Collector or hoarder? Hoarding: Buried Alive “I Was Gonna Gag” Episode

Hoarding syndrome is real. It’s a recognized psychological condition and people who suffer from it often undergo huge loss, pain, suffering, and even family breakups. In fact, there was even a high-rated TV show on the TLC Network from 2010 until 2014 that focused on the condition and brought awareness to the widespread psychological trauma that millions of people endure. The name of the series was Hoarding Buried Alive.

In addition to checking out the linked episode, it’s a good idea to know about the official medical condition related to hoarding and learn what you can do if a friend or loved one shows symptoms of this serious illness.

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The Reality Show

You can watch the full episode from season 3 of the TLC TV series “Hoarding Buried Alive.” It’s important to understand that the series was a reality show, not a fictional drama. It used real people who actually suffered from the syndrome and followed their trials and tribulations as they struggled to live and get help for their condition.

The show was one of the first times a national TV network offered a serious, non-fictional look at the problem, which very few people knew about at the time the series made its debut.

The episode you’ll see if you click the link is from season 3, and its title is “I Was Gonna Gag.” Often, even though the topic is quite serious, the show’s producers chose lighthearted, realistic titles to draw attention to a particular episode. In “I Was Gonna Gag” we are introduced to a man named Floyd, who lives in a trailer with his two young children. The problem is that Floyd has amassed so much junk over the years that his place is not fit for keeping a young child.

One of the best things about the TV show was that it educated the public about the very real problems that can take over a person’s life when hoarding becomes a problem.

Unfortunately, a neighbor notifies the Child Protective Services and, eventually, Floyd is faced with the choice of losing his son or getting rid of all the junk in his trailer home. The dilemma is typical in many ways for compulsive hoarders. They often face a legal choice that involves losing custody of a child, moving out of a condemned residence, or something similar. One of the best things about the TV show was that it educated the public about the very real problems that can take over a person’s life when hoarding becomes a problem.

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Whatever Happened to Floyd and Charlie From the Series?

Floyd was one of the most popular of all the people who appeared on the show during its run, along with his little son, Charlie So, here’s a Hoarding Buried Alive Floyd Charlie update for you.

Floyd and Charlie Today
Because hoarding disorder is legally classified as a mental health condition, if Floyd sought help via the Idaho State healthcare system, his whereabouts are a closely guarded secret and protected as any other kind of personal healthcare information is. The only way we might ever find out exactly where he is and what he’s doing is if he decides to go public with his situation. So far, he has not.

But we do know this much: Little Charlie would be about 11 years old now and it’s likely both are still living in Idaho.

Floyd was, by far, the most talked-about of all the hoarders buried alive who were featured on the show. His story touched the emotions of millions of viewers and brought a lot of well-deserved attention to the condition of hoarding as a psychological problem.

In this popular show Hoarding: Buried Alive, which is often just called “HBA” by ardent fans, there were several other popular characters, topics, and specific episodes. As is the case with many other TV programs, people want to know what the cast is doing today, where they are, what their lives are like, what the situation with the show is, whether the show might come back someday, and more info about all the hoarders buried alive.

We researched the topic for you and came up with the following answers so you can check in on your old favorite episodes, characters, and Hoarding Buried Alive updates. Whenever we get additional information, we’ll post it here so you’ll always be in the loop with HBA news.

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Where are the HBA Cast Members Today?

Here’s a quick look at the basic information about what happened to key cast members, according to our research. If you want to know more about Floyd and his son, Charlie, check the section further down the page, called “Whatever Happened to Floyd and Charlie From the Series?”

John Clements from “A VCR for Every Day of the Week” was last seen in news reports from Cincinnati where he was sentenced to 180 days in jail for health code violations on his property. The judge ruled that John would be kept in jail for violating probation and until such time as his home can become 100 percent compliant with local health standards.

Beverly Mitchell, from the episode, “Somewhere In My Pile,” sadly passed away in 2014 at the age of 66 after the ground floor of her home in Connecticut collapsed and trapped her in the basement with no air to breathe. She suffocated to death and was not found by authorities for about one week after her death.

Former fashion model Louise from the episode, “One is Good, Two is Better,” is still alive and still attempting to deal with her hoarding addiction. She resides in a homeless facility for senior citizens near LA.

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What Were the 5 Best Episodes?

Here’s a list of the highest-rated and most-beloved Hoarding Buried Alive episodes that you might have missed. Results are based on a combination of original audience ratings and current number of views on video sites where you can view them:

• They’re Crawling: Texan Kay lives in an otherwise nice home that is crawling with rats and packed to the gills with clutter. She refuses to admit that she ever has a problem and could lose her home in a few days. Staff members contracted hantavirus, a potentially deadly disease spread by rats. Fortunately, the crew members were successfully treated for the illness.
  
  
• You’re Not Taking My Kids: New Jersey mobile home resident Karen wants to get her kids back from Chile Protective Services but will have to totally clean up her property to achieve that goal. She could lose the kids forever, the five acres of land, and the home where she grew up.
  
  
• Worst I’ve Ever Seen: Caryn is threatened with the loss of her home by the city of South Bend, Indiana, unless she cleans things up. She stands to lose not just her property but also her family.
  
  
• Just Tear It Down: Darlene and Doug live in a Texas house that is brimming with dangerous, filthy, moldy junk. The city is threatening to evict them based on a falling roof, a broken septic tank, and other conditions.
  
  
• Three Apartments, Three Hoarders: An amazing look at three people who are now under pressure from their building manager to clean things up. All three people are “extreme” hoarders and have been accumulating junk in their living space for many years.

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Was the Show Really Canceled?

The TV show Hoarding: Buried Alive was extremely popular with a demographic of viewers who watched it regularly. To many people who enjoyed the program, it’s something of a riddle as to why it’s no longer on the air. They ask, “Was Hoarding Buried Alive canceled or did the producers simply stop filming new Hoarding Buried Alive episodes for some other reason?”

Here’s what happened: After five successful seasons, the TLC network finally announced, “Hoarding Buried Alive Canceled,” but they did not give a reason. So, we’ll never know whether the show was pulled for unimpressive ratings or the fact that some network brass simply wanted to get rid of it to make room in the lineup for some fresh programs. This kind of mystery is common in the world of television.

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Other HBA Updates You Might Want To Know About

What about other Hoarding Buried Alive updates? Well, here’s what we found out in our research. Note that some of these tidbits are rumors circulating around the TV industry and are not verifiable, but are interesting nonetheless:

• There’s been talk of reviving the show or creating a carbon-copy version for network television. Apparently, the new emphasis on all-reality programming has caused a lot of producers to think that they could make a fortune on a modern version of the old show.
  
  
• Finally, most of the episodes of Hoarding: Buried Alive are available for free online. You have to do a little searching because some sites want to charge you for the privilege of watching. But eventually, you’ll discover that every episode is somewhere, and you need not pay a penny to watch them.
  
  
• Producers of the show recently revealed that when the series was threatened with cancellation during the final season, they tried their best to find another network that would take it and air it. Unfortunately, there were unable to find any takers and the show ended its run after five full seasons and 82 episodes, “It’s a Rat’s Nest” being the final installment. It aired on April 2, 2014. Incidentally, the very first episode of the series, “Welcome To My Nightmare,” aired on March 14, 2010.
  
  
• Lately, with hoarding disorder becoming more wisely known as a valid psychological illness, many professionals cite the series as having brought a great deal of awareness and exposure to the issue.

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What Is “Hoarding Syndrome”?

One of the best resources for learning about hoarding is the website of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Not only can you discover what the syndrome is, in easy-to-understand language, but you’ll see a full listing of the warning signs. The experts, doctors, and psychologists who contribute to the website explain, in short, that hoarding is simply a person’s inability to get rid of possessions, no matter what the value of those possessions might be. It’s not about greed, or just holding onto expensive things you plan to sell later on.

Instead, hoarding has nothing at all to do with the economic value of the items, but only with the fact that the person won’t give them up. There are a lot of ways that a person can develop the condition, and it’s often related to the inability to “pass up a great deal,” get something for free, or find a “perfect” item.

The psychological roots of hoarding are complex and can only be sorted out by a licensed therapist. Often, the initial cause of the syndrome traces back to a traumatic event in a person’s childhood, a disastrous emotional relationship, or even an abusive parent or guardian. There’s no single explanation for why someone becomes a hoarder anymore than there’s a single reason someone develops a phobia of spiders or bees. Every individual is unique.

However, there are some common signs and symptoms to look for if you suspect that a loved one suffers from hoarding syndrome or might need professional help, namely:

• Feeling overwhelmed or enduring intense discomfort due to having so much stuff
• Getting very anxious and nervous when trying to thrown an item away
• The total or near-total inability to get rid of anything
• Having a tough time organizing or putting your possessions into categories
• Great amounts of difficulty when it comes to putting things away
• Not knowing what to keep and what to throw away
• Becoming uncomfortable when other people touch your property
• Actions and thoughts that become obsessive, namely worrying about running out of something
• Constantly looking in your trash for fear that you accidentally threw away something you wanted to keep
• Decreased living space due to having too much stuff
• Developing problems in your marriage or family due to having too much stuff
• Social isolation
• Medical or health problems associated with the extreme accumulation of items
• Financial problems from spending so much money acquiring more and more things

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How To Get Help For Yourself Or Someone Else Who Suffers

If you think you suffer from hoarding syndrome, or if you have a loved one or friend who might be suffering, the main thing to remember is that you need to seek professional help. No matter how good your intentions are, you need to get yourself or your loved one to a professional counselor.

Keep in mind that many people will deny they have a hoarding problem and will resist your help. This is to be expected and is very common. In those situations, do your best to either convince the person to attend just one session with a counselor, or get a professional to come to them.

In many ways, hoarding is like so many other psychological challenges that people face every day. Things like compulsive gambling, alcoholism, the inability to sleep, eating disorders, out-of-control phobias, and more. If you’re able to understand that hoarding is a legitimate medical condition, it’s often easier to seek help and recover.

The good news is that most people who do seek help with a hoarding problem are able to fully recover in a short time. The danger is procrastination. The longer the problem goes on, the longer it takes to recover.

Study the list of symptoms above, watch the linked video episode of Hoarding: Buried Alive, and take the time to decide whether or not you, or someone you care about, needs help. Then, get help as soon as possible by contacting a psychologist, social worker, or social service agency in your local area. There is a way out, but you have to search for it.

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About Jennifer Hanzlick

Clutter Trucker is a Denver-based hoarding clean-out company founded by Jennifer Hanzlick. Jennifer leveraged 15 years of corporate experience in to start the company in 2008. Her mission is to help and educate individuals and their loved ones who have hoarding disorder. A featured speaker at Ted X Boulder, Jennifer works directly with community and non-profit organizations to boost public awareness about the condition. To that end, she founded the Colorado Hoarding Task Force in 2015.

Want to know more?

What is Hoarding

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