cereality

Don't think this is JC's house or a family home; plus if it were JC's house where did his wife go to live?? At the time they bought they said the house had come up on the market suddenly and they looked bc it had a ton of land. They definitely have a mortgage on the house, as they took pics at their closing at the bank and posted them. As for her dad's favorite tree, they bought the house in August. That's before he was sick/or at least before he was hospitalized in Nov/Dec [IDK if he had been ill for a long time or if something happened suddenly], he had visited the property at least once or maybe multiple times and they had talked thru reno with him. She has said before he spent a lot/all of his career doing drywall, was so looking forward to his grandson getting to be part of a reno etc. -- so it makes sense that he had some interest/opinion in home renovation. I'm assuming on those early visits is when he decided - this is my favorite tree/favorite view. IDK about the inheritance. I know that's a theory people have here that she got some HUGE inheritance. Let's be real people - most of whatever he had has to go to Whit's mom so she can live. And the avg inheritance in America is something like 40k -hardly never work again type of money, even if they got double that. They sold their prior home and had reno-ed that and sold in a hot market last year, so I'm guessing that funded a down payment and maybe some reno costs on this house. And for the rest I assume Z has cashed out his police 401k and pension. He was there for ~7-8 yrs, that's not nothing. And these fundies don't seem like savers and planners to me - they seem more like eh trust God to provide, he's providing this now for our dream home, so he'll provide for our retirement later. And Z more and more has the affect of someone who feels he was "deprived" as a kid by how he lived and wants his kids and Whit to live large. I mean he lived in the old Bates home until his mid teens before the Duggars came in w/ camera crews for a renovation. Yet when it was time to buy his own home [the first one] he wasn't satisfied with just a nice, clean home w/ enough space for the kids - nope it had to be all granite counters, high end fixtures, whatever was fashionable then like barn doors etc. And he's doing the same here too - I mean inheritance or no, a family where no one holds a job and likely one relying on public assistance of kids' health insurance does not need a $5000 stove.

One of the feral younger kids is with Kelly - either Jeb or Jud, I can't tell the difference; likely both are there [maybe?] but only one photographed so far. I mean NBD it's not like it's a random Monday in April where school is on. They obv don't do school/do workbooks, if and when it's convenient. He probably did a workbook page for 3 min at the airport gate or on the flight and that now entitles him to a whole week off school - as I believe graduation isn't until Wed or Thurs [assuming Travis' sister in law is graduating from the same school as she was posting yesterday about graduation being 4 days away]. So yeah even if Kelly leaves right after, the kid has skipped at least 4 days of school and then eh it's Friday, just take the day off. I believe Travis "majored in" music - not that this is a real university. So I expect he's going to be a music teacher/choir director at the school + whatever office work for the school he does now which allows him to gut a home and put in only $$$ finishings, eat out 80% of his meals, wear only Ralph Lauren attire, and drive a giant new SUV despite gas being $4/gallon+ in that area.

Tiff's doubts continue. You'd think she'd be super happy bc Sunday = church. Yet she's posting being just not that enthused about whatever service they went to, saying they need a home church, it makes her miss HER church. Same video they're talking about earthquakes vs. tornados and she goes on how she'd take earthquakes any day. I think reality is REALLY setting in. Yet way to go Law. I mean why didn't they go try out Evan's family's church? Evan and Carlin are there this weekend so they could easily introduce her to their family and friends so she starts feeling more at home?? And she mentioned date night last night was him going to the gym and her going to watch. Uh it's Saturday night, can you really not take her out on the town? No one said you're going to hit up a bar, we know you don't have a crew of friends to go out with, but really you don't think she'd like if both of you got dressed up and went out to a nice restaurant downtown? I wonder if part of the "adjustment" here is that dates in Ca. were casual [i.e. free] where they'd go to the beach all afternoon and he'd spring for tacos or in-and-out on the way home. Yet here while I'm sure there are some free activities to do, they aren't as obvious as the beach so he hasn't found them. As for him carrying Jadon in one arm and chainsaw in the other flexing about how he's building muscle for the wedding, IDK what possessed Whit to stand their laughing taking video instead of taking her baby?? And yeah IDK how or why his brothers deal with him except that they accepted a long time ago that this is who he is -- like why does he even show up at job sites whether his own house or Z's -- he isn't going to lift a finger or get one hair out of place but he also won't SHUT UP and just let others work, he has to have his non stop opinion in there. Though he said he showed up at Z's house to convince Chad/Trace/Warden to go back to Nashville for HIS house - so yeah guess there was something in it for him . . . .

So Whit gets an inheritance and suddenly they are spending it on $5000 stoves and $1200 necklaces? Interesting decision by fools who don't work consistently. I'm sorry but you know the only reason he went back to shift work at the sheriffs office is bc as cost of living climbs higher, reno costs climb higher, and sales of cheap dresses/t shirts fall, as their customers are spending more on food + gas and need to cut back somewhere, they suddenly decided hmm maybe staying home "invest in your kids" isn't gonna put food on the table. Anderson County def has shift work options - as Law and Trace at various times have played cop and picked up shifts. I mean good that he has that option but really bro you left behind really good health coverage + a 401k + a pension, not to mention a paycheck every 2 weeks - only to go back there less than a year later to pick up an hourly salary?? He's a moron and if he doesn't want to be/can't be LEO/they've decided it's dangerous etc. -- fine but he should be looking hard to get a position with county govt or courthouse, which is where he worked before he met Whit. Ex LEO often have a leg up for those types of safer jobs in small communities and to not even look is giving up an opportunity. And since Whit goes on about how much he loves reno and he learned by framing houses for a sweet friend from church for a few yrs as a teen, uh why not become a licensed contractor and go do that as a job? No one is going to hire a hobbyist for foundation and framing work though - way too much risk. I'm skeptical of whether this lifestyle is being funded by inheritance or by Z cashing out his vested 401k + pension on the way out the door. Sure the stove and necklace are new but buying the house w/ no job and renovating it and ordering custom cabinets etc. has been going on for months, not since Dec. when JC died. And how does that work, JC leaves HER an inheritance so you take $1200 of HER money to buy her a necklace for Christmas - as W said it was Z's very special Christmas gift. Though I think as far as these guys go who don't earn, it's all OUR money [looking at you Law]. I imagine most/all of JC's estate went to Whit's mom who needs to be taken care of; sure he may have left some to his only daughter now but even if it's a hundred thousand [which would be a LOT for an average American], it's gonna go fast with $5000 here on a stove or $1200 there on jewelry or the tix/hotels they'll be buying for Law's wedding - as a few of their kids are in the wedding.

Yes they have said they will not take out debt to buy a home and only want to buy in cash. Kind of hard to do - even a cheap old home far from Knoxville will run them over six figures. All her siblings have bought and they all have mortgages - Zach/Whit took cameras to the closing at the bank; Tiff has said her parents are co-signing their loan. Even Tori/Bobby who are most like Chad/Erin ideologically likely have a mortgage as they bought a house next to Z/W in their old neighborhood; though reality there is Bobby isn't fundie, his dad is savvy with finance - so likely he's grown up w/ everyone taking mortgages. Brandon/Michaela are the other ones who likely won't take a mortgage and they rent a small home in Evan/Carlin's neighborhood - yet that works for them bc they aren't stacking 5 kids in one bedroom. While Chad has been working for years, I doubt they are sitting on 100-200k in savings given that they've had kid after kid AND he does most of his work for Bates siblings. While I do think he charges them, I think he takes minimal/if any profit - no where near the market rate you could charge strangers. Part of me thinks though that he is constantly working for Bates siblings - including 4 hrs away in Nashville for Law's house - because he doesn't have steady business from others coming in. I mean the solution for that may be to advertise more/work for strangers more to get more word of mouth referrals. But reality is that other than "sweet friends" from church, it is likely that others if they are going to pay market rate for a contractor to build their kitchen or bathroom, they want a licensed contractor - not a random handy guy with a crew of teenage brothers in law. Spending $1600 on a camper + at least a few hundred on materials and decor for a camper that is barely useable now when the kids are small and will become unusable as these kids grow and/or they have another kid -- yeah dumb use of money. And while it looks nice, it's impractical. Like does Erin not get that this thing moves? She really thinks it's a good idea to have a library of books for the kids sitting on a windowsill -- she doesn't think you'll have to move each book each time you drive this thing or they'll go flying?? My first thought - Carson is ~7. They struggle with the fact that their SON has to share a room with the lowly girls but also struggle with providing a home where that won't be the case. They can park that thing on their lawn and make it Carson's room/apt. starting around age 10-12. Sure they'll miss their target bc they've said a boy shouldn't have to share a room with sisters after age 8, but if they really see no long term way of buying a house, this could be a solution. And a special thing just for Carson given that he is the only son + they totally favor him for that reason.

Good point @BitterApple - Katie has been in NJ for 5 months at a church his family OWNS and still doesn't seem like she has any friends besides her SIL/his cousins. If Lawson cares at all and can stop himself from swooning at the camera for 5 min, he should 100% be reaching out to Evan and Carlin to get her introduced to Evan's family. E&C are in town at least 1-2x/month and have his friends that they go out with. Plus Evan has sisters who are obv quite a bit older than Tiff - likely in their 30s, but I think it'll help her just knowing SOMEONE and belonging to their church; it's easier to meet people in town/at church when you already know a few people. Evan has a SIL too - likely closer in age to Tiff - though IDK if that brother is really as involved w/ the Stewart family. I think you're right. She prob thought - Nashville, an entertainment city that's more Godly that Hollywood [sure there's alcohol but just by virtue of being in the Bible Belt church is a huge thing, most people you deal with are Christians] + way cheaper than Cali = it'll be great to live there + I can likely advance my career as can Law + we can afford a super cool condo in the city bc this isn't Cali expensive, where we'll meet other young people. Instead she got a blue collar neighborhood an hour away which is likely populated by 50+ year old city workers and tradesmen, who have zero in common with an ASIAN Cali girl. Let's not forget how - ahem - not open minded those kinds of places can be. That neighborhood just does not seem AT ALL where young inter racial couples would live. Though honestly given that it was HER down payment $ + HER parents co signing + very likely SHE is the one who pays/will pay for a lot of monthly expenses w/ the rent from her 2 San Diego properties, I don't see why she [or her parents] couldn't speak up?? Like in what world is anyone scared that effing LAWSON will leave them if they speak their mind? Like why couldn't she openly say, look we're an inter racial couple, the only diversity is in the city, as is the music/entertainment scene where we both need to meet people, let's RENT downtown for 2 years and then when we get to know the metro area we'll know where to buy?? I mean I know people are acting like OMG if I don't buy now I never will, housing will never crash blah blah -- but it's already starting to slow down and what's the big deal if they didn't buy for another 12 or 24 months??

So Tiff seems more . . . unsettled or real . . . lately. Prior to the wedding QA video posted above all I had ever had seen of Tiff was IG stories - the perfectly curated OMG yay I'm soooo excited about my boyfriend, engagement, inlaws, Tenn., dress/makeup/hair etc. Yet now it's like something has changed looking at the video above + her more recent IG stories. Like on the video while she's prattling off the details of the wedding just fine [when her fiance lets her speak], when it comes to life she seems lost in thought -- as in 'uh I have to figure out what I'm going to DO in Nashville before we can do a day in the life in Nashville.' On a recent IG story she exchanged her Ca. license for a Tn. license and said more than once she was sad and just seemed down and you saw a moment of real when she was like - I'm sorry so much is changing so fast from licenses to moving to marriage etc. Law could care less as he is too busy smiling at himself in the camera, and his solution to the license thing was to "reward" her by getting her a baby chick or duck. Uh doofus she didn't grow up in rural America, just bc she said they're cute doesn't mean she needs to take care of barnyard animals AND why did you have to push her to switch licenses now anyway? Do you really think she can't bolt bc oooohhh now she's Tenn. official? Give me a break? I mean she's a young bride she won't call it off now bc she'd worry too much about how it looks. But let's be real the conservative/evangelical non fundie community is FULL of people who made a big deal about saving themselves, thus married the first person who spoke to them at age 21, popped out a kid or two, and then realized they had nothing in common with their love -- and they all end up divorced by 25 and at 30-35 looking to re marry an actual life partner. It's like it's hitting her now - either bc it's a month away or maybe bc the house for which her parents co-signed + very likely SHE put down the down payment now makes it real that this is THEIR house AND her parents are investing something in it besides just their good wishes to the couple. I wonder how she really feels about the house. It's ~250k which puts you like 45+ min out of Nashville. I have a feeling that in her heart of hearts she knows anyone who is anyone in music lives IN Nashville, not 45 min away; this isn't Cali which is so densely populated + so expensive that living an hour from a metro area is normal. Plus it's a very blue collar neighborhood - hardly where the producers and musicians in town, even the younger ones live. I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with blue collar, it's just that she . . . isn't. I mean the shower her mom threw in Ca. featured a menu that was like lobster + shrimp + steak. And she's marrying a guy who has openly said that when they were kids mom/dad would bring home a leftover bite of steak and they'd fight over it; or a guy who just 5-6 yrs ago at Allie's bday party shoved fruit in his mouth with his aged 20+ siblings as if they had never been fed fruit before. And being from the entertainment industry I think she also knows in her heart of hearts that a 30 yr old moving to Nashville w/ no record deal ain't getting discovered. All the aspiring musicians in Nashville without record deals basically play gigs non stop - as there are live musicians in every dive bar, restaurant, and hotel lobby basically 24-7. It pays the bills and keeps hope alive that they'll get discovered. Yet her sweetie won't do that bc . . . Jesus . . . I mean bars and restaurants have alcohol and scantily clad women . . . . It may be occurring to her that she's signed up for life with a doofus with delusions of grandeur but no future and no skills.

So Alyssa put out a whole announcement yesterday saying she's stepping back from IG CLAIMING she's been shadow banned -- i.e. Insta has flagged her account for bullying material [they can flag accounts for misconduct] bc of some video from 6+ mos ago where Maci was stepping all over her face and she called Maci crazy. Because of alleged shadow banning, her account is not visible to all her followers so she's stepping back bc it's not worth it for her to work SOOOO HARD to put out new content when her followers can't even see it. She's full of $hit. As @emmawoodhouse confirms - her account isn't shadow banned bc it comes up immediately when you search; if it were shadow banned it would be harder/next to impossible for you to find her on IG. She also should look up what shadow banning even means bc even w/ shadow banning your FOLLOWERS can still see your IG. So it's BS to say I'm putting out so much great content and it's a waste bc my followers can't see it; yes Alyssa they can - they just aren't watching. Sure NEW people who don't follow you - i.e. beauty companies, home goods companies and wherever else she wants freebies from - may not be able to find her, but the story she and all the sisters tell is NOOOOO we do this for our loyal subjects. Reality is her hits dropped and she doesn't want to accept that even her own followers just aren't watching. Her story is the next on their feed - they skip past it - knowing all they miss is pics of her coffee, coffee machine, Maci, her pool, the sunset, or kids in backpacks once a week w/ statements of OMG it's SOOOO hard to get everyone out the door. In other words - snoozeville. I'm still laughing at "I work SOOOOO hard to create content" - um no Alyssa you don't; you don't go anywhere, you don't take the kids anywhere; you don't do house projects - you simply photograph your coffee and think that entitles you to any freebies you want. I'm looking forward to her already low YouTube hits falling off next. She must be in a jealous rage that Carlin and Evan regularly get 100k hits on YT videos - which translates to about ~$300-500. While C&E are annoying as hell, they are funny and fun to watch; they have a lot of stuff to show right now w/ the new kid, new house and even when they've totally had nothing to show and cooked something up for that week [a random camping trip on the side of the road comes to mind], it's still not a torturous, serious video to get thru - it's still inviting and fun. John I think actually does have some sense of humor but Alyssa's all business/we're doing this to make money/you're gonna do it MY way view of things does not help.

Well the - that's it I'm off IG ultimatum lasted all of one afternoon. She's posting this morning on John's account - pics of Maci and the other kids; the girls' answers re school etc. Give me a break. I've always said these daughters aren't going to be able to keep their extra incomes going for long without the show. Certain posters screamed and yelled about noooo they're so popular but I think we're seeing it now. I mean there are a TON of crappy D list reality stars out there; once you are off the air you are yesterday's news, how many people are REALLY invested in buying the products you are pushing or buying your crappy t shirts like BSB, when they can follow whoever is on the air now? It's no coincidence that the show gets canceled and a few months later, Alyssa is suddenly looking for a new beauty line because the expensive one is now suddenly too expensive [i.e. they don't give me freebies anymore]; BSB has had like 3 cash and carry sales in a month and people who've gone in person report they're not only selling clothing but anything you want to buy whether mirrors or racks or hangers in what smells like an eventual wind-down. Don't get me wrong I think ultimately Alyssa, Carlin, and esp Josie will be fine because of skilled trade husbands. They will have a much better life than the one they grew up in themselves. Yet all the fun extras just aren't going to be there bc while the husbands make money, they don't make endless sums of money to where the wives can just drop $100/wk on beauty products or constantly redecorating or whatever. None of these girls know how to do social media besides OMG I'm having a baby - here are pregnancy related YT videos for a bunch of weeks and those will generate $500/wk. They just don't have enough going on/don't want to have enough going on to be interesting. No one is tuning in for daily pics of coffee or your daily OMG this is SUCH a hard season of life but I keep reminding myself I'm soooo #blessed [Carlin].

Hahahahah -- sorry but this is code for "I'm not getting as many high quality free goodies I thought I'd be getting from being on here [maybe I'm not as important of an influencer as I thought] so I'm gonna take my toys and go." Lol. I'm sorry but what content does she work so hard to put out?? It is daily pics of her coffee + kids in backpacks once a wk with comments about how hard it is to get everyone out the door + her pool/sunset pics with #blessed + siblings visiting every month + showing off makeup/hair products she gets for free hoping she'll get more of those and more free stuff but obv it isn't working because she's just not interesting enough for companies to waste goods on her?! I mean I think her and many of her sisters are going to realize that in order to continue to get more and better free stuff now that the show is gone, there has to be some interesting reason people want to follow them and thus companies want to lavish goods on them. Being just another stay home mommy IGer is not interesting enough as IG is full of them. And yes I do think she thinks this will drive YT views and maybe that's better financially-- I mean this gets her free products, but that actually makes money. But I predict after a bump up for a few weeks where people are wondering about Alyssa, that falls off/back to current levels bc no one is going to sit thru boring ass videos. She legit has nothing interesting to show us - which is fine - most of us don't have camera worthy lives; but if you are looking to make money off your life, find something interesting?? Honestly I think this will drive a pregnancy announcement pretty soon. That's all these girls know AND you know she is competitive enough that she keeps tabs on her sisters' Youtube numbers. You KNOW she has noticed that Carlin/Evan have been getting 80-100k+ views for all the videos re - I'm pregnant; drs appointments; name; baby showers; labor; older sibling w/ younger etc. That's like $400-500/wk, which A&J can certainly use. What they haven't thought thru though - including C&E - the bump in baby revenue ain't going to last forever and each subsequent baby will be less interesting, but hey for now it's $$$.

So she posted - got sick 4 days ago and has been in bed since. Tons and tons of pics of tea from Dunkin and Sbux and Panera chicken soup and a nightstand full of gatorade. Went to urgent care and negative for flu and covid; though there's tons of respiratory stuff circulating right now plus who knows if the current covid strain is being caught by the tests - maybe it is, not saying she had covid, but who knows given how this pandemic has gone.

Layla is 2 years old - does Carlin think she looks good in onesies and bonnets meant for infants and leg warmers in a few pics?? Like this is already a homely looking child, wouldn’t a pretty Easter dress make her look a bit better? Looks like all the local sisters spent Easter apart as most went to in-laws and Chad/Erin did their own thing, but no way she didn’t look at pics of Alyssa, Erin, Whit, and Josie’s daughters — did she see any in the age 2+ crowd in a onesie with their thighs hanging out?? And as modest as they claim to be, wouldn’t a dress provide a bit more coverage? And Carlin if you want to give the child bunny ears for Easter, they make bunny ear headbands - a 2 yr old doesn’t need an infant bonnet. For someone who fancies herself such an influencer, she certainly doesn’t dress Evan and Layla well; I’m certain she picked out Evan’s 3 piece beige Easter suit just as she picked out his matching white sweatsuit outfit to bring the baby home from the hospital. They posted a bunch of family pics together celebrating the boutiques 3rd anniversary. It’s kind of disconcerting that 10 mo old Jadon is just a touch smaller than 2 yr old Layla?? I know everyone says oh Evan & Carlin are small of course their kid will be small but Evan and Zach are pretty much the same height; sure Whit is prob a few inches taller than Carlin but IDK if that would account for one couple having such an undergrown toddler.

So no posts from Katie in a full week - when Josie left - not even on Resurrection Sunday when they'd normally be cooing about church and showing off their church finery? And Trav's brother links a few IG pics showing Trav is with his family but by himself and totally not in church attire; everyone else is in at least a button down w/ Trav's brother in a suit/tie and Trav is wearing an open plaid shirt over a black t shirt looking like he just stopped by to say hi while out running errands. And earlier in the week Katie's sister in law was posting from the inlaws house - like BBQ-ing + game night and mentioned the whole family was there but they were missing Katie and Trav; at that point I figured they had gone on a trip or something but obv not because Trav is in town. Hmm - where is Katie?? It's not like she's in Tenn or Alyssa bc we would've seen at least a pic by now. It's not like she got a job and had to go on a business trip so Trav is on his own for a week. Any chance she's pregnant and not up to going out?? I mean they've been married 5 mos which is actually on the later side for newlyweds in her family - I mean Whit; Alyssa; Tori; Carlin; and Josie all had their first baby before their first anniversary rolled around and some were honeymoon babies. The only ones that didn't follow that path were Erin and Michael who both had fertility issues + Esther who isn't a Bates and unlike Whit doesn't seem like she is dying to be a Bates. Though if she is pregnant, look out; as Trav has clearly stated he does not want that yet and not that he didn't have something to do with it but he comes from an angry macho family who I'm sure will "blame" Katie as if she impregnated herself.

I know you can't be that finicky when you have toddlers as they have a way of constantly eating food off the ground but I'm kind of grossed out watching Josie's IG story. She's gushing about how her friends spoil her babies blah blah bc some friend bought donuts for Willow bc she was talking about them [I'm sorry you two make enough $ that you don't need to be grifting for free food for your kids like your dad did]. Friend left them on the porch on the doormat. While Josie is sitting there gushing, Willow parks herself on the ground and is trying to pry the box open - touching the door mat and the porch which appears to have obvious droppings - either bird or white paint. She then proceeds to grab a donut and eat. And then touches other donuts in the box in an attempt to pick one for her sister - which she picks out and then puts it on the door mat for her sister to eat. You know the door mat the FedEx guy stands on when delivering goods, where people wipe off the dirt or fertilizer on the bottom of their shoes that has been collected from a day of running errands and walking across various parking lots and lawns, or where their father wipes off his boots after doing lord knows what plumbing in lord knows whose house. Meanwhile Josie is just sitting there making yummy noises?? But at some point takes the girls inside bc Hazel's donut from the doormat is then featured broken into small pieces and all over her highchair tray as she eats. Uh?? I know the sisters are far too busy being Insta influencers but don't you tell a 2 yr old NO?? Like if you were going to eat indoors anyway, why not say - we're bringing this box inside and I will open it and you can pick your donut. Isn't Willow old enough and smart enough that you start telling her - no you only touch the item you have chosen, you don't put your hands on the rest of them. Or even if you were going to eat outdoors, that's fine but why wouldn't you hand each kid a donut instead of letting a 2 yr old decide that a floor mat looks just like a place mat at the dining table so it's fine to put food on it + it's fine to touch bird or paint droppings and then eat?? This is where you can see that the Bates kids' upbringing was somewhat feral, no matter how sophisticated they want to act now.

Zach and Whit are certainly living large given that the majority of their income seems to be coming from a store that is liquidating or at least not moving enough goods, as suggested by like 3 cash and carry sales in a month AND per reddit people who live local, at those sales they are selling EVERYTHING - not just the clothes but the mirrors, rugs, racks etc. Seems to suggest that either they're fully winding down the business or they are realizing they expanded too much so they're paring it back and will bring it back to an out building on Zach and Whit's property and mail out their t shirts from there rather than paying a lease on a storefront. And I suppose Z is earning something with the tree cutting service as Whit mentioned he had a job this week; yet it's unclear how much consistent business there really is and how much of that money goes to Z, as opposed to Gil. Yet tonight they are showcasing their brand new made in Italy ILVE stove - retailing at Lowes for like $4900. I realize Z's hobby is cooking, but given that he's talking about making pancakes and sausage in the morning, I'm thinking an $800-1200 GE stove would have done the job; hell if you want to go fancy, the $2000 GE stoves are quite nice. And no they didn't get this for free as they're talking about how the company has them backordered for six months [and thus has no need to give away anything for free] and Z happened to grab one when Lowes got 5 of them in stock. I mean you'd think Z is training to be a French culinary chef, needing the best gear - while he talks about pancakes, sausage, and holding in his gut bc he ate too much Mexican?! Knowing how these people are, I strongly suspect that when Z left the sheriff's office he cashed out his 401k and/pension. He worked there long enough to have those things and have them be vested but I could see him and Whit going on about what good is that money just sitting around [you know - being 'invested'] for 30 more years, we can take it now and invest it in our dream home blah blah. Sure a home is an investment but an illiquid one unless you try to sell it. Most normal people try to keep a 401k in tact if they have one because they know they won't be selling their home to take the cash out of it. But then Z grew up in the home of - God will provide, if you're investing your money for 30 years from now you don't trust God enough, pray harder . . . .

Has anyone else found these morons more grating than usual with the second kid now?? I know I'm mean but I'm kind of laughing to myself that Carlin hasn't been on IG all day today. Likely real life is hitting her now because Evan is off at work this week, his parents went home, you know her parents aren't doing jack $hit for her - so she has to deal with two kids all day and can't just be making IG reels or heading out to coffee like she did all last week after giving birth. I assume leg humpers are DM-ing if she's ok so within hours or by tomorrow we'll have a teary video about how she's #blessed but really having to focus on her sweet family blah blah. Though Katie comes into town this week - IDK what day - so she'll have a nanny for a few days at least. Glad to see Layla back on the donut + cinnamon roll diet. I get it - it was a special week but geez for a kid with issues, do they really think it's fine to give her fruit for a day, put that evidence on IG, and then donuts the following 5 days?? Carlin commented about how Layla and Evan have been going to Dunkin daily since he had the week off - and yeah many times there were pics of boxes of donut holes; and then he was making cinnamon rolls asking if she wanted one. Though maybe someone criticized bc then she featured her and Layla each eating one of those Sargento boxes that come with 5 cashews, 5 cheese cubes, and a handful of cranberries. Given how much Evan whines about money, they sure are dumbasses. Those little boxes retail for like $3-4 each. Do they realize they could've bought bags of cashews, cheese cubes, and craisins and doled them out daily for weeks, and it wouldn't come out to a $6 per snack for mama and daughter?? As for the kid peeing on the couch, I mean maybe with all their financial savvy they'll dump that couch but they bought it less than 2 yrs ago and gave it to each other as a Christmas gift - bc Evan had gone on about how it was so expensive, he had to save up for a while; so IDK maybe don't put your kid's bare ass right on a $1000+ couch?? And I know the pandemic is over for many adults and it was always NBD for these people, but kudos on taking your ONE WEEK OLD to Starbucks with you and sitting down and having coffee. Seems super safe. There's no new variant or anything and the kid's been around hundreds of humans before, it's fine . . . . And because I'm really in a mood - Layla has already figured out that the ONLY way she'll get attention now is by pretending to be interested in baby brother bc her only worth now is whether or not she can dote on a baby, esp a male baby. And yeah - both kids ain't much to look at, esp. the daughter; they take after Evan's side - and while the men on Evan's side turn out ok looking so presumably the son will be too, the women . . . yikes . . . good luck Layla.

Those bunk beds were a hazard since day one. I mean on one of the house tours one of the kids was standing on the top bunk and if that wasn't bad enough - there was a fan right there?? The fan wasn't running at the time but WTH who puts a kid on furniture that high up where they can reach and touch a fan?? And assuming they bought the house a year ago, these kids were 3 and 4 - probably just not enough maturity yet for bunk beds. If those girls are in Allie's room now, well she can continue sister mom-ing them, as Alyssa doesn't need her on Maci duty as much since she likely sleeps thru the night now. Not that the 4 and 5 yr olds need Allie at night, but she's very likely waking them up in the morning, helping them get dressed, taking them downstairs and maybe even grabbing them breakfast. All easier if they're in the same room so Allie knows the second they're awake.

In Tenn it actually doesn't take all that much to become a licensed contractor. It's basically just taking and passing an exam; not suggesting you can just go in cold and pass but per the websites out there it's the type of exam for which you take a few online review classes, study the state's materials for a few months [which I assume is a lot of memorizing codes for what is/isn't allowed] and take the exam, which 90% of people pass. Electrical OTOH takes 5 yrs, appears to be a series of exams and classes you must pass including things like physics which could be hard given the education these people got from their mamas and includes about 2 years of hands on work as an apprentice before they hand you a license. The other required part of being a licensed contractor w/ your own business is carrying a variety of insurances to protect you, your employees, and whoever's property you're working on. Apparently in TN any job over 3k requires a licensed contractor and you cannot engage in any bid process for any job over 25k without a license. I mean I guess that only matters if anyone turns you in, which given that 90% or more of his business is from Bates siblings and sweet friends from church, everyone looks the other way just happy that someone will re-tile their shower at minimal cost. Them fundies don't need no formal licenses or insurance certificates, those are just for heathens. And let's be real, none of his jobs look like they are earning more than 3k here or 5k there. He really should pursue a license and build a real business like Kelton. Dude is 34, has 7 people living in a rental cottage, has a wife who is fixing to make more miracle babies if they can, is housing and feeding a menagerie, and you can see the stress on his face. Does he REALLY want to live life by making 3k here or 5k there on jobs for inlaws and sweet friends and just praying btwn jobs that yet another sweet friend from church emerges needing flooring?? I mean at least it's clear that he charges for projects now as opposed to when he first married and Erin volunteered him to the Bates for free all the time, but no way is he charging market rate/making as much profit as he could if he was working for strangers. And no way can he charge what a licensed contractor with a licensed crew that isn't Warden/Isiah/Trace can charge - bc then why would anyone hire him??

I'm not fan of Kelton's - nor Josie really as she strikes me as a snob. I think he's a controlling asshole type [and ugly to look at one top of it] and I really don't get it when their fans go on about -- ooooh he adores her, I just don't see it. I see it as - she fits into how HE wants to live and as long as she continues to live how he wants/doesn't talk back to him etc., he'll continue to pat her on the head and provide the lifestyle. And I think she's fine with it bc hey she's fundie, she had to marry someone and get away from her fam who she doesn't love all that much, hey at least he provides her a lifestyle she didn't grow up with and does the cooking. He has said he wants 5 kids - not shocking as he's one of 5. Make no mistake, it WILL be how he wants it; if he wants 5, she's having 5 - clotting or PPD or whatever, that's her problem. The only way they won't have 5 is if they run into a Michael/Brandon type problem and can't conceive, and if that happens sorry but I don't see her being as nice to her has Brandon is to M. Yet for all his controlling asshole fundie qualities, he has the one quality fundie men don't have - ambition. I think he's always had a VERY specific vision of how his life would be and he was anxious to make it happen ASAP. That's why he started pursuing Josie when she was 14. Got his plumbing license before 18. Worked with his uncle to learn plumbing hands on + business mgmt from 18-22 while going to unaccredited college for business classes, so he could launch his own business like a year after college. I think he is VERY into the idea of NOT working for anyone else, ever. In order for that to happen + have the lifestyle he wants [as I think he grew up with $$ as Michael Balka wasn't clearing drains for a living but has his own IT business and went to a real college - Baylor], he knew he needed a large-ish business. He learned and understood that if the business only relies on YOU as the skill, there's a cap on what you can earn as there's only 24 hrs/day. So he learned really quick about scaling up - i.e. have 15-20 guys working for you, they produce income for the business and you only give away a % of that income as salary for them but you keep the lion's share of it. And Kelton has taught Josie the same thing - sure she works weddings etc. but she also seems to have like 5-10 stylists who work other weddings/events and likely those people work every weekend, not just once a month or whatever Josie does. As for Chad - I think it's a combo of being unlicensed + not having any business training or acumen. He did attend one of those unaccredited colleges as well but it was for youth ministry so I doubt he took even one business class. I think he doesn't get that if you have guys out doing jobs for you, you're getting the majority of what they are earning for the business. I also think he doesn't have the confidence do expand his business like that [i.e. what if I take on these guys and we can't get jobs etc. - while Kelton probably gets, take them on as 1099 employees until there's a steady flow of jobs], so Chad just relies on - if God wants me to expand my business, he'll send me a sign etc. Since there's no sign - well it's one bathroom tile job at a time with Warden or Isiah or Trace helping him when it's too much for one person.

That diamond is . . . incredibly modest to put it politely. Nathan and Law were able to afford bigger for their babes - likely getting some product placement credit let them get a better ring, as both were shown going to the store on an episode to discuss and buy the ring, with the jeweler's name prominently featured on the episodes. I mean usually you can photograph a diamond in such a way that it looks bigger than it is and with this one it's so small, even photo tricks aren't doing anything. Guess the odd jobs as and when needed for Chad, Gil, and the constable's office aren't paying all that well. How does he plan to support a wife and the kids their going to start popping out immediately? I mean I guess she'll be an influencer like all the sisters/SILs but that usually gets you free products, not money to rent/buy a home and put food on the table. Are they really going to be scrapping along on her photography + his odd jobs? Interesting that he went and spoke to Z when he was dating the first girl and Z told him to get with the police dept full time [before he quit/got kicked off] AND use downtime to make extra money working with Chad, as Z lamented that's what he should have done before marrying Whit so it'd be financially easier. Nice to see Trace took that advice. Chaney appears to be single and must be feeling like she dodged a bullet breaking it off with this loser two years ago.

How pissed is Alyssa right now? She has said that their boy name - should they ever have one - is Zane/Zain - and Carlin gets the boy on just her second kid and uses Zade. Not that that would necessarily stop Alyssa. This family doesn't have a problem with names being one letter apart like Kade and Zade, even though Kade isn't his real name. And in large families repetition of names can be inevitable - but that's usually like two Michaels or Johns, not like Kade, Zade, and Zane. But they already haven't been able to produce a boy and now their preferred first name is sort of stolen by a sister who hasn't even been trying for 3 years yet and already had a boy. As for not acknowledging Erin - yeah you know it's 100% because Erin didn't volunteer her husband to replace their roof or redo their bathroom or whatever project is next on Alyssa's list. As much as Erin used to make Chad be the family's contractor, I don't think she pushes it now that she doesn't seem to get along with most siblings and I think she esp doesn't encourage him to do work for siblings who won't pay. We've seen him do stuff for Tori and Z recently but I have a feeling he dealt with Bobby and Z [not the wives - even though Tori and Erin are close] and came up with a price both sides were satisfied with. Notice how Erin no longer volunteers him to her grifter dad the way she used to at the beginning of the marriage - and Alyssa is 100% a grifter like Gil. She'd probably expect Chad to take 2 days out of his vacation, even though they vacation so rarely, do a project for free, and oh on the last night babysit their kids so A&J could get a date night bc she and John supposedly never get to go out alone together. [eyeroll] As for acknowledging Michael who only stopped by for a few hours early one morning when passing thru, guess what knowing Michael, I can 100% assume she stopped in with coffee for Alyssa + whipped up some muffins, cinnamon rolls or pancakes or something for breakfast and maybe even a dinner for them to have later even though she and Brandon would be gone by then + who knows maybe she even watched all the kids for a hour before hitting the road so Alyssa could run out for a coffee and mani/pedi without the kids.

I too am surprised she isn't going to this as a business trip -- i.e. to get content for like 2-4 of her boring ass twice weekly YT videos. I mean YT IS the only way the girls make money now - they get free products via Insta but actual cash comes from YT. I'm positive that's why Carlin and Evan are going like a month after she pops out a kid and is on clotting meds etc. because they realize that after baby boy's arrival video, a few videos on his name/him as a newborn/Layla as a big sister, and house closing/moving in/getting settled - there is no more content beyond the boring - OMG life w/ two kids is sooooo hard. So now instead of 6-8 videos on the preceding, with Law's wedding they'll get more like 8-10. They tend to get about 100k hits/video, at $3-5 per thousand hits, that's a chance to make an extra $600-1000 on two videos -- that pays for their flights/cheap hotel. Though reality is Alyssa's videos don't even get half the hits so an extra $300-500 total for two videos may not outweigh having to deal with her family who she clearly does not enjoy + having to go without John. I mean it's 2022, married people do go places without their spouse but how would she then show her giant of a man leaning on her to take pics or show how in love they are blah blah and gasp what if someone thought him not coming means they're on the rocks or her leaving the kids with him for a WHOLE two days means she's a bad mom and wife. Knowing Law though he'll control what siblings are allowed to put on social media about HIS wedding. Katie did the same - I know with Katie it was because the show was going to air it, but for Law and Tiff it'll be about them wanting to get videos out there with the most content so THEY make the most money. I do agree that Alyssa isn't close with Law. He has been to Fla. - as he slid into Tiff's DMs while at Alyssa's house, BUT I don't think it's often + if he does go, Alyssa doesn't feature him in her IG the way she does Jackson/Warden/Isaiah or Addie. I think on the whole the siblings who grew up in close age to Alyssa really don't like her/think she's bitchy. I think the sibling she's closest to is Trace who is 3 yrs younger [and a brother can only be SO close to a sister] or Carlin who is 4 yrs younger. And then she chases after the siblings ages 15-20 [Jackson/Warden/Isiah/Addie/Ellie] who were only ages 6-11 when she married and let's be real it's not as she says bc she wants to get to know them, it's bc they are useful to her now whether for home reno or raising her kids.

Alyssa not going to Law's wedding screams . . . something . . . IDK what but no way it's about cost alone. Sorry Miss I get coffee every time I leave the home, manis/pedis twice/month, date nights nearly weekly no matter how much she says they never get to go on dates -- really can't afford ONE $400 ticket from MCO to San Diego? Just looked up ticket prices, they haven't risen that much. Plus the wedding date was announced in Jan, so if she was really interested in a deal, she would have book at ~$300 ticket then. Carlin and Josie always talk about tracking trips on the Hopper app, so she knows there's ways to look for deals. No one is saying she needs to buy 6 tix - I can see why that would be cost prohibitive. But for a Thursday wedding, can she really not fly out alone Wed. and fly back Friday with her MIL/SILs and some combo of sweet friends watching her kids during they day and John picking them up at night? To me this screams - grifting - she is Gil's daughter after all. She may be counting on some sweet viewer feeling sorry for her and suddenly gifting them enough points for six plane tix. Or it screams - now that UP is gone, family events are lame and expensive [see I Love You Day] and I'm not required to be there, so sorry we aren't going to waste our time and money. Or it screams - I'm annoyed that none of my ADORABLE daughters are flower girls so why should I waste my time and money? Or it screams some kind of underlying problem with Tiff - I mean let's be real, in their heart of hearts I have a feel a LOT of the Bates aren't ok with an Asian person coming into THEIR family; sure it's ok to see an Asian person on the street, but is it really ok in THEIR family? I hope I'm wrong on that last one . . . .

Called it a month ago - she owns two properties in California. She's been making money since age 12 and states like Ca. have rules on what parents can do with child actors' money - one of the things that's allowed is investing it for the kid to have at 18, whether in the stock market or real estate. I've known people who are upper middle class - as her family seems to be -who'll take any windfall/earnings a child receives and do just that - get the kid a property which is sure to appreciate in the next decade and then the kid can decide to live in it, collect rental income from it, or sell it. I'm guessing her parents used her earnings from when she was a kid to buy one property and then SHE used her earnings from Spiderman etc. to buy another one. Financially she's being a moron because . . . love. And he is cashing in. He's about 30 and now can continue to pursue his high school talent show musician dreams until there's at least two kids because his wife has got probably like $3000-4000/month coming in the door; the property her parents would have bought when she was younger may be close to paid off/and prob has been refinanced to be at super low rates, frankly her own Ca. property is probably also at super low rates -- while charging high current San Diego rents -- that likely leaves her a few thousand in income monthly. I do wonder if her parents helped/provided the down payment for this house in Nashville. She thanked them pretty specifically for the help they provided - she didn't say financial help but I do wonder; if not, then a small fixer like that in Nashville goes for ~300k [I don't think it's huge but haven't watched the video] so Tiffy had to cough up a 30-60k down payment to put 10-20% down. It's gonna be a long road with this loser . . . .

So they tested positive for Covid. Jill specified it's for the first time - which I'm sure isn't true in lots of fundie land [I think in the Bates fam, Erin has had it more than once with many many complications]. At least they're vaccinated - bc I remember they posted a pic with their vax cards in line for free Chipotle when that promotion was going on - so they should have an easier go of it.