Hoarders
Encyclopedia
Hoarders is an American documentary series
that airs on A&E
. The series depicts the real-life struggles and treatment of people who suffer from compulsive hoarding
. The first episode aired August 17, 2009, and has since aired three full seasons. The fourth season debuted June 20, 2011.
. During most of the first season, the hoarder worked with either a psychiatrist/psychologist, a professional organizer, or an "extreme cleaning specialist," each of whom specialized in some aspect involving the treatment of obsessive/compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, and/or hoarding. The actual cleanups were done by a crew of professional cleaners (usually a local franchise of the series' major corporate sponsor). Two episodes in the first season featured a cleanup with both a psychologist and an organizer: Jill (episode "Jennifer and Ron/Jill") and Patty (episode "Patty/Bill"). The final episode of the first season, "Paul; Missy and Alex", featured a professional organizer working with Missy, while a child psychologist worked with Missy's nine-year-old son Alex. Beginning in the second season, each hoarder had a psychologist-plus-organizer/cleaning specialist team assisting them in their clean-out. The psychologist-plus-organizer/cleaning specialist combination leads a group of cleaning professionals, family, friends, and relatives of the hoarder in conducting a two- to three-day decluttering session. The goal of these cleanups is to both teach the hoarding person new ways of thinking and patterns of behavior, and make the home a livable and usable space. In most instances, the intervention is prompted by a crisis, such as the threat of eviction or the removal of minor children from the home. Most of the segments are filmed in the United States, although in the third season, a couple of Canadian segments were filmed in Edmonton
and Toronto
.
At the end of each episode, on-screen text indicates the short-term outcome of the cleanup effort, including the subjects' decisions on whether to seek further assistance from organizers or therapists. The show provides six months of aftercare funds to pay these professionals and, occasionally, to provide vital repairs to the home.
The first seven episodes from the second season were released on December 7, 2010 as a 2-DVD set Hoarders Season Two: Part One. The run time is 329 minutes.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that airs on A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
. The series depicts the real-life struggles and treatment of people who suffer from compulsive hoarding
Compulsive hoarding
Compulsive hoarding is the acquisition of possessions in excess of socially normative amounts, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary...
. The first episode aired August 17, 2009, and has since aired three full seasons. The fourth season debuted June 20, 2011.
Overview
Each 60-minute episode profiles one or two interventionsIntervention (counseling)
An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one, or often many, people to get someone to seek professional help with an addiction or some kind of traumatic event or crisis, or other serious problem. The term intervention is most often used when the traumatic event involves addiction to drugs...
. During most of the first season, the hoarder worked with either a psychiatrist/psychologist, a professional organizer, or an "extreme cleaning specialist," each of whom specialized in some aspect involving the treatment of obsessive/compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, and/or hoarding. The actual cleanups were done by a crew of professional cleaners (usually a local franchise of the series' major corporate sponsor). Two episodes in the first season featured a cleanup with both a psychologist and an organizer: Jill (episode "Jennifer and Ron/Jill") and Patty (episode "Patty/Bill"). The final episode of the first season, "Paul; Missy and Alex", featured a professional organizer working with Missy, while a child psychologist worked with Missy's nine-year-old son Alex. Beginning in the second season, each hoarder had a psychologist-plus-organizer/cleaning specialist team assisting them in their clean-out. The psychologist-plus-organizer/cleaning specialist combination leads a group of cleaning professionals, family, friends, and relatives of the hoarder in conducting a two- to three-day decluttering session. The goal of these cleanups is to both teach the hoarding person new ways of thinking and patterns of behavior, and make the home a livable and usable space. In most instances, the intervention is prompted by a crisis, such as the threat of eviction or the removal of minor children from the home. Most of the segments are filmed in the United States, although in the third season, a couple of Canadian segments were filmed in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
At the end of each episode, on-screen text indicates the short-term outcome of the cleanup effort, including the subjects' decisions on whether to seek further assistance from organizers or therapists. The show provides six months of aftercare funds to pay these professionals and, occasionally, to provide vital repairs to the home.
Reception
Hoarders debuted as the most-watched series premiere in A&E network history among adults aged 18–49 and tied for the most ever in the adults aged 25–54 demographic. The premiere was watched by 2.5 million viewers (1.8 million adults aged 18–49).DVD releases
The seven episodes from the first season were released on May 25, 2010 as a 2-DVD set entitled Hoarders: The Complete Season One. The total runtime is 329 minutes, not including bonus features.The first seven episodes from the second season were released on December 7, 2010 as a 2-DVD set Hoarders Season Two: Part One. The run time is 329 minutes.