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S11E13 Leon

Season 11, Episode 13

Leon

Age: 25
Location: Fairfield, Connecticut
Addiction: PCP
What’s memorable: How his Russian parents sacrificed their livelihoods to come to the US so that their kids could achieve something, and how they forced the cello on him because of his natural talent, even though he was only doing it for them. What a beautiful singer his sister Ada is, and the EXTREMELY dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend Ally. She’s obnoxious and shockingly co-dependent and actively tried to guilt him into NOT accepting the treatment.

Official Synopsis: Leon, a 25-year-old Russian-Jewish immigrant and former cello prodigy, smokes PCP to escape from the feelings of disappointment and failure that plague him. Both Terry and Leon have one last chance–an intervention.

Original Air Date: April 2012
Intervention: Candy

Comments
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Comments

  1. Slime

    Do you remember an episode with this bulimic guyhe was also a cutter & he like threw up in bags and would go running for hours??? Help?

    1. Dizzy

      The only bulimic guy I remember is Asa, but I don’t recall anything about him cutting or running. Are you sure that wasn’t on another show? Obsessed or Relapse maybe?

    2. Jamie

      That was Andrew. There was an E! show called WHATS EATING YOU. He lived in NYC and was basically living in a closet. It was a really good show but they only did one season.

  2. Jen

    or maybe Intervention Canada?  …though I don’t remember that one – We get both here and I get it mixed-up sometimes which show a particular episode was on, since being a Canadian spin-off of the same show, it’s got the exact same format, theme song, etc..

  3. Dizzy

    Oh ok. I’ve wanted to see Intervention Canada but there’s no way to view it anywhere when you live in the states.

  4. Mike

    I met Leon in a detox facility I was in in march 2014 and unfortunately he is now addicted to heroin and completely estranged from his family. Very sad! Although I only knew him for five days we became pretty close, we were the only two people there in our 20s. He really has a good heart and although he gave me his info and phone number I never called him after leaving because he told
    Me he wasn’t staying clean and sells heroin, as much as I wanted to I couldn’t due to fear of me relapsing and now I lost his number

    1. Yasmine

      Mike, I’m proud of you in making the right decisions that’ll help you! I hope all works best for you.

    2. Kristen

      Do you know if he is still alive?

    3. Leon

      Leon is alive and well

      1. Ana

        If this is Leon. Just saw your story. I’m sending you much love. I hope you’re clean. You & your family deserve happiness.

  5. Kat R.

    Leon’s story was so compelling. I could see both his side of things and his parents’. I was so touched at the intervention when his dad got emotional and lapsed into speaking his native Russian. And his mom was such a badass, talking right in front of the girlfriend in Russian saying he could find another girl (hopefully a better one). I loved that. He was just waiting to be convinced to go, and it didn’t take all that much to get him to leave her. Seems like things haven’t been so smooth for him since then, and I sincerely hope things turn around for him. He sounds like a good guy.

  6. Andy

    After about 2 minutes of google searching I found a couple of articles about Ally and Leon detailing their arrests. Ally, herself, posted to an intervention Facebook page that she and Leon did not break up after the intervention. They were recently arrested and charged with larceny together for stealing Xbox games and he Leon was also arrested for stealing video games from another store with Ally’s brother. Ally was also arrested for selling heroin. Sadly, Leon has graduated from smoking pcp to shooting up heroin. A needle was found on him during an arrest which he admitted was for heroin.

    1. Ash

      This is what I found:

      http://patch.com/connecticut/milford/milford-police-blotter-throwing-objects-at-a-motor-vehicle-larceny-narcotics

      Not sure if it’s the same incident you’re referring too. But hopefully this is a wake up call

  7. Oy

    Hope he makes it

  8. Happy for him

    He did it guys. Clean and healthy!

    1. Marie

      Do you have some proof of this? Can you elaborate? Did you read the previous comments about him graduating to heroin?? It does not sound as though he he’s happy, healthy, or that he “made it”.

    2. John snow

      Leon was recently arrested with heroin and cocaine in his possession on 6/12/18

  9. Sam

    Found him on Facebook via the above article and looks like he made a comeback. He is alive and well- even back playing music and seems to have a great relationship with his sister. Way to go Leon!

  10. Dude

    Ally is now pregnant with Leons baby they are still together and always will be.

    1. TheRealDeal

      Well even if shes pregnant, they’re def not “together” lol..Bc his pregnant girlfriends name is jackie not elephant. He is doing great and has his mind straight. Thanks for everyones concern

    2. Leonnnnnn

      Never will alli and Leon even speak again. She is not prego and I don’t care what is going on in her personal life as long as it doesn’t involve me at all . Fuck her dude , wasted so much time on that trash , sorry to myself and others

  11. Madeline

    Leon’s facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/lpasternak1?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

    It looks like he has a child with one woman, and is expecting a child with another woman, neither one being Ally. He has gotten back into music since getting clean. It looks like he’s had some struggles with relapse.

    Ally’s facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/allycola

    Ally was arrested in 2015 for selling heroin. http://blog.ctnews.com/connecticutpostings/2015/03/12/trumbull-nanny-charged-with-selling-heroin/

    I admit it, I like sleuthing. Also, Leon’s sister’s song and voice were amazing!!

    1. Madeline

      Hey Dizzy. Is there a reason this comment has been “awaiting moderation” for a while?

      1. Dizzy

        Sorry, I was on a camping retreat and didn’t have access for a while.

    2. Maureen

      Omg! Ada, Leon’s sister has an imcredible vvoic! I want to heat her coming through my headphones!!

  12. Dude

    Leon is now in Austin Texas at a rehab because he relapsed. With drugs because of his new gf Jackie them both are using still. It has nothing to do with Allie

  13. Flo

    At least he’s still trying. Seems like he has a nice family

    1. RemarkableRecovery

      AMEN. As long as he keeps putting up a fight, nothing has been lost. Keep going Leon!

    2. Lhamo55

      He seems to be performing occasionally with his sister Ada and her band as recently as 2016.

  14. Andy

    Oh man, Ally… I wish intervention would have considered offering her rehab for her mental health issues (codependency/insecurity).

    1. Janelle

      Ally is a bad person. She almost certainly has an antisocial personality disorder (i.e. a sociopath) with nonviolent and manipulative features. She didn’t love Leon…she only went with him because his addiction made him easy for her to control and manipulate. There are no treatment centres for people like that because severe antisocial or narcissistic personality disorders are almost impossible to treat. The personality disorder destroys their sense of fallibility and makes it impossible for the person to acknowledge and take ownership of their faults and mistakes. That’s also why addicts who have narcissistic or antisocial personality disorders on top of their addictions (e.g. Gamblin’ Gabe, Chad, Kaila, Amy the bulimic from Toronto, Nick from New Mexico, Ryan from Fresno among others) are so difficult to rehabilitate.

      I’m sure that Ally found another victim to dominate the day after Leon broke up with her.

      1. Artemisia

        If I may, Amy P. strikes me as a case of Aspergers. Her “manipulation” (if you could even call it that) was basically screaming like a toddler. Nothing scary or brilliant. Also, her mannerisms were SO immature. Even her interests. I’m like 99% sure that, in the scene where she’s in a car, going to the hospital, she’s reading Harry Potter. She’s 24. That, and her aversion to change/stimming-type behavior, is what really truly sold me.

        Eating disorders are also common in female Aspies, wink wink. Everyone else, I agree with, though I always felt like Nick (New Mexico) was hiding something.

      2. Laura

        while i agree that she exhibited some traits that are often seen in people on the autism spectrum– the stimming sure would suggest it– two things of note: 1) people who struggle with severe eating disorders in their adolescence can miss crucial social development markers contributing to patterns of withdrawal/alienation from peer groups (and those obviously already go hand-in-hand with EDs), so it might be difficult to tease that out from an autism diagnosis until she is in long-term recovery 2) i am almost 33, not on the spectrum, and LOVE harry potter. HP is not just for adult Aspies! 😉

  15. Lhamo55

    I’ve wanting to research this since I first saw the show and
    today finally found her.
    His siter Ada performs “Gone for Good”

    https://youtu.be/vs32WssVVb4

    1. Chance and Destiny

      Thank you. She’s on Amazon Music Ana Pasternak including the song gone for good that she sang on the show

  16. Nikki

    So I had the Leon episode recorded and notices it’s 28 minutes instead of the full hour. So I googled and realized his episode was with Terry D. Is there a reason Terry was taken off the showing?

    1. lhamo55

      I subscribed to that season on Amazon and that episode includes Terry’s segment. Total length of episode was 42 minutes. Terry’s episode may have been removed at a later point but content that’s been purchased usually isn’t removed from a buyer’s library.

      It may have been removed at the request of involved parties – I like to think some who have made successful new lives for themselves might not want to be haunted by a readily available record of their past.

      1. Nikki

        I would hope they did a great job at staying sober and left all that in the past. I just thought it was weird that is was aired that way. Thanks for the reply!

      2. danielle

        I just watched it today on Hulu and Terri was in the episode

      3. M

        These episodes along with all of them are available from a streaming fire connected to kodi, called Xanax (yes, the irony). I’m back through to series 12, the Canadian ones are available too. Watched Leon’s yesterday.

        I agree that girl is deffo narcissistic, doesn’t care about him, wants to keep him sick to control him, maybe the eyebrows will impact her future relationships…….😳.

        Glad to see he looks well on social media, and playing with his sister.

  17. Sandra

    Leon’s episode touched me because I have a similar father. When you only get love via acheivements, it destroys you. I never heard “I Love you” unless I was national math champ, or swimming champion. Otherwise all criticism. I feel for you Leon, I hope you make it.

  18. Jake

    I’m glad he stayed away from Ally. That was so toxic listening to her say “you know what I do when you’re not around”. So unhealthy, especially when it was an opportunity for him to get healthy and therefor hopefully lengthen the time they would have been together. Hope he’s doing well

  19. Jasmine

    That’s really sad to see he has still been in and out of trouble. I wonder if his family have any bottom lines and have held them. Adding kids to the mix must make it harder for the family. I just watched this episode and when his dad said “be my best buddy Leon” I lost it. His girlfriend or ex girlfriend – she definitely needed some sort of help. To bring up possible sex and video games as a reason to not go to rehab was awful to watch as was the forcing herself to throw up scene. I can why she was not told about the intervention because she would have willingly ruined that for him. I wonder what her family though about it all though. I hope he gets clean eventually. It didn’t seen to me that he had the worst upbringing, so I goes to show drug addiction does not discriminate and it’s not always something that is brought on by trauma or horrific abuse. (I’m not saying his upbringing was without any issues and I know everyone’s problems are different)

  20. Brooke

    wow, his sister ada has an AMAZING voice!!! listen to THIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwp6ZEshB_o

  21. Brooke

    wow, ally is SO selfish and manipulative! gross!! if she actually cared about him, she would be encouraging him to go not being manipulative and “vomiting” bc she’s so “upset”. i see no redeeming qualities that would keep leon with her other than the fact that she will put up with his damaged life at the moment. that is the situation with most addicts and the partner they have while using. it’s not anyone they would date under normal circumstances. and the father really needs to get over the music career. stop pushing it on his son. i know he just wants what is best for his son and loves him but i think that is partly what drove him to drugs. the pressure and having his life chosen FOR him. i don;t think he should have mentioned it during the intervention, much less TWICE. luckily he went, and that’s all that matters.

  22. Gaye T

    Is he still alive ??
    9-13-2019

  23. ccharlesberresford

    Looks like he’s had a few relapses and scuffles with the law but now he’s living in California and doing really well!

  24. Bob

    He’s in Connecticut

  25. Briony

    The family (including Leon) are performing weekly Facebook Live concerts on Ada’s Facebook page during the quarantine: https://www.facebook.com/adasmusic/

  26. S. Wan

    I am a swan, I used to hang out at the park with this guy. I considered him a friend. Hope he is doing well.

  27. M

    Seems to be doing well. Loving the 90s throwback video. They guy can sing and play anything

    https://m.facebook.com/pg/adasmusic/videos/

  28. Anna

    Ally was just as bad for him as the drugs. what a toxic woman. yikes! Looks like he has a cute family of his own now and is happy and healthy.

  29. Nivey

    Leon has an IG: @leonpasternak. He looks to be doing much better! Although I saw an article about his arrest for drugs in 2018. But I know recovery is not an easy road, and relapse does happen. I just hope he continues to do well! It looks like music is still his passion, and his sister is gorgeous and super talented. It looks like the family is still close. Well wishes to them all!

  30. LK

    I really liked the song his sister wrote and performed about him in this episode. She is very talented! Also, I’m not gonna lie, I thought it was funny as hell when his mom told him Ally was a “total idiot” in Russian. It is rather unfortunate that his parents seem to only see value in him if he is “accomplished” though. I got the sense that his dad only wanted anything to do with him when he was “exceeding expectation” and receiving accolades. I’m not surprised Leon felt burnt out and discouraged trying to meet such high expectations, especially when they wanted him to do things he wasn’t even interested in. This seems to be rather common with immigrant parents (depending on their cultural background of course). I do wish Leon the best, he seems like a very nice, capable, and intelligent guy.

    1. Stefan

      Yup. My mom is the daughter of immigrants and she was definitely raised in such an environment.

  31. shifty

    …those were geese weren’t they??? I found him hilarious though

  32. Nivey

    This was the song featured on Leon’s episode which was written and performed by his sister Ada! I thought the song was amazing. I recently saw this episode again on Vice. I pray Leon is doing well. He is a talented young man! Ada his sister is doing amazing today! She is on social media performing and making beautiful music she has a huge fan base! I’m happy for her! She is very gifted! I pray the entire family is doing well! 💜

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x4W0vcy4DEw