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AZChristian

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  1. This is a direct copy/paste from Matt on Facebook about an hour ago. Informative. ============ Matt's 5 most asked questions... since last Tuesday's episode. This post won't be for everyone because it’s long & has lots of details. I'm sorry in advance to those that are Spelling/grammar purists. I write just like I talk.. lots or run on sentences-- with lots of extra dots….. and misplaced punctuation. If these juicy details aren't for you --- You are welcome to just move on. Many of you I think will find some of this interesting-- Now that I’m officially not under a contract NDA, I can speak much more freely than I've been able to the past 20 years or so-- In fact, the first interesting tidbit to share is we (The Roloff family) signed our first contract with CBS (not Discovery/TLC) back in 2003-- It then transferred to Discovery around 2004/5 when we did the "pilot" Little People Big Dreams. It took a year longer to get the green light and finally air what is now considered the beginning of LPBW as you know it today.--- So Yes-- 20 years of being under TV contract(s). Here are my 5 most asked Q's.. this past week. 1) Was last Tuesday's episode the 'Season' or 'Series' Finale? It's true that several family members have announced publicly that they are no longer interested in filming LPBW-- I think Amy, myself and producers have known this for quite some time-- We completed our contract obligations and wrapped filming last September 2024-- Season 25 was a very fun and fulfilling filming cycle and Caryn and I particularly enjoyed working together with Chris and Amy in so many productive ways- Of course we missed filming more with the other family members and were obviously disappointed not to do more things all together. Here is my opinion on why TLC didn’t announce (at least not yet) this was the “Series” finale vs “Season” Finale. Clip look-back special shows in the works?? Maybe? Here is some more context-- Way back in early August of 2010 (14 years ago) the Roloff family had a family meeting and afterwards we contacted the TLC attorney and announced we were Done- We had come off a 40+ episode year (2009) and the filming process was a grind back then and disruptive to the kids schooling and discipline etc-- We thought we had completed our mission of educating the world on what it's like to be a Little Person in an average size world-- Enough TV filming already!! ....we wanted to go back to running the farm and our normal lives-- So We made it clear to TLC we were finished-- We had completed the last of a 5 year contract option and it was time to move on-- A few days later on August 26th 2010-- TLC PR department put out a press release that said... "Little People Big World Cancelled and season 6 would be the last."... (research Little People Big World on Wiki) The family got a bit of a chuckle out of that headline- but it was true enough to just go about our business-- Funny thing is... The show never was cancelled -- Wiki has that right! Many at the network still remember the announcement as jumping the gun so to speak-- A few short weeks later, the TLC attorneys contacted us and asked if we would consider doing a few 'specials'? We met again as a family... The production team was offering some interesting ideas. …mostly travel related that intrigued the family and offered Amy a chance to climb Mt St Helens among other ideas. --- They promised we would not have to grind out as many episodes (40+) but would just sign us up to a 1 single year "service term" No options to extend and produce 6-8 shows in a 12 month term -- Easy breezy- So by the Fall/Winter 2010 into 2011 we were somewhat reluctantly back to filming- By this point the core Roloff family had completed 6 seasons and several hundred episodes. A nice run by any television standard- We were most pleased that tens of millions of viewers on every content had a somewhat realistic view of life as a Little Person living on a farm in Oregon, USA. After that season of 6 specials... It was pitched to us to do the Wedding Farm season-- Requiring (theoretically) much less disruption to our kids life’s and more focus on the Brides and Grooms we were hosting. That made sense for many reasons so we moved forward with The Wedding Farm season circa 2012. This is WHY I THINK there is some hesitation to announce from TLC that the show is over-- Even though the family as a whole is enjoying being away from it all after 19-20 years-- Caryn and many other family members have publicly stated they are done with filming. - Remember our show is a relationship based program— As more and more family members drift away from the show it becomes more difficult to produce the same content— As much as many of you hate (and we see the comments) about the rifts and strifes between the family members, the better the ratings do— Nobody (they think they do but they don’t) want to watch everything is always happy go lucky and perfect— Viewers want relationship drama and then resolutions. The less relationship interactions are filmed together on camera the harder it is to produce the show- Chris and Caryn coming onboard a helped replace some family members. It's my opinion that you just never know what might happen in the future? I know I can't predict the future-- It's my guess that the network can't either... I do think that TLC did a nice job on the last Tuesday 'season finale' episode hedging their bets and putting a nice button on the show and where the family (members that still participate) stands--- so if LPBW never does come back (in whatever various other forms) I think consensus is they wrapped up the Roloff LPBW crazy train saga pretty good-- That’s why many of you felt it was a series finale. So on this matter of whether last Tuesday was the Last LPBW Show forever?? Nobody really knows at this point-- I feel very content and satisfied with the Run of shows and the journey we shared with you all! The ratings continued to build and stand strong and consistent. We are super proud of that. More importantly then our ratings, I was at a public outdoor concert last night and the love I felt from so many fans was truly amazing-- I took many dozens of selfies with heartfelt fans.. So many stories of lives touched by LPBW. So many thank your for sharing our story. One of the concert's local police officers looked close to tears telling me how he and his late Mother would watch LPBW together in her final days. Wow--- I for one feel good about that. You never know what the future may bring so if you are me-- (and apparently TLC too?) I hate saying goodbye-- Only See ya later ! ...and #lovelove Hopefully this sheds a bit of light on where things stand in terms of the finale last Tuesday 4/23/24--- just my humble opinions. Not authorized to speak on behalf of any other individuals or companies. 2) Farm and family status - and What the Heck happened? As you all know both Jeremy and Zach expressed interest, at virtually the same time, several years ago (Nov 2021) in purchasing the Big house that sits on the North farm. As twins they have always been super competitive but this was one situation that I couldn't let one win over the other. As a father it was extraordinarily complex and I can't say I handled it without some mistakes and missteps. The State of Oregon has incredibly strict rules about dividing land up and splitting (the baby in half) property based on zoning laws. There is only one house on a single tax lot- There were 2 interested parties and one(1) house-- Think about that! Yes-- Money, retirement concerns, loan terms and maintenance responsibility all played a role-- But fairness to all four (4) of my kids and all grandkids played and weighted the heaviest- Keep in mind-- I shrunk the size of the North Farm with the big house for rent/sale and grew larger the land that stays in the trust- It's now 16 acres with the older Big House vs 90+/- acres with my new house and the DW and a dozen barns/sheds etc.-- That's NOW what we all consider The Farm. I feel so blessed, proud and Love each and every one of my children and grandchildren- Jer and Zach each figured out (in their own timing) that the idea of breaking away from me and the farm (as you all know it over past many years) and individually establish their Own homesteads... build their own dreams ... bridges... barns ...shops and projects-- My heart is full to see that process in progress-- It hasn't been easy ... especially all while being filmed...and sometimes even very painful.. but in the end its all been productive and although in hindsight I would change several of my processes... I believe the results are better and I love watching ALL the kids find their independence and passions on their own terms. While Jeremy, Zach and Molly manage their own individual homes, projects and farms... Our youngest who broke away from 'the crazy train' early to go see the world now in a poetic turn of events has returned with his family to an open canvas of opportunity. He's taking great advantage of many possibilities. The 90 + acre farm. He is living and working full time with his wife and son Mateo (named in my honor) on the farm. I understand if you've been watching LPBW 'since the beginning'... you are not as connected to the stories and lives of our 3 average height children-- But Please know they exist and Matter as All 4 of our kids do in the grand scheme of the farm-- So while the Big House / North Farm continues to be a popular tourist (Ha) AirBnB (itrip.net) destination …it sits right adjacent to the larger 90 acres that Me, Caryn and Jacob's family live and work on and run the Pumpkin Festival. Come see us in October-- You get to see all this first hand. 3) Do I see the grandkids? Let me start by saying... Yes it's true.. I don't get to see Zach and his adorable kids nearly as often as any of us would like- We are always welcome to go see them in Battle ground but we don't see them around the farm very often-- I'm very proud of them and the way they raise their family and Zach battling thru illness and building out his own farm is what makes a father so proud to see. I see Jeremy, Audrey and their 3 (soon to be 4) kids often as they live just a mile or 2 from the farm. As many of you that follow them know... They are renovating his house in a similar way that we gutted and remodeled the big house years ago on the LPBW show- The apple didn't fall far from the tree in terms of taking on Big exciting projects like his dad. It's super fun to see his kids pull up to my front door in their little battery powered jeeps asking for a juice box treat from grandpas pantry-- Jeremys and Audrey’s house remodel is a stunning example of the creativity and vision they are both blessed with. Molly loves her private life up in Spokane but we still see her often...Sometimes Caryn and I fly up to northern WA for a weekend visit and often her and Joel come stay either at the big house or at my new house. Molly and Joel were just here last week in AZ staying with us for 4 days enjoying the sun shine and taking in the local wildlife zoo- Always wonderful to Visit with the amazing Molly Jo and hubby Joel. It's hard for me to not talk the most about Jacob. While you all see Zach and his family the most on TV.... I see and talk to Jacob, Izzy and Mateo the most. He has developed over the past 2 1/2 years a burning passion to run and generate his own projects on the farm-- He enjoys milling his own lumber, all things mechanical, setting up the annual pumpkin patch business while planting hundreds of new fruit trees and building gardens that grow their own organic foods and vegetables to feed his family (and me) -- Him and Izzy are passionate about the soil and the environment and they bring me fresh eggs from our chickens every other morning- They live on the farm and are always around working away with little Mateo collecting eggs and helping his dad pull the tools around in his wagon- Mateo and Liam (Caryn's grandson) are very best friends and play and adventure together on the farm frequently. I only wish you all were able to see how alive and vibrant the farm still is for the new generation--- OH Wait-- You can.... Come this October-- Those that came last Oct I'm sure you know what I mean? 4) Is my new house finished and when are we getting married Yes I'm happy to report my dream home is finished-- I moved in just before Christmas in time to host the entire family (including Chris and Amy) for a holiday gathering. Caryn has now sold her home a few miles from the farm and is now living in the new house with me-- We Love it! The accessibility features we had built into the design of this new home make my life unbelievably comfortable— From the perfect secondary (butlers) kitchen to the no step entry and lowered sinks and appliances .. it’s a fantastic home run build. We still love Arizona and plan to split our time 50/50 between the farm and down there. I tell all our friends in AZ ... You'll never see us here in October because we plan on hosting the Roloff Farm Pumpkin Festival for as long as possible.- I apologize i haven't shown more photos of our new house and i'll endeavor to do that soon-- We barely got moved in and settled and then bolted down south for our Spring sunshine trip to AZ-- Speaking of moving-- A quick update on my mother- In March she decided to relocate from AZ back up to Portland to be close to the farm and all the Grandkids-- Although Caryn and I miss seeing her down here in AZ we love seeing her more often in Oregon and all the grands take turns visiting her there as well-- We're currently planning a nice Mothers day event in Oregon. Still no news on a wedding date-- lol. We are loving life and the current status-- Between getting the house finished, wrapping up LPBW filming, moving my mother and all the other things that life throws at you we haven't had much time to really sit down and plan anything-- I imagine we will start working on that soon- But no date or location has been set yet— but actively gathering ideas. 5) Hows my health I'm feeling healthier and happier than I have in years-- While everyone is busy as can be up North-- Caryn and I are enjoying some time in the Sun down at our Arizona get-away- We get up in the am-- She often goes over to see her folks a few blocks away- while I conference call with Jacob about farm business and then work on my computer a few hours--- Then we love to go float in the cool pool in the heat of the day before sitting on our back patio relishing in the dry warm desert climate-- Both Caryn and I are feeling very happy together enjoying our best life-- As far as the LPBW show goes... We think it had a wonderful record setting run-- educated tens of millions (maybe even hundreds of millions) of people across the globe… Normalizing to many, that people with differences are just like everyone else-- With varied opinions, personalities, goals, dreams and successes and failures -- We're just people like You and your families. The show may or may not be done in the current format for ever more... but either way I for one thoroughly enjoyed sharing a large part of my life journey with you and hope to meet you all in person one day along life's trail. Thanks to You all for sharing so much love and support to our family over so many years! Without You we would never have been able to change to Worlds perception of Little People— I feel like a Big Person in a Little World thanks to You.
  2. We laughed at him. He would call ketchup "a sauce made with tomatoes that have been reduced."
  3. I'm a cynic. I think most of those protein sources and dangerous animals are copied from a National Geographic special. We rarely see the animals in the same shot as the survivalists. I think a lot of the night shots around a boma are just a lot of noise from a crew member's cell phone recordings, with much shaking of bushes. They tell the participants, "You're fine, but look scared!!!!"
  4. How do they get a professional musician to tell someone their music is awful? Brandie is/was delusional about her "art" and her "career."
  5. That sure did look like a final wrap-up. Seemed that Matt and Amy and their new partners tried to be gentle in discussing the situation with Zach, but they made it clear that they have good relationships with all the other kids/grandkids. I don't think anything is going to get through to Z&T about their potentially dangerous activities with the kids until (sadly) one of them gets seriously hurt. I feel so badly for Lilah. I was always the "target" child for parental neglect in our family. It hurts forever.
  6. Last night's episode about Derby Wagner-Richardson. WHY did it take 37 years to arrest this guy?????
  7. I thought his first weight loss was great. But no way in h**l that his blood pressure was 138/72.
  8. Maybe Amy should work it into a conversation that when Matt dies, she inherits the farm. Let's see how fast Zach and Tori start showing up at events then.
  9. Anyone surprised that Amy was late to her own not-ready-for-guests party, as was Chris? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?????
  10. Everyone at Fujitsu was arrogant enough or stupid enough that they did not think the subpostmasters would just believe everything Fujitsu and the post office was telling them. When the Fujitsu guy was demonstrating how easy it was to run the Horizon system, it probably never crossed his mind that Mike was smart enough to ask, "Are these changes you're making being done live, in real time?" I almost thought the look on the IT guy's face was, "Oh shit. Maybe this is why all of the numbers are coming up wrong." Until Mike's question, the IT guy didn't seem to have a clue that numbers on a screen had such a profound effect on real people. We watched the "real story" on PBS through Prime Video. It was ghastly to see what these REAL folks went through.
  11. Did anyone else think Aaron looked like he'd stopped at a margarita bar on the way to work?
  12. Wanna bet the kids "got" to play soccer?
  13. I am an afficionado of pretty much all British TV shows and movies, and have developed a hobby of trying to identify where else I've seen British actors whenever I watch something. So last night, I saw Professor Quirrell from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, and Edward VIII and Wallace Warfield Simpson from The Crown. The latter pair really cracked me up, as I watched a scene when the actors - Alex Jennings and Lia Williams - were facing off across a conference room table. When those same two actors were in The Crown, they had a conversation and at the close of the scene Edward looked at Wallace, folded up his newspaper, and asked, "Shall we f**k?" MBvTPO is one of those "truth is stranger than fiction" stories. I used to work in computer tech support. If I had been getting multiple calls reporting the same problem, no way could my managers have gotten me to tell callers, "No one else is having this problem."
  14. They're doing a lot of Arizona bars this season. May have to do some scoping out. We went to Chilleen's last week ("A Horse Walked Into a Bar"). They are doing well, and have even expanded to an event business. (Can't imagine a LOT of events in Black Canyon City, but at least now they have SOMEWHERE to go.) The owners divorced, and the husband (Scott) left town. Got into a crash while driving drunk in Colorado in 2021, and was found guilty of 8 charges earlier this year. His girlfriend died in the crash and he - ever the gentleman - tried to tell the police that SHE was driving. Sentencing is not yet complete.
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