The BEST episodes of Dr. Phil season 17
Every episode of Dr. Phil season 17, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dr. Phil season 17!
Dr. Phil is a talk show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002. On both shows McGraw offers advice in the form of "life strategies" from his life experience as a clinical psychologist.
#1 - My Mother Is Dating the Man Who Abused My Sister
Season 17 - Episode 32 - Aired 10/23/2018
Alyssa, an 18-year-old college student, says she is horrified that her mom, Carla, is dating Ron, the man who was convicted of assaulting her baby sister 12 years ago.
#2 - “Tales of Deception and Terror: Virtual Kidnapping” And “A Deadly Love Scam, Deceit and 'Dirty John'”
Season 17 - Episode 78 - Aired 1/10/2019
Andy and his wife, Bridget, say they were petrified after receiving a call from a scammer posing as a kidnapper who claimed he was holding their daughter, Sam, hostage for ransom money. Dr. Phil explains to the frightened couple that this trending scam is called “virtual kidnapping,” as he instructs the audience on how to recognize these types of scammers. Then, Dr. Phil meets with Debra Newell, the real woman behind the popular podcast and hit Bravo series Dirty John. Debra was a single, successful business owner who had raised her four children when she decided she was ready to go online to try to find love. Then, Debra met John, a man who first seemed like a charming, intelligent doctor but later revealed he was emotionally abusive with a dangerous and criminal past. Detective Julia Bowman also talks about how unbeknownst to Debra, she had arrested John in 2013 for stalking and harassing an ex, and he later tried to put a hit out on the detective.
#3 - Dad Confronts Daughter’s Abuser
Season 17 - Episode 47 - Aired 11/13/2018
Dr. Phil continues his conversation with D’Andre, who claims that his abusive relationship with his girlfriend, Autumn, is partly due to what he calls her “messed up” upbringing. And, hear what D’Andre says about violating the restraining order that Autumn has against him. Plus, psychiatrist and member of the Dr. Phil Advisory Board Dr. Charles Sophy weighs in. Find out why he says he believes Autumn’s parents are partly responsible for her constantly running to D’Andre.
#4 - My Husband Thinks I'm Hacking Our Devices: Help Clear My Name!
Season 17 - Episode 16 - Aired 10/1/2018
Jennifer claims her family has been the victims of hackers for almost two years. The problem is her husband, Billy, thinks she is the hacker! Things have gotten so bad that Billy has asked for a divorce. Jennifer says he is so obsessed with the situation that he has lost weight and is about to lose the family auto business. But Billy says he just wants the truth. He claims Jennifer has admitted to hacking their phones and to being unfaithful. Jennifer says she only took the blame to end all arguments but instead, it made things worse. Jennifer says she wants to clear her name and save her marriage!
#5 - Violent Love; A Boyfriend's Confession of Abuse
Season 17 - Episode 40 - Aired 11/2/2018
Mindy says she is petrified that her daughter Jourdon's boyfriend, Richard, is going to kill Jourdon due to his physical abuse; Mindy claims Richard admitted to stabbing and even attempting to drown Jourdon.
#6 - Exes at War: Who's Behind the CPS Reports? And Charlamagne Tha God's Blueprint for Beating Fear and Anxiety
Season 17 - Episode 52 - Aired 11/20/2018
Bronwyn and Brett each have thousands of pages of evidence claiming the other parent is unfit and have been battling in court for years; Charlamagne Tha God (radio show "The Breakfast Club") tells how anxiety has been a driving force in his life.
#7 - A Second Schizophrenic Child or a Misdiagnosing Mom: Can Bodhi Be Helped?
Season 17 - Episode 111 - Aired 2/26/2019
Dr. Phil continues his discussion with exes Michael and Susan about the care of 11-year-old Bodhi, who Susan insists is dealing with schizophrenia, just like their 16-year-old daughter, Janni.
#8 - My African-American Daughter Believes She Is Caucasian
Season 17 - Episode 33 - Aired 10/24/2018
Treasure, 16, is African-American, but aligns herself with European-Americans, and has racist views against other African-Americans.
#9 - Arrested for Keying Ex-Boyfriend’s Car
Season 17 - Episode 46 - Aired 11/12/2018
Autumn says she was called a “crazy, jealous girlfriend” after a video of her keying her ex-boyfriend’s car went viral. But Autumn claims she was pushed to the point of insanity after being stuck in a cycle of abuse for almost two years, where she claims her ex-boyfriend, D’Andre, choked her, head-butted her and sexually assaulted her– but, D’Andre denies sexually assaulting her. Autumn’s father, Sean, says one time, he picked up his daughter from D’Andre’s house and she had swollen eyes and blood coming out of her nose and mouth. Sean says his daughter refused to press charges because she did not want to get D’Andre in trouble. Why is Autumn defending D’Andre to her parents?
#10 - I Am Not Mentally Ill But I Am the Reincarnation of Pocahontas
Season 17 - Episode 74 - Aired 1/4/2019
Ayanna says she is the reincarnation of Pocahontas and claims she even has memories from the 1600s.
#11 - I Regret Agreeing to My Wife Being a Sugar Baby
Season 17 - Episode 82 - Aired 1/16/2019
Ryan says he filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, because she worked as a sugar baby, had an affair, and engaged in sexually deviant behavior for money.
#12 - My Lazy Son Has No Empathy for My Cancer” And “My Mom Acts Like My Sister and Not My Mother
Season 17 - Episode 79 - Aired 1/11/2019
Vera says her 22-year-old son, Michael, always had a comfortable life. But when she got diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, her son’s life was turned upside down. She says Michael is now negative, lazy, hates rules, and spends days lounging on the couch and watching daytime TV. Vera says now she’s dealing with stage-four cancer and she’s worried Michael will end up homeless after she passes away. Can Dr. Phil help this family? Then, Isaac says his mother, Christina, has told him multiple times that he ruined her life. Christina was just 15 years old when she gave birth to him. Christina says the problem is Isaac’s lack of respect. She claims he has sent her horrible texts calling her a monster, snotty, not wife material and saying she was never a mom to him. Isaac says their relationship is dysfunctional but this is the closest they have ever been.
#13 - Teenage Brides and Horrific Abuse: Escaping the Secret Life of Polygamy
Season 17 - Episode 76 - Aired 1/8/2019
It’s a story Dr. Phil has been deeply involved in for over 13 years, and with an estimated 10,000 current members, one he vows to continue to cover until the alleged abuse in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stops. It’s been more than a decade since FLDS prophetic leader Warren Jeffs was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, but despite Jeffs being behind bars, some of his devoted followers are still active and dispersed across the country. Today, Dr. Phil speaks with two former FLDS members who take viewers inside this controversial religious group. Marirlynn claims her sexual abuse, all in the name of God, began at just 4 years old. Ian says Warren Jeffs is his uncle. He says Jeffs told him, as a little boy, he’d “burn in hell” if he didn’t obey. Ian says he was kicked out at 15 and hasn’t spoken with his mother or father in eight years.
#14 - I Believe I’m Being Electronically Harassed And Tricked Into Seeing Aliens!
Season 17 - Episode 75 - Aired 1/7/2019
Three years ago, after attempting to summon UFOS, Debbie says she began seeing aliens and other apparitions in and around her home. Debbie says she thought she was going crazy or had possibly opened a portal to hell. But now, Debbie says she has figured out why she is having these strange visions. Debbie believes she is being electronically harassed. She believes whoever is harassing her has somehow tampered with her optic nerve and is projecting false images of aliens! Even worse, she says these electronic harassers are now using other torture methods, including electric shock and gang stalking, just to mess with her mind. Debbie’s husband, Tony, says he believes Debbie has a mental illness. He says Debbie’s constant talk of aliens and electronic harassment is hurting their marriage because he simply doesn’t believe it, and it leads to constant arguments. Is Debbie really being electronically harassed? Can Dr. Phil help her? Find out!
#15 - My Cat-Hoarding Obsession is Ruining My Marriage
Season 17 - Episode 60 - Aired 12/5/2018
Pamela wrote into the show saying she is obsessed with the 15 cats that currently live in her home, and she’s worried that her cat obsession might cause the end of her fourth marriage. Pamela says she is consumed with anxiety about the welfare of her cats and rarely leaves her home for fear that something bad might happen to them, and she says she is terrified that one of her cats might die. In fact, Pamela, a recent breast cancer survivor, admits, “I’d rather have breast cancer again than lose another cat.” Her husband, Mitch, says their lives revolve around the cats’ needs and feeding schedules, and he and Pamela get into fights about it. Mitch says something needs to change.
#16 - Actress Daughter Confronts Hoarder Mother on Eve of Eviction
Season 17 - Episode 53 - Aired 11/21/2018
Soap-opera actress Tracy seeks Dr. Phil's help for her hoarding 71-year-old-mother, who could be evicted from her home at any minute, and tells him what it is like growing up in a home full of filth, chaos and animals.
#17 - Witness to Murder
Season 17 - Episode 48 - Aired 11/14/2018
As a young boy, 11-year-old Collier Landry heard his father murder his mother in the dead of night. The only witnesses were Collier and his little sister, who claimed she saw, “Daddy hit Mommy and wrap her up like a snowman.” Their father, Dr. John Boyle’s, murder trial was the trial of the decade — a pregnant mistress, a secret house, a body buried under the floorboards, and a key witness, Collier, who faced his father and helped put him behind bars. Now, more than two decades after the notorious murder, Collier is confronting his father to get answers about his mother’s death. Collier speaks out in an exclusive interview.
#18 - Exclusive: The Model, the Hitman and the Victim
Season 17 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/10/2018
An interview with model Tara Lambert, who was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill her husband's former flame; the intended victim and the woman Tara called to set up the hit also speak.
#19 - A Biological Father Accused of an Adoption Scam: The Aftermath
Season 17 - Episode 37 - Aired 10/30/2018
Dr. Phil continues his conversation with Sandy and Ava, who confronted their biological father, Frankie, about what they believe was his involvement in an adoption scam; another of his birth children and an adoptive mother speak out.
#20 - A Therapist Involved in a Money-Laundering Scam Faces Prison Time
Season 17 - Episode 35 - Aired 10/26/2018
A marriage counselor may go to prison after falling for a catfish scam, believing she is romantically involved with an actor from "The Walking Dead," being taken for thousands of dollars, and being put in the middle of a criminal conspiracy.
#21 - A Meddling Father-in-Law Who Allegedly Trapped His Son on His Compound
Season 17 - Episode 31 - Aired 10/22/2018
Jorell and his wife say they fear his father will never stop trying to convince them to return to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that his father forced him to stay on his "compound" for several days.
#22 - Deconstructing Privilege
Season 17 - Episode 29 - Aired 10/18/2018
Dr. Phil tackles a tough and highly-debated topic that needs to be discussed but no one wants to talk about it. The term “white privilege” is all over the news almost daily. So what does “white privilege” really mean? There seems to be a huge misconception that the term means all Caucasians are racist, which is not the case. No one questions whether it exists. But what are we supposed to do about it? Dr. Phil speaks with some of the foremost experts on this topic to discuss how we can be more socially proactive and what people on both sides of privilege can do to alleviate the problem. Plus, meet Rene, who claims she was wrongly accused of using her “white privilege” to harass a street vender. Find out what Rene says really happened, and how she claims the accusations have ruined her life. And meet Quevaughn, a 23-year-old legal assistant, who made headlines after he claims he was singled out and viciously attacked at a pizzeria.
#23 - A Catfish Meets Her Victim
Season 17 - Episode 50 - Aired 11/16/2018
Alan’s social media pictures have been used for nine years as catfish bait to lure women into online relationships. The catfish has been caught and “he” is really a “she” – 24-year-old Sarah. Sarah’s boyfriend, “Ken,” says he had no idea she was conning so many women for so many years. Sarah meets her bait, and Dr. Phil uncovers why Sarah says she has been pretending to be a man online for so long. Amanda and Alan claim Sarah is addicted to catfishing and really good at lying, and say they don’t believe she will ever stop. Can Sarah stop the con?
#24 - Bakersfield 3: What the Profiler Revealed
Season 17 - Episode 81 - Aired 1/15/2019
Dr. Phil continues his conversation with Cheryl and Jane, whose offspring are missing, and Di, whose son was shot and killed while driving in a quiet Bakersfield neighborhood; a reporter, a former police detective and a former FBI profiler weigh in.
#25 - Accusations of Trespassing, Stalking and Lies: Twin Daughters Caught in the Middle
Season 17 - Episode 64 - Aired 12/11/2018
Stacie says her ex-husband has involved their 17-year-old twin daughters in some of his unhealthy behaviors, and they have refused to see him for the past eight months because he has been harassing, stalking and freaking them out.