Season 2, Episode 17
Betsy
Age: 40
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Addiction: Alcohol
What’s Memorable: This episode can’t be found anywhere, and most references to the episode have been removed. Odd. Anyway, I watched it years ago and couldn’t find it to re-watch for this directory, so I’ll just say what I do remember. The wine, the denial, the childish weakness, the shitty supposedly sober boyfriend that convinced her not to get help at the last minute. Well the episode has been uncovered and posted on YouTube by Ramoin so I got a chance to watch it again and oof! What an episode. My original ‘what’s memorable’ wasn’t all the far off from what I would say now so I will only add that her aversion to being alone was at such odds with her compulsion to push everyone away, it’s striking. Also the fact that Andrew was even asked to be in the Intervention seems ill-advised, but that he was allowed to accompany her on the plane to treatment was straight up wrong. I don’t recall anyone else on this show being able to bring someone on the trip with them do you? Love you Jeff, but that was a seriously bad call. She was being a petulant child making unreasonable demands and I think he should have called her on it, not given in.
Update: Betsy ‘Bets’ Bender passed away on August 8, 2018 after a battle with breast cancer. Obituary
Official synopsis: Betsy went through a devastating time when her marriage fell apart. She began drinking heavily to help the pain. Her family is trying to help her with no results. They finally give her an ultimatum. She either quits drinking or she will lose all of their support and she would be on her own.
Interventionist: Jeff
Original Air Date: August 2006
Okay I’m not trying to be an astrology freak or anything but one thing I noticed Dizzy was when you mentioned how she was super clingy one second and then shuts everyone out the next second. I notice a very similar behavior from season 3 Pams episode. One thing I’ve noticed is they are both Aries. Not trying to offend anyone it’s just something I’ve observed.
I was very curious about her progress after watching her episode on youtube (huge thanks to Ramoin) and found an online obituary for her that is different from the one listed above. This obituary (https://www.lastingtributesfuneralcare.com/obituaries/Betsy-Johnson/#!/Obituary) mentions that Betsy passed away after battling cancer. I think that sharing this may stop some of the speculation about her passing. Sincere condolences to her family and friends. May she rest in peace 🕯🕯💛
“I will only add that her aversion to being alone was at such odds with her compulsion to push everyone away, it’s striking.”
Textbook Borderline Personality Disorder if I’ve ever seen it.
It takes a credentialed clinician months of evaluation to diagnose, borderline personality disorder. You have no way of knowing this from a TV show.
Does anyone else realize that her friend Joani is recovering and an interventionist now due to the Dr Phil show. She appeared on Dr Phil several years ago because she was shooting pain medication.
Interesting. Maybe that’s the reason the episode was pulled…
Or else it was maybe due to Jeff messing up spectacularly and allowing her boyfriend to accompany her to treatment.
Wow Betsy was a hot mess. I really hope she found peace before she died.
My jaw dropped when I saw Betsy’s episode was finally made available! Thank you Rommie!
Thank you Ramoin/Rommie for posting this missing episode, and best of luck to you in your treatment and recovery!! Betsy’s story is one of the saddest in the history of the series, and after having watched the episode it’s quite clear to me that there was an underlying mental illness in addition to the addiction. My first thought was major depression, but it could also have been borderline personality disorder or bipolar disorder. In addition to her addiction and mental health issues, it was also clear that she was not a happy woman. At any rate, I just hope and pray she finds the inner peace and happiness in the hereafter that clearly eluded her in this life.
Just finished watching it. Wow was Betsy a piece of work, right up there with Gabe the Gambler. On a side note, I felt that Jeff kinda failed during the Intervention by allowing her boyfriend to accompany her to treatment, which resulted in her not going at the last minute. I wonder if this is why the episode was yanked from all streaming services…
I really can’t believe YouTube claimed Ramoins channel was “pro addiction”. Did they even read the comments from all of us subscribers? I guess you’d have to say A & E is a “pro addiction” channel then too, since they air intervention. What a ridiculous thing to say about someone’s channel that helps people every single day. We all got to share our fears, hopes, struggles, and recovery stories with people just like us. Great work Ramoin, I hope you’ll be back one day. Good luck with your recovery.
Damn disregard my last comment replying to Rommie. I’m a Ramoin sub and just read the comment.
Y’all beat me to it. I can’t wait to watch it after work!!!
This episode is now available on YouTube thanks to the channel Ramoin! Check it out everyone!
My final gift to you all. See you around, brothers and sisters.
You are amazing Rommie! If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find/obtain it?
Can you update her as having died, and also update the location as being Annapolis? Thanks Dizzy!
I think this might be Betsy. https://www.lastingtributesfuneralcare.com/obituaries/Betsy-A-Bender-Johnson?obId=3190786#/celebrationWall The names of the people who commented their condolences are listed as her friends on the FB profile listed above. Couldn’t find anything else but the recent comments had me curious since this is an episode I’ve never seen so I did some searching to find it.
I’ve searched and searched the web for this episode for so long, without any luck. I even tried applying for alexanderstreet.com with the credentials I’m affiliated with but none was eligible for it (It has to be at least a psychology/sociology credential, my educational ones weren’t).
My friend is a librarian and she wasn’t even able to access it. I’m hoping that the user uploading episodes to Youtube will do so soon as they have uploaded other missing episodes (Gabe/Vanessa, Mike/Jenny).
The reason he didn’t upload it yet is because he doesn’t have this episode. He is also missing other lost episodes like Michael and Randi, Marie, Jason and Joy. A&E is also doing a good job in blocking all canadian interventions being available to USA and every episode past season 13-14.He hasn’t given up yet, besides a strike from Youtube claiming the channel is pro-addiction, a claim which was forwarded by its own subscribers, which he filed a dispute and won.
If you have Hulu, they have several episodes from seasons 8 – 18, I believe
How do you know this? Also, the Marie and Jason/Joy episodes aren’t missing, and Randi’s episode never seemed to actually air (Michael was bundled in with Adam in Season 2).
Gabe and Vanessa are on youtube, full length…thanks to Ramoin!
Here is her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/betsy.bender.1
I figured one of her parents had passed away and googled all their names. Her mom did http://kochfuneralhome.com/tribute-ajax/print-obituary.html?id=1432
I remember this episode because it was clear she had textbook Borderline Personality Disorder. She agreed to go as long as her boyfriend could go too then they got off the plane during a layover in Chicago (seriously producers? Book a non stop!) and decided not to go. She was extremely unpleasant but interesting to watch because of her PBD, everything was poor Betsy, constantly the victim. I would guess it’s not on any of the websites because she sued and somehow won. It’s too bad, I’d say it’s one of the 5 episodes that stand out to me the most.
I want to see this
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/1796165?ssotoken=anonymous
This transcript was the most I could find.
http://www.interventionrn.com/
Her friend Joani is an interventionist now.
Jeff was the interventionist for Betsys episode. I remember her boyfriend trying to talk her into not going at the airport at the end of the episode. I can’t remember if she didnt go or if she went and left immediately. I just remember no success. It was a good episode tho.
It was on the a&e site about 6 months ago. I watched it along with the Mike and Jenny episode. They didnt have the Michael and Randi on there tho. only had betsy, Jenni & mike on there for a short while before taking it off. IT was a good episode. I would keep checking on there because they may put it back on. Don’t know what the deal is with these few episodes as to why they can’t be found.
By the way, it appears she rejected treatment, I think. It says he she changed her mind. ?????
By the way, who was the interventionist for her?
I don’t know why I said “by the way” twice. Whoops
And I meant to say “It says she changed her mind” Man, my English is bad today.
She looks like Joni Mitchell.
This is the only Intervention episode I’ve never seen. It doesn’t seem to be available on A&E’s website, YouTube, Hulu or anywhere else. I’m curious to know why A&E seems to have purged it from their archives.
Believe it or not, I found footage from the episode. Now I don’t know if this I can trust this website.
http://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/1796165?ssotoken=anonymous
It shows the first 30 seconds. Apparently you have to sign in too see the whole thing. I don’t know if this is something that costs money. You can try if you want you. I can’t. I’ve never heard of this website before.
With this being said, the only other episode I can’t find in Michael M. and Randi. Strangely enough, I’m pretty this is the same Michael that appeared in the Season 2 “Adam and Michael”.
It’s speculated that Randi requested that her episode not air due to her finding out about the Intervention. The Michael from season 2 appears to be the same person indeed.
If anyone can find Betsy’s episode I would LOVE to watch it.
it’s on YouTube, posted by the great Ramoin!
Just curious, how did you find a picture for her if you can’t find the episode?
Where can I find this episode?
Besty has to be one of the most in denial addicts I’ve ever seen on this show. I hope she was able to turn it all around.
Excuse me, *Betsy
This episode is now streaming on a&e’s website
I too have been looking for this episode. I lived next door to her then boyfriend when this episode was shot. My wife called me one day and said that there was a camera crew outside and I didn’t think much of it. When I was watching the show I saw my car then my house and things started to come together. He was a very odd person, Setting off fireworks late at night with his young son and then running into the house and hiding like a child. I have seen him a few times in Annapolis but not Betsy. So as far as I know he still lives around Annapolis.
Yah he struck me as a real creep. I know this post is very old but the episode is now available in the link below in the comments.
The location is Annapolis, Maryland.
I have been searching for years for an update on Betsy. Her episode has been missing for a very long time. The only update I’ve ever seen is this addition to Wikipedia: Betsy reluctantly agreed to go to treatment along with her boyfriend. However, once they got to the airport, they decided to return home to try and get sober on their own. Betsy tried to contact her family on several occasions, but they refused to talk to her. In June 2006, Betsy entered a treatment facility.
According to the recently unearthed copy of the episode (see below), she actually entered treatment in November of 2006.