Doctor Reacts To “Extreme Cheapskates”

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Extreme Cheapskates is another one of these TLC shows that highlights extreme lifestyles for views... and it works. Clips from this show documenting the lives of people who save money any way they can have gone mega viral on YouTube, and it turns out a lot of them are pretty medical. Today I look at women who dumpster dive for medicine and food, a man who risks his life enrolling in countless medical studies to stop his heart and harvest his testicles, a man who sleeps on packing peanuts, and a woman who cooks her lasagna in the dish washer. Let me know down below if there are more scenes I should react to in the future.

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Executive Producer: Doctor Mike
Production Director and Editor: Dan Owens
Managing Editor and Producer: Sam Bowers
Editor and Designer: Caroline Weigum
Editor: Juan Carlos Zuniga

* Select photos/videos provided by Getty Images *

** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **

[xshoof]

Can't believe this has to be said but don’t put your children’s health at risk to save money.

[lizzallen]

I went into anaphylaxis at 19 and ended up unconscious on the floor of my bathroom. My boyfriend at the time gave me my EPI pen, which was 2 years expired because they were $600 for a box of 2 and I couldn't afford new ones. It brought be back, but barely and I ended up getting another from the paramedics who were able to get there in about 2 minutes. Medications like epinephrine should ALWAYS be free when it is the difference between life and death because $600 is the difference between housing and no housing for the month. Thanks Dr. Mike!!

[catharineorellana]

I love how Dr. Mike got straight up dead serious about the health & welfare of that woman's kids who were eating the dishwasher lasagna. He's a really non-judgemental guy overall. But feeding kids basically uncooked beef fat made him sit up & take notice!

[VibinWitch]

The little kid shaking their head in response to "it tastes good right?" speaks volumes about the idea of dishwasher lasagna

[Shadragz]

He got serious when he found out the kids were eating the lasagne

[o.o]

I’m Native American. We eat and have eaten clover and dandelions for many years. They are safe to eat in their natural form. The danger of getting them in the wild is that someone could have sprayed a pesticide or herbicide on them that you don’t know about. For our traditional foods we usually grow these in our own gardens. There are many plants that are safe and have good nutritional value that are not typically eaten in a European diet. The important thing is that they’re grown safely and not with unsafe chemicals sprayed on them.

[leifmeadows]

A lady on Youtube did a debunking of the dishwasher cooking hack. She cooked food in the dishwasher with a thermometer hooked up to it. She said that, from the outside, it looked like the fish (I think it was fish?) was well cooked, however, the data from the thermometer proved otherwise.

So Dr Mike is spot on about this being dangerous.

[MilkyWayWasTaken]

The first person: I "cook" my lasagne in the dishwasher
Me: Hello CPS? (Child Protection Services)

[kuro.hitsuji]

The second lady came out in an interview and said that she doesn't typically do any of what they showcased in the show. She's cheap, yes, she admits it, but they asked her to really amp it up for the sake of the entertainment factor of the show. I felt so bad for her watching that interview, people were calling her all sorts of names because of it.

[RedKittieKat]

As someone who grew up poor and still deals with old emotional issues of food insecurity, I could never bring myself to dumpster dive for food. Just the thought of it makes me nauseated. And then to feed it to children.... absolutely not. 😨 I guess I've been lucky enough to be in an area with food pantries and churches that will help those in need of food.

[dracuella]

I love the fact that you can see it clearly on his face when Doctor Mike worries about something someone says. Not out of annoyance but out of pure concern. It's one of the reason so many of us watch his videos - it's clear that he's both professional and compassionate.

[pressinpickle]

If TLC didn't report child abuse then they need shut down.

[alexbuller]

Dandelion greens and flowers actually are perfectly safe and nutritious to have in a salad. The big issue with just foraging them is that unless it's on your own property, you don't know if they've been treated with any pesticides or herbicides.

[abbij]

The second girl I feel really bad for. She did an interview a little while after that was filmed, and she said she was getting bullied alot for her looks and it made her feel really bad about herself. She also said half the stuff she did, the producers told her to do. She seems like a really sweet, beautiful woman. She didn't deserve the hate =(

[lorelaicloudii]

“I like eating like it is a horse trough.. like a medley. That’s why I like Chipotle’s burrito bowls.” I literally could not agree more

[DragonNexus]

We have thoroughly failed as a society if this is the lengths people have to go to to stay alive and feed themselves.

[michellesotelo-mercer]

Love how the girl cooking the lasagna in the dishwasher while washing the dishes doesnt clue in that she admitted to having to use more tin foil to avoid the water leaking in, so you now just wasted product you could have saved by just using the oven 🤦‍♀️

[kristinwallace]

For the Lasagna: It is one thing to do these things for yourself only, but when you have kids or are feeding other people it is really dangerous. I am really glad Dr. Mike mentioned getting CPS involved if the person did not want to change.

[yvettealdrich]

As a professional in clinical research, I appreciate Dr. Mike's respect for what we do!

[asiasnyder]

Dr. Mike was so sweet and empathic when saying he might have decided to call DCF if this was his patient!