Snark Should Be Multiplied, Not Divided: General Show Discussion

[Irate Panda]

Does anyone know how much cash was put down on

• Coyote Pass
• Christine’s House
• Robyn’s House

I believe Meri and Janelle (at the time) rented, so I’m just wondering how much cash/down payments were put out on those 3 properties.

[LilyD]

14 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

It's truly mind-boggling when you add in heat, water, electricity, car payments, taxes, food, gasoline and everything else. Did I mention heat? Imagine what it costs to keep Robyn's mansion warm in winter. 

When they still were in Vegas I actually wondered about that… imagine your utility bills with 6 kids, most in their teens, who usually take showers that last a minimum of 30 minutes every day, are glued to the electricity net, have their own cars and eat like a bunch of werewolves (Janelle’s 4 boys… It’s unbelievable how much boys in their teens can eat!) tThose grocery bills must have been horrendous at the time.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Right, the A/C alone in the summer must have been 300 a month per house

[OldButHappy]

...and Janelle is living in a trailer on a windswept plain as winter approaches...

Edited September 28, 2021 by OldButHappy

[Sandy W]

50 minutes ago, OldButHappy said:

...and Christine is living in a trailer on a windswept plain as winter approaches...

I haven't heard that Christine has joined Janelle to live in a trailer on the Plains of Plague.  AFAIK, she is still living in her Flagstaff house until her sale of the house is final and possession transfers over.  

Janelle has said that she doesn't intend to spend the winter in the trailer, but I haven't heard where she intends to live once winter does set in.  Pretty sure Robyn and Kody won't be accommodating her and Savanah.

[LilyD]

57 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

I haven't heard that Christine has joined Janelle to live in a trailer on the Plains of Plague.  AFAIK, she is still living in her Flagstaff house until her sale of the house is final and possession transfers over.  

Janelle has said that she doesn't intend to spend the winter in the trailer, but I haven't heard where she intends to live once winter does set in.  Pretty sure Robyn and Kody won't be accommodating her and Savanah.

Which leaves the agonising question as to where they’re going. Could they possibly have lined something up? something we missed? 
If neither has purchased a house, nor found a rental, I do see them out on Coyote Pass in RVs  this winter. It’s almost October after all and you generally do not buy and move into a new house overnight. And rentals don’t come easy in Flagstaff from what I heard out here.

I just started thinking about the possibility of them moving into a house together? The more I think about it, the more I feel like “why not?” They are sister wives and have lived together before…

[laurakaye]

I wonder if Janelle even knows where Janelle is going to live in the winter.

She makes this all sound like some kind of pre-planned grand adventure and she wouldn't want to be doing anything else, but I don't buy it.  There's too much weird subtext here and it bugs me that I can't figure it out.  Janelle - queen of the ONE HOUSE idea along with her man Kody - is squatting on land that was meant to be Plyg Paradise, and we all know it's never going to pan out.  Wouldn't you find it strange and sad to be living alone in an RV on a piece of land that was supposed to hold your future hopes and dreams?  And while current legal wifey lives just down the road in a mansion that's probably 20 times the cost of the RV?

Janelle can do whatever she wants but it bugs me that Savanah has no permanent place to call home and likely won't until she moves away and gets her own place.  Janelle may fancy herself a wild and free hippie going wherever the (strong) winds take her, but she's got a kid to think about.  Maybe Savanah is fine with all of this, but she's always been the ignored child (more so than even Truely, I dare say) and maybe she's used to getting the literal scraps from both of her stupid parents and doesn't dare hope for anything else.

11 minutes ago, LilyD said:

I just started thinking about the possibility of them moving into a house together? The more I think about it, the more I feel like “why not?” They are sister wives and have lived together before…

If they were all forced to move into Robyn's house, I would totally pay to watch a season of that chaos.  It's what Sobbin' and Kodoof deserve. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by laurakaye

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Sadly, I think Savannah is like her mother and doesn't speak up. Sad this poor young lady is living out in an RV. If Janelle was single (well she is basically) and no kids at home, go for it. Seems like Gabe was kicked out and forced to find someplace to live, along with the other 2. Gees, he is just a kid still, he is what barely 18? If Christine can't afford the mortgage on her house and has to find a rennal, she is going to have to downside big time to a 2 bedroom, which would work, but it infuriates me that Robyn is sitting there up on her hill with not a care in the world while Janelle and Christine seem to be scrambling. 

[Irate Panda]

I don’t understand why they put so much cash down or bought outright parcels of Coyote Pass.  Forget the angels singingk.   Why didn’t they just buy a smaller cheaper piece of undeveloped land  because they weren’t going to build on it anyway but it would still give them a storyline ? They could have used the extra cash to put into the homes they we really going to live in this season or until Kody gets bored again.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Irate Panda

[Absolom]

2 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Seems like Gabe was kicked out and forced to find someplace to live, along with the other 2.

Gabe is 20 and graduated HS early.  He's fine.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

37 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Gabe is 20 and graduated HS early.  He's fine.

I would hope he is fine, he certainly showed some resentment for dear old dad the last season. I hope he is off at college and enjoying life and has a roof over his head

[Absolom]

Resenting Kody seems healthy and natural.

[laurakaye]

I'd like to think that behind the scenes, Logan is guiding his brothers into living a happy life without guidance from their absent father or clueless mother.  All of Janelle's boys seem to be capable of living on their own and thriving in spite of their parents, while Maddie is clinging to her ZZZ-list celeb status to shill poison and Savanah is in the unfortunate position of having to stay with Janelle and be her best friend and gym partner until she too can leave.

Still counting on a future tell-all, co-written by Savanah and Truely.

[LilyD]

11 hours ago, laurakaye said:

All of Janelle's boys seem to be capable of living on their own and thriving in spite of their parents, while Maddie is clinging to her ZZZ-list celeb status to shill poison and Savanah is in the unfortunate position of having to stay with Janelle and be her best friend and gym partner until she too can leave.

In terms of the Brown kids clinging on to TLC just like Maddie... I think it's only Mykelti and maybe Mariah who seem interested in being featured on a sort of regular basis? Aspyn actually surprised me by sort of retiring after her wedding (good for her!) But with the wedding and it's preparations so heavily featured, I was bracing for a lot more. Especially because I secretly still believe that Mitch is in the market for more wives. I doubt Gwen and Ysabel will stay on. I quite like Ysabel and hope she'll find her way outside the TLC fold.  Gwen's annoying please go....Can't say anything about Truely and Savanah yet (too young) and Robyn's girls will probably stay with mum forever, ensconced in their big mansion.

The boys: Logan is completely done as seems to be the case with Paedon and Hunter (no one in the military would want to be featured in such reality show after all). I don't think Garrisson and Gabe are overly worried with being seen every now and then, but that's it. Dayton may be able to live on his own despite his (minor?) disabilities and quirkiness but there's no way Robyn will let him. Sol is also going to stay at home, simply because no girl is ever going to be good enough for the king.

So to conclude: Maddie is definitely the one to try and keep this going. Unfortunately she's the least interesting and one of the most annoying. But with Evi she has the guaranteed ticket to more air time (poor kid)

 

[Rabbit Hutch]

My gut tells me Mitch is a controlling person in one aspect or another.  Aspyn couldn't complete a sentence without glancing at Mitch afterwards during their couch interviews.  My thinking is he'll want another wife at some point.

[Teafortwo]

I think Mitch was uncomfortable in the TV spotlight and Aspyn is deeply in love and wanted to keep checking to see if he was okay. I believe they are lying low for two reasons: said discomfort and his family's position in the AUB, which has basically disowned the Browns. He likely doesn't want to curry disfavor with his family, for the sake of being on this circus of a show. It's just not worth it.

[LilyD]

On 9/29/2021 at 3:46 AM, Rabbit Hutch said:

My gut tells me Mitch is a controlling person in one aspect or another.  Aspyn couldn't complete a sentence without glancing at Mitch afterwards during their couch interviews.  My thinking is he'll want another wife at some point.

I think he’s pretty conservative and iirc he did mention at one point during the show that he wasn’t opposed to the idea of having two wives. If that’s still his belief, then Aspyn’d better be prepared because she’s not going to win this one I’m afraid… (I don’t believe the bullshit claim that women are in control of adding new wives and possibly don’t even have a vote in who is going to join)

[Scarlett45]

I also think the show is not worth it to Mitch and Aspyn- being the oldest girl and fully remembering life before TLC came into the picture she can see the good and the bad. Aspyn did a lot for her little siblings (she and Logan being natural caregivers I think) and I don’t blame her for wanting to use TLC to have a nice wedding and then bowing out. The money isn’t worth it, when you have no desire to be a fame whore. 

On 9/28/2021 at 9:14 PM, Teafortwo said:

I think Mitch was uncomfortable in the TV spotlight and Aspyn is deeply in love and wanted to keep checking to see if he was okay. I believe they are lying low for two reasons: said discomfort and his family's position in the AUB, which has basically disowned the Browns. He likely doesn't want to curry disfavor with his family, for the sake of being on this circus of a show. It's just not worth it.

I agree with this too. 

[xwordfanatik]

I just saw a LAUGHABLE promo on the people magazine's site.  They're just continuing to bitch about everything.  Kootie says no wife runs the show!!  He's not giving viewers any credit for intelligence, because it's so obvious that Robyn is in the drivers' seat.

Face it Kootie, you gave your balls to Robyn, and she's in charge.  

[lookeyloo]

I'm on Facebook.  Several closed groups related to a health condition, and several on quilting/sewing machines.  And friends with family and one or two others.  I regularly decline friend requests.  It has its awful qualities, but, also serves my purposes.

[Absolom]

4 hours ago, aimlessbird said:

https://www.facebook.com/sisterwives/videos/364956941978566

It's a promo for the new season and being discussed here:

This is why cross posting within the same forum doesn't work out well most of the time.  

[General Days]

This is part of my personal overarching theory of Sister Wives. It's a long one, so you know it's genuine Genny D. b.s. 😉

The BROWN THEORY:

1) Until Covid, the family used to agree on what narrative they'd put forth, before they were in front of the cameras. There were times a wife broke rank. Most famously was when Christine went off script and made it clear she thought Kody and Robyn's wedding gown shopping ruse was a shitty thing to do, but most of the time, they all protected the narrative on-screen. BTW, I think Christine went off script, because Kody went off script with that "bomb."

2) To stick to whatever the operating narrative at a given time, the Brown parents sometimes speak to each other in coded language on camera. I think this holds especially true when it comes to conversations between Kody and each wife.

Examples:

Kody and Meri's outdoors conversation (I think in her Vegas yard, maybe) during the catfish aftermath. It seemed clear to me that when Kody said certain things to Meri, she gave him the kind of look you give someone when they bring up something private in front of other people — like "I can go there, but we weren't going to talk about that in front of people." I think she only didn't spill, because Meri realized doing so could land her on the outs with Kody forever, and she (mistakenly) thought she could still win him back.

More recent examples of #1 & #2 include this season's staged "fight" between Robyn and Kody, and the restaurant conversation between Janelle and Kody (about paying off the Coyote Pass loans), and last season's big pre-Christmas fight between Kody and Janelle, which pretty much ended their relationship. 

In the Robyn/Kody fight, at the outset, it was pretty clear the whole thing was originally contrived for the cameras, in order to rehab Robyn and Kody's image, but then it seemed to me that Robyn got real in the midst of it. Kody seemed caught off guard, so he tried to wiggle-word promise Robyn that he'd try to reach out to his kids, to avoid a real fight on camera. After the initial fakery of the conversation, the rest of it struck me as one of the few times Robyn has seemed at all real on the show. I think was particularly real when she mentioned her bio-dad and how she felt forsaken by him.

In the Janelle/Kody pay-off-the-loan convo, I am convinced they talked beforehand. I think Kody told Janelle something like, "We'll talk about reconciling, just to string our storyline along, because nobody is going to watch a show called Sister Wives, if they know there's only one marriage left."

I don't think Janelle expressed her disagreement with Kody before filming the episode. I think she realized he not only wanted to string along their storyline, he also wanted to deflect from the real issue, which was that their loan was coming due in (then) 75 days.

And Janelle is so done with his b.s., especially when it comes to her money. She let him think she was going to play the "should we reconcile game" to get him to the restaurant, and get him on camera, to talk about the loan. You could tell he was reeling, when she immediately changed the subject from a fake reconciliation to their debt.

The Janelle/Kody pre-Christmas fight was probably the first time Janelle took a hard on-camera stand that Kody understood to be a legitimate hard stand against him (even though she'd told him to eff-off in a previous parent meeting in Robyn's backyard), and he did not know how to deal with her "No you listen to me" insurrection on camera, so he stormed out of her apartment and shut off communication with her.

 

The Biggest Coded Conversation of All?

Since the time that Kody browbeat Meri into deciding if she wanted to try to have another child, only to pull the rug out from under her, I have always believed that Kody's "I think it would be better if we didn't try for a baby" was code for, "I'm not having sex with you anymore."  And? I think Meri knew it.

I think all the wives knew sex was over with Kody and Meri way back then. In recent seasons, Christine and Janelle have acknowledged that Kody strung Meri on for years.

I think they knew, because Kody has always used gossip about the other wives to manipulate whichever sister wife he was with at the moment. I think the Meri/Kody marriage moved to the realm of Make-Believe, when he shut down the possibility of a baby. I just think Meri thought if she jumped through certain hoops, she could regain his favor.

My guess is that this had always worked, when it was just Meri, Janelle, and Christine on the canvas, and that acquiring Robyn (which was probably a hoop Meri jumped through) changed the dynamic enough, that Kody decided to change their sick little game, entirely.

In the Season 16 "Tell-All," Meri said she and Kody hadn't been intimate in ~10 years. That episode aired in February of 2022. It was probably filmed sometime in 2021 (although who knows with Covid), which means they hadn't been intimate since 2011 or so (and maybe, like Christine, there wasn't a clean intimacy break -- maybe there was sometimes birthday or anniversary sex, but it was pretty much over for them).  

Meri legally divorced Kody in season 8. The finale aired in September of 2015, but the divorce went through (in real life) in September of 2014. She got involved with the catfish in March of 2015. 

I think every single Brown parent knew Kody and Meri were OVER (except maybe Meri, who did things on Kody's list like, "Divorce me so I can legally marry Robyn" to try to get back in his good graces).

Kody used to spend 1 night out of every 4 (or whatever their real rotation was) at her house, but one of the things Meri revealed during the catfish fallout episodes, is that one reason she kicked him out of her house was that he used to lie next to her in bed and not touch her.

I'm not even talking about sex. One of the things she said was that he wouldn't even put an arm around her (or maybe it was hold her hand). I think Meri legally divorced him, thinking he would revive their marriage out of gratitude if nothing else, and he got even colder. She thought, "Eff this," and then the catfish found her at her most vulnerable time.

I don't think any of the Brown parents were blindsided by Meri's emotional affair with "Sam." First of all, it seems they had intel from Robyn's friend/employee, but also, I don't think Meri tried to hide it from them — just from us, and maybe from production. I don't even think she tried to hide it from Leon or Kody. 

Think about how Leon talked about it. They said they tried to warn Meri that it could be a catfish. I don't think a kid says that to mom, unless they already know mom feels romantically involved, and mom knows they know.

And? Meri brought Leon with her to Disney to meet "Sam," who then couldn't come, so she met one of the catfish's Alts, instead. You don't bring your kid to what you think is your first in-real-life meeting with your secret, adulterous boyfriend, unless he's not a secret, and you don't think of it as adulterous, because you know your marriage is over, and so does your young-adult kid, who probably realizes that dad has stopped sleeping over.

Likewise, Kody talked about how Meri had developed online "friendships," and he tried to warn her that they might not be safe (or honest, or whatever he said). The Browns knew she was moving on. They just didn't want us to know she was moving on. They still wanted to present a positive image of polygamy, because Kody would have felt less manly, and because they were afraid it could derail their gravy train that is the Sister Wives TV series.

I think Leon got a little too real about the catfish, on camera with Kody, in such a way that he could no longer pretend to think the catfish was just a mean fake friendship gone awry. I think he realized (or maybe his guy friends made him think) that it made him look like a "cuck." From there on in, he started losing sympathy for Meri's situation, and started talking angrily about it, instead. (The catfish publishing their voice mails and/or texts, or whatever, probably contributed to this too.) 

Recall Meri's oh-so-coded conversation in that restaurant on the Alaska trip. She said a whole lot of words that amounted to, "Don't be surprised if I'm gone," but she never said why. And none of the parents ever asked her why! That's not natural.

I think that's because they all knew why, and they all knew what was coming. I just think they all agreed they wouldn't talk about the elephant in the room on camera, but there are a couple of seconds where you can see Christine looking extremely pleased at the whole thing — not shocked.

I think there are other coded or pre-arranged conversations, too. The above are just highlights, but a big one is the whole "Don't let Meri have the Prairie Dog Poop Pond house lot" of a few seasons back. I think there were a whole lot of machinations behind scene, between Kody, Christine, and Janelle.

I think Robyn's defense of Meri in that episode was another rare genuine moment from Robyn. Now, maybe it didn't come out of genuine concern for Meri's well-being or finances, or whatever, but I think Robyn realized Kody, Janelle, and Christine had their own little game going, and didn't like it (for whatever reason) and spoke up. 

Anyhow, this is the biggest part of my working theory on Sister Wives. It's all been so very fake, for so very long. Kody has lost control of his wives now though, so I'm still interested in seeing how the series wraps up. I doubt I'll ever be satisfied — that we'll ever get their real story, but I'm watching to see what we do get.

Edited November 19 by General Days

[Chalby]

46 minutes ago, General Days said:

 

I think they knew, because Kody has always used gossip about the other wives to manipulate whichever sister wife he was with at the moment. I just think Meri thought if she jumped through certain hoops, she could regain his favor.

Meri legally divorced Kody in season 8. The finale aired in September of 2015, but the divorce went through (in real life) in September of 2014. She got involved with the catfish in March of 2015. 

Think about how Leon talked about it. They said they tried to warn Meri that it could be a catfish. I don't think a kid says that to mom, unless they already know mom feels romantically involved, and mom knows they know.

Anyhow, this is the biggest part of my working theory on Sister Wives. It's all been so very fake, for so very long. Kody has lost control of his wives now though, so I'm still interested in seeing how the series wraps up. I doubt I'll ever be satisfied — that we'll ever get their real story, but I'm watching to see what we do get.

Oh my goodness, we are on the same page! I agree 💯 with everything you wrote, but your explanation was better. You were concise and accurate AND thank you for providing a timeline re: Meri's relationship with Kody, and why I've always defended Meri's part in the catfish scandal. They made her wallow and apologize to the family numerous times.... Meanwhile nothing was said about Kody being intimate with 3 wives, while Meri was expected to live an unloved, spinster life, while showing gratitude. 

And bravo to your spotlight on Kody and his toxic gossiping. The wives weren't encouraged to speak to each other, and Kody cemented that dynamic by intimating to each wife that the other wives were critical of her. 

Gosh, I hope Kody gets his comeuppance publicly so all my disgust and observations will be validated.

Edited November 19 by Chalby

[Gramto6]

2 hours ago, General Days said:

This is part of my personal overarching theory of Sister Wives. It's a long one, so you know it's genuine Genny D. b.s. 😉

The BROWN THEORY:

1) Until Covid, the family used to agree on what narrative they'd put forth, before they were in front of the cameras. There were times a wife broke rank. Most famously was when Christine went off script and made it clear she thought Kody and Robyn's wedding gown shopping ruse was a shitty thing to do, but most of the time, they all protected the narrative on-screen. BTW, I think Christine went off script, because Kody went off script with that "bomb."

2) To stick to whatever the operating narrative at a given time, the Brown parents sometimes speak to each other in coded language on camera. I think this holds especially true when it comes to conversations between Kody and each wife.

Examples:

Kody and Meri's outdoors conversation (I think in her Vegas yard, maybe) during the catfish aftermath. It seemed clear to me that when Kody said certain things to Meri, she gave him the kind of look you give someone when they bring up something private in front of other people — like "I can go there, but we weren't going to talk about that in front of people." I think she only didn't spill, because Meri realized doing so could land her on the outs with Kody forever, and she (mistakenly) thought she could still win him back.

More recent examples of #1 & #2 include this season's staged "fight" between Robyn and Kody, and the restaurant conversation between Janelle and Kody (about paying off the Coyote Pass loans), and last season's big pre-Christmas fight between Kody and Janelle, which pretty much ended their relationship. 

In the Robyn/Kody fight, at the outset, it was pretty clear the whole thing was originally contrived for the cameras, in order to rehab Robyn and Kody's image, but then it seemed to me that Robyn got real in the midst of it. Kody seemed caught off guard, so he tried to wiggle-word promise Robyn that he'd try to reach out to his kids, to avoid a real fight on camera. After the initial fakery of the conversation, the rest of it struck me as one of the few times Robyn has seemed at all real on the show. I think was particularly real when she mentioned her bio-dad and how she felt forsaken by him.

In the Janelle/Kody pay-off-the-loan convo, I am convinced they talked beforehand. I think Kody told Janelle something like, "We'll talk about reconciling, just to string our storyline along, because nobody is going to watch a show called Sister Wives, if they know there's only one marriage left."

I don't think Janelle expressed her disagreement with Kody before filming the episode. I think she realized he not only wanted to string along their storyline, he also wanted to deflect from the real issue, which was that their loan was coming due in (then) 75 days.

And Janelle is so done with his b.s., especially when it comes to her money. She let him think she was going to play the "should we reconcile game" to get him to the restaurant, and get him on camera, to talk about the loan. You could tell he was reeling, when she immediately changed the subject from a fake reconciliation to their debt.

The Janelle/Kody pre-Christmas fight was probably the first time Janelle took a hard on-camera stand that Kody understood to be a legitimate hard stand against him (even though she'd told him to eff-off in a previous parent meeting in Robyn's backyard), and he did not know how to deal with her "No you listen to me" insurrection on camera, so he stormed out of her apartment and shut off communication with her.

 

The Biggest Coded Conversation of All?

Since the time that Kody browbeat Meri into deciding if she wanted to try to have another child, only to pull the rug out from under her, I have always believed that Kody's "I think it would be better if we didn't try for a baby" was code for, "I'm not having sex with you anymore."  And? I think Meri knew it.

I think all the wives knew sex was over with Kody and Meri way back then. In recent seasons, Christine and Janelle have acknowledged that Kody strung Meri on for years.

I think they knew, because Kody has always used gossip about the other wives to manipulate whichever sister wife he was with at the moment. I think the Meri/Kody marriage moved to the realm of Make-Believe, when he shut down the possibility of a baby. I just think Meri thought if she jumped through certain hoops, she could regain his favor.

My guess is that this had always worked, when it was just Meri, Janelle, and Christine on the canvas, and that acquiring Robyn (which was probably a hoop Meri jumped through) changed the dynamic enough, that Kody decided to change their sick little game, entirely.

In the Season 16 "Tell-All," Meri said she and Kody hadn't been intimate in ~10 years. That episode aired in February of 2022. It was probably filmed sometime in 2021 (although who knows with Covid), which means they hadn't been intimate since 2011 or so (and maybe, like Christine, there wasn't a clean intimacy break -- maybe there was sometimes birthday or anniversary sex, but it was pretty much over for them).  

Meri legally divorced Kody in season 8. The finale aired in September of 2015, but the divorce went through (in real life) in September of 2014. She got involved with the catfish in March of 2015. 

I think every single Brown parent knew Kody and Meri were OVER (except maybe Meri, who did things on Kody's list like, "Divorce me so I can legally marry Robyn" to try to get back in his good graces).

Kody used to spend 1 night out of every 4 (or whatever their real rotation was) at her house, but one of the things Meri revealed during the catfish fallout episodes, is that one reason she kicked him out of her house was that he used to lie next to her in bed and not touch her.

I'm not even talking about sex. One of the things she said was that he wouldn't even put an arm around her (or maybe it was hold her hand). I think Meri legally divorced him, thinking he would revive their marriage out of gratitude if nothing else, and he got even colder. She thought, "Eff this," and then the catfish found her at her most vulnerable time.

I don't think any of the Brown parents were blindsided by Meri's emotional affair with "Sam." First of all, it seems they had intel from Robyn's friend/employee, but also, I don't think Meri tried to hide it from them — just from us, and maybe from production. I don't even think she tried to hide it from Leon or Kody. 

Think about how Leon talked about it. They said they tried to warn Meri that it could be a catfish. I don't think a kid says that to mom, unless they already know mom feels romantically involved, and mom knows they know.

And? Meri brought Leon with her to Disney to meet "Sam," who then couldn't come, so she met one of the catfish's Alts, instead. You don't bring your kid to what you think is your first in-real-life meeting with your secret, adulterous boyfriend, unless he's not a secret, and you don't think of it as adulterous, because you know your marriage is over, and so does your young-adult kid, who probably realizes that dad has stopped sleeping over.

Likewise, Kody talked about how Meri had developed online "friendships," and he tried to warn her that they might not be safe (or honest, or whatever he said). The Browns knew she was moving on. They just didn't want us to know she was moving on. They still wanted to present a positive image of polygamy, because Kody would have felt less manly, and because they were afraid it could derail their gravy train that is the Sister Wives TV series.

I think Leon got a little too real about the catfish, on camera with Kody, in such a way that he could no longer pretend to think the catfish was just a mean fake friendship gone awry. I think he realized (or maybe his guy friends made him think) that it made him look like a "cuck." From there on in, he started losing sympathy for Meri's situation, and started talking angrily about it, instead. (The catfish publishing their voice mails and/or texts, or whatever, probably contributed to this too.) 

Recall Meri's oh-so-coded conversation in that restaurant on the Alaska trip. She said a whole lot of words that amounted to, "Don't be surprised if I'm gone," but she never said why. And none of the parents ever asked her why! That's not natural.

I think that's because they all knew why, and they all knew what was coming. I just think they all agreed they wouldn't talk about the elephant in the room on camera, but there are a couple of seconds where you can see Christine looking extremely pleased at the whole thing — not shocked.

I think there are other coded or pre-arranged conversations, too. The above are just highlights, but a big one is the whole "Don't let Meri have the Prairie Dog Poop Pond house lot" of a few seasons back. I think there were a whole lot of machinations behind scene, between Kody, Christine, and Janelle.

I think Robyn's defense of Meri in that episode was another rare genuine moment from Robyn. Now, maybe it didn't come out of genuine concern for Meri's well-being or finances, or whatever, but I think Robyn realized Kody, Janelle, and Christine had their own little game going, and didn't like it (for whatever reason) and spoke up. 

Anyhow, this is the biggest part of my working theory on Sister Wives. It's all been so very fake, for so very long. Kody has lost control of his wives now though, so I'm still interested in seeing how the series wraps up. I doubt I'll ever be satisfied — that we'll ever get their real story, but I'm watching to see what we do get.

Spot on post!!! Agree with @Chalby! Well written and laid out in a great chronological order which the show so well jumbled up to keep us confused as to what end was up.

My summation: Kody is a total D*ck to just about everyone. And I suspect there are times his is the same to his "so pretty, so shy, so loyal" wife now too. 

[Roslyn]

6 hours ago, General Days said:

I think Leon got a little too real about the catfish, on camera with Kody, in such a way that he could no longer pretend to think the catfish was just a mean fake friendship gone awry. I think he realized (or maybe his guy friends made him think) that it made him look like a "cuck." From there on in, he started losing sympathy for Meri's situation, and started talking angrily about it, instead. (The catfish publishing their voice mails and/or texts, or whatever, probably contributed to this too.)

 

I agree that this conversation was eye opening for Kody. When watching through the endless catfish forward episodes there is a clear difference with Kody. He seemed sympathetic, at least on camera for a time and then it seemed like that just stopped and he grew icy cold towards her. I always wondered if after (or because) of their conversation either Leon or Robyn showed him what was being posted online and he would have seen the infamous banana photo and/or heard the voicemail where Meri declared that fictitious Sam was "more of a man that Kody has ever, or will ever be".

 

6 hours ago, General Days said:

The Biggest Coded Conversation of All?

Since the time that Kody browbeat Meri into deciding if she wanted to try to have another child, only to pull the rug out from under her, I have always believed that Kody's "I think it would be better if we didn't try for a baby" was code for, "I'm not having sex with you anymore."  And? I think Meri knew it.

I think all the wives knew sex was over with Kody and Meri way back then. In recent seasons, Christine and Janelle have acknowledged that Kody strung Meri on for years.

I think they knew, because Kody has always used gossip about the other wives to manipulate whichever sister wife he was with at the moment. I think the Meri/Kody marriage moved to the realm of Make-Believe, when he shut down the possibility of a baby. I just think Meri thought if she jumped through certain hoops, she could regain his favor.

My guess is that this had always worked, when it was just Meri, Janelle, and Christine on the canvas, and that acquiring Robyn (which was probably a hoop Meri jumped through) changed the dynamic enough, that Kody decided to change their sick little game, entirely.

In the Season 16 "Tell-All," Meri said she and Kody hadn't been intimate in ~10 years. That episode aired in February of 2022. It was probably filmed sometime in 2021 (although who knows with Covid), which means they hadn't been intimate since 2011 or so (and maybe, like Christine, there wasn't a clean intimacy break -- maybe there was sometimes birthday or anniversary sex, but it was pretty much over for them). 

There were a few tells along the way with the push to force Meri into having a baby only for the cameras/storyline. She was quite clear in one of the first episodes that she had made her peace that she was not going to have any more children. The show began filming only two or three years after her traumatic miscarriage. When they self filmed their conversation in Mexico (anniversary trip) Kody was definitely caught off guard when she said no to his offer of IVF as a "anniversary gift". She "didn't see the point" if I recall properly.

Since we now know that Kody "sells" the wives on ideas that are actually "wants" from Robyn and Robyn voiced again and again that she wanted to have babies at the same time as sister wives...and Meri was the only option. Except she really wasn't, but she was so emotionally attached to Robyn and desperate for Kody's favor (and the storyline that was forced on her).

Meri made a small statement long ago when Kody brought up IVF that she would accept having a child "if it came naturally". And I think she held it together with Robyn's big push to force her hand with the surrogacy offer. Even when they kept at the storyline and even put her and Kody in front of a fertility doctor Meri seemed to stumble on answering the question about frequency of intercourse. Um. Duh... a fertility doctor would ask such things.

When it all came to a crashing end, Meri flat out asks Kody if he even wants a child with her. All this time she knows damn well that he isn't trying one little bit making the baby with her. He more than likely brought up IVF only because it meant that 1. Meri would have another baby and that would keep her occupied and out of his hair, 2. He would be the ultimate winner of the day to give Robyn a baby via Meri to make all her dreams come true and 3. He would get out of actually making the baby and only need to offer up his manly offerings in a jar.

[Denize]

Meri would also think why bother having another kid for Kody to ignore and she would have been wise to worry that Robyn might start thinking of Meri's embryo as her own child if she carried it. Robyn didn't seem to want to let Meri spend much time alone with baby Sol.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

offer up his manly offerings in a jar.

Ew.

[General Days]

never mind

 

Edited November 20 by General Days

[Auntie Freeze]

@General Days, I agree with every single word. Thank you for having the spoons to sift through and type out all the things in my head!

[Auntie Freeze]

Oh and I remember Kody tweeted, while the catfish thing was going on, that real men didn't play at being Batman or something similar. It came off the back of Meri posting a pic of flowers that 'Sam' had sent. So he absolutely knew something was going on in real time and was a little rattled by it. Which Meri no doubt enjoyed. Found a screenshot on Cynical Jinx's old site.

(Sam's twitter handle being NotBatmanYet)

Edited November 21 by Auntie Freeze

[ChristmasJones]

I had a dream last night and the Browns were in it!  A bunch of crazy stuff happened (as is common in dreams), but the highlight was I was using a computer to update the podcasts on my phone and Janelle was standing next to me.  She could see my phone and after I pushed the update button on it, a podcast I had never listened to suddenly appeared on the app. It was Janelle's podcast. She asked me if I had listened to it and I said no.

Christine was also in the dream. Apparently we all lived together in this huge home. 

Edited November 24 by ChristmasJones

[Denize]

I once had a waking dream where I was in line at the supermarket looking at the cover of a tabloid with Kody & Robyn on it in a "where are they now" type article. Both were caught in visors & gloves looking in their neighbours' garbage cans for treasures in their (single-wide) trailer park. I woke with a smile!

Edited November 24 by Denize

[jschoolgirl]

4 hours ago, Denize said:

Kody & Robyn on it in a "where are they now" type article. Both were caught in visors & gloves looking in their neighbours' garbage cans for treasures in their (single-wide) trailer park

Well, it might come to that!

[ChristmasJones]

I stumbled onto this little gem today.... thought folks here might find it interesting. I'm only 7 episodes in ... not sure where the story will go.. but it starts with a Mormon family with a bunch of kids who get approached to do a reality show about their family.

I'm finding a bunch of interesting nuggets of information about the Mormon church, reality tv, how the church (doesn't) handle abuse, huge families and other stuff. No polygamy though.

 

 

[General Days]

12 minutes ago, ChristmasJones said:

I stumbled onto this little gem today.... thought folks here might find it interesting. I'm only 7 episodes in ... not sure where the story will go.. but it starts with a Mormon family with a bunch of kids who get approached to do a reality show about their family.

I'm finding a bunch of interesting nuggets of information about the Mormon church, reality tv, how the church (doesn't) handle abuse, huge families and other stuff. No polygamy though.

 

 

 

 

It looks like there are 24 chapters: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCrazyTrain_Begins/videos

 

For some reason, I think we're not supposed to link to Reddit here, but I'm not clear why. There's a post about a month old, on this documentary, in the ex-Mormon subreddit, entitled, "The Crazy Train YouTube series." If you did a search on Reddit, or the r/exmormon sub, you'd find it.

[Natalie68]

14 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

I stumbled onto this little gem today.... thought folks here might find it interesting. I'm only 7 episodes in ... not sure where the story will go.. but it starts with a Mormon family with a bunch of kids who get approached to do a reality show about their family.

I'm finding a bunch of interesting nuggets of information about the Mormon church, reality tv, how the church (doesn't) handle abuse, huge families and other stuff. No polygamy though.

 

 

Thank you!  Sounds right up my alley.

 

[RoxiP]

Speaking of abuse, I recently watched a documentary on Ruby Franke, another Mormon mom with a big family (well, that's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it?).

[LilyD]

On 11/26/2024 at 10:46 PM, RoxiP said:

Speaking of abuse, I recently watched a documentary on Ruby Franke, another Mormon mom with a big family (well, that's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it?).

An oxymoron is a literary device which technically contradicts but is used for emphasis: Think of a deafening silence or awfully good. 

[zamp33]

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know this has been brought up before but I was rewatching some Vegas episodes of Sister Wives and something still confuses me regarding the rush to move to Flagstaff.

I think the speculation was the Vegas Homes had balloon mortgages and they were coming due and Kody wanted to dump them before they came due.  Yet the cost of continuing to pay the mortgages on the Vegas Homes plus Christine's home in Flagstaff plus 3 Rental homes  (and Robyn had a mansion rental) plus the Loan on Coyote Pass --- that had to cost way more than paying what the mortgage was on the Vegas homes - so its so confusing. Also for a time when Robyn and Kody bought the house they were paying daily rental fees AND for the UHaul trucks because Kody did not want to unload it. 

If Janelle wants to make money she should do a book/pod cast  detailing the  family's finances.

One more thing - I have MAX and they have taken away some Season 9 episodes - Groomzilla being one of them. I understand sometimes its due to Music rights - but they could play other music over it.  Are there episodes missing from other streaming apps that have the show? 

[ginger90]

The Vegas houses didn’t have balloon payments due. That was started with people coming up with reasons for the move. 
 

This is from Robyn’s:

“ monthly payments, with the full debt, if not paid earlier, due and payable on JANUARY 1, 2043”