S09E05: Orchard of Dreams

[druzy]

Catelynn believes she’s pregnant while Maci deals with a change in venue for Jagger’s birthday party which puts Bentley in an awkward position. Cheyenne considers buying a new house with Zach.

Airs February 23, 2021 

[VioletNevermind]

I never thought I’d spend even one minute of my life discussing Catelynn Lowell’s urine, but good God, woman, drink some damn water.  I thought she was testing her urine with a container of carrot juice or preparing to dye Easter eggs.  I won’t even mention the fact that she peed in a food storage container, placed it on her kitchen counter, dipped various pregnancy tests into it, and dripped said tests all over that same counter.  Mark me down as a pretty damn firm ‘no’ for her next dinner party.

As for Cheyenne’s home search, MacKenzie’s move, and Maci’s party “concerns,” I say who cares, double who cares, and please give this half-grown child his privacy, in that order.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Suzy Rhapsody

[snarts]

Catelynn,  drink some damn water. Her urine was disgustingly concentrated and why did she put it in a Tupperware container on the kitchen counter? I just can't. 

MacKenzie talking shit made my blood boil. It's obviously Jen hides the truth, Bentley doesn't want to be around Ryan. He's old enough to make that decision and I'm glad that his mom allows him to do what he's comfortable with. 

[PicnicLife77]

"Let nature FLOW"

And her urine made me gag. 

[Marisagf]

I loved when the producer told Catelynn the test said, "no" after Catelynn INSISTED it was a positive test!  Talk about a hysterical pregnancy!!  So is this the "miscarriage" she was talking about when no one but Cheyenne reached out to her?

 

Edited February 24, 2021 by Marisagf

[FlowerofCarnage]

I could have gone without that visual reminder that Cate is dehydrated.

Ryan and Mack continue to be dumpster juice! 

[Jax7917]

Mackenzie -  Move . On . Holy crap - her husband is such a loser just let him go already .  By the way , anyone else find her voice to just be nails on a chalkboard ? 
 

cheyenne - was she pregnant at this point already ? When was this filmed ? I still think if Cory wanted her , she’d dump this guy in a heartbeat for him . She always seems so smitten with Cory . 
 

Amber - I’ll give her credit for not flipping out yet this season . Usually , she’s off the walls by now . 
 

Maci - Ryan and macs kids that live with them are gonna grow up to be terrible people . With parents like those two , you have little to no chance . Bentley is such a mature , intelligent kid , and not having Ryan in his life is a true blessing for him . He and Mackenzie are just skeezy people . 
 

catelynn - does she do anything with her life other than take pregnancy tests ? 
 

 

 

[jennyf]

Nice shots of dehydrated Catelynn and her Marlboro menthols getting a tattoo while she’s convinced she’s pregnant. She and her car and her house must reek of minty stale cigarette smoke. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by jennyf

[Mr. Miner]

Tyler is disappointed he’s going to have to keep porking Caitlyn.

Does anyone give one single fuck about Mac and brain dead Josh?

[PicnicLife77]

C&T should just adaaaaapt a boy. May not be the best parents, but it makes more sense. Also, C wouldn't have to worry about "postpartum".

Rhine was clearly high. His head even jerked as he sat there in his chair like a disabled elderly person. 

Mackenzie doesn't need to wear blush. And I feel bad for her dad. 

I'm sure I'll have more profound thoughts om par with Tyler's wisdom after I watch the episode again. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by abracadabra

[edie3]

Ryan went and stayed in his room during his kid's birthday party? FFS

[Liamsmom617]

  We all say this every week, but FFS Maci, stop having these conversations with Bentley on-camera. Do they really need the money that much to stay on the show? I mean I know they don’t have a storyline otherwise, but damn.

   Agree that it’s nice to see Amber calm and cool. Maybe she finally found the right combination of meds and therapy.

   Ditto on Catelynn needing to drink some water. I can’t hate on her or Tyler too much… They are both doing better than anyone would have expected given the childhoods they had. But seriously....

Edited February 24, 2021 by Liamsmom617

[PicnicLife77]

22 minutes ago, edie3 said:

Ryan went and stayed in his room during his kid's birthday party? FFS

I know the type. We have one in my family. Nobody knows what's "wrong" with so-and-so but everybody expects this behavior. 

On one hand I want to say they're just addicts and hold themselves to horrible standards when it comes to being the slightest bit inconvenienced or uncomfortable and doing anything for others. On the other hand, I believe some of these types do have legitimate underlying mental issues ranging from social anxiety to more. But substances don't help. 

[heatherchandler]

22 minutes ago, Liamsmom617 said:

   

  We all say this every week, but FFS sake Maci, stop having these conversations with Bentley on-camera. Do they really need the money that much to stay on the show? I mean I know they don’t have a storyline otherwise, but damn.

Agree that it’s nice to see Amber calm and cool. Maybe she finally found the right combination of meds and therapy.

 

I honestly think Maci forcing Bentley to discuss his personal issues on camera is abusive.  He clearly doesn’t want to do it.  She’s forcing this and it is making him really uncomfortable.

I think Amber found a new dealer.  She was high as fuck.

Edited February 24, 2021 by heatherchandler

[alotmorestupider]

Mackenzie needs to start divorce proceedings. She earns the money, she’s beautiful and thin and doesn’t look haggard and exhausted like the rest of us with young kids. She doesn’t need that comatose moron; she’ll hopefully meet some gorgeous Puerto Rican who’ll make her forget who Josh ever was. Good for her for telling him off because he really is a horrible human. 
 

Catelynn is so neurotic about being pregnant because she has literally nothing else going on in her life. When the rest of us get an inconclusive test, we wait a day or two and test again instead of buying and wasting 8 tests and ruining a perfectly good Tupperware container. They weren’t faint positives, you imbecile. You had “line eyes” because you desperately need something to talk about when people ask you what’s new. 
 

Ryder is one of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen. She’s freaking adorable and so cute when she talks. She makes me desperately want a daughter. 

[t7686]

Glad I wasn’t the only one who was horrified by Cate’s pee (never thought I’d type those words). Good god woman, drink some water. Even Tyler could keep a straight face- she was seriously sending Queen  Mary I vibes over those pregnancy tests. 
 

Poor Bentley on all accounts.

Edited February 24, 2021 by t7686

[Jeanne222]

That conversation between Mackenzie and Josh was rough.  He doesn't want you or the kids!  He wants to be free.  She is crazy about him and he's really not interested!  It's so clear to everybody!  He didn't even blink when she said she's moving his three kids to Florida!  No loud protests and no running to an attorney.  Nothing but probably relief.    Those three little kids are odd.  They aren't like regular kids.  I watch them and I feel so sorry for them but not sure why.  None of them look happy, playful, loved.

Is Gary honestly thinking of going into ANY business with Amber?  No just no.  I have been thinking he's really matured and really handles his business.  But lately all the trips to Ambers house.  Hauling her around, setting up a house on his property and now a business...  Surely Kristine is noticing????

Somebody should call CPS on Maci.  Poor Bentley.   Ryan drugging during a birthday party.

Cheyenne, Cody and Ryder.  I agree Ryder is a beautiful little girl.  Cheyenne can't find a honey because she still loves Cody.  He plays with her.  Speaking of which why isn't his wife and baby on the show?  They were big time last season.

Caitlyn actually looked pretty in the closing scenes.  She doesn't need makeup.  She needs a get in shape program.  That would boost the old moral.

[AhFillAck]

I haven't laughed this hard during an episode in a while. Now that's some box biting.

[Marisagf]

2 hours ago, AhFillAck said:

I haven't laughed this hard during an episode in a while. Now that's some box biting.

I had a bunch of thoughts running through my head when I saw this.  She is feral!  

We should have a caption contest for these photos.  I'll start: 

"These quesadillas taste like cardboard!"

Edited February 24, 2021 by Marisagf

[CalicoskiesNC]

Ryan had two sweet babies to play or love on right in front of him. Instead he cuddles a dog with one hand while sitting in his recliner and the other hand clutching his vape. 

[Jeanne222]

2 hours ago, CalicoskiesNC said:

Ryan had two sweet babies to play or love on right in front of him. Instead he cuddles a dog with one hand while sitting in his recliner and the other hand clutching his vape. 

Ryan stays with this wife because she expects nothing of him!  She is just like Jen!

[Cosmocrush]

8 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Those three little kids are odd.  They aren't like regular kids.  I watch them and I feel so sorry for them but not sure why.  None of them look happy, playful, loved.

Maybe because they always seem to be within listening range when their mother (and aunt) trash their Dad. 

Maybe because their Dad is actually a "horrible human." 

Or maybe because Mac  was so consumed with her own grief when her mother died she couldn't see her kids grief.   It's scary to see your Mom like that when you're a little kid.  

This move is probably good for Mac but right now those little kids are leaving everyone they love.  

I agree, none of them look very happy.  

[snarts]

8 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Those three little kids are odd.  They aren't like regular kids.  I watch them and I feel so sorry for them but not sure why.  None of them look happy, playful, loved.

Personally, they all remind me of Josh. No emotion, one word mumbling replies. I don't remember too much about his parenting style but I do wonder if their quietness is more about him than Mac. This might sound terrible but it saddens me to hear that he followed them to Florida. I think a clean break would've served both Mac & the kids well.  Yes, they moved away from family but also a lot of heartbreak. A fresh start in a new city might have been good.

Does Ryan work or is he also living off the show money?  If Mackenzie is working, I hope to hell that someone other than Ryan watches those kids.  If he's not high, he's heavily medicated.  Who am I kidding, it's probably Jen and she likely does his laundry and cooks his meals as well. 

[Mr. Miner]

One kid is named Broncs because Josh had dreams of being a rodeo star. He failed and became a mumbling, brain dead POS instead. That family would be better off without him around. But Mac isn't very bright herself so I have to FF through them, too depressing.

[Mothra]

14 hours ago, Suzy Rhapsody said:

I never thought I’d spend even one minute of my life discussing Catelynn Lowell’s urine, but good God, woman, drink some damn water.  I thought she was testing her urine with a container of carrot juice or preparing to dye Easter eggs.

 

Me too.  I wonder if she gets a lot of UTIs with that strong urine, or stones.  That was *not* healthy-looking pee.

And good gravy, how stupid is she?   I give her a pass on wanting so badly to be pregnant that every negative test looks positive to her, but those things are expensive!  And of course it's way too early.

Risking censure for picking on a kid:  I have always liked Nova, and I have enjoyed her eccentricities while at the same time shaking my head over the "parenting" that brought those eccentricities to the fore.  I think the stress and immaturity and, yes, stupidity in her household have all pushed that child right over the edge.  Nova looks crazy to me.  I think she acts crazy, too, and it makes me sad.

And one more thing:  I recall Catelynn's being vehement about how damaging it is to refer to children as being "put up" for adoption, and that really made me be careful to say in my own life "placed" for adoption.  Now--unless I was off my meds again--I hear *Catelynn herself* talk about her first child being "placed up" for adoption.  WTF? 

[Cosmocrush]

12 hours ago, edie3 said:

Ryan went and stayed in his room during his kid's birthday party? FFS

Why does Ryan still have a room at Larry and Jen's?  

[BrownBear2012]

14 hours ago, jennyf said:

Nice shots of dehydrated Catelynn and her Marlboro menthols getting a tattoo while she’s convinced she’s pregnant. She and her car and her house must reek of minty stale cigarette smoke. 

Tyler smokes too...great parenting there.

[BrownBear2012]

18 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I honestly think Maci forcing Bentley to discuss his personal issues on camera is abusive.  He clearly doesn’t want to do it.  She’s forcing this and it is making him really uncomfortable.

I think Amber found a new dealer.  She was high as fuck.

What I think what was worse was Ryan trashing Bentley's mother on camera as a spiteful bitch...that was really bad and damaging to Bentley. His faux concern for Bentley is just so transparent. If he cared about Bentley he would have some interaction with him and talk to him...but instead he just sits on his recliner fondling his dog and spewing vile. Mackenzie needs to shut her piehole and stop enabling his wretched behavior...and please...both of them need to stop saying that the two little toddlers are being let down by Bentley becasue he did not go to the party at their house or for not spending a holiday with them. Those two little kids and their "feelings" being hurt by Bentley is just disgusting. Ryan exhibits drug addict behavior and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he's using again...even if he isn't, he's just the laziest lard ass ever. Bentley isn't being influenced by his mother in regards to his feelings about Ryan...he sees and feels his father's ambivalence to him and his resentlful attitude towards him. He knows his father has no love for him...if Ryan does love him, he never shows it or expresses it to him. All he does is complain about Maci, call her names and bash her and then gripes about Bentley not coming over...why would Bentley want to?? His Dad is a schumck. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by BrownBear2012

[SilverLake0315]

I love how we all noticed the color of Catelynn's urine! I could barely focus on anything else in that scene.

I'm not the best about drinking enough water, but holy hell, she must not ingest a single drop.

[Mothra]

14 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

Amber - I’ll give her credit for not flipping out yet this season . Usually , she’s off the walls by now . 

I am not as charitable as you.

Gary very kindly offers to set up a trailer for her to rent on his property, and she instants aggros herself into his and Christina's lives.

1.  *She's* going to buy a trailer to rent out.  Where?  On Gary's land?  Does she or does she not want to accept the really unselfish offer Gary made?

2.  Gary should monetize his property, and she's going to tell him how.

3.  Gary should open a restaurant in his barn

and on and on.  Poor Christina.  I guess she didn't get the memo that Amber was still Gary's wife.

Amber has such a record of success in business, in parenting, in love, in life.  Being kind, I will assume that her bullying herself into the driver's seat on how Gary and Christina should live is a function of her mental illness.

And now Gary will know better than to try to do a favor for his daughter's nutty mother.

[Jax7917]

What is Gary’s deal , Is he subconsciously in love with Amber or does his pity for her just run really deep ? I used to think the latter but now not so sure . He seems a little too into always having her around . 

[Snarky McSnarky]

6 minutes ago, Jax7917 said:

What is Gary’s deal , Is he subconsciously in love with Amber or does his pity for her just run really deep ? I used to think the latter but now not so sure . He seems a little too into always having her around . 

I believe he's only thinking of the MTV money, and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep it rolling in.  Same for Kristina.  Boats and brand new pickup trucks don't come cheap, especially when neither of them has a real job.

[jennyf]

10 hours ago, Marisagf said:

I had a bunch of thoughts running through my head when I saw this.  She is feral!  

We should have a caption contest for these photos.  I'll start: 

"These quesadillas taste like cardboard!"

When that segment of the show started, I actually thought it was an old clip of her eating the quesadilla. 

[PicnicLife77]

2 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

What is Gary’s deal , Is he subconsciously in love with Amber or does his pity for her just run really deep ? I used to think the latter but now not so sure . He seems a little too into always having her around . 

I'm about to reveal my own codependent, dysfunctional patterns here:

For.Gary, I'm not sure. Maybe the money from the show is a main factor. But I also.believe he may feel some guilt (although he shouldn't, at all) that his life is turning out so well while Amber's hasn't, although by her own doing. It may make him feel like a better person, like he's paying things forward somehow, by taking on some responsibility for her. 

I have someone like this in my life, and when mine started to drastically improve I did feel like a horrible person for "leaving them in the dust" and picked up some codependent behaviors to make myself feel less guilty. It was genuinely painful for me to see the other person not progressing in life, and I was less able to enjoy my own success when I watched that person flounder. 

[Liamsmom617]

6 hours ago, snarts said:

Personally, they all remind me of Josh. No emotion, one word mumbling replies. I don't remember too much about his parenting style but I do wonder if their quietness is more about him than Mac. This might sound terrible but it saddens me to hear that he followed them to Florida. I think a clean break would've served both Mac & the kids well.  Yes, they moved away from family but also a lot of heartbreak. A fresh start in a new city might have been good.

Does Ryan work or is he also living off the show money?  If Mackenzie is working, I hope to hell that someone other than Ryan watches those kids.  If he's not high, he's heavily medicated.  Who am I kidding, it's probably Jen and she likely does his laundry and cooks his meals as well. 

I so agree re: Mackenzie and Josh. Mackenzie's parents seem to have had a wonderful marriage, a lifelong love story, and she so obviously wants the same for her own family. She is so young that she hasn't yet accepted that it's not going to happen w/this guy. I feel for her.

[TheRealT]

17 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I honestly think Maci forcing Bentley to discuss his personal issues on camera is abusive.  He clearly doesn’t want to do it.  She’s forcing this and it is making him really uncomfortable.

ITA. Maci seems to think that she is "winning" by highlighting what a shitty dad/person Ryan is and that Bentley is hurt by that, which is all kinds of fucked up. She certainly talked to Bentley in advance about the scene where he said he didn't want to go to Ryan's house and called Mimi to tell her and I have no doubt that Maci basically wrote the script, right down to Bentley saying, on camera, that he wanted MTV to record the call. She did that for herself, not for Bentley, in order to make Ryan look bad and to deflect the criticism she knew she'd get online. So gross. She obviously doesn't get that, even if Bentley came to her and said, "Hey, Mom, this season can we do a storyline about how my dad clearly doesn't love me and how bad that makes me feel?" the appropriate parental response would be to tell him that that wasn't a good idea. Bentley isn't benefiting from this in any way (except that it's paying the bills, I guess).

15 hours ago, alotmorestupider said:

Catelynn is so neurotic about being pregnant because she has literally nothing else going on in her life. When the rest of us get an inconclusive test, we wait a day or two and test again instead of buying and wasting 8 tests and ruining a perfectly good Tupperware container. They weren’t faint positives, you imbecile. You had “line eyes” because you desperately need something to talk about when people ask you what’s new.

Exactly. I think she likes being pregnant/talking about getting pregnant because it gets her positive attention and alleviates the pressure she feels from Tyler and herself to do something. When she's pregnant, she doesn't have to pretend that she's searching for her passion or put forth much effort toward anything; she's automatically useful (at least until she finds out she's not carrying a boy) and doing something. I don't know why she doesn't just declare that her passion is being a SAHM, except that I think she pretty much sucks at that and Tyler has decided that that's not enough (probably in no small part because he's really the SAH parent, while pursuing his "passion" AND practicing basic personal hygiene). Their whole situation is so tragic. When Cate was being all manic about the pregnancy tests, I was like, "Hasn't it been like a couple of weeks since they started trying?," then Tyler said it had been literally a week. What? This episode was like a PSA for "You Probably Shouldn't Be Planning Another Child."

6 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Ryan stays with this wife because she expects nothing of him!  She is just like Jen!

I seriously wonder whether/how Mac and the Edwardses think this situation is tenable. Do they really want Ryan's kids to grow up like this? With Daddy being high and surly all the time while everyone else pretends that he's fine? What are they going to do when the toddlers are old enough to follow Daddy when he goes off to his room (at his parents' house!) to do-- whatever-- during family events? Is Mac hypervigilant about making sure that whatever drugs Ryan is on aren't accessible to the kids? How could she be? Do they ever spend time with Mac's family? What do they think about all of this? It seems unlikely that people who aren't codependent with him like Jen and Larry will ignore him acting like an asshole, being/getting high at their house during family gatherings, etc.

[pinkandsparkly13]

15 hours ago, alotmorestupider said:

Mackenzie needs to start divorce proceedings. She earns the money, she’s beautiful and thin and doesn’t look haggard and exhausted like the rest of us with young kids. She doesn’t need that comatose moron; she’ll hopefully meet some gorgeous Puerto Rican who’ll make her forget who Josh ever was. Good for her for telling him off because he really is a horrible human

Really? Lol I think Mackenzie is fine looking, but she isn't as pretty as she used to be. Just a few weeks ago, someone said she looks 50. She may not be "haggard", but she looks a lot older to me at times. She definitely needs to get rid of Josh though. Like come on! He has nothing to offer. 

[BrownBear2012]

3 hours ago, Mothra said:

I am not as charitable as you.

Gary very kindly offers to set up a trailer for her to rent on his property, and she instants aggros herself into his and Christina's lives.

1.  *She's* going to buy a trailer to rent out.  Where?  On Gary's land?  Does she or does she not want to accept the really unselfish offer Gary made?

2.  Gary should monetize his property, and she's going to tell him how.

3.  Gary should open a restaurant in his barn

and on and on.  Poor Christina.  I guess she didn't get the memo that Amber was still Gary's wife.

Amber has such a record of success in business, in parenting, in love, in life.  Being kind, I will assume that her bullying herself into the driver's seat on how Gary and Christina should live is a function of her mental illness.

And now Gary will know better than to try to do a favor for his daughter's nutty mother.

Oh so true on everything! OMG! Gary should do this, Gary should that...Christina needs to put her foot down and draw some boundary lines...this is just unhealthy and wrong. And under no circumstance should Gary go into business with her...why does she think she's this is  business Wonder Woman? What the hell has she created that actually turned a profit and is still up and running? Honestly, this is a woman who never worked a day in her life and she's bossing Gary around and walking all over Christina while she's at it...what happened to her plus size clothing line? Or the house flipping? 

1 hour ago, abracadabra said:

I'm about to reveal my own codependent, dysfunctional patterns here:

For.Gary, I'm not sure. Maybe the money from the show is a main factor. But I also.believe he may feel some guilt (although he shouldn't, at all) that his life is turning out so well while Amber's hasn't, although by her own doing. It may make him feel like a better person, like he's paying things forward somehow, by taking on some responsibility for her. 

I have someone like this in my life, and when mine started to drastically improve I did feel like a horrible person for "leaving them in the dust" and picked up some codependent behaviors to make myself feel less guilty. It was genuinely painful for me to see the other person not progressing in life, and I was less able to enjoy my own success when I watched that person flounder. 

Gary doesn't owe her anything...he raised their daughter while she was bedding men, getting high and beating up on people.

[Chris Knight]

I agree, Josh is a complete jerk and the sooner MacKenzie drops him, the better. She seems to have plenty of people around her who love her. She can easily find another bf. Not sure about a new husband though with her 3 children but its not impossible. 

I am still firmly in the camp that the truth about MaciRyan is somewhere in the middle of their stories. Yes Ryan and Mac badmouth Maci but Maci and Taylor do exactly the same thing. Actually I think spouses Mac and Taylor should not say anything on camera. Maci and Taylor in their stupid TTM shirts are so sanctimonious,  I can barely watch.

Cate, I feel bad for her. Having had trouble getting pg, I can relate to testing early, buying lots of tests, etc although I never collected my urine in a Tupperware container (that I know she rinsed and used again). Biting the package with my teeth is also not something I ever did. But you all are right, Cate has nothing else to do.

Hanging my loser head in shame, I sometimes google these people to see what is happening irl. I am afraid to google Amber and Geary, because you all know why.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Chris Knight

[BrownBear2012]

7 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Ryan stays with this wife because she expects nothing of him!  She is just like Jen!

She's awful...always harping on Maci for this and that or complaining about Bentley not showing up for this or that. They forget that he has a busy school/athletic life and also that spending time with his father who treats him like crap and a step mother that is aloof and cold doesn't make it a fun place to be.

[PicnicLife77]

Re all the preg tests being expensive: I can't find the post I'm trying to quote, and it's not a super important point as that entire scene was absurd and foolish, but you can actually get them for a DAAAAAALLOR. Not sure how accurate they are. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers paid for all those, though, to have a storyline. 

[Chris Knight]

2 minutes ago, abracadabra said:

Re all the preg tests being expensive: I can't find the post I'm trying to quote, and it's not a super important point as that entire scene was absurd and foolish, but you can actually get them for a DAAAAAALLOR. Not sure how accurate they are. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers paid for all those, though, to have a storyline. 

Right and I may be giving Cate too much credit but I was thinking maybe Cate deliberately did not drink a lot of water that day and held it in because they say concentrated urine is best for early pg detection. That may be an old wives tale, but I am an old wife.

[FozzyBear]

1 hour ago, TheRealT said:

I seriously wonder whether/how Mac and the Edwardses think this situation is tenable. Do they really want Ryan's kids to grow up like this? With Daddy being high and surly all the time while everyone else pretends that he's fine? What are they going to do when the toddlers are old enough to follow Daddy when he goes off to his room (at his parents' house!) to do-- whatever-- during family events? Is Mac hypervigilant about making sure that whatever drugs Ryan is on aren't accessible to the kids? How could she be? Do they ever spend time with Mac's family? What do they think about all of this? It seems unlikely that people who aren't codependent with him like Jen and Larry will ignore him acting like an asshole, being/getting high at their house during family gatherings, etc.

Oh don’t worry. Shit will hit the fan and the Edwards will find a way to blame Mac. This time I’m thinking it will be because she wasn’t assertive enough and didn’t call Ryan on enough of his shitty behavior. It will be fun. We can see how Maci’s polar opposite is Ryan’s trigger this time. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by FozzyBear

[heatherchandler]

4 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

What is Gary’s deal , Is he subconsciously in love with Amber or does his pity for her just run really deep ? I used to think the latter but now not so sure . He seems a little too into always having her around . 

I actually think he is kind of still in love with her.  I can see it in his eyes!  BARF!

 

1 hour ago, TheRealT said:

ITA. Maci seems to think that she is "winning" by highlighting what a shitty dad/person Ryan is and that Bentley is hurt by that, which is all kinds of fucked up. She certainly talked to Bentley in advance about the scene where he said he didn't want to go to Ryan's house and called Mimi to tell her and I have no doubt that Maci basically wrote the script, right down to Bentley saying, on camera, that he wanted MTV to record the call. She did that for herself, not for Bentley, in order to make Ryan look bad and to deflect the criticism she knew she'd get online. So gross. She obviously doesn't get that, even if Bentley came to her and said, "Hey, Mom, this season can we do a storyline about how my dad clearly doesn't love me and how bad that makes me feel?" the appropriate parental response would be to tell him that that wasn't a good idea. Bentley isn't benefiting from this in any way (except that it's paying the bills, I guess).

 

YES!  And the only reason to keep up this BS is money.  And of course "fame."  It is disgusting.  And I think she actually thinks she is doing the right thing!  All those years of people patting her on the back really got to her head.

[TheRealT]

25 minutes ago, BrownBear2012 said:

Oh so true on everything! OMG! Gary should do this, Gary should that...Christina needs to put her foot down and draw some boundary lines...this is just unhealthy and wrong. And under no circumstance should Gary go into business with her...why does she think she's this is  business Wonder Woman? What the hell has she created that actually turned a profit and is still up and running? Honestly, this is a woman who never worked a day in her life and she's bossing Gary around and walking all over Christina while she's at it...what happened to her plus size clothing line? Or the house flipping?

In all fairness, I think Amber, Gary, and Kristina cooked all of that up for a storyline. At this point, the original cast are pretty adept at keeping their real drama off-camera, whether that means doing "juicy" stories about their older kids' personal traumas or exploring various careers and business opportunities/looking at properties/helping family members with various problems/etc./etc. I think G&K were offered more money to be more involved in Amber's storyline (which had pretty much become 90% off-screen) and the three of them were like, "Let's talk about how well we get along and how Amber comes to our house all the time. We could do an episode with a ride on our boat. Maybe something with selling some of our stuff at a roadside stand; that would help to support our businesses. Yeah, Amber, good idea, we can have you be the one to suggest the stand so you'll be included in the story."

22 minutes ago, Chris Knight said:

Cate, I feel bad for her. Having had trouble getting pg, I can relate to testing early, buying lots of tests, etc although I never collected my urine in a Tupperware container (that I know she rinsed and used again). Biting the package with my teeth is also not something I ever did. But you all are right, Cate has nothing else to do.

The thing is, Cate hasn't ever had trouble getting pregnant. She seems to get pregnant within a few months whenever she tries. She had a miscarriage, but I would think that would give her less reason to tell a bunch of people and be filmed with a bowl of urine on her kitchen counter before she even missed a period. There was something very off about how she was acting, even apart from it being kind of a put-on for a storyline. She and Tyler put so much effort into coming off as "together" and "normal," but they can't even fake it. A "normal" happily married woman with 2 kids who decided to start trying for a 3rd a week ago wouldn't be freaking out and imagining positive pregnancy tests. If she wanted to do a "cute" storyline about trying to get pregnant, she could have been reading stuff online about a good diet for expectant moms or tips for getting young siblings ready for a new baby (even though that would obviously be fake). They could have even done some dumb thing with getting a realistic baby doll so the girls could practice being big sisters. Instead, she showed (again) how deeply troubled she is.

[ginger90]

[PicnicLife77]

55 minutes ago, BrownBear2012 said:

She's awful...always harping on Maci for this and that or complaining about Bentley not showing up for this or that. They forget that he has a busy school/athletic life and also that spending time with his father who treats him like crap and a step mother that is aloof and cold doesn't make it a fun place to be.

Not to excuse this, but just a thought in general: these people are all relatively young. They were old enough to create children and should be old enough to parent them, but I'm not surprised they aren't more tactful. I think at this age people mistake saying for doing (with all of the sanctimonious pontificating we snark about) and believe they are advocating for or having the right mindset about these children by making these comments. We all know their actual actions are lacking, but I truly believe they think they are supposed to say and feel these things, and in most cases they didn't have the best parenting examples to teach them otherwise. 

[TheRealT]

29 minutes ago, abracadabra said:

Not to excuse this, but just a thought in general: these people are all relatively young. They were old enough to create children and should be old enough to parent them, but I'm not surprised they aren't more tactful. I think at this age people mistake saying for doing (with all of the sanctimonious pontificating we snark about) and believe they are advocating for or having the right mindset about these children by making these comments. We all know their actual actions are lacking, but I truly believe they think they are supposed to say and feel these things, and in most cases they didn't have the best parenting examples to teach them otherwise. 

I agree generally about cutting well-meaning young people some slack, but it's hard for me to see Mac as well-meaning. I can't imagine being married to Ryan for a million reasons, but, if I were, I would be horrified by how he treats Bentley and would try to be as nice as possible to Bentley. Or at least do the absolute minimum by saying more than "hi" to him when he came to my kid's b-day party, especially since his dad didn't talk to him any more than that. If I couldn't be assed to talk to Bentley when he came to my kid's b-day party (and was undoubtedly more engaged with my children than their dad), I would at least not talk shit about him and his mom on TV. Mac is trash.

[Marisagf]

4 hours ago, abracadabra said:

Re all the preg tests being expensive: I can't find the post I'm trying to quote, and it's not a super important point as that entire scene was absurd and foolish, but you can actually get them for a DAAAAAALLOR. Not sure how accurate they are. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers paid for all those, though, to have a storyline. 

Maybe she got them at the Daaaahler Store like Rachel on "Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant."

Edited February 25, 2021 by Marisagf
I remembered which teen mom it was.

[TheRealT]

I forgot to ask before, does anyone understand what Cate and Ty's thing is about OBVIOUSLY not wanting to have a kid after age 30? Ty's mom agreed that OBVIOUSLY no one would want that and I think I've seen at least one other TM say the same. Obviously, they're idiots, but do they think having kids after 30 is bad for biological reasons, like it will be hard to get/be pregnant? Or for lifestyle reasons, like they'll end up stuck with kids when they're over 50 and want to have a kid-free life? Or that people over 30 don't have the energy to raise young children? I honestly don't get it.