Trixie Belden

Of course they get paid for the TLC show, my point was that the TLC compensation doesn't fund their lifestyle, their full time jobs take care of that. The TLC money isn't what's important to them, I think they want to do the show in order to show people that being born with disabilities doesn't automatically limit you to an average life, that you can excel professionally and personally.

I'm sorry and I'm not trying to be rude, but I completely disagree with this. Way back when the show first started, Bill and Jen showed the lifestyles of 2 people with serious disabilities that not just survived lots of complications, treatments and surgeries, but they completely THRIVED. Becoming a doctor is tough, becoming a high risk pediatrician is tougher, but then going on to direct an entire department of a top specialty hospital is amazing for anyone. Do all that while having the extra hardships Jen deals with every day. She's a freaking hero, just for that. Bill isn't a slouch either - he's got more than one business that he runs, again with extra hardships that most business owners don't have to cope with. Then, these people who are sharing what life is like, what life CAN be like for someone with their disabilites, also share their losses and struggles. They aren't trying to present a sanitized, Disney version of their life, this is what happens to them. When they chose to adopt, they didn't do a healthy, white baby private adoption - they adopted children who needed parents who could understand what their (Will and Zoey's) needs would be and also if they weren't adopted by people who could afford to give them the proper care, those babies would likely live their entire lives in orphanages. To me, this show is giving parents of children who have disabilities some hope that their kids can become doctors and business owners and have the life we all want for our kids. As far as the money they get from the show, I really think that between the salaries that Bill and Jen pull in from their real jobs, anything TLC pays them is likely put in trust for the kids or to pay their taxes. (stepping of my soapbox now).

THANK YOU!!! I'm a nurse and I have 4 kids, so I'm not easily squicked out, but come on! There's no reason that wasn't taken care of at birth. I told my husband that no matter how hot, smart or rich a guy is, an extra finger waving around helplessly is a deal breaker. Extra digits aren't terribly uncommon and are usually removed by 6 months of age. It's such an easy procedure that even if his parents didn't have insurance when he was born, any OB I've ever worked with would've removed it for free.

I want to jump in on Justin and Evelin's behalf - he seems to take quite a beating on here. My brother is very similar to Justin, he's a super private person and always has been. When he married his first wife, he didn't tell anyone for 3 months (that she was a whack job played a lot into that) and when he left her, she told my mom before he told anyone. When he remarried, he had a beach wedding with just our family and her immediate family (they came from Japan), so he doesn't shut us out completely. Now, unfortunately, it hasn't worked out but we don't know why and we don't even know if he's divorced or just separated. He just tells us the bare facts that he thinks we need to know. He keeps his problems to himself, and we do our best to respect the boundaries he sets. He lives across the country from us, but he visits several times a year, we vacation together and he plays games online while skyping with my kids. If my brother was on that show (which he would die first and I really can't figure out why Justin did it), he would likely come across as detached and weird as everyone sees Justin, when in fact he's pretty much exactly opposite. Also, going back to E1 when he showed Evelin the sink of dishes for her to do? Totally staged. A guy who has a sinkful of dishes wouldn't have the rest of his place neat looking like Justin's did. It would look like a frat house, with piles of clothes on the floor/couch, Sports Illustrated and Maxim magazines on the coffee table along with half empty glasses of milk and empty potato chip bags. I didn't see any crumbs on the counter by the sink or jars of peanut butter and an open loaf of bread. Either that whole "king of the bedroom/queen of the kitchen" schtick was an inside joke between them, or it was production setup.

Good Lord, that wasn't an update, it was a clip show. Seriously, if we're watching the reunion, we've probably already seen all those clips. I learned nothing new at all except that Cassia is stunning with dark hair and I actually kinda like Jason. Danielle and Mohammed just make my heart hurt. That whole thing is a sham and a mess and TLC should have vetted them better before the show. I think Dani isn't mentally competent enough to understand what she got herself into.

Ohhhhh! So many WTF moments just in 2 episodes! Daya and Brett - he's socially awkward and I would imagine is used to "American women" being rude and disrespectful to him. Unfortunately, he doesn't see it as a reflection on him or his immature personality, so he goes looking for a wife that is from a culture that stereotypically has submissive women. I don't think he really wants an equal relationship, I think he got exactly what he wants in Daya, he just doesn't realize it. He wants someone to boss him around and reinforce his already crappy self image. His nervous laugh is sad because I think he really is nervous all the time around women his age. Like RealityGal said previously, I was married to a guy sorta like Brett and I had zero respect for him, walked all over him and eventually out the door. Now, 30 years later I'm ashamed of how I treated this sweet and kind man, but I didn't respect him at all and without respect you can't truly love someone. Daya is SUPER aggressive though-pointing out to Bretts mom that she thinks the ring is fake and being rude to Brett in front of her. I live in a place that has a large Filipino population, mostly in mixed white husband/Filipino wife marriages (Navy guys stationed there bring wives home alot) and the Filipino women I know and am friends with tend to be soft spoken, a little shy and not "in your face" at all like Daya is. They aren't pushovers, but they aren't bitches either. Why didn't Danny take the day off after Amy got there to at least help her get on the internet, take her to the store, get her some books from the library or something? I know we didn't see it, but did his sister and bil greet Amy when she got there and show her where the coffee is, how to work the tv remote and generally make her feel a little bit welcome? I like these 2 and think that they're genuine, but I don't think Danny knows what he's doing. He's going to have to buck up pretty quick, especially if there's a less than supportive father in the mix. Chelsea and Yamir, I like them, I think they love each other and I think they're doomed just because they will each only be happy in their own countries. It's sad, but sometimes love isn't enough. Mohammed and Danielle - nothing more to say. Just waiting for the inevitable breakdown on Danielle's part. Justin is shady. Evelin needs to run. I think kickstarting a return ticket for her would be a good idea. (Full disclosure, my brother met a woman in Japan while he was there working for several months. They got married 2 years later and didn't use a K1 visa process and it was very convoluted but eventually she was able to come here and live with him after being married over a year. They truly loved each other as much as I've seen any married couple and tried and tried to make it work. Ultimately, the culture shock was too much, but I also think she didn't expect some of my brother's personal quirks and he didn't expect hers. There's a massive difference in visiting for a couple weeks or a month and then living day in and day out with someone from a different culture. And my sil is educated, was going to classes at the university and had friends so she wasn't isolated. It's so sad for all of us because we ALL love her, but she and my brother couldn't make it work. I don't think these couples are thinking about what life in 2-3 years is going to look like.) Sorry I'm so full of stuff to say today, but it's not just the fiances from foreign countries that are shady/jerks. A guy that works for my husband took a month off to go to the Phillipines to marry his girlfriend. He's a guy in his late 40s who lives with his mom and hasn't ever been married. My husband really isn't the type to give advice but another co worker was super worried about the whole thing. He told the co worker not to worry, that if the first woman didn't work out he has a "back up" and of course the women don't know about each other. He was gone for a month, came back without either one. No idea what happened either, he hasn't had a lot to say about it, understandably.

Am I confused-or didn't Annie and Josh get married around Christmas time with a "winter wonderland" theme? So why are they celebrating their anniversary in June?

Ugh, I finally slogged through that sloooooooooow 96 hour (felt like) finale. It ended up pretty much like I thought it would, the couples that didn't hate each other decided not to dump each other on camera. As far as Vaughn talking about the lack of chemistry, he's right but he's also a dog. He didn't like Monet at all and if she was willing to have sex with him, he wasn't going to pass it up-but I don't think he ever liked her or was remotely attracted to her. Men don't need that in order to get laid. I think Monet was a little more emotional about the whole thing, she was lying on the couch while he was packing his stuff and looking sad (didn't she have anybody to have brunch with at that moment?), but I busted out laughing when she started being all "can I help you pack? You got my keys? BYE!" I think she she says things like "he isn't ready to be married" it's because she can't really straight out say "he's a giant baby-man". I do think she has a wide bitchy streak in her and won't do well in any relationship until she gets that fixed. I never realized how dumb Jason seems to be until this episode. Charming, but not terribly swift. He seems like he knows he's not all that smart so he over compensates by saying the same thing over and over and over. How many different ways can you say the word "choice"? And Cortney did herself no favors by blatantly begging him to say yes. Although, I have to say I like them both and I like them together. Aaaaaand Jamie and Doug. I love them. I think they're perfect for each other, in that each complements the other. Where he can be a slacker and kinda lazy, she tightens him up and demands he perform. When she gets all weird and special snowflakey, he just smiles and lets her be crazy until she exhausts herself. It seems like they are each other's parents, which they need because nobody taught either of them table manners. Also, why did Doug's parents sign the card "The Hehners"? That was weird.

After last night's episode my husband and I just wonder why the hell these people signed up for this at all? Only 2 of the 6 people seemed to actually want and be ready for marriage (Cortney and Doug). Monet is a bitch and Vaughn is a baby (also, she got a Michael Kors watch and Vaughn's looked like a cheap Swatch Watch) but they keep droning on and on and ON about "turning the page" and "starting a new chapter". They need to expand their vocabularies. Also, I don't care how great they are "on paper" they hate each other. If Money grew up in a traditional household where her dad worked and mom was a homemaker, why is she so offended that a traditional husband would expect his wife to cook dinner? If Jason has such enormous trust issues, why agree to get married to someone you don't know? Cortney has never given him any reason to think she would cheat, but OMG! Girls cheated on ME!! and the conversation switched from responsibility to his mother to a 6 month fire academy time suck and now to possible cheating. Oh Doug - he looks and acts like my first husband, which actually makes me have this weird affection for him. I also get a super strong past sexual/physical abuse vibe from Jamie which will require her to do some hard work with therapy. I actually like them together, I think he can and wants to give her what she needs, but she doesn't realize that. She, in a weird way, gives him some incentive to get his life going again and I think they could be happy in the long run.