[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

11 hours ago, Adiba said:

It seems that Meri wanted it both ways—to be listened to and respected as a “bonus mom” but not the inconvenience, noise, mess, etc. of actually being a mother to all of those kids.

Perfect.  I think she assumed that as the legal first wife of Big Daddy Kody, respect and authority was part of her title.  And when she saw that Kody wasn't stopping her reign of terror, she went on doing it.

I also think that Kody 100% let Meri run unchecked because if there was drama amongst his wives, the focus was off of him and he could pop on his sun visor and jump into his convertible any time he wanted and leave the drama behind.  He wanted the wives, he just didn't want their silly messy fillings.

[Mykelti]

If Christine was indeed too overwhelmed or soft-spoken to discipline her own kids, then it stands to reason that Mykelti acted out to get attention from someone, anyone - her own parents or one of her other "moms."  Seems possible that Mykelti knew how to push Meri's buttons and that Meri responded with verbal abuse towards Mykelti - after all, even negative attention is still attention.

Total speculation, but if this was the dynamic between the two of them, it wouldn't surprise me, and maybe Mykelti is speaking out now because her siblings have told her that based on their memories, Mykelti got the brunt of Meri's verbal abuse, and that information made her look back with new perspective.  And if neither Christine nor Kody did anything to stop Meri then all the adults are to blame.

I guess I have mixed feelings - is Mykelti out to make a buck by spilling tea?  Probably.  But is it possible she is just now seeing her childhood in a different light now that she is a mom herself, and trying to process it?  Also probably.

[I Saw The Signs: A Rewatch Thread]

I feel like we might not harp on the Brown's accent as much if they didn't repeat themselves ad nauseum with those same phrases...."I need to dill with my fillings."  "I was jus'settin' there" (Robyn).  "We thought our dad was going to jell."  Etc.

For what it's worth, there's not much that makes me laugh harder than when the male host of the Surviving Sister Wives podcast suddenly breaks out with his Robyn impression.  He's got her accent and way of slurring words down pat.  I have been known to double over laughing in the middle of a walk with people looking at me. :)

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

The fact that those things are in every bathroom indicates to me that clogging is a frequent occurrence at Ye Old Inn.  In other words, don't call the proprietor to fix it.

For 6 grand, I want a shirtless Donnie Wahlburg to drive over and fix it for me.  Just sayin'.

[The Duggalos: Jinger and the Holy Goalie]

4 hours ago, BetyBee said:

Jeremy is either the worst photographer in the world or he is perverse and loves to post bad pics of his cute wife. Maybe he's jealous because his best days appearance-wise are in the past. 

I picture Jeremy trying to slither all stealth-like into frame during Jinger's photoshoots, only to have the photographer tell him, "Sir, can you move?  We only want Jinger."

And then he moodily goes to play with his shoe collection and pouts.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

So if I understand this - Meri supposedly got another 10 - 12 people to shell out 4 - 6 grand for this retreat, when everyone now knows that this retreat includes sharing a room with a stranger, a bike ride, ice cream with brown sauce, some Costco appetizers and some sort of Ted talk with the famous Meri Brown?  

I think there is a scheme afoot where several self-proclaimed Boss Babes attend each other's retreats in an effort to scam a few people out of 6 grand, and the rest don't pay at all.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

36 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

For $250. - $300. a night regular rates for Lizzie's, you don't even seem to get little amenities like shampoo and conditioner as well as a nice bar of soap. Even $50. a night Econo Lodge provides that. No in room coffee/tea service either. You will enjoy those beverages when Meri deems it appropriate.

Smart marketing on Meri's part.  If I'm trapped at Lizzie's Heritage Inn and the only way I can get a cup of coffee is to purchase some LuLaRags from her, well then sign me up for a powder blue Carly shirt, a red and orange Sarah cardigan, and a pair of those limited edition demonic Minnie Mouse leggings, please.

[Mykelti]

Last night I came upon another Tik Tok of Mykelti speaking about how her siblings had informed her that of all of Christine's kids, Mykelti got the worst verbal and emotional abuse from Meri, and that Mykelti didn't even realize at the time that she was the subject of most of Meri's abuse.

I can see this being true.  Mykelti was labeled as the "wild one" by the adults - I seem to recall even Robyn chiming in once about Mykelti's personality and thinking, how would she know?  She wasn't there from Day One no matter how many pencil sketches she provided.  But with that label, and how Mykelti tended to push the rules, I can see Meri thinking that she was somehow justified in targeting Mykelti specifically.

We know Meri was no angel (no one is).  But Meri likely had a lot of her own rage stored up - living plyg even though it was pretty clear that it was not a good lifestyle for her, watching her Lover spreading his prolific seed with the other two wives, and probably being pressed into helping raise Kody's kids that weren't hers.  None of this is what she wanted, but she chose that life and she could've cultivated a relationship with kids that weren't Leon or Robyn's kids - and she chose not to.  Now we're starting to see how things really went down.  Christine's kids are talking and while their stories might conflict, I think they are remembering what they remember so it's going to be different.

 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

I assume the white cane thing is a toilet snake for clogs.  I would also be extremely icked out walking into that bathroom and seeing my towels hanging over the toilet.  I guess this means I am going to have to pass on ever going on a retreat at Lizzie's.  So bummed.  🙄

[The Duggars: In the Media and TLC]

15 holds on one copy here, but "You Can Shine So Bright!" is available.  

Think I'll pass on both of them.

[Mykelti]

So I'm confused - was the Toxicictea (?) Tik Tok page actually Tony and Mykelti all along?  I landed on that page yesterday and saw several videos of Tony and Mykelti interviewing Ysabel.  I didn't watch them all but I am perplexed as to why all of Christine's kids except Truely seem to be suddenly speaking out so strongly and spilling secrets about their family dysfunction.  It feels a little bit like a competition.  While these are the backstories some of us have been waiting for all along, it seems messy and weird that there's so much of it all at once...like maybe the kids see the writing on the wall about the show coming to an end so they want to milk every last dime from it before they become ZZZ list celebrities?

[Kody Brown: Part-Time Father, Full-Time Asshat]

On 1/21/2023 at 2:04 PM, altopower said:

Kody just looks stupid when he rages, and that hair doesn't help. He looked a lot better (not great but better) back in the beginning with smooth light brown hair; that blonde ramen-head look is very distracting. And then we hear him ranting about kidneys and stuff and I just can't take him seriously at all.

Add to that his gas station sun visor and ever-present work gloves, screaming like the plyg version of King Lear while sitting in a Costco camping chair...I don't know how any of those women ever kept a straight face.

[The Brown Kids]

Gabe looks great with both long hair and short - good for him.  What a nice, selfless thing to do.

To Robyn and Kody: NICE means pleasing or agreeable.  SELFLESS means doing something to benefit someone other than yourselves.  Can you use both of these words in a sentence?  No, stop it, Robyn, you can't dry-cry and pretend you don't understand the question.  And Kody?  Stop looking at your watch and then glaring at me.  I've got all day, Caveman.  I'll bet if you two put all four of your brain cells together, you can answer the question if you try rill hard.

 

[Mykelti]

Unpopular opinion - watching the planning for the Weddingk of the Century, I recall being distinctly Team Mykelti during the entire thing.  I realize Mykelti and Tony are not the sharpest crayons in the box, but I found both of them to be cluelessly hilarious with their stupid demands (effigy pinatas, 5,000 street tacos, outdoor wedding in December or whenever).  

Caleb was welcomed into the Brown family with open arms because he was known to the family.  Then along comes this chucklehead who no one knew, asking for Mykelti's hand in marriage.  Tony came across as a doofus goofball, asking if Kody wouldn't just mind getting a quick second mortgage on his house to pay for the wedding.  Meanwhile, Mykelti had just watched Madison have this beautiful wedding with a very involved Kody (because he had a massive man-crush on Caleb).  I think Mykelti's demands stemmed from wanting to test Kody to see if he'd give her the ceremony that she watched him give to Madison, and Tony followed her lead, probably thinking this dude is on television, surely he's got some cash squirreled away.  And then there was Kody, staring into the beady marble eyes of a guy who was so similar to him (Doofus?  Goofball?  Dumb ideas?  Check), it probably sent chills down his spine, and I was there for all of it.

[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

I guess if you're the kids of the least favored wife, and you grew up watching your dad fawn all over his new bonus kids, and then the time between seeing your dad went from a little bit to almost never, and your mom finally extricated herself from his grip, you might as well strike while the iron is hot and get some money by spilling family secrets as a way to purposefully or subconsciously get back at your dad - so I can see why it's Paedon, Mykelti and Gwen doing most of the talking now.  But as was mentioned above, they can't take back what they say, so they really should be careful.

I watched Gwen's latest episode recap (with Ysabel's graduation/17th 18th birthday party) and I found it sweet when Gwen talked about how Ysabel deserves the world because she is the sweetest person and might be the only one who gets along with everyone in the family.  For two sisters so close in age, I found that refreshing.  I haven't been minding Gwen's episode recaps, I feel like her reactions are real and some of them are surprising. 

[Robyn Brown: She wanted the family, but got stuck with the man.]

What, do we think, would Robyn actually be able to do for work, assuming repossession of her beloved mansion once the OG3 stop cutting her and Kody in on their paychecks?

Creating and selling jool'ry is obviously out.  I cannot see her in any job where she has to dill with the public.  She has a whiny and petulant personality so sales is out.  Maybe put her in a cubicle somewhere and have her do data entry?  No, she'd get bored and start re-drawing her eyebrows.  Public speaking?  No, if someone disagreed with her she'd call them "sweetie" and get in their face, or dry-cry and start waxing poetic about how her cookie got stolen so nothing that has ever happened is her fault.

I'm stumped.

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

3 hours ago, Libby said:

I've always liked Janelle's branch of the family the best. 

That's because they were largely raised by Logan.

[The Duggalos: Jinger and the Holy Goalie]

15 hours ago, Zella said:

JereMe better watch it. They're liable to replace him at his doughnut hour with Jinger. LOL (I know they won't, but the thought amuses me.)

Deacons and Donuts Duggars

Has Jeremy gone kind of radio silent or am I just not paying attention?  Seems like if the little wifey is suddenly all over the news, he'd use this prime opportunity to flood the Insta with pictures of his expensive shoes, or shoving a cheeseburger into his face, or posing pensively in a suit with a fancy pocket square in a bid to finally get that influencer gig he feels he so deserves.

[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

Forgive me if this has already been covered but I just watched that weird "toxic" TikTok channel last night and saw some very odd clips of Meri's LLR lives where if she's not actually drunk, she's certainly acting as if she is while proclaiming that she is not.  I have also heard of her rudeness to her Live followers but in these clips, you see it go down.  I am not sure what to think about this...??

And if she's not drunk, she's great at acting like she is, but why would she do that?

[Robyn Brown: She wanted the family, but got stuck with the man.]

On 1/15/2023 at 8:52 AM, TurtlePower said:

Christine said they were filming at her place in Utah. If they are, this has got to be the last season.

Kody and Robyn finally ran off the OG3 and may have to sell their mansion and move into Dayton's RV - which I would LOVE to watch play out - but it's no longer Sister Wives if there's only one sister.  So, the end is nigh.

That said, many of us have been watching this show since it started airing in 1995 or whenever, and it's going to be very sad to see it come to an end.  It's not funny if I say "What's the dill?" to anyone but the lovely people in these threads.  No one else gets our particular brand of watching these people's every move and dissecting it like it's our job.

So listen, TLC - let us down slowly.  Give us a season of Christine leaving.  Let us watch Kody have another "knife to the kidneys" moment when he understands that Janelle is also peacing out.  Let us watch Meri sulk away slowwwwly, JUST in case Kody decides to whistle and call her back.  Allow us a glimpse into Robyn's dry-cry couch session when she finally realizes what she's done.  Then I demand a final season of seeing Christine and Janelle thriving, and maybe listening in as Kody and Robyn meet with a real estate agent to find them a tiny apartment over a pizza joint in downtown Flagstaff.  THEN, and only then - I will consider quitting these people (until Truely writes her tell-all in about 7 years).

/rant

[Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)]

Whether that's Renee or Tessie in the photo, I wonder what it must feel like when one day, Mahmo instructs you to put on your best modest dress and do your hair and makeup extra fetching because today, we are going out to the field to take your picture for Mama's social media and the girls know exactly what that means...are they excited?  Scared?  Blindly accommodating?  Or have they been taught to not have feelings?

[Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)]

Regarding Renee's poem - if she wrote it, she has a flair for poetry and sentence structure that she surely did not get from Jill's homeschooling.  It's not Yeats or anything but it's well-written and spelled correctly, for the most part.  And if she does have this gift, it's a shame that it will go absolutely nowhere.

I found it interesting that it was preceded on Jill's IG page by a picture of a solo Renee and my first thought was - welp, looks like it's Renee's turn to be farmed out by her mother as the next available Rod female ready to mate and procreate, along with samples of her writing prowess.  It's all weirdly Jane Austen-ish....here's my next daughter in line for marriage!  And look how well she sews and plays piano!  Now taking applications!  Serious inquiries only!

[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

I feel like Christine's kids with Patreons or YT channels are playing with fire.  Maybe they felt like they could finally talk once Christine officially left Kody.  But they're also being purposefully vague for the sake of the show that Christine is still a part of, and the paycheck she needs from it.  They're walking a fine line between telling their truths, or their version of the truth, without disparaging their mother.  And I find it suspect that all three - Paedon, Gwen and Mykelti - are all sort of stirring things up at the same time.  Are they in competition with each other?

[Mykelti]

I think Mykelti looks great.  She's surely exhausted but motherhood seems to suit her.

And I just love the fact that Tony has the hair that Kody thinks he has.

[S17.E17: One on One (Part 3)]

15 hours ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Honestly if one of my kids were as wild and obnoxious as Aribelora or whatever that youngest banshee is called, I’d want a nanny too. She is Kody manic in a little girls body. 

Excellent point.  While Aurora and Breanna clearly have inherited their mother's flair for the dramatic, Ari truly is Lil' Kody.  I also think Robyn stealthily encourages that behavior from Ari in her effort to shut down the baby train.  We've seen Robyn use her kids to get what she wants in several circumstances, I don't see why she wouldn't do the same with Kody's favorite daughter.