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I've produced many "True Life" episodes over the years, from "I Have Tourettes Syndrome" to "I Live in the Projects," and it's enabled me to dive into other people's worlds and learn about struggles and joys that are very different from my own. What really interested me in working on "True Life: I Hate My Face" was that most of us hate something about our bodies; however, it doesn't normally consume our lives to a crippling degree.

Pamela and Mandie's inability to love their bodies, flaws and all, absolutely disables them. What's even more shocking is that they're both very beautiful. When I first met Pamela and Mandie, I didn't understand why they couldn't see it -- but after learning about body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) from Dr. Eda Gorbis (the psychologist who successful treated Morgan in the "I Have OCD" doc I produced), it made sense.

BDD is an internal issue, not an external one. No amount of makeup, injections or plastic surgery can cure this disorder. It was heartbreaking to see Pamela choose surgery over therapy. (For Mandie, she didn't really know if she had BDD, and it seemed like there weren't very many local options for specialized treatment.)

What struck me as one of the disease's worst aspects is the utter isolation it causes. Mandie has extreme anxiety about leaving the house -- she feels that she isn't even pretty enough to go to the drug store -- and it results in her spending most of her time at home. Very few people in her life knew how deeply she suffered.

I hope this episode can help bring attention to BDD, and that Mandie and Pamela will someday seek treatment so they can fully appreciate their beautiful faces.

-- Leigh Stieglitz, producer of "True Life: I Hate My Face"

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When a serious subject like drug addiction is tackled by a TV production crew, it's not just the people on camera who become affected by what unfolds. Below, check out Gone Too Far Producer Amy Bonezzi's notes on what it was like to film Breezy's story...

I was greatly affected by Breezy's story. Unlike some of the heroin and pill addicts we’ve worked with for Gone Too Far, she didn't drink constantly throughout the day. There were many times when she was sober. The problem was that when she did drink, which was often, she had no limits and would drink until she was completely out of control -- fighting or blacking out.

Seeing Breezy drink, although it was upsetting, wasn’t nearly as bad as seeing her become violent. When she was drinking, I not only worried about her safety, but the safety of everyone around her.

The night we shot the scene where Breezy got into a fight was particularly scary. We were in the middle of the woods in Texas with only the light from our cameras. The fight got so violent that our crew had to stop shooting because we needed to get out of the situation.
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When a serious subject like drug addiction is tackled by a TV production crew, it's not just the people on camera who become affected by what unfolds. Below, check out Gone Too Far Producer Sarah Sisson's notes on what it was like to film Gary's story...

I became personally invested in Gary’s story right from the beginning. Our cameras were covering him at his worst, and that called for a lot of trust on both sides. We formed a tight bond pretty quickly, and I became close with his mother as well. When we weren’t shooting, I was on the phone with them. I'm still in very close contact with him and his mom and will be sure to continue our relationship.

It was very difficult to shoot Gary while he was using. He’s such a great kid, with so much potential -- it broke my heart to see him hurting himself in such a devastating way. The thought of him overdosing was always at the front of my mind, but I had to trust him. He was very honest with me about his limits and how much he could handle, and it was my job to document it, so I had to step back and watch. I am very thankful for the level of trust that formed between us.

Gary was pretty comfortable on camera right from the start. He allowed us into his inner world -- one that he kept from most people in his life. He also took to Adam right away. Adam understood what Gary was going through better than any of us, and I think that really put Gary at ease.
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When a serious subject like drug addiction is tackled by a TV production crew, it's not just the people on camera who become affected by what unfolds. Below, check out Gone Too Far Producer Amy Bonezzi's notes on what it was like to film Gina's story...

I became fully invested in Gina and her family before I even arrived for the first shoot because I was constantly on the phone with them. As soon as I met Gina, we became very close. I’m actually still in constant contact with her and her family, even though we stopped filming many months ago.

Gina handled meeting the crew pretty well. It can be intimidating to have cameras on you when you're sharing the most difficult part of your life, and I’m proud of her for having the courage to do that. Gina was extremely excited to meet Adam and she bonded with him right away. He knew what it was like to be an addict and he didn't judge her for it. He was someone who really understood the struggle she was facing because he'd been through it himself.

I think the best moment between Adam and Gina happened during his surprise visit to her in rehab. She was so happy to see him there and felt so thankful that he really cared enough to come out there and check on her. It was great to see his reaction, too, because it made him genuinely happy to see her on the road to recovery.

When we shot the last day in Hartford, CT, Gina was back home and she'd already relapsed. It was tough on all of us. After watching her go through detox and stay sober for a month, it was devastating to find out that she'd chosen to use PCP. Adam expressed on camera what the whole team was feeling ... sad, angry, defeated. It was hard to leave knowing that she was probably going to return to exactly the kind of hardcore drug abuse she'd been engaged in when we first began. Now, eight months later, we're all so happy that Gina's back in treatment and we're hopeful that she'll stay clean for the long term.

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Each season of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Executive Producer Justin Booth keeps a blog throughout filming to share his thoughts on all the game-time action and drama. Below, check out his notes on Episode 2:

Shauvon's accident had many of the crew members laughing, not at the potential injury of one of our cast members, but at the idea that such a thing like popping an implant could happen. We plan for nearly every contingency, but never have we even thought to prepare or accommodate such a unique incident. I’m just glad that everything ultimately remained in place…

Evelyn vs. KellyAnne was such a wild Challenge -- Ev seemed to toy with her friend as if she were the cat playing with the mouse before its eventual slaughter. Ev is truly a powerhouse.

This second Challenge was a real battle of the alpha males that shifted the power within the group. None of us could have forecasted such sneakiness, but we're delighted that it took place. Some pretty dirty business went down, but then again, in this game these guys are capable of anything.

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Most of us have tried dieting (or at least skipping dessert) at one point or another. But for some, the struggle of keeping off the weight can become all-consuming. Read on to hear what True Life producers had to say about how they cast this particularly moving episode.

When we first sent out the casting call for people who couldn't stay thin, we received emails from over 1,000 people interested in participating in the episode. Some of these people only needed to lose a mere 5-10 pounds. Others had to lose 20-30. And still many others had to lose much, much more.

But when we started interviewing and meeting with potential candidates, it quickly became clear that this was an intensely private and often embarrassing topic for them to discuss. All of them were desperately trying to shed the pounds, many were ashamed that they couldn't control their weight, and most agreed that their weight was actually controlling them.

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When most of us hear the term "compulsive shopper," we think of Carrie Bradshaw and her giant, department store-sized shoe collection. But as today's True Life: I'm A Compulsive Shopper shows, the addiction can also have extremely serious consequences. Find out what producers had to say about this shockingly dangerous affliction.

When I told people we were producing a show about people who were addicted to shopping, I got a lot of chuckles and smirks in response. Most people made jokes about themselves or someone they know who is “definitely an addict.” But I wanted to show that for some people, this is an addiction as bad as drugs or alcohol, in terms of the damage it can do to your life, finances, and relationships.

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After seeing how many challenges Chris faces in his everyday life, it's hard to imagine how producers were even able to set up this True Life shoot. Turns out, it wasn't easy. Below, the show's producers explain how they worked with Chris on-set to make sure his voice was heard.

When we initially decided to do this show, we knew that there would be some unique challenges to face both in the production and in the edit. First, and foremost, how would we communicate with a subject who couldn't hear or speak?

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