S08.E21: Hanging On By a Thread

[druzy]

Amber is suspicious that Dimitri leaked their relationship to the media. Bentley becomes a big brother to Ryan’s baby. Still working through her grief, Mackenzie takes a trip to Florida. Ryder develops a fever forcing Cheyenne to rush her to the hospital.

Airs May 12, 2020

[Brooklynista]

Why are they calling it Amber's rental property and not the Gary Shirley home for Wayward Girls.

[pinkandsparkly13]

Catelynn on Tierra Reign: "It's really Tyler's dream so it's better for our relationship for him to take the lead.". Yeah I'm sure it's really that way so you don't have to do any work 🙄 

[SuzWhat]

When they say “Amber’s Rental” are they talking about the house or Dimitri? 
Also, what kind of bootleg lie detector test was that?  

Edited May 13, 2020 by SuzWhat

[LibertarianSlut]

Amber is just a really sick woman who would have no TV audience if Gary didn’t come over “while Dimitri is out for a run” to be her mouthpiece.  He doesn’t just listen to her, he speaks for her, and it’s jarring.  He seems perfectly sane, so he’s just doing this for the money.  The fact that he’s not self-aware enough to even attempt to put an altruistic spin on his appearances and cheerleading of Amber makes him stupid and money-hungry.  So Leah’s got two loser parents.  Perfect.

I wouldn’t have believed Ryan made it to his daughter’s birth if they hadn’t shown pictures.  He sure seems excited to have a daughter.  🙄  

I can’t believe Mackenzie is only bringing one kid to Florida, and leaving the other two home.  It’s Florida!  That violates every rule of fair parenting.  If it’s your sixth birthday, you get a cake and a small party, not a trip to Florida when your siblings are in Oklahoma.  I don’t know if the smallest one is old enough to figure it out yet, but Gannon is eight, and I’m sure he feels like he either did something wrong, or his parents favor his sister for some reason, and he wouldn’t be wrong.  Gannon’s dad left his birthday party before it was over, but he’s presumably spending a period of days with Jaxie for her birthday in Florida.  Kids are sensitive.  That shit doesn’t go unnoticed.  

All the kids should have gotten to go to Florida (which shouldn’t be hard if Mackenzie is working, because Josh was there), or none of them should have gotten to go.  And it wasn’t lost on me that the other two would have to stay “with Papa.”  If they’re not bringing all their kids to Florida, at least the dad could have stayed home to parent the boys, but he would never do that, because he doesn’t even pretend to parent his children.  He went to Florida for the vacation aspect, not cause he cares about his kid.  

I liked Mackenzie so much better when she saw who Josh was and initiated the divorce process.  For her to gallivant with him in a hotel and on a beach with only one of their kids screams dysfunction to me.  I have said I despise Maci, but not even she would do this.  Bringing only one kid on vacation seems positively Catelynn and Tyler-esque.

If Amber needs to resort to a lie detector test, she doesn’t trust her partner.  This is the obvious product of not getting to know someone before you get your feet wet, and it’s not remotely normal.  Does she realize how bizarre it is to import him from a place by France when he has kids there, set up house with him and then have him take a “lie detector” test instead of, I dunno, oh, getting to know him?  God knows she’s got time on her hands; she only has theoretically supervised visits with one kid, and pretty much no time with the other.  

If I don’t know exactly how a “lie detector” test was administered, I put zero faith in its results.  Having said that, I don’t think Dimitri is anything worse than your average, everyday loser with a warped set of priorities who wants some fame and notoriety.  I don’t think he is a danger to Amber.  I think Amber is more of a danger to him.  But, as Gary told Kristina in the scene filmed at their house, “any kind of domestic thing right now would totally screw her.”  Does he realize the gravity of his words?  

Amber would be “totally screwed” by any kind of “domestic thing” because she repeatedly commits domestic violence.  But that’s of no moment to Gary and Kristina, and Amber can be in their home around their young children, because, ca-ching.  At least Dimitri didn’t bring his kids into the equation yet, so he has a leg up morally on the Shirleys to me.  

There’s something Munchausen by proxy that strikes me about Cheyenne as it relates to Ryder’s illness.  I don’t think she’s faking it, but I do think she knows she’s boring, and I would be lying if I said that I don’t think she perks up a little when Ryder’s disease manifests because it gives her a storyline.  If it was that serious, she wouldn’t film it, and she certainly wouldn’t be so calm and almost serene in filming it.  It’s chilling.  If it was that serious, and she wasn’t telling Cory, then she’s putting the potential monetary gain of The Challenge ahead of her kid’s health.  I’m choosing to believe it’s not that serious, for Cheyenne’s benefit.  

BTW, what does R. Kyle Lynn (weirdest name ever) do with her time when she’s not filming with Cheyenne?  Does she have a job or anything?  I hope that she’s always hanging around with her kid and her goofy grin in the hopes that some dude with a few dollars in his pocket slides into her DM’s, and not because MTV thinks she’s show-worthy, because no, just no, on that one.   

Thank God the Tierra Reign website is back up and working!  —Said No One Ever

Edited May 13, 2020 by LibertarianSlut
Typos

[Mr. Miner]

1 hour ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Catelynn on Tierra Reign: "It's really Tyler's dream so it's better for our relationship for him to take the lead.". Yeah I'm sure it's really that way so you don't have to do any work 🙄 

There’s that and she’s very busy trying to figure out what career she wants to pursue. 🙄

Two dullards took one of their kids to FL...who cares? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Chris Knight]

No one has ever asked me to take a lie detector test. I wonder if Belgian!Matt even understood the questions. 

Tyler, another reason your prices went up is because you told the Detroit Sewn team how you could not do any of this w/o them. They saw you coming a mile away.

Where exactly is Corey ? I know he's on a reality show but where ? Should Cheyenne rely on Corey for support  ? He's Ryder's dad but not Cheyenne 's partner. 

Mckenzie and what's his name are sadly learning that its hard being married with several young children. It's a free country of course but I dont think I would ever take one child on a vacation and leave the others. Did she really fly down to FL to work out for an hour with 8 people  ? 

My DVR cut out the previews for next week. What happens  ?

Edited May 13, 2020 by Chris Knight

[Caseysgirl]

How can a  detector test be reliable when the subject doesn’t even understand basic English  idioms? And the operator was using the sound of his voice to determine if he’s lying?  For God’s sake Amber, you aren’t a major celebrity ; how much do you think we care about your ex boyfriends? And it seems like you have more debt than money so what could anyone get from you.Who was watching McKenzie’s kids when she decided to treat ONE kid to a vacation. They just lost their Grandmother, who it appears pretty much raised the Teen Mom spawn and now Mom & Dad go away for a vacation & leave him home?  These mother’s are way too spoiled with all the v@cations they take when ever they areThe least bit unhappy.  Tyler nobody wants your “ merch” for free or otherwise. So what DOES Tyler do with this company?  He doesn’t sew or do the website or fill so  if their too expensive do some of the work yourself!  Not much to say about Cheyenne and her boring life.  I still think Bentley is the best kids on this franchise. He’s accepted the big brother role without seeming jealous and seems pretty responsible as well.

[Quilty]

I hope Nu Matt 2 tells Amber to shove that lie detector up her butt. You really aren't that famous.

[Stusan]

I really think Dimitri should be NouveauMatt. NoMatt for short.

[SuzWhat]

3 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

Amber is just a really sick woman who would have no TV audience if Gary didn’t come over “while Dimitri is out for a run” to be her mouthpiece.  He doesn’t just listen to her, he speaks for her, and it’s jarring.  He seems perfectly sane, so he’s just doing this for the money.  The fact that he’s not self-aware enough to even attempt to put an altruistic spin on his appearances and cheerleading of Amber makes him stupid and money-hungry.  So Leah’s got two loser parents.  Perfect.

I wouldn’t have believed Ryan made it to his daughter’s birth if they hadn’t shown pictures.  He sure seems excited to have a daughter.  🙄  

I can’t believe Mackenzie is only bringing one kid to Florida, and leaving the other two home.  It’s Florida!  That violates every rule of fair parenting.  If it’s your sixth birthday, you get a cake and a small party, not a trip to Florida when your siblings are in Oklahoma.  I don’t know if the smallest one is old enough to figure it out yet, but Gannon is eight, and I’m sure he feels like he either did something wrong, or his parents favor his sister for some reason, and he wouldn’t be wrong.  Gannon’s dad left his birthday party before it was over, but he’s presumably spending a period of days with Jaxie for her birthday in Florida.  Kids are sensitive.  That shit doesn’t go unnoticed.  

All the kids should have gotten to go to Florida (which shouldn’t be hard if Mackenzie is working, because Josh was there), or none of them should have gotten to go.  And it wasn’t lost on me that the other two would have to stay “with Papa.”  If they’re not bringing all their kids to Florida, at least the dad could have stayed home to parent the boys, but he would never do that, because he doesn’t even pretend to parent his children.  He went to Florida for the vacation aspect, not cause he cares about his kid.  

I liked Mackenzie so much better when she saw who Josh was and initiated the divorce process.  For her to gallivant with him in a hotel and on a beach with only one of their kids screams dysfunction to me.  I have said I despise Maci, but not even she would do this.  Bringing only one kid on vacation seems positively Catelynn and Tyler-esque.

If Amber needs to resort to a lie detector test, she doesn’t trust her partner.  This is the obvious product of not getting to know someone before you get your feet wet, and it’s not remotely normal.  Does she realize how bizarre it is to import him from a place by France when he has kids there, set up house with him and then have him take a “lie detector” test instead of, I dunno, oh, getting to know him?  God knows she’s got time on her hands; she only has theoretically supervised visits with one kid, and pretty much no time with the other.  

If I don’t know exactly how a “lie detector” test was administered, I put zero faith in its results.  Having said that, I don’t think Dimitri is anything worse than your average, everyday loser with a warped set of priorities who wants some fame and notoriety.  I don’t think he is a danger to Amber.  I think Amber is more of a danger to him.  But, as Gary told Kristina in the scene filmed at their house, “any kind of domestic thing right now would totally screw her.”  Does he realize the gravity of his words?  

Amber would be “totally screwed” by any kind of “domestic thing” because she repeatedly commits domestic violence.  But that’s of no moment to Gary and Kristina, and Amber can be in their home around their young children, because, ca-ching.  At least Dimitri didn’t bring his kids into the equation yet, so he has a leg up morally on the Shirleys to me.  

There’s something Munchausen by proxy that strikes me about Cheyenne as it relates to Ryder’s illness.  I don’t think she’s faking it, but I do think she knows she’s boring, and I would be lying if I said that I don’t think she perks up a little when Ryder’s disease manifests because it gives her a storyline.  If it was that serious, she wouldn’t film it, and she certainly wouldn’t be so calm and almost serene in filming it.  It’s chilling.  If it was that serious, and she wasn’t telling Cory, then she’s putting the potential monetary gain of The Challenge ahead of her kid’s health.  I’m choosing to believe it’s not that serious, for Cheyenne’s benefit.  

BTW, what does R. Kyle Lynn (weirdest name ever) do with her time when she’s not filming with Cheyenne?  Does she have a job or anything?  I hope that she’s always hanging around with her kid and her goofy grin in the hopes that some dude with a few dollars in his pocket slides into her DM’s, and not because MTV thinks she’s show-worthy, because no, just no, on that one.   

Thank God the Tierra Reign website is back up and working!  —Said No One Ever

Bravo!

6 minutes ago, Stusan said:

I really think Dimitri should be NouveauMatt. NoMatt for short.

😂😂😂😂😂

[heatherchandler]

14 minutes ago, Stusan said:

I really think Dimitri should be NouveauMatt. NoMatt for short.

I vote for that.

Or NuMatt 2: Electric Bugaloo (too long)

Or DiMATTri

 

[Quilty]

Amber seems high high when she was talking to Gary.

[Marisagf]

10 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I vote for that.

Or NuMatt 2: Electric Bugaloo (too long)

Or DiMATTri

 

I love NuNuMatt.  Or NuNu, for short.

[Jeanne222]

This show should be named Dysfunction Junction!  Lordy how did we arrive here?

Watching Cheyenne try to parent one sick child and longing for the child's father who has impregnated another and is on a reality show shoot pained me!  Poor Cheyenne and all that responsibility!

Then we move onto Mackenzie.  I'm only guessing but I'm thinking her three are way over the top and they either need to be medicated or maybe take away the dam sugar!  I thought for sure the birthday girl would jump in that birthday cupcake mess!  Were those black iced cupcakes?

The reason they only travel with one is because that's all the two of them can handle!

Amber maybe you're never going to find love on the teen mom show!  I'd love to know if she spends any time at all with Leah off camera.

Her list of losers grows and beauty fades but stupid is forever so just stop importing more losers into the innocent lives!

So now Gary is Ambers counselor and support person!  I'll bet the network upped his check!  It pains me to watch Amber and Gary converse and think he makes sense.

Ryan almost fell in the crib.  He looked so happy and excited carrying new little Stella the stairs and Mac dragging behind.  Poor Bentley.  He's a sweet kid who deserves so much more.

Tyler I think your onto something..keep on keeping on!  Lol

Edited May 13, 2020 by Jeanne222

[jumper sage]

12 hours ago, Stusan said:

I really think Dimitri should be NouveauMatt. NoMatt for short.

I vote yes!

Corey was shooting The Challenge.

Mackenzie is just a horrible mother.

[Mr. Miner]

3 hours ago, Quilty said:

Amber seems high high when she was talking to Gary.

Yes! High and very repulsive! 🤮

[BrownBear2012]

So much dysfunction last night...good grief! All of them!

Amber is a sick woman who needs residential full time treatment. This new Matt is clearly a deer in the headlights when it comes to Amber. I just can't stand watching her anymore. She clearly thinks she's some sort of mega million dollar celebrity...from the looks of her rental, it appears that's not the case. How long before she's screaming obscenities at this guy and kicking him to the curb? And Gary is her new go to guru? OMG...

Mackenzie and Ryan...tired of seeing Ryan's enabling mother trying so hard to put a positive and cupcakes/lollipops spin on Ryan's life. I don't buy it and I just don't understand how they provide for these kids when neither of them works...Ryan isn't capable of holding a full time job. Mackenzie is so unlikable...the kids are cute though. 

Maci and Taylor...what the hell do they do all day long? Just hang out and talk about Ryan? They are so boring...

Cheyenne...someone talked about Munchausen by Proxy with her...there might be something to that. It seems that Ryder only gets these episodes when Corey is out of town working....seems curious to me. 

Mackenzie/Josh...her decision not to include the boys on this trip broke my heart for them. That was just cruel. Again and again she makes terrible decisions. I'm sorry, this one was bad...those boys will feel unwanted and unloved by her and by Josh. I'm sorry her mother died but now is the time for family togetherness and those boys needed some fun time with their parents where they could feel like a family and not just five people stuck with each other. 

Tyler/Cate...Tyler has zero business or fashion education or background. How could this go wrong...and what is with his manic behavior and yelling over Cate? Geez...calm the fuck down! And they left their kids with Ashley??? 

 

[A-Lo]

Was any reason given for Dimitri to spend three MONTHS at Amber's house?  Only on 90 Day Fiancee have I ever seen anyone make such a stupid move.  In my dating days I wouldn't even spend one night with a complete stranger, much less move in with them for three months.  Also, he couldn't have looked less into her during that last scene where she was droning on and on about being so hurt in the past.

There's something really weird going on between Cait and Tyler.  It's almost like they've decided to play happy family on camera when in "reality" they've given up on each other and the marriage.  Their reactions to one another...esp. Cait's...are so unusual compared to how they've acted toward one another in the past.  Is anyone else seeing that?

[Soobs]

Gary is now Amber's landlord, life coach and father figure. Absolutely, totally healthy and completely normal.

I was trying to give Mackenzie and Josh the benefit of the doubt but actually telling the child,"you're my favorite, don't tell the others" was a bit much. Maybe she tells all her kids that? She does strike me as the type who kept having kids until she got her baby girl cheerleader but I don't know their birth order only that Gannon is the eldest.

Cheyenne's storyline was a good example of the downside of being a single mom. No one to turn to on those lonely, long, scary nights. I doubt she has Munchausen by Proxy but as gossip that's pretty good stuff. She always has struck me as ultimately a nice and simple person. Her kid is adorable.

What a great big brother/ role model Ben (I'm calling him Ben from now on) is. Whatever Maci and Taylor have or haven't done, he's a good kid. Perhaps they just got lucky.

This was the most animated we've seen Ryan in awhile. Even so, he doesn't look capable of being a new dad right now.

Tyler is trying to do what many before him have done: run a small business of locally produced products and keep the prices down. Good luck with that. Not saying it can't be done but you need to really know a lot more than he knows to make it happen.

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by Soobs

[Chickabiddy]

Dimitri should be called DMatt. Sure, the D stands for Dimitri now, but it will soon morph into Door. 😉😘

[BrownBear2012]

6 hours ago, A-Lo said:

Was any reason given for Dimitri to spend three MONTHS at Amber's house?  Only on 90 Day Fiancee have I ever seen anyone make such a stupid move.  In my dating days I wouldn't even spend one night with a complete stranger, much less move in with them for three months.  Also, he couldn't have looked less into her during that last scene where she was droning on and on about being so hurt in the past.

There's something really weird going on between Cait and Tyler.  It's almost like they've decided to play happy family on camera when in "reality" they've given up on each other and the marriage.  Their reactions to one another...esp. Cait's...are so unusual compared to how they've acted toward one another in the past.  Is anyone else seeing that?

Yep.

[Dmarie019]

On 5/12/2020 at 8:49 PM, Chris Knight said:

Where exactly is Corey ? I know he's on a reality show but where ? Should Cheyenne rely on Corey for support  ? He's Ryder's dad but not Cheyenne 's partner. 

 

The Challenge is usually taped in another country I think? I think they've been in Africa before. Not quite sure where they are now but it tends to be in the middle of no where but close enough to civilization so they can take them to bars. They have some participants from reality shows in other countries so I think it's so they can travel easily? When they do reunions back in the US none of the people from other countries are there. 

16 hours ago, A-Lo said:

 

There's something really weird going on between Cait and Tyler.  It's almost like they've decided to play happy family on camera when in "reality" they've given up on each other and the marriage.  Their reactions to one another...esp. Cait's...are so unusual compared to how they've acted toward one another in the past.  Is anyone else seeing that?

Or he's finally realized that his wife is just going to be a lazy ass with no ambitions in life and he's free to do what he wants if he allows her to jaunt off to therapy every so often.  Honestly I'm not sure why Caitlyn can't just say she's a stay at home mom and be ok with it. 

13 hours ago, Soobs said:

 

Tyler is trying to do what many before him have done: run a small business of locally produced products and keep the prices down. Good luck with that. Not saying it can't be done but you need to really know a lot more than he knows to make it happen.

 

I remember him getting a lot of grief when he relaunched - because there wasn't many options to choose from. But I guess this episode tells us why.  Sounds like he had a lot of things he wanted to put out but because he wanted smaller quantities it would cost more to produce. So he had to narrow down to limited options with higher quantity.

Do we dare say that he's actually acting on a......... budget??? 

Honestly I have to give him some kudos for not wanting the prices to be crazy expensive while they could probably get people to buy it - because fans are stupid. 

[Direwolf]

2 hours ago, Dmarie019 said:

The Challenge is usually taped in another country I think? I think they've been in Africa before. Not quite sure where they are now but it tends to be in the middle of no where but close enough to civilization so they can take them to bars. They have some participants from reality shows in other countries so I think it's so they can travel easily? When they do reunions back in the US none of the people from other countries are there.  

That is correct. The most recent Challenge was filmed in Prague. I believe the contestants can do video calls with family back home. 

[TheRealT]

On 5/13/2020 at 5:54 PM, A-Lo said:

There's something really weird going on between Cait and Tyler.  It's almost like they've decided to play happy family on camera when in "reality" they've given up on each other and the marriage.  Their reactions to one another...esp. Cait's...are so unusual compared to how they've acted toward one another in the past.  Is anyone else seeing that?

I think Cate and Tyler feel very forced and orchestrated and careful. They are both trying so hard to project an image of being "together," but they aren't, especially Cate. But they're so far from "together" that they can't even fake it. They would have probably been better off moving far away from their friends and family, so they at least wouldn't have had all of those people draining their resources and capabilities, on top of their own inherent challenges and deficits.

In terms of their relationship, IMO, it's obvious that the thrill is long gone for both of them, especially Tyler. I think Cate tells herself that she's still "madly in love" with Ty, but, in reality, he makes her feel bad and inadequate and she totally gets that he isn't "madly in love" with her. Also, she resents him for "forcing" her to give Carly up. (and for not being as devastated by that choice as she was/is) I think he feels put upon and unappreciated and rueful for all he could/should have had if he weren't saddled with Cate. Hopefully, they'll get divorced and find (at least more) happiness apart once the MTV gravy train pulls into the last stop.

8 hours ago, Dmarie019 said:

Or he's finally realized that his wife is just going to be a lazy ass with no ambitions in life and he's free to do what he wants if he allows her to jaunt off to therapy every so often.  Honestly I'm not sure why Caitlyn can't just say she's a stay at home mom and be ok with it.

That too. Tyler is no "hard worker" in reality, but, compared to Cate... He has an inflated idea of his own accomplishments/talents/skills, so he's even more put out about that than he should be. In reality, Cate contributes just as much/probably more to their main source of income and, though Ty certainly does more in terms of childcare/household management/running their company, he's not really setting the world on fire in any way. It seems like Gary has parlayed his (smaller) MTV paycheck into a bigger, longer-lasting "empire" than Ty and Cate have. Gary doesn't have an army of addicts and fuck-ups leeching off of him, but still.

I also don't get why Cate is on a "career" kick rather than just declaring herself a SAHM. I assumed it was for a storyline. She also seems to feel pressured by Ty to "do something" or "make something of herself." I thought it was telling that he didn't trust her to manage the email account for their company (which couldn't possibly get that much traffic). He knows that she's a lazy, irresponsible shit. She knows it too.

[kaydub]

11 hours ago, Direwolf said:

That is correct. The most recent Challenge was filmed in Prague. I believe the contestants can do video calls with family back home. 

I can't believe The Challenge is still on going. Like who the Hell is still on it from the old days, if any??? I stopped watching The Challenge 10+ years ago so I've no idea what happens or anything with it anymore...

[luvbadtv]

9 hours ago, kaydub said:

I can't believe The Challenge is still on going. Like who the Hell is still on it from the old days, if any??? I stopped watching The Challenge 10+ years ago so I've no idea what happens or anything with it anymore...

Old timers that still compete:  Johnny Bananas, Wes, CT, Aneesa.

On topic, Cory is on the current season.  They show players face timing with loved ones, but he has not been shown on his end talking with Cheyenne or Ryder.

[MitaJo]

On 5/12/2020 at 8:18 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

All the kids should have gotten to go to Florida (which shouldn’t be hard if Mackenzie is working, because Josh was there), or none of them should have gotten to go.  And it wasn’t lost on me that the other two would have to stay “with Papa.”  If they’re not bringing all their kids to Florida, at least the dad could have stayed home to parent the boys, but he would never do that, because he doesn’t even pretend to parent his children.  He went to Florida for the vacation aspect, not cause he cares about his kid.  

I used to think this. I have a friend who has triplets and she takes her kids on solo trips often. I don't know if Mackenzie does this when not on camera, but my friend has taken each of her kids on trips to theme parks or if she's going to visit her hometown/the grandparents. Each kid gets to have one on one time with mommy. Her husband usually stays home with the other two during these trips. It works for them.

[LibertarianSlut]

3 hours ago, MitaJo said:

I used to think this. I have a friend who has triplets and she takes her kids on solo trips often. I don't know if Mackenzie does this when not on camera, but my friend has taken each of her kids on trips to theme parks or if she's going to visit her hometown/the grandparents. Each kid gets to have one on one time with mommy. Her husband usually stays home with the other two during these trips. It works for them.

I agree with you that there are scenarios where it is fair to bring a six year old to Florida without her siblings, and it goes against everything I believe to write that something is strictly “right” or “wrong,” but my posts are often so long that I have to self-edit, so I sometimes say things just to get to the point, and I omit the exceptions.  

It sounds like your friends deliberately and thoughtfully plan out these excursions so as to give each child time alone with their mom and their own unique experiences.  I applaud that.  That’s consistent, and something that won’t make children feel slighted.  Just the fact that the dad stays behind to take care of them shows they are not like Mackenzie.  

I think Mackenzie and Josh’s household is very chaotic, there is no parenting philosophy, there are tons of outside influences, Josh is absent, Mackenzie is hanging onto her sanity for dear life, and their kids come into it as far as getting them dressed, fed, and hopefully bathed, but they’re not the top priority in this household.  

If I thought for an instant Mackenzie was taking Jaxie to Florida for a deliberate reason—maybe even because she’s the only girl and it would give them mommy-daughter time—I would hesitate and say there might be something to this.  But that’s not what happened from what was shown.  

From what was shown, Mackenzie got work in Florida (which, if they’re not covering her flight and incidentals, I don’t even see how that would make money), but either she wanted to go or the network wanted her to go, so she took that opportunity to skip town and head to Florida in January, with husband in tow.  And then it seemed, almost like an afterthought, “well, why don’t we bring Jaxie, because it’s her birthday?”  Meanwhile, Gannon got a shitty little party for his recent birthday at which Josh couldn’t even bother to remain for the duration.   

The way the adults approached it seemed very immature and thoughtless.  Mackenzie just lost her mom, so she seems to think that she should just be able to seek comfort where she finds it, but she’s a mom too, and she needs to think about her kids and how this will affect them.  Josh is another one.  Josh was waiting on her hand and foot for one episode and then he wound up being an asshole again.  He doesn’t get to go to Florida for that.  Didn’t he swear his undying love when she was trying to divorce him?  

Didn’t he swear he would do anything if he would take her back?  He can start by staying home in Oklahoma and taking care of his damned kids so that Mackenzie can get a total break.  If she wanted Jaxie there for her own comfort, I don’t think it’s a good decision; I think one has to put the well-being and feelings of their other kids over the selfish desire to cuddle with one’s daughter as they mourn—but at the very least, Josh should have stayed behind to watch the boys so that they can get valuable daddy time.  I’m sure they’re foisted on Mackenzie’s father enough of the time that they don’t need that as much right now.  

It’s like Josh is allergic to parenting.  Why did he have three kids then?  I get it that Gannon was an oops baby, but why the hell two more?  I was watching the movie Revolutionary Road over the weekend, and the female lead said to the male lead that their first child was a mistake and their second child was to prove that their first child wasn’t a mistake.  I feel like that’s what’s going on here.  After 16 and Pregnant, Mackenzie and Josh had absolutely no room to claim ignorance about contraception, but here they are, with three young kids, as a result of their poor planning.  They both need to turn over an entire new leaf and put their kids first before I will have an iota of respect for either of them.  

I think it’s highly likely that Mackenzie will have a fourth and fifth child with this dumpster fire of a shell of a man than she is to look at her own limitations and try to be better for her kids.  I think the sloppy way they executed this trip to Florida is just another example of how selfish and limited she and Josh are, and I think they’re horrible.  This is not to cast aspersions on other parents who may take their kids on separate trips under entirely different circumstances, who are doing it for their kids, and not themselves.  

[Dmarie019]

15 hours ago, kaydub said:

I can't believe The Challenge is still on going. Like who the Hell is still on it from the old days, if any??? I stopped watching The Challenge 10+ years ago so I've no idea what happens or anything with it anymore...

Because the challenges they do are no joke. There have been some that have almost gotten seriously hurt but I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. 

[TheRealT]

10 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

It’s like Josh is allergic to parenting.  Why did he have three kids then?  I get it that Gannon was an oops baby, but why the hell two more?  I was watching the movie Revolutionary Road over the weekend, and the female lead said to the male lead that their first child was a mistake and their second child was to prove that their first child wasn’t a mistake.  I feel like that’s what’s going on here.  After 16 and Pregnant, Mackenzie and Josh had absolutely no room to claim ignorance about contraception, but here they are, with three young kids, as a result of their poor planning.  They both need to turn over an entire new leaf and put their kids first before I will have an iota of respect for either of them.  

I think it’s highly likely that Mackenzie will have a fourth and fifth child with this dumpster fire of a shell of a man than she is to look at her own limitations and try to be better for her kids.  I think the sloppy way they executed this trip to Florida is just another example of how selfish and limited she and Josh are, and I think they’re horrible.  This is not to cast aspersions on other parents who may take their kids on separate trips under entirely different circumstances, who are doing it for their kids, and not themselves.  

I would assume that Josh plays no role whatsoever in planning or using contraception, probably not even with his side pieces, and certainly not with his wife. Mackenzie is pretty dumb and has dealt with a lot of emotional turmoil since they got married. I wouldn't be surprised if she messed up with her birth control out of ignorance/stupidity and/or "kind of accidentally" got pregnant when she and Josh were having problems or she was feeling bad and thought/hoped a baby would make things better.

Also, I have been appalled at how her friends and family encourage her to stay with Josh, even when she was articulating what a shitty husband he is and how unhappy she is and always has been in the marriage. Josh bought her some flowers and set up a scavenger hunt (where he spent no time with her for the whole day) and they were all, "He really loves you and he's trying! I think you're just pushing him away because you're scared! [Other stupid bullshit]" I thought it was particularly sad that her dying mother told her she really hoped Mack would make things work with Josh. So she probably will keep trying for years, quite possibly having more kids, until Josh leaves her or does something so egregious that her "support system" has to admit that he's irredeemable.

[Jeanne222]

10 hours ago, TheRealT said:

I would assume that Josh plays no role whatsoever in planning or using contraception, probably not even with his side pieces, and certainly not with his wife. Mackenzie is pretty dumb and has dealt with a lot of emotional turmoil since they got married. I wouldn't be surprised if she messed up with her birth control out of ignorance/stupidity and/or "kind of accidentally" got pregnant when she and Josh were having problems or she was feeling bad and thought/hoped a baby would make things better.

Also, I have been appalled at how her friends and family encourage her to stay with Josh, even when she was articulating what a shitty husband he is and how unhappy she is and always has been in the marriage. Josh bought her some flowers and set up a scavenger hunt (where he spent no time with her for the whole day) and they were all, "He really loves you and he's trying! I think you're just pushing him away because you're scared! [Other stupid bullshit]" I thought it was particularly sad that her dying mother told her she really hoped Mack would make things work with Josh. So she probably will keep trying for years, quite possibly having more kids, until Josh leaves her or does something so egregious that her "support system" has to admit that he's irredeemable.

I so agree with everything you are saying.  Josh is a terrible husband and father!  He's staying for the money and filming.

Sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on!  I'm really surprised her mother pushed her dying wish on MacKenzie.  If it was with the grandkids in mind Josh is a terrible, hands off, father.  None would be better than him!

Some don't like Maci but she left Ryan and found a good husband helping her raise Bentley.  Can you imagine her life if she would have stayed with him.

[Andyourlittledog2]

Yeah, Mackenzie tries to confide in her friends, seeks support from them, admits she is miserable in her marriage and always has been, etc and the response is always, 'Oh, you really love him! You really want to be married to him! You really really love him, I know you do!' It's obnoxious.  It's like they are all gaslighting her to love her husband and never divorce him. They might as well be on his payroll. They certainly are shitty friends. And her mom did the same thing. I realize they are all very Christian and have been probably taught that divorce is very bad but they are really obnoxious the way they all completely discount Mackenzie's feelings.

Speaking of Mackenzie, how does she have a business Body by Mack or whatever whose business plan is flying half way across the country to lead ONE workout class on the beach and then go home? Will she fly to San Diego next week, do one class, then fly back home? What kind of a bizarre plan is that?

She is just so very immature. She has had her mom backing her up since 16 & P days and I don't think she's really grown up or raised her children on her own since Gannon was born. Her mom took care of everything for her and she was just the secondary player. I think that's one of the reasons she is so lost now. Losing your mom at that age is devastating, truly, but she seems unusually unable to cope without her.

 

[TheRealT]

6 minutes ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

I realize they are all very Christian and have been probably taught that divorce is very bad but they are really obnoxious the way they all completely discount Mackenzie's feelings...

She is just so very immature. She has had her mom backing her up since 16 & P days and I don't think she's really grown up or raised her children on her own since Gannon was born. Her mom took care of everything for her and she was just the secondary player. I think that's one of the reasons she is so lost now. Losing your mom at that age is devastating, truly, but she seems unusually unable to cope without her.

Yeah, I understand viewing being married to one person for life as an ideal, but a) I seriously doubt that none of them are divorced and b) it's really cruel to basically be like, "Yeah, I get that you're miserable, but, whatever..." And it's not even like they gave any constructive advice about how Josh and Mack could address the issues Mack was upset about. They didn't suggest counseling (even with a minister), they didn't advise her on how to communicate her needs to Josh, nothing. They just kept telling her that Josh loves her (even when he's treating her like shit) and put all the onus on her to "make it work."

If her mom were a wiser/smarter woman, she would get that Mack needs a partner who will take care of her (at least somewhat the way her mom coddled her all her life) and would realize that Josh isn't that person. Even with the 3 kids, Mack is still young, attractive, and pliable enough to be a trophy wife to some older guy with a savior complex. She's pretty simple and I think she'd be really grateful to someone who gave her emotional support and helped her raise her kids, so I think it'd be relatively easy for her to find someone she'd be happy with. Instead, she's wasting more time with Josh, possibly even having more kids, which will just make it harder for her to move on from him eventually.

[Treehugger9]

This was just posted yesterday. Poor Mac! Josh is an ass but this is particularly low. Having an affair with her cousin right after her mother died?  Sadly, I believe he is capable of something like this after watching how he treats her on the show. 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Treehugger9

[MargeGunderson]

For God’s sake, get a personal journal to pour your heart into, not social media!