Anna and Mursel: The Birds and the Bees

[gavinmac]

Do we know anything about Anna's ex who fathered the three boys? Was he by any chance Tunisian or Algerian? The kids have that look about them.

[greekmom]

14 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

I just saw a bonus scene where Anna and Marcel are going to make breakfast for the boys but it turns out Anna is serving everybody and Marcel does nothing but complain that  Turkish foos is better.  Joey threatens to eat nothing but pork from now on!!  Ugh.....so awkward!

Where was the bonus scene?

[Gobi]

1 minute ago, greekmom said:

Where was the bonus scene?

Before a new episode, they repeat the prior one with two or three bonus scenes. Usually listed as More to Love.

[Mrs. Hanson]

1 hour ago, Gobi said:

Before a new episode, they repeat the prior one with two or three bonus scenes. Usually listed as More to Love.

Exactly this.  It was on yesterday.  Murcel was being served eggs and of course the eggs were not as good as Turkish eggs.  Of course he criticized Anna's cooking.  Of course it was awkward!  Of course there were references to eating pork (in the form of bacon) to make Murcel jittery.

[RealReality]

8 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Exactly this.  It was on yesterday.  Murcel was being served eggs and of course the eggs were not as good as Turkish eggs.  Of course he criticized Anna's cooking.  Of course it was awkward!  Of course there were references to eating pork (in the form of bacon) to make Murcel jittery.

Again with mursel not being able to cook a meal, wash a plate or even be mildly polite.  

If Turkish food is so fantastic, look up a few recipes and get to work!

His parents may not be super judgmental about Anna's kids because they may be glad to be rid of him. 

Edited November 18, 2019 by RealReality

[greekmom]

I'm curious if these two were so boring that TLC is manufacturing either the language barrier or the my parents can't be told about the kids story lines.

[Floatingbison]

Murcel the Turkish Delight is just a turd.  He's boring and complains about everything and appears to be making no effort to learn English.

[mamadrama]

10 hours ago, greekmom said:

I'm curious if these two were so boring that TLC is manufacturing either the language barrier or the my parents can't be told about the kids story lines.

I still think that is a possibility, but Anna DID look legit upset, like she had been crying. Still, it is so weird. How can they hide the kids? None of his friends and family have social media accounts? None will ever watch this show?

[RealReality]

As someone said above, even if they are faking the "hidden kids" storyline, it's fantastically pathetic that she would agree to sacrifice her kids on national TV.  I'm sure they could have found another storyline that focused on the two of them being rejects instead of the children.  

[mamadrama]

5 hours ago, RealReality said:

As someone said above, even if they are faking the "hidden kids" storyline, it's fantastically pathetic that she would agree to sacrifice her kids on national TV.  I'm sure they could have found another storyline that focused on the two of them being rejects instead of the children.  

Yeah, it isn't better if they are faking the storyline; the kids still have to sit there and pretend that they are basically unwanted. Not cool.

[Bryce Lynch]

So we basically had Mursel say, "Bee hives are better in Turkey."

Seems like Anna is a bad apiarist.  The type Dwight Schrute would never use.   

[Gobi]

22 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

So we basically had Mursel say, "Bee hives are better in Turkey."

Seems like Anna is a bad apiarist.  The type Dwight Schrute would never use.   

Maybe the thread title should be changed to Everything Is Better In Turkey.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Gobi said:

Maybe the thread title should be changed to Everything Is Better In Turkey.

How about "This turkey would be better in Turkey"???

[gingerella]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

How about "This turkey would be better in Turkey"???

Or just Dumb & Dumber. Or The Rainman Cometh. Or Turkish Delight (Not)

[Christina]

There has been a lot of discussion about them wearing rings. It isn't uncommon to me for people in committed relationships to wear rings even though they were not married, but Anna asked permission from the show to make this post. 

Five slides

In the comments, Anna said she made the cake and it was a carrot cake with cream cheese icing. A lot of people from his neighborhood showed up but specifically mentioned her family was not there. Anna's mom had a post and delete about traveling through Turkey at some point, but the only thing I found was this:

I remember seeing where she said she was in Turkey but no one bothered to grab it before she deleted it, I guess. They are either lying about his family not knowing about her kids, or she's a horrible mother. I really wanted to like this couple, too.

[Mrs. Hanson]

He looks like a dufus in that engagement photo.  Like always.

[RealReality]

2 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

He looks like a dufus in that engagement photo.  Like always.

I really find it hard to believe that she needed to travel overseas for that.  

[mamadrama]

53 minutes ago, RealReality said:

I really find it hard to believe that she needed to travel overseas for that.  

I find it hard to believe that she spent X number of weeks in Turkey, presumably meeting family and friends, and was able to hide her kids' existence and was able to barely communicte with him. Even if the no kids storyline is fake, what mother goes on TV and pretends her kids are unwanted?

[charmed1]

The first part of the new episode is on the TLC app. Anna is so strange to me. She asks Mursel (through the translation app of course) if he has any concerns about the wedding. He says he’s concerned because he overheard the older boys call him stupid. She tells him that he needs to talk to them then. What? If you have to talk to him through an app, how is he supposed to have an uncomfortable conversation with two kids? That would be an uncomfortable conversation to have even if Mursel spoke English.

[cinsays]

14 minutes ago, charmed1 said:

The first part of the new episode is on the TLC app. Anna is so strange to me. She asks Mursel (through the translation app of course) if he has any concerns about the wedding. He says he’s concerned because he overheard the older boys call him stupid. She tells him that he needs to talk to them then. What? If you have to talk to him through an app, how is he supposed to have an uncomfortable conversation with two kids? That would be an uncomfortable conversation to have even if Mursel spoke English.

and maybe she needs to talk to the boys and see what they actually said and also to tell them to be polite to their soon-to-be stepdad and try to get along.  

[iwasish]

1 hour ago, cinsays said:

and maybe she needs to talk to the boys and see what they actually said and also to tell them to be polite to their soon-to-be stepdad and try to get along.  

Why? He’s content to keep them a shameful secret from his family. I wouldn’t give him an ounce of respect and any respect I had for my mother would be fast eroding. If she goes ahead and marries him, I’d be out of that house as soon as I turned 18. And suddenly he’s understanding English? 

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, charmed1 said:

The first part of the new episode is on the TLC app. Anna is so strange to me. She asks Mursel (through the translation app of course) if he has any concerns about the wedding. He says he’s concerned because he overheard the older boys call him stupid. She tells him that he needs to talk to them then. What? If you have to talk to him through an app, how is he supposed to have an uncomfortable conversation with two kids? That would be an uncomfortable conversation to have even if Mursel spoke English.

After he has refused to engage with the boys and shat all over everything American it's her kids who need a talking to?  I think mursel is stupid too.

[Christina]

I don't remember where I read it and must have closed out the tab, so there is no proof, but Anna answered a question saying that her sons were half Italian (her) and half Mexican (dad). She didn't say anything else about their father, like his whereabouts, though.

I know there have been questions about their race in the past. 

[mamadrama]

Good aliens I hope this is all for the show and that, in reality, he is a lovely man with a strong grasp on English and her kids adore him.

[greekmom]

9 hours ago, mamadrama said:

Good aliens I hope this is all for the show and that, in reality, he is a lovely man with a strong grasp on English and her kids adore him.

Ditto. He doesn't seem stupid, just more of a country bumpkin IMHO.  He's from Antalya which boasts a population of 1 million people, is on the coast of the  Mediterranean and also has plenty resorts.  Therefore, he would have had the opportunity to learn English as a second language.  So either he's from the outskirts remote village (which would make sense since he is bee keeping) or not so fortunate to be able to study higher than possibly a high school education if that.

[Christina]

I've been of the opinion these two are on the show to advertise her bee business and because she needed assistance with the plane ticket. It's why I think she drove to get him instead of having him try and make another plane on his own. She would have had to pay for her round trip ticket to Chicago and back home and it was cheaper to drive.

It's like what happened with Andreii's dad and when Chantel was waiting at the airport for Pedro but he wasn't on the original flight. After making it to the US, they have to go through Immigration and Customs. You are advised to make your connecting flights with a large time gap or stay in the hotel for the night and fly out the next day. I'm sure Murcel had to request a translator, unless there just happens to be someone who works there and speaks Turkish. Even though it would probably be by video and he wasn't waiting for a live person to appear, it is still a waiting game of unknown time. Pedro had to wait so long for Immigration in Florida(?), that he couldn't make the connecting flight to Atlanta, the production company helped him get  the ticket, which they paid for, changed but didn't tell Chantel so that she could be there in the airport and they could act like he was bailing on her. Fun times. 

Anyhow, this is all theory. The meetup at the airport makes me thing that Murcel and Anna greeted each other, were told to do it again, Murcel walked back to Omar with his suitcase and the production team had Omar signed off so Murcel was supposed to take him to meet Anna, she wasn't told though. I'm applying my airport experiences to Murcel, which may not apply to him. I have hearing loss and places like the airport have such background noise that I have to really focus on what I'm supposed to be hearing. With English not being Murcel's primary language, I think he walked up to meet her, was sent back and told to bring Omar with him, Anna waived him toward her and he left his bag with Omar because he didn't know what was happening. Anna and Murcel trade spots a few times during the clip due to the editing of different greets. Anna asked him where his bag is, he's starring at her with a derpy look on his face because he's trying to focus on her voice only, she says the Turkish word for bag or suitcase and he goes back to get it, comes back, again without Omar. Someone from production says something to him about Omar, so he turns around and calls him over. Anna asks who it was, he stares at her blankly because he is trying to focus on her voice and doesn't understand why she is asking who it is when everyone already knew, not realizing Anna didn't. Omar figures it out and introduces him self and tells her they met on the plane. Murcel continues to look lost because he was.

They have both spoken broken English and Turkish to each other, Murcel seems to understand way more than we are supposed to believe he understands, and the story of his parents not knowing about her kids just doesn't make a bit of sense. It wouldn't be a problem and she would have had to hide it when she was in Turkey for six(?) weeks last year. They became engaged in September 2018 and married in September 2019. I don't know how long it took for them to receive the visa, but think they are frauding their story because she needed the help to get him here and to advertise her bee business. We'll probably have a scene where her oldest son, who is shown on the previews as saying he wanted Murcel to go home, opens up about how great Murcel is and how he regretting not giving him a warm welcome. They are filming the Tell Nothing this weekend and maybe some stuff will leak.

It's probably because I think their frauding, but when I saw this IG with the caption to not tell Anna and Murcel or they would try and recreate it, I found it really funny because I think it's true. It may embed or you may have to click the link. My browser is being pissy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5oV-ItnghgPOCaRF6leOLgSqhAf3NySjAtHrc0/

[mamadrama]

I think Anna and Mursel are a legit couple who are trying to make their story more interesting by making shit up, not realizing that they are all appearing to be assholes. I think some truth leaks in, like him pretending not to understand her, but I think a lot is exaggerated.

I have spent anywhere from 3 minutes to 2 hours going through customs. An international airport should have Turkish translators. Our tiny, 5 gate, non-international airport does. I would expect O'Hare to. Even if they didn't, the form would be availible in Turkish and as long as Mursel had the correct paperwork to show, the process should have been fluid. My husband simply showed his visa in his passport, said he had nothing to declare, and told the agent his final destination. Less than a minute. That was also at O'hare.

Remember Alla? I would say close to 80% of their storyline, including his best friend not liking Alla, was fake. They were having fun while filming and only realized in hindsight that none of them looked great. They filmed hundreds of hours of them living their norml, mundane, fairly happy lives. Those scenes were boring, though. Same with Annie and David "living" in what basically looked like a warehouse. It isn't always a lie, per se, just exaggerated reality.

[RealReality]

9 hours ago, mamadrama said:

I think Anna and Mursel are a legit couple who are trying to make their story more interesting by making shit up, not realizing that they are all appearing to be assholes. I think some truth leaks in, like him pretending not to understand her, but I think a lot is exaggerated.

I have spent anywhere from 3 minutes to 2 hours going through customs. An international airport should have Turkish translators. Our tiny, 5 gate, non-international airport does. I would expect O'Hare to. Even if they didn't, the form would be availible in Turkish and as long as Mursel had the correct paperwork to show, the process should have been fluid. My husband simply showed his visa in his passport, said he had nothing to declare, and told the agent his final destination. Less than a minute. That was also at O'hare.

Remember Alla? I would say close to 80% of their storyline, including his best friend not liking Alla, was fake. They were having fun while filming and only realized in hindsight that none of them looked great. They filmed hundreds of hours of them living their norml, mundane, fairly happy lives. Those scenes were boring, though. Same with Annie and David "living" in what basically looked like a warehouse. It isn't always a lie, per se, just exaggerated reality.

For the sake of her boys, I hope you're right.  

Though I think the underlying, small behaviors that make me deeply dislike mursel are hard to fake. 

Not getting any of his own luggage from the car, but expecting the boys to be his valet and not even bothering to get up and bus his own plate.  Not even wash it, but to just bring it from the couch to the kitchen. 

Maybe I forgive these things if someone is a guest.  But mursel is not, he is supposed to be living there.  Those behaviors are small and ingrained, IMO.  Some people are just ingrained with an attitude that they should be constantly catered to and their presence is so amazing that you should feel glad to have them around and honored to wait on them hand and foot. 

And it's also that self centeredness that is on display when it's urgent! That Anna stop everything! Right now! To see what mursel built!  Yes, it was a cool honeycomb....but it's like what he wants must always come first, his needs must always come first, he cannot wait a minute for her to be done with what she is doing. 

[greekmom]

On 11/17/2019 at 6:04 PM, Mrs. Hanson said:

I just saw a bonus scene where Anna and Marcel are going to make breakfast for the boys but it turns out Anna is serving everybody and Marcel does nothing but complain that  Turkish foos is better.  Joey threatens to eat nothing but pork from now on!!  Ugh.....so awkward!

Finally saw the breakfast bonus scene.  Not sure, but was it the actually American eggs he disliked or Anna's cooking of the eggs? In my opinion, I think it's either the way she cooked the eggs or made up storyline.  Eggs are eggs.  I've had eggs in Canada, US, Cuba and Greece.  They all tasted the same. 

[Gobi]

10 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Eggs are eggs.  I've had eggs in Canada, US, Cuba and Greece.  They all tasted the same. 

Eggs taste better in Turkey.

[nutella fitzgerald]

On 12/6/2019 at 2:11 AM, mamadrama said:

Remember Alla? I would say close to 80% of their storyline, including his best friend not liking Alla, was fake. They were having fun while filming and only realized in hindsight that none of them looked great. They filmed hundreds of hours of them living their norml, mundane, fairly happy lives. Those scenes were boring, though. Same with Annie and David "living" in what basically looked like a warehouse. It isn't always a lie, per se, just exaggerated reality.

Matt/Alla and David/Annie just looked...dumb and sort of inert. Matt’s big story was “friend doesn’t like fiancée” and David’s was “lazy and poor”. Neither of those are great things to be portrayed as, but there wasn’t anything that had really devastating implications outside of the show (opinions on Matt’s bachelor party holiday sweater not withstanding). To me, “fiancé wants to pretend future stepchildren were never born” is a much darker storyline and has the potential to be more disruptive to the kids’ lives. It’s pretty heartbreaking to remember Max’s biggest plot arc was that Alla kept having to move the champagne out of his reach during parties and contrast that with Gino learning at lunch that Mursel won’t tell his family about Anna’s kids.

[Arynm]

My honey came in a few days ago and it is delicious. There was a lovely thank you note included and it was signed by Anna. I bought some soap from her but it went in a stocking so I can't comment on that. The bees seem to be just fine here in the US, they make excellent honey.

[Mrs. Hanson]

Anna, I kinda hate you.  "I am not sure about things.  Things are iffy.  I am going to go try on wedding dresses!!!"  Followed by:  "He is trying to change me.  Less drinking, more modest clothing.  So I am going to pass on a dress that covers more and get a cookie cutter strapless one so that Mursel can express his disappoint in me....again."  Followed by:  "Now I am going to cry over the situation because I seem to set myself up for disappointment but can't seem to see the reality of my decisions."

I really kinda hate her.

[Christina]

On 12/6/2019 at 2:11 AM, mamadrama said:

I have spent anywhere from 3 minutes to 2 hours going through customs. An international airport should have Turkish translators. Our tiny, 5 gate, non-international airport does. I would expect O'Hare to. Even if they didn't, the form would be availible in Turkish and as long as Mursel had the correct paperwork to show, the process should have been fluid. My husband simply showed his visa in his passport, said he had nothing to declare, and told the agent his final destination. Less than a minute. That was also at O'hare.

Both Columbus International Airport in Ohio and Atlanta International have some people who speak the languages, but if it isn't something like they think you have drugs on you, they use the same video conferencing as certified court translators. They will have translators when they know a plane is coming in from Turkey, but you are still in a queue waiting your turn. 

I would have expected a Spanish speaker when Pedro arrived at whichever airport it was even if it wasn't in Florida, but he was still delayed to the point he couldn't catch the flight to Atlanta. He didn't fly directly to Atlanta because Production purchased a  non-direct flight. Maybe his first flight was delayed or something. In any case, he couldn't clear Customs and Immigration in time for his connected flight, and ended up on a flight the next day.

I think Andrei's dad's flight was delayed or something, and that's why Andrei decided he had to fly out there to be with him. It may not have had anything to do with customs. There was also something with Cassia. I don't remember what it was but decided Jason and Cassia were just blowing things out of proportion until so many people said they had the same issue. 

On 12/6/2019 at 12:19 PM, greekmom said:

Finally saw the breakfast bonus scene.  Not sure, but was it the actually American eggs he disliked or Anna's cooking of the eggs? In my opinion, I think it's either the way she cooked the eggs or made up storyline.  Eggs are eggs.  I've had eggs in Canada, US, Cuba and Greece.  They all tasted the same. 

I can taste the difference between fresh and refrigerated eggs and if he's use to fresh, I can see how he could tell, but he annoys so much I don't want to give him that benefit of the doubt.

I do think production is probably behind the "Everything in Turkey is better" storyline, though. They have all the immigrants discuss how much better things are in their country. Murcel probably thinks the bits where he is saying things are better is coming across as humorous because he has a slight smile when he says it.  

Someone on Reddit had an AMA about Turkey, Murcel, and Turkish customs. I cannot read it at the moment so I don't know if it is worth it, but I'm putting her because I will forget. Click on the box and it will take you to the Reddit thread.

[mamadrama]

4 minutes ago, Christina said:

Both Columbus International Airport in Ohio and Atlanta International have some people who speak the languages, but if it isn't something like they think you have drugs on you, they use the same video conferencing as certified court translators. They will have translators when they know a plane is coming in from Turkey, but you are still in a queue waiting your turn. 

I would have expected a Spanish speaker when Pedro arrived at whichever airport it was even if it wasn't in Florida, but he was still delayed to the point he couldn't catch the flight to Atlanta. He didn't fly directly to Atlanta because Production purchased a  non-direct flight. Maybe his first flight was delayed or something. In any case, he couldn't clear Customs and Immigration in time for his connected flight, and ended up on a flight the next day.

I think Andrei's dad's flight was delayed or something, and that's why Andrei decided he had to fly out there to be with him. It may not have had anything to do with customs. There was also something with Cassia. I don't remember what it was but decided Jason and Cassia were just blowing things out of proportion until so many people said they had the same issue. 

I can taste the difference between fresh and refrigerated eggs and if he's use to fresh, I can see how he could tell, but he annoys so much I don't want to give him that benefit of the doubt.

I do think production is probably behind the "Everything in Turkey is better" storyline, though. They have all the immigrants discuss how much better things are in their country. Murcel probably thinks the bits where he is saying things are better is coming across as humorous because he has a slight smile when he says it.  

Someone on Reddit had an AMA about Turkey, Murcel, and Turkish customs. I cannot read it at the moment so I don't know if it is worth it, but I'm putting her because I will forget. Click on the box and it will take you to the Reddit thread.

I have no idea why participants in this show seem to get regularly "delayed." I only speak from personal experience. 

[mamadrama]

Anna's mother is on Reddit and has been commenting about some of the stuff that's happened. Here's her history:

https://www.reddit.com/user/CharleneCampisiRyan/

[charmed1]

I hope Leo got to wear his Clark Griswold “disco” shoes. He’s just so darned cute.

[Mrs. Hanson]

Okay, so I am a sped teacher.  A student comes up to me yesterday at dismissal and starts quoting random facts about bees and how they make honey.  Fine.  Then today the OT helped the grade K kids decorate a box with little yellow fingerprints that were going to be turned into bees, thanking the teacher for "bee-ing" a great teacher!  I am like, what is with all the bee themes, lol??

To keep on topic, I hate Anna.  

[greekmom]

One thing that really bothers me is the whole issue surrounding alcohol, especially Anna saying that Mursel won't kiss her if she's been drinking.

It reminds me of this episode of Mom and Jamie Priestly's character was telling her boyfriend how since she is an alcoholic she cannot be around alcohol.  The boyfriend replied, I like beer but I love you more (I'm paraphrasing).  

Since Anna is not willing to give up the drink I guess her love for Musel isn't as strong as he wants it too. 

(BTW: I love the preview next week with his "mom" saying that he's been taken for a fool. Seriously, I wonder if that's really his mother)

[sagittarius sue]

44 minutes ago, greekmom said:

(BTW: I love the preview next week with his "mom" saying that he's been taken for a fool. Seriously, I wonder if that's really his mother)

Earlier today I came across a topic (I think it was on Reddit) that the translation of what Mursel said to his mother was inaccurate.  He lies that he just found out about her children!  What a cowardly jerk!

[Christina]

The Reddit post mentioned in the post above has been summarized in this Instagram post.

Four slides

I'm shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED! Nah, I lie like Anna and Mursel. Mursel being an ass isn't shocking nor is the show mistranslated things, but it is a bit surprising that they didn't translate it as the woman on Reddit said because it's much more dramatic. They probably expected the couple to be liked so they were going easy on them. I think most people had hopes for this couple originally, but it slipped away with each new episode.

[Christina]

I just found the Reddit post. If you click on the post, it will take you to Reddit where you can read it all if you desire.

[Christina]

Anna answered a question about why they use the translator app they do, instead of one like Pol and Karine. She said production makes them use the one they are using.

 

[RealReality]

But then why did they let Paul and karine use the other app?  That doesn't make sense.  

[Christina]

On 12/23/2019 at 10:16 AM, RealReality said:

But then why did they let Paul and karine use the other app?  That doesn't make sense.  

I'm guessing it's because Karine didn't know a lick of English at first and Mursel knows a bit, so they thought it would be more interesting for us to see him try and read, or something stupid like that; it's Sharp and TLC.

When the show started, I thought they were playing up the "Mursel's family doesn't know about the kids" storyline, but after last weeks episode decided it was real. Now, there is this:

I really wanted to like them.

[Witchz]

I think that the man with his face blurred out looked younger than Murcel - did not look like he could be his father. Also I found their conversation disturbing -very.  Murcel seemed afraid and after he told them what the father answered with was odd unless not translated properly? Just not anything close to what I would expect to be said - it was too informal like what a boss would say to employee - just an example.  

I think Zeids (spelling?) parents reacted to Rebecca in a more expected and acceptable manner than Murcels.  Not sure what is up but it just doesnt seem right and like Judge Judy says if it doesnt make sense it's a lie !

[RealReality]

2 hours ago, Witchz said:

I think that the man with his face blurred out looked younger than Murcel - did not look like he could be his father. Also I found their conversation disturbing -very.  Murcel seemed afraid and after he told them what the father answered with was odd unless not translated properly? Just not anything close to what I would expect to be said - it was too informal like what a boss would say to employee - just an example.  

I think Zeids (spelling?) parents reacted to Rebecca in a more expected and acceptable manner than Murcels.  Not sure what is up but it just doesnt seem right and like Judge Judy says if it doesnt make sense it's a lie !

I thought that was his brother and only his mother and brother were home.  His mother was kinda in the background commenting, she she sounded a little manly so maybe it was his father.  

[Teri313]

I don't recall them ever explaining what the big crime is about Anna having kids. It can't be a Muslim thing, right? We've had other 90 Day Muslims on the show for women with kids (Mohamed, Azan, Aladin...). So is it a Turkish thing? I just don't understand why it's shameful in their eyes. Because she is divorced?

[Gobi]

14 minutes ago, Teri313 said:

I don't recall them ever explaining what the big crime is about Anna having kids. It can't be a Muslim thing, right? We've had other 90 Day Muslims on the show for women with kids (Mohamed, Azan, Aladin...). So is it a Turkish thing? I just don't understand why it's shameful in their eyes. Because she is divorced?

My guess is they think it means no grandchildren of their own.

[Mrs. Hanson]

4 hours ago, Teri313 said:

I don't recall them ever explaining what the big crime is about Anna having kids. It can't be a Muslim thing, right? We've had other 90 Day Muslims on the show for women with kids (Mohamed, Azan, Aladin...). So is it a Turkish thing? I just don't understand why it's shameful in their eyes. Because she is divorced?

There was a person on Reddit who seemed genuine who said she (or he) was from Turkey and yes, it many cultures it is shameful to bring a woman home who has kids, no matter her age (like if she can produce more grandkids) as it is deemed a burden for a man to raise kids who are not his own.  I believe this is the same person who said Mursel lied when translating the phone call home:  He said "I just found Anna has three kids" which is why his mom freaked out and said "She played you for a fool!"  Makes sense!

I understand being curious about your adult's kids mates but dang - dial down the curiosity!  My second future MIL asked me, in a respectful way:  "You have only been married once, correct?" I thought this is NOT the time to be cute - I said yes.  And my two children are the only times I have given birth.  She was like, okay!