Completely agree. And I was dismayed at the notion of getting up at 3:30 a.m. to exercise for three hours. Is this not a sign of some sort of compulsive behaviour - unless she wants to get into body-building.

Then you had the regular participants, whose weight losses seem kind of ho-hum. Mind you, I'm not sure how long they have been doing this - 4 months? Yet for people - ok kids - who were achieving weight loss, they were pretty unenthusiatic (at least compared to the adults). The guy who lost 100 pounds showed more of the awareness that I expect from Dr. Phil followers.

It is unhealthy. And I was surprised at how he was able to get so skinny. You wuld have never thought he was ever overweight by judging the frame of his body.

And the girl who claimed she had gotten down to a size 8 had to be lying. She was waay too chubby to be an 8. The girl looked fairly tall in height, probably around 5'6. And she had rolls for days on her neck, and was flabby as hell. I assume she is in the size 15/16 range, or more depending on the fabric of the clothes. Also, she said that she works out 3 hours every day. Whoa! You'd think she'd be a lot more toned than that.

Wanna go back a few episodes and discuss the plastic surgery issue. The lady who has been named a la muppet face...was so fugly. And I kinda thought it was hilarious when she said that when she looked in the mirror she saw an ugly woman. And Dr. Phill didn't say a damn thing! I don't feel sorry for the woman because it is her own fault that she made her face look like that. I don't have any sympathy for people who make themselves ugly on purpose. Because she had control over that. She is a complete idiot for fucking up her cheeks--it looked like someone stuffed pillows in there. God, she was messed up.

The plastic surgery show creeped me out. I couldn't watch it again. That obviously deeply troubled muppet woman ... egads. Did you see the picture of her before she had had surgery (or at least not nearly as much as she has had now!)? I didn't think there was anything that wrong with her. She was cute, I thought or at least average looking, but she wasn't ugly. What is so wrong with that? Why go to those extremes? Now, she doesn't even look normal. It makes no sense to me. Bah.


I couldn't stand to watch, so I didn't, but is that teen doing that EVERY day? If so, I would have to agree that it's pretty compulsive. I couldn't stand to watch it b/c of the intro -- "Teens taking control of their lives". No, Phil, they're taking control of their eating habits, their diets, their bodies, even, but there are a lot more aspects to life than just weight and being a certain size isn't going to fix everything. I know that's probably not what he means, but it sure is starting to feel like it.

Putting this much pressure on adolescents to lose weight is a really bad idea. I see eating disorders in their future. All it can take to trigger one is low self-esteem and a boy who says, "Your best friend is perfect. She is so tiny and she's only 95 lbs! Fat girls are gross!"* So I'm thinking that showing the world your "progress" on television would be ten times more effective in kick-starting a disorder.

*I know from experience

And I'm getting sick of it. They are taking control of ONE ASPECT of their lives. Your appearance is not the most important thing about you; a message that more than ever needs to be drilled into the heads of our teenagers.

I mightily resent the insinuation by The Shill that an overweight person cannot have self-esteem. I have related to you all before that while I may be a 14/16, I have never felt better about myself, and it shows. My mind is in a better place, and ultimately, that's much more important. People, men and women, are attracted to that positivity.

El DeMarge, I agree with you totally...all it will take is one "No Fat Chicks" comment from some random boy and Little Miss 3:30am will spiral down into a full-fledged eating disorder. I find it very disturbing that this show would advocate getting up at that hour to exercise...teenagers do need their sleep. I never suffered from a total eating disorder, but when I was dating my first fiance, man, I was well on my way. I subsisted for days on end on Diet Coke, SlimFast shakes, and Marlboros.

That's just stupid, there's a big differnece between a golf pro and a pro golfer. I have a friend married to a PGA certified master golf pro, he's good, he wins tournments and he still makes under 35K per year. Saying, "I married a golf pro to become rich and famous when he plays the tour" is like saying "I married a gay guy so that I can become rich and famous when he wins an Olympic gold medal for figure skating". I am losing sympathy for Chris quickly, at some point you have to quit pointing the finger at all the lyers, cheaters and pumpkin eaters in your life and take responsibility for allowing them in your life in the first place. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice....

No doubt. And it's really not stupid at all! Chris never got his "A" card but was working toward it. I doubt that he would have made it but that's what he's wanted his entire life. What most people see are the pros on TV who make a ton of money on the tour and knowing Stacy's greed, she thought he was really on his way to riches. Chris worked as a teaching pro at several different courses in TX and AZ. But, you don't need your "A" card to teach. Hell, I could teach, for that matter.

Stacie's a moron and from today's show it looks like Chris is no prize himself. They deserve each other. I think DP did a great job today trying to get through to him that Brianne as important as Chandler. Stacie looks exactly like Traci Lords, pornstar. Hey! And both are sluts!

How do you solve problems in one of the most dysfunctional families of all time??

Have a SIXTH baby!! Of course! The solution to everything! Bring an innocent life into the destruction!

These people infuriate me.

ETA: Can someone tell me what happened in the last 15 minutes, when it got good? Damn George Bush and his wanting to interrupt my craptastic television viewing.

Damn, I'm torn. Do I give Brianne the benefit of the doubt that she really wants more time with Dad? When my cynical self is saying when Dad shows up to spend time with her she'll say, "Not nooowww, Daddddd! I'm talking to my guurrlls."

Same thing with FUF1's Katherine. "I want you to be an authority figure." Are they having difficulty putting into words: "Stop fucking around on Mom", or, in the case of Brianne, "How can I respect you when you're Mom's personal doormat?"

Something is just not ringing true here, and it irks me that Shill came down so hard on Chris today. I felt like he was only doing it because Chris is the only one in that family that takes his shit and doesn't hand it back to him in his hat.

Six babies. This woman needs to be sterilized. Sorry to be so harsh, but damn.

ETA: He stood her down. Good for Shill. Stacy saying that she found in DP the only person she couldn't walk all over was probably the most honest thing said to date. But I still find her manipulative. Go figure.

Ok, I also missed the last 15 minutes, CBS cut out right when DP was about to put the screws to her. Dammit. But can I just say, these are two seriously screwed up adults. Their explanation of Stacy's pregnancy is just...I don't know, something doesn't ring true. For one, their family is in no condition to handle the stress of a baby (and no, Chris, it is not "a good stress" and I know this because I have a 4 month old). Second, saying that they weren't planning it but weren't using birth control is just idiotic. The woman had 5 previous children, she obviously doesn't have fertility issues, so why didn't they think she would get pregnant right away? That's what happens when you have sex without birth control. It doesn't make sense, and like Judge Judy says, if it doesn't make sense, it's not true.

Oh my God, Stacy is so full of shit that I can't believe she hasn't burst. The minute DP takes her to task, she turns on the tears and starts parroting his therapy-speak back to him. Cut her off already, Doc! She's playing you!

And for some reason, I wanted to smack Brianne upside the head today. I mean, maybe Chris does favor Chandler (...? That's the kid's name, right?), but the thing is, a four-year-old needs more time and closer focus than a teenager, because he's, you know, FOUR. Go study and shut it, missy.

Poor, doltish Chris. What a nightmare.

Those of you who missed the last 15 did not miss much. He put off the decision on whether to keep the FUF2 to next week. He made a lot of threats and said he wasn't going to work with her unless she found a reason for him to do so. She got a tiny bit teary and said she needed to do some soul-searching. That was it...

How about the way DP kept referring to Brianne as "America's sweetheart"? Not this American, buster. If it's true that she wants to be a performer, she was probably "auditioning" via her singing/piano playing in the at-home clips we saw.

It was fun watching DP putting the smackdown on Stacy, though. My favorite part of the show was when DP told Chris that once he dropped them, he would have his cherished anonymity back faster than he could imagine. I'll bet that's what really scared Stacy into sticking around... for some reason I can't fathom, she likes the notoriety of being on TV, even if she's become America's anti-sweetheart.

For those who missed the last 15 minutes, DP did promise the FUF2s that they would still be able to take advantage of the show-provided counseling, Happy Hill Farm for Michael, etc. "The only thing you won't have is ME!"

Since it's been mentioned now a couple of times (today by Chris) that Chris and Stacy have been together for 9 years and Braden, the son from marriage #2 is only 8, I find that I am strangely curious about whether Stacy and Chris had an affair while she was married to hubby #2 (who was "too nice" IIRC). Maybe Stacy was chasing those ol' dollar signs (imaginary though they were) and dumped Braden's dad for Chris. Bet he's one thankful man now!

I also would like to ask any Mormons, former Mormoms or people more familiar with that church than I to please clarify for me - don't Mormons generally frown on birth control and drinking alcohol? Now we know that her Skankiness participates in both that shows just how committed she is to the church's teachings (and makes me wonder if she even tried not to get pregnant with Bohdan) and that her BS about Mormon wives staying home was just more of her idiotic excuses. I hope the elders from their church are watching this debacle and kick them to the curb financially. BTW, did she ever say whether she got a job and did Shill let that drop?

Gotta give Shill credit for grilling them about the pregnancy and whether it was planned. Did I miss him asking "what were you thinking?" - we had Bushus interruptus too. What the hell they were thinking bringing yet another baby into their FUF when they can't take care of the kids they already have?!

If Stacy does get booted from the show, she'll make a perfect stage mother for Brianne.

Big WORD to that! Chris is a dolt - geez!

The whole thing is a nightmare, if ya want my opinion.

In case anybody hasn't seen it, the Dilbert cartoon is still doing "Doctor Dogbert". It must be like a week-long thing. Hee hee. It's funny.

As much as Phil has been getting on my nerves lately, I was really glad to see him say something to Stacey and Chris about this latest pregnancy. She stopped taking birth control pills, they continued to have sex, so the pregnancy was planned, no matter how they want to side step it. How stupid is that? They're in the middle of this craziness, not sure if they're going to be able to keep their house or even eat for that matter, nor are they sure they're going to stay together, and they're already having problems they can't handle with the children they have ... Argh! This poor new baby. Maybe Stacey thought it would ensure that Phil kept them around at least until the new baby was born or something.

America's Sweetheart? I'm going to vomit. DP is being taken for a ride with this little beauty.....and yes, auditioning, she was! ogod, a star is born. She's finally getting some big-time attention from DP and she's milking it for all it's worth. Chris is no father of the year but he's bent over backward for those kids, including that brat, Brianne. Was he shocked when she said those things about him? You bet! It could have been Stacy talking, that deceitful little shit.

And yes, Stacy was cheating on her second husband, Braeden's father, with Chris....while she was pregnant. What a honey.

This saga is not over and won't be for awhile. Chris is an idiot for continuing but he does want the help. Stacy and Brianne are sucking up their TV 15minutes.

I'm not Mormon but I did go to a Mormon church for 2 years and in high school my two best friends were Mormon so I know a lot about the Mormon Church. Alcohol is a HUGE no-no. This is a religion that doesn't even want its members drinking coffee for fear of being addicted to caffine so alcohol is definatly out. Birth control is also out but it is considered acceptable to use natural family planning (although it is not officially reccomended like it is in the Catholic church and may even be frowned upon by some church elders).
About Mormon wives staying home, I don't know about that. I knew lots of Mormon women who worked but they are strongly encouraged to put family first. This can be interperted lots of ways though, not just to say that you must stay home with your children. I think the church recognizes that sometimes a second income is needed to raise a family.
From what I know about the Mormon religion it's pretty clear that Stacey just likes to be Mormon when it suits her and even then, only the parts that fit her agenda.


I gotta say Word to that. Chris may be a nice guy but he is just making things worse. Not only is he putting up with shit on his own behalf, but he is continuing to be a willing sperm donor to bring more children into this nightmare.

Word Tallulahbabe. I was completely disgusted with Dr. Phil when he mocked Chris for saying he was flabbergasted (or something like that) over Brianne's little soap opera audition. You could tell it wasn't sincere when she couldn't come up with specifics and kept contradicting herself. She hates being expected to be "perfect" (pick up her room) but she wants Chris to be more of an "authority figure". huh?

I really don't like the way DP has encouraged Brianne, and Erin and Alexandra, to point the finger of pop-psychcology criticism at their parents. Nobody's parents are perfect but unless they're truly abusive they still deserve to be treated with some respect. After the show yesterday Mr. Perc and I tried to remember the times we did fun things alone with our fathers. We could add them all up on one hand. I'm not saying that those old-fashioned "bring home the bacon & dispense the discipline" dads were the best kind, far from it, but we did somehow know that they loved us and it never occured to us to sit in judgment of their parenting skills. At least not until we had our own kids and set out to do sooooo much better. not.

One things for sure, if I had failed at child raising as resoundingly as Stacy has done with Happy Home Michael, I would never, ever allow myself to have another child.

Chris needs to DNA test any baby he thinks he's fathered with Stacey.

Where is Brianne's Bio-dad and what is their relationship like?

I wondered too about their timing. Their "relationship" certainly does seem to overlap Stacy's second marriage.

On second thought, anyone who thinks they are bio-dads to any of Stacy's childrenshould demand a DNA test.

You reap what you sow, Chris ya dopey dupe, you.

I dabbled in Mormonism for a couple of years in college. Alcohol is a major no-no. Birth control is frowned upon because there are pre-existent spirits waiting for earthly bodies so they can get their turn on earth so big families are encouraged. Most of my BYU roommates wanted to drop out and get their MRS degree and they began having babies as soon as possible once they were married. They'd get married within months of meeting "the one" because God forbid they succumb to sex outside of marriage. Dr. Phil's troubled couple is not typical of the illusion of the standard Mormon practicing couple.

I'm not a Mormon but my old boss and several co-workers were, male and female. My take was that Mom AND Dad kept family first, to the extent that you can and hold a job. Some hold to the no-caffeine rule. ALL to the no alcohol rule. Stacy is using Mormonism as a meal ticket.



Wordy wordy wordy, percolata. Somehow, my mind keeps taking the Brianne and Katherine "I want him to spend tiiimmmee with me" and turning it into: "I want to be treated like a princess, the center of the universe that does no wrong. I want to be treated like an adult when it suits me, and Daddy's Little Girl all the rest of the time."

Maybe I'm being too harsh. But having a baby sure makes you think twice about questioning your own parents' parenting skills.

My opinion of why Shill turned on Chris about America's little sweathog: he could. Chris doesn't fight back.

Not necessarily. When you're young, the weight just falls off. I'm trying to slim down a bit right now (I'm 18) and some weeks I lose like 3 or 4 pounds, just by cutting right down on food and taking long walks.

And that chubby little African-American girl? Size 8 my ass. She's cute, but she's still HUGE!



Thank you! I've been saying that for weeks! What religion precludes delicious pie and allows fucking a few guys outside your marriage? Why hasn't Dr. Pill called this whore out on her nasty religious hypocrisy?

I'd really like to know why they are so sure that baby is Chris' too. Stacie(y, ey)'s a whore, why would they assume? This whole religion thing really bothers me with these two. They say they are so religious and it's important to them which is a good thing, but they use it as an excuse, Stacie especially. To me, it shows a greater responsibility to your lord to break down and use birth control/take care of your family, even if it's "against the religion". It can't be that big a deal when you get to the afterlife! God forbid you use a condom or gasp! the wife should work. More babies should not be born to these two! Idiots.

Yeah that girl was NOT a size 8. Maybe she was lying about the work outs. Did they say how long she had been doing that? I'm not saying not being a size 8 is bad, but there's just no way!

I'm bothered by Chris's wonky eye.

I'm so glad that I was not the only person who could see through that petulant little brat's bullshit. America's Sweetheart, indeed. More like "America's Greatest Example of What Is Wrong with Parenting Today."

I'm a singer myself, and I know an audition when I see one. That, folks, was most certainly an audition. Wow, Brianne, you really are a triple threat: piano, singing, and a propensity for wearing the amount of lip gloss your average porn star wears.

Come. On. Don't you think Shill was being a bit over-the-top with the whole, "if a child of mine said that they don't think that I love them, I would spend 40 days and 40 nights to convince them otherwise." Who here has been 13-14 years old? Okay...who here yelled "You hate me, that's why!" at their parents at least once a week when they were that age? Yeah, I thought so. Isn't that what teenagers DO? They are awful little snits and the very last thing they need is to be mollycoddled when they engage in awful behavior. My parents used to yell back, "You're right, we hate you. We only keep you fed and clothed because the State would arrest us if we didn't. Now shut your cakehole!" This didn't cause me any longterm psychological damage. I laugh about it now with my mom...they were pointing out the ludicrous nature of my statement, and not putting up with my theatrics. That's what good parents do: teach their kids that manipulative hysterics will get you nowhere in this world.

I feel genuinely bad for Chris, and Tallulah, I hope you will tell him that. I think he is the only one who is going into this whole "process" (*puke*) with good intentions. He seems to want to fix his family, and get to a place of happiness and peace. Sorry, Chris, it ain't gonna happen as long as Mama Rose and Gypsy Rose Lee are a part of your life. Shill was entirely too hard on him today, pandering way too much to the so-called needs and desires of "America's Sweetheart." Was Brianne ever asked if she works with Chris to be the kind of daughter he wants her to be? Or was she just too busy whiny and making pouty bitchfaces to the camera?

And what was up with that bedroom of hers? I've seen cleaner crackhouse hovels than that. When I was growing up, that would have been tolerated for, oh, I don't know, a nanosecond?

Grounded means grounded, and it's because you broke the rules. End of discussion.

I really hate SkankyStacy, but I will say that I was VERY uncomfortable with Shill seemingly getting his jollies out of upsetting a pregnant woman. Yes, she's a tramp and not to be believed most of the time. She's still with child, and you don't make a pregnant woman sob for the sake of drama and ratings. It was irresponsible, I think. A five-month foetus can sense when its mother is upset.

One more thing...did you notice that the Shill set a trap for yet another FUF? How passive aggressive and sneaky was it for him to ask the family backstage about how they thought "the process" was going, then spring on them that he wants to terminate it? That's a classic Management Asshole in Corporate America move, and shame on Shill for implementing it in the name of "therapy."

Er, wait. "Entertainment."

Yeah, he's had that since birth.

complicated girl: I was dying laughing at your post. Hysterical! And WORD to the 40 days and 40 nights shit. Jesus! I remember running up the stairs and then leaning over the balcony yelling "I hate you". My mother would say, "yes, well, remember that when you're hungry" without even raising her voice. This retort didn't make me a sociopath and didn't cause eating disorders. My own kids have said that to me, doesn't every kid? My response, I love you, too!

We all feel badly for Christian and it makes us absolutely crazy that he sits up there and cries. He's lost the respect of family and friends because he's putting up with that insane bitch. Yes, we feel badly but he has absolutely no sympathy from any of us. He has refused help at every turn except, of course, monetary help. He did NOT used to be this way. He used to be happy and confident. I really blame him for this situation every bit as much as I blame Stacy. No one has a gun to his head making him stay in that zoo. It's his choice.

DP is one passive-aggressive jerk. He cozies up to the little girls, gains their complete and utter confidence and then at some later date, really lets them have it as he did Alexandra last week. After he finished with her about the birth control, she looked as tho' she'd just eaten poop. Betrayed would be a good word. Given that track record, Bitchy Brianne will have her day also. I hate that he does that and he does it with a lot of his guests. Is that typical of therapy? God, I hope not!

It particularly isn't a big deal in the Mormon religion. There isn't really a hell in Mormonism. There is a better heaven for those that are Mormon and follow the teachings but you don't go to hell if you don't. You can even convert to Mormonism after you die (and go to Lesser Heaven) and then you can get into Better Heaven.

*Note* This is an over-simplification of the Mormon religion.

Preach it Complicatedgirl. Mr Perc (who I really think is too sensitive for this show and might not might be able to watch it anymore) was also upset by the way Dr Phil rode her till she broke. He noticed that it wasn't the suffering Stacy was causing her family that he was most outraged about but that she wasn't grateful enough to his fabulous self.
[Tell your mom, props from Percolata for teaching you the hilarious power of sarcasm at such an early age.]
 

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Maybelline


Hee. I'm bothered by his teeny tiny mouth.

So, according to our Mormon experts, Stacieeeey could be using the rhythm method which really works pretty well when used by a mature woman. It's all my mother ever used and she only had one (yours truly) accident. But I guess if you can't resist sleeping with every guy who says you've got purty laigs, then you probably can't wait a week for your ovulation to be over.

percolata said:


HELL YEAH!
I saw maybe the last 20 min of Bow to Me for I am Dr Phil and that was exactly what I thought. I could read the subtext like a teleprompter: You are not behaving like the trick poodle sycophants I hired to react to every nuance of my commands and therefore no milk-bones for YOU! Book sales are down and you need to get with the program! 'Cause I don't give a rats patoot about you and your messed up selves unless you can deliver for ME!

Also, I caught a glimpse of the end of todays show (with the 30 second wedding/website promo), and I noticed that Robin hovering behind DP's shoulder can't seem to close her mouth; even when she isn't spewing homespun wisdom. Is this also what botox can do for you?

Freshly Ground Coffee, wasn't that the wierdest thing! She was staring into space making fish mouth faces and not appearing to listen to what he was saying at all. Botox brain, I guess.

Ew.

I am currently in the 8th month on the pregnancy train, and I can barely keep Mr. Borokat satisfied, much less introducing someone else into the mix! Some days I am frisky and others I just want to beat him with a stick! Did the affair start when she was already pregnant or was she screwing around with Chris all the while? And with that realization, I cease to have any pity for Chris at all. Those who marry their mistress leave a job opening. Works for guys too.

I just think that DP has missed the boat entirely. Why hasn't he revisited the whole "Stacy needs to get off her ass and get a job issue"? Because if her excuse is that she needs to stay home and raise these kids- jeez louise, all she keeps doing is popping them out and shipping them off. We are blessed in that I will not work outside the home when rugrat is born, but let me tell you, if we ran into financial problems, Mr. B. would have my happy ass out looking for a job asap! And rightfully so. That is what you do when you are an ADULT.

Quite frankly, without any snark at all, I just do not see how she lives with herself.

Stacy is going to make Chris suffer for the rest of his life because she blames him for her choice to give the baby up for adoption. She could of kept the baby; it's 2004.

I think if the baby had been white Chris could pretend to the world that it was his. Because the baby was obviously not his, his ego would not allow the baby to stay. Did Stacey admit to adultry before or after Bohden was born?

On second thought cancel what I said about Chris' ego. This is a man who is willing to appear on National TV with his skanky affair having wife. What ego this man may have had at one time has been totally whipped out of him.

I have so many problems with this show, yet I continue to watch, probably because it is fun to watch a train wreck. We have the well off family who has not done the best job with their daughters, but they would have been fine had they not gone on this show. We have the majorly screwed up bunch of people who live under one roof (I will not call what Chris and Stacy has a family, that would imply working together and caring.) They do not seem to be helped by Phil with the exception of the free pass to the Happy Hill Farm (which has Phil's face on their website, of course.) The most bothersome thing about Phil's working with the "Families in Crisis" is that it is all done in the name of television, there are never any simple, honest ideas being given. The malarkey of Brianne telling Chris how she felt, Chris explaining that he spends more time with Chandler because he's four and Stacy rolling her eyes and shaking her head? I would say that the relationship between Chris and Brianne is damaged because Stacy wants it to be. A child is going to imitate what she sees, and Brianne is treating Chris as she sees her mother treat him: nothing he ever does is good enough.

DP needs to do a behind-the-scenes FUF1&2 counseling clip show or something because I continually see him do nothing for these families, except exploit them for ratings. Seriously. I feel sick about what I've been seeing.

The major revelation (of how much I dislike DP) happened for me with the show that aired quite a while back with Katherine. Remember, the one where he puts her on stage and yells at her until she cries? And then even when she does cry he doesn't soften his tone or try a slightly more gentle approach? Didn't even give her a tissue. Asshat. Oh, and the producers must have realized how badly DP came off so they filled the last minute or so of the show with "after the show" footage of him and Katherine talking and "bonding" and her saying (with red, after-cry eyes) "he can be tough, but he's really a nice guy - most of the time". Blech.

Another show that filled me with disgust was the selection of the teen weight loss challenge participants. You take teens - emotionally turbulent, likely very desperate to lose weight - drag them out to LA to sit in the audience and maybe get selected for something they no doubt view as a sure thing to solve their problems. What is wrong with this "therapist"?

I didn't really catch many of the old Dr. Phil episodes. Question: when did he start moving to ratings!ratings!ratings! and less to helping people? I've heard some people think he was bad right from the start of his own show but I haven't noticed it until FUF1. What do you guys think?

Word. That is exactly what I said to my mom when we were watching this mess together. It's not all that unusual for teenagers to feel like their parents hate them.

And robbie, I totally agree with the need to see Dr. Phil actually do something helpful. I felt the same way about FUF1, and eventually stopped watching them. I don't know how much longer I'll watch FUF2 for either. The Trainwreck Factor is great, but I need more than that. I need progress.

Seriously, does anyone believe for a second that he's going to drop FUF2? Seems to me that that whole monologue was prepared solely so that he could be shown threatening them in the previews. I don't think he has any intention of actually getting rid of them, just like I don't think he ever had any intention of eliminating any of the Chubbies back in the day (when he promised us for about three weeks straight that next week would be the week for elimination, so don't miss it!)

Another big fat word. Jay gives the worst and most pointless advice ever. Especially on the Teen Weight Loss episode where the tall heavyset girl is discussing how she feels that she's fat and ugly. And Jay asks one of the guys "so uh do you think that's true?" and the dude is caught off guard so he responds "no, that's not true." So Jay basically tells her you're not ugly, and he thinks you're not, so it must not be true. So whenever you think you're ugly, remember we said you're not. Like what the fuck? Everytime he tries to give some words of wisdom or advice, it comes off so insincere and generic.

It's just awful for people to yell at their spouses. On the other hand. Why can't people PICK UP AFTER THEMSELVES? Nobody in this house leaves their dishes scattered around the family room or their shorts on the floor. Allyson sits through the whole show with her trembly lip poor me, face on and I keep thinking; if it really hurts your feelings so much to be yelled at then why not make an effort to change some of those sloppy habits that are so aggravating to live with? I honestly think there are two sides to this problem, if I came home to a messy disorgainized home everyday I wouldn't be able to relax. It's Rami's house, too, and it sounds like he's more than willing to do his share of the housework he just doesn't want to do it all.

(Brandi, the blond woman, is just plain nasty- she's ruining my case for me.)

Dr. Phil's "Got Milk?" advertisement is out, and guess what? Not only do we have to see his smug, smirking face, but he also has a picture of his weight loss book in the corner of the ad! As if there is anyone in America who isn't aware of his stupid book already.

This just goes to prove that Dr. Shil isn't promoting milk at all; he's just promoting himself. Again. Bastard.

It would suck living with someone that sloppy, I agree, she's like the girl nobody wanted to room with at summer camp. I had a different read on the sitchy-ation, though, Percolata. Seemed to me to be a respect issue. Mrs. Messy felt dissed by the rude bossy angry man and so made no effort to change. When I indulge in a freak attack and start screaming at Mr. Pissy to put the toilet seat down, close the cupboard doors after removing a glass or to quit inexpliciably leaving his socks scattered through every room in the house, he gives me the finger. If I ask him nicely, he quits playing the star wars game gets up and gets his shit together. Maybe if Mrs. Messy's Mr. would just treat her like a human being and change his screamy habits she'd be more willing to change her slobby ones.

DP's forcing Angry Damaged Blonde Girl to confront her molester though the camera seemed truly loose-your-licence awful. I've never been in that situation, but I would think that confronting one's anger and fear over sexual abuse would be a long, intense and private process. The more restrained she got, the more DP was egging her on, trying to get a good soundbite for the promos. I'm no professional, but that appeared very amaturish and irresponsible.

Yup. That was all kinds of wrong.
DP manipulated her into doing it and she was clearly uncomfortble about it. His comment to "watch this over and over when you get home" or whatever made me cringe (again).
Because I would cringe to see that the camera was so up in my face while America sat on their collective couches drinking soda and munching potato chips while I "confronted" my molester. As if a molester would have given 2 shits about that in the first place.
Disgusting, self-serving negligence.

odeargod! My skin was crawling while he was coaching her to have a complete and massive nervous breakdown on national TV! So, I missed the last 10 min. of the show. Did he succeed at getting her to cry, scream, drop to her knees and crumble into a mass of gelatinous matter? That was sheer torture I couldn't watch and had to leave the room. Humiliating and embarrassing for that woman. I got the part of "watch this 100 times when you get home". WHAT? Is he insane? What kind of therapy IS this?

DP is uber-losing it and believing *way too much* in his own press releases (penned, of course, by the good Dr. Feel). I really don't know how much more I can stand~~~~.

BTW, Dr. Dogbert is dispensing excellent advice. Go, dog!

Son of a Robin! I forgot to re-program the VCR after my move this week and missed Thursday's show. What happened and was it a rerun?

Snowdog:
First we saw Rami (way handsome Arab-American BTW) yelling at his wife for leaving wet clothes in the drier, dishes in the sink for days, etc. Then DP rakes him over the coals for being such a meany. He had deduced that Rami treated his wife this way because his mother hadn't wanted him to marry his wife because she was African-American and so Rami was wanting her to be a perfect housewife to impress his mom. Maybe. At no time did he suggest that Rami was anything but nuts to want a clean house. Pissy Missy saw the truth of the matter that he had a right to a clean house but needed to ask for it in a respectful manner:
Phil, pointlessly, took this opportunity to say that he himself had "married way over his head" and his family couldn't believe it when he brought Robin home, they were so impressed - cut to Robin nodding smuggly-.


Next couple clip is pretty blond Brandi yelling at drive-through people, driving her car over 100 mph and screaming at her husband. "You're the woman in the family, you little b*tch" she sneers. Shudder. She was horrible, real self-satisfied over her brilliant put downs.

Phill asks her why she screams all the time and why she pushes her husband away when he tries to put his arms around her at home "I don't like to be the center of attention" she inexplicable says (right after we've seen her yelling at a waitress till the whole restaurant was looking.)

Phill checks his notes and quickly says "Isn't the real reason you're so angry that you were sexually abused when you were young and when you told your Mother she refused to believe you and so now you push people to their limit to see if they'll still love you and believe me they won't, your husband says he'll stay but I know better he'll leave you flat someday soon, I know because I can use the future to predict the past!" [ changing tone to softly] "Now Brandi - look deep into the camera and tell your Mother that she let you down. Keep talking to her and remembering your pain until you break down and cry for us all."

Brandi's little chin went from jutting-stubborn to tucked into her neck, to trembly, right before our very eyes.

Then DP told us all that it was never about the socks on the floor it was always about something else. [Listen to Dr Freud, Phil; sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and sometimes it really is about the socks.]

Previews of Stacieey breaking down and crying JUST LIKE BRANDI!

Mr. Complicated and I watched this show together last night, and he was incredulous. While he doesn't agree with screaming on the top of his lungs and insulting someone's intelligence, he did feel that Rami had a right to expect things to be in a certain order at home. The implication was that Rami worked, and the wife was a SAHM.

Now, what I am about to say may be considered controversial, but I will say it anyway: if she is a SAHM, then her agreement with her spouse is HE works outside of the home and brings home the money, and SHE takes care of the kids and the house. I know plenty of men who are fine with this arrangement and it works very well in their marriage.

When that situation is agreed upon, however, the SAHM has a job to do. If she agreed to take on the responsibility of the upkeep of the house and then fails to do so, I feel Rami has a perfect right to call her out on it. Clothes left in the washing machine for days? Dishes in the sink for days? That's incredibly nasty, I don't blame Rami for being disgusted. Especially when keeping up the house is her job.

I'm unemployed right now. Mr. CG works. While I am the one at home, I am in charge of keeping up the house. I keep it clean. I do the shopping. I do the laundry. I have a hot meal on the table every night (or a cold one, during Arizona summers!). While I am at home, and while he is out making the money, that is my JOB.

I wandering into the whole "I don't know what SAHMs want from their men" territory, so I think I will stop. I would be interested to hear what the SAHMs or the working moms thought of this program.

Brandi...I'm not going to even go into it. It was just so, so wrong.

I saw the show on Thursday and Mrs. Rami isn't a STAHM. She said that she works full-time, they have a young niece living with them, and they have a small son. She said that she'd like to have everything perfect in the house but that she just can't handle the load sometimes. So if she's so busy that she forgot to transport the laundry from the washer to the dryer, then I totally understand. I think if seeing dishes in the sink boils Rami's blood so badly, he should come home, see that his wife is overloaded, and do the dishes. It would take, what, ten minutes at the most? Nothing to scream about, IMO.

Total agreement CG. I've been a working mother and a SAHM and I think you're absolutely right to look on the SAHM as doing a job. I see these situations on Oprah and DP where the guy is off working ten hours a day and then gets in trouble for not helping when he gets home. Unless the kids are sick or some special circumstance, there's just no real excuse for undone chores, mess and no dinner at the end of the day. Come on! Get organized! I love the scene in "Mr. Mom" where Terri Garr gives Michael Keaton a big lecture about how she kept things right when she was the home maker because she had respect for herself and the job.