man would behave so irresponsibly on television and then think it's all okay by saying, "But hey, this isn't therapy, it's entertainment."

Tell me this much: if what he is doing is entertainment, how come no one under the care of a shrink is allowed to be either a guest or audience member? If it's truly entertainment, there should be no harm, right?

Soapy, I don't know where I stand on Skanky Stacy. On the one hand, I really admire her for not buying into Shill's bullshit. She is a real challenge to him, you can tell, and he's just not used to that. Also, how passive-aggressive was it for him to pull the old "Okay, you're right" on her. I use that in arguments with my Mr. Complicated, for Christ's sake. I half expected him to start saying "Whatever! Whatever!"

On the other hand, I think Skanky Stacy is just malevolent. Just an awful little person who thinks the entire planet exists to serve her. Her poor henpecked husband...you can clearly see he isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and I believe he is earnest in wanting to make things with Skanky work.

Mr. Complicated was hilarious last night while watching bits and pieces of the show: "That woman got three men to marry her? How? Man, she must know a trick or two in the bedroom. She had how many affairs? And that guy was stupid enough to take her back?"

So from that aspect, I am sort of looking forward to a Skanky Smackdown from the Shill. It should make for entertaining television.

And what's Brianne's problem? Like mother, like daughter, much?

Today's show had me seething.
Did I hear that bully during the credits right? She has a child? Christ.

I wanted to punch her mom in the face. "I didn't get involved because it wasn't my problem." Yes, dumbass, it was your problem. It is your problem. You trained your child that it's okay if she stomps on some girl's head because she alledgedly touched/hit your child--whatever incident your child decides to accuse her of that minute.

I was actually pretty satisfied with this show. It was nice to see "out of control teens!" on a show other than Maury.

How old was she? She looked like she couldn't be more than 13 or 14 years old. When I was watching this show, I wanted to be mad at the bullies but in the end I just felt sorry for them. It's really obvious that Dwana had been abused and/or victimized at some point in her life judging by the way she reacted when a person (allegedly) touched her in a way she didn't like and by how she acted on the show; it sickens me that her mother just let her fall through the cracks. The male bully at the end had been bullied himself. While the bullies are responsible for their behavior, the level of passivity of the parents is both astounding and infuriating. That is your child, as long as they are under the age of 18 it is your legal right to tell them what to do; allowing them to beat up on other children and refusing to do anything about it is just too wrong for words. In suitations like this, it is neccessary to hold the children responsible for their actions but also realize that when children are victimized , they often lack the maturity to deal with the situation correctly; most of the time they either act out or do what was done to them. The parents have absolutely no excuse in the world for letting their children act this way.

Mimi10022


Word! I thought I was the only one who thinks DP looks out of shape. Everytime I see him talking about other people losing weight, I'm like "Damn! Pot? Meet Kettle!" And his stupid son with the fat girly booty! Who's gonna help them lose weight?

Sorry, I just cannot connect with the thinking that would call someone with DP's body "fat and gross." Comparing him to a dentist with just a few rotting teeth is acting like he was of Marlon Brando size and had to be airlifted out of his house. But then again, I also can't connect with the people who think a Skeletor-looking Angelina Jolie is "perfect," either, to me she just looks bony, and it's someone like Kate Winslet who looks normal (but she gets the "fat" label all the time, too).

DP plays tennis every day and he plays hard (a FOAF used to see him on the courts) so he is definitely in shape. I haven't seen any of his weight loss shows but I did see him on The Tonight Show once say that he didn't have an Adonis, Tom Cruise type body, but he's healthy and not into hyper-examining bodies for any trace of fat, and his goal for these people was to get them in a safe weight range that will save their health, get them to eat right and start exercising. He said he wanted them in shape, not necessarily skinny.

I only saw the little girl bully yesterday. I knew she was a ticking timebomb just from the way she was sitting, her body language. When DP asked if she wanted to get to therapy and maybe talk to someone in her neighborhood, she immediately came in with, "I don't have a problem!" If she wasn't on TV she wouldn't thrown a massive tantrum, you could tell.

Her mother is something I've seen countless times. The doormat parent with the out-of-control kid. She knows her kid is messed up,, but it's more important to feel as if she's victimized and her kid is victimized by the big bad <insert name here: cops, courts, CPS, the school, the other kids>. That girl is a goner, I think: she'll go through life getting in trouble and never think she's wrong because it's already set in her mind that she is The Victim in every circumstance.

Those bullies were assholes. I can't believe they said that one had a kid! WTF? It was pretty obvious she did have a problem and she knew it, she just didn't want everyone to see it on TV which is understandable I guess. I hate it when a guest will say something stupid and DP looks into the camera like "this moron is shittin' me". Yeah the guest was stupid, but it bugs! I don't think DP is fat. He's a big dude, I wouldn't call him skinny at all, but he seems like the beer gut is relatively small and he seems solid for the most part.

Watching the show though, I realize how freaking lucky I was to never have been bullied or punched or kicked at school. I'm a girl and I know its not as common as boys as far as being physical, but it still happens a lot. I was very fortunate.

Yeah, that's where the "entertainment" as oppose to actual therapy (or even really trying to help somebody) comes in. He's doing that to get a laugh, as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't help the person who's being stupid.

I was the victim of bullying, severe bullying, when I was in grade school and junior high school. I went to a Catholic school where there were only 30 students in each class. The popular girl clique had it out for me from about fifth grade on, and truly made my life a living hell.

I was called names that hurt me to this day. Rumors were spread about me (one was that I was a lesbian, one was that I had head lice...neither of which is true, and there is nothing wrong with being a lesbian, anyway). I was also physically assaulted on the playground countless times. I recall one time in particular where I was shoved so hard I fell to the concrete, bloodying my palms and knees.

Pretty tame stuff compared to what these kids had to endure.

You'll see Dwana again...on the evening news, being arrested for some heinous crime. She is a classic case of an individual who was almost born to live her life in the penal system. She is a product of generations of abuse and outright ignorance. She's in her young teens, a mere baby herself, and she has a baby. I am a volunteer with the juvenile and family courts and I see a hundred Dwanas each week. What's worse, I see a hundred Dwana's Single Mothers each week, sitting in the courtroom, "supporting" her child, having the audacity to talk back to the judge when he actually tries to discipline the little bully. The system is against her child, you see. The cops are, too. The County Attorney is. Not to mention the child who was assaulted, and his or her family. Everyone is against her child except her. You know, because her "support" of her child means providing absolutely no discipline whatsoever and instilling deep in the child that the child is a victim, and always will be.

I don't have any answers as to how to break the cycle. I realize that Dwana is probably not that much at fault for her actions; it was obvious that some trauma had taken place there (why didn't Shill suss that out?). However, having been viciously bullied myself, I can't have any sympathy for her. My life was a terror from 1980-1984 as a result of bullies. I can't do anything to get those years back.

I felt uncomfortable watching this show yesterday, and I could see the discomfort on DP's face. This girl had serious problems that need 'real' intervention, not a self-help sensitivity seminar, and yet she was paraded on TV as 'entertainment'. There was nothing entertaining about that child, her mother, or her situation. I agree that a young adolecent girl lacks maturity to deal with the situation correctly- and this one also lacks the maturity to present herself on television, and articulate her feelings and to deal with the notoriety that a television appearance brings about. This kid needs real help, her mother failed her, her school failed her and now DP failed her too.

complicatedgirl, you are a woman after my own heart. What's more, I am starting to suspect we are the same person!
I was the victim (I really hate to use that word but I was young and unable to defend myself at the time) of severe bullying in junior high and high school ranging from verbal and physical to outright sexual abuse. What amazes me now, looking back, is that no school authorities stepped in to stop it. A lot of the time it took place right in front of them! I would like to hear Dr Phil try to explain that.

I'm surprised that the editors didn't catch this but Dr Shill said today "The best predictor of past behaviour is future behaviour." I have in on tape and rewound it twice to make sure I heard it right. What a maroon.

But...Dr. Phil knows everything! I'm sure he can use future behavior to predict past behavior!

The bullying show struck a nerve, as do all the bullying shows, because I can remember few times in my life when I was scared to go to school, due to being picked on. Fortunately it only happened a few times in my life, but it made a lasting impact.

That Dwana needs to get her butt kicked up and down the street a few times.
My father, way back in the day, student taught, as an undergrad, a 6th grade class. There was one kid who was the resident bully, always instigating fights and general chaos. One day another kid just had it and proceeded to beat the hell out of the bully, in front of my dad, who gleefully did not intervene. He still laughs about it to this day ( BTW we are a civilized, not-too-barbaric family!).