Gianthambeast

If nothing else, this episode taught me a new phrase: "mud duck!" :D

Unfortunately I think people like the Duggars use this text to dismiss any criticism out of hand. There's a difference between those who criticize or mock them simply because they are Christian, and others who criticize them because they are bigoted, self-righteous, or arrogant. Jessa's post is disturbing because it displays just this kind of resistance to self-examination.

Thing#2,000,000 that bothers me about the Duggars: For all their claims of deep Bible study and following God's will they seem to have forgotten that text where Jesus says: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." In other words, being a Christian is not about observing all the rituals and tangled legalisms of the Pharisees (or following all the prescriptions of Gothard to the letter), but love and charity for the other.

Very well said and spot-on. The Duggars remind me of those "whited sepulchers" Jesus spoke of: they present a Godly veneer to the world with the whole "stay sweet" spiel, fake smiles, and exaggerated modesty, but are all neglected and emotionally screwed-up on the inside. Even scarier is that people buy this bunk. They think a two-parent family, with a buttload of kids, that professes to worship God=morality.

I knew it! Way to go Vanya!

Ok, thanks Flyingdi. I haven't been watching that long so I wasn't sure of the backstory.

Just curious here-- why doesn't Jim Boob like Jessa?

Charlemagne discovers his betrothed Clotilda is really a massively obese she-beast named Fredegunde.

Let's all be thankful we haven't seen any parents as ball-bustingly batshit crazy as this yet: I will burn your stuffed animals I do suspect that Ryan's parents own this lady's book. :/

Aw man, no one was fat in this one. :(

OMG. Antwone was a disgusting slob and yet he snootily said that HE didn't want to date anybody who wasn't a ten??!!! Obviously I don't approve of cat-fishing, but the TOTAL LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS of some of the "victims" makes me feel little sympathy for them.

If you didn't see the first eps then you don't know that Ryan did Scouts in defiance of his parents who wanted him to stay home studying for the competition instead of camping with his friends. I think that most of the kids in this group are well-adjusted, well-rounded, and well-socialized. At least one of them is also very well-hydrated. ;) But I see your point. Having had first-hand experience with Tiger parents, I know that sometimes having a kid do a flurry of extra-curriculars is just resume-building for the Ivy League. Also I've noticed that Tiger Parents tend to prioritize some"high-status" activities over others: violin/piano over say, guitar and drums, fencing/gymnastics over basketball/baseball, chess club over drama, etc.

Man, I hope they let baby Dillard go to school

In the talking heads we learned that Katharine does ballet and piano. Vanya plays the tuba. Ryan was in Scouts and Binyamin was into various forms of Eastern martial arts (tee hee!). Yeiji is a voracious reader. I think these kids are well-rounded in addition to being super-smart.

Sigh. Because an incompetent ignoramus named Jim Boob gets off on having absolute patriarchal control over twenty human beings. As long as he gets to live HIS dream, who cares about anyone else having desires or aspirations?

The colossal waste of human potential on display in this show depresses me. Poor kids-- all 19 of them.

Annoying Duggar thing #1,000,000: Jim Bob's troglodyte DNA will proliferate like the seed of Genghis Khan. In the year 3000, every 1 in 200 males will trace their descent to Jim Boob Duggar.

Again the beard is triumphant! I guess Circe too, though Medea crossed my mind.

Of all the parents, Ryan's are the only ones I can see really laying into him if he loses. Binny's dad prolly just hugged him and said: "It's ok babe, let's practice some Tai Chi!" Oh, and if Vanya loses (though I'm hoping she won't) her dad will just say: "Please drink some more water." :)

They looked cute in the video, and like they were actually having fun (for a change). Good for them.

I think Maddi is great, but in a very narrow context. Abby filling her head with delusions of grandeur and having her doing fake competitions every week isn't helping her any. I know this is a different genre of dance, but the link shows an example of what it would really mean to be the best for one's age and tested in rigorous international competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4dL78-sezw Silver medal at IBC at only fifteen-- can you imagine?! I think Gisele's passion is to dance, not to be a star. I think Maddi has that passion, but not the training, or the technique and now she is thoroughly contaminated by Abby's star-making mania. I fear she'll end up as a broadway backup dancer (which is great, but prolly a disappointment for someone who Abby has filled with grandiose dreams).

Munchausen's by prenancy

Blah. I hate the teachers' tournament along with kids' week and the teen tournament.

I'll miss Binyamin and Alon. They were both delightful. Though it made me sad to see him cry, I know Binyamin will get great support from his Dad and that he has a brilliant future ahead of him. I think Child Genius/Counter-terrorism expert Dad would be a great premise for a reality show-- producers, get cracking! :) About the remaining contestants: Vanya-- I think she will take the whole thing. Love her naturalness and cheerfulness. She seems to really be enjoying herself. I also like that her dad is always super-polite and calm when dealing with her. There was a cute moment between them when he said "please drink some water," and she totally cracked up! Ryan's interaction with his brother was priceless! If Ryan wins his mom will probably say: "But why didn't you come first in every round? You are not motivated. You lack focus. Study harder! Why aren't you already in college like Tanishq? Ask Tanishq how he studies! You should be at Harvard already!" Ryan really needs that money to defray the cost of the therapy he's gonna need to get that nagging Tiger-mom voice outta his head. Graham-- I think he's a really nice, sweet boy. I just don't want him to win because his mom will attribute his victory to Christ. With all the suffering in the world I don't think Christ's top priority is overseeing a kiddie trivia contest. Run Graham! Note the contrast between how Yeiji's parents reacted to the judge's ruling and the way Katharine's reacted. There was no point in quibbling. I think those attitudes filter down to the kids however subtly. Katharine is brilliant and an adorable girl, but there's a bit of a robotic quality to her that bothers me. Yeiji seems more down-to-earth. She's great-- why haven't we seen more of her?

Save the tears for your pillow Abby. She's such a weepy moody mess-- I wouldn't be surprised if she was hitting the sauce. Booze is one thing you can sneak around a lapband. Poor JoJo. I thought she did fine as well and Carrie (one of my favorite movies) isn't appropriate viewing for a ten year old. I thought Kendall was great this week. Nia impressed me with her poise and dignity-- the adults could learn a thing or two from her. As to the whole Nia being a star busines--do we really need more auto-tuned pop songs? Her singing was ok, but not much better than "MackZ" or Brooke's. I can't believe that my original motivation for watching this show was to see DANCE and DANCE TRAINING. LOL.