Snark Should Be Multiplied, Not Divided: General Show Discussion

[Twopper]

18 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Yes, we all saw it the first time around...why the editing now??  "Give her some LIV water..." Do they think we are all that stupid??? 

If not for Aspyn(?) that little girl would have died on his watch. I hope she is the one to write the Tell All! Asshat is not even a bad enough description of him!

 

20 hours ago, sheshark said:

Just saw the episode when Truely gets so ill.  They cut out anything pertaining to Kody ignoring her.  He has a busy day taking Mariah out to buy a car and when he comes home Truely is in the hospital.

I just watched that episode, and I was so surprised how differently I remembered it from what I was watching.   I cannot believe Kody has enough influence over TLC to get it changed. 

The part about the car was so weird.  It is supposed to be the day of the farewell party for Mariah, and Kody decides to buy her a used car to have at school, but when she leaves for school the next morning Mariah and Meri drive off together.  Speaking of Mariah's college, why does Meri always say it is in northern Utah?  That made me think it was maybe in a small town near the Idaho boarder, but I just googled Westminster College and found out it is in Salt Lake City.   Okay, I am a bit geographically challenged when it comes to Utah geography, but I do realize SLC is in the northern half of Utah so she is correct, but I think it would just be easier to say it was in Salt Lake City.   This is just so odd.   When Mariah goes to grad school in Chicago, Meri always mentions Chicago instead of saying northern Illinois.

The editing takes Kody out of the role of inattentive father and places Christine in the role of negligent mom who doesn't recognize that crossed eyes means her daughter is in a dire medical emergency.  I hate TLC for this edit.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Twopper

[laurakaye]

21 hours ago, sheshark said:

Just saw the episode when Truely gets so ill.  They cut out anything pertaining to Kody ignoring her.  He has a busy day taking Mariah out to buy a car and when he comes home Truely is in the hospital.

Fascinating - that is the exact episode that I stopped my own rewatch because I couldn't bear to see Truely weakening, knowing what was coming.  I can't believe they edited it. 

[itsadryheat]

http://cynicaljinxwelcome.blogspot.com/2014/01/sister-wives-browns-in-crisis-s06ep16.html

"For some reason, Kody felt it was necessary to explain why the car shopping segment with Mariah was not shown. All I can say is Thank Goodness for that!!"

Kody's tweet   Jan 26, 2014

"We shot car shopping experience at Lexus of Las Vegas for used Toyota. The scene was cut because so many other things happened. Kody Brown (@realkodybrown)" 

 

[Twopper]

On 3/24/2021 at 5:55 PM, itsadryheat said:

The real question is, why are they editing?

I am surprised they would edit it.   I guess it is revisionist history to keep Truely from ever seeing that episode, but I wouldn't think the Browns have that much pull with the producers.  She's old enough now to watch the last episode where her dad forgets her birthday.  

 

[Cetacean]

36 minutes ago, Twopper said:

I guess it is revisionist history to keep Truely from ever seeing that episode, but I wouldn't think the Browns have that much pull with the producers. 

I wonder if it has anything to do with legal issues.   CPS, I would think, would take a dim view of a parent ignoring a child that was clearly so ill.  And at the same time there was a film crew filming the whole thing. Would TLC be legally responsible if they knew a life was in danger and did nothing?

[Mindthinkr]

4 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

I wonder if it has anything to do with legal issues.   CPS, I would think, would take a dim view of a parent ignoring a child that was clearly so ill.  And at the same time there was a film crew filming the whole thing. Would TLC be legally responsible if they knew a life was in danger and did nothing?

That’s a good question. What came to mind was how news photographers will shoot someone in dire circumstances and often I wonder why don’t they put the camera down and help the person. They usually don’t. 

[Twopper]

In my re-watchingk, I have moved past Truely being in the hospital and on to the committal party.  My bad, I mean the Commitment Celebration episode in which Kody is stringing Christmas lights for what I think is a daytime event and Meri is frantically shopping for a dress as the young woman Janelle selected to make 4 special dresses in 3 weeks for 4 morons with no taste in fashion has not been up to the task.  The worst is the Renaissance Faire dress that Christine wanted as the color is not a good choice for her, and it looks very dated--like  400-500 years dated. ( Christine had the ugliest wedding dress I have ever seen so I wasn't expecting much from her, but this celebration dress was nearly as ugly.) The color of Janelle's dress is perfect for her.  I should go back to the earlier episode to see how Meri described the dress she wanted.  What she ended up with appears to be a horrible brown color  and probably made of faux leather which the "designer" had probably never worked with, and which is the reason she is doing last minute shopping with a monogamous friend, because none of the sister wives will shop with Meri.

It is hilarious.

I am actually amazed at the cooking that was supposedly done by Meri, her mother, and Meri's sister who I think she said was a caterer. 7000 individual items to select from for about 250 people. 

This is also where they reveal the "mission statement"   and they refuse to call it a vow renewal because their vows are eternal, which is a bit hard to take considering how this season is going so far.  I don't think Kody wants Meri anywhere near his planet.   I don't think Christine who won't share a house with the other "wives" wants to share a planet with them, either.

************** Having now watched the whole episode, I realize that although the party started in the afternoon, there was dancing in the cul-de-sac after dark so the lights were a good idea.  I think he added a few white Chinese lanterns.  Christine started off dancing in her long flowing gown, but she changed clothes.  I hated the color of Meri's dress; I think a darker green would have been better for her.  I noticed a white inset across the top which was probably removable as I think many women would have preferred to reveal some cleavage.  She should have been going to the gym with Janelle, because the dress did nothing for her tummy bulging.   And dark wife Robyn told Janelle she looked skinny in her dress.  They had a cake made like a tree which was very impressive, and it probably cost a small fortune.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Twopper

[Grifter Lives]

1 hour ago, Twopper said:

II should go back to the earlier episode to see how Meri described the dress she wanted.  What she ended up with appears to be a horrible brown color  and probably made of faux leather which the "designer" had probably never worked with, and which is the reason she is doing last minute shopping with a monogamous friend, because none of the sister wives will shop with Meri.

It is hilarious.

I believe that Meri asked for "edgy."  The designer advised against cheap upholstery fabric.  Meri may have also asked for an "edgy" hat when Aspyn's mother-in-law offered to to custom design them.  Meri thinks that she's edgy.  It is hilarious.  Here's the proof:

[NoWhammies]

13 minutes ago, Grifter Lives said:

I believe that Meri asked for "edgy."  The designer advised against cheap upholstery fabric.  Meri may have also asked for an "edgy" hat when Aspyn's mother-in-law offered to to custom design them.  Meri thinks that she's edgy.  It is hilarious.  Here's the proof:

I'm still frickin' traumatized by that dress. But Janelle - she looked beautiful with the dress, the color, the hair, the makeup. One out of 4 ain't bad I guess. You get what you pay for.

[Sandy W]

22 minutes ago, NoWhammies said:

I'm still frickin' traumatized by that dress. 

I was just as traumatized by the one she wound up buying.  She was so concerned with having a modesty panel to cover cleavage and a bolero to cover her shoulders, she forgot to wear a slip.  A pair of Spanx or a dress 2 sizes larger would have been a good idea too.

[NoWhammies]

Just now, Sandy W said:

I was just as traumatized by the one she wound up buying.  She was so concerned with having a modesty panel to cover cleavage and a bolero to cover her shoulders, she forgot to wear a slip.  A pair of Spanx or a dress 2 sizes larger would have been a good idea too.

To be fair, I'm traumatized by Meri's look almost every episode...and Kodouche's hair.

[suomi]

Meri's dress is hideous, it looks like a hybrid of phlegm and a fur ball.

The kitschy bullshit covering the tops of the cabinets makes my skin crawl. It screams "way too much crap" and "greasy dust magnets." But c'mon, man, that look isn't complete without 20 feet of silk (or plastic!) ivy. If you're gonna start down that path go big or go home.

[deirdra]

12 hours ago, Grifter Lives said:

I believe that Meri asked for "edgy."  The designer advised against cheap upholstery fabric.  Meri may have also asked for an "edgy" hat when Aspyn's mother-in-law offered to to custom design them.  Meri thinks that she's edgy.  It is hilarious.  Here's the proof:

The colour and shiny upholstery fabric are the the problem.  The design and the way the poor designer is fitting it is appropriate for Meri's body shape and their modesty claims.  A pretty colour and non-shiny fabric could have looked very nice.  Janelle looked great in blue and Meri's store-bought dress was s similarly wrong colour (don't try to match your brassy greenish hair) and 2-3 sizes too small!

[Twopper]

I just noticed that for the first 5 or 6 seasons the intro pictures are the same.  Meri has a slim looking face and Janelle looks very "puffy "  in her pink shirt.    Then they get a new intro where Meri looks a lot thicker and Janelle looks better. 

[Irate Panda]

In the Mariah and Aspen graduation episode, Mariah says, “Christine was weird in high school and my mom (Meri) is the only who graduated.”  Even if she weren’t talking about the other adults, doesn’t TLC constantly highlight Christine’s graduation picture?  I’m confused by her statement.  Normally, I might think she meant she didn’t go to her graduation, but she is in her cap and gown with I’m guessing her parents, and they seem to be on bleachers outside, where it seems a graduation would have taken place.

Did the authorities burst in with evil toasters and throw everybody in jell before the graduation could happen?  Did Christine crash her own graduation even though she didn’t have enough credits?  Was Mariah having flashbacks of sitting in the cul de sac and got confused or did I just totally misunderstand something the Browns said AGAIN?  I tend to do that with this bunch because I drift off to sleep and only get part of the story.

[Irate Panda]

20 hours ago, Grifter Lives said:

I believe that Meri asked for "edgy."  The designer advised against cheap upholstery fabric.  Meri may have also asked for an "edgy" hat when Aspyn's mother-in-law offered to to custom design them.  Meri thinks that she's edgy.  It is hilarious.  Here's the proof:

Meri looks like a cheap faux leather microfiber recliner, so much so, I’m surprise Janelle didn’t get the urge to go over and sit on her.  TACKY!!! I get everyone’s taste are different, but this slop is atrocious.

[Twopper]

On 3/27/2021 at 5:19 PM, Irate Panda said:

In the Mariah and Aspen graduation episode, Mariah says, “Christine was weird in high school and my mom (Meri) is the only who graduated.”  Even if she weren’t talking about the other adults, doesn’t TLC constantly highlight Christine’s graduation picture?  I’m confused by her statement.  Normally, I might think she meant she didn’t go to her graduation, but she is in her cap and gown with I’m guessing her parents, and they seem to be on bleachers outside, where it seems a graduation would have taken place.

Did the authorities burst in with evil toasters and throw everybody in jell before the graduation could happen?  Did Christine crash her own graduation even though she didn’t have enough credits?  Was Mariah having flashbacks of sitting in the cul de sac and got confused or did I just totally misunderstand something the Browns said AGAIN?  I tend to do that with this bunch because I drift off to sleep and only get part of the story.

I caught that as well.   And I miss so much because I tend to multitask while watching or I zone out reading texts on my phone.  (I guess I am a lot like Kody at Christine's house).  It is possible that Mariah just didn't know.  Robyn talked about her high school graduation party and she only invited one high school friend because she had only told one friend that her family was poly.  And yes, I have seen that picture of Annie and Christine in her blue cap and gown.  It definitely looks like a high school graduation rather than middle school.

I have a question about the scene in the divorce office.  I am watching old episodes and I am in the middle of the divorce scene .   They are signing papers and TLC has music and someone is softly singing.   I have noticed that in other episodes there is background singing which I don't remember from when I saw them originally.   The singing during the signing of the divorce papers was extremely distracting and off-putting to me.  I would think I would have recalled it, because it made me want to throw things at the tv.   Of course, it is possible the singing was there originally and I "tuned" it out. 

[laurakaye]

On 3/26/2021 at 8:46 PM, Twopper said:

And dark wife Robyn told Janelle she looked skinny in her dress.  

Another ZING! from Robyn.  She is so good at the passive-aggressive dig masked as a faux compliment.  I notice these extra hard when I re-watch old episodes, because she's been doing it since Day One.  I'm telling you, she gives me chills.

 

On 3/27/2021 at 6:26 PM, Irate Panda said:

Meri looks like a cheap faux leather microfiber recliner, so much so, I’m surprise Janelle didn’t get the urge to go over and sit on her.  

🤣😅😂!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

10 hours ago, Twopper said:

I have a question about the scene in the divorce office.  I am watching old episodes and I am in the middle of the divorce scene .   They are signing papers and TLC has music and someone is softly singing.   I have noticed that in other episodes there is background singing which I don't remember from when I saw them originally.   The singing during the signing of the divorce papers was extremely distracting and off-putting to me.  I would think I would have recalled it, because it made me want to throw things at the tv.   Of course, it is possible the singing was there originally and I "tuned" it out. 

I wonder if the soft singing was to distract viewers from the fact that Meri was having an actual nervous breakdown on our televisions for entertainment and ratings.  Dang it, I am going to have to start my re-watch again. 🙂

[Pickleinthemiddle]

4 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I wonder if the soft singing was to distract viewers from the fact that Meri was having an actual nervous breakdown on our televisions for entertainment and ratings.  Dang it, I am going to have to start my re-watch again. 🙂

Which leads me to believe that the divorce was not Meri's idea.  You could tell she was genuinely heartbroken.  Had that been me, Robyn wouldn't have been present.  I would have said I will sign mine alone and then you can go with Kody to sign his.

[Twopper]

1 hour ago, Pickleinthemiddle said:

Which leads me to believe that the divorce was not Meri's idea.  You could tell she was genuinely heartbroken.  Had that been me, Robyn wouldn't have been present.  I would have said I will sign mine alone and then you can go with Kody to sign his.

there was a theory floating around at the time that Robyn had 'withdrawn fellowship" from Kody for some reason and that the price for him to 'be with her" again was that he divorce Meri and marry her.   I do not believe this idea originated with Meri.  Meri seemed .emotionally battered.

There was also a scene where all five adults went to the lawyers' office to discuss the adoption, which seemed like 3 adults too many.

Speaking of Meri, the description of the next episode mentions Meri and Kody's 30th anniversary.    Season 8 ep 8 is about Meri's 25th if anyone is interested in comparing and contrasting them.

[Teafortwo]

On 3/26/2021 at 10:17 PM, NoWhammies said:

I'm still frickin' traumatized by that dress. But Janelle - she looked beautiful with the dress, the color, the hair, the makeup. One out of 4 ain't bad I guess. You get what you pay for.

Except that there are pictures floating around where Janelle's  dress is completely see through if she stands in sunlight. (Or that may be the other  blue dress she wore to Aspyn's wedding - my memory is a little hazy here).

[Grifter Lives]

6 minutes ago, Teafortwo said:

Except that there are pictures floating around where Janelle's  dress is completely see through if she stands in sunlight. (Or that may be the other  blue dress she wore to Aspyn's wedding - my memory is a little hazy here).

Meri's dress for the commitment ceremony (below) was completely see-through, and Janelle's blue dress for Aspyn's wedding (next post) was also see-through. 

 

[Grifter Lives]

Here's Janelle's see-through blue dress at Aspyn's wedding.

[Gramto6]

2 minutes ago, Grifter Lives said:

Here's Janelle's see-through blue dress at Aspyn's wedding.

I don't see that as "see through"  as much as "figure clinging".

[Absolom]

Oh that hideous green dress.  I hope she burned it after seeing the photos.

Another thing Mom was right about.  She always said to stand in an open doorway with the sun rising or setting behind it and have someone across the room check any dress to be worn without a full lining or slip.  That has saved many an unfortunate event.  Another lesson from Mom, remember most clothes are supposed to be made with "ease" built in.  Most of the family could use that lesson.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Absolom

[Twopper]

28 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Another thing Mom was right about.  She always said to stand in an open doorway with the sun rising or setting behind it and have someone across the room check any dress to be worn without a full lining or slip. 

I bought what I thought was a nice Easter dress about  6 years ago -- it was light yellow with tiny flowers in the print and came with a jacket.   I knew it needed a slip so I put one on and stood in the bathroom at the mirror while the sun poured into the room, and saw my legs.   Not quite as bad as the picture with Princess Diana, but almost.   I finally ended up wearing a half slip as well.   It was annoying, but I still like it. 

I would think this is something all women know, but I  do wonder about these polygamous women who were raised wearing prairie dresses.   Janelle grew up regular Mormon so maybe she should have a better idea.  I have never lived in a part of the country with a significant Mormon population, but I did know one Mormon my age, but the family was only in town for a year.  She had long hair and long skirts during a period where everyone else wore miniskirts and go-go boots.   I have no idea now if she was LDS or fundie or maybe part of a poly family.  Anyway, I just wonder if the clothes that Meri and Christine grew up wearing were thick enough not to  need slips so no need to check.   I have read that no one wears slips anymore. 

[Absolom]

5 minutes ago, Twopper said:

  I have read that no one wears slips anymore. 

Not too many people do which resulted in my having had to haunt "old lady" shops for my daughter.  She's a lawyer and going into court with a see through skirt would not be good.  Most of the suit skirts were either very dark and heavy or lined, but when she became able to wear dresses with a suit jacket, she had to be much more careful.  

Maybe the reality show people either don't know or don't care or think that's just what happens sometimes.  Since they don't bother to buy the right size clothing I guess see through isn't very different to them.

[Teafortwo]

I haven't been able to get through all of last week's episode, but I'm starting to think TLC/show producers read here and we're being played. For example, many expressed outrage/concern that Kody comforted Solomon but not Truely when she was crying outside Robyn's house. It may very well be that Kody did comfort Truely and they just didn't show it. Same with the Kody reaction to Mariah leaving earlier than he expected. Maybe he actually knew/talked to her, but producers told him to fake it. I know that Facebook uses strong emotions to increase engagement and thus advertising revenue. It's possible that TLC is creating scenarios through selective editing or "acting" that get viewers similarly to be more engaged/more loyal. This leads to some abandoning the show due to witnessing Kody's and Robyn's bad behavior - but some of us, myself included, end up posting more, re-watching etc. Sure it's snarky and critical but it's still engagement. I'm just starting to suspect that they may not all be as dissatisfied/at odds with each other as we're seeing. I think maybe they are just indifferent or happy with how things are. The show needs more drama than that so we get these "meetings" like the lunch where Janelle questions their commitment to "the principle" and so forth.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Teafortwo

[Sandy W]

4 minutes ago, Teafortwo said:

 Maybe he actually knew/talked to her, but producers told him to fake it. I know that Facebook uses strong emotions to increase engagement and thus advertising revenue. It's possible that TLC is creating scenarios through selective editing or "acting" that get viewers similarly to be more engaged/more loyal. 

I think you are on to something there Teafortwo.  It must have been a jolt to the Brown's smug self-satisfaction when TLC bumped them from primetime to a 10PM time slot, forcing them to rethink how much tolerance for pap the audience is willing to tolerate.  While some of it may be overdramatized for effect, I am sure that they have been forced to reveal more reality than they have in the past. 

[Twopper]

9 minutes ago, Teafortwo said:

The show needs more drama than that so we get these "meetings" like the lunch where Janelle questions their commitment to "the principle" and so forth.

Well, that whole episode reeked of producer scripting.

 

13 hours ago, Absolom said:

Maybe the reality show people either don't know or don't care or think that's just what happens sometimes.  Since they don't bother to buy the right size clothing I guess see through isn't very different to them.

Except that they used to be all about modesty to the point that their entire bodies were covered, and Meri admonished Mykelti for a top she was wearing. The only issue I recall with the top was that it had a scooped neckline.

I just wish Janelle would sit properly.  I am sure by now she has seen how it looks so I guess she doesn't care.  I would think someone could clue her in.

[Just Wondering]

42 minutes ago, Teafortwo said:

I haven't been able to get through all of last week's episode, but I'm starting to think TLC/show producers read here and we're being played. For example, many expressed outrage/concern that Kody comforted Solomon but not Truely when she was crying outside Robyn's house. It may very well be that Kody did comfort Truely and they just didn't show it. Same with the Kody reaction to Mariah leaving earlier than he expected. Maybe he actually knew/talked to her, but producers told him to fake it. I know that Facebook uses strong emotions to increase engagement and thus advertising revenue. It's possible that TLC is creating scenarios through selective editing or "acting" that get viewers similarly to be more engaged/more loyal. This leads to some abandoning the show due to witnessing Kody's and Robyn's bad behavior - but some of us, myself included, end up posting more, re-watching etc. Sure it's snarky and critical but it's still engagement. I'm just starting to suspect that they may not all be as dissatisfied/at odds with each other as we're seeing. I think maybe they are just indifferent or happy with how things are. The show needs more drama than that so we get these "meetings" like the lunch where Janelle questions their commitment to "the principle" and so forth.

So true. I have long believed this. I have thought though that all these marriages except the one to Robyn are over and they are just continuing to scam us in thAt way. Or maybe it’s half and half. 😜

At the end of the day it’s still eye opening to see how polygamy enslaves and abuses women. That’s something they cAn’t hide. 

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

It must have been a jolt to the Brown's smug self-satisfaction when TLC bumped them from primetime to a 10PM time slot,

10 PM is still considered primetime according to the TV people.  Although it may not be a "prime" spot like 8 PM.  I think the Browns while still profitable are now stale.  Kody's attitude and behavior aren't helping any and almost all of the parents seem checked out to a degree.  Moving them to 10 is similar to the move to Friday night.  It keeps the network from having to develop a new show, the regulars will keep watching, and they can eek out another season or three still making some money.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Teafortwo said:

Maybe he actually knew/talked to her, but producers told him to fake it. 

I don't think he's that good an actor.  None of them are - reference Queen Sobyn's fake crying.

[ginger90]

They probably got put in the 10p slot in hopes people would keep watching after whatever show is on before them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Twopper]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

They probably got put in the 10p slot in hopes people would keep watching after whatever show is on before them. 🤷

they are following 90DF which has a season that seems eternal.    I only watch it for the live chat, and then I come over to the live chat for this stupid show. but it is hard to stay up til 11.

I wonder where this show would be if Kody had divorced Robyn after the adoption and remarried Meri or married Christine or Janelle.  Give them all a chance to be a legal wife.  I really can't stand him.

[itsadryheat]

8 hours ago, Twopper said:

the adoption

This has always been a disturbing storyline for me.

First, why would their father give up rights to his children? He's from polygamy "royalty", and allegedly not a practicing plyg, but I'm having a difficult time believing he would disown his children. Most divorced parents would not, but this guy is from Utah and a plyg, and he does? And what about Jessops plyg family - they all collectively give up grandchildren, nephew, nieces, cousins? Yeah we're good, see ya. We have other kids.

Robyn sending them to visit after the "adoption" doesn't help solidify this either. 

Why couldn't the plyg idiot just adopt them without the divorcing Meri? I thought they preached from the beginning what a coexist family they are?  I don't understand and cannot find what "legal rights" spiritual wives, or their kids for that matter, have any way.

The lines of faith, finances and legalities look like one of Janelle's mushy meals. Even this "The Principal" thing they keep yapping about. I'm thought it had something to do with "faith"; looked it up and got "The Principle: Another term for plural marriage". So their faith in a TLC nutshell, is plural marriage, more kids the better and you have this amazing life when you die.

This family is doing a very poor job representing this lifestyle as something positive. Maybe because they are not transparent, maybe because they are shifty, or maybe because it's not that good of a lifestyle afterall. Kody's attention deficit and impulse control may also be part of the failure. Mismanagement due to chaos. Season 1 when they are being interview by Natalie Morales, she blindsight's them with a real question, states he was a ladies man before he got married, and could this be why he chose this lifestyle. Kody hostilely responds "that he's done the emotional work" with his wives to make this work." The latest picture of the 5 of them on the couch says everything.

Reality TV/Kody Brown sleight of hand.

This show feels more like gaslighting than entertaining.

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by itsadryheat

[Gramto6]

Yeah, something just stinks in the whole "adoption" story line.. the whole court scene was faked, no way would cameras be allowed  and gosh Robo]chin sent the kids off to see "big bad dad" shortly after the "adoption" Sure Jan.... really believe all of it...NOT!

Edited April 4, 2021 by Gramto6
typo

[deirdra]

On 4/2/2021 at 8:10 PM, Gramto6 said:

I don't see that as "see through"  as much as "figure clinging".

Janelle's blue dress is both see through to her white underpants (which look like they are on backwards) and figure clinging.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Why couldn't the plyg idiot just adopt them without the divorcing Meri? 

He can't, legally. For Kody to adopt the children:

1. Robyn had to consent.

2. Robyn had to be the children's only legal parent (so that's why their bio dad had to terminate his parental rights)

3. There had to be a legal marriage between Kody and Robyn. For that to happen, Kody had to be divorced from Meri. Kody completed a "second parent" adoption; what step-parents often do when they marry the bio parent and want a legal relationship to the children. Most states won't allow unmarried adults to adopt a child together, which is why gay couples couldn't adopt in most states until they finally were able to have legal marriages.

"Spiritual wives" are legal strangers. They would have no rights Kody's assets (if he had any. I, for one, would be grateful to not be legally associated with what must be his astronomical debts). On the flip side, I don't think that Kody has rights to their assets either except Robyn's (since they are married) and perhaps Meri's depending on how their divorce was structured. Since Kody is the bio dad of all the kids, he does have parental rights to them even though he isn't (and in two cases, never was) married to their mothers.

[mythoughtis]

The supposed reason for the adoption was so the kids could have health insurance.  Which is ridiculous.  Kodys name is not on all of his biological children’s birth certificates and there is no court order requiring him to have insurance on them. So either some of Kodys  bio children were not insured.  Or they were somehow insured otherwise.  If so, then Robins  could have been insured the same way.  None of them were covered by any group insurance unless it was a group policy for the employees of Brown Family Entertainment.  Which Robyn would have  also been  an employee of. 

[Twopper]

't

9 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

The supposed reason for the adoption was so the kids could have health insurance.  Which is ridiculous.  Kodys name is not on all of his biological children’s birth certificates and there is no court order requiring him to have insurance on them. So either some of Kodys  bio children were not insured.  Or they were somehow insured otherwise.  If so, then Robins  could have been insured the same way.  None of them were covered by any group insurance unless it was a group policy for the employees of Brown Family Entertainment.  Which Robyn would have  also been  an employee of. 

The reason I recall was that "the family" was concerned that the kids would be returned to the biological father or his family if Robyn died.  They  seemed paranoid and territorial about this hypothetical  loss of Robyn's children. 

The real  reason I see was it allowed Kody to jettison Meri and marry the 'wife" he was still turned on by. ( I think all the wives should have gone on diets as soon as he met Robyn and purchased VS lingerie of their own (I tend to think the original three only wore unsexy flannel jammies).  A second reason and the most important was it bought them another fairly long story line to sell to TLC. 

[itsadryheat]

"In the fall of 2010, 7 episodes aired and viewers across the country were astounded to see three intelligent and independent women all married to an unexpectedly charming polygymist man."

Producers detail the origin of the show 

http://www.puddlemonkey.tv/

[JenMcSnark]

After some reading here and seeing Kollene Snow referenced (I love her on Escaping Polygamy), I watched parts of a couple episodes On Demand to see Kollene.  Some thoughts/questions:

• I love Kollene's honesty and cutting edge with the other kids.  
• Why does Maddie clench her teeth when she talks?  So annoying. She looks so much like Janelle.  
• Wow! Mykelti and Aspyn looked so much alike!  And yes,  "poor little Aspyn" as Kollene said.  Does she still want to live polygamy?
• After all the talk about Logan, I was kind of surprised to see him defending their version of polygamy and his family.  He is very charming though for sure. Glad he wised up.
• I was surprised that Kollene found Kody to be a good father.  But I guess he did keep up appearances at that point.  He only seems to have started to lose the kids as they got older and he got more into Robyn's family. 
• Surprisingly to me, I found Janelle to be earning a bit of my sympathy with how she reacted to the stories and words of the escaped kids.  Also she seemed pretty. I honestly do not find her at all sympathetic, interesting, or pretty on social media.  She's been one of my least favorites really.  
• I felt like every one except Christine (adults only) were pretty much lying for the cameras as if this were all scripted.  Maybe it's because of how messed up they all are now.  Janelle also seemed to "believe" but it didn't seem as genuine.  But it's obvious that they don't really do this for their "faith" or belief in any kind of Mormon religion (I grew up mainstream Mormon).  It is basically because they wanted to live this way.  And that's the difference IMO as to why they are not as "bad" as these other groups (Kingston & FLDS).  They want to be somewhat worldly for their own benefit, convenience, and enjoyment whereas those other groups forbid it and therefore are able to "hide" their sins and abuse from the gen pop for the most part.   

I also watched the super cringe purity speech (over the very loud mutterings and protests by my own daughter who couldn't believe anyone could sound so incredibly stupid, especially after I gave her a brief background on Robyn/Kody).  Yuck.

I've been forbidden to ever watch that again when my daughter is around, but I still want to watch the panel episode that had Christine's aunt (?) on it.  lol  

[xwordfanatik]

2 hours ago, JenMcSnark said:

After some reading here and seeing Kollene Snow referenced (I love her on Escaping Polygamy), I watched parts of a couple episodes On Demand to see Kollene.  Some thoughts/questions:

• I love Kollene's honesty and cutting edge with the other kids.  
• Why does Maddie clench her teeth when she talks?  So annoying. She looks so much like Janelle.  
• Wow! Mykelti and Aspyn looked so much alike!  And yes,  "poor little Aspyn" as Kollene said.  Does she still want to live polygamy?
• After all the talk about Logan, I was kind of surprised to see him defending their version of polygamy and his family.  He is very charming though for sure. Glad he wised up.
• I was surprised that Kollene found Kody to be a good father.  But I guess he did keep up appearances at that point.  He only seems to have started to lose the kids as they got older and he got more into Robyn's family. 
• Surprisingly to me, I found Janelle to be earning a bit of my sympathy with how she reacted to the stories and words of the escaped kids.  Also she seemed pretty. I honestly do not find her at all sympathetic, interesting, or pretty on social media.  She's been one of my least favorites really.  
• I felt like every one except Christine (adults only) were pretty much lying for the cameras as if this were all scripted.  Maybe it's because of how messed up they all are now.  Janelle also seemed to "believe" but it didn't seem as genuine.  But it's obvious that they don't really do this for their "faith" or belief in any kind of Mormon religion (I grew up mainstream Mormon).  It is basically because they wanted to live this way.  And that's the difference IMO as to why they are not as "bad" as these other groups (Kingston & FLDS).  They want to be somewhat worldly for their own benefit, convenience, and enjoyment whereas those other groups forbid it and therefore are able to "hide" their sins and abuse from the gen pop for the most part.   

I also watched the super cringe purity speech (over the very loud mutterings and protests by my own daughter who couldn't believe anyone could sound so incredibly stupid, especially after I gave her a brief background on Robyn/Kody).  Yuck.

I've been forbidden to ever watch that again when my daughter is around, but I still want to watch the panel episode that had Christine's aunt (?) on it.  lol  

If you watch the panel ep with Christine's aunt, be ready to want to reach out and slap Robyn.  Condescending, and then some.

[Pickleinthemiddle]

15 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

If you watch the panel ep with Christine's aunt, be ready to want to reach out and slap Robyn.  Condescending, and then some.

True.  The sweetie don't try and make me a victim.  No sweetie you do that all on your own.  

 

I read Kristen Decker ( Christine's aunt ) book.  It was heartbreaking, when her husband took another wife.  That pretty much ended her relationship with her husband.  She was a real basement wife.  She would stand at the door knocking to talk to her husband. They would ignore her. Basically the second wife would cry and demand that he not spend time with his first wife.  I think she finally realized her life with him was over and left him.

[ginger90]

I couldn’t find more than a snippet of the episode where Krystyn  Decker appeared.

This article has a longer clip than I could find elsewhere:

 

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sister-wives-christine-browns-aunt-calls-the-brown-familys-religion-a-cult-system.html/

[itsadryheat]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

episode where Krystyn  Decker appeared

Sister Wives On the Ropes              Season 6 (2013-14) Episode 9

The family argues that the practice is spiritual for them and that they think of it as an issue of personal freedom.

Decker said that the practice was inherently misogynistic, while Kody says that it was a matter of personal choice.

 

Highlights from the RadarOnline Interview with Krystyn  Nov. 4 2019

"Kristyn explained how she feared she would “be held accountable and go to hell” if she left or warned people from joining plural marriages, as that is what the church teaches.
 

“It’s a miserable-happy life,” she explained. “The Browns are miserable-happy. They’re miserable on the inside. I don’t think any of them know what genuine happiness and freedom is. I thought I was happy. I thought life was great and I was serving God. I was happy serving God, but miserable doing it. The more you sacrifice, the better your blessings will be in heaven.”

“If there were no show, there would’ve been a bigger chance for them to leave,” the author explained. “That’s their income! All the parties, traveling… none of that would’ve happened without the show.”

“She said that while physical abuse is common in AUB, it is “not as common as emotional and mental abuse.”

“Polygamy is a system of abuse overall,” she explained. “Mental, emotional, and spiritual. The groups believe their leaders are the right ones and the others are wrong. Overall, polygamy is a system that’s harmful to men, women, children and society. You will live in polygamy and the women will be submissive. The women must let the men have other wives or they’ll go to hell.”

Kristyn compared polygamy to a “cult-system.” “If we look up cult, everything within the AUB or religion of plural marriage, the system they have and believe in, it’s cohesive. The men will be the leaders. The men are the ones who bring the women to heaven if they qualify. The final decisions are with the men. If any of those women wanted to have another man, they couldn’t. It’s not an equality or equal system.” Kristyn told Radar that the “more information that gets out there the better.” “My heart is still in helping victims of polygamy,” she explained. “We were all taught that protecting polygamy was more important than to protect the truth.”

https://radaronline.com/photos/sister-wives-christine-brown-family-begs-her-leave-kody-cult-like-abusive-marriage/

 

[xwordfanatik]

1 hour ago, Pickleinthemiddle said:

True.  The sweetie don't try and make me a victim.  No sweetie you do that all on your own.  

 

I read Kristen Decker ( Christine's aunt ) book.  It was heartbreaking, when her husband took another wife.  That pretty much ended her relationship with her husband.  She was a real basement wife.  She would stand at the door knocking to talk to her husband. They would ignore her. Basically the second wife would cry and demand that he not spend time with his first wife.  I think she finally realized her life with him was over and left him.

I've read her book, too.  It is hard to believe that she spent 33 years in that marriage.  I'm happy for her, that she finally got out.  I don't know how long her sister Annie (Christine's mom) spent as a plural wife, but Christine wouldn't associate with her mother for years after she left her husband.

I wish Christine would follow their examples and leave that ramen-noodle headed ass she's been putting up with for much too long.  

 

[itsadryheat]

Christine is such a polygamy zealot, IF she leaves, I suspect she'll have a really difficult time transitioning. Even with family support.

[itsadryheat]

Old story. Market in Robyn's hometown banned Krysten Deckers book by market organizer who hadn't bothered to read it prior to their decision.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nation-and-world/st-george-market-bans-womans-book-on-polygamy/