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Season 12, Episode 20

Andrew

Age: 18
Location: Austin, Texas
Addiction: Bulimia
What’s memorable: So this kid submits himself to the show (obviously lying about who is doing the submitting), convinces his parents to lie to the producers and pretend he wasn’t the one who set the whole thing up, treats EVERYONE like shit, and then gets downright cruel when they actually expect him go to treatment. I understand the severity of his illness, but I just don’t know how anyone can excuse the kind of behavior he exhibited during filming. He asked for his mother to talk to him alone during the intervention, then spent the whole time berating her and trying to make her feel bad. You can just tell he’s a master manipulator and has the whole family under his control. It’s very, very disturbing. I was glad to see him get better, he was most certainly going to die of that disease, I just hope that he spends some time during recovery making amends and looking hard at how he treated the people who love him.

Official Synopsis:
In an Intervention first that reveals a surprising outcome, we reach out to 18-year-old Andrew who once dreamed of a military career, but now binges and purges up to 12 times a day.

Original Air Date: February 2013
Interventionist: Seth

Comments
All comments.
Comments

  1. Joshua Yother

    I’d love to me able to watch this episode. But I can’t find it anywhere…why does it seem every other episode can be found in its entirety except for this one?

    1. Dizzy

      Yeah the A&E site had it up until just recently. You could buy it on iTunes or stream it from Amazon.

    2. Ashley Brown

      Hulu plus has it on there…also try Netflix…but huluplus definitely has it on there

    3. Joanne

      It’s on You Tube
      Put in search bar-intervention s13e20 killers

    4. Suzie Q

      It’s on aetv.com , watching it right now… this guy really needs help

  2. Dee

    No way after he gained the weight back in recovery he looked like a different person. He looked like a skeleton before, he did serious damage to his body and was hospitalized twice (at least) I think it’s pretty irrational that he would be faking it. For what to go on TV and admit to failing in the military and get a free trip to rehab. That makes zero sense.

    1. Sarah Thomas

      I dont think it was ever a matter of if hes lying about his disease but he was lying bout he submitted himself to the show and knew it was intervention the whole time. He obviously needed the help, thats why seth decided to go on with the intervention when they normally would pull out in this situation.

      1. Ashley Brown

        Cuz of the severity of his disease/addiction/eating disorder…he would have died…during filming of the show he was admitted to the hospital with near fatal potassium levels…so it was a life and death situation and that’s why Seth proceeded with the intervention

    2. Keith Mandeville

      He is a lying coward, how dare he lie about the Marine Corps, shame on him! Period!

      1. S

        lol how would you even begin to know/think he was lying?

      2. Observer

        Do you have any idea how prevalent male on male sexual assault is in the military? Don’t make ridiculous statements without some facts in your back pocket.

      3. Faith

        I served for 8 years in the military and this kid is absolutely lieing. He told his parents some bulls***t lie about them threatening to slit his throat when he reported the sexual abuse so he can continue to leach off of them and treat them badly. Just look at his behavior, nobody who acts like a spoiled attention seeking child makes it through boot camp. If you are in the Marines you know exactly what I mean, if your not you will probably argue with me. He even lied to the show about knowing it was intervention. He is a spoiled brat attention seeker and to state that the Sergeants in Boot Camp said they would slit his throat instead of conducting an investigation and following SOP that is strictly enforced is a disgrace to our military.

      4. Faith

        In addition you can’t just demand to go home after enlisting, it isn’t some child’s summer camp. You sign a contract at the Federal level stating you will serve a set amount of time. It would be thoroughly investigated as to why he would break his contract by many levels of authority and if he was threatened they would find out and prosecute. This kid is blatantly lieing as to why he failed at boot camp. Most likely insubordination or inability to adapt but that would be the result of multiple documented instances and they would try to rectify the situation to keep him in before spending our hard earned money to send him home. His military record should definitely be found but his explanation is completely inaccurate, it just doesn’t work that way. Anyone who acts like he does in the show would not make it in the military. What a disgrace to the Marine Corps by a disrespectful brat!

  3. Lindsey

    Eating disorders not only change appearances, but completely transform personalities. He was a shell of himself. I can 100% see how his family put up with his horrible attitude as long as they did, because what they remember is the old Andrew. The Andrew they grew up for years and years loving. That is what they were desperate to get back. Love allows people to cling to any chance of hope and I believe that is what his family was doing. To call Andrew a creep is to misunderstand how warped his mind became in the heart of his self abuse. The end of the episode demonstrates the beauty that can come from such a terrible situation and a first step towards healing for the addict and those that care about him.

  4. Sara

    Andrew has a LOT of anger. I hope he got to work through that rage. What interests me about this episode was the way the show pretended like the subject never found out about the show before the actual intervention. yes, Andrew was the first to submit himself, but Seth made it sound like anyone who finds out stops getting filmed. That simply can’t be true. Dillon knew his intervention was coming. Sarah and Micheal knew about theirs, or at least Sarah did. Joey the tattoo artist knew. Even Sean from the same season knew. These are just off the top of my head, there may even be more. They stayed and finished the filming for all of those episodes. The only one I heard about which may be why I can never find it was Randi the meth-addicted bulimic from one of the first seasons. I’m glad the crew stuck it out, Andrew looked a lot better after treatment. I just thought that was interesting.

    1. dizzy

      Marquel and Ryan (Season 12) both found out about the intervention too, and filming did not end. You’re right, it’s not true that they stop filming. There may be many unseen episodes that weren’t completed because of it, but they certainly can’t claim to stop filming whenever it happens.

      1. Kat

        There’s a really great Reddit AMA with a former Intervention camera man that’s pretty easy to find via Google, he answers a couple questions about episodes that did not make it to air and said the only time they pulled the plug on any episodes were when they found out the addict knew Intervention would be coming to their house the entire time, from submission to arrival, basically a planned intervention with the addict biding their time to accept the treatment that would inevitably be offered. In those cases, the camera man said, they wouldn’t air the episode but they would still try and find the family help because, to paraphrase: “Those addicts don’t need interventions, they just need help, they’re already willing.” After having watched the episode again after reading that interview, I’m pretty confident that’s what Seth refers to when he talks about an addict “knowing” about Intervention.

      2. Dizzy

        Thanks, that’s good to know.

    2. Ashley Brown

      He was always in bad moods cuz he was probably feeling like crap from lack of food…I know when I get hungry…I start getting grumpy…though he had no right to treat his family the way he did.

  5. Sarah Thomas

    He is seriously a brat. I hope he found peace within himself, because he had some serious hate in his heart. I think the lady at the treatment center was right, that he developed his eating disorder as a way to rebel and show his anger and resentment. But I really hope he kept what he learned in treatment.

    1. R

      Harsh words. I don’t think he was a brat. Resentment can do terrible things to peoples attitudes.

  6. K.

    I do not put my name here because I know Andrew. And you don’t have to believe me. I understand if you don’t. When Andrew moved to Cedar Park in middle school, he was a quiet kid until you got to know him. He was a real jokester and was a little chubby which his twin brother Nick, and his friend CONSTANTLY reminded him of. Id sit with them at lunch (because his brother and I were together) and not know how to tell them to shut up. And I regret that. But the military did really mess him up. In high school, he was in JROTC and he lost a lot of weight. Nothing too unhealthy, after we graduated, we never spoke again. But once I saw this episode air, I was in shock. This kid was half the weight that I last saw him as and I cried like a baby. I’m so glad he’s healthy again. He may have come off as a bratty asshole on the show but that’s not him at all, it was the disease. I hung out with Nick after the episode, wanting to check up on his family and everything is good. Andrew is doing very well and has gained his normal weight. I’m so proud of him and I’m friends with him on facebook. He’s been doing well since the show. Just an update.

    1. Ashley

      That’s good to hear…he suffered sexual trauma in the military and I can understand his resentment towards the military especially, if I remember right they told him to not say a word about it. And the anger and bad attitude…I agree with you was from the disease..not eating affects your mood and overall well being.I’m glad he’s well now…he looks sooo much better now…kids can be cruel in school and then to pick on him in the military program…. I’m glad he overcame this…and tell him he’s a handsome young man and screw all those haters…they were just jealous of him

  7. Madaline

    I realize this kid is sick, but wow what an attitude! Broke my heart to see him treat people so horribly. The way he belittled his mom is their private conversation was heart wrenching. Hopefully things work out for him.

  8. Samantha

    I cannot get over how incredible he looked after the intervention. I hope that he is still doing well… He was just a very very sick person whose disease consumed him. It’s all about that lack of control.

  9. Crystal

    I just rewatched this on the A&E app on AppleTv. I forgot how truly awesome Seth was in handling this one. I loved his conversation with Andrew’s mom about co-dependence. And how he completely nailed it with Andrew’s dad about how he didn’t seem there even though he was sitting right there. Powerful stuff.

    1. Ashley

      Yeah…I think that was Andrew’s dads way of dealing with stress…shutting down and displaying no emotion and leaving the situation… Everybody has their own ways to deal with things…some healthy.. Some unhealthy… Seth did an awesome job of putting it out there and making him see how his coping skills was making things worse for Andrew.I hope the family is doing well…this is actually the first time I saw an episode where they themselves submitted themselves to the show (being Andrew I’m talking about)

  10. Theresa

    I just watched this episode on A&E. I was intrigued about Andrew and his follow-up. I think some may forget that at the time of the filming he was only 18. He was still developing mentally and physically. His bulimia stunted any more growth and he was more a child than a man. Of course he was immature! It’s easy to look at his behavior and condemn it. He was an addict. Addicts are not rational. Particularly addicts who are still so very young and who have unresolved trauma. I think it’s easy to comment on someone’s behavior and not be in the same situation. I hope and pray that he has grown out of it and has become a strong, healthy man.

  11. momtojsb

    The way he spoke to his mother faaaar overshadows anything that may or may not happened to him or anything that he accomplished in treatment. No, don’t believe that his attitude and blatant disrespect of his mother were merely due to his illness–he seemed far too practiced and comfortable for it to be something new, so to speak. Also, did his mother get treatment for her co-dependency issue? She surely needed it. I’ve never seen a woman allow her child to speak to her in such a way–it was painfully obvious that she over-compensated and under-disciplined Andrew to make up for the fact that his dad was away working for a living, something that she didn’t seem to explain to Andrew. She also never seemed to explain how respect works (give respect to get it), and especially how it works regarding ones parents. I’ve never been so disgusted while watching this show, disgusted with the addict and disgusted with said addicts parent(s).

    1. C

      Being rude to your mother in the throws of mental illness does not overshadow sexual abuse.

  12. Tom

    I just re-watched this episode and I think people totally neglect the very obvious, f*cked up truth it illuminates – tons of Americans can’t afford (adequate) treatment and have to resort to being exploited for entertainment in exchange for something half-way decent. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are way more people on Intervention doing exactly that, just not getting caught. Especially in the later seasons, when it really seems incredible that someone could still be surprised by an intervention after they’re told there’s a camera crew filming a “documentary about addiction.” Seth and co. had no cause to act offended or taken advantage of when they film these addicts for ratings and thrive on the more dramatic ones.

    1. Emily

      This. This is so sadly accurate and I find myself thinking about it every time I watch the show. The system is keeping people sick and especially in the case of eating disorders, the constant emergency room visits and long term care for organ issues will eventually surpass the cost of treatment. It makes no sense.

    2. Serena

      I completely agree with you, Tom. Having gone to an eating disorder treatment center (whose clinical director is now the one that was shown at Andrew’s), as odd as the circumstances were for him to be on this show I am surprised that there are not more like him. Especially in the case of an eating disorder. In treatment there were girls whose insurance did not cover and in only 3 months of treatment had racked up over 6 figures in bills. Roughly $1000 a day to be treated, and even when insurance does cover some or most of that most of the time people are rushed through and are not able to receive the full care they need. It’s truly sad.

  13. Jessica

    I have a lot of sympathy for Andrew and his family too. They were saying his other option was Austin State Hospital, meaning he has no insurance. Trust me, Austin State Hospital mental ward is scary. Do you know what it’s like to be surrounded by people with varying degrees of psychosis and nurses that are numbed to these situations (?) I’m speaking from experience. Because of the show, he went to one of the best eating disorder treatment centers. No they shouldn’t have lied, but wow they had horrible options. I was really happy to see his successful recovery.

    1. Ellie

      No insurance? How can that be? From the looks of the house and neighborhood they live in, I believe insurance would be affordable.

      1. Elizabeth

        I can’t recall for sure but I believe Andrew was an adult, which meant that he would not necessarily be eligible to be covered under his parents’ insurance. Given his many health issues, I can imagine that health insurance would be really expensive for him. Mental health benefits are not always great so even with insurance, he’s still likely to need hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for treatment.

  14. Jessica

    I just wanted to add to my previous comment this article about 3 Texas eating disorder patients who died in TX state psychiatric hospitals due to inadequate care. It is from 2012, however right around the time of this episode. My point being, it didn’t look as though this family had good treatment options.

    http://www.statesman.com/news/federal-investigation-says-state-hospital-failed-care-patient-who-died/rYNrqcGsuoP0jOjn9q2bbN/

  15. Jessica

    Sorry, in the above article, the one patient died and the hospitals are being investigated concerning the other two who are still alive.

  16. Janelle

    Anorexia and bulimia are not mental illnesses. They’re behavioural disorders. The behavior of starving themselves, or binging and purging, is intended to manipulate and/or harm other people. In other words, anorexics and bulimics hurt themselves in order to hurt others. That’s why nearly all anorexics and bulimics are extremely manipulative, hostile and/or have Jekyll-and-Hyde personalities. When treating these people, the first objective should be to stabilise their medical condition, but after that the treatment should be through extensive behaviour modification therapy. They need to be taught that they can’t get their way 24/7 and if they behave badly there will be consequences.
    In this case, Andrew binged and purged in order to hold his family hostage and act out his anger at his parents – his mother for not keeping the family together and his father for abandoning the family. Seth handled this intervention perfectly and I really wish A&E had kept him around and made him a regular. He called Andrew out on his self-serving, manipulative and abusive treatment of the rest of his family, and he called out the parents on their failure to maintain control over their children.
    Seth should have gone even one step further and told the parents that they needed to punish Andrew for his reprehensible behaviour. They should have boxed up his things and put them in storage when he was away in treatment, and when he got out they should have told him that because his behaviour was so disrespectful and abusive, they were cutting off all ties with him for at least one year, during which time he would have to find a place to live and support himself on his own, and that he wouldn’t be welcomed back into the family until he showed that he has changed his behaviour.

    1. Laura

      the inaccuracies in this post are shocking, and for those of us that have survived and are in recovery for eating disorders, it’s extremely insulting. anorexia and bulimia nervosa are BOTH considered biologically-based brain disorders and classified as psychiatric illnesses in the DSM-V. please do your research instead of disseminating your opinions as “facts”, and take a good long look at where your biases are coming from.

    2. C

      I hope to god you’re not counseling or advising actual people with real issues. That would be so dangerous.

    3. J.

      Your illogical and uneducated comments are extremely dangerous and disturbing. Give your head a shake.

    4. Diane S

      Wow! Your comments are amazingly ignorant, Janelle.

    5. Dahlia

      Well aren’t you a dick…

    6. Isabelle

      I can’t even begin to tell you just how wrong you are. Please don’t ever try and help anyone

    7. Ang

      Wow Janelle. You have NO idea what you’re talking about. Anorexia/bulemia is not a behavioral disorder. People with this illness will look in a mirror and not see how skeletonized they are. They will still see themselves as fat. The mom was right when she said it is a way he can feel like he has control in his life. He is manipulative to his family so he can continue is unhealthy ways cuz he’s sick. Drug addicts and alcoholics do the same thing. So, when someone is this sick and their behavior is terrible because of them being sick, you’re gonna turn around and punish them when they are better? That person will relapse every time. Please don’t continue to give advice/opinions on this topic.

    8. Nikki

      Wow just wow you are just wrong and so hurtful. I personally suffered from bulimia for years. I was not manipulating anyone or trying to hurt anyone. My father was abusive physically and verbally. He loved to tell me I was fat at 5’2 and 94lbs. I became bulimic to earn his love but kept it hidden for years. I joined the military, had a family and became a law enforcement officer. I have worked my whole life to serve others and to be an amazing mother and human. I worked very hard to work on myself and it is terrible that you have such a misguided perception of people. Most people with eating disorders are punishing themselves and are embarrassed by it. They aren’t trying to lie, steal and manipulate people they are trying to hide it from people. Why don’t you try and understand others instead of judge all people by one person’s actions that you see on TV during a hour episode.

  17. BEE

    Wow. It seems like this kid had so much internalised shame and self hate he projected it onto everyone else. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it didn’t seem like he had any help dealing with the bullying or sexual assault, or maybe could not afford help at that time. Seth was really amazing. I would not have expected him to be so patient or kind with someone who set up the intervention themselves and then didn’t want to go through with it. I think he saw it as the massive cry for help that it was. And as nasty as Andrew was to his mother, sometimes the way shows are edited don’t always show the kinder moments. It seemed like a lot of his lashing out was to do with mood swings because next minute he was hugging his mom.
    Anyway I hope all these guys are doing well, they seem like a legitimately nice family.

  18. Rhianne Josie

    I had a brother that emulated Andrews disease to a T. However it began for him in 7th grade and was bullied so badly he turned to a rapid eating disorder making loose 30-40lbs within half a year. He looked and acted awful. He was so young my sister nor my parents knew what to do besides take him to clinics and say our concerns about his eating disorder. He shot himself that summer never making it to 8th grade for us to both be in Jr High together. He was 13 my sister was 15 and I was 11 and am 32. To this day is affects me and I so wish we could have helped him. It brought true regret seeing his improvement and smile because I couldn’t give that to my brother. I’m happy for him because rarely does the outcome of eating disorders end in the individual smiling and overcoming. However it was amazing and true strength to see him do it.

    1. jacinda godwin

      Reading ur post made me so sad.. i am so sorry for ur loss. Kids can be so cruel sometimes

    2. A

      For all those commenters commenting that he is a “brat” etc, please be mindful that in those moments, he was extremely delirious and malnourished. A person cannot make good choices when their brain is that deprived of nutrients. Eating disorders out you basically in a temporary psychosis, and are shown to lead to permanent brain damage. Luckily he sought treatment quickly so I hope that none of his deficits were long-lasting once he started eating healthily again.

      This is an important factor to consider when thinking about why it is so hard to overcome eating disorders.executive functioning skills are impaired when you are malnourished (judgement, planning) which makes it even harder to get better.

      Andrew, if you ever check up on this page (which I hope you don’t), please don’t pay attention to the ignorant people. Wishing you the best with your continued recovery.

      1. A

        Sorry- didn’t mean to reply specifically to this comment. So sorry for your loss.

  19. Natasha

    I know a little about what Andrew is going through. I was the short chubby kid for years anx was bullied. At 17 my family moved to another state , if I were to live with my mother at that time I would have probly treated her like crap . Drugs, alcohol, bulimia are all selfish diseases. We hurt the ones we love, we feel like shit about it but we are sick.
    The way Andrew treated his mom was mostly his disease. Hes not by any means a bad kid. Bullying, what happend to him in camp all contributed. I really hope Andrew is okay today. I know hes a handsome guy.

  20. Vicky

    Hate is a strong word but I HATED him all the way up until the follow up and then I was so happy and fell in love with the healthy Andrew. Hopefully he stayed healthy and happy!

  21. Enikő Faludi

    I’m really wondering how is Andrew now,4-5years after the show?! What’s his last name or is there anyone who knows him personally and can tell any updates,how he’s doing? I hope he’s doing better,I was so happy he went to treatment and he looked so much better at the end of the show! It was so sad to see how much anger he was at the show and how angry he was at the whole word!:/ I also hope that he mended his relationship with his family especially with his parents!:)

  22. mc

    There’s so much wrong in what you posted Janelle it’s astounding.

  23. Kara

    I understand how this boy may seem abhorrent to casual observers but I think, like others have said, you’re underestimating how significant of an impact an eating disorder (and underlying causes of an eating disorder) has on your mood and behavior.

    I am a very respectful and generally kind person but as a teenager with an eating disorder I was an absolute monster. I lashed out at family members in a manner reminiscent of Andrew’s, I said horrible, hurtful things to the people who loved me most and I just all around made everyone else’s life the hell that was going on inside me.

    Please look at life through a different lens before you judge Andrew’s character.

  24. Mona

    Everything Janelle posted is wrong and harmful. That is ridiculous to say that EDs are not mental illnesses. Please educate yourself.

  25. Chris C

    Does anyone have Andrews’s Facebook?

  26. Brooke

    wow this kid is so rude and nasty, especially to his mother, it really angers me!! i wish he would try and talk to me like that! he acted all mad, “i’m pissed”, saying how he couldn’t trust his family, and even had to be talked into treatment, yet he’s the one who friggin submitted himself. give me a break! SO obnoxious! at least after a few months into treatment he seemed less of a punk and more respectful. i understand he’s sick, i do, but come on.

  27. Waldo A

    I actually personally know Andrew. I went to high school with him and we are good friends. Unfortunately while this was going on, I was out of contact doing my own military stuff. I will say I am not surprised he got that way, its kind of a family tradition. Back in HS he was a good guy. A good circle of friends who unfortunately drifted apart.

    I will say he is doing much much better. He is going to college and has a really good gf who keeps him steady last time I checked. Big into faith as well.

  28. R

    I really disliked him sooo much all the way up to the follow up. I understand people have illnesses that cause them to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t but I just really didn’t like him at all. And everything he said seemed to be very fake. All of his anger and saying he was refusing to go to treatment seemed very fake to me. He knew he was going to go all along but wanted the attention in my opinion. Seth is an AMAZING interventionist. It’s so horrible everything he went through between the bullying, absent father and abuse in the military. The follow up was truly amazing and I really like the real Andrew! He seems like a really nice guy and I genuinely hope he overcomes this illness and continues to heal and live a wonderful, happy life!!

  29. Diane S.

    How bizarre that the father lived a thousand miles away, and yet they were still married. I looked at the house they lived in and they had some pretty expensive furnishings and decorations. It would have been better if they’d lived more humbly and the dad stayed a part of the family. Very weird.

    1. lhamo55

      Military families are routinely separated by far greater distances than this. Nothing “weird” about it. And after watching an edited show for less than 60 minutes, how are you in any position to judge whether they are living humbly or not?

      1. Laura Fausnaugh

        Agree – though shalt not judge. This family did what they had to in order to provide for their family. Btw, I’m married and live apart from my husband.

    2. Stef

      Unless it was mentioned and I missed it, I ‘m curious why the family didn’t join John in Connecticut? Especially with the bullying Andrew endured at school in Texas. It was clear he was uncomfortable at the pre-intervention. I think he would have preferred root canal w/o novacane over sitting at the pre-intervention. I thought his letter t o Andrew was nice and he was accepting responsibility for Andrew’s issues, finally. Was happy to see at the end he moved back to Texas with his family. I hope they’re all well.

  30. dakota

    Eating disorders are like any addiction. You lie, manipulate, steal, are abusive. All in order to protect the illness that’s rapidly destroying you, and everyone around you. I thought I’d be really upset watching this episode because of Andrew’s behavior, but all I felt was empathy. For his family, and even for him. I have been struggling with anorexia on and off for almost a decade now. I understand how this disease makes you act. There’s no justification for abuse or cruelty, no matter how sick you are. But it IS a symptom. Once we recover, we can begin to make amends, and forgive ourselves. I hope Andrew is still in recovery. He deserves it, as does anyone.

  31. Nivey

    Does anyone have any recent updates on Andrew and his family!?? I always wondered what happened to him. Such a heartbreaking story. The twist in finding out he submitted himself to the show, all the while his parents knew and lied for him, just showed how sick he and the entire family were. I hope he is doing better and overcame the pain from his past. Any updates would be awesome!

    1. Stef

      I’d love an update as well. I can’t find his last name anywhere. (In order to look him up) At first, I thought he was such a horrible d-bag, the way he treated everyone , especially his mother. During the pool scene when he was really freaking out, I finally got a clue and realized how much pain he was in and couldn’t help his behavior. I let out a huge ‘OH MY GOD’ when I saw him at the followup 72 days later! He looked SO fantastic! He looked happy and healthy, an entirely different person on the inside as well as the outside. I hope he’s well. Hope someday we get an update.

  32. Christina

    My heart truly goes out to Andrew and the emotional turmoil that he endured daily. I battled anorexia when I was 17/18 when it was still yet be be discovered in the medical field. I endured the childhood bullying for being chubby and as I branched out from a private Baptist elementary school into reality of a secular junior high and high school, I succumbed to the pressure of being beautiful and skinny. I was already a perfectionist so I believe my personality fit the script. I began gradually loosing weight the usual way via diet and exercise; however, upon receiving positive feedback, I kicked it up a notch and then another and than another until I was eventually banned from the gym due to liability purposes. I remember my mother seeking for answers and help and eventually I ended up hospitalized at 58 pounds at 18 years old at UCLA. I thank God that I had and have many loving family praying for my recovery. I am now free from anorexia and thankful to be alive.

  33. Laura Fausnaugh

    Andrew, your story touched me so much. I hope you are doing well today 💕💕💕 You made the right choice.

  34. Kail

    As someone who has suffered, and still suffers, I have so much empathy for Andrew and I really hope he conquers bulimia. It’s such a complex addiction. I’m sure that there was alsona lot of social stigma that Andrew faced with admitting to these issues on camera in front of the world.

    That being said, am I the only one that found the resolution of this episode a little scripted and offputting? None of this made any sense. Nobody even explained the circumstances under how Andrew was discharged from the military.

    You can’t just ~quit~ boot camp because of a traumatic incident. It guess it’s certainly possible that someone did an investigation after the sexual assault was reported, covered it up, and that Andrew was discharged anyway for a made up mental health problem, but wouldn’t that mean there’d be something in his file preventing him from re-enlistment?

    And sorry but I can’t get past the whole “Andrew still plans to pursue his lifelong dream of being in the military” bullshit. I can’t even imagine a legitimate therapist would recommend for an assault victim to re-enter the environment that they were abused and treated so poorly in. Esp considering Andrew only had a few months in treatment at the time. Eating disorders have such a high recidivism rate because of how complex they are- it would be SO rash to make that commitment.

    1. hanna

      He could have experienced mental health issues after the incident and gotten separated for failure to adjust. He is not exactly barred from re-enlistment, he would need to be treatment free for at least one to two years and then apply for waivers. he would have a slim chance of getting back to the marines because they are super picky, same with coast guard and air force.

  35. Rachelle

    The number of people completely excusing his selfish, deceitful, manipulative behavior is so sad on here. However, apple didn’t fall far from the tree since his parents knew that he was deceiving the intervention show from the get go. I’ve never disliked someone the entire episode, and I didn’t feel any better about this manipulator even after the follow up. Usually I feel really happy to see these people doing well!

    He was extremely comfortable talking to his mother the way he did, meaning this has been a lifelong thing of disrespect. He should have been grateful that they still chose to help him even after it was exposed he lied. He honestly seemed like he just wanted to be on TV by the way he told his mom that it was his choice to go to treatment or not, as if he hadn’t decided yet.

    The entire family needed help, and they’re all manipulators.

  36. Emmers.

    It is now on the A&E website. I haven’t seen it in forever but I’m going to watch it. I used to be anorexic so this will be all too familiar.

  37. Missy

    This kid is one of the most unlikable people to ever be on the show. Even if he were healthy, he is just an unbearable brat. I’m glad he got healthy, but good riddance. There’s some serious underlying mental issues that have nothing to do with the eating disorder or his sexual abuse claims. The kid lies so much, how could you even believe anything he says? He is insecure about his height, but that doesn’t turn you into a brat and pathological liar the way he is.

    1. Stefan

      It’s not a shock that he became a Born Again Jesus freak because it’s usually a way to make oneself feel better about past transgressions.