Gripping Television

Anyone that has watched “Hoarders” knows how deeply emotional the program can get at times. Many of the people profiled are so sick that it’s a supreme challenge to get through to them so they can save their lives and begin anew.

This type of mental disorder by itself is tough enough to deal with, but when patients don’t hoard items, they horde living things, it can become even more difficult endeavor to get help with.

The premise of Animal Planet’s “Confessions: Animal Hoarding” deals with this situation head-on, as people must find a way to get rid of their animals and salvage what is left of their homes and life. Seeing the catastrophic effects of these situations, such as homes being covered in feces and the actual hoarders smelling so bad that they lose their jobs, is heart wrenching. In one episode, a woman’s husband is forced to move out of his own home due to a breathing problem while she stays in the house, unable to deal with the problem.

In the same episode, a man that owns over 60 chickens is forced to come to grips with his addiction. Seeing the way he interacts with his family about this problem, going from a smart, witty man to an obsessive child makes for some interesting television. Given this, “Confessions: Animal Hoarding” is different enough from other shows on Animal Planet to make it a worthwhile watch.

Disgusting and at times scary, the show doesn’t pull any punches in depicting its subjects. Showing the depths this condition plays on the psyche, many of the people profiled have no idea that they have a problem until its too late. When they finally understand what they’re doing to themselves, their homes and their loved ones, the show truly begins to take shape.

The way the families and friends are affected by this situation will remind many of the show “Intervention” and for good reason. Created by the producers of “Intervention,” the show has a very similar feel, as the profile of the hoarder is shown first through interview of the hoarder themselves and then of friends and family. After that, everything comes together, as hoarder, friends and family try to work together to help solve the problem.

More often than not, the show ends positively and the before and after of the situation is enough to induce tears. As a result, it’s an educational expose that is as powerful as any well-written fictional drama.

While it may not be a show for everyone, as the scenes of filthy homes and lost souls are enough to make some squirm, it’s a reality show that is about helping people and not watching them destroy themselves while we watch, like most reality television is today.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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