A&E's critically acclaimed "Hoarders," the first and most-watched series about people struggling with extreme hoarding, returns for a third season with 20 all-new episodes beginning Monday, September 6, 2010.
Each episode of this groundbreaking series follows two different people whose inability to let go of their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of personal disaster. In season three of "Hoarders," the stakes couldn't be higher as the people profiled are faced with life changing consequences including eviction, divorce, demolition of their homes, jail time, loss of their children and even death.
In the series premiere, Monday, September 6 at 9PM ET/PT, we meet Adella whose estranged husband has asked his daughters to help their mother clean up the house just weeks before he dies. Her years of hoarding have torn the family apart, costing her a previous house, her marriage, and relationships with her children. Now, despite years of conflict, her daughters feel they must honor their father by helping to save their mother's home from being condemned by the city. Meanwhile, Teri's husband is so fed up with her hoarding that he threatens a divorce. The couple's two young children are living in a home so cluttered that the door doesn't fully open, the kitchen is inaccessible, and neither has a proper bed. Conditions are so bad that the therapist feels legally compelled to call Child Protective Services soon after arriving at the home.
In the second episode, Monday September 6 at 10PM ET/PT, tempers flare as Gordon and Gaye along with their two grown children are given 72 hours to vacate a house filled with decades of debris. City Code Enforcement has served the family with a condemnation notice if they don't clean up and make repairs to a home that is crumbling around them, and Animal Control has removed their seven cats. In stark contrast, Sir Patrick lives in a treasure trove of a hoard that he refers to as 'Camelot.' Every inch of his home is filled with treasures -- goblets, dolls, oriental inlay screens, fountains and artwork which have put him in debt to the point where his church has to pay his electric bills. Sir Patrick hopes to save off bankruptcy by auctioning off his prized possessions - but can he part ways with these items?
"Hoarders" not only captures the drama as experts work to put each hoarder on the road to recovery but also highlights the individual's inner challenges and triumphs. Although cleaning marks the first step of tackling this disorder, success is not definite. For some individuals, throwing away the tiniest object is so mentally traumatizing that they will not be able to allow the cleaning process to go on... no matter how it may impact their future. For others, professional help and an organizer's instruction give them the strength to let go. At the end of each episode we'll find out who has been able to keep their hoarding behavior under control and who has fallen into the deep end of this painful disease.
"Hoarders" is produced for A&E by Screaming Flea Productions. Executive Producers are Jodi Flynn, Matt Chan and Dave Severson. A&E Executive Producers are Robert Sharenow and Andy Berg.
