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All Episodes Talk: Weekly Willises


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I'd like to see more dancing, too.  They're still doing the dancing bit on their tours but I wonder if they have the time now to do the intense training and competitions that they were doing before.  I'm curious if the younger ones will eventually show up on the Irish and WCS circuits like their older siblings. 

 

I'm guessing Jada and Jaeger will compete when they are old enough.  My thinking is pairs might need to be close in age to compete and so there are no "built-in" dance partners for the middle string of girls.  

 

I really liked Jenny's rendition of the Alison Krauss song, her voice works well with bluegrass!

Here is a video of a 2016 competition.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=ROynama9rxc

 

I think this was an exhibition at the world country dance championships in Nashville. It looks similar to what they are doing in their concerts.  Irish doesn't require a partner but it would take a lot of time for the younger ones to become competitive in it, unless the dance competition locations are along their concert routes.   A couple of older girls were southern regional champs which is a pretty big deal, and Jer was a world medalist which is awesome. What they're showing in this video is actually pretty poor technique. It's stylized. 

With all the jobs the band has available, let Jazz do one of hem. Forcing a kid to perform isn't going to make a happy kid. I know - I have been performing somewhere since I was six - I will add a zero to that 6 later this year. Performance is not for everyone, no matter the gift.

I have to agree - if she wanted to do this, then great but to force her, saying she is the understudy so she has no choice is quite another.  I can understand Toby's concern though - he doesn't want to push her too far, yet doesn't want to regret later that he didn't push her enough at the right time.  Jazz has the talent, no doubt, and time will tell just how far she will go. 

Next week's epi should be interesting - regarding the (apparent) mold problem in the house.  I would think that mouse infestation would also cause a great many of the health problems they are experiencing when they are home.  That is horrifying. You can get plenty sick just from that alone.  The sooner they get the new house built, the better off they will be.

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Jasmine is very pretty! But I felt pretty badly for her. I know her dad means well, but I don't think he should put all that pressure on her to be her sister's understudy. Maybe she's content being a backup singer. Jessica comes across as someone who has always been pretty sure of herself. Jasmine seems pretty introverted. Toby says it's better for her to come and thank him later, for pushing her, than to have her regret never giving it a go. Okay, I can see that. But is he not considering a THIRD option? That she'll resent him for making her do something she doesn't really want to do. I guess I'd like to hear more from Jasmine, on if she really WANTS to be front and center. But even her THs seem so painfully shy. 

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Mostly I wondered why Jennifer couldn't understudy. Her voice seems just as capable as Jessica's.

I totally agree.  The only thing I can think of is Jenny was saying that her voice was very different from Jessica's and maybe most of the songs that they sing are geared to Jessica's voice and her key.  I thought Jasmine's voice was different than Jessica's though too.  Jessica's voice reminds me of a Disney princess - like the songs in the Disney movies.  Not saying it's a bad voice, but a little thin.  On some songs she sounds really nice, but I honestly liked the richer tone of Jenny's.  She seems more the logical choice to understudy Jess because Jenny is very seasoned on stage and comfortable singing lead -when they allow her. I feel Jenny is really underused.  Jasmine has great potential but she is shy and introverted.  I know how this feels.  It's not her natural tendency to be upfront.  They mentioned that Jet was also this way.  Both are comfortable being on stage as background singers but not necessarily the soloist.  I get Toby pushing to some degree to see if Jazz will get over the shyness, but she was in absolute tears knowing her first sound check would be televised for millions of people to see. He should NOT have done that on camera.  He should have done it with TV cameras OFF and let her get comfortable before the whole world critiques the poor girl. She is only like 14 years old.  He pushes way to hard.  I did like him comforting her afterwards and encouraging her though.  

 

Sometimes I really like the Willis parents and other times I feel they are way too much like stage parents constantly pushing.  I don't care for either Jess or Jair.  Both are arrogant.  I think spotlight has gone to Jess's head.  She is good songwriter.  Her voice is meh.  Yet everything in the band seems to be about her.  I actually did like when Jenny and Jair both sang. They need to quit spotlighting Jess so much and allow other siblings (who want to) sing.  I would like to see more dancing too, but their focus seems to be on music now and I doubt they have the time to prepare for competitive dance as they once did.  

 

I too feel sorry for the younger kids.  Their lives are run around their older siblings music career.  Possibly one day they will join the band, but they seem just along for the ride  

 

I agree about college.  In my opinion, they really seemed to try to talk Jenny out of becoming a vet.  Toby was really doing the hard press to get her to drop it. She went and viewed a college with her siblings, but in the end I am not sure how much pressure she felt to stay with the band.  She has an obvious love for animals and a passion for them.  She also feels she isn't sure of her place in the band based on the last episode.  She was not chosen to understudy Jess.  Honestly, I wish she would either go create her own music (blue grass maybe) or become a vet. However, the family seems fairly enmeshed in each other so I don't see any of them leaving to strike out on their own - at least not the older ones.  

Edited by riverclark67
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I'm not a fan of either of the parents. I'm fascinated by the crummy house they live in and why they haven't rebuilt on their burned property. The middle kids seem to really miss that house. And couldn't they have someone keeping an eye on the house to ensure mice and snakes aren't invading?! Mary was only 18. I'm sure she realized there's more to life than getting married to a brooding, cranky 21 year old. Did they show Jenny looking at a college? It would be nice if these kids could meet some people outside of the geezers at Bible study.

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This episode made me really sad....sad for the little kids that don't get to stay home and be kids, sad for Jenn that she doesn't after all these years feel she is being used to her full potential, and she isn't. Sad for Jasmine, poor child. I could just feel my own heart racing for her. An episode or two back mom said "we don't force them to do anything" well after last night I will have to call bull crap on that statement. I have never, and wouldn't let anyone else, make my kids participate in a sport/extracurricular activity that they were not totally ok with. These kids are expected to perform period. What if the one's that want to be an artist don't really want to sing, the one's that want to wrestle want to eventually become a wrestling coach. Why do they not give them the opportunity to become who they want to become. Also is this the way the family earns money? And the kids are the ones earning it? 

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Well, tonight's episode was crazy. Get out of that house!! It's a rental! The mold is not their problem. They have money and can afford to rent or buy a house without problems!! They don't have to pile into Grandma and Grandpa's presumably small condo. And they can also rent studio space. It's Nashville! And get rid of the crap in all those bind that they are obviously not using. Yeesh. The "real men" talk about wrestlers was a little over the top, too. We get it. You're all heterosexual...right?

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(edited)

There comes the time in any house, even in the country,  where you expect a certain level of maintance by your landlord.  That includes replacing a leaking roof, replacing leaking windows, plugging holes where rodents come in, and dealing with mold removal and costs involved including the relocating of your tenents. The kind of leaking they were showing was ridiculous and it had gone on for years? 

Edited by pally
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I really wanted them to just leave the house as well! I am suspicious about this being a rental house. Why is there never any mention of a landlord. I certainly wouldn't be paying for black mold to be removed from a rental. Is it a family situation? Maybe they agreed that there was no landlord, and they have to handle whatever comes up? I don't know, it's weird. 

 

But yea, mold is nothing to mess with. I would have had my kids in hotel as soon as we found out. I do feel badly for them, because if it's in the mattresses, what can you do about that? You can't wash a mattress. I wonder how much they're going to just have to chuck out and start fresh with?

 

If it were me, I'd cancel their gig and get everyone to a doctor. I actually don't think the parents are that pushy about the band, I think most of the kids seem to love it. But if you're concerned about their singing careers - get those lungs checked out and treated, if need be!

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There comes the time in any house, even in the country,  where you expect a certain level of maintance by your landlord.  That includes replacing a leaking roof, replacing leaking windows, plugging holes where rodents come in, and dealing with mold removal and costs involved including the relocating of your tenents. The kind of leaking they were showing was ridiculous and it had gone on for years? 

and what about all those storms when your on the road and no one home to wipe up the/catch the water that comes in thru the cracks around the door and the roof that pours buckets. I'm surprised mold hasn't become an issue until now.

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(edited)

and what about all those storms when your on the road and no one home to wipe up the/catch the water that comes in thru the cracks around the door and the roof that pours buckets. I'm surprised mold hasn't become an issue until now.

 

Good point!  Plus, one of the boys said the house had been unoccupied for 18 years when they moved in.  I have to wonder how much improvement work was done before they moved in.  Toby said he'd been experiencing symptoms for years, whenever they came back to the house from being away.  They all need to get checked out. 

 

I really wanted them to just leave the house as well! I am suspicious about this being a rental house. Why is there never any mention of a landlord. I certainly wouldn't be paying for black mold to be removed from a rental. Is it a family situation? Maybe they agreed that there was no landlord, and they have to handle whatever comes up? I don't know, it's weird.

 

Maybe they aren't paying for the mold remediation themselves.  They were scrambling trying to get their stuff out and making calls to get containers delivered so they could store their stuff, and trying to come up with a place to live temporarily, but I don't remember if they were dealing with the mold people themselves.  Since the house had been unoccupied for 18 years, this may have been a situation where someone knew someone, the place was available immediately, and an arrangement was made.  This place seems to be fairly close to the property they own, where they keep animals, so that's probably a big plus. 

 

It does seem odd that they would film shows focusing on problems with the house if there was an owner who cared. Wouldn't it make the owner look bad? 

 

The grammar police side of me loved Jet correcting Jasmine's use of pronouns.  :)

Edited by Thadeeeyus
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(edited)

I don't think Toby and Brenda are overly pushy about the band, all things considered. It's a business and they have commitments. I can see the younger kids wanting to be a part of it since all their siblings are; the same way the young kids learn to dance and play instruments and wrestle -- it's just there as part of what this family does. So if Jasmine for instance decided she didn't like performing and wanted to opt out entirely, I'm sure nobody would force her to continue, but she'd still be on the road with the family since she's homeschooled. That's a lot of waiting by herself on the bus while everyone else has fun.

 

So yes, I believe Brenda when she says all the kids "want" to do it, but then, they don't really come into contact with many other options in their day to day lives. I do wonder if any of them even think about possibly doing something else -- be nurses or engineers or ministers, etc.

Edited by lordonia
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I really wanted them to just leave the house as well! I am suspicious about this being a rental house. Why is there never any mention of a landlord. I certainly wouldn't be paying for black mold to be removed from a rental. Is it a family situation? Maybe they agreed that there was no landlord, and they have to handle whatever comes up? I don't know, it's weird. 

 

But yea, mold is nothing to mess with. I would have had my kids in hotel as soon as we found out. I do feel badly for them, because if it's in the mattresses, what can you do about that? You can't wash a mattress. I wonder how much they're going to just have to chuck out and start fresh with?

 

If it were me, I'd cancel their gig and get everyone to a doctor. I actually don't think the parents are that pushy about the band, I think most of the kids seem to love it. But if you're concerned about their singing careers - get those lungs checked out and treated, if need be!

I totally agree The gig should have been cancelled.  I know that's rough to do, but geez black mold is nothing to take lightly.  Plus as soon as Jenny started having swelling eyes and weeping rash whey she was not at the doctor?  That's just insane.  All of these kinds and including Toby should have been seen by a medical professional.  They talked about having everyone checked, but sort of as an after thought.  They need to throw out stuff in bins and the mattresses.  The landlord is responsible for mold removal not the renters . The landlord is negligent to not fix the leaking roof.  It's his or her house not the Willis family. I cannot figure out why this family would just live in these conditions and not contact the landlord.  That is so strange.  Anyone, woodsy people or not, would have called the landlord when the leaks were getting so bad (doors and windows) and also with all the critters gettings in (ladybugs, wasps, mice, snakes).  I mean you can LIKE camping and living in a rural area, but that doesn't mean you have to have these things in YOUR HOUSE.  You don't have to live in the suburbs to expect that animals are not getting into the home nor that a roof is downpouring as well as windows leading to the mold problem  That's just plain stupid to just ignore these maintenance issues.  

 

The talk about letting men be men was ridiculous and totally overkill.  This and the way the parents push the kids "careers" is also becoming a turn off to me as well. 

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(edited)

I don't think Toby and Brenda are overly pushy about the band, all things considered. It's a business and they have commitments. I can see the younger kids wanting to be a part of it since all their siblings are; the same way the young kids learn to dance and play instruments and wrestle -- it's just there as part of what this family does. So if Jasmine for instance decided she didn't like performing and wanted to opt out entirely, I'm sure nobody would force her to continue, but she'd still be on the road with the family since she's homeschooled. That's a lot of waiting by herself on the bus while everyone else has fun.

 

So yes, I believe Brenda when she says all the kids "want" to do it, but then, they don't really come into contact with many other options in their day to day lives. I do wonder if any of them even think about possibly doing something else -- be nurses or engineers or ministers, etc.

I disagree. If Jasmine decided not to participate in the band I think she would be met with immense pressure from not only parents but also siblings to continue. 

Edited by riverclark67
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There is something really odd about this house situation.  They have been living there 10 years??  I can hardly believe they would not have rebuilt a new home for themselves on the land they own, any kind of house would have been better than dumping money into a rental for 10 years.  That is the odd thing.  I am sure they must have money, there was a huge money settlement to Toby's parents from the horrible accident/loss of their children that I would bet was shared with the surviving kids at least to some extent.  Also, you cannot leave a home for months on end without having someone keeping an eye on it for god's sake.  That is an invitation for problems.  I guess I just don't understand why they have stayed in this home so long in the condition that it is in.  Something is just weird about that.

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and what about all those storms when your on the road and no one home to wipe up the/catch the water that comes in thru the cracks around the door and the roof that pours buckets. I'm surprised mold hasn't become an issue until now.

The sad thing is the house is actually a really nice log cabin. The problem is it's had no maintenance done to it in God knows when.  If ti was empty for 18 years before they moved in and then they have lived there 7 years as stated - well thats a heck of a LONG time nothing is being done to the house. It's a shame because it appears the mold came due to all the water.  The house needed a new roof and obviously something done with windows that are leaking.  As far as the critters - the landlord needed to provide an exterminator for the mice.  The insects and mice are getting in someplace.  Toby said that log cabin was more "porous" but still the home should not be letting that many critters in.  They need to look around walls and foundation outside to see if there are holes that need plugging.  In that, I mean the landlord need to be doing these things not the tenants.  

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Wow.  That mold problem...  I really cringed when I saw the mold abatement people working without any sort of protection for themselves, nor did they seal off the rest of the house while working.  I have no doubt they worsened the problem by doing things the way they did.  While the Willis family didn't own the house, they still should have been on the landlord to get things fixed - that leaky roof and those windows!  No wonder things were so bad.  The critters - that alone could have caused some major illnesses.  The whole family needs to see a doctor.  Their album deadlines - well, couldn't that be delayed a bit? 

I'm just glad they found another house - but hope they don't go bringing their mold problem with them with all the stuff they have.  Books can hold a lot of mold, clothes, mattresses, and so on.  Yikes.

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I honestly don't mind this family - they can do as they please.

 

These are honest, open folks who aren't zealots and have been through a lot of destructive stuff, with house fires and the loss of the younger kids in Toby's family.  So unlike that other family whose nonsense I refuse to watch and would happy if they went away, never to darken my screen again (fat chance).

 

The Willises are willing to consider life after the nuclear family and that says volumes to me, in comparison.

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Oh my, that house!  I'd never want to leave it!  I do hope they were smart not to bring mold-infested stuff into it - but so far, they seem to be doing better, health wise. 

I got a little teary eyed for Toby as they were watching the wedding video - seeing your younger siblings like that had to hit him in the gut.  As they said, there really isn't a lot of video of the little ones who were lost - so this is precious.

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Last night's ep sounded like more of a series finale than a season finale, with all of the talk about uncertainties with the future of the band.  And from FB posts, there were 3 eps filmed that were not aired? 

 

I liked this episode. A lot of the stress and tension that seemed to dominate this season was missing. I loved the little down moments with Jennifer and Jackson doing their music.  And Cory is very cute! 

 

That new house is awesome!  The pastures and out buildings are impressive. 

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Thank god, they moved!! Nice house--Just buy it already! The rent is probably a fortune. Why can't they commit to buying?! Those kids deserve a nice place to come home to. I was surprised Toby was fairly reasonable about the splintering of the group and that the older kids were brave enough to speak up!

 

Why are there 3 episodes we don't get to see? i hope the show returns...

This season was originally supposed to be 8 episodes and if I counted right it was 6.  So I guess TLC decided to end the series early due to low ratings.  I saw the last 15 minutes (whole episode is on the DVR) and I came away with two things.  First the new rental house looks really, really nice.  Hopefully this house will not have any surprises that manifest like the old house did. Second it did seem like even just the last 15 minutes of the episode could be a tidy closing for the series.  I could see where it could also lead to a season 3 but given TLC ordered 8 episodes and only showed 6 I'm guessing that was technically the series finale.  Overall I like the Willis Family and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.  It is a shame that they couldn't gather more of a following on TLC but they did gain one more fan who will check in on what the family is doing from time to time.

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Don't know why people would watch The Duggars over The Willis Family...unless they just weren't weird enough. I'll miss them!

 

Other than the size of their family and their entertainment career, I think the Willis family is too normal to draw attention. I've tried watching the new D show a couple of times and couldn't even last 5 minutes. 

 

Could the family have decided to stop the show themselves? 

 

I like the Willises and wish them well. I'd be happy if they came back. I lived in the Irish dance world for 12 years and mainly started watching this show because of the dance, but then came to care about the family. 

 

Thank god, they moved!! Nice house--Just buy it already!

Maybe they will.  It was last on the market for $2.5 million. haha.   But geez, I can't imagine the work that would be involved in maintaining that property. 

Edited by Thadeeeyus

I really like this family too. They seem to have a genuine closeness, not just because they've hardly ever been around anyone but each other. I absolutely love Irish music, so seeing their friends last night and those little dancers really warmed my heart. 

 

I like that they're exploring certain kids moving in their own direction, it's not expected that they all HAVE to stay with the band. 

 

Jett is really cute with her beau. 

 

You can tell this family takes education seriously. The kids are pretty well spoken. I was impressed when Jessica said the words "conspicuous" and "digress" when addressing the audience at their show. She didn't stand there and tell them how "sweet" and "precious" they all were. 

 

That house was AMAZING. I want to live there.

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I love this show!! Now I'm wondering how Jair feels giving up his fiance to "sing with the band, tour with the band, as a family" when it appears some may venture out on their own. Not that anything is wrong with that but I have to think he's thinking about his decision if he really loved Mary. I wish this family well, however I wish they would build themselves a nice big house on "their property" :) 

I just about died laughing at joy Anna's face when Juliet(?) was saying they were all there at their parents wedding cause they were in their moms tummy...and joys face is so "wth?" And she dead panned, "you're so weird"...I had to rewind cause I was laughing so hard!

I'm not shocked the older kids may want to branch out on their own and I'm glad their dad is open to that, as hard as it is.

I've always felt a little sorry for Jedi, last seasons episode where they went to that wrestling gym he talked about wrestling being his passion and how some people go to training camps or something like that but he couldn't cause he has the band.

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I just about died laughing at joy Anna's face when Juliet(?) was saying they were all there at their parents wedding cause they were in their moms tummy...and joys face is so "wth?" And she dead panned, "you're so weird"...I had to rewind cause I was laughing so hard!

 

Just watched the episode and I really did laugh out loud cause that conversation between Joy and Jamie was hilarious.  Given Joy is 9 (10?) her reaction, to me, showed they aren't sheltering the kids as much as other families on TLC.

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And another large family who only gets together with other large families every once in awhile.  Ugh.  TLC needs to come up with new ideas.

Their home "church" was pretty exclusive and creepy, as most home churches are. It's about being in a club of people just like you -- newcomers not welcome.

 

When did we learn that the Willises are multimillionaires?

I think it's quite likely, between Toby's share of the $100 million settlement after the accident, two TLC seasons, touring for years, and now having bestselling albums.

 

Yea, I didn't get the impression that these people are rich. They're renting because they haven't been able to afford to rebuild on their property where the house burned down. 

 

Also, did they actually say the kids CAN'T go to college? I must have missed that. I'll admit I was struggling to stay awake last night, so I really might have. 

 

I do like this family. I appreciate that the parents are in there doing the actual schooling, both mom and dad. I liked mom's reasoning for schooling - so the kids can go at their individual paces. That's the main reason I homeschool. I loved seeing all the bookshelves full of books, and the kids are clearly being exposed to all forms of art, whether it's music, dance, painting, etc. 

 

I adore the interviews with the three younger girls. One will answer and the others will just giggle hysterically. So cute!

The main reason they homeschool is so that they can drag the younger kids around 9 months out of the year while the older ones make money for the family business. And you're deluding yourself if you think they're not rich!!!

 

I'm going to go on record saying I don't like them. There is something fake about them that makes me think they have secrets. I've read elsewhere that the dad is very controlling, ala Joe Darger. Their loud, always ON personas bring Amy Duggar to mind. Mark my words, we don't know the whole story with this clan.

I also think Mary is making a mistake to marry that boy. He needs to get his issues settled before dragging her into it. I think she's at that age where she thinks she can save him.

Mary made the right choice! And Toby is extremely controlling.

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On Friday, April 22, 2016 at 6:24 PM, moonorchid said:

I just about died laughing at joy Anna's face when Juliet(?) was saying they were all there at their parents wedding cause they were in their moms tummy...and joys face is so "wth?" And she dead panned, "you're so weird"...I had to rewind cause I was laughing so hard!

I did the same, rewound and watched again, it was SO funny.  Those string of girls in the middle all look the same to me, but the one (Joy Anna, I think) who was making the face looked just like Jenn doing that.  What was funnier is it was the younger one telling the older one what's up. I pictured her poor little brain thinking all of them were just waiting in her moms stomach, taking turns every few years on who will be born next.

I like the family. Much more than that other supersized bunch.  Much more sane and not cultish.  They're not afraid to show their warts.  It's refereshing.

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(edited)

I tried to like this show. I don't hate the members of the Willis family. They are generally a zillion percent more likable than that other big TLC fundie family. Not to mention they are all actually educated, articulate, poised, well-mannered, and age-appropriately accomplished at various things although mostly the music. In stark contrast to The Other Family. 

Well, OK, I'm not feeling the love for Willis Dad, and I get mixed messages from Willis Mom.

But, overall liking the family, I just couldn't hang in to watch much of the show, last year and this year.

My final attempt was this morning. I pulled up the (I think) next to last episode On Demand. Gah. So much backtracking and repeating "there's this mold problem in our house" during the first ten or fifteen minutes: shades of that Duggar spin-off. They rode the bus and did a gig. They talked about their house having mold and the health problems. Then they talked some more about the mold - black mold, no less, which is nasty stuff.

Then my WTF?? moments came when they went back to the house to "check" on the mold remediation. First, Dad Willis, he who was the sickest of them all from the mold, walked down into the basement without even a mask on. Next, the guys working in the basement weren't suited up or wearing respirators as they yanked out moldy materials and swept up moldy debris. They def did not appear to be actual mold remediation specialists. I'm not sure all of them were even wearing work gloves. They seemed like good old boys who were just gonna let it air out and wash down the walls with bleach.

Maybe there was an actual qualified mold remediation company called in earlier on - which I wouldn't have seen - and this is what they ordered? 

But anyway, I got tired of the repetition and the slow slow pace of things and clicked it off. I did get a new simile from it. When I tire of saying something's as boring as watching paint dry, I can say it's like watching mold grow.

Edited by Jeeves
"Mom, what's this green fuzz on the bread?"
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