Kumari Shreya
TLC’s ‘Hoarding: Buried Alive’ is a reality series that takes a look at some extreme cases of hoarding you might have seen in your life. The cast members of the show live surrounded by things they have collected over the years, which now pose a risk to their lifestyle. The experts try their best to help the hoarders, but ultimately, it is up to the people themselves to bring a sweeping change in their life. The show premiered in 2010 and ended its run in 2014. With nearly a decade since its conclusion, fans of the series are curious about where the people within the show are these days, and we are here to answer the same!
Bruce “Norski” Bjortvedt is Enjoying Photography Now
Despite his private nature, Bruce “Norski” Bjortvedt publically admitted that the TLC series was perhaps the push he needed to stop his hoarding tendencies. Months after the help he got from the show’s experts, the reality TV cast member still had a long way to go but had made some impressive changes, including learning up his hallway, as well as the dining and living rooms. As of writing, the proud father of two retains his love for moose as well as automobile sports. Based in Santa Rosa, California, Norski is always happy to post pictures with his friends and family and is quite a talented photographer.
Mary Thompson is Running a Shop
Mary Thompson appeared in the very first season of the TLC series and initially was far from ready to accept the fact that her hoarding tendencies had gotten out of that. However, while on the show, she made some impressive changes in her life. In order to continue this positive development, Mary decided to start selling her various belongings. After her time in the show, she decided to open up a shop called Hoarders Paradise.
Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Mary shared that though the show helped her, she had a hard time letting things go. “This spring, I said, I’ve had it, and my oldest daughter said, ‘no more baby steps, mom take the giant step and get rid of everything,'” she shared with Fox 42 News in November 2015. The venture certainly seemed to have helped the reality TV cast member, whose shop is seemingly located at 1907-1909 Leavenworth Street in Omaha.
Cary Continues to Thrive as an Elvis Impersonator
Elvis impersonator Cary had a hard time letting go of his hoarding tendencies especially given his previous diagnosis regarding his mental health and his attachment to the memory of his late mother. Thanks to the efforts made by his loved ones, he came on the show in order to try and move forward. At the end of his on-screen journey, the movers took away a lot of his clutter in 20 large trash bags.
In order to continue his positive progress, Cary started seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist. He even started taking medication that would help him in his effort to maintain his mental health. “I have cleared a lot and am making more improvements,” he shared with ABC News. “I am doing the best I can. I haven’t regressed. But it takes a lot of willpower.” The reality TV cast member continued to impersonate Elvis as he felt like a different person when doing so.
Cheryl Sherrell is Moving On After Legal Battle
Located in San Diego, California, Cheryl Sherrell was reported to have moved into the house of Alan and Fran Breslauer as a caretaker. However, after Alan’s death in January 2016, Cheryl allegedly did not leave, prompting Fran to move out instead. After months of legal proceedings, the Breslauer family won back their house. In fact, Cheryl herself pled guilty to one charge of trespassing in exchange for the other three charges being dropped. According to Alan and Fran’s daughter Jan, Fran wanted Cheryl to see the court and hopefully get a prison sentence. However, the deal was seemingly accepted, and the case never went in front of a jury.
“Today is the day we are finally getting the property back, although, as you can see, it’s a total disaster. It’s a disaster and fairly disgusting,” Jan shared. “I see old lamps, paperback books; I see TV sets, vacuums, ski poles, liquor bottles. I can’t even begin to catalog the amount of trash that has been brought into this house.” After the ruling, Cheryl moved out of the house with the help of her friends while law enforcement kept an eye.
Randy is Settling into a New Home
Ohio’s Randy had collected a variety of things in his house for over two decades. Needless to say, the clutter in the property was enough to stagger the show’s expert, Dr. Rebecca Beaton. Randy himself was unsure why he kept on collecting so many things, labeling the habit an “addiction.’ Though the cleanup crew helped him clean his house by removing three dumpsters worth of stuff, Randy ultimately chose to move into a new home. After about a month of the relocation, it was reported that his new home was indeed clean.
KeLaine Kvale is Attending Support Groups
After about a year since her appearance on the TLC show, KeLaine Kvale had made significant progress towards decluttering her living space though she admitted that her struggles were not over. In an attempt to make the process easier, she even joined a support group in her home city, Dallas, Texas. The group, as of June 2012, met twice a month. “So little is known about it [hoarding]. It’s just recently that it’s become such a problem. More people are hoarding,” KeLaine told CBS.
Jonathan Lender is Joining Support Networks
Since his time on the show, Jonathan Lender seemingly continued on his path toward making positive changes in his life. According to Nicole Osborne Despres, a professional organizer from the TLC series, she had dinner with him about two years after she helped him in the decluttering process. In fact, Jonathan apparently even joined a support group in order to keep track of his progress. His bond with his son Robbie seemed to be improving, and the father was hopeful that he would be able to spend more time with Robbie in the future. At the time, he and his wife Tracey were living in separate houses, something that Jonathan had apparently come to accept.
Read More: Is Hoarders Real or Fake?
