S01.E04: Kilt the Nudies!

[bigskygirl]

 

New musical performances help the family get in touch with their Irish roots

 

[VioletNevermind]

Sorry, Willis family.  I'm sure you're lovely and I really did try to give you a chance (and the benefit of the doubt that your values don't align with those of the Duggar family).  Unfortunately, I just can't invest my emotional energy in another conservative family with a bajillion kids, regardless of your enviable talent.  The scene where you dressed the nude statues was kind of cute, but all I could think about were the Duggars and their overly modest standards.  The J names?  The homeschooling?  The activities that appear to force education to take a backseat?  I appreciate the fact that the girls are allowed to move their bodies and wear jeans, but the comparisons are just too blatant and numerous.

 

It's your own fault, TLC.  It's more than obvious (to me, anyway) that you were aware of the Duggars' impending public meltdown and you knowingly presented the Willis family as a viable substitute.  No.  I'm done.  Best of luck to the Willis family.  They probably don't deserve the admittedly unfair comparison, but who can really be sure anymore?

[StatMom]

After FFing through a good portion of this episode, I'm not sure I'll make much of an effort to catch future episodes. I feel hypocritical complaining that they are too nice and normal (from what we see on the show) after railing against other reality show stars, but ... there it is. I guess I am part of the problem.

I do enjoy the parts where they are working on their music and performing.

[pally]

For me, seeing the normal brother and sister relationships among this family really shows how messed up the Duggars really are. 
The city approved "prank" was cute and looked fun.   Could you imagine the Duggars even looking at that statue let alone touching it and having a picture taken with one of their heads stuck between the legs.  

I still want to take little Jaeger home...he's adorable and exhausting.
The group is pleasant to listen to but are definitely Amusement Park bland.  They'll play the fair circuit as non primetime players or probably could make a good living in Branson with their own revue show of some sort.  This show is the clan's best bet at stardom but their timing Is bad.

 

[ghoulina]

I enjoyed this episode. I thought the prank was hilarious and fun. Yes, there MAY have been a modesty angle to it, but I saw it more as dressing the statues to go with the theme of the festival. If they were THAT concerned with modesty, they wouldn't have even let their kids look at those statues. And the dad even said they were "beautiful". I think this family does appreciate art for art's sake. There was another reference to something last week. 

 

This family can be kind of boring. I do find myself checking my phone and doing other things while it's on. But I do think they're fairly decent people. 

[zxy556575]

The group is pleasant to listen to but are definitely Amusement Park bland. They'll play the fair circuit as non primetime players or probably could make a good living in Branson with their own revue show of some sort. This show is the clan's best bet at stardom but their timing Is bad.

 

 

They aren't the Everly Brothers, that's for sure. They put so much of the singing burden on Jessica but her voice, while pleasant enough, is kind of weak and thin. Same for Jair, which was highlighted when he had took the lead on When Will I Be Loved.

 

Nice as they all seem, I'm pretty sure they'd sell their souls for stardom. There's a white-hot, steely ambition underneath those good looks.

[SunnyBeBe]

I really do want to like this family, but maybe it's "large family doing reality show" fatigue. I just can't seem to get into it.  I'm not sure what it is.  

[Thadeeeyus]

I liked this episode but there were definitely some down times where they were explaining things and I thought some viewers might be checking out. I like this family and I don't want them to add drama for the sake of drama, but it seems like there needs to be an editing change or something.  I hate to say it but It just seems a bit too low key. 

 

Since the episode was about the Irish festival, I would have loved it if the music they were performing had more of an Irish flair, like what they were playing in the premiere ep.  This music didn't do anything for me. 

 

Loved seeing them kilt the statues, which is something they've apparently been doing for years.  And I enjoyed hearing them talk about dancing and how they teach the younger kids.

[leighdear]

Not a bad episode, I still like the family a lot.  The sewing and "dressing" the statues in those kilts was funny.  Those are the kinds of pranks I find clever and amusing.  No individuals are hurt or embarrassed and there's no property destruction.

 

Brenda is pretty awesome, organizing a festival like that.  I can't imagine the to-do list, since I know just doing my company party last Christmas seemed like an unending crapload of stuff.  And I didn't even have to get permits or porta-potties!   

 

The Irish song that they were recording at the beginning was just beautiful.  Very haunting.  I love the pipes and whistles added to the other traditional instruments.  Joy Anna did a wonderful job at the end.  It sounded extremely accomplished to me, even though I know very little about music.

 

I can honestly say this family has virtually ZERO resemblance to any other we know of. 

 

I just hope people give them a fair chance and don't view them through the Fundie Freak Filter.  They deserve to be judged on their own behavior and for their actual accomplishments BEFORE TLC became involved.  

Edited May 27, 2015 by leighdear

[Spicymustard]

I like this family and even bought two songs on iTunes because I really like the music but I'm also finding myself checking my phone a lot while watching this.

[parisprincess]

Well, I find the Willis family to be refreshingly delightful, but then with all the Duggar scandal coverage, any near-normal group would be enjoyable to watch.  The "Kilt the Nudie" prank was fun, and I could watch the kids dance all day long.  The two littlest ones are adorable and I like seeing teen-age siblings being allowed to interact with each other.  They are a joyful family, unlike that other family who spend all of their time worrying about the evil people in the world defrauding them.  I hope the Willis family is given a chance to build an audience and that they stay around awhile. 

[Absolom]

i  can't make myself watch them.  I think 10 minutes is as long as I've lasted.  I wanted to say though that those of us who aren't pulled in are representative of the general viewership.  Their ratings have plummeted since the premiere and unless something changes quickly, they aren't going to be the Duggar replacements and may not be back for a second season.  

[Scorpiosunshine]

Yes, the episodes are a bit slow, but I'll hang in there. I don't mind, and I kind of enjoy the low-key pace. I do hope they don't pace themselves out of a second season, because I'd love to see them get a little taste of success. They seem to work really hard. (I, too, enjoyed that song Joy Anna played on; it was beautiful.)

I quit watching the Duggars a long time ago, bc I could no longer take them. They've always been more of a guilty pleasure for me anyway. I started watching again recently, mainly bc I caught them by accident and got sucked in. Lucky me, I was just in time to catch the implosion, lol.

What I like about this family is that they are so normal. Their parents teach them their values and don't feel like they have to monitor their every move out of fear that they break the rules. It seems like the parents are confident in the job they've done teaching the children and turning them into productive, upright citizens. To me, that way makes sense. What's the point of beating them over the head with your ways if you don't have confidence in what you've taught them and if you don't trust them ?

I also sense real warmth and true affection between the siblings. There is such a huge difference in what I saw with the other family.

Although I am not religious (& I actually have pretty strong beliefs about it), they don't put me off at all, at least not yet.

I also think that they are ambitious, but they seem to work hard, so I can't fault that. I'm also sure they have plenty of imperfections, so maybe we'll see drama after all. (Though I somehow doubt Mama and Papa Willis would tolerate too many shenanigans,lol)

××edited accidental use of the word "seen", bc I'm not illiterate, lol××

Edited June 3, 2015 by Scorpiosunshine

[shipmate]

I like this show and this family, I can't help it! I saw them on AGT last year and they probably annoyed me. I really like them here, though. Good parents, good children. Go figure! And anyone trying to dance like michael Flatley (no shirt!) Will always get a good laugh out of me.