Each episode of Hoarders is a fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis.
Jennifer & Ron/Jill
A couple in Louisville, Kentucky who both suffer from hoarding risk losing their children if they don't comply with numerous citations given to them by the city. A woman's food hoarding in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is so bad that she places herself at risk for food poisoning.
Linda & Steven
Linda's husband could no longer stand the compulsive hoarding that filled the house they owned together. However, Linda must now sell her home as part of the settlement and it is sure to be an elaborate and anxiety-provoking process. Steven is at risk of eviction with a very poorly kept government-run housing. He may end up homeless again if he cannot clean up his house.
Tara & Betty
Adult Protective Services removed an elderly Marysville, Ohio woman's sick alcoholic husband from their home because of the hazardous conditions. The family's financial problems are complicated by their schizophrenic daughter, who is also a hoarder. A Torrance, CA woman who is an obsessive collector faces eviction if she fails to clean up her home.
Jake & Shirley
A young man in Novato, California, who also suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, hoards garbage (snack wrappers, empty bottles, and rotting food) in a two-bedroom townhouse he shares with his alcoholic father. A blind woman's hoard in New Mexico is so bad that every room of her home is cluttered with over 75 living and dead cats, cat feces, and urine soaked carpets and furniture.
Kerrylea & Lauren
A Seattle, Washington couple are facing imminent foreclosure on two houses as a result of a decision to buy a second home to solve the wife's lifelong hoarding problem. A Charlottesville, Virginia woman's relationship with her boyfriend is in danger as a result of her hoard, which has taken over their entire townhouse.
Patty & Bill
A Kansas woman's compulsive shopping habits have taken over the entire house. Her children were removed by authorities as a result of the living conditions. A Beverly, Massachusetts man's hoard of both home renovation supplies and outdated materials is so bad that his common-law wife broke her arm tripping over a pile of his things. After seeming unfazed over the accident, he is given an ultimatum to clean up or move out.
Paul / Missy & Alex
Paul was charged with criminal littering in 2008 and has failed to meet three court ordered deadlines to clean his yard. His 2 acre property is strewn with over 70 junk cars, thousands of pounds of scrap metal, and hundreds of old appliances. In January, a judge sentenced him to 5 days in jail and gave him a few months to clean his property, or face a fine and additional jail time. Just days before the deadline Paul must make a decision; allow the tow trucks and metal collectors to descend on his property and clear out his collection, or go to jail. Missy is a hoarder with a 7 year old son, Alex, who has begun to exhibit hoarding tendencies. On several occasions when she has tried to clean, her son has cried hysterically over things like a rusty chain and an old used cotton ball. Unless she can set an example, Alex will continue to follow her behavior and may never have a shot at a normal life. Now Missy must clean up her house in order to save her son.
