‘My 600-lb Life’ Assanti Brothers Part 2 Recap: Steven Gets Worse, Justin Improves And Dr. Now Gets Real

TLC’s hit reality TV series My 600-lb Life has had its share of controversial patients, but very few could hold a candle to this season’s final subjects, overweight brothers Steven and Justin Assanti. Growing up in an abusive and neglectful home since they were kids, the brothers eventually turned to food as a source of comfort, and both have been eating through life ever since. This week saw the second part of the brothers’ two-part feature, and while it managed to show some progress to a certain degree, no definitive resolution was reached as the episode ended.

Last week, viewers were aghast at the brothers’ situation, especially when it became apparent that the older one of the two, Steven, had a tendency to manipulate and bully people. Over the course of the episode, viewers were able to see how horribly Steven treated his father and the hospital staff. The younger brother, Justin, for his part, opted to stay away from his older brother, attempting to lose weight on his own. Overall, viewers were mostly polarized about the siblings, with many sympathizing with Justin and even more stating that Steven might be sociopathic.

This week, My 600-lb Life featured the circumstances that transpired after the events of the previous week’s episode. In a lot of ways, TLC’s own teaser for the episode provided a pretty clear preview of what was to come as the episode played out.

“After a year on a weight loss program, Steven remains completely non-compliant and Justin focuses on a new career instead of his diet, but time is quickly running out for surgery.”

The second part of Steven and Justin’s My 600-lb Life episode was not as difficult to watch as the previous week’s installment. Justin, for one, was revealed to have thrived with his brother’s absence. The younger brother had opened a hobby shop, which keeps him occupied most of the time. Numerous viewers noted that since opening shop, Justin appeared far more stable and optimistic.

Not everything is going well for Justin, however, as the second part of the Assanti brothers’ tale also revealed that his budding career also triggered a relapse of his unhealthy eating habits. Thus, while Justin appears to be improving emotionally and psychologically, the young Assanti brother’s physical body has begun to gain weight once more.

True to form, Steven’s case was a lot more painful to watch than his brother’s. Over the course of the episode, Steven’s treatment of those around him was pretty much the same as the previous week’s. He was still abusive towards his father and the hospital staff, even calling 911 on one occasion. Viewers were also aghast as Steven was shown to have adopted a cat, which he unsurprisingly neglected. His addiction to pain medication is still present, as well. Overall, the episode revealed that even after numerous attempts at treatment, Steven remained as stubborn and as abusive as before.

The Assanti brother was so uncooperative that he was quite literally called out and berated by My 600-lb Life‘s resident medical practitioner, Dr. Now. The doctor had treated dozens of similar cases of morbid obesity in the past, but Steven’s attitude, coupled with his manipulative tendencies and downright headache-inducing behavior, caused the tolerant doctor to lose his temper.

The manner Dr. Now confronted Steven in the recent My 600-lb Life episode was nothing less than epic, according to numerous fans in online forums such as Reddit. Dr. Now had a couple of episodes when he lost his temper on a patient in front of the camera, but the way the medical practitioner put Steven in his place completely takes the cake. Seemingly airing viewers and fans’ observations, Dr. Now called out Steven for his tendency to be nude all the time and his lack of cooperation. The icing on the cake, however, was when Dr. Now made Steven look at himself in front of a full-length mirror. Despite Steven’s stubbornness, he ended up losing 70 lbs on his own after, which is practically the first time he has made progress on his own.

One thing that really stuck with viewers, however, was the fact that the brothers’ story did not have a clear resolution by the time the episode ended. Thus, it appears that the answer to the plight of the Assanti brothers in TLC’s My 600-lb Life would only be answered once the show airs its later episodes featuring patients at a later stage in their weight-loss journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUJROs2PKo

[Featured Image by TLC]