JodyBug

Hello, @VedaPierce! A Joan Crawford fan? ? Pleasure to meet you! This is actually the first time I've ever posted about a reality show. I do watch others, for the same reason you do. In the end, we're all human, but the dysfunction on these shows is very producer, ego, financially, and alcohol driven -- and I keep that in mind. I watch a few of the Real Housewives series, but don't analyse them so much because it's almost too obvious what train wrecks and/or publicity-wh*res the characters are. I would post more if there were more shows as compelling as Seeking Sister Wive. I do not like the Sister Wives series and do not watch it. It's the deception in the Snowden Saga that get me. Now that I'm saying that what they're doing is criminal, but I'm a true crime buff and when there's a big (and I mean BIG) story in the news, something akin to Scott Peterson, etc, I'm all over it. I love to find the flaws. Oh, I miss Nancy Grace!!! Any show you love and want to recommend that you think might be fun to analyse together? Thank you SO SO much for your compliments regarding my posts! That means a great deal to me. I really appreciate it.

Okay, @Kyanight! I’m going to be a little less polite this time… Be warned. ? If you look at his website, (http://dimitrisnowden.com/) you’ll see that Dimitri likes to keep himself in top physical condition. Though he’s promoting himself as someone who “builds human experiences” (http://dimitrisnowden.com/ontological-architect/) and lists his professional abilities (http://dimitrisnowden.com/experience/) as those that relate to design, digital skills, and business management, the photograph he chooses to represent himself as a brand has absolutely nothing to do with anything he’s promoting. It’s a completely irrelevant photo showing him bare chested and in boxing shorts, flexing his muscles and showing off how ripped he is. This same photo is used on his Twitter account: (https://twitter.com/dimitrisnowden?lang=en) and his Instagram account: (https://www.instagram.com/dimitrisnowden/?hl=en). It’s his logo, LOL! Clearly, he is image conscious. Now, take a guy like that and add to this that he’s young and in want of a harem and a huge family (because he didn’t have one) --- and then consider how HE feels he’s going to look if he were to go for Ashley’s friend Jamira... As far as a breeding mate, Jamira is not the physical ideal. This is a biological fact, not a personal opinion. She lacks the young, fresh, untouched look men are naturally drawn to and a chauvinist like Dimitri salivates over. She doesn’t have the bright eyes and youthful glow that says “F*ck me.” After five kids, she looks tired. Her skin is sallow, suggesting she’s unhealthy. She doesn’t seem to have much energy. She’s a bit old to be pumping out many more kids, and she’s out-of-shape which could mean health issues such as diabetes, hormonal imbalances, problem pregnancies, lack of energy when caring for the children. She just doesn’t have the youth, energy, and physical beauty Dimitri requires. In short, she lacks the “wow factor” that Dimitri MUST HAVE to impress others. Yes. In my opinion, Dimitri wants two (or more!) women so he can boast about the fact that he's scored two ‘wives’. But, he doesn't want just two or more wives. He also wants them to be hot/sexy/desirable so that other men will envy and admire him. Dimitri requires Eye Candy so he can be proud of himself AND impress others. Jocelyn fit the bill perfectly. She looked like a young Brandy Norwood. She would have produced beautiful children --- and they would have been Dimitri’s offspring. Jamira has already birthed five kids that are not his, and he will have to support those kids, raise those kids, bring those kids into his world – but they will not BE his kids because he wants a bloodline, not a tribe, not a family. He is, as Ashley refers to him, the classic warrior. Now, not in his defense, but to be fair… Jamira looked bored. She definitely was not into Dimitri. Regardless of how introverted she may be, there were no indications via body language to suggest otherwise, nor was she, in any way, flirty, giggly, blushing, shy, or even making eye contact with Dimitri. Even the most quiet women unconsciously give off clues when they’re attracted to a man. Jamira acted like she was at a job interview, not a date. This alone tells me there was no chemistry or attraction on HER part. Meanwhile, Ashley is all giggly and saying that her cheekbones hurt because she can’t stop smiling. During a live internet chat before they all met, Jamira said that, if they became a family, she sees herself following Ashely around, going wherever she goes. Later during that conversation, Ashley made a remark to Jamira to the effect of: “You had me at ‘you’ll be with me’… ” Yeah, this appears to be an open relationship and Ashley appears to be attracted to women as well as to men – maybe even more so. Now, the benefit of Jamira, or any woman who is not a gorgeous model-type, to Ashley is two-fold. Ashley will be the more attractive of the two, remaining the prettiest in Dimitri’s eyes. But I don’t think it’s about that, so much as it is control. Take someone who will “follow you around” and who is more passive in nature, and you’ve gotten yourself a gal who will let you lead and determine the direction the family's going to take. If anyone is in control here, it’s Ashley, not Dimitri. I think she’s using his “mistake” with Jocelyn to subtly manipulate him – if it was a mistake at all. He got what he wanted (some young strange) and now he has to remain open to what she wants 'in exchange for the strange', even if the five-kids-issue was a deal-breaker from the get-go. Think about it... He checked out the moment he heard this gal has five kids. He didn’t need to see her, talk with her, or meet her. However, since Ashley was open to bringing Jamira’s brood into their family (possibly to prevent Dimitri from fathering children with anyone else – therefore, she’d have the only ‘bloodline kids’), Dimitri couldn’t appear closed-minded and reject Jamira based on the fact that she has children. Ashley had him by the proverbial balls. So he went along with it, went through the motions to keep Ashley happy, to score points, to appear to be open to what she wanted, to perhaps get a little redemption for his “mistake” with Jocelyn, and to basically get it over with. Next! Of course, he’s not going to make it about Jamira’s kids, as I opined above. And he’s certainly not going to make it about Jamira not having a stellar body because that would be shallow, and that man does not want to appear shallow to anyone. He wants to APPEAR elevated, enlightened, progressive, and all that other crap. And he most certainly wants to seem, to Ashley, like he's open to a “bigger” woman because he doesn’t want to piss her off. Where else is he going to find someone who’ll allow him to get his rocks off with other women and just frown about it because he didn’t get her permission first? Holy sh*tballs! He’s got it made! He’s not screwing THAT up for anything. If he has to have lunch with a toothless hag with warts on her nose and stink-breath you can smell from across the room, he’ll do it if that’s what Ashley wants. I’m sure of it. To keep his relationship (and his pants) open, he must show respect to Ashley and keep her content, which she seems to be. Now, about that smug look everyone keeps saying she has... That is the look of a confident woman. She knows what’s really going on. She knows the exact dynamics, and she calls the shots. I’m sure of that, too. For G*d sakes, Dimitri asks her what he should wear to his date and asks that she not let him apply too much cologne. Really? He can’t dress himself? This talented man with so many skills, a man who designs robots, cannot figure out how to apply men’s cologne?!?! That boy doesn’t make a move without Ashley… and I’ll bet his tryst with Jocelyn was no surprise to her. I suspect he asked permission well before his private date, something like: IF he gets a commitment from Jocelyn, can he have sex with her. I think the “mistake” he made was exactly what Ashley said it was. He put the cart before the whores horse. But back to that smug look… If you look at the photos of Ashley here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9593793/mediaindex?refine=publicity&ref_=nm_ov_resph you’ll note that her lower jaw protrudes just a bit. This is likely because it’s naturally “set” that way, bone structure wise. It’s most noticeable when Ashley is at Resting Face. However, there is another possibility; that it is a habit she’s developed. After all, Dimitri isn’t alone when it comes to wanting to project a certain image, and Ashley could have practiced facial expressions in front of a mirror (when Dimitri wasn’t standing in front of it jerking himself off to his ripped body). She may have found that pushing her bottom jaw just slightly outward gives her a particular expression; one she feels conveys the image she wants to have/establish -- a very chill woman, secure in who she is and in her relationship. After all, for some, going on television means presenting your “best side” to the camera, literally and figuratively. It’s very easy to find a facial expression that one feels “works” for them and then get into the habit of using it. Many women purse their lips to appear intelligent, keep their lower lip slightly dropped to look sensual, suck in their cheeks to accentuate their cheekbones, hold their head at a certain angle to de-emphasize a double chin... Regardless, Ashley does look smug at times, but you can say that about almost any strong woman when all eyes are on her. It IS interesting how she didn’t have (or use) that expression when gushing over Jamira (because she didn’t feel threatened), but had that expression set in stone when talking with Jocelyn… Thoughts?

@Grammaester, you may have been responding to my original post. If you were not, I agree with what you said (above) regarding mental intelligence versus emotional intelligence, yet I still don't believe Ashley is being taken by Dimitri, especially after watching the final episode and paying attention to some of her mannerisms after seeing them noted in this forum. If you were responding to me and enjoyed reading my take on the Snowdens, would you like to read my thoughts on the last episode? I have a theory about why Ashley's friend was a no-go to him; a few reasons. Let me know!

Fame whoring… Yeah, that’s another way of putting it. Yet, the same could be said about so many in the entertainment industry. What's the point? Likely to springboard from the show to something else. Doesn’t mean it will happen, but ya never know… I agree that the dishonesty, whether it be to the viewers or to other cast members, is what the audience finds so compelling. Unlikeable people and/or behavior sells, unfortunately. As far as the “brilliant” comment, one can appreciate the design of a deception without necessarily appreciating the deception. For instance; a defense attorney uses a unique strategy to get an offender acquitted. I can appreciate the brilliance of the strategy while still being unhappy over the result. ?

First time caller, long time listener. Okay, I confess. Some of the so-called “reality” shows interest me; my latest guilty pleasure being “Seeking Sister Wife”, featuring the Snowdens; a fascinating and compelling couple. Why do they fascinate me? Because to me, it’s obvious they’re on the show for the notoriety and the cash, not to spread awareness about a lifestyle. Like any genre of television series, reality shows are a business. The more viewers, the more business the networks get from sponsoring companies. THAT is the only true reality: rating$. The top-rated (most often watched) reality shows are those that give us, the viewers, drama. We WANT to see conflict, dilemma, social bullies, resolution, and underdogs coming out on top. We’re especially entranced with villains; those characters who rock the boat, stir sh*t up, and basically piss everybody off. These are the network heroes, believe it or not, as those characters are the reason we watch the show. And I do mean “characters” … Reality TV is entertainment, and therefore, the people featured must be entertaining, which means they must become someone we’re rooting for or someone we love to hate. We need to FEEL something when we watch them. It doesn’t matter what. The more a program (and the people on it) entertains us, the more we watch. The more we watch, the higher the ratings, and ratings mean sponsors, right down to paid product placement, which is when the characters featured in a reality show use a certain brand of product that would normally be blurred out. From cosmetics to crock-pots, cast members are paid to use products as well as generate drama. This is show business; emphasis on the word ‘business’, and one Seeking Sister Wife couple, in my opinion, understand and accept this and are embracing and using that reality to gain recognition (reality stardom or ‘fame’) and an income. Someone shared a link to a blog post where the author of that post used the word “snow job” as a nickname for the Snowden couple, yet the snow job is not being done on one partner by another, but on us. I believe that Dimitri and Ashley know EXACTLY what they’re doing. They have created a story based around a lifestyle to suit the needs of a show in order to get featured on that show. I don’t think for one second that Ashley is having the proverbial wool pulled over her eyes. I believe that she and her “warrior” are sticking to a story that isn’t true in the hopes that they will gain a level of status they wouldn’t otherwise have, as well as a unique form of success which includes a hefty income. If you note how often Ashley mentions’ building wealth’, you may begin to see, if you haven’t already, that this is a carefully orchestrated act being performed by the both of them. On this website, Ashley Snowden is listed as a Seeking Sister Wife “actor”. https://gowatchit.com/actor/ashley-snowden-1390166 And, as she stated on her Instagram account: “We are simplified on the show for your entertainment, but there’s so much y’all don’t know.” “for your entertainment”…. No one wants to tune in and watch someone do their laundry, or watch them at work, or listen to the small talk that goes on at the breakfast table. Viewers want something unusual and far removed from what they consider a “normal” lifestyle, which is why the Real Housewives are always throwing some theme party or event, or taking an exotic trip. Do you think this was their ‘normal’ before they were in a “reality” show? Of course not. It wouldn’t be entertaining to watch how ‘like’ us these people are (human). We want the dysfunction. We want the drama. It entertains us. Smoke and mirrors create an illusion of magic. The people featured on reality TV are not sharing their most intimate moments. They don’t actually have a camera crew with them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They do get private time and they do set boundaries as to what can, and cannot, be recorded. For instance, some may not want their children appearing on the show, so any time their children are involved, the cameras are not. For most families, that’s a huge chunk of lost footage – but it’s also when they can take off their masks, let their hair down, and be real. When we know someone’s watching us, we tend to change our behavior. Add to this that reality shows are carefully edited to show specific people and situations in a certain light; emphasizing some aspects of their character and downplaying others. Conversations are chopped into snippets and played for us out of context. This includes facial expressions. Reactions that were not in response to a statement made by one of the characters, but to something else entirely, are shown out of sequence. Creative editing makes everything more dramatic and more interesting. Certain situations are staged or intentionally created (or re-created/acted out) for dramatic effect. Producers prompt the show characters, often telling them what “the viewers” love about them and want to see. It can be total BS, but if someone narcissistic and hungry for fame is told that their fans think So-and-So is taking advantage of them, or that the fans love it when they stand up to So-and-So, that person going to react differently when So-and-So is present, more differently than they would have without having proverbial seeds planted in their head and a video camera on them. So onto the Snowdens… I suspect that they have an open relationship; something they likely had from the get-go. I know couples who have open marriages and it isn’t at all unusual (to them) for the husband to salivate over another woman in the presence of his wife; and vice versa. Now, if Dimitri and Ashley are swingers, and/or if Ashley is bisexual, then one can more easily understand and accept why she wouldn’t be bothered by her not-husband getting all worked up over other women. It seems to me that when the woman they are ‘dating’ is more into men or Dimitri than they’re into women or Ashley, Ashley naturally feels left out and so it’s a “no” on the other woman. I do not think she is at all threatened by Dimitri screwing around with other women, nor do I believe that any conversation they had about his “mistake” with Jocelyn was filmed as it happened. I’m sure that was a private conversation, if it happened at all, held behind closed doors with cameras off. Some wonder why Ashely wouldn’t want to be Dimitri’s legal wife, saying she’d be more financially secure if she were. Not for nothing, but Dimitri doesn’t strike me as someone who is a good provider. He seems all over the place. His website lists his failures, an obvious way of nipping things in the bud, as it were. Address the issues he’ll most certainly be questioned about before they become issues. Put it out there as a list of experiences, lessons, trial-and-errors. Package it as something to be shared intentionally rather than a confession; something revealed before the public discovers it. Give it a soft spin. Okay, so how is he supporting himself and his family and that expensive house of theirs? Six years ago, Ashley stopped working to be a stay-at-home-mom. http://viyoutube.com/video/ob16mcSDBv8/i decided to make a career change She chose not to marry her Dimitri and, after two more children, she remains legally single by choice. If she were to marry, she wouldn’t be able to present herself as a single mother with three children, and therefore, she would not be able to collect welfare and other benefits IF this is how she supports herself and her family. On her website: http://ashleykapri.com/ she describes herself as: “writer • mystic • dancer • educator”. In addition to that and being an “actor”, she is also featured on Medium.com as a psychic medium: https://medium.com/@ashleykaprisnowden I have no problem with any of that. I simply have a speculation... If Ashley’s been a stay-at-home-mom for the last six years, I doubt any work she may have done as a writer, mystic, dancer, or educator during that time has paid enough to support the tribe. This is why I suspect that when an opportunity presented itself, the Snowden’s saw it for exactly what it was and put a spin on their reality ("...there’s so much y’all don’t know.”) pleasing the network and getting the job. I find them to be extremely clever in this respect. They are playing roles, archetypes; Ashley The Earth Mother who I can see later becoming some kind of consultant to other women who want what she has while Dimitri is the 'Jack of All Trades, Master of None'. He’s keeping his options open. Come what may. I suspect he is a sociopath - which doesn’t automatically make him dangerous in the physical sense, but I wouldn’t trust him in a business deal. I can see him hoping his stint on Seeking Sister Wife will enable him to build an empire, perhaps doing business coaching. He’s charming, charismatic, and an expert in semantics. He could literally be a criminal defense attorney with the way he twists words and ideas. The Snowdens seem like a very smart and united couple looking for income, book deals, and business opportunities. “Progressive Tribal” is their shtick. So, I don’t think the SnowDen of Inequity is as off-balance as people think. I believe it’s exactly what Ashley said it was: entertainment. But we want to believe it’s real, so we do. And in my opinion, THAT is the real snow job. And it’s brilliant!