My Five Wives - General Discussion

[tabloidlover]

Wait, did I read upthread that Paulie was a dental hygienist? Funny, all the hygienist's at the dental practice that I go to, know how to take a BP. They do it first thing, before they even look in your mouth and start digging around. I'm not saying that Brady's stress attack was for the cameras, but I found it strange that she had to go to Rhonda to get that done. 

 

And...wow. Five wives, 25 kids, and no wills? No knowledge of life insurance arrangements? Or custody arrangements in case something happens to any one of the wives or Brady? Forget that Brady could drop dead of a stress induced heart attack thanks to his lifestyle, but he's in construction. Accidents can happen on a job site. You'd think that they'd all know where the important paperwork is, and who needs to step in if one mom is incapacitated. Especially after the "cancer scare." 

Sorry Nonie, the very fact that Brady has SO much stress already, and you just add to it with another baby?  Just because YOU want one?  Seriously?  That isn't love, people.  It just isn't.  Love is putting the other person first.  Period.

[technorebel]

It strikes me that the AUB has no reason to give Brady a good price for his houses.  He was foolish to spend all that money building those houses on land that he doesn't own.  It's not like he could just list them with a realtor.  So now I'm wondering if Rosemary going public with the abuse allegations against her father is leverage  to force the AUB to buy them out at a good price.  I know...I'm cynical, but they don't have any way to get  good money for the homes.  The advantage is all on the side of the legal landowners.

Edited December 22, 2014 by technorebel

[Toaster Strudel]

I guess it was better than spending money on the land, too.  Now he must pay for his decision.

[tabloidlover]

Disclaimer --  I am my husband's only wife, so my opinion is based on my experience only.  Were my husband having shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and feeling "weird".... the only call I would be placing would be to 911.  I certainly wouldn't be having him attempt to walk to someone else for a blood pressure check.  Just sayin...  Paulie looked completely at a loss, and dragging him to Rhonda's house didn't appear to be much help.

 

Edited because Robyn is not the same as Rhonda... oopsie

Edited December 22, 2014 by tabloidlover

[RealityCowgirl]

Because, yeah. The person I'D seek out in a crisis is the weepy one...

Wait. You mean she didn't cry? What a topsy turvy world. Guess I'd better watch the episode now. ;)

Edited December 22, 2014 by RealityCowgirl

[ghoulina]

I have to say one thing I appreciate about the Williamses vs. the Browns - it does not seem like the former are intent on informing every person that they run across that they are a polygamist family with a bazillion kids. For instance, when Nonie and Brady were at the ultrasound, I kept waiting for them to say something. When the tech asked if it was their first baby, and they replied - "No, our sixth", I appreciated that. It was okay to have a moment as an individual wife and husband, without Brady feeling the need to prove his virility by saying, "Actually this is HER sixth, but MY 25th. I have FIVE wives, can you believe it???" But no, they acted normal. So thank goodness for that. 

 

I had to laugh when Rosemary made a face at the name "Huck". She lives in a family with an "Arwen", "Lake", and "Tailee". 

 

But here's a thought - if Brady is so stressed out that he's having full blown panic attacks, maybe another baby was not a good idea. Maybe Rhonda staying home when she only has one kid not in school wasn't a wise idea. I can't have too much sympathy, because he signed up for this. But, at the same time, he never seems to have a minute to himself. I think they should maybe try to work that into the rotation. Maybe he could have a guys night ala Kody Brown. 

 

I feel so badly for Karlie. Any word on how their baby is doing now? I can't imagine how scary that must be, to give birth so prematurely. And to just have to watch your baby hooked up to all of those machines, with no control over anything. And it's just so sad. This was her first baby, and she was denied that excitement over the birth. And the happy homecoming. I just hope little Huck really thrives and can have a happy future ahead of him. 

[Taylorh2]

I think that wife # 1 & 2 look younger then wife # 3, 4 and 5

Edited December 22, 2014 by Taylorh2

[riverblue22]

I'm still trying to figure out how Brady is going to support his family if they move to the Pacific Northwest.  Is he going to start up a new business?  My impression is that his father lives on the Olympic Peninsula which is pretty sparsely populated.  I don't see that it would be easy to start up a new construction business there that could support all those people.  And I don't see a lot of jobs for the wives there either.

 

ETA:  In the real world, the best option for the Williams family would be to move off the AUB property onto nearby property of their own.  That would probably mean the families living in a bunch of trailers, but Brady could keep working with the business.  I really wonder if the TLC money could provide actual houses--but it did for the Browns (sort of) so maybe Brady would swing it too.   

Edited December 22, 2014 by riverblue22

[Ilovemylabs]

I'm new to this site.  Just an opinion and a couple of questions.  These women cry A LOT!!!  Every little thing sets them off.  They cannot be truly happy.  What is the AUB?  How do Brady and his wives live differently from that group?  Thanks!

[MV713]

I think the whole "Brady Panic Attack" was reinacted. It was light out and everyone was going to bed?

 

My dental hygenists have never taken my BP in the dentist office - so Im not surprised that Paulie took Brady to  Rhonda.

 

I follow the family on social media and Baby Huck appears to be doing well and is in a crib now...

[AdorkableWitch]

I definitely think the Brady panic attack was staged.

 

However, I grew up in a very rural area, where there were only 2 ambulances for the whole county. When my Dad started having chest pains, we drove him to the ER because both ambulances were en route to the same ER. It sucked, but it was faster than waiting up to an hour for a paramedic. Fortunately, our neighbor is a nurse and rode with us.

[ghoulina]

I think the whole "Brady Panic Attack" was reinacted. It was light out and everyone was going to bed?

 

I thought the same thing as well, but then I remembered when we lived in Portland. In the summer it would stay light out until 10 at night. And I often went to bed around 9. I'm not sure if it's the same where they live, but it was summer time - so I can buy that it was still light (in a dusky way) at "bedtime". I'm not saying it's impossible that it was staged, but the light doesn't have to indicate that. 

 

I follow the family on social media and Baby Huck appears to be doing well and is in a crib now...

 

Good!

[RedheadZombie]

I don't think the panic attack was staged. It was realistic enough to me (as a nurse) and Paulie's reaction was pretty realistic.  She whipped that truck into reverse before the camera guy was completely in his seat - which I appreciated.  They thought he was potentially dying, and she didn't want to wait around for the camera crew.  The children in Rhonda's bed looked shocked, too.

 

Like the Browns, many of the adults have really put on weight.  When the show started, I was impressed by their meals - always including soups and salads.  Brady alone looks like he's five months pregnant.

[Madding crowd]

I think it is kind of sad that all of the women seem to have children sleeping with them every night. If that is their parenting philosophy it is one thing, but I get the idea they sleep with the kids because they are lonely for Brady. I'm not surprised Brady is having panic attacks and I do wonder what is in his head sometimes. He seems to project the "everything is great" thing, but I wonder if he is truly happy with having so many wives and children. 

 

I hope baby Huck is doing well. The scene where Paulie was talking to Carlie outside of the hospital seemed so stilted and staged. I'm guessing Paulie is having a hard time with the cameras around. I continue to think Nonie is the only one who seems like a real person to me, although I know she is not popular with the rest of you. Rosemary seems to use joking to hide her pain, Robin seems to really be emotionally fragile and Rhonda just acts too girly and fake for my taste.

 

Somehow, the Browns seem more real to me even though they don't show or discuss their sex lives. I can't explain it, but at least we don't have to hear the women talking about how hot they find their mutual husband and making jokes about sharing his manly parts. 

[camom]

I wonder how they justify polygamy since they no longer believe in the religion that taught them that it was the right thing to do.  I think there must be some inner conflicts going on.  

 

The church could really screw with them about the houses.  Since the church owns the land, Brady really can't do anything but take whatever they give him.  I think they will be forced to move, and it will be interesting to see where they end up.

[AdorkableWitch]

I wonder how they justify polygamy since they no longer believe in the religion that taught them that it was the right thing to do.  I think there must be some inner conflicts going on.  

 

I have a feeling that they are still together because they don't want to break up the family or their relationships with Brady. 

[RedheadZombie]

 I continue to think Nonie is the only one who seems like a real person to me, although I know she is not popular with the rest of you. Rosemary seems to use joking to hide her pain, Robin seems to really be emotionally fragile and Rhonda just acts too girly and fake for my taste.

 

I'm warming up to Nonie.  Robyn really tugs at my heart strings.  Sometimes she really comes out with zingers, like this episode's observation that women are kept out of all the decision making.  I also think she comes out with some of the best jokes.  I imagine how amazing her personality might have been if her parents believed less in breaking her spirit, and more in building up her self-worth.

 

I wonder how they justify polygamy since they no longer believe in the religion that taught them that it was the right thing to do.  I think there must be some inner conflicts going on.  

 

I think they've retained a lot of the beliefs.  They are just more liberal now, and their beliefs are not welcomed by the AUB.  They also seem to realize that people don't go to hell because they don't choose polygamy - something all the wives were raised to believe.

[gardendiva]

I had to laugh at Tailee saying the new baby should be named "Satan" because it sounded like a cute name. She slays me.

[Galloway Cave]

About the only positive thing I can say about this season is I like the way they filmed all the scenes that weren't THs or scripted scenes about people. Great cinematography. 

 

Paulie and Rosemary have never had lunch together alone in 15+ years? I think that proves that these women (as well as the Brown Fools) are all lying about what good friends they all are.

 

The rest of the show was just a blur. I was too bored.

[technorebel]

I'm new to this site.  Just an opinion and a couple of questions.  These women cry A LOT!!!  Every little thing sets them off.  They cannot be truly happy.  What is the AUB?  How do Brady and his wives live differently from that group?  Thanks!

 

AUB stands for Apostolic United Brethren.  It's an offshoot of the mainstream Mormon church, the main difference being that they still believe in practicing polygamy, which they refer to as "the work" or "the principle".  They're fairly modern in their dress and outlook for the most part.  The Brady Bunch aren't living that differently from the rest of the group except they are no longer members of the church.  The fact that their homes are located on land owned by the AUB is a problem for them.

 

I think you're correct that none of the women are truly happy, although they spend a lot of time pretending to be.

[ChicksDigScars]

Nonie definitely watched herself on TV and didn't like what she saw in Season One. I think most of us who don't care for her. remember Season One. Season Two Nonie is a whitewashed, conscious of the cameras, careful not to freak out and give us the Crazy Eyes, version of Nonie. Either that, or the morning sickness has made her too sick to give a shit about bills, Brady's dick, the other wives and her status in the family. 

 

If I watched JUST Season Two, I'd think she was the only normal one. But....I remember Season One.

[ghoulina]

Nonie definitely watched herself on TV and didn't like what she saw in Season One. I think most of us who don't care for her. remember Season One. Season Two Nonie is a whitewashed, conscious of the cameras, careful not to freak out and give us the Crazy Eyes, version of Nonie. Either that, or the morning sickness has made her too sick to give a shit about bills, Brady's dick, the other wives and her status in the family.

If I watched JUST Season Two, I'd think she was the only normal one. But....I remember Season One.

 

I agree. And I saw a little bit of that season one Nonie when the two-night schedule was brought up. It seemed to me like she was making a strong effort to refrain from going off about it. You could tell she really did not like the idea, and it looked like she wanted to throw an actual fit. But then she bit her tongue and was all, "I guess it can't hurt to try". She probably did pitch a fit to Brady later, when the cameras were gone. 

[RedheadZombie]

I see a big difference in the two families regarding the moving storyline.  Kody presented the Brown move as a mass exodus.  They were fleeing the government who wanted to destroy their family.  I personally think there was a bit of truth to that - Janelle was in a full blown panic, and she rarely bothers enough to even show interest.  But the family deliberately painted themselves as the victim of an unjust government.

 

Brady, on the other hand, has gone out of his way to be fair about their potential move.  The land is owned by the AUB, they no longer belong to that church, and they do not belong on that land.  Robyn, in particular, expressed unhappiness in how they're being treated there, but (unlike Rhonda) I think she's a sensitive soul who can't pretend everything is rainbows and unicorns.

 

I like the Browns, but I think the Williams family functions much more efficiently in polygamy.  Brady truly is the head of the family, he keeps the children in line, he earns the majority of their income, he makes the major decisions.  I think his five wives have some autonomy, but the Brown wives (minus Robyn) had to step up and become the heads of their individual families.  The mothers discipline their own children - because Kody is rather useless in that area.  I don't think the Williams wives are incapable of running things without his assistance, they've just never had to.  They see Brady daily, and the entire family eats dinner together nightly.  Brady may not be spending much time with each child, but unlike Kody, he doesn't go a week or two without seeing some of his kids.  Kody is there when it's fun, there's a party, or he's being celebrated in some way.  Brady is there for the good and the bad.  I'm not saying I want to be one of his wives, but I'd choose Brady over Kody.  Brady provides much more stability.

[Jellybeans]

I would choose Brady over Kody too. *cringe*

[Palomar]

 

The church could really screw with them about the houses.  Since the church owns the land, Brady really can't do anything but take whatever they give him.  I think they will be forced to move, and it will be interesting to see where they end up.

 

 

That's is what I am thinking.  He pretty much has to take their offer.  Maybe they will negotiate a bit, but if they are offering 500+ and Brady wants 900+ that is HUGE difference.  Of course if they want them gone, maybe they will up the offer a bit.

[camom]

Normally when you build a house on land that you don't own you have a long-term lease (like 100 years).  I'd be willing to bet they don't have that.  If AUB owns the land and the Williams family doesn't have any legal right to it, couldn't the church just kick them off with no compensation?  I'd love to know what the legal arrangement is.

[Adeejay]

If I watched JUST Season Two, I'd think she [Nonie]  was the only normal one. But....I remember Season One.

 

Paulie and Nonie seem very much aware of the cameras.  I believe the Nonie who screamed at Brady, "I am who I am and don't you dare try and change me" is the real Nonie.  They were so afraid of her temper, that they tried to institute "safe talk" just so they could communicate with her without incident.   I am convinced that if for whatever reason, Paulie was no longer in the picture, she would climb over the timid backs of wives #2 (Robyn) and #3 (Rosemary) to become the 1st wife. 

[Absolom]

And another week that didn't break into the top 100 cable shows of the day.  I'm not holding my breath expecting another season. 

[firedancer41]

I thought it was so weird how Nonie was talking about her reservations changing the rotation, saying how it was hard"getting to know" Brady for a long time. Um, aren't you supposed to "get to know" your spouse before even entertaining the notion of marrying him??

[Snarklepuss]

I think this season was a conscious attempt to sanitize their image of all discontent and disharmony with each other.  The only problem is that it was an obvious stark contrast to season 1 and didn't seem genuine.  So much time and attention was paid to how all the wives are such good friends and all the focusing on the kids, yada yada.....How much they all love each other, yah, right sherrr.....Yawn.....No wonder the ratings were down.  These people are only interesting for train wreck value and have bored the audience to death trying so hard to appear "normal".  I won't hold my breath for this coming back.

[Janet Snakehole]

I agree about preferring Brady to Kody. Kody is just such a....doofus. Brady is not great by any means, but Kody is just useless and goofy in my opinion. A showboat.

I also prefer the wives on My Five Wives. They seem sadder to me, but they do seem to have fun together. I do get more of a genuineness from them, probably because they are shown feeling lonely and crying a lot, which is probably how I would react in their shoes. The sister wives may just have been on tv too long, but they all seem very passive aggressive and cold. It may be that I didn't watch Sister Wives from the beginning, but I prefer My Five Wives as a show, which I know not many do. I do prefer the kids on Sister Wives, though. Except for my favorite Paul.

Polygamy USA was a far better show than both. I could go on for days about how polygamy is a bad system for women, but Polygamy USA showed how it isn't particularly great for most men either. I also thought it was a bit more honest of a show. The TLC shows seem a bit too shiny happy about polygamy. I would love for Polygamy USA to come back.

But as I have said before, no more polygamy shows please. Unless of course they want to show the opposite, one wife, multiple husbands. It has to happen somewhere, right?

[RedheadZombie]

Is the season over, or is it a mid-season break?

[auntiemel]

Every time I look at Rhonda, all I can see is Stephnie Weir from MadTV!

Edited January 13, 2015 by auntiemel

[wrestlesflamingos]

I should know this, but I don't. I did some searching and came up empty too. Its possible this family has bored the film crew into a coma.

[Absolom]

I was guessing that with their poor ratings that they were gone from TV now.  Although TLC's overall ratings have dropped, so who knows?

[wrestlesflamingos]

Not us, that's for sure.

[Absolom]

As predicted, they are gone.

 

Starcasm.

[Zahdii]

Didn't take long at all for them to flat out start pimping out the kids:

 

 

 

We’ll have weekly, maybe even biweekly updates. We’re going to have lots of crazy fun just like we always have. Lots of cute little Tailee quotes. Get your fill on Tailee. And we have a new little baby coming pretty soon! [in reference to Nonie being pregnant.]

Edited February 5, 2015 by Zahdii

[Betweenyouandme]

I found it hard to keep paying attention because I did think the show was pretty dull, but I liked having one more reality show that wasn't mean-spirited like Real Housewives or over the top (to me) as My Strange Addiction.

[technorebel]

I wonder if they will still move to Washington without the income from the show.

[KateUK]

I love Paul, Nonie's oldest. He is pissed about all of this!

Run Paul, run!!!!!!!

 

It made a refreshing change to see a genuine reaction from one of the kids on this type of programme, shame we don't see more, I can't imagine that Jim Bob would allow any of his brood to be shown in this way.

[technorebel]

I thought Nonie's son was strangely agitated about his mother's pregnancy.  It makes me wonder if she had past medical problems with pregnancies for him to be so angry about it.

[Chalby]

I see Rhonda and Brady as behaving more like a monogamous couple than anyone else. They are well matched and seem to sincerely enjoy each other's company. When watching Kody et el, I don't see them as being remotely sexual towards each other, whereas I get the feeling that Brady is actually 'turned off' by a couple of his wives. Body language, and his general behaviour tells me that the wives have plenty of reasons to be upset or jealous of his relationship with Rhonda.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Chalby

[Chalby]

 "I believe that in Season One we saw glimpses of their real personalities."          Good point. I found them to be more believable in Season One as well. Does anyone else remember how badly Brady nagged Rhonda to quit her office job. She really loved her job and didn't want to quit and I had my fingers crossed that she would defy him. Judging by what I am reading, she ended up quitting? Was there any discussion about why she quit?

[technorebel]

 

 "I believe that in Season One we saw glimpses of their real personalities."          Good point. I found them to be more believable in Season One as well. Does anyone else remember how badly Brady nagged Rhonda to quit her office job. She really loved her job and didn't want to quit and I had my fingers crossed that she would defy him. Judging by what I am reading, she ended up quitting? Was there any discussion about why she quit?

 

There really wasn't.  Brady and Paulie just thought Rhonda worked long hours and needed more rest.  At that time, apparently Brady's construction business was doing quite well, and they must not have needed the money.  I wonder what happened business-wise to make the bottom fall out.

[Adeejay]

I just saw on Yahoo that Nonie gave birth to a girl yesterday.  I didn't know that the show was cancelled.  Can't say that I am surprise.  It was boring.  The drama seemed manufactured and/or re-enacted. 

[Snarklepuss]

Well, I predicted the show's demise and found it boring but will kind of miss it in a way.  I thought the Williams women were icky and spineless and I couldn't stand Brady even more than Kodouche, but it would have been nice to have a really interesting contrast to the Brown family on TV.

[andromeda331]

I wasn't surprised it was canceled the last episode felt like a finale. But I agree it would have been nice to have another family different then the Browns.

[VioletNevermind]

Welp, I guess that's that.  The cancellation isn't a surprise at all.  This family was boring and the show made me kind of sad.  Those women are even more insecure and sad than the Browns- and that's saying something.  

 

What crisis-laden family will you shove down our throats next, TLC?

[MarysWetBar]

Rhonda just posted a rather moving story on her blog about repressed memories and being abused as a child.