Hoarding: Buried Alive Season 9 Episode 9 10 Biggest Hoards: Gary

Gary's home is full to the brim with ancient artifacts, newspaper clippings, pieces of clothes, and old furniture. Family and friends who attempted to visit him had to carve a path through the towering stacks of items stacked up to the ceiling that filled every room. His collection of antique plates, newspapers, magazines, books, and other items he has accumulated over years of treasure hunting are arranged into different themes, but the space to walk is limited. In this episode of Hoarding: Buried Alive, we get to see Gary's collection of items that have accumulated up to a point where he cannot navigate his home without tripping.

Gary has been living alone in his cluttered house for many years, with only several cats as company, and, he admits he's blithely unaware of the hazards he's created. Gary's hoard has worsened to the point where he can no longer complete his simple routine, and everything in the house has turned against him. He's offended by even the slightest suggestion of assistance, so he can't even begin to conceive of throwing possessions away to establish a fresh start.

In this episode, we meet Gary's family and friends, who try to assist him in getting rid of the clutter that has overtaken his house. They ask that he get rid of some of the piles so that the structure of the house isn't compromised. Gary is very resistant to that, as he believes his artifacts bring him joy and are priceless, and throwing them out is akin to throwing money away. The family decides to put on a garage sale to help raise funds to clear out some of the clutter.

We get to see some of the rare finds that Gary has, including artifacts and ancient pottery that he built up over the years. His family is stunned at the collection he's amassed and the time he's spent on it. However, the clutter has made it difficult for the family to communicate with Gary and spend quality time with him.

The team of specialists assisting Gary in his cleanup process must work in a restrictive atmosphere as they navigate their way through the small corridors of boxes and piles of paper. They'll need to take great caution in removing items from the house, making sure that Gary knows what's being taken, and that he agrees to it. The cleanup process is lengthy and meticulous, as the team slowly removes one pile after another, taking great care to ensure the house doesn't collapse.

Eventually, the family and cleanup crew identify much of the clutter as items that nobody would need. They determine that Gary is unconcerned about the accumulation of things around him, but he's scared of the competitive world that is out there. Gary's hoarding stems from his desire to find comfort in his own world and disregard of modern society, with plenty of fake artifacts which he hoards as treasure. The family and crew convince him to pick several items he wants to hold on to while the remainder is either thrown out or sold in a garage sale.

In the end, we get to see the transformation of Gary's house from overflowing piles of items to a well-organized living space. We see Gary slowly opening up to the idea of getting rid of some of his junk, and his relations with his family and friends are strengthened. The team successfully clears out much of the clutter, leaving only necessary items and antique pieces that are close to Gary's heart. This episode is a great example of how hoarding can provide comfort and possibly financial security for someone, but eventually, it will get to the point where it negatively affects their health and connections to people.