Jennifer Gimenez on Good Day LA talks “Sober House”
As she did last season, house manager Jennifer Gimenez is set to give us her weekly take on each episode of Sober House with Dr. Drew. Below, Jenn talks about the fifth episode of the show: Jennie and Kendra’s tension, the departure and return of Heidi Fleiss and her own blow-up with Seth.
Dr. Drew came in right as Tom and Mike were in the middle of their big blow-up. He couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
I know. That was like a godsend at that moment. I remember I was texting him, “Please come.” I think he finished Loveline early, and literally as the mayhem was happening he walks up the hill. It was not planned at all. He walked straight up – he wasn’t even miked at that point.
That must have been a relief for you.
Yes! At that moment I was taking care of Kendra and keeping Heidi away from Tom. Seriously, it couldn’t have been more perfect timing.
Kendra reacted really strongly to this tumult.
There were definitely triggers for her, and as you saw in Sex Rehab, she doesn’t take that kind of fighting well. I think she reverted back to her childhood issues and trauma. At that moment, it was kind of like triage: what do you do, who do you save? At that moment it was Kendra, because she wasn’t involved in anything so I felt like I needed to protect her. I felt protective of the situation, because she was an innocent bystander brought into the mayhem. I think a lot of people were at that point.
Because she tested positive for drugs, Heidi had to leave the sober house. Were you disappointed?
I mean, that’s standard. I was brokenhearted because it’s such a sad thing when we do use. For whatever reasons, we are in so much pain and we just can’t handle life, so I was really sad for her. I was actually relieved that she was willing to come back and try it over again, but I knew that her being there would create more mayhem. We’re powerless over this disease, but we didn’t have the tools to take care of her as well as the rest of the house. I was proud of her for having the courage to try this again, though.
What was going on at this point with the jobs these people were assigned? Ever since their first days, we haven’t seen them working.
They didn’t continue the jobs. It was unfortunate, too. Sometimes in sober houses they do continue their jobs because they have to. But because there was so much going on, there were a lot of things everyone was trying to cram in to get these people going in life and also to create the show. Not to take away from the work that they did, but it didn’t continue.
Mike apologized to you, called you “sweetheart,” vowed to discontinue the, “F*** you”s. Were you buying it?
No, and it’s unfortunate for me to say this but it was a constant thing with Mike. You didn’t see that the night before, he really, really attacked me. That threw everyone off, especially Tom. It’s really hard for everyone, especially me, to hear that. When Mike apologized, I was like, “OK, I’m going to give it one shot,” but it was really wearing on me emotionally and mentally. I think the whole situation was wearing on me.
Yeah, at the end of the episode we saw you break down and heard a voiceover from Dr. Drew wondering how much longer you could manage this by yourself.
The group is so rough and so tough and so exhausting and I didn’t have any support. I didn’t have my circle of support. There were no free moments for me to make the calls to get comfort in my life and with my emotions. I didn’t have Dr. Sophy, I didn’t have anything except my texts or calls to Dr. Drew. It was me against eight. Sometimes I just wanted a hug. I just wish there were more tools that I had and that we had for a support team for me. My survival mechanisms were exhausted. I just kept trying and it felt like I was walking in and hitting my head into the same wall over and over in the same spot again. With Heidi going out and coming back, it was like starting all over again. Her disease was so alive — more than anyone else’s in the house at that moment. She wasn’t the same Heidi.
Did you ever beat yourself up over any of this? Did you ever feel like a failure?
I don’t know if I felt like I was failing — I just knew that I started shutting down. I don’t know if it’s about failing more so than it is waving a flag. More than anything I just wished I had my support team. If I was able to process my emotions and my feelings with somebody, then I would have more strength to keep going.
This episode finds tension brewing between Jennie and Kendra. Was that always there?
When they walked in the beginning of the season, they were tight. There was a good force going on there. And then you just saw it slowly disintegrating. That kind of happens when two people come from the same place. They came from the same show, Sex Rehab, they come from the same stuff in some way or another. I started seeing little specks of it. It really came to a head in the Jacuzzi, which happened the night after all the mayhem. We couldn’t have just one night of relaxation in warm water, you know? I remember just sitting in there thinking my muscles are trying to relax, and then they started and I was thinking, “How am I going to find the boundary here?” That’s when I was like, “Enough guys.” There was so much more going on than substance addition, and people were drawing from that. You had Mike’s mental issues, and you had the sex addition stuff. There were a lot of things going on. I felt like we were all walking on egg shells. I was at least. But we had to walk through the eggshells and stand ground.
The Jennie/Kendra tension also pervades rock-climbing.
Yes. That was a activity to get everyone’s mind off of things. Here I was telling everyone, “Come on, let’s do it!” It was an awakening for me, just going through it, but in the back of my head, there was the Kendra/Jennie thing going on. I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know when it was going to happen and at least no one got hurt. There was no verbal abuse happening. They were shouting, but they did it, in a weird way, with respect, and that’s kind of the process. I let it happen, because what was I going to do? Try to stop something these people were feeling? Block them from their feelings? Kendra and Jennie both wanted to stay away from each other, there were boundaries set and that was great.
You had it out with Seth. Was it disappointing that it came to that?
One of the things that we’re asking is: do your chores. The trash was overflowing. Everyday I asked, “Please do your chores before you leave.” I was picking up after everyone, and then when stuff wasn’t done or when it was dirty, everyone would come to me instead of confronting each other like, “That’s not fair!” I was angry with Seth after asking him over and over again. I was begging him. I sounded like a broken record. He then threw a fit at me. It was sad, but I just went with it. In the end, it was like, at least Seth showed emotion. He has a lot of anger, and I realized that he wasn’t angry about me. The funny thing is that afterward, I ignored Seth and that’s the worst thing you can do to him. The next morning, he had coffee on my table. I told him that I had to be tough with him. The people who loved and helped me with my sobriety were really tough on me. They wanted me to get it. They were afraid of going to my funeral.
Back for the second season of VH1’s “Sober House With. Dr. Drew” is its matriarch, Jennifer Gimenez. Last year’s debut season, featuring Gimenez and a host of celebrities trying to clean up their act, was one of reality TV’s most dynamic in memory.
Somehow this season (VH1, Thursdays/tonight, 10 p.m.) makes its predecessor seem like the PG version.
This year’s cast combines recent graduates of the much more structured drug and alcohol program, “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,” along with those from the inaugural season of “Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew.” Both were filmed at the Pasadena Recovery Center.
Some of the cast members are: Tom Sizemore, Heidi Fleiss, Dennis Rodman, Jennifer “Penny Flame” Ketcham, and Kari Ann Peniche. The results have been dynamic television full of punched-out cameramen, relapse, and no shortage of bleeped f-bombs.
Since LAist last visited Gimenez a year ago, the former covermodel has had quite the year. She’s continued to grow yet lost a hundred pounds, has a growing career, and is over four years sober from drugs and alcohol herself. LAist had a chance to chat with Jennifer about just that.
LAist: What was the difference between the first and second season of Sober House?
Jennifer Gimenez: This season they were all hardcore, street-smart addicts except Dennis Rodman. Last year you had more of a mixture. This year, they were a rough group. Who would have ever thought that I’d be saying I’d take eight Steven Adler’s over the season two group?
I am so grateful I did Sober House the second season. I’m also lucky I didn’t get hurt from this experience. It was a really rough group.
Did the first season prepare you for this one?
Season One taught me a lot. Coming into Season Two, I felt stronger about myself. I also learned to have more love and tolerance, and that I’m not here to be friends with these people. The season before, I was trying so hard to be make them like me.
People in my life, and especially people in the recovery community that I come from, don’t tip-toe around my sobriety. People call me out on my stuff: shut up, sit your ass down, and listen. I felt like, coming into this season, I needed to be the same way people were with me in my program. This disease is deadly, so I’m here to help other people.
What has the public reaction been to the show?
I’ve never been more blown away by the response of people. Yeah, there’s that three percent that’s always going to say some negative stuff, but I get thousands of positive emails and people come up to me and say “thank you for doing what you’re doing.”
Are there any misconceptions as to your role in recovery?
I definitely want to clear up that I do not work in recovery except for the show. You don’t have to work in recovery to run a sober house. Dr. Drew and the producers brought me in because of my recovery.
A lot of people come to me with their problems and they start opening up. I know sometimes we just need someone to listen, but I can’t give “doctor advice.” I’m not a doctor. I’m just a drunk helping another drunk.
Since Sober House Season One, you’ve lost 100 pounds….
After Season One, after being called a ‘fat’-every word possible, I started dropping weight. I went from going on the treadmill, to going to the nutritionist, to weight training. Last May, I was doing another job somewhere else and I started training with Jai Rodriguez from “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.”
He was like “hey girl, you need to lift weights.” I had this whole philosophy that my body was going to get big from gaining muscle. Instead, I feel great.
Did you have time to exercise on Sober House Two?
Yes. Dennis Rodman and I were training every day. By that point I had lost about 80 pounds. Since the show finished, I’ve lost that last 20. I’m now officially down 100 pounds. I went from a size 16 back down to a six.
What are your eating habits like these days?
For me, I had to divorce salt and not drink so many sodas. I don’t eat french fries. I eat wheat bread, lots of multi grains, and chicken, and chicken and chicken until it’s coming out of my ears.
What was it like when Kari Ann called you “fat” on Season Two?
It was so “last season.” When I came into the show, obviously I looked much more different than the first season and I was well-seasoned by Steven Adler and that whole group. It didn’t bother me, though, sure, I don’t want to be called on that on a normal basis in my life.
What was it like to live in the show’s Hollywood Hills mansion?
The house was unbelievable. I got to wake up to Downtown LA, and I’d look over to the left, and there was Griffith Park and the ocean straight ahead. It was really beautiful. However, there was many, many stairs. I’d be running up and down them all day long. I was pretty exhausted just from going up the stairs.
Who would win in an arm-wrestling match: Dr. Drew or Barack Obama?
Dr Drew by far. Did you see those arms? Every now and then he’ll wear a t-shirt and you’ll be like “what?”
What’s coming up for you?
Sober House One was nominated for a PRISM Award. Dr. Drew and I will be there presenting at the end of the month. Work-wise, there’s a lot of things in the mix right now that I’m not allowed to talk about because nothing’s finalized. I’m getting back into acting and hosting. I hope a vacation in the near future.
Follow Caleb Bacon on Twitter @thecalebbacon.
By Caleb Bacon in Arts & Events on April 8, 2010 10:30 AM 0 Comments 7 Likes Likes
PHIL VARONE posted photos of us from the “TODAY SHOW” on facebook today…he is actually a very funny guy…
i feel like there is so much to say but yet again im exhausted… i feel like im goin to collapse from exhaustion soon… God please help me, im tired so im goin to make this short…i did 2hrs at the gym… but due to being in my car working on the phone i wasnt able to workout wit DARLENE…she is goin to break me tomorrow..i have this feeling but i did work out lifted weights ,ran and did the cross trainer… ive burned over 3000 cals taken 16500 steps and have done over 4 hrs of activity…i even cooked which was a big deal for me… ya i steamed brown rice and opened 2 cans of tuna and cracked open hard boiled eggs… haaa…i mad tuna casarole… i love that , i use to eat that as a kid…mickey was a little extra needed ,which honestly i love…. i just love my mickey even while i pick up his poopoo and as he goes i cheer him on…he is an amazing love in my life…wow if i could be half the woman mickey thinks i am on a daily basis id rule my universe…i have to get up in a few hours im to do a phone interview in the wee hours of the morning then one at 10 am then gym then off to la for meetings and interviews im shooting another magazine but ill keep u posted later…Dr.Drew and i are presenting at the PRISM awards in a few weeks and the first SOBERHOUSE is nominated which is awesome…im also hosting a few events…. now i must say nite nite i have to go clean my toilets… i have a thing about cleans sinks,toilets and floors , actually im a freak over it… i love tilex and bleach too… TOM hates it…oh salt i miss u where r u ….mrs.dash(blah) i know were ur at i dont like u yet….
thank u guys for ur support… i do read my comments…and i do appreciate the support… it is mind blowing to me how there are such kind and gentle souls out there…u know just day to day for all of us isnt always pleasant, but when i read the comments and emails from u guys it fills me with joy…
on thursday evening i got the call that i was doing “THE TODAY SHOW” in New York on Saturday morning so i was leaving in the am (Friday)… i was excited and nervous at the same time… i was at the gym about to train when i got the call…my life these days is pretty much on hold although i am super busy w , well my life… i continue to schedule and plan my days as if , but i am allowing God to direct me…so on friday ,off i went to New York… i ended up meeting PHIL VARONE from SEX REHAB WITH DR.DREW at the airport.. i was sitting at my gate and i heard this guy behind me talking to some other guy(PHIL) and he was talking about the shows ,so i turned around and saw PHIL and said “hi im jenn” we were both caught off guard but i have to say what a lovely man PHIL VARONE is …. we got to New York and talked ,walked in the city and ate pizza… he was a delight…i ended sleeping 2 hrs cuz i was still catching up w emails and stuff… so we did a segment on “THE TODAY SHOW’ and it was fun but i was soooo tired… as soon as i was done i jumped in a town car and off i went back to the airport…i actually havent stopped in a long time…when i got home “MY TOMMY” was there to love me back to health…im so lucky to have a loving man support me and he put me to bed i shut my phone off for 24hrs and slept for 17 needed hours… when i woke up today TOM and i went to church w my mama and little brother(who is so much taller than me) then we went to my mamas house and ate an amazing lunch and had great conversation… TOM laughs at how my little brother and i are so brother and sister… its funny we so resort to childish behavior… i love my family to death…we came home and i was just trying to catch up w life….i turned my phone back on ,it was weird to not have my phone on but kinda awesome at the same time…so i was full from eating a lot and actually last few days kinda bad so i went to the gym and did cardio for an hour, came home walked mickey and then water the front yard …when i got in TOM said to me “babe its suppose to rain tonight” …. “huh” i replied… what was i thinking but i haven’t heard the news and really didn’t know… what a dork i am…. tomorrow i have phone interviews for magazines and internet sites then gym and so on…. i hope u all had a wonderful EASTER… again i adore u and thank u for being in my life …. i start my intense training , eating and calorie target all over again tomorrow … i did reach over 3000 calories today and over 17000 steps so that pretty good but i ate poorly… i do start with the “BOSS DARLENE” tomorrow …I HAVE NOT BEEN AS DEDICATED AS I WAS A FEW WEEKS BACK WITH THE EATING AND MY CHOICES OF BEING HEALTHY…ONE OF THE GIFTS OF LIFE I HAVE IS CHOICE…SO I CHOOSE TO DO AND BE BETTER…one day at a time….
As she did last season, house manager Jennifer Gimenez is set to give us her weekly take on each episode of Sober House with Dr. Drew. Below, Jenn talks about the fourth episode of the show, which chronicled what she refers to as “one of the craziest nights of my existence…”
One thing we didn’t go over regarding last week’s episode was a stray shot of Tom Sizemore with what looked like tubing tied around his arm in his apartment. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but then I saw that so many people noticed that online.
Everybody asked me about that. That was kind of weird. I actually rewound it a couple times. When he returned, honestly he tested negative and I retested him the next day, as well. Also, there were no track marks on him. When they run off and throw tantrums and then come back, you really kind of want to assess them, and look at them and look at their arms and their nose and, you know, smell their breath and all that stuff, and he passed. That made it extra weird, but I don’t know. I wasn’t there.
The first thing that happens on this episode is that everyone shares their essays. Many of them, like Mike and Dennis did not take this assignment seriously.
When they were reading them, I was biting my tongue, trying not laugh. At the end of the day, I can’t tell them what to do, I can’t force them. At this point, I got Dennis to give me his phone and to actually write the essay and follow direction. It was like, “Wo, I think I’ve earned some respect here…to the best of his ability…for that moment.” At least he was willing to do some work even if it was just, “Why” 150 times…
And getting Mike to do anything was a miracle. He’s constantly saying he’s sick and saying his arm hurts, that’s why he can’t write. Then he saw everyone else was doing it, and that’s the thing with Mike. I think that he heard Kari Ann punched the camera guy, so he thought he could get away with hitting one. He follows everyone else in the house. As for Tom, he wrote this thing saying how his recovery came first, and soon after, he decided to throw a fit. It’s like, two seconds later, he’s trying to throw a vase at me. It shows just how explosive Tom is all the time. Here you start seeing how crazy Tom really is.
So he was telling you that he’s done with the show and that you have to give him his phone back. You knew this was just a ploy, right?
Yes. He said he was going to call the cops, but he handed over the phone to me. Also, there was a house phone literally in that living room area that we could all use. He could have asked me to use my phone. Tom wanted it his way and if he doesn’t get it his way he explodes. I’m going to get angry over that.
He left and came back. No surprise there, right?
No. It wasn’t like this was the first time he had left, either. Plus, I know how is Tom from being in treatment with him. I knew how explosive he is. He’s not going to scare me any more than anyone else in that house at that point. What was he going to? I think he wanted me to get crazy.
Here’s something that was a surprise: Mike went out on a search for “Thai food,” and ended up coming back to the house clean.
He was lucky that he didn’t get his “Thai food.” That’s a big thing that a lot of addicts have: they have code words for drugs and it was really sad to see that he was willing to go to any lengths to try to get them. He came back and was very aggressive. But the thing is that Mike was constantly in my face telling me he hated me, he was going to kill me, he was going to do this and that. So Mike being aggressive wasn’t exactly out of character. Then he came back, fighting us about taking the test, shutting the door in Will’s face. He did ultimately test negative, which was such a relief at the moment because there was so much insanity going on. Heidi had just come back from Nevada and was like, “Oh, I can’t pee yet,” and I knew something was wrong. There was so much tension in the house. It was a full moon that night and everything just started exploding at 7 or 8 and didn’t stop. I swear to you, I don’t know how that night turned out OK. I don’t know how no one got hurt that night. It was so crazy. At that moment, I was in survival mode.
Speaking of Heidi, there was more drama between her and Tom.
They were antagonizing each other constantly and it was maddening at that moment. They are both fighting and they are both yelling that they are going to leave. They were throwing tantrums while everyone upstairs was freaking out. I was playing ref.
And then, of course, Heidi did test positive. Did you think it was strange that she was smiling when you informed her you found amphetamines, opiates and benzos in her pee?
That smile was maybe her defense mechanism of how she was kind of bummed out that she did that. Her disease got the best of her. It was either a smile of embarrassment, like, “What am I supposed to do? I f***ed up,” or, at that point, the disease was really in Heidi. The disease took over. Really, when she got into it with Tom last episosde, I saw Heidi’s hope in recovery just diminish. And it’s really hard to get that back.
And the thing that just obliterates movie night is the fight that Tom and Mike have.
Tom was saying that he was tired of hearing Mike treat me like s***. I mean, everybody was. What you guys don’t see is how Mike treated me like s*** the whole entire time. There were maybe five minutes out of that day that he didn’t go off on me. And it’s kind of hard to be around that all the time. But also they were just trying to get better, and Tom just lost it. He literally was so angry that I think he deflected the anger that was coming between him and Heidi onto Mike. There was also some animosity between Mike and Tom. Tom would make side remarks like, “God, he’s getting on my nerves.” I told him to pay attention to himself, and obviously in this case he didn’t. That really was one of the craziest nights of my existence. And it was madness every single day. I feel at that moment it was no longer the Sober House, it was the recovery house. There were so many other things that people were recovering from, and so many things were going on, and so many more internal things and emotional things and issues that were being brought to the forefront. I’ve never seen so much unrelenting chaos in a house.
Did you start to feel like you were going crazy?
Yeah. I broke down that night, alone. If I lost it in front of the group, then they all would have lost it. They were literally all looking at me, staring. There were no words being said by anybody, so I had to just say calm and be like, “You’re gonna be fine.” I don’t know if Mother Teresa would have been able to keep her sanity that night
yes its been a while since i wrote. you know its taken its toll on me…not being able to write is not good for me… ill be honest i feel like im about to explode becuz ive even stop in my personal journal… i can be lame and say ive been too busy … not an exception…
im blown away by all u lovely beings… supporting, loving and cheering me along has been a gift for me…at times i kept asking myself” why the hell am i doing this for”… I DO NOT RUN A SOBERLIVING HOME OR WORK IN RECOVERY IN MY DAILY LIFE…I WAS BROUGHT IN BECAUSE OF MY RECOVERY AND THAT IVE BEEN WHERE THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN…the “AWARENESS” SOBERHOUSE 1 &2: has been able to provide addicts and alcoholics still suffering ,recovering addicts and alcoholics, family/friends /loved ones who live(d) w people like me or have ever loved one of us and have gone thru the torement of our disease w us , is really the reason i did it again…i only say this because it is people like u who email me ,come up to me,post ,comment and all other kinds of modern ways of contact tell me.. then theres “THOSE PEOPLE” ,ahh im praying for u, all these people blogging on messageboards or on tweets myspace and facebook all this negative stuff makes me sad… but with every good thing in life comes some bad… over all ,about 97% of the response has been positive, the support and love im getting from people is truly amazing…like everyone else in the world i have over come obstacles… i am a child of a loving GOD and he has made me ,despite of my down falls ,a woman who has a story to tell… my experience ,strength and hope that miracles do exist…No… what u guys see on t.v is what really happened ,nothing was acted out… i may be an actress but i was dealing with seriously sick people trying to save there lives as well as me staying somewhat sane and sober thru that time in the house… this group was the toughest 8 people i could have ever imagined… it was me against them(more like the disease)…a bit too intense im really lucky i didnt get hurt or killed…but then theres things u will not see and ohhh the power of editing….like me being super stern, did happen, but first i was kind and gentle but most of the time it was mistaken for weakness and they (most of them) kept pushing my buttons..i want u to know how grateful i am to have been able to be of service…
so LIFE and STYLE MAGAZINE is now coming out in a few weeks 2nd week in APRIL… i will keep u posted.. they pushed it back due to some scandals lately…ive been on planes and cars for the last month…i really love traveling … my schedule starts sometimes at 4:30 am and once in a while ends 2/3a.m… not everyday id lose it…im trying my best to juggle my personal life /love/friends/family,work auditions/producing a show/publicity (etc .etc on this career section) tending to my house,gym and trying (not really) to have a tiny bit of personal time , 12 step program,speaking at 12 step meetings,working w 6 girls daily ,speaking at hospitals and institutions and working w my sponsor on me, sleeping every now and then oh and walking mickey…ill b honest with u lately im tripping out on having God fulfill my prayers although i can tell u itll work out for u, but i got to jump and know the net will catch me, it always has before…
im really tired and have to get up in 6 hours to start my journey all over again i promise to make an effort to journal at least 4-6 times a week… i love u with all my heart………oh yes still doing intense training but i got back on salt for a hot minute we started dating off and on again ,but were off again … ill explain tomorrow
Please tune in tonight at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/randomtalkradio/2010/03/11/sober-house-2 for an in depth interview with me and a few special guests and some special friends…. cant wait to hear from all of ya…xoxoxox Jenn
OMG my days are going by so quickly…with SOBERHOUSE 2 coming out i am on super overload …doing alot of stuff for it..yes i am still training with the boss ,DARLENE… i just shot for LIFE & STYLE MAGAZINE last week and the story is coming out either this week or next… ill keep u posted…today DARLENE kicked my arms into a whole nother gear… they are super sore .i am very tired today…but i did work out w her for an hr and then did a total 55 minutes on treadmill…i dont know where i got that energy to do that much today… i ended up at the gym for way too long i kept answering work phone calls and found myself talking with people at the gym which totally threw me off… i dont mean to sound like an ass but i dont have the time to socialize there…im on a timed schedule.. i drank my yogurt,blueberry,banana,whey shake…lunch 2oz of turkey meatloaf..an orange and an apple for dinner 4chicken soft tacos w corn tortillas…very small ones … im still hungry….
im really gonna need u guys ,ur support during this experience of soberhouse…
im really tired and still have work to do…long work day tomorrow…
http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/488495/watch-the-supertrailer.jhtml#id =1632982 PLEASE CHECK OUT TRAILOR FOR SOBERHOUSE COMES OUT THIS THURSDAY MARCH 11TH ON VH1. 10PM
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