S05.E06: Four Wives in Two RVs

[RedheadZombie]

I've always felt that they treat appearing on the show as the equivalent of holding down a job.  Each of the five adults is paid a salary for his/her work, and salaries are not paid based on the number of children you happen to have.  The Brown family has made the choice to live in separate homes and have separate budgets.  One wife cannot be held responsible for that decision.  

 

As for Meri's contribution, I agree with those who have said that driving is a big job and that Meri also seemed to have been in charge of the shopping.  I also agree that the other wives likely would not have appreciated have Meri show up and start interfering with their packing.  This is not a situation where anyone is dealing with lots of young children.  Really, the only two wives with small children are Robyn (Solomon) and Christine (Truely).  The rest of the children are certainly capable of packing a bag with a small amount of oversight.

 

If you watch the group scenes, you frequently see Meri interacting with the children.  Actually, I recall seeing her interact with the children who are not hers more than the other wives.  For instance, I have never seen Janelle holding a child who was not her own.  That's not a criticism of anyone. (And it may be that Meri stands out for me because I know that none of the younger children are hers.  Janelle may be interacting with the other children, and I may not notice it because the younger Browns tend to blur together in my mind.)

 

I've long felt it unfair that Meri gets a disproportionate amount of the money, meaning Mariah gets huge perks that the other kids don't.  It doesn't bother me as much now, simply because the children are all having their needs met, plus some.  But back in Lehi, Janelle's and Christine's kids were crammed into tiny rooms with broken down looking furniture - eating garbage while Meri eats her expensive health food.  And it bothered me that while Janelle worked full time and Christine was the full time caretaker of all the kids, Meri supposedly worked part time so she could take impromptu trips with Kody.

 

I liked Meri the first season, and I'm really lightening up on her this season.  She and Mariah are much better apart (I'm speaking of on camera only) - they bring out the petulant and whiny in each other.  I finally get what Meri means by her empty nest syndrome.  I don't think it's because Mariah left, it's because Meri is experiencing it alone.  Kody is not experiencing it with her.  It may sound trivial, but I see Meri withdrawing from the rest.  There's a palpable sadness about her, and she knows how many viewers feel about her.  You can see her almost parsing each word she says to avoid misinterpretation or criticism.

 

I've seen really good back and forth between Meri and Christine.  On this episode, they were together explaining stuff to Christine's kids in the RV, and they were goofing around with their "Hoover Dam" thing.  I think Meri has a fun side, we just haven't seen much since the first season.  Meri used to (and maybe still does) sew every child in the family PJ's every Christmas, and it was a tradition for all the kids to model their new PJ's Christmas Day.  I often see Meri sharing affection with the littler kids, and she was sliding down the hill with Ysabel.  She also has a comfortable way of reprimanding and guiding the kids that sounds like mothering more than nagging.  For instance, telling Mykelti to cover her boobs, telling Garrison to take a "potty stop", calling out the boys when they were picking on Robyn's kids.  Last episode she was praising Logan and one of the other teenagers.  I see real affection between Meri and all the kids.  Meri is also the best at incorporating Robyn's kids into the shuffle.

 

You're right, Janelle just doesn't show affection to the other kids - not even Christine's.  She does love on Savannah, and calls her kids "honey", so I think she's just not the overtly physical type.  Like Meri, Janelle also withdraws from everyone and keeps more to herself.

[Rhondinella]

Yeah, from what I have seen of Janelle she and I have a similar personality and approach to life.  And I personally, while I love my three kids to death, have never been an "overly-attached" parent.  I've always made sure they were safe, fed, clothed, basic needs met, and that they were loved on and told how precious and loved they are by me and my husband.  But I've never felt the need to be with them 24/7.  At least not since they were babies.  I'm just someone who doesn't care as much about the tiny details that a lot of parents sweat, so I'm sure I come off to some as not really caring.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  So I do think it's a personality thing with Janelle.  I think Janelle is also an introvert like me who just needs time by herself.

 

Plus the overwhelming demands of the burgeoning business has exhausted her

 

 

Well, walking out to the garage twice a month, putting something into an envelope and driving it ALL THE WAY TO THE POST OFFICE is exhausting, don't you know?

[Higgins]

Yeah, from what I have seen of Janelle she and I have a similar personality and approach to life.  And I personally, while I love my three kids to death, have never been an "overly-attached" parent.  I've always made sure they were safe, fed, clothed, basic needs met, and that they were loved on and told how precious and loved they are by me and my husband.  But I've never felt the need to be with them 24/7.  At least not since they were babies.  I'm just someone who doesn't care as much about the tiny details that a lot of parents sweat, so I'm sure I come off to some as not really caring.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  So I do think it's a personality thing with Janelle.  I think Janelle is also an introvert like me who just needs time by herself.

 

 

Well, walking out to the garage twice a month, putting something into an envelope and driving it ALL THE WAY TO THE POST OFFICE is exhausting, don't you know?

I'm the same way.

[Intuition]

 

I don't think anyone is actually suggesting she should have to slave over the other children--that's the whole point: she SHOULDN'T have to. But...the Brown party line is that one of the supposed perks of plyg life is that the sister wives are all in there helping raise each other's children. What most people snark about here is the discrepancy between those supposed perks and the REALITY of how the Brown women live.

 

Most of this has been said already, but I agree with whoever said that Meri was likely more involved with the kids while Mariah and the other kids were younger.  But also, from another point of view none of the other wives has had to do as much to support Meri in her child rearing as she has likely done for the others, just by virtue of there being two (and now 3) other wives with several kids a piece.  So it's not an even distribution right off the bat.

 

 

Yeah, from what I have seen of Janelle she and I have a similar personality and approach to life.  And I personally, while I love my three kids to death, have never been an "overly-attached" parent.  I've always made sure they were safe, fed, clothed, basic needs met, and that they were loved on and told how precious and loved they are by me and my husband.  But I've never felt the need to be with them 24/7.  At least not since they were babies.  I'm just someone who doesn't care as much about the tiny details that a lot of parents sweat, so I'm sure I come off to some as not really caring.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  So I do think it's a personality thing with Janelle.  I think Janelle is also an introvert like me who just needs time by herself.

 

ITA, I am an introvert and I have often said that about Janelle myself.  I also think she is not much of a feeling type, which can mean she doesn't openly display affection as much as some of the other wives.  This can make her look less involved and less caring in a way, but that's just on the surface.  It's there, she just doesn't wear it on her sleeve.  She doesn't control or smother her children, but encourages their independence.  My own mother was like that.  I sometimes look at Christine and think that if she were my mother I'd be telling her to leave me alone all the time.  To me she seems way over-involved.

 

I think Meri is likely an introvert too, which also goes to make her look more selfish and less involved when that's not necessarily the case.  I also think she is more of a feeling type than Janelle, only when she expresses feeling, it's more in a private, low key way than in loud, over-the-top ways as with Christine.  Meri and Janelle are not high energy people like Christine is, which can be misinterpreted at a distance as laziness, uninvolvement, or not pitching in enough.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Intuition

[LotusFlower]

I've always felt that they treat appearing on the show as the equivalent of holding down a job.  Each of the five adults is paid a salary for his/her work, and salaries are not paid based on the number of children you happen to have.  The Brown family has made the choice to live in separate homes and have separate budgets.  One wife cannot be held responsible for that decision.  

 

Sure, get a salary from TLC, but then most mothers and fathers use that salary to pay family expenses. Meri uses her income to live what looks like a fairly cushy life for herself and Mariah. That's only 1/18 of the Brown family. The others are getting shafted.

[suomi]

I'll chime in with recognizing my fellow introverts, and their parenting styles. I can't even imagine being part of a large (needy) group like that on a constant basis.

 

Great book.

http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404898934&sr=1-1&keywords=the+power+of+quiet

[kccody]

Finally got to watch! I think Madi wanted to try the steak challenge just because she likes a challenge, her weight is fine. Did anyone else notice that Kody's gold convertible had a noticable dent in it? It was shown in a garage and there was definately a big ding on the bumper. Sure looked like Robyn was going to swear getting out of the RV in the snow. Kody and the sewage- pure gold. I am not a RV'er, but am sure this happens at times, does someone clean up the waste after an accident like this? Please tell him the waste is somehow cleaned up, if not that's horrible for the next RV to pull up at.

[Janc]

Not only does the Dayton/David name change seem strange, it appears Gabriel has started calling himself "Robert".  I first saw this last week on the mission statement hung on the wall in one of the houses, the one that each family member signed last year in their big ceremony - there was a large "ROBERT" on the bottom, and that totally confused me, as I couldn't recall there being a Robert in the family.  Then on the last show (in the restaurant maybe?, Kody was calling out some kids' names and said "Robert" ... so by process of elimination, it must be Gabriel who is wanting to be called another name, perhaps his middle name.  Hmmm...

[Absolom]

More anemic ratings:  1.393 M viewers and a 0.4 rating.

 

I can understand the Brown's system of dividing the TLC up to a point.  Each wife has to maintain a household so there should be a base amount for each.  I think there should be an adjustment made for children at home though and possible a separate pot for funding those at college so they are all on equal footing.

[Rhondinella]

I'm no expert on this, but my understanding was that most of these polygamous marriages associated with Mormons or former Mormons or off-shoots of Mormonism hold to a similar philosophy that Islam does when a man has more than one wife:  All his wives must be treated equally in terms of housing, possessions, money spent on them, etc.  One can't be given a huge portion and another a small one, no matter how many children each has to support.  

 

I used to live in Kenya where polygamy is still legal and practiced, but mostly among the upper classes of society (members of Parliament, etc.) because the average Kenyan person can't afford to support more than one wife under such a requirement.  

[GleamingMist]

Not only does the Dayton/David name change seem strange, it appears Gabriel has started calling himself "Robert".  I first saw this last week on the mission statement hung on the wall in one of the houses, the one that each family member signed last year in their big ceremony - there was a large "ROBERT" on the bottom, and that totally confused me, as I couldn't recall there being a Robert in the family.  Then on the last show (in the restaurant maybe?, Kody was calling out some kids' names and said "Robert" ... so by process of elimination, it must be Gabriel who is wanting to be called another name, perhaps his middle name.  Hmmm...

 

Garrison is the one whose first name is Robert.  Kody mentions it in this video:

 

(Hope that link works)

[Janc]

Huh... but I'm sure I heard someone also say Garrison by name on the last ep.  Confusing... oh well.  The kids are all so young in that video, 4 years ago already! 

[SometimesBites]

More anemic ratings:  1.393 M viewers and a 0.4 rating.

 

I can understand the Brown's system of dividing the TLC up to a point.  Each wife has to maintain a household so there should be a base amount for each.  I think there should be an adjustment made for children at home though and possible a separate pot for funding those at college so they are all on equal footing.

I agree. Each adult should get an equivalent personal sum--we'll call that the allowance, as it were. Then there should be a division of assets determined by the number of and needs of the children in that household. How the individual wife manages the $ for her household is up to her; if Janelle is more conservative with her household budget for six children than Christine is (or vice versa), then she'll likely end up with a bit more expendable $ or savings.

 

All Kody gets, though, is the base allowance, as he is ultimately the least significant person in their entire herd. Other than stud service, what is he good for? 

[Toaster Strudel]

More anemic ratings:  1.393 M viewers and a 0.4 rating.

 

Huzzah! They're inching close to cancellation range!  They rated the same as "Pawn Stars" on History and "Guys Grocery Games" on the Food Network.   The writing is on the wall (literally all the time on this show), better make sure the place in Lehi is in order... if they can afford it.  They can recoup some of their investment melting the silver!

[Galloway Cave]

 

Other than stud service, what is he good for?

Our entertainment, for a limited time.

[RedheadZombie]

I'm no expert on this, but my understanding was that most of these polygamous marriages associated with Mormons or former Mormons or off-shoots of Mormonism hold to a similar philosophy that Islam does when a man has more than one wife:  All his wives must be treated equally in terms of housing, possessions, money spent on them, etc.  One can't be given a huge portion and another a small one, no matter how many children each has to support.  

 

I used to live in Kenya where polygamy is still legal and practiced, but mostly among the upper classes of society (members of Parliament, etc.) because the average Kenyan person can't afford to support more than one wife under such a requirement.  

 

The Williams family from My Five Wives adjusts each wife's monthly allowance by the number of children the wife has, and they don't have as much variance in children as the Browns.  They followed the same religion as the Browns, but left the church.  I can't help but think that's the most fair.  Everything is much more expensive with six kids vs. one - food, school supplies, clothing, school fees, bedding, towels, healthcare, etc.

 

At this point, I don't know if it's even a fact that all four Brown wives receive equal monthly allowance.  It was discussed at length on TWoP, but I don't remember if it originated from their book or speculation.

Not only does the Dayton/David name change seem strange, it appears Gabriel has started calling himself "Robert".  I first saw this last week on the mission statement hung on the wall in one of the houses, the one that each family member signed last year in their big ceremony - there was a large "ROBERT" on the bottom, and that totally confused me, as I couldn't recall there being a Robert in the family.  Then on the last show (in the restaurant maybe?, Kody was calling out some kids' names and said "Robert" ... so by process of elimination, it must be Gabriel who is wanting to be called another name, perhaps his middle name.  Hmmm...

 

Isn't it possible that since Dayton is named after his father David, he went by Dayton to avoid confusion?  Many Jrs. go by nicknames.

[CofCinci]

None of the older boys have any respect for their father and it's easy to see why. They're the men of the house of 75% of the time. Then this floppy-haired fool strolls in and wants to play alpha male for the night. No wonder why so many teenage boys are abandoned in these polygamist communities.

Truley's 4th birthday and her father was so disconnected from her. Why couldn't she have hotel breakfast with him?

I howled when Meri entered the scene with her adorable matching luggage. Like a boss, Meri. Like a boss. She's the Bottom Bitch and she ain't going nowhere.

[Kohola3]

I am not a RV'er, but am sure this happens at times, does someone clean up the waste after an accident like this? Please tell him the waste is somehow cleaned up, if not that's horrible for the next RV to pull up at.

 

It's up to the moron to clean up the spill but I cannot even begin to imagine that the Lord High King would stoop to that.  He'd leave his crap for someone else to clean up much like he does with the rest of his life.  Or maybe command his loyal troops to do it provided they don't beat him to death with the sewer hose.

[ghoulina]

The Williams family from My Five Wives adjusts each wife's monthly allowance by the number of children the wife has, and they don't have as much variance in children as the Browns.  They followed the same religion as the Browns, but left the church.  I can't help but think that's the most fair.  Everything is much more expensive with six kids vs. one - food, school supplies, clothing, school fees, bedding, towels, healthcare, etc.

 

I agree that the method you mention would be the most fair. If you're giving every wife the same lump sum each month, and one wife has 1 kid and the others 4-6 - that's not really treating all the wives equally. Because the other moms have to stretch their money much more thin than the wife of one child. It just seems like common sense, but I doubt Queen Meri would ever have any of that. 

[Ladystardust]

My opinion on the money thing is that the TLC money should be split equally, regardless of the number of children. They're all doing the same "job". For instance: I don't have kids. If my company hired someone who had 4 kids to work the exact same job as me, I would not expect them to get paid more because they have a larger family. It's not my fault if I can afford nice vacations or whatever and they can't. I assume when the wives work separate jobs they keep all of their money from that. Just my opinion - I know it's not exactly the same and some may consider the TLC income "family" income and not necessarily personal income and there's also if you think the kids should get paid or not to consider.

 

HOWEVER, Kody's 1/5 of the TLC salary should be split according to the kids since he is the father of them all. That should even it out some (i.e. Meri only gets a tiny bit of contribution from Kody, but Jenelle and Christine get more). It's not mentioned a lot about Kody's money. Does he get a fifth to spend on just himself  (if so, that's shittier to me than Meri only having to support herself and Mariah)? Does he just mooch off the wives?

[ladle]

Am I missing something?  I'm from the Northeast, so maybe my perspective is different from the Brown's, but those looked to me like only a few flurries-- not exactly the storm of the century.  Why were they so bent out of shape?  Plus, it's not like they needed to be outside of the RVs for an extended period of time.  Wtf?

 

After reading in the last episode thread about how Robyn's daughters insert themselves in the scenes/suck up, I can't help noticing it now. Looks like they were the first ones to run to the RV.

Robyn's kids made me sad in this episode.  I tend to see their overeagerness to fit in as a coping mechanism.  It can't have been easy to join this big new family (in which the other kids are all biologically related and have known each other their whole lives) and have to start calling some strange guy "dad."

 

I didn't get Robyn's comment about cracking the ice herself or something, but I noticed Janelle flinch when she said it.

 

I flinched when Christine said that thing about how as pligs, they like getting stuff for free-- considering their sordid history of bankruptcies and defrauding the state.  Oopsie!

 

I can see that he might have to apologize to the dancing kid (though why does the dancing kid not have to apologize for holding everyone up) but why would he have to apologize to Christine?? Because she is the kid's mother?

 

The Kodemeister also made him apologize to Truely.  Huh?  Also, Robyn mentioned later that she was happy to see Ysabel happily playing on the grassy knoll because she'd had such a tough day.  Double huh?  Just because her brother called her "stupid"?  Maybe there was an element of the altercation that we missed?

 

In every scene, all I could think was, "OMG, that would be such hell."

To be fair, this could sum up the entire show.

 

[camom]

 

those looked to me like only a few flurries-- not exactly the storm of the century.  Why were they so bent out of shape?

I thought the same thing.  And the comment about being from Las Vegas.  Huh?  How many years did you live in Utah and/or Montana?  You've only lived in Vegas for a couple of years.  Surely you can handle a few fluffy snow flakes.  

[Galloway Cave]

 

I assume when the wives work separate jobs they keep all of their money from that.

Money earned gets divided into five equal family/Kody pots and one community pot to be used as needed by which ever mom needs it at the moment. They never said if the community pot was equal to the others. Kody has always been very clear that their money was equally divided by wife, period. However, Janelle seemed to get the short end of the financial stick on a regular basis. When she got an inheritance, it was used to buy the Lehi home (after Kody begged her to return to the family). After a while, she added Meri and Kody's names to the title. When they moved to Vegas, her retirement fund was used to fund the move.

[LucyEth]

Thought this episode was pretty boring.  I did find it very telling that Christine said when her kids pick on each other she handles it start to finish but in this case it was Janelle's son picking on her daughter and Janelle and Kody needed to handle it.  Really?  I thought they were all one big happy family.  The kids are all siblings and the woman are all mothers to all the children aren't they?  Last week Madison described the other wives as not really stepmother's more like aunts.  Not really as tight knit as they should be IMO.

[SometimesBites]

My opinion on the money thing is that the TLC money should be split equally, regardless of the number of children. They're all doing the same "job". For instance: I don't have kids. If my company hired someone who had 4 kids to work the exact same job as me, I would not expect them to get paid more because they have a larger family. It's not my fault if I can afford nice vacations or whatever and they can't.

I don't see the correlation. How employees are paid by their employer and how a family chooses to divide its income to benefit all members of the family equitably seems like apples and oranges.

[Ladystardust]

Money earned gets divided into five equal family/Kody pots and one community pot to be used as needed by which ever mom needs it at the moment. They never said if the community pot was equal to the others. Kody has always been very clear that their money was equally divided by wife, period. However, Janelle seemed to get the short end of the financial stick on a regular basis. When she got an inheritance, it was used to buy the Lehi home (after Kody begged her to return to the family). After a while, she added Meri and Kody's names to the title. When they moved to Vegas, her retirement fund was used to fund the move.

 

Interesting. I assumed the wives got to keep whatever they made themselves.

 

I don't see the correlation. How employees are paid by their employer and how a family chooses to divide its income to benefit all members of the family equitably seems like apples and oranges.

 

Yeah, that's why I said it sort of depends on if you see it as family income or individual income. I guess I saw it as each adult being independent contractors of TLC (probably because I'm an independent contractor in the television field myself, so that's just how my brain works with that stuff! But I've never worked in reality TV or with entire families). But if they've always pooled their money from their different various jobs (like someone stated above), then yeah, I agree with you. It should be considered family money and distributed by need/number of children. For some reason I thought they each kept their own money if the wives had jobs (and Christine probably got a little bit for babysitting). 

 

It's also hard to see them as one big family when they certainly don't act like it. I can see how distributing it by number of children would work well if they all actually worked as ONE family. On the other hand, they act like completely separate families so I can see how it would seem unfair to Meri for her to work the exact same days (couch interviews, cameras everywhere, etc.) and get much less money for it. 

 

I wish they would discuss stuff like this on the show. It's much more interesting than another road trip. 

[WimminWinning]

Interesting. I assumed the wives got to keep whatever they made themselves.

 

 

Yeah, that's why I said it sort of depends on if you see it as family income or individual income. I guess I saw it as each adult being independent contractors of TLC (probably because I'm an independent contractor in the television field myself, so that's just how my brain works with that stuff! But I've never worked in reality TV or with entire families). But if they've always pooled their money from their different various jobs (like someone stated above), then yeah, I agree with you. It should be considered family money and distributed by need/number of children. For some reason I thought they each kept their own money if the wives had jobs (and Christine probably got a little bit for babysitting). 

 

It's also hard to see them as one big family when they certainly don't act like it. I can see how distributing it by number of children would work well if they all actually worked as ONE family. On the other hand, they act like completely separate families so I can see how it would seem unfair to Meri for her to work the exact same days (couch interviews, cameras everywhere, etc.) and get much less money for it. 

 

I wish they would discuss stuff like this on the show. It's much more interesting than another road trip. 

 

They don't really pool their money though. They talked about their financial situation back in Lehi and Kody's income covered Christine and Robyn's "grocery money" and some of the Lehi mortgage and utilities and Robyn's rent, Janelle's income covered the majority of the Lehi mortgage and utilities, and Meri's part-time income covered the small bills in the Lehi house. This was never a family that pooled income, they just worked together to stretch their "finite" resources.

 

Given that, I agree that dividing the TLC money equally 5 ways is fair - especially given that they all have roughly the same mortgage payments no matter how many kids they have. Kody's income should be spent on the costs of some wives having additional kids and he should be covering extra grocery expenses, dentist visits, college tuition, holiday expenses, back-to-school shopping, etc. I think that's what they do informally because in one episode after they moved to Vegas, Kody said that everything is divided equally and the the kids go to him when they need something - he then made a joke about how Mariah never comes to him.

[MMLEsq]

400 miles was the most they would drive in a day.  Let's see, that's 5 hours of driving. 

400 miles in 5 hours is an average of 80 mph, which doesn't seem likely with two fairly large RVs.  I don't remember ever seeing an RV fly by me on the road -- not sure if it's because technically they can't really go that fast or if RV drivers are trying to get better gas mileage by maintaining a lower speed or if it's because it doesn't make for a safe/comfortable ride for people that might be standing up and moving around inside the RV.  Plus, some of them are riding in the van, so they'll need at least of couple of stops for rest breaks and to eat.  And stops to refuel.  I could easily see them averaging only 50 or so mph when you factor all of that in.  (And that's not even considering how long it takes the Browns to get their act together and get going...they seem to get a late start and I'm sure a "quick" stop to refuel probably ends up taking about 30 minutes as everyone gets out to stretch their legs, starts talking, etc.)  Plus, one of the points they made at the beginning was that they were going to try to enjoy the trip, see things along the way, etc. (or, as I like to think of it, they were going into it with the attitude that "the journey itself is its own reward"). 

 

Truley's 4th birthday and her father was so disconnected from her. Why couldn't she have hotel breakfast with him?

I seem to recall on the morning of Truley's (Truely?) birthday, Christine asked her if she wanted to ride with her father that day and Truley answered no.  You've gotta love four-year-olds -- they'll tell you truth, even if it's not the "politically correct" answer.

 

Speaking of Truley, she seems like a very cute, very sweet, but very young four-year-old.  Even her hair looks like it's still wispy baby hair.  She's adorable though.   

Edited July 11, 2014 by MMLEsq

[SometimesBites]

I wish they would discuss stuff like this on the show. It's much more interesting than another road trip. 

Boy howdy!

[CofCinci]

Is anyone creeped out that they're taking their children to meet some polygamist that emailed them? They could be total weirdos or sickos.

[DanaMB]

Yeah, I don't get that at all. I know it's all for a story line, but I find it very weird.

[technorebel]

Is anyone creeped out that they're taking their children to meet some polygamist that emailed them? They could be total weirdos or sickos.

It's probably just another famewhore family that emailed TLC trying to get on tv, and the producers set it up.

CofCinci, I'm glad you're still here. I was afraid you ran off to Las Vegas to stand outside the plyg cul-de-sac wearing a teeshirt that says "Pick me for number 5!"

[Fosca]

I've driven an RV across the country several times (by myself, though) and I'm lucky if I average 60mph while driving.  Between that and the stress of driving a huge beast like that (if the wind is blowing, it can get exciting), driving 400 miles is a good day (and can take a lot longer than it might seem).  What I can drive in four days in a car takes six or seven in the RV.  And I don't have to wrangle twenty other people when I'm doing it.

[WimminWinning]

I agree Fosca, driving an RV is always slow going, but the Browns seem to make it twice as slower than necessary. Why does it take several hours for every potty break? In fact, why are there potty breaks at all? They are on an RV for goodness sakes. I would assume that there's a bathroom, a kitchen to prepare snacks, and a bit of space to stand up and stretch your legs. Plus, there are 6 adults driving 3 vehicles so they could pull over and trade driving duties every 3-4 hours without anyone getting off the RV. I see no need for these extensive, time-sucking breaks. They should be able to knock out 400 miles in 8 hours - that's plenty of time to do a 3 hour stop at some sightseeing spot and get to the RV park by 7pm if they start by 8am. There's the common sense way of doing things, and then there's the Brown way.

[Absolom]

We also have to add in the filming at the stops and the need for drama during the trip. 

[CofCinci]

CofCinci, I'm glad you're still here. I was afraid you ran off to Las Vegas to stand outside the plyg cul-de-sac wearing a teeshirt that says "Pick me for number 5!"

The things we do for wet bars.

[SometimesBites]

We also have to add in the filming at the stops and the need for drama during the trip. 

Exactly. I mean, what kind of edge-of-your-seat television would it be if they just drove from point A to point B? Viewers need the mind-numbing...I mean THRILLING diversion of all the fun they have along the way. Yippeee!

[DakotaJustice]

Robyn is such a flippin drama Queen.

Well the ratings were slightly higher than last week...my guess is that was due to the fact that TLC used the most hilarious/interesting part of the entire episode as it's teaser (Robyn screaming "I don't give a shit!!" along with Kody getting a load of shit...and as Cynical Jinx pointed out on her recap, he used the white water hose to clean the sewer hose - sticking the nozzle of the white hose INSIDE the sewer hose...ewwww!!!). Clearly the producers and the Browns are going for the gross out honey boo boo audience along with us snarkers - anything to keep their cash cow coagulating along for a couple more seasons. Just as Kate Gosselin has said, if it weren't for the haters, she'd be out of a job.

[toodles]

I love me some Justified.  To paraphrase the awesome Raylan Givens, "Would you call this a gaggle or a herd of assholes"?  I'm not talking about the kids.  I'm looking at you, Brown "adults".

[4leafclover]

 

Would you call this a gaggle or a herd of assholes"?  I'm not talking about the kids.  I'm looking at you, Brown "adults".

 

Hmmmm......I'm thinking it would be an "RV of assholes!"   lol

[Kohola3]

I see no need for these extensive, time-sucking breaks.

 

How much wasted time went into that totally unnecessary visit to the gym?  And we had a minimum of an hour with the equally stupid steak eating contest not counting getting the crew set up, herding everyone into place (no pun intended) and interviews with everybody.  No way they made that trip in the number of days they are claiming.

In fact, why are there potty breaks at all?

 

That's kind of the point of driving a motorhome.  If it's self-contained, stops are minimized.  And we know for a fact that they used the bathrooms (see Kodoofus and the Craptastic Tantrum).

[Absolom]

It seems they also took a van so those people didn't have moving around and bathroom access.  There was the crew to consider also.

[Micks Picks]

I actually think it is kin d of respectful to identify the kids as "Christine's" or whomever.  He could say Christines 'and mine but it gets kind of clumsy.  I used to respectfully introduce my sister in law as "my husband's sister, Ann" because that was exactly who she was.  She wasn't my brother's wife, and I just clarified in the introduction who she was.  Yet I found out she was highly offended at what I thought was the respectful and more precise intro.

[Rhondinella]

It's actually common in some polygamous cultures like Kenya (where it is still legal, but mainly only practiced by the super wealthy, so not a lot) for mothers to be referred to by the name of their children, or at least their first born (or their first born boy if their first born is a girl).  My first born is named Andrew, and so when I lived there I was sometimes referred to as "Mama Andrew," or less frequently "Mama Alex" (my second born).  This is considered a term of great respect but also can be quite practical in certain situations.  When it was more common for men to have more than one wife, this form of address would distinguish which wife he was referring to and which children belonged to her.  I also found it really helpful when addressing or referring to the mothers of children my kids went to school with if I didn't know their given names.  In the States we'd just say "Andrew's mom," which is OK but is not a formal title of any kind.

[Zahdii]

It's actually common in some polygamous cultures like Kenya (where it is still legal, but mainly only practiced by the super wealthy, so not a lot) for mothers to be referred to by the name of their children, or at least their first born (or their first born boy if their first born is a girl).  My first born is named Andrew, and so when I lived there I was sometimes referred to as "Mama Andrew," or less frequently "Mama Alex" (my second born).  This is considered a term of great respect but also can be quite practical in certain situations.  When it was more common for men to have more than one wife, this form of address would distinguish which wife he was referring to and which children belonged to her.  I also found it really helpful when addressing or referring to the mothers of children my kids went to school with if I didn't know their given names.  In the States we'd just say "Andrew's mom," which is OK but is not a formal title of any kind.

Your husband wasn't a high school counselor at one time was he?  Because if so, I may have babysat for you when I was in high school!  If it was you, say hi to the family for me, and I'm still embarrassed by burning your kitchen floor.  :(

[CousinOliver]

Robyn's reaction to a little snow flurry was ridiculous.  From the previews, I thought something had gone horribly wrong, like the raw sewerage spilled on her.  That woman needs to grow up immediately.  

 

I liked seeing the poo spew on Kody (hated him automatically blaming someone other than himself, even thought they probably just shifted over 400 miles of road), his silly skipping in the gym, and the "general" comment from his son.  What can I say, I don't like the man.  

 

I think we saw Robyn, Meri, Kody, and Dayton/David at breakfast with at sign that said "table 66".  My guess would be that they had 1-2 more rooms and Robyn's other kids plus her niece were at another table.  That would make sense, with Christine's family being in one RV and Janelle's in another.  The only think that seemed inherently unfair about all of that was the reduced work in getting to have a restaurant breakfast vs. having to cook/prepare breakfast in the RV.  Well, that and perhaps a hot shower.  It looked like they were at some roadside motel, not exactly hanging at the Ritz-Carlton while Janelle and Christine are slumming it at the KOA. 

[Rhondinella]

Your husband wasn't a high school counselor at one time was he? Because if so, I may have babysat for you when I was in high school! If it was you, say hi to the family for me, and I'm still embarrassed by burning your kitchen floor. :(

 

 

Nope.  Sorry.  But how cool would it be if you discovered you knew me just on that information alone?

 

Oh, and I forgive you for the floor :-)

[Spiderella2]

Garrison is the one whose first name is Robert.  Kody mentions it in this video:

(Hope that link works)

 

So I just watched the vid you posted and it's so sad how much the family has changed since the show started. Kody was more affectionate with the kids, and seemed to have a genuine connection with each. The kids and wives all seem happy and smiled a lot. They had a good system until Robyn & TLC crashed the party.

Edited July 23, 2014 by The Crazed Spruce
fixed quote tags

[Spiderella2]

So what in the hell is wrong with Robyn lately?  She siits there like a dead lump when it's all 5 of them on the couch and she's got this major bitch-face thing going (which is different from her customary hatchet-face).  She freaks out about a few flakes of snow falling and she acts like some kind of spurned lover because MSWC hasn't been funded yet by the VC people.  She's being even more irritating than normal lately and she looks so tired and dragged out and miserable.  Wait a minute -- she's starting to fit in after all !!!

Obv she's not the favorite wife anymore. Janelle lost weight, is amiable, and has gained confidence, Christine lost weight and found her spark again, Meri's house gives him peace and quiet, so she is at the best, the third favorite, and given the way Kody shut her down on the couch a couple of weeks ago (when they were talking about Christine's 'lazy comment',) I think the honeymoon is officially over.

And she probably has read our comments about how she speaks for the group...as moronic as her statements are, so she is trying to curtail that. I still don't know what Kody saw in her, maybe his savior complex needed him to rescue the damsel in distress. She is not beautiful like Christine, self sufficient like Janelle, his soulmate like Meri, and is hella dramatic and bitchy. Still don't see the benefit to the Browns of including her into the family. She benefitted, but all they got is a crappy joolry line.

[wrestlesflamingos]

Kody saw a woman that was willing to have children. I believe Robyn is only there to save the spirit babies. She seems exhausting with her faux intellectualism and neediness.