Season 23, Episode 6
Elliot
Age: 27
Location: Las Vegas
Addiction: Heroin
Official Synopsis: Elliot overcame a traumatic childhood and moved to Las Vegas to pursue his dream of becoming a chef on the Vegas Strip, but the rampant drug culture in restaurant kitchens along with the sudden death of his brother sent Elliot reeling, and now he’s homeless and addicted to heroin.
What’s Memorable: This was a sweet episode and Elliot was easy to root for but his mother sure was difficult to listen to, always having to have the last word and everything always having to be about her. She reminded me so much of Susan’s mom Dawn from last season. Also I would like to know why in the world would the city of Las Vegas install sharp metal cactuses in their medians and then not remove them after they were responsible for the death of at least one person? Baffling.
Interventionist: Ken
Date Aired: November 22, 2021
And where did this long lost Vegas episode come from anyway? Why did it not air with last season as it clearly should have? Does this mean the California fentanyl part of the current season is over? Are the Canada episodes arriving soon?
The only correlation between the California fentanyl episodes and Elliot’s episode is that they mentioned he was born in Bakersfield, CA and that he OD’d on a batch of heroin laced with fentanyl. Other than that, I was confused too! Also, it’s been awhile since an episode has made me cry. My husband is a biker and when I heard about how Elliot’s brother died it broke my heart. And that Mother of his…sheesh. I wanted to slap the s*** out of her.
Dizzy — IKR?! When I saw the Vegas introduction fire up, I was wondering what was going on…
I haven’t enjoyed the California fentanyl theme. Episodes are fine, but it’s been kind of a weak theme. OTOH, I’m always ready for more Canada episodes — Andrew Galloway is the best!
Looks like the Canadian episodes arrived this week.
What the hell with the metal cactuses. Thats just some evil stuff keeping those up.
Also wow was Mom frustrating to watch. Too bad she didnt ultimately get the help she needed.
Tonia should never have been in the pre-intervention for her son, Elliot. If she has those mental illnesses without being treated, then what’s the point of getting Elliot the sufficient support not excluding his father and siblings.
Was glad to see him disc golfing at the end of the show. I’m a disc golfer. It’s a great sport for staying in shape, meeting new people, and it helps you clear your mind, for a while, so you’re not just stewing on all of your problems all day. If he really gets into it, it will give him something positive to look forward to doing. Hope he sticks with it, and hope he’s still doing well now.
Man, I love Ken. This is no slight to the other interventionists, but I don’t think anyone else would have stood a chance with this case. Because of all of the traumatic family history and the decades of resentment and hurt caused by Tonia’s mental illness (and severe, highly defended lack insight about it), the whole thing really hinged on her. Ken’s ability to tell her some very difficult truths while also managing to gain her trust — at least enough to participate in some way, long enough not to blow the whole thing up — required the kind of careful, nonjudgmental, gentle touch that puts him in a different league of clinical skills, IMO. It was like a master class of wise, compassionate human engagement, and it’s the only reason Elliot had a fighting chance.
Matthew, how you described Ken and his approach was worded perfectly and I could not agree with you more. You could see how frustrating this woman must have been and the level of restraint and professionalism Ken showed was admirable. I don’t know that I could have kept my mouth shut but Ken was able to focus on the larger picture at hand which was always Elliot. I am so impressed with the interventionists that A&E uses. I feel like I learn communication skills from them every time I watch. I truly hope Elliot’s mother reconsiders and if she doesn’t, I hope each of her kids seeks some type of therapy to help them cope and thrive.
I agree, ken is amazing! I’m a behavioral health nurse & am in awe of how he handled the mom’s outbursts. Learned from him this episode!
This is such an apt description of Ken’s excellent work here.
I agree 95%. Ken is amazing, however, I think Candy would’ve also been a great interventionist for this family. They’re both sooo good at what they do
The mom seemed so abusive!! Gaslighting Elaina, arguing with the rest of her children and Ken, taking everything her they had to say about her as a personal attack, not accepting the reality of her mental health and blaming it all on depression, etc. On the positive side though, I’m sooo glad Elliott stayed sober!!! He looked way better in the update and I hope he maintains his sobriety
Jeez. This episode was so emotional for me. What a sweet and loving family, other than the mom. It’s so clear how they all love Elliot and Bryce and each other. Elliot is a seriously beautiful, kind soul.
I have a good feeling he’ll do well. Not at all surprised about his mother.
exactly my thoughts
The visual of these babies walking along the Interstate in the desert heat really breaks my heart. The children have turned out to be amazingly loving and supportive in spite of everything they have had to overcome. I’m so proud of Elliot
Agreed. They really reminded me of Robert and his siblings.
this episode touched me in a way that i cannot even describe. i relate so much to elliot (not doing heroin) but mentally ill/gaslighting family members, addicted family members, childhood trauma, death of a very close person. i had to pause and cry a couple times. i just wanted to hug him so bad and tell him i get it. and maybe punch his mom
I think Elliot should be one of the most loved addicts. It’s been a long time since an episode has made me cry so hard.
Not exactly related to this person specifically, but where is Candy? Has she been involved in any of the Vegas / California special episodes? I miss seeing her.
I think she is retired, she is 76 yrs old now.
Sending light, love and positivity
Congratulations on your hard work
Hey! Does anyone have Elliot’s contact info? Instagram?
Thank you in advance.
I can’t stop thinking about his brothers motorbike accident and how he fell on the metal cactus. The city should remove them. Did the family sue the city? I need to know.
Just the way in which Tonia was arguing with people was so chaotic was a clear sign in and of itself that she has a very bad mental illness. I thought it was telling the other sons just called her Tonia and not mom. Personally, I think after Ken’s initial meeting with her, he should have not included her in the intervention. She didn’t seem to add anything in Ryan’s decision tbh. His decision to go seemed to be based on wanting to maintain relationships with other family members, not really his mom. So I don’t even know why she was there. She had such a weak apology also.
I agree, seemed weird that she was there! I thought they were going to offer her some kind of help for her schizophrenia or something and that’s why they included her
They tried: after the initial assessment of her mental health, she refused further treatment 🙁
Schizophrenia patients are often lacking insight into their mental illness. That being said, that diagnosis with narcissistic personality disorder is a recipe for disaster. When you have kids, I feel there is no excuse for not taking medicine as directed to keep yourself healthy for the kids. If she was diagnosed and in a psychiatric hospital, there’s no way she wasn’t put on medication and kept it n the hospital to make sure they were working. She made the choice to not keep herself healthy for them, whether they were adults or not. I hope the kids give her a bottom line as a condition of seeing them, although she probably wouldn’t care either way.
I’m very happy for Elliot and how he got help for his addiction. May God protect him at all costs. He is a beautiful man with a beautiful soul. Sweet, caring and genuine. God bless him and his family.
Las Vegas/Henderson area population is around 2.3 MILLION people.
There are fake cactuses, fake trees and more, as well as just rocks and gravel everywhere VS real grass and real plants.
Las Vegas is a DESERT.
With 2 million people in population, don’t you think the authorities are focusing on murders, shootings, attacks.. things like that more than a metal cactus?
I’m not against you…. I hate it all as well… but also, you are not informed enough to say anything like that.
My baby was hit and killed from a car while crossing a street on the indicated pedestrian lines. 3 more pedestrians got hit and killed within the following week.
But it took 5 years later for the county to put lights and signals at that spot… to hopefully prevent more tragedy/loss.
any updates on Elliot? he seemed like a good-hearted guy, i hope he’s doing well.
Judging by his Facebook he seems to be healthy and happy 🙂
mom seems cruel but she is also very ill with a disease herself. this is an important point to note, especially for those who want to inflict violence on her.
very sweet episode. I am really rooting for Elliot and really all his siblings.
I really hope Elliot is thriving and living his best life.
His family are wonderful, I wish his mother wasn’t so narcissistic and in denial.
What an amazing & strong family! (Well, except for the mom of course) Such love & support was wonderful to see. And Ken, you’re the best!