Glen Brittner

“Hoarders” fans and members of the general public have been haunted by the mysterious death of Glen Brittner since August 2015, when he was found dead after a grisly home invasion. The businessman appeared in the show’s third season, and tugged on the public’s heartstrings after revealing that his hoarding obsession began when his wife passed away. The “Hoarders” crew helped Glen get his home back on track after it was overrun by rodents; it turns out that the widower had bought a few to raise as pets, while underestimating how quickly they’d multiply.

Almost eight years have passed since the fateful day Glen was found dead by one of his employees. As of August 2015, the former hoarder was living alone in his Antelope Valley home, which also served as the headquarters for his business, Domestic Water Delivery. Glen was found with his hands and feet tied together with zip-ties and a bleeding head wound; strangely enough, his wheelchair was nowhere to be found.

Glen was alive when found, but in critical condition and unable to speak. After ten days in a coma, he passed away surrounded by heartbroken friends and family. Authorities had reason to believe that at least two men were involved in the home invasion, and had taken TVs, power tools, and $2,000 that Glen kept in a safe.

The plot thickened when detectives became involved in the case, and learnt that Glen was well-known for his generosity, and often offered strangers a meal or a place to stay at his home. A popular theory was that Glen had been taken advantage of by one or more of the very strangers whom he sought to help, as the businessman wasn’t known to be on bad terms with anyone.

In November 2016, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department offered an attractive $20,000 reward to anyone who could come forward with useful information. Glen’s family members, such as his son Derek, also spoke out, with the latter saying: “Learning that my dad was attacked in his home shattered our family.”

Physical evidence was recovered from the scene, but the authorities needed help determining who may have been at Glen’s home. Glen was last seen at about 10 p.m. the night before the attack, and was found twelve and a half hours later in critical condition. There was no sign of a forced entry into the home, so it’s very possible that Glen had inadvertently invited his attackers in.

Glen had been living in the neighborhood for 30 years, and was a well-known member of his community thanks to his water business, which he inherited from his father. If clients couldn’t pay for the water – which came from a well on his property – Glen would reportedly allow them to pay off their debt by working at his business, or even take water if they promised to pay him later.

As Glen’s case generated more public interest, other details of his personal life were revealed. The entrepreneur loved working on motorcycles, camping with his relatives, and bonding with his grandchild, Emmett, who was just two years old when the home invasion took place. At the age of 18, Glen suffered the first important loss in his life when his father committed suicide. In 1998, his wife died of massive heart failure at the untimely age of 39.

Glen’s mental health spiraled following the death of his wife, until the “Hoarders” crew helped him get rid of the 2,500 rats living on his property. Even so, the Californian often suffered from loneliness, and would invite strangers to his home to help them out, and no doubt for company.

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“This man suffered a terrible and tragic death that shouldn’t have occurred,” Capt. Steve Katz told reporters of the LA Times. “I think someone took advantage of his trust.”

In 2018, more of Glen’s family members came forward with a public appeal for information. Despite the $20,000 cash reward that had been offered two years prior, nobody came forward or offered any helpful leads.

In an official statement to authorities, Glen’s brother Gary declared: “People should come forward with information to protect themselves and the community from the murderers… How could someone be so cowardly and vile as to attack and beat to death a nearly 60-year-old crippled man?”

Other “Hoarders” stories that ended in tragedy include Laura’s case. A terminally ill cancer patient, Laura appeared in the show’s third season, and had so much accumulated clutter in her home that she could only sleep on the sofa. During the heartbreaking episode, one of Laura’s daughters, Michelle, confessed to feeling that her mother was ruining their lives due to the amount of junk they lived with.

Laura broke down crying at one point during the clean-up process, believing that if the home environment improved, so would her fractured relationship with her family. Michelle added that she had struggled with various health issues such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and a myriad of allergies, due to the shoddy condition the home was in.

At the end of the episode, Laura’s family was much more hopeful for the future. However, the hoarder’s health declined after filming, and she died before her story aired.

I'll be on tonight 8 pm @TLC #Hoarding: Buried Alive "Where Are They Now?" episode at 9/8c working w/Laura. Photo:TLC pic.twitter.com/ikQ6yYb1MY

— Eva Abreu (@Eva_Abreu) May 9, 2013

Last but not least is Augustine’s story. Her hoarding was so bad that her son, Jason, was taken away by Child Protective Services, and never allowed to return to the home. Although Jason wasn’t living in the same state at the time of filming, he returned years later, and helped his mother clear her home out. Unfortunately for Jason, his mother confessed during a follow-up special that she hadn’t been trying to keep the house clean since the “Hoarders” crew left.

We don’t know exactly what happened between Jason and Augustine, but at the end of her section in the follow-up episode, it was revealed that he hadn’t come back since the initial clean-up, and had no plans on doing so. In 2010, he also shared a sad Facebook post in which he revealed how his childhood had been negatively impacted by his mother’s hoarding addiction.

As hoarding disorder is classified as being part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) spectrum, it’s common for hoarders to slip back into their bad habits after getting help. Perhaps what makes Glen’s case even more heartbreaking is that he had genuinely moved on from his disorder, and was trying to start over. Although the authorities have stopped actively investigating the case, those close to Glen will always keep his memory alive.

Megan Danielle

Millions of viewers tuned in to the Season 21 finale of “American Idol” on 21^st May 2023. Many were rooting for young Georgia native Megan Danielle to win the coveted $250,000 and recording contract; however, the talented brunette lost out to Iam Tongi, despite wowing the crowds and judges with her performances throughout the evening.

Megan donned an eye-catching blue dress for her first performance of the night, an incredible cover of Keith Urban’s “God Whispered Your Name”. The show’s judges – Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan – were blown away by her soulful vocals, with Katy complimenting Danielle’s artistic growth and newfound abilities.

“It’s a version of you that’s always been inside of you, and it’s so comfortable and proud of how far you’ve come and I think our job here is done because that’s the gift,” Katy declared.

Later, Megan sang Journey’s “Faithfully”, her debut single “Dream Girl”, and a duet with Lauren Daigle. Throughout the night, she was showered with praise, with Luke Bryan describing one performance as “beautiful from top to bottom”.

As is the case with every season finale, netizens took to social media platforms almost immediately when the results were announced to voice their discontent. However, many criticized Megan’s debut single and blamed it on her not winning, with one Instagram user writing: “This performance was painful to watch. From her audition to all of her other performances… I don’t feel her at all in this song and thus [sic] is her ‘new’ already? She looks like she doesn’t truly want to be singing this.”

Meanwhile, Megan’s fans felt that Iam didn’t deserve to be the winner. “He [Iam] is someone that you would see playing in a coffee house or something similar… he was voted on for his story and his heart instead of his talent… he has talent just not at the level of Meghan [sic], too often Idol is a popularity contest!!” one disgruntled Instagram user commented.

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Megan is no stranger to talent shows, as she was also in Season 18 of “The Voice”. The brown-eyed brunette became part of judge Kelly Clarkson’s team, following a heartfelt rendition of “Remedy” by Adele. During the Battles stage of the competition, she covered the Dixie Chicks’ “On Top of the World” and won against Samantha Howell, soon becoming a fan favorite. Similarly, she fought for a spot on the show against CammWess in the Knockouts stage, and was later saved by Kelly during the Live Playoffs.

Ultimately, Megan was eliminated in the semifinals after a lackluster performance. She was just 17 years old At the time, and would take a break from TV for the next few years until her grand comeback on “Idol”.

The Christian singer-songwriter was born in Douglasville, Georgia in November 2003. Her parents, DJ Phillips and Monica Page separated during her childhood, with Monica becoming Danielle’s primary caregiver. Her father, who is the owner of Phillips Electrical, has always worked in the residential and small commercial electricity sector.

Many details of Megan’s personal life and education remain a mystery, but we do know that her boyfriend, Levi Walker, is her number-one supporter, and will surely remain at her side while she works on taking her promising career to the next level.

Iam Tongi

Next up we’ll discuss Iam Tongi, the unlikely winner of this year’s “Idol”. At just 18 years old, the Hawaii native has been considered a force to be reckoned with since his audition, a performance of James Blunt’s “Monsters” that quickly went viral and racked up millions of views on YouTube.

“I really love performing live,” Iam told HollywoodLife. “It just feels good when I’m on that stage and the lights and I just close my eyes and get into that feel. When other people witness that and also can connect to it’s just crazy.”

*pass the tissues* @wtongi is making us emotional. 😭 #IDOLpremiere pic.twitter.com/cxMe9Cc8OJ

— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) February 20, 2023

Iam, who moved to Seattle in 2020, suffered the devastating loss of his father a few months before his “Idol” audition; after that airing, Iam shared a photo of his father’s graveside and captioned it: “I got that golden ticket dad, wish you were here.”

The high school senior, who has made history as the first Hawaiian to win the talent show, is also the first non-country singer to take the first place since 2020. Iam, who’s of Tongan, Samoan and Irish descent, hails from the small town of Kahuku and was forced to move with his family when they were “priced out of paradise”.

Iam studies at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington, and previously auditioned for “Idol” when his father was alive. Despite not passing the initial screening, he was encouraged to keep working on his music by his father, who always had high expectations for him.

The Hawaii native is aware that his father wasn’t a perfect man, but has said that he was the best father he knew, adding: “I want everyone to know that he’s a tough guy. He always told me the truth, he always loved me. And I always loved him too.”

Interestingly, Iam often loses his voice before performing, and makes sure to wear a warm scarf around his neck and drink plenty of fluids to avoid that from happening. Before being crowned the winner of the 21^st season, he also performed his original single “I’ll Be Seeing You”, which he dedicated to his father.

With over 335,000 followers on TikTok and another 615,000 on Instagram (and counting), the future is looking bright for Iam. Despite being accused by some of Megan’s fans of using his father’s death to his advantage in order to win the public over, many others felt that the high school senior was deserving of the prize.

Just a couple of days after winning, Iam’s original single was #1 on iTunes USA and #36 worldwide. Although we don’t know what the future holds for him or Megan, both are reportedly planning on doing as many live shows as possible, while they work on original music.

Vannessa Cross

The incredible success of shows such as “My 600-lb Life” and “1000-lb Sisters”, coupled with the worrying obesity epidemic in the USA, have made Vannessa Cross and other reality TV participants minor celebrities. When viewers met Vannessa in Season 1 of “1000-lb Best Friends”, she weighed a staggering 442lbs, about 200kgs, but had rarely, if ever, considered her vast size an issue.

“I still drove, I still walked around, so my mentality was I’m fine, I’m perfect the way I am. I could still do things,” the 44-year-old explained in an interview. As her quality of life hadn’t drastically decreased yet, Vannessa never thought of slimming down until her best friend and costar, Meghan Crumpler, went on her own weight loss journey.

When Vannessa witnessed the health benefits in Meghan’s life, she was inspired to go down the same path, and began preparing for bariatric surgery by cutting bread, sugar and soda out of her diet. Next, she began going to therapy to work on her toxic relationship with food.

“I opened my mind to try to understand what in my brain is making me want to stay fat and stay helpless,” she admitted. “Why do I have to eat three cheeseburgers and two fries instead of one cheeseburger like a normal person?”

Prior to surgery, Vannessa had already lost almost 50lbs (23kgs) on her own. The day of her weight loss surgery, she weighed 398 lbs – and went on to lose 159 more, about 70kgs. Following her surgery, Vannessa has implemented plenty of changes into her diet and lifestyle, swapping fried food with fruits and vegan smoothies, and learning how to make healthy recipes with her children.

In the past, Vannessa ate for comfort and pleasure. Now, however, she goes to the gym or on long walks whenever she’s struck by a sudden craving. “I get my joy, my comfort, my anxiety levels down, everything, from pushing myself more and more in the gym,” she said.

However, it took Vannessa a while to get to where she is today. The first time she saw Dr. Procter, she weighed 446 lbs, then lost 20lbs between appointments. Encouraged by her progress, Dr. Procter set Vannessa a goal weight of under 400 lbs to qualify for surgery. Six months later, Vannessa weighed 442lbs at the follow-up appointment, and was discouraged by her weight gain.

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Nevertheless, the TV personality was inspired to try harder, and her efforts paid off. From celebrating being able to wear a seatbelt again, to regaining her confidence and spark, Vannessa has proved herself to be a positive role model with every step she takes in this challenging but rewarding journey.

Throughout her adult life, the Georgia native weighed around 350lbs. Her weight began fluctuating in 2016 after the death of her husband, as her life “spiraled out of control”. For the next few years, her weight often fluctuated up to 500lbs, as she used food to feel better about herself.

Viewers of “1000-lb Best Friends” are thrilled to see the positive change in Vannessa, and how she’s acting as a positive role model for her children. Meanwhile, Meghan Crumpler’s journey hasn’t been going so smoothly.

Meghan Crumpler

At the start of season one, Meghan weighed approximately 500lbs, about 230kgs, and had difficulty moving around and doing everyday tasks – so much so that she relied on her husband for almost everything, and required oxygen to breathe.

Although Vannessa has been giving interviews and keeping fans posted with her exact weight so they can see her progress, Meghan has shied away from doing the same. It’s undeniable that she’s lost weight since filming began, but her recent actions have led to netizens thinking that she’s not as committed to changing her life as her best friend is.

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“I started watching beginning of S1 and I had Megan’s number right away,” a Reddit user said on the show’s official forum. “She wants to benefit from all of the free and PREMIUM NICE medical treatment and rehab, while drinking and not dealing properly with her issues, while having already had the surgery and should be benefitting from it, the fact she has stayed this large is a medical miracle.”

In one of the latest episodes of Season 2, Meghan was also seen screaming at Vannessa and having one of her frequent meltdowns. The TV personality has recently been accused of disrespecting Dr. Procter by addressing him by his surname instead of his title – with some netizens even claiming that she is sexually suggestive towards him during their appointments.

Fans of the show are of the opinion that Meghan, who is going through financial hardship, is irresponsible with her money after spending her savings on a fancy wedding and having to move in with her friend Tina Arnold and her husband. Meghan has taken to selling her second-hand clothes, bodycare products, and other random objects in an attempt to scrape some extra cash together, which has led to speculations regarding how much she and Vannessa are paid per episode.

Not much is known about Meghan’s friend Tina, but the Reddit subforum /r/1000lbbestfriends refers to the latter as a “grifter” after she started a GoFundMe campaign for her disabled daughter’s apartment and allegedly turned said apartment into a gym for herself and Meghan. Tina, who is also trying to lose weight, often features in the show, and dramatically kicked Meghan out in one episode after a heated argument – however, the women are believed to be on good terms again, as Meghan is apparently still living with her and her husband.

Check out On the Road with Meghan and Tina by Tina Arnold on @Kickstarter https://t.co/Qxx270u1C6

— Tina1kBF (@Tina1kBf) April 29, 2023

There’s also the possibility that the show contains scripted screens, as viewers find it hard to believe that Meghan and her husband celebrated their honeymoon in Tina’s bedroom. Whatever the case, Meghan’s weight loss appears to have stalled dramatically in the last few months, and her living situation is clearly an unstable one.

For now, TLC has yet to confirm if there’ll be a third season of “1000-lb Best Friends”. The Season 2 premiere took place in early March 2023, and was viewed in around 500,000 households.