I started watching that awhile ago. It was the potter's house. I stopped when they got the house emptied out. I agree it's a pretty cool channel and I really enjoyed the Canadian sensibility, but I haven't watched their videos lately. Wow - I didn't know it was vandalized!

FWIW, I think she was mentally ill &/or suffering from dementia toward the end.

Another one that I enjoy a lot is called 'Urban Exploring With Kappy'. A young guy who documents 100+ year old abandoned, dilapidated farmhouses & mansions - in the south mostly. He is also very respectful, says he always obtains permission, doesn't disturb anything and doesn't do very much narration, just takes you on a tour & shows the architectural details, etc. It's kind of spooky and a little sad, because many are chockfull of debris and abandoned stuff, but I like the feeling of virtually wandering through these places that were clearly once quite grand and imagining them being lived in once upon a time. They're the kind of decaying houses you might see from the highway and I've always wished I could see inside them.

I often think about others here who appreciate old buildings & architectural details and think they might enjoy those videos too.

Makes me want to go out and purge my garage.

I have part 2 bookmarked.

Is there something more to it than simply watching them go through people's accumulated junk? I skipped around a couple of the episodes and that was all I saw, not particularly engaging to me.

I'm with schoolhouse, I'm going to at least find a cluttered drawer that needs cleaning out.

I seem to recall there was some pretty good stuff among that 'junk'...

Fine. That neither justifies a hoarding disorder nor makes watching someone going through tons of trash interesting to me.

YouTube has something for everybody 😃

Some people become hoarders. Especially when they live alone and grow old. Somehow they don't see the situation they are living with.

About 35 yrs ago, I was a volunteer at a local animal shelter. There were so many wonderful people who volunteered their time to help the animals. I got involved because we had lost our dog and I kept going each day to he shelter hoping someone brought him in.

I met and worked with two elderly women who went there every day. They were the nicest, kindest people you could imagine.

Long store short, One of the elderly women would call me to drive her to doctor appointments, etc. I gladly did that Strangely, she never invited me into her house when I'd pick her up or drop her off. She had two small dogs. She was always nicely dressed and clean. She became sick and I spent time taking her to doctors and picking up her meds.

She became ill and wound up in the hospital. I had to take care of her two small dogs. She gave me the key to her house.

I was shocked! I had never seen anything like this. When I opened the kitchen door, there was a small pathway to walk in. The kitchen was piled with 'things.' How she cooked or got to the fridge, was beyond comprehension. Leaving the kitchen was scary (this was a two-story house. I had to climb mountains of newspapers, magazines, boxes, clothes, etc.

Each room had a pathway to get from one room to another. You couldn't see furniture as the piles of 'things' were higher than tables, couches, et.

I got so spooked by what I saw, I called my husband to come help me find the dogs. I was afraid to go up the stairs where I heard the dogs barking.

My husband came, told me to leave, he'd get the dogs and take them back to our house. I didn't want that as I felt those little dogs were used to living like this and might be terrified to go to a strange place.

My kids, husband and I worked to throw out and pack stuff in boxes and moved to a garage, which was beyond belief.

Not sure how this happens. She was never married, never had children. Had no family and obviously never allowed anyone in.

Jane

Jane __ny I bet it was hard to see this. I'm glad you got the pups out. Were they in good shape and what happened to them?

Well, Elmer, just dont watch it.

It is more than just hoarding stories. These are stories of people's lives that get told here. You are missing some of the nuance of what is being presented.

There are lessons and revealations for how we live our lives, what we value and why.

They are also stories of getting old and of fading away. As they got older it seems that they were less able to interact with their home and less able to continue with the things that once gave them pleasure.

Seeing this portrayed makes me so thankful that I have let things pass in my life as I have gotten older. When you end up at the finish line with your world crumbled down around you, that is unfortunate.

This team brings new life to an old situation and that is interesting to watch. Maybe not for you. That is your choice.

They are not trying to justify a hoarding disorder. That is a far reach. Why would that be the objective? It is not.

I guess I don't get the pleasure in watching a "train wreck" that was once someones life. I've heard about a show called "Hoarders". If I was in a situation like Jane(see above) I'd be glad to help box and pitch until it was ALL cleaned up....and take the dogs home with me until the owner was out of the hospital. But......to make my life a part of theirs, watching a show....the images would stick with me..."You can't unsee that". nooooooooooooooo.....

We like funny shows......comedy or Nature shows.....I LOVE to laugh!

FWIW, I understand that hoarding like that described above is most often related to OCD/anxiety disorders.

And that TV show played up the extreme, shocking aspects - like most 'reality' shows. I think of such shows as parades of pain - not a fan.

These YouTube channels are covering places that have been standing unoccupied for years, decades even. I don't think of them the same way. There isn't some living, suffering person being exploited.

nicole and carolb expressed it better than I did.

I'm not a fan of the "reality" genre to begin with. I don't think they appeal to the best aspects of human nature. This show is exploiting for profit the emotional and mental illnesses of those who created the "train wrecks" - good term nicole. Why would anyone be interested? These aren't one-off documentaries prepared by a legitimate operation, they're for-profit voyeurism businesses looking for You Tube clicks, that they get paid for. Don't support them.

I don't think this is anything I'd enjoy. Sounds too much like Schadenfreude -- the thrill of experiencing other's sorrows at a safe remove.

I don't think some of you understand exactly what this show is about. This is not about " hoarders". Alex has only cleaned out three houses since I've been watching the show : The Potter's House, The Musician's House ( what a lovely woman !) and a house for an elderly couple to make the house more livable. The other shows are about many things like restoring old cars, his shop and the people who come there to visit, his home life, trips to buy items for resell, etc., etc. Somehow I'm not surprised that Elmer wouldn't like the show. If you a person who doesn't appreciate the nostalgia of a bygone era, the sentimentality and hard work associated with restoring a well-loved and respected, deceased person's home ( the potter was still alive, but sadly passed away before he could finish, and bring her to see her house), Alex has helped several people to have better lives by pulling them out of poverty, and made them known, and loved by thousands of us. He's not perfect, his 'dad jokes" make me cringe, and I don't watch every episode, but I don't mind if he's making some money by filming some of his interesting life.

I watched a little of the link wednesday posted. I liked Alex. He seemed like a great guy...performing a necessary task that will benefit his business in the end. I did not like sorting through a hat box. Or....seeing a 70's coat collection. Or...the inside of a refrigerator & freezer.

Ya know.....I DO like Architectual Digest home tours. Heidi Klum....could watch her in her cool outfits as entertainment, no I don't watch her fashion runway show. A glimpse of GORGEOUS eye candy....THAT'S interesting for 30 minutes. No clutter, altho decorating has been called "organized clutter." ♥

Pretty sure that Curiosity Inc. is not exploiting anyone's suffering. The guy has a shop by that name specializing in antiques & vintage collectables, a vintage motorcycle business and a nice family and they basically document their work. Buying estates is part of what they do.

https://www.youtube.com/c/CuriosityIncorporated/about

The channel I mentioned is just this guy going into really old, decaying, abandoned homes and showing what they're like inside and out. He especially likes old woodwork, hardware and fireplaces.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF74j9QN2sE_ddwQx8RXnOg/about

I have been watching it from when Alex first started his channel. He cares for his community and those around him. He has helped many people. I also like his friend Joshua Alexander's channel. He is a fabulous artist and maker.

The potter was recieved into some hall of fame and honor of noteable potters after Alex and his crew brought it to their attention. Apparently there is a white clay that comes from that part of Canada and it is home to several artists.

One thing that really strikes me is how this is testament to how this dysfunction can over take our lives as we get older. You can see it happen as they uncover the layers of things left uncared for.

You see that actions were begun and never finished until it all just begins to pile up.

It makes you realize how much care is needed to keep our full houses in functioning order and when we can no longer do that, it tumbles in on us.

That is one reason that I seek to eliminate so many of those things that require a daily dose of ME to keep them clean and functional. There will likely come a time when I no longer have the steam to do all of this keeping. That is what seems to have happened to the people who lived in those houses.

I told hubs that the books in that one house could have been his books but multiplied many times. I saw some titles that I know hubs had. He just cleared out a bunch in this last month.

The potters house and the musicians house were the most interesting portrayals of people. The folks who collected things that were intended to resell were less interesting although it was entertaining seeing so many varied objects.

I enjoy the stories of people. I like to hear about who they are, where they come from and their family histories.

LIfe gets so much more complicated as you get older. I want to go lightly into old age and not live on the edge of a mountain of stuff that threatens to bury me if I dont pay homage to it and serve it everyday. You can see that is a cascading of small things left uncared for. as you become unable to care for them or care about them. How many things seemed to be so important when you are young and not so much as you get older. That is the value of paring down.

It sort of reminds me of the Salvation Army "As Is" store in San Francisco. I've gone to thrift stores on occasion, but I mostly find them depressing. I did know some antique dealers in SF who would go to the "As Is" store right when it opened, as that was when they would put out new items. The dealers would buy all of the good stuff and leave the junk, which meant that it was pretty much impossible to find anything good there.

Maggie, its such a long story, I couldn't write what finally happened.

Regarding the dogs, they were both old and quite neglected as far as grooming and health. They were given to the shelter we both volunteered at (no kill) were taken home by the owner of the shelter. It was very stressful to the dogs.

After about 3 months, the owner (my friend) was able to return home with home health care. The house was cleaned and spotless, (the concern was that the agencies would not come into the house and she could be permanently removed to a nursing home).

The dogs came back to her. The dogs had spent their life inside her house. They were not house broken and terrified of being outside. They were both long haired Chihuahua's.

She was furious with me for cleaning the house. I never spoke to her again. It's a longer story, but my family did the best we could to bring her home .

She died 8 months later. Both dogs died shortly after she returned.

Jane

Elmer, you are much too harsh and critical of something that you either do not grasp, appreciate, or know nothing about.

Alex and his crew are very respectful of all involved and this is nothing like the sensational pedestrain fare that dominates so much of the streaming media. This is not that kind of reality show. Reality based video can get very abusive and tawdry and really downright stupid. This is not that.

Because I didn't share your opinion and instead found the series of videos you linked to, to not be (in my view) worth watching or supporting, to you that means I didn't grasp what was going on, didn't appreciate it, and know nothing about it. I guess that's also true of the others who agreed with me.

Wow.

Actually, I reviewed the thread and didn't note anyone who actually watched this show who expressed a dislike for it, except for Elmer, who said he skipped around a couple episodes. Several people expressed dislike for shows that exploit the illnesses or weaknesses of others, but the consensus of people who viewed it was that this show was sensitive, not exploitative.

Still doesn't sound like my cup of tea, but it doesn't sound like it's in the same category as the worst of the 'reality tv' shows.

@jane__ny, aw, I commend you for finishing the story for me. I’ll never forget it. One lesson I learned when taking care of a neighbor’s cat is to not help them. She piled up read newspapers for years and I thought if I removed a couple a day, she would never notice. However she gave me $25 and said nothing but she never called me again. This is not like your story of course. I did the wrong thing, you did the right thing.

nicole, I would not describe the lives of these two women as "train wrecks". They were just people leading pretty oridinary lives, on the scale of al things.

The couple who just accumulated things are a bit different from the two others. I am not sure just what was going on with them other than just getting old and needing someone to roust them out of the mess of a nest that they had made for themselves. What an extraordiany mess it was!!!

For me, what resonates is the fact that I dont want to grow old with a mountain of material objects and responsibilities that I cant amange in my old age. Simple, light, unburdened and not expecting too much from others........that is my preference.