Season 2, Episode 20
Jessie
Age: 21
Location: Oregon
Addiction: Bulimia, Food
What’s Memorable: This was the first episode I ever saw and it just blew me away. Her binges are disturbingly epic – 3 days worth of junk food in 3 hours. She throws it up so that she can eat more. The food garbage in the back of her truck. She works as a stripper in order to afford food. Her parents had to put a lock on the fridge. It’s hard not to feel really sorry for her, and for her family. She is so very sick. I hope she’s okay now.
Official synopsis: Jessie is a beautiful young woman who once dreamed of becoming a doctor. But that was before bulimia trapped her in cycle of despair.
Original Air Date: December 2006
Interventionist: Ken
They just repeated this one. She keeps referring to her “very secret job” and I’m like, oh, honey, we’ve all seen this before, you’re stripping.
How is Jessie doing today? My wife has an eating disorder too. I hope Jessie’s doing ok-she seemed like a nice kid.
Any updates on Jessie?
Any updates on Jessie or does anyone have her facebook page?
I also wonder about this. I really wanna know how she’s doing.
This episode really effected me. I didn’t know that bulimia was an addiction that could lead someone to strip to earn enough money for food to binge and then purge on. It taught me a lot. Wherever you are Jessie I hope you are doing well. I hope we get an update some day. I think about your story often.
please any updates on this girl??
Someone on her Youtube video just posted an update on her (they claimed to have been in treatment with her while at Remuda). After leaving treatment she struggled on and off for several years but hasn’t binged or purged since she became pregnant. She’s now a happily married mom.
Jesse wow please be doing ok your beautiful inside and out.
I like how in the early days they included food addiction. They don’t do those anymore. Food addiction disorders are actually the most lethal of all mental health disorders, but they often aren’t treated as seriously as other diseases.
When her mother leaned out the closet…uhh, i was absolutely disturbed…I have thought back to this one many times, despite not having this sort of problem in my own life, as I look anorexic or bulimic naturally(not on purpose), and i have an irrational fear of vomit, vomiting, whether it’s me, or anyone else…but yeah, I would die if my mother cleaned my closet an’t found 10 pounds of regurgitated food…I can only imagine the compulsivethoughts that would cause someone to leave that there, the chaos…I hope, since there is no physical withdrawal, that she could work on her issues immediately, to prevent all of the health detriments that happen with these eating disorders, asap…and to get out of the stripper environment…that is only a job for someone who is very focused, confident, and not sick in any psychological way…otherwise, there are too many things that can drag Anderson down, in that environment
It’s not possible to “look” bulimic or anorexic; having those disorders doesn’t necessarily mean you’re skinny.
Stripping is only a job for someone who is focused and confident??? You have either never met a stripper, or you are one who is living in denial.
There are definite symptoms when you stop.
And only anorexia nervosa has a weight requirement to be diagnosed. Bulimics can be 300 pounds or 80.
There actually is no weight (IBW or BMI) to qualify for anorexia restricting type. It’s a very common misconception that is harmful to people of higher weights in receiving treatment or being taken seriously. I work at the only medical stabilization unit for severe malnutrition and eating disorders in the world, eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes.
This reply is for COLD PEAS, since there is no reply button for their comment.
Actually, anorexia – restrictive type individuals DO have a criteria of being underweight for their age/height/gender. The eating disorder you are referring to is atypical anorexia. There are no weight limits for diagnosis of this type.
Who is Anderson?
Is there a reason this episode can’t be streamed on A&E? Where can it be found?
It’s on Tubi for free.
I just watched this episode on Amazon Prime but they cut the end short so I missed the recap.
Im watching it right now on the TrueReal network (non cable station).
On this station (I’m in Ft. Worth, Tx)
they play intervention every week on Thursdays from 11am to 11pm
If anyone wants to watch these episodes, they are available for free on Dailymotion!
Hope she is doing well 1st thing I thought when I watched cause its such a old episode. I hope she has overcome her addiction and anxiety and has a family husband and is doing good such a beautiful women to living life like she was.hope your doing well jessie stay stong
I just saw this episode, Roku is playing Intervention around the clock so I’m able to see some episodes I’ve never seen before.
Jessie started out exactly like me. I was bulimic for years before I started drinking and doing drugs. She even looks like me. I was never a stripper but I did things for money I’m not proud of and anyone who’s really an addict will relate.
She said something that will probably haunt me forever because I feel the exact same way. This quote is not exact but when she said “I have a hole in me that needs to be patched or fixed or filled and it needs to be now now now now now.” That was palpable, and I felt it on every level.
Her parents put too much pressure on her that was obvious but at least they got her help, I wish mine had loved me enough to do that for me. I hope she’s doing great today and Jessie if you read this; I wish you all the best, girl!