S05.E09: Tell All

[4leafclover]

 

By the way, did anyone notice the part where Kody said they've been very busy with the business lately? I don't remember the exact words and I've already deleted it. I think it was near the beginning of the episode. It gave me a good laugh.

 

Oh my gosh, yes!  They were talking about Meri going back to school and Kody said his initial reaction was "Our business is really really busy now and you want to go back to school?"   Made me wonder why they needed those investors if the business is "really really busy."  Another thing he said that made me shake my head was in regards to the kissing/hormones statement.  He actually said "All the dads in the world are going, yeah dude, I wish I'd done this....."  Really Kody?  If all the dad in the world were watching your show, your ratings wouldn't be so dismal.  

[ginger90]

As far as going back to school, one will be the same age if they go, or don't. So, if you can, why not?

I have to wonder though, if Meri is getting any type of financial aid. Just a curiosity.

[UsernameFatigue]

NewBaku, congrats on your considerable achievements!  And your story reminds me of an Ann Landers letter I read years ago. Someone had written for advice on going back to school as an adult. From what I remember, the person would be in school for 8 years, and 42 when he finished (I think it was medical school).  He felt he was too old to consider the idea. Ann Lander's reply was "And how old will you be in 8 years if you don't go back to school?"

 

I don't consider Meri's wanting to go to school at all in the realm of a 'normal family decision' to be made.  This family files for bankrupcy like it is no big deal, has a 'business' that they think an investor would give them hundreds of thousands of dollars for, and insist on living in 4 McMansions when in reality they likely can't afford even one.

 

The ship sailed long ago on this family being responsible, if the ship was ever even  in dock to start with.

Edited July 30, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[MarysWetBar]

The whole finances thing in this family is hard to wrap my mind around. On the one hand, Meri does not need five bedrooms and a wet bar, even if she is supposedly has people over all the time. Also, it isn't fair if she does in fact get to have a different standard of living than the other wives and their kids. But on the other hand, it has been pointed out in past threads that the other wives did choose to have many children in a situation where there was not exactly plenty to go around financially. That is not something Meri should take responsibility for necessarily. I get that being fruitful and multiplying is a big deal in their culture/faith, but it is still a choice they made. But on the other hand, they are supposed to be one big family and all in this together. It's just such a weird money situation that it's hard to say what's the most reasonable way to handle it. If I were Meri, and I did the same amount of filming/"work" for TLC as the other wives, I would want an equal piece of the pie. But if I was Janelle back in the day, who seems to have been the main breadwinner until TLC showed up, I might be resentful that I had to keep giving a part of my paycheck to someone who might need it less than my own kids. 

Hi guys- long time lurker, first time poster here! So glad I found somewhere to snark about this bunch as my hubby was getting tired of me snapping back at the tv screen every Sunday night. :) My issue with Meri is that she seems to feel entitled enough to have the same dollar value house as the other wives and will fight or rather cry about her right because it wasn't her choice to not have more children. And while I can sympathize to a degree with her on that, it is not fair that she pulls that card out when it comes to getting but never when it comes to giving back to the family. If I was Janelle, and had that many kids and was the only one dragging my ass out of bed every morning to go out to work, I'll be damned if someone else's kid would be wearing nicer clothes, driving a nicer "beater" or even eating better quality of food than my own blood children were eating. Christine gets a pass from me as far as back when she was home all the time with all the kids- that would truly be appreciated by a working mother and you can sense Janelle appreciates and is grateful for Christine providing child care for her as working is more her thing.

[Featherhat]

The only reason there is a show is because of plural marriage. It's not as if Meri had enough going on solo to get a tv show. She seems to love the benefits but feel none of the responsibility.

It's one family. They all choose to have 17 kids. They should all choose to support them.

 

Neither would Kody and I get the feeling he's the biggest driver behind the show. I think the way the Williams family dole out money seems fairer and it works for them because they all have roughly the same number of kids. There's no way money could only be given out by kids in the Browns with such disparity in numbers, they'd need a general housekeeping/personal fund even before TLC, even when they lived in the same house, just to keep the peace. She's obviously been selfish with money she didn't always earn (when Janelle who hates her did) and we haven't exactly seen her give much back (on camera) but I really don't think giving each mother say 100 per month per kid as their only fund would have worked.

 

Robyn is the driving force for sinking thousands of dollars into MSWC, a business they basically have no clue how to run either then or 3 years later, she has 4 kids and wants more, why isn't she investing her portion of the money more wisely for their future? Meri had the one bio kid, she now gets to start her "empty nest" life. Christine and Janelle had more kids and have/get to wait longer to do so. Again with the number of kids and the 4 different houses wives at different stages in their lives is unavoidable even if they really did live plurally. And seriously, I do not believe Janelle and Christine want Meri empty nesting all over their houses (remember how terrible it is to share a kitchen?) Robyn does but only so she can have another baby and have a babysitter/ person to run the "business" whilst she gestates (her only job apparently.)

 

It's even possible that Meri will become a more positive person for the family now that she's got something to focus on. Of course its also possible that she'll use it as and excuse to withdraw further, or drop out but we'll see.  

 

I get the feeling that even a lot of the families on Polygamy USA, whilst they paid lip service to "all the kids are all ours" its certainly not always true, even if the family is living altogether.

[purpleflowers]

 My issue with Meri is that she seems to feel entitled enough to have the same dollar value house as the other wives and will fight or rather cry about her right because it wasn't her choice to not have more children. 

This dynamic seems to be at odds with their whole party line of "believing in this way of life" and being one family. If I put myself in the situation of one of those women, I think I would really truly have to have a genuine commitment and love for my sister-wife in order to feel okay about providing for her financially. The idea of providing to one's spouse and children is what I would be inclined and motivated to do, but in order to provide for the spouses other romantic partner, there would need to be a darn good commitment level going on because that would not come naturally! And we are not seeing unconditional love between these ladies. This is what makes this family mystifying...the core things that a family needs to decide together, they don't seem to be at peace about or able to discuss: finances, and discussions about more children/growing the family. If they are one big family, having a child theoretically affects everybody. 

[Kohola3]

"Nothing to say yet except: We are a great show for a First Response pregnancy test add!"

 

What the hell does this even mean?  Is anyone able to translate his gibberish?  

 

Or maybe First Response is paying him some sort of advertising fee.  If so, they aren't getting their money's worth.

[wrestlesflamingos]

I think it's Kody hinting that he uses many pregnancy tests perhaps suggesting more than one wife is trying to conceive or that conceiving has gone slowly.  Or maybe he's really flip about Aspyn having a scare?  (I'm kidding, of course I'm kidding!)

 

A few people have suggested the Kody and Robyn have also spent family resources poorly and rarely show any responsibility beyond their own attention seeking.  I think I'm hell bent against Meri because I'm tired of seeing her get whatever she wants.

[TVFAN]

Christine's meltdown made me think about how the family dynamic is changing.  With the exception of Robyn's (maybe?), all of the nests are emptying.  In three years, Meri will have 0 children at home, Janelle will have only 2 at home, and Christine will have only 3 at home.  I wouldn't be surprised to see all three of them in school or at work by then.

[methinkstoomuch]

If all the wives feel Kody is not spending enough Time with them,,,,,,where is he spending his time, running the joolry business. Just wondering.

[Higgins]

An education may very well increase Meri's outlook and depth of character. It probably won't increase her earning potential. She doesn't have the time left to season herself in a career to make more then the entry level in whichever field she picks. Financially, working now is the right move. She is unlikely to overcome the cost of her education, even if it's modest.

The personal example above, I doubt you've made back the cost of your education. I'll concede the argument that your personal fulfillment is worth more than the money.

I still find the way money is divided to be wholly unfair. Meri lives in a higher standard than the rest of her family without doing any more than anyone else. It's unfair and selfish.

Well that's not true. At 45, you still have 20-25 years of earning power. People are working longer now. I know many 2nd career and even first career nurses starting in their 40s and 50s

[jacksgirl]

I thought it was funny that on a few occasions Kody started to answer a question that the host asked one of the wives. The host would cut him off and say,"I asked Robyn" or "I asked Meri" etc.

 

Unlike other "tell-all" interviewers (I am looking at you Dr. Drew), it seemed like Tamryn (sp) either watched most of the season or had some good intern write questions/choose topics. I love how she cut off Kody when he blurted out- and the questions about his hair and the RV waste incident mean someone at TLC is reading forums. I do love those older kids- although I don't think Maddie said a word. She looked TINY next to Mariah. Mariah seems more pleasant, school is good for her.

[Kohola3]

Gosh, I interpreted it quite the opposite - I thought Tamron toed the TLC party line and asked the same soft questions she always asks.  There were dreary, worthless rerun snippets that had no meaning whatsoever like the whole RV sewer incident- what the heck does that have to do with the whole polygamy picture?  When Doofus commented on how busy with their business they are, why didn't she nail him on specifics?  The whole Christine leaving the couch was so obviously a set up why didn't she call them on that?

 

This forum asks lots of questions on bankruptcy, welfare fraud, phony business deals, personal issues, jealousy issues and none of these were even remotely touched upon.  Just the same tiptoeing around things with saccharine questions that are easily deflected.  If they want to call this a Tell All show, then the interviewer should demand answers, not melt away to superficial crap at the first sign of discomfort or refusal.  They need Nancy Grace to do this interview.

 

This was a Tell Nothing show just like all the rest of been. We learned zero new info.

[Leigh3]

While they were Utah wasn't Meri attending college? She may only have a year or two left before she gets her degree. How is the household money divied up? Are the paychecks of those working split 4 ways? I realize...God knows how often Meri has brought this up....it wasn't her choice to only have one child, but I would be pissed  if I was working my ass off and my money was split so Meri can have a big ass house for her and Mariah.  DO we ever see kids at her house? Seems like the only places the kids congregate is Christine's and Janelle's homes. 

[technorebel]

While they were Utah wasn't Meri attending college? She may only have a year or two left before she gets her degree. How is the household money divied up? Are the paychecks of those working split 4 ways? I realize...God knows how often Meri has brought this up....it wasn't her choice to only have one child, but I would be pissed  if I was working my ass off and my money was split so Meri can have a big ass house for her and Mariah.  DO we ever see kids at her house? Seems like the only places the kids congregate is Christine's and Janelle's homes. 

 

They've made it clear that they split the money up equally with no allowances for the size of the individual families.  It never made sense to any of us either, but Meri gets the same amount of money with one kid that Janelle and Christine get.  Meri said she feels like she works as hard as the others do.  Janelle said it doesn't bother her as long as her needs are met.

 

I don't know what Meri is doing rattling around in that big house.  I have a big house and, now that my kids are grown, it's just a pain to clean all those rooms that never get used.  Others have pointed out that Meri is entitled to an asset of equal value to the other wives' homes. I do agree with this if you look at it that way.  But if you look at it in a "we're all in this together" kind of way, it doesn't seem right that one wife has a clear financial advantage over the others.

 

All of which will be moot when they lose those houses as they surely will.

[Oldernowiser]

The inherent problem with dividing up the money the way they do is that it's completely antithetical to what they claim--that they're all just one big wonderful happy family and all of the wives' children are everybody's children. If that were true, they wouldn't even be talking about dividing it up "fairly," because they would decide as a family who needed what most, particularly for the wellbeing of the children.

Apparently, love may or may not be multiplied, but the money sure as hell is being divided. And it's the hypocrisy that grinds, especially since they continually claim polygamy is soooo much better than that boring monogamy thing.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Oldernowiser

[Absolom]

From what I've gleaned from the show, they divide the TLC money six ways:  the four wives, Kody, and a "household account."  The household account seems to be used for college tuition for the kids, emergencies, and I'm not sure what.  Kody will sometimes fund extras or things wives can't fund for the kids. 

 

The thing that made the most sense to me about the houses and why Kody supported Meri in getting the most pricey house is that his name is on that house, too, and only on that house.  It may not make it right or equitable but it makes a little sense in that respect.  She's the only legal wife and all that.

[technorebel]

The inherent problem with dividing up the money the way they do is that it's completely antithetical to what they claim--that they're all just one big wonderful happy family and all of the wives' children are everybody's children. If that were true, they wouldn't even be talking about dividing it up "fairly," because they would decide as a family who needed what most, particularly for the wellbeing of the children.

Apparently, love may or may not be multiplied, but the money sure as hell is being divided. And it's the hypocrisy that grinds, especially since they continually claim polygamy is soooo much better than that boring monogamy thing.

 

True this.  They're talking the talk, but not really walking the walk.

 

I was really alarmed when they had that episode about selling their Lehi plig house.  I'm thinking they should hang onto that as their fallback position.  Plan for the future, for Pete's sake.

[wrestlesflamingos]

They said they owe more on the lehi house than it's worth so it would be hard to sell.

[Leigh3]

I want to know how all the wives qualified for loans on their houses. I see Meri and Kody getting a loan based Kody's "income". Even then Meri had/has large debts. Janelle has a long work history. I can also see her stashing away money. Robyn worked before she married Kody. How was Christine able to get a loan? Wonder if TLC assisted in the loan process.

[Featherhat]

The builder who built the houses gave them interest only loans for 3 years, they weren't reputable mortgages. They're basically paying rent before he gets them back IIRC (since who knows if they can pay them back). That's another reason Meri had the same size house, because the builder wasn't going to build 3 McMansions and a more modest (size wise) house. 

[Galloway Cave]

None of them had any money stashed away either. Janelle stated in one of the episodes that they blew through both her and Kody's retirement money when they moved to Vegas. I think Robyn worked as a waitress so she was barely able to support her kids with that income. They all tried to qualify for conventional loans before the McMansions fell out of the sky into their laps and they failed due to the bankruptcies and poor credit. They owe more on the Lehi house than it's worth. They are pumping their money into a hobby joory business that has had only 500 "sells" in two and a half years so far.

 

We are as puzzled as you are.

[wrestlesflamingos]

The tv show income would count as a job. They would need a contract with a future end date or 2-3 years history of earning that money.

[eyebleach]

I also wonder what Robyn gets in terms of child support and potential alimony.  She's not legally married to Kody so if she got alimony that's not going to go away due to marriage.

[Galloway Cave]

 

The tv show income would count as a job. They would need a contract with a future end date or 2-3 years history of earning that money.

If it was a job for one couple, then they would have no problem qualifying for one home with the TLC contract. But they are basically four individual families trying to qualify for four loans on four expensive homes, with four bankruptcies and other various credit problems in their backgrounds. There has been a lot of speculation about what they earn per episode but TLC and the production company are very cheap when it comes to the "talent" and based on what K+8 made, the Brown Family is probably not raking in a ton of money. The contract end date would also be problematic; there may not be one. Even if there is an end date, the show will not go on for years and years. They have maybe one more season and that will be it. Game over. Then what kind of income stream will they have? Certainly not the joory business. Back to Lehi they will go, with Christine, Janelle and Robyn in the house and Meri off on her own. Kody will have to go back to some sort of sales job, Janelle will hopefully find a real estate job or another state job with benefits, Meri can finish school and get some type of counseling job and I have no idea about Robyn or Christine. We may get an occasional where are they now special (like we just got with K+8) that will pay for the first year of a child's college but that will be it.

[Leigh3]

I finally got around to watching the Sister Wives Every Brown Revealed episode. First thing that really stuck out was the discussion of Kody and how his eyes sparkle when looking at the wives. Meri "You know they're (his eyes) are only for you in that moment". That sums up this marriage "in that moment". Everything with Kody is "in that moment". Kody loves his wives/kids, but is only really present "in that moment" then he is off to another wife/home. I like knowing my husband's eye sparkle for me only. I could not live this life that's for sure, I was never good at sharing. :D 

[technorebel]

I finally got around to watching the Sister Wives Every Brown Revealed episode. First thing that really stuck out was the discussion of Kody and how his eyes sparkle when looking at the wives. Meri "You know they're (his eyes) are only for you in that moment". That sums up this marriage "in that moment". Everything with Kody is "in that moment". Kody loves his wives/kids, but is only really present "in that moment" then he is off to another wife/home. I like knowing my husband's eye sparkle for me only. I could not live this life that's for sure, I was never good at sharing. :D

Yes, that thing about the eyes was very telling. Those young women who were followers of Manson said something very similar about his eyes.

I'm just sayin!

[jellywager]

Kody and the wives need enemas they are so full of it. So, I agree with this:

Or to quote Jinx Monsoon from RuPaul's Drag Race: They are so full of shit the toliet is jealous.

Edited August 1, 2014 by jellywager

[Kohola3]

Even if there is an end date, the show will not go on for years and years.

 

Somebody needs to let Kadoofus and his harem hear this because, in their feeble minds. they are the most fascinating group on the face of the earth and "deserve" a lifetime of converting all of the boring monogamists to this fabulous lifestyle.  To hear that their 15 minutes of fame is up will be a huge blow and a complete and utter surprise.

 

Somebody needs to send them a link to the forum.

[LuckyBitch]

I don't really give a crap about the five adults, but I have to say I feel bad for the kids if they're going to lose the houses and go back to Utah. I didn't watch the show back then, only coming in when they were building the McMansions, but I can see how all the kids have adjusted and seem to be doing well. They all seem to have made friends at school and It looks like they enjoy living in the cul-de-sac together.

 

Now, I realize that no kid needs to be living in a McMansion, but I do think these kids are better off where they are, Vegas, and in the separate houses but near each other. The five adults have basically said the same thing many times, that all the kids have adjusted and are doing well in Vegas.

 

So, if they know this is the best situation for the kids, then why aren't they doing everything they can to keep it that way?? I think they SUCK as parents if they're willing to lose the houses and make the kids move out of state again. They've already disrupted their lives enough. My gawd, why don't all five of these lazy asses go and get jobs to ensure they can keep this current set-up for the kids?

[Kohola3]

My gawd, why don't all five of these lazy asses go and get jobs to ensure they can keep this current set-up for the kids?

 

Because, as someone else astutely noted, to these yahoos their "job" is family time.  The rest of society is supposed to support that because it's one of the "tenets of their religion" by buying their crappy joolry and paying into the welfare system so they can milk it when the TLC gravy train runs off the tracks.  They "deserve" McMansions and they "deserve" all of the handouts because, after all, they are polygamists.

 

They all make me want to puke.

[Galloway Cave]

 

So, if they know this is the best situation for the kids, then why aren't they doing everything they can to keep it that way??

Because they just.don't.care. The older kids have said they were used to being disappointed by their parents on a regular basis. They are used to being moved around from state to state, home to home. They are used to hearing their parents spout pipe dreams, then not follow through. When the adults first talked about buying homes in Vegas, the older kids were all "yeah, right, we will believe it when we see it." When talk turned to the McMansions, they STILL didn't believe they would actually get them. They have talked about all this in talking heads on the show. We haven't heard that kind of talk lately; it may be due to the fact that they finally came through on ONE promise (new homes) or Kody may have cracked down on the negative talk. The younger kids will be getting a taste of the bait and switch when things fall apart after TLC. It is sad and unnecessary but it is unfortunately a way of life for the Browns.

[LuckyBitch]

I hate these people for making me want to see them lose those undeserved houses and the easy TLC money,  but at the same time feeling bad for the kids having their lives all effed up again.

Edited August 1, 2014 by LuckyBitch

[SometimesBites]

They need Nancy Grace to do this interview.

OMG, I can't stop laughing at this visual...Nancy giving Kody the old hairy eyeball. Bwahahaha!!

[jellywager]

A couple of things:

If Christine was so upset why didnt Christine's HUSBAND go and see about her? If I was upset enough to walk off a stage my husband should and would be right there making sure Im alright and comfortable. Instead...Robyn goes? These people are a mess.

 

 

From Kody's Twitter:

"Nothing to say yet except: We are a great show for a First Response pregnancy test add! Uh.....right??"

 

Ugh...wrong. Jesus be a grammar teacher.

Because Christine can't have anymore babies, so he just doesn't care.

And WTF does that tweet even mean?

[LuckyBitch]

Because Christine can't have anymore babies, so he just doesn't care.

And WTF does that tweet even mean?

 

It means Kody is a d-bag!

[purpleflowers]

And WTF does that tweet even mean?

 

Well this is just a totally random guess using my imagination, but maybe Robyn took a first response test and she found out about being preggers sometime before the Tell All filming, and they originally decided to end the night with that surprise announcement, but maybe the other wives didn't know that was going to happen until right before filming, or didn't know about the pregnancy until right before filming, and that made Christine upset just the way she got upset when she didn't know Kody helped pick Robyn's wedding dress. OR Christine is just upset that the night would end with the spotlight being on the Kody/Robyn dynamic. Oh wow...I am putting way too much thought into the Browns and their odd ways, I feel a little lame haha.

Edited August 1, 2014 by purpleflowers

[ConnectFour]

It really means that this man who is the CEO of a "extremely busy" fine jewelry business does not know the difference between "ad" and "add"

[riverblue22]

And he doesn't understand the role of a CFO in a business.  Maybe he can sell crap, but he sure as hell can't manage a business, or a family.

[LuckyBitch]

It really means that this man who is the CEO of a "extremely busy" fine jewelry business does not know the difference between "ad" and "add"

 

It's not surprising considering all the spelling and grammar issues on their website.

[SometimesBites]

It really means that this man who is the CEO of a "extremely busy" fine jewelry business does not know the difference between "ad" and "add"

Oh. My. God. So...I read his tweet and it just didn't compute that he meant "ad."  I guess it's because I, you know, speak English. Sorry, but he and Robyn should really, really give up Twitter. They are morons.

[iii]

Honestly I really don't see how spelling mistakes make someone moron. Intelligence isn't measured like that. It's so arbitrary and knowing the difference between one or the other doesn't make someone a genius - just good with grammar.

[LuckyBitch]

Oh. My. God. So...I read his tweet and it just didn't compute that he meant "ad."  I guess it's because I, you know, speak English. Sorry, but he and Robyn should really, really give up Twitter. They are morons.

 

I had to read his tweet two or three times, trying to figure out what he was talking about. And then I finally realized he meant "ad".

 

Honestly I really don't see how spelling mistakes make someone moron. Intelligence isn't measured like that. It's so arbitrary and knowing the difference between one or the other doesn't make someone a genius - just good with grammar.

 

I don't think occasional spelling mistakes are a big deal. We all do it from time to time, especially when just posting casually on a message board. I have certainly cringed when I've seen someone quote a post I made and I realize I had a brain blip and used the wrong form of a word for some reason. But when someone continually makes glaring spelling and grammatical mistakes, especially in a business environment, that's an issue. At least it is for me. 

To give some examples, there are people who ALWAYS confuse:

 

• woman/women
• than/then
• you're/your
• they're/their/there
• a lot (two words, not "alot")

 

If my kid had that mastered by third grade, I don't understand why so many adults have problems with it. 

Edited August 2, 2014 by LuckyBitch

[spidermiss2426]

At least Kody didn't write out "Nothing 2 say xcept: We R a Gr8 show 4 a First Response preggers tess ad.  Uhh... right?"

 

Now THAT would be annoying!!

[MarkySnark]

When you take the time and trouble to make yourself a "public figure" and are trying to promote a business, then using proper grammar, spelling and punctuation is a must. You don't have to be a genius, but nothing says "unprofessional" like misspelled words or improper grammar usage.

[LuckyBitch]

It also tells me that you don't care enough about your business to put forth your best effort, so why the hell should I care about your business.

[ConnectFour]

Word to the big bird.

[purpleflowers]

I know I am certainly not perfect with my grammar, but it still bugs me when Meri says something like, "Robyn offered to carry a baby for Kody and I". I find myself yelling "Kody and ME" into the TV. 

[mythoughtis]

I know I am certainly not perfect with my grammar, but it still bugs me when Meri says something like, "Robyn offered to carry a baby for Kody and I". I find myself yelling "Kody and ME" into the TV.

 

 

I have to admit that I was also taught to say 'and I', and that 'and me' was incorrect.  So, now, every time I hear 'and me' I cringe. It just doesn't  sound right.  It must be a regional thing (that or I am old).  I have more trouble with the way the Browns mispronounce words, completely skip certain vowels,  and so forth.

[Higgins]

It depends on what you are saying. Would you say Robyn offered to carry a baby for I? If not, in that case Kody and I is wrong. If you are to say Kody and I are bankrupt, that would be correct usage.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Higgins