Modern Day Freak Show?

Nocd39 · 2024-12-19T12:45:57+00:00

Does anyone else think that the “Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners” show on C4 (available to watch) is in really bad taste, the modern day equivalent of a freak show where people with unusual medical conditions or deformities were exploited for entertainment? The cleaners mainly have diagnosed OCD, a very serious medical condition where people have high levels of anxiety and perform rituals to try to control their fears. For example, if they have a fear of germs, spending up to 19 hours a day cleaning their homes, as does one of the cleaners on the show. Nothing wrong with being house proud or enjoying cleaning, but that’s very different to allowing cleaning to take over your life because of fear. I also suspect that some of the people whose homes are cleaned have serious MH conditions too-at least one guy said he’s suffered from severe depression which has stopped him looking after himself, others probably have a hoarding illness. As someone who has suffered from severe OCD, life threatening at times, I find the exploitation of these vulnerable people so wrong. And don’t get me started on people saying “I’m a bit OCD” because they like to keep things neat and tidy. No!! I know I’m not BU, but what do you think? YABU-it’s all just entertainment YANBU-this show us terrible and should come off the air

username299 · 19/12/2024 12:48

I agree. Hoarders tend to have mental health conditions and their homes are on national TV so people can judge them.

Hskatkat · 19/12/2024 18:44

Most reality TV is utter drivel.
Don't like it? Don't watch it.

prepareforthebacklash · 19/12/2024 23:53

This is a relatively old TV show - the first series had a woman in it who was never to be seen again, possibly as she was the only one who seemed to have any idea about cleaning and how to not kill themselves by mixing cleaning products, and wearing shoes with 16 inch heels whilst mopping.

By series 2 they were really upping the stakes, in their quest to pitch OCD sufferers cleaning compulsions against people who never cleaned a thing (and who could well have had OCD in another form, by the looks of it).

Were this not enough, they also unleashed equipment on those people who had the cleaning compulsions, such as the machine which took a reading from a swabbed surface to identify how contaminated it might be. It was all out of context - I've used such equipment and I know what it's there to do, how to use it, and most importantly, how to interpret the outcomes. In one episode, a woman ran out of a shoe shop, screaming, because she'd swabbed her bare foot, and lo-behold it was considered to have been an unsafe surface for the preparation of food.

It doesn't take a piece of equipment and a film crew for us all to know that a sweaty foot isn't likely to be the best place to chop carrots, and if anything I was more alarmed that the woman's foot was only just outside of the parameters of what was considered to be food-safe. I mean, she must really have been scrubbing her feet to get them so clean, but of course her illness prevented her from taking that particular viewpoint.

All this said, no one forced the OCD sufferers to go on the show, and I do wonder what they may have been told that made them think it was a good idea to do so.

The show received a great amount of negative criticism at the time, but it still ran for several series.

Original poster

Nocd39 · 20/12/2024 13:18

Hskatkat · 19/12/2024 18:44

Most reality TV is utter drivel.
Don't like it? Don't watch it.

I agree with your first point, and I certainly am not going to watch this again (was made aware of it through OCD groups). Generally I think society/TV should have a live and let live approach BUT I think in certain cases shows shouldn’t be made. Even if you or I don’t watch it, others will and that will promote stereotypes about OCD/mental health as well as causing harm to those with OCD taking part. It’s well known that taking part in OCD rituals (in this case cleaning) only makes the problem even worse

OP posts:

Original poster

Nocd39 · 20/12/2024 13:21

prepareforthebacklash · 19/12/2024 23:53

This is a relatively old TV show - the first series had a woman in it who was never to be seen again, possibly as she was the only one who seemed to have any idea about cleaning and how to not kill themselves by mixing cleaning products, and wearing shoes with 16 inch heels whilst mopping.

By series 2 they were really upping the stakes, in their quest to pitch OCD sufferers cleaning compulsions against people who never cleaned a thing (and who could well have had OCD in another form, by the looks of it).

Were this not enough, they also unleashed equipment on those people who had the cleaning compulsions, such as the machine which took a reading from a swabbed surface to identify how contaminated it might be. It was all out of context - I've used such equipment and I know what it's there to do, how to use it, and most importantly, how to interpret the outcomes. In one episode, a woman ran out of a shoe shop, screaming, because she'd swabbed her bare foot, and lo-behold it was considered to have been an unsafe surface for the preparation of food.

It doesn't take a piece of equipment and a film crew for us all to know that a sweaty foot isn't likely to be the best place to chop carrots, and if anything I was more alarmed that the woman's foot was only just outside of the parameters of what was considered to be food-safe. I mean, she must really have been scrubbing her feet to get them so clean, but of course her illness prevented her from taking that particular viewpoint.

All this said, no one forced the OCD sufferers to go on the show, and I do wonder what they may have been told that made them think it was a good idea to do so.

The show received a great amount of negative criticism at the time, but it still ran for several series.

Edited

Yes, some very good points here. I also worry what on earth was said to these people to get them to go onto the show. I think part of the problem is that when someone has severe OCD they can’t necessarily think through the consequences of their actions, especially if their OCD is compelling them to carry out all the cleaning

OP posts: