pdlinda

This episode and the points made by posters on this thread make me wonder why ZiT (both separately, or as a couple) aren't in therapy BEFORE THEIR KIDS GET ANY OLDER! They certainly could use some professional help in responding to challenges their children are facing now and in the future. Hopefully, now that they are no longer on the show, someone might suggest this healthy option to them (as I doubt they would think of it themselves).

No question that Tori "rules the roost" ESPECIALLY NOW when her social media presence is so successful she essentially must provide a large part of their income. Tori is in control of most everything in the household and Zach seems content riding around the property with his various "farm vehicles" engaging in different "projects." Those "projects" (especially in today's economy) are costly and I believe (pure speculation) that he has income from investments (he was on the show for over 20 yrs) that allows him to pay for that himself. All in all I think ZiT was wise to jump off the showbiz bandwagon and raise their children in a relatively private way. Tori has "reels" on Instagram almost every day showing the kids "in action", but each video is less than a minute long. She also shills all her various sponsored products.

The most prominent feature of Jackson's physical limitation due to his dwarfism are his LEGS! At his age it's apparent how greatly deformed they are, and although he's shown to be physically active (like in sports) it's very unsettling seeing how he has to maneuver his gait just to stay ambulatory. I wonder what and when this deformity can be addressed surgically. I believe I recall Tori saying it would be YEARS before some type of major surgery would be performed to straighten Jackson's legs. I believe that his deformed legs are more of a detriment to his self esteem and "mainstreaming" with kids in his grade that his dwarfism is at this time.

That was enough for me....immediate click on the remote to "delete."😃

That seems very reasonable. My daughter lives in L.A. and has 5 children. Their home is about 4000 SF. I know they pay an astronomical amt for cleaning/landscaping (outdoor) maintenance. I live in PHX and have a 1 BR 900 SF apt. I pay $100 every other week for cleaning.

What I got from it (didn't listen to the entire podcast), they have progressed in life beyond the show AND their "children" were becoming aware of the producers during filming and were becoming negatively affected by the demands of the show. I was always convinced that ZiT would stay with the show forever because they needed the pay check; however, I now believe that Torie has built up a monitized social media presence (including the podcast) sufficient to generate the income they need WITHOUT THE SHOW to maintain their lifestyle. That, of course, is, presumably supplemented by investments they probably have (I hope) from being on the show for so many years.

I was hoping she could work from home much of the time (did I hear correctly that she was a "physical therapist?) When they say it's a ONE HR COMMUTE I always respond with an "eye roll" because we all know that traffic conditions vary and it's most unlikely there wouldn't be an accident/construction slowdowns along the way. Who knows, maybe she leaves work at 2 PM and can get home in an hour? Otherwise, it's extremely problematic that she'd be able to manage her household and young toddler by getting home at dinnertime. I was also struck with the maintenance on the large homes they saw. I thought about that long commute in terms of her having to cook, clean and do general chores with all those rooms (especially bathrooms). The outside maintenance, as well, seemed like a monumental chore UNLESS they hire people to do it for them. These days, from what I see with my daughter's family (large home with kids) the monthly expense for people doing housecleaning/landscaping and lawn maintenance is HUGE...about $1K each month. I hope they have a lot of income that keeps growing! They'll need it! Good Luck to them. They seemed to be a loving, compatible couple.

I'm far from an expert in this department; HOWEVER, from what I hear, the ratio of single women to men in Amy's age group are skewed markedly in favor of eligible men, These are well-heeled, attractive, professionally-retired women who would be delighted to hitch their proverbial wagon onto a seemingly great guy like Chris and bankroll various recreational adventures (or, more realistically, share in the expenses so the man doesn't get the feeling hie's "kept") In addition, in Amy's case WE KNOW she has 4 children, and WE KNOW that those 4 children (regardless of their financial circumstances at the moment) are likely to be very proprietary regarding her $$$, especially as it pertains to any spending they may perceive as Amy lavishing $$ on Chris (who has NO CHILDREN). To conclude: I'm still GOBSMACKED at Chris' choice to marry Amy...

After all these years, I STILL cannot fathom WHAT Chris sees (saw) in Amy? They seem like such an incongruous couple. He appears to be a fully functional, nice-looking man with his own resources who never married (for whatever reason). He meets Amy, a "little person" with a TV show, divorced with a bad attitude (I will avoid characterizing her "looks" or overall appearance) and falls madly enough in love with her to take her on for LIFE! I guess LOVE IS BLIND (in Chris' case)...😆

...there has been a massive reduction in posts and responses to posts. I wonder why that happened??? HMMM...

I also noticed that there were no scenes when she was "inhaling" massive amounts of food. Someone upthread mentioned that maybe there was some clinical (genetic/hormonal) reason for her morbid obesity. Wouldn't Dr. Now do a battery of tests on her before doing surgery? I know I had 3 joints(2 hips, 1 knee) replaced and there were numerous diagnostic tests done prior to surgery. Mention was also made of her very early onset of obesity. Wouldn't she have had a history of clinical testing throughout her life? IMO, her supportive family (including Damien) was a big reason she was ready, willing and able to make the changes she will need to lose the weight and keep it off. Good Luck to her!!

Thanks so much for clarifying those points. I missed that completely.

Yes, those thoughts also occurred to me. Another instance where the "pounder" squeezes behind the wheel of her car with the husband on the passenger side. Why doesn't he drive and as for work, perhaps he is her "care giver?" She did seem motivated. My question is WHY they spend almost half the show on the prelim to her visiting Dr. Now and then, once she takes the enormous steps to move to Houston and make some progress, all those months are squeezed into the last 15 mins of the episode. Mention was made of her certainly being shown on a future WATN episode. However, in the past few years, those episodes were very "few and far between". I always took that to mean that the "pounder" either "backslid" or simply didn't want the inconvenience of continuing to be filmed. Maybe Kristel will be an exception. Last, each season, I'm always looking for even a scintilla of change in format; however, as with all previous seasons, none are seen (with the exception of Dr. Now apparently using a much more skilled hair "colorist" to hide his grey and give him a more "natural" style). Other than that (and the new weigh-in gal) nary a change. (Not that I'm complaining because I'm not)😉

I think Fotis dismembered or burned Jennifer's body, threw it in a # of garbage bags and threw it in some dumpster. They only got 1 camera shot of him on Albany Ave in West Hartford but I think he disposed of her body in a different location where his phone was not involved. As for Michelle, I think her lawyer was grossly deficient. He had no "presence" presenting her case before a jury and was a poor strategist. I think if he was more compelling and savvy, he would have been able to work out a "plea deal" for her with the prosecutor to a lesser charge(stressing the points you made about her involvement) and been able to convince her to take it. I think she probably would have served 10 yrs under those circumstances. In that way, her parents and other family would have been spared the ENORMOUS COST of funding the trial ($$$ squandered by her attorney, IMO) and the ADDITIONAL COSTS of funding her appeal (maybe on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel). Those types of appeals usually have very little chance of success. Michelle failed miserably in so many of her choices in life. She will now have a chance to perhaps reflect how she might have handled things differently. That reflection, however, will, IMO, take place behind bars.

I watch NO LIVE shows...NONE! That's why I pay for cable and have a DVR so I can FF through the INTERMINABLE COMMERCIALS! There were a few times I missed recording Dateline so I tried seeing it the next day on "ON DEMAND." WHAT A MISTAKE! I tried to access the FF and, whoops, I got a notification that function was not operative for that show! That was the first and last time I ever accessed ON DEMAND!

I felt the same way when I saw Tori make a fuss about Josiah WALKING ALONE on that flimsy "bridge" over that stream of running water. I literally CRINGED! OMG! In one split SECOND that little guy could be falling into the running water!

I think the PRINCIPAL REASON they are leaving the show (voluntarily or not) is to avoid having the viewing public comment on their parenting skills (or lack of same).

I completely agree with you and posted that sentiment when the show was on the air. I recall everything you mentioned and was struck by how detrimental being on reality TV seemingly was for those kids. The Klein's moved to Mass after the show was cancelled and all seem to be doing well. However, of course, their lives are no longer "scripted" so we'll never really know how the kids are adjusting to adolescence....and that, IMO, is how it SHOULD BE!!

My daughter and SIL have 7 normal-sized children. (Both my daughter and her husband were only children, so there's that). Anyhow, as far as I can see, there are EQUAL number of "problems" raising boys and girls. At some ages, the girls are more difficult to deal with and at other stages, the boys present more issues. As for Tori, more than being so concerned about Lilah's "looks" it would be great if she honed in on Lilah's ongoing speech problems, to the extent possible. I see her videos on Instagram and TO THIS DAY, I can barely understand a word Lilah is saying (I think she's 4) and, as for Jackson, they still put subtitles up so the viewing audience can understand what he's saying. To me, the most compelling reason they quit the show (or were fired) was because they didn't want their obvious parenting deficiencies condemned by the public. :Last, I recall another show about "little people", called "The Little Couple." The mom is a physician (3'2" tall) and the dad is a businessman, (4" tall). They adopted 2 dwarf children, one from India, one from China. The show ran for many seasons until a contract dispute with TLC resulted in it being cancelled. Jen, the mother, has a large social media presence and there are videos of their kids (now 12 and 13, I believe). Each kid STILL has unintelligible speech. However, at least the public doesn't get to critique their challenges on an ongoing basis. I think that's A GOOD THING! All 3 of the dwarf parents (excluding Tori) have perfectly normal speech. Perhaps the kids will become fully conversant as they reach adulthood??)

I was stunned that the extraordinary work of CeCe Moore, the forensic genealogist was not singled out in the string of victory acknowledgements at the end of the episode. If it weren't for CeCe Moore the true murderer would probably NEVER have been found. CeCe Moore was featured in a series a few years ago when her work was in its infancy. Her work is fascinating and serves as a genuine source of hope for so many cold and other unsolved cases throughout the Country.

For the first time I actually think that Tori has engineered her social medial presence to the point where she can make enough $$$ to support the family. I also think that after 20 yrs of doing the show, Zach might have an investment portfolio adequate to supplement whatever $$$ Tori is able to generate. They also have a new podcast that is certainly "monitized." I also think that down the road they understand that Matt will leave all the kids a substantial amt of $$$ that will be divided. There really was no point to them continuing to do the show as the animosity between ZiT and the family is draining a lot of emotional energy from them and is detrimental to the children (in their eyes). I guess they'll see how they are able to manage, but I do give Tori credit for building a social media network that is very successful. That Zach agreed to do the podcast with her shows me that he's ready, willing and able to contribute to continuing their "brand" development so they may be financially independent. How the show continues with only the older people participating is problematic because I can't see how they can generate enough story lines to interest an audience large enough for the advertisers to continue sponsoring the show.

I'm assuming they have a cleaning service coming in every week.

I did criminal defense work for over 30 years (now blessedly RETIRED) and the word "sociopath" has Remy's picture next to it! Oh, how many defendants(inmates) I visited in jail/prison/court over the years who match his description?? Too many to count. I was FURIOUS watching this episode because it was so obvious to me how this CREEP swindled, cajoled, influenced and enticed so many people in his life (mostly women) to achieve his "grandiose" vision of himself! Of utmost importance in the overall scheme of things, was the fact that he SHOUTED in Andrea's last interview with him that "no, even though he signed the plea agreement, he WAS NOT GUILTY OF THE CRIME!" In MY STATE, that would be ANOTHER CRIME! When a defendant signs a plea agreement, he/she must swear in court that the admission of guilt is being made, "intelligently, knowingly and voluntarily." Then, the Judge asks the defendant to make a "factual basis" for the crime he's admitting to committing. That means he reads a prepared statement of exactly how,when and where he committed the crime and the details of the crime. On the basis of that "avowal" (sworn statement) the Judge accepts the plea agreement and sentencing is set. That Remy, on national TV ADMITTED to lying would definitely have the prosecutor in my County charging him with another crime to which he would, undoubtedly sign another plea agreement (there's really no dispute) and add YEARS to the 8 yrs he already agreed to serve. Let's hope that happens! Also, I believe he was brought up by parents who saw him as the "moon, sun, and stars"...in other words that he was a "superstar" who could do "no wrong." The fact that the parents SQUANDERED over $100,000 on the first IDIOT LAWYER was heartbreaking and then having to expend many thousands of dollars MORE on the second team of lawyers who offered the State the plea deal they accepted, was indicative of how little responsibility their son obviously took about the crime he pled guilty to offending. I can only imagine that mom and dad are continuing to finance his "commissary" in prison that I can only assume he's using to "grease the palms" of many of his fellow felons who are ready to extort him for every penny they can in order to keep him "safe." The other people I feel sorry for are, of course, his children (I assume he sold his house to provide the caregivers with funds to raise them) and the paramour whose life has essentially also been ruined by her continuing anguish over their affair. Finally, it is INCOMPREHENSIBLE to me that individuals arrested in serious felony cases or ANY CRIMINAL CASES), don't IMMEDIATELY request a lawyer! If the person cannot afford a lawyer, that what local Public Defender's Offices are there to provide to him/her. P.S. I would say categorically, unequivocally and unconditionally that prison IS HELL! That you have to go to the bathroom in public says a lot but even more than that, it is an atmosphere where there is constant noise, fighting, threatening, a lot of coercion and constant stress. It's NOT like he described it at all! And, yes, there's a LOT of contraband in prison; however, there is heavy surveillance pressure among the staff/inmates and if you get caught, straight to solitary (at least in my state).

I wonder how much $$$ they stand to make for this next venture into "media promotion." My thought used to be that they would milk the show $$$ for all its worth in the knowledge that their bottom line would sink to extinction without that cash. It's been clear that they don't want to continue appearing on the show. Now I think differently. I actually think that Tori (the mastermind) has actually catapulted her social media presence to a point where she could actually generate enough cash to actually support the family irrespective of having the show to prime their "cash pump." I noticed on Instagram that she was promoting ANOTHER TRIP to DISNEYLAND. My sense is that entire trip will be comped, so that's another feature of her media success. As for Zach, I'm sure he's receiving "media training" by some professionals who are donating their services as part of (perhaps) credits on their website. After all, Zach has been before the camera for more than 20 yrs so he basically will need specific training on how to relate to an audience without any cameras. Tori is very enterprising. I will give her that, AND the kids are very entertaining to watch, especially Lilah and SiSi....

Anyone hear what he did for a living? When he said it his voice was garbled. She said she was a teacher and had a second job.