mamadrama

No, they weren't. My American niece was staying with her British grandfather last spring and she needed surgery in the US. She, as an American, was allowed to fly back to Boston without issue. He couldn't accompany her at that time. Instead, he had to go to the embassy and seek special emergency travel clearance. It took about a week. The only way Frenchman is coming to the US is if he got a similar emergency clearance (unlikely), if he quarantined for 2 weeks in a non-EU country first (a la 90 Day Amira), if he holds American citizenship (doubtful), or if the production company got him a special work permit (VERY difficult to get ATM). None of this was top secret news. It was freely available information and frequently discussed on the news at the time. I know TLC likes pretending that their show's exist within a vacuum, but I'm annoyed at how they're treating their audience this season. (And last season and the season before...) All that aside, WHY would a guy who doesn't want to be filmed invite himself along on a work trip that's going to be filmed? Whitney goes on many non-televised trips throughout the year, why not pick one of those?

Tonight on My Big, Fat Fabulous Life Hunter Thore will be playing the part of the general audience.

I know that the surgery was just an excuse to get her to the US, but I want to know how good her insurance is for things to work this quickly...For a surgery that's supposedly "urgent", she spends a week packing and buying her ticket, and a day and a half of flying in a pressurized cabin with a hernia during a pandemic. Once she reaches the US she'll need an appointment with a pediatrician who will then need to refer Avi to a pediatric surgeon, and of course hospital space will depend on COVID cases. None of this happens quickly. We literally went through this over the summer with my son. He also had one in his groin (which, honestly, isn't rare). Hernia repair during a pandemic isn't considered an emergency unless it is causing severe pain or it's strangulated. If it had been strangulated then they'd have sent him straight to surgery in Ethiopia. As is, it's going to be elective and that will mean they'll fit him in when they can. I feel sorry for Bini but dude needs to stop knocking up Americans.

I refuse to believe that Alina and SteVen aren't punking us. While I do believe he's a legit asshole and she could do better, I think they're putting on a show for us (although I don't think Mama's been let in on the plan). I can barely tolerate them on my screen. Speaking of intolerance.. I always ff through the Engabao crew. Don't know, don't care. Evelin is so bitchh that she could be a Disney villain, and Corey always looks like he's on something. I'll take Kenny's tears over Corey's smirk, Sumit's Peter Pan complex, and Ari any day.

If not then maybe we can pool our money and get a discount on group therapy.

I don't get why Brea stays with him. I'd have dumped his ass after the play.

Yeah, I can't look away from either train wreck.

I'm sure she has a lot of underlying health conditions we don't know about. In fairness to Whitney, though, there are many reasons why someone under 40 can get them, though: endometriosis of the bowels, ulcers, chronic lower digestive pain, chronic constipation, family history... That said, they've really pulled the plug on her dance "career", haven't they? They're not even trying to pretend that she's still a "dancer" or that she's healthy. The first few seasons laid heavily into the HAES movement and how she could do "anything" a "normal sized" person could do. That whole pretense has been dropped. Are WE the dummies here? We spent an hour watching a mean-spirited woman get a pelvic procedure and then listened as she talked on the phone. She appears to have no job (other than the ignored reality TV one), no social life, no real skills, and few realized prospects, and yet here I am tuning in every week anyway...

Have you all seen the documentary about the water park this episode was based on? It's amazing. I think it's because the water park was back in the news again over the summer.

At first I thought Darlene might experiment a little with various religions and find something she needed in Islam. That would be been interesting. Harris looked amazing. Katey Sagal is still beautiful.

Agree. And then where does the line stop? Nobody with mental health issues can reproduce? Or with physical disabilities? Or genetic issues? At what point would it stop? I have some terrible health issues, but I'm a damn good mother. I'm no fan of Whitney, but from a former social worker's perspective she's way above some of the families I worked with: she has a nice home, a strong support system, and the monetary means to ensure that the child will have their basic needs covered (and then some). She could also hire a nanny, since we know she loves to outsource. From a viewer's perspective I don't think she should have a child. From a doctor's, though?

So Whitney backed out of het test? Shocker. That's the most animated I've ever seen Chase. That must be what he's like when he's in a legit relationship with someone he actually likes. Whit wouldn't move to Wilmington yet wants to "date" someone in France? That settles it. If Le Dudezer Blur does wind up going to Maine with her crew then I know it's all fake. Nobody would watch this show and willingly go on "vacation" with these assholes. Not without a paycheck.

I didn't understand that choice. The Kim we meet in the pool/French segment is really hard to reconcile with PA Kim and Deposition Kim. From the way it started I thought her character would be showing up in stilettos and minis to work and be kind of a femme fatale. Instead, she was sort of just a plain, little boring, professional.

I get where she was coming from, I myself flew back to the US for hyperemisis treatment during my pregnancy, but it's the context that bothers me. She didn't ask Bini, the child's father, she told him. She's taking their child to another country, a place he's not allowed to travel to, and didn't let him have a say in it. Remember when Steven was telling Olga that he was going to take their baby back to the US with him while Olga remained in Russia and she didn't have a say in it?

Knowing that "reality TV" isn't always a fair presentation of facts or people, the way I see it we're looking at one of 2 things here: A. Whitney really IS this narcissistic in real life and is terrible to her friends/family Or 2. This is all an act because she's learned that villains get more air time and generate more interest and discussion She's either an awful person or she's allowing herself to be portrayed as one. Either way, she sucks.

I live in Eastern Kentucky. Our county is very rural, very small, and the vaccination rate is 30%. I don't generally bring stuff like that up, because of the arguments that can ensue, but watching the way Whitney has treated the virus has just been so odd. I get that in the beginning it was so new that we didn't know much about it, but she doesn't seem the least bit concerned about anyone since she got the vaccine. Actually, Whitney not caring about anyone else is totally on brand.

They're acting as if the COVID threat is entirely over. In a talking head Heather even said she was excited about going to Maine and used the pandemic in the past tense. My daughter has the Delta variant right now. It's turned into pneumonia and she's heading into her 4th week of missing school. She's sicker now than she was with a kidney infection. She's 10. All of us who can be have been vaccinated, but we're aware that we can still get it and still carry it to others so we continue to take precautions. (Our schools are having a Delta epidemic. She got it from there, probably from her teacher. Her teacher is currently intubated in a hospital 3 hours away...because it was the closest one with available beds. Sorry, I know that this is repeat info for a lot of you who are FB friends with me and have seen our videos.) Within the context of the show her actions make little sense. She's gone from not letting Ryan in the house to wanting to hug the doctor (who's been exposed to who know what).

I'm curious as to what clothes you're meant to be wearing for a transvaginal ultrasound? Ever since my uterus ruptured and had to be removed I've had to get regular looks at my ovaries-I go in 3-4X a year for them. I've only ever worn my regular clothes. The only time I wear a gown is if there's a breast exam or abdominal ultrasound involved.

Reality shows as a rule pay poorly, but Whitney's has reached 9 seasons which puts her a little higher. You're right in that most don't pay well, that's why the biggest benefit is the traveling. All the "trips" they go on during the season are paid for by production so even if they're not getting monetary rewards they at least get to go places. My guess, and only because I know it's happened in other shows that had to pause during the pandemic, is that Chase appeared because of contractual obligations. Due to COVID and pregnancy related things he most likely didn't get to fulfill his. Not only was he probably expected to appear in X number of episodes, but there was probably something in there about how the relationship was meant to go. That said, he was still probably paid.It wouldn't have been much, but there have been guest people on the dhow, like Jiya, who have wrangled decent payments from them. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't also finagle something out of the tell all last season: I'll appear on 1 more episode if Whitney will bring up the hate I'm getting and condemn it. Regardless, Chase got something out of his appearance. I don't think any of them appear for the fun of it anymore.

It's not the reality, or lack thereof, that bothered me-it was the conversation, specifically on Whitney's part. There really are people out there who act like this, and that particular topic winds me up whether it's on Dr Phil or the Cathy comic strip.

Whitney has never been more unlikable than when she was talking to Ashley and Heather about surrogacy. It made me unreasonably angry, considering this is probably all fake anyway.

I watched the episode early... So even though Ashley has been doing all the communication and stuff she's only just NOW hearing about the app? I call bullshit. I also call bs that they wouldn't need her anymore. It pissed my 10yo off that Whitney ruined the bananas Hunter was going to use for banana bread. Does she seriously have to scream about everything? I spent 6 months in the hospital with hyperemisis during my third pregnancy and then I had a home health nurse for 6 months after. Vomiting triggers my PTSD. F her for blaming "the internet" for Le Dudezer Blur not wanting to date her. She's encouraged the online bullying. I'm still scarred over what happened to me with her zealot fans. If Jessica wants to be taken seriously as a trainer then she'd do well to separate from Whit. Heather absolutely should not be a surrogate for Whitney and fuck Whit for not taking her concerns seriously. If Whit really needs a surrogate (and she probably does) then she should pay someone. I'm now completely convinced that none of these people hang out in real life. Why was Whitney acting so shocked that Babs ran into an ex in a supermarket? Why did her friends act so shocked that she's meeting Chase? He's getting a paycheck just like they are.

She did. Now she's calling her "Goose".

I keep thinking about this, too. The only thing I can come up with is sociopathy, ego, and dupers delight. I think he never wanted to be a practicing doctor, he wanted to be in research. When he failed at that he figured he could reach the top by being a surgeon-only he was really, really bad at it. Through his over-inflated ego he figured that he could wing it. How hard could it be? He thought so much of himself that he may have honestly thought that he could just figure things out as he went. And when things did NOT go well, his lack of empathy made him figure, "Oh well, I'll do it right next time!" The longer he went and got away with it, the greater his ego and confidence grew. He avoided feeling bad by blaming everyone else for what happened and by not thinking if his patients as real people. He felt untouchable. That made him even MORE dangerous because at least in the beginning he cared a little about being good and trying, but after seeing that he wasn't getting in REAL trouble he dropped that pretense and just did whatever the fuck he wanted. Screwing up and hurting people and getting away with it may have led to a god complex that felt even better than helping people. Basically, I don't think he destroyed people for the fun of it, I think it was because he just honestly didn't know what he was doing and didn't give a fuck.

And Side B: "let me be absolutely clear." If we drank every time he said one of those or "stunning", "amazing", and "beautiful" then we'd be drunk until Thanksgiving.