cereality

They're just effing themselves and kidding themselves with that new Lexus SUV - no one else. They're trying to make it clear that their lifestyle has not been hindered in any way. Meanwhile, Joe just had to turn over a Maserati this summer bc they still had $400k in restitution payments and while Bravo fronted them $200k in return for a tell-all, they couldn't come up with the rest so the Maserati and shore house together probably covered about $200k. Then they were slapped by a lien on their house this fall from the IRS - they owe $500k in back taxes. Not to mention the $13 million in other debt that is still with them because their bankruptcy petition was denied. Not to mention their house has been in foreclosure more than once. Typically someone with those types of debts isn't running out to be a new luxury SUV. They're too stupid to understand it PLUS they feel like Bravo will pay their way for the rest of their lives. Don't get me wrong -- Bravo is going to pay their way for at least 3-5 more seasons, I'd say -- as Theresa can prattle on about everything she learned in prison and how it changed her for a season or 2; then a season or 2 re how hard it is to be a single parent with Joe away "at college;" and then dragged on for another season or two with some fabricated Gorga drama. But that really only takes them to 2020. What do they intend to do in 2025 or 2035??

I feel for Anna and can see the pain in her even as she says what she's SUPPOSED to say, but I don't -- for one minute -- believe that she knew EVERYTHING about the molestation before marriage and the police report was no surprise to her. BS -- she's lying on that one. Whether Joshua revealed it to her or her parents, you know it was NOT done in a direct and honest way -- i.e. I molested X number of sisters from years Y-Z. My MO was to touch them in spots A, B, and C, while they slept. I got caught by D. And then I attended therapy at E place and my punishment was F. Rather you KNOW it was a statement prepared by JB and Michelle to be delivered to Anna's parents in fundie speak -- i.e. Satan laid it on my heart to do something inappropriate that could have hurt my sisters but did not bc they were sleeping. I have prayed it away and worked with a contractor, and now Jesus has me on the straight and narrow. You know the Kellers were thinking -- oh he must have been front hugging his sisters past the age of puberty or playing with them with no chaperones around, ok, we understand. Then they relayed it to Anna in even more general fundie speak and from her perspective, all was forgiven. I don't think Anna was necessarily forced to marry Josh. But I wouldn't be surprised if her parents pointed out that this was a FINE young man coming from a wealthy family and she could do no better and that they had 8 other kids to raise in their trailer so maybe she ought to pray about it until God laid it in her heart that this was the one. I don't think Anna had to pray too hard bc at age 20, Josh was the prince of fundieland and I'm sure she was blown away by their wealth and "fame" and flattered that someone like him would want her when he could have anyone, in her mind. Accounting rules are country specific, so I don't see that kind of job. But he does have a small amount of experience from a big, recognizable Fortune 500. If he works hard and decides he REALLY wants to stay that, he can parlay that into applying for junior level business or strategy roles in other companies in Latin America; frankly there are even manufacturers in LatAm who sell to WMT all the time. I'm not suggesting that he had much high up knowledge of WMT's operations given that he worked there for 9 months, but he could try for a marketing or supply chain gig at one of these companies with the story of -- I am used to dealing with WMT, I could a flavor for how they operate in my short stint there and thus I am a better candidate than any number of other junior folks you could hire.

Immediate thoughts - besides the boredom of this whole show: Anna is having a REALLY REALLY hard time believing what she's saying about how she wants to forgive him bc that's what Christians do, until death do us part etc. She's just speaking the parts that she's supposed to speak as a good fundie wife -- it's how she was raised; I'm sure the Duggars are insisting she say it; and I'm sure her own parents -- whether subtly or directly -- are insisting the same. The long pauses in there were totally real -- that's how people are when they feel real emotion, unlike the Duggar girls. Ultimately I don't think she will leave YET, but I don't see this marriage lasting forever. I think she'll do the "right" or "expected" thing and forgive and welcome him back bc after all he IS her only love and as much as she hates him right now, she also can't picture a life without him. Nor does she have the "ability" to get a divorce and make it out on her own. I mean deep down EVERY woman has the ability, but she doesn't know that yet. It's not like she has single girlfriends she can look at and think - well if they can get a job and an apartment and be a single mom, maybe I can too. The only women she knows who are single are all fundies living under their daddies' thumbs, so I'm sure she feels overwhelmed at the idea of figuring out HOW to move out; how to sign a lease; how to get a job; how to apply for state/gov't aid should that job not pay enough and she needs WIC etc. I think she welcomes him back and pretends nothing happened. They make sweet fellowship and she "convinces" herself everything is fine. They have another baby or 2 and she REALLY thinks it's ok. And then he transgresses a 2nd time or a 3rd time or whatever and then she FINALLY says, she's done and relies on those who've offered to help -- like her brother. And the other thought -- Central America suits Derick. It's obvious that the THs were shot before they left and he wasn't as recovered from the surgery -- and looks sickly. Yet when he gets to Central America and starts to recover -- he looks like he's got some life back in him. He seems a bit like he did back in Nepal. He looks super comfortable walking the streets in random villages, making tortillas with the local woman etc. Maybe he really is someone who wants to see the world and a McMansion and SUVs just don't make him happy; maybe a white collar desk job in Arkansas with benefits and a 401k doesn't make him happy. Regardless of what they are accomplishing in Central America - which may not be much - why doesn't he start to plan for a life there after their "mission"? If he can get himself fluent in Spanish -- with a business degree and being an American who WANTS to live there full time, he could get himself a business job down there. Latin America is a huge market and all kinds of multinational businesses are growing in those countries, why doesn't he try to capitalize on that. Added bonus on top of happiness -- seeing his inlaws 1-2x a yr instead of 1-2/week.

Why is it the Spanish teacher's problem to deal with Iz?? I mean that's nice that she has 2 boys but you've hired her as a teacher, not a nanny. And they've moved to Central America to study Spanish? Can't they do that in Arkansas for a few months and THEN move? Good for Derick though, he just seems happier in the developing world -- outside the McMansion and presumably happier that he isn't chained to a desk. Do most Americans eat raw fruits/vegetables in the developing world? I thought you weren't supposed to do that?

Love how Ben went the safe road with his baby food -- with fruits and berries. Do they not eat fruit in the Seewald home either -- berries typically ARE fruit!?

Wow -- she is REALLY having to convince herself that she SHOULD be Christ like and forgive Joshua. She isn't jumping to do that like a good fundie life would. I don't see this marriage lasting. It'll last for a while -- she'll "forgive" him for now, he'll come back, they'll make another baby or two, and then when she thinks all is good -- he'll cheat again and that 2nd (or 3rd or 4th etc) time will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Jana, Jinger, and Joy now have to share a room with their sister in law and whichever kids sleep with her!? WTF -- don't they have a guest room in the TTH?

Iz was born in April 2015, Derick got braces the next day. If the surgery was a month later that would have been May 2015, and he left WMT in June 2015. My guess is he knew he was leaving WMT pretty soon, so he wanted to get it done while still on their dental/health insurance. Maybe he rushed to get it done when a dr. recommended it, rather than seeking out further opinions bc he knew he had to schedule relatively soon. Or maybe it was some fundie oral surgeon or some oral surgeon who knows and respects JB who told him it needed to be done and then he didn't feel like he COULD disagree or seek another opinion.

Derick and Ben were never my favorite but both had a tiny bit of a spark when they were courting and married. And now that spark is gone. Derick had lived 1-2 yrs in Nepal and was still excited from that experience; not to mention having recently graduated college, gotten a full time job, and courting a girl he liked. Ben -- never the brightest light in the harbor -- but he still seemed excited at times, like when he proposed at that glass church or when he was playing football in that flag football game. It's been what 1-2 yrs with the Duggars and any spark they had is gone?? There's something in the way JB and Michelle raise kids and expect the family to be. There's something about the isolation that causes this. I think there is something positive about going out and interacting with the world, even if you are fundie. Derick would be better off still at Walmart and Ben would be better off going from his AA to finish at a 4 yr school and working at the insurance company on the side. At least they'd interact with folks at work -- see how other guys their age are; talk about college football around the watercooler; go to lunch with others; hear about others' dating and married lives -- thus getting thoughts/ideas about what they want their family lives to look like. But nope -- instead -- they are isolated from all outside, non-fundie interaction and their lives will look exactly how their wives want them to look which undoubtedly will be in a way that pleases JB so that they can at least keep the TLC flame flickering a bit longer.

Kind of wondering what Josh is thinking now. Even if he agreed that his family going public was the best idea bc it would keep the TLC money flowing at least a little longer, it can't feel good to actually watch the public flogging by his family. What gets me is that he is only 27, yet JB will undoubtedly act like there are no options and he MUST do what JB says. Clearly Josh does NOT want to be married. Not that he necessarily hates Anna, but he obviously wants to be sowing his wild oats -- which he can't do while married. So why doesn't genius just get a divorce? Then -- get a job, or maybe even 2, or a job plus college. I realize these are all foreign ideas to folks who are used to talking to a camera for money. I don't know the status of the molestation case, but I imagine no criminal charges were pressed? Meaning he can pass a criminal background check? Since he's one of the older ones, I am guessing he got a GED rather than just the dining room education. So he can apply to some lower tier college or community college, get a degree in something useful like business, and work a job or two to pay for school while financing the rest thru loans. While he's a tool, I'm pretty sure he could get a job at a car dealership and make some money off of commissions; and could also hold down a second job in retail - anywhere from Home Depot to Target's night stocking shift. Despite all his flaws -- he does seem like he cares about his kids; so he could contribute whatever he can afford in child support, and if JB cares at all about his grandkids -- he could support Anna and the kids for 4 yrs while Josh is in school until he can pay regular child support. After doing all this, he will only be 31, which isn't exactly ancient. He can live in a small low cost of living town, date and sleep with whoever he wants, visit his kids a few times a year, and he and Anna can go their separate ways as "cordially" as possible given what he did. Then with enough time, his family can include him or not, but at least he will have his own adult life that he will live however he wants to.

If anyone needs proof that even a LITTLE exposure to people outside the family is good for the Duggar kids -- look at JD and Joseph. Both have been around people besides their parents and siblings. But even then it's limited -- I don't think JD's constable thing has necessarily always been full time, and Joseph has only been at Crown College since Jan 2015 -- so we're talking 1-1.5 semesters max. And yet in that time, they are around other men (and women) -- coworkers, students etc. They are hearing and seeing how men interact with their friends, how they talk about their wives or girlfriends or girls they like, and how they treat those women when they become wives or girlfriends. So now -- unlike the rest of the family -- they aren't crying tears over the show that is over; or lamenting how Satan put the wrong thing in their brother's heart. Instead they understand and are disgusted by the fact that this has nothing to do with faith -- it simply has to do with the fact that the older bro that their parents put on a pedestal cannot keep his d--- in his pants, even if it hurts his wife and 4 kids. Maybe if the rest of the siblings and Anna had some life exposure, it wouldn't be about praying it away or lamenting Satan or blaming the media or whatever. In terms of why the siblings are SO broken hearted about this -- I honestly think it's bc they have NOTHING going on in their own lives. Jill and Jessa are PISSED that this affects their life plan of supporting their families with TLC money for the next decade. Joseph, JD, and Josiah get it and are pissed at their bro and maybe a little sad for Anna. But Jana, Jinger, Joy -- they have nothing to do but get sucked into the drama of this, pray, ponder how it happened, and sit in the TTC and talk about this ALL THE TIME. In normal life, if someone's bro has an affair -- or 2 or 10 -- the siblings may be disgusted and may give the bro piece of their minds, but then they need to still -- you know -- go to work; pay the bills; run the kids to soccer etc. Life doesn't stop and turn into a 24-7 prayer session to keep satan away from the family's heart.

Ben and Jessa are the poster children for why you DO NOT marry someone JUST because they're hot. They were both horny, both wanted a hot b/f or g/f, and got married. Now with 6 months of sex under their belts, they're probably realizing it isn't THAT exciting and they have little else in common besides sex and the Bible. In the real world, you date the hot person, have sex or not - your choice, but spend enough time with them to realize in 6 weeks that there is no real relationship and that's that. Here they put a ring on it and made a baby. And frankly what 19 yr old BOY is interested in crib sheets and onsies?? I'm not suggesting that his life would otherwise be a wild frat party, but had he not married her -- he'd be going on Friday night dates with a girlfriend and lounging around a shared apartment all weekend eating pizza and playing video games with his buddies. Now he's playing house . . . . Joseph and JD may be the only ones who really GET it and aren't too afraid to say it bc they realize the show is OVER for them; while their sisters and sisters in law are trying to be compelling enough to score their own series, they know that the show won't focus on them anyway. Joseph was very articulate and seemed genuine in his pauses and tears as he said -- he understands a Christian man's obligations to his wife and his bro broke those obligations and given that the family put those standards out there for the world to know, now they are ALL being judged.

If I were a Bates, I'd be thanking my lucky stars that I never got involved with any Duggar offspring in any way. This family is screwed up even for a fundie family. The other fundies out there are better off living on less money, practicing whatever their faith may require, and just being "normal" people.

Wow -- Ben is NOT excited about his kid. I mean when she was sitting there going on and on about how exciting it would be to be parents, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. When she was saying -- doesn't it feel real now that we're putting the crib together, he didn't say one word. When she talked about how they were deciding whether to find out boy/girl, Ben had said pretty much -- whatever, either is fine!? I mean I don't blame him -- as even grown men sometimes have a hard time bonding until the kid is out and old enough to be interactive. And Ben is hardly a grown man -- more like a teen who got married so he could have sex and now may be thinking -- what did I get myself into. But then he seems like he's decently interactive with Iz -- so maybe he needs the baby to be there to bond or maybe he's terrified that this is his OWN kid.

Nice to see their gender views are in tact. Of course a girl can't wear a football hat unless a red bow is clipped on it.

Derick sounds like Jim Bob giving advice to Ben -- you want to hold him like this, and lift him up and down to get a work out, but not for a newborn. Get a grip dude.

WTF is wrong with these people? Jill asking Jessa -- is it weird to you that you're married and now having a kid, I know I couldn't catch up -- marriage, now pregnancy, now a 5 month old. Um -- morons, this is why people date for a while, marry and use BC for while, and THEN get pregnant when they're ready. They don't do it in marathon form.

The TLC commercial -- Jill, Jessa, and even Anna seemed all fake to me from the glimpses we see. They seem fake in the -- cry on cue so the audience feels bad and we get 10 more episodes out of this, go! For whatever reason Jana and Joseph struck me as a bit more real. Like Joseph actually looked confused when he said -- he couldn't have known about his brother's double life. Jinger -- we've all been saying it for a while -- I feel like something is going on with her. Whether it's actual depression or being in a funk or whatever, she comes across REALLY unhappy EVERY time we see her. I know they don't believe in it, but if she needs someone to talk to -- even 1 therapy session or a bit of time with friends rather than just family -- why not let her have it?? I know we see a 1 second glimpse of the birth with Jessa wincing and Ben sitting behind her -- I can't decide if his look is "WTF - THIS is how a baby comes??" or perfect calm as in -- we've prayed, we're good, nothing to worry about . . . . He seems expressionless.

Unless I'm missing something -- a 55 yr old with a temper/anger problem who is with a 19 yr old from another country -- it's just about sex, right? I assume he can't find a woman in his neck of the woods who will put up with his BS, yet with a much younger foreign woman, he "offers" something -- a visa and his way of life (if they stay together). Honestly Nikki had to know the bargain was about sex in order to get to the U.S. If she marries him, I think she should take him up on the separate bedrooms, while sleeping with him enough to keep him happy, and otherwise staying out of his way. She had said that he works all the time; she can set it up so he is really out of the house 90%+ of the time at work. If he thinks she's happy, he'll continue to buy her things to keep her happy -- like the car. And 2 yrs will be over soon and she can move on. Though with this prenup and her lack of a job, she has to find some way to earn some money so that when it's time to leave, she has enough money to get an apartment. I imagine she can make some money though -- like that creepy guy in FL who was on last season's show -- he lived off of buying and selling stuff online. Not that it's a great living, but it'll give her the seed money to get out and get started in the U.S.

Mark has an anger issue which has definitely come out in his interviews and with her when he doesn't get his way. There was an interview in which they were talking about kids and he angrily goes -- I'm not here to fulfill someone else's dream, that would make me a chump!! And same thing with the prenup when he was going MY house, MY boat, MY retirement. I'm sure she or her family realized at some level that being with a 55 yr old isn't a good thing and can set her up to be taken advantage of given that she's 19, but she/they took the risk that he'd be fine and she'd deal for 2 yrs until she could stay in the U.S. legally. He was on vacation when he was over there, and he wanted her to come to the U.S. -- so I'm sure he was super sweet and this anger did not come thru. Now though it's a bit scary -- she's all alone in the U.S. in his house.

Clearly Loren is a princess who is used to everyone giving her exactly what she wants. If her parents did that - fine, there's unconditional love between parents and kids. But to require your boyfriend to do this even when it involves HIS career is ridiculous. She only cares about what she wants -- and she wants a hot guy on her arm and wants to be able to tell her friends that he's a model. Screw what HE may want. I mean, she obviously doesn't care about his wishes bc anyone who cared even for a moment would have noticed the looks on that guy's face -- when the modeling agent told him to take off his shirt; when the photographer told him he HAD to shave his chest; when he was shaving his chest; and just his general discomfort standing there in his underwear. Typically the kind of guy who was working as an EMT and is talking about being a fire fighter/cop/EMT in the U.S. is not the type of guy who wants his full time job to be flexing for a camera. He wants to be out there doing things, not having pics taken.

He's 20 and jobless and at the whims of his father in law for income. I'm thinking the reality is hitting REALLY hard right now and he's praying HARD for strength/guidance/wisdom.

Love how Jessa and Jill have bonded that much more -- I mean first marriage, sex, and now birth. I'm guessing they pretty much roll their eyes constantly when talking to Jana and Jessa bc they are practically children - having not experienced sex or labor. They call Ben - Benji?? And Iz is Choo Choo. WTH!?

Most guys his age will start pull all nighters soon after thanksgiving to study for those pesky college finals - many of them balancing it with on campus jobs and many fly across the country to get home the night before Christmas. Yet Bin needs his beauty sleep.

So many questions -- too bad I had to go to work unlike the Duggars -- it left me out of the loop all day. How do we know family member aren't calling him Spurgeon? Is he Elliot to them? Which family members? Just saw the People article -- WTF, they're calling each other mom and dad to make parenting realities set in?? Did pushing that kid out, breast feeding every hr, and waking up constantly not make those realities set in?? And shining a flashlight in a newborn's face -- who does that?? When you're getting up like that on the hr, why not just sleep with lights or at least a small lamp on? I mean the kid doesn't care and you're probably tired enough that it doesn't matter. Grandma is staying over to help at night? Who makes their 70+ yr old grandma do that? Even if she says it's ok, she needs her rest more than the 20 yr old parents. She should get to come over, hold him for a while until he cries, and give him back -not have to do any work for him!