Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears

[laurakaye]

And Connor was seen being left at the B&B with Pudge and Audge.  I was like, is he B&B staff?  Is he the chef?  Does he dust the tchotchkes?  Where's his mother?  Audge seemed to have already had a relationship with the kid but there was no explanation of who he was.

I also found it unnecessary to put a 10-year old kid on the spot to explain his thoughts on Mariah and Audge's upcoming nuptials, especially when he knows he's being filmed and everyone is staring at him.

[xwordfanatik]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

They did interact at the doorway though, they were all clustered together without masks.

The introduction of Connor seemed odd.  His parents were nowhere in sight and I don't think Meri has other relatives in Parowan, so he may have just been spending a few days with Gramma Bonnie on his own.  The only thing I took from the exchange was that Audge relates better to kids, affirming their intention for Audge to be the designated mother when/if she and Mariah have kids.

I've said it before, but...I think it's a good thingk that Mariah won't be the one getting pregnant and giving birth.  She seems to have gotten the most rotten parts of her parents' personalities.  From the little that we saw of Audge's parents, they seemed nice, and ya know, normal.

 

 

[Sandy W]

42 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

I've said it before, but...I think it's a good thingk that Mariah won't be the one getting pregnant and giving birth.  She seems to have gotten the most rotten parts of her parents' personalities.  From the little that we saw of Audge's parents, they seemed nice, and ya know, normal.

 

 

...and if Mariah's periods cause her "cute lil' uterus" distress, she probably wouldn't relish the thought of pregnancy and childbirth.

[b2H]

Above all, the timing of this week’s episode was excellent.  It was kind of a paean to Bonnie.  I also feel good that Meri was able to spend some extended together time with her mom before she passed.

I was disappointed that they did not dedicate this week’s episode to her memory, especially given that she’d had a fairly large part in the story.  Heck, even the black screen ‘in loving memory’ would have been a nice touch.

[crazycatlady58]

16 hours ago, b2H said:

Above all, the timing of this week’s episode was excellent.  It was kind of a paean to Bonnie.  I also feel good that Meri was able to spend some extended together time with her mom before she passed.

I was disappointed that they did not dedicate this week’s episode to her memory, especially given that she’d had a fairly large part in the story.  Heck, even the black screen ‘in loving memory’ would have been a nice touch.

Why did Bonnie die? Did anyone say?

[ginger90]

2 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Why did Bonnie die? Did anyone say?

Meri posted, “ She left us suddenly, unexpected, and extremely way too soon and I literally don't know how I'm going to do the rest of my life without her. “.

[itsadryheat]

Anyone know when Meri started her Lularoe career?

I am ignorant in the details of MLM's in general and Lularoe specifically, and am reading about WA state's lawsuit. Sounds like in the beginning they were paying bonus's to consultants for recruiting and they made more money this way than selling product. If Meri joined early I can see how she made money.

" . . .top LuLaRoe consultants received monthly bonus checks that were seven to twelve times higher than their merchandise sales. 

“This structure incentivized consultants to recruit more retailers to make inventory purchases rather than sell clothing to consumers for personal use,” the AG's office said. 

LuLaRoe changed the bonus structure in July 2017 to provide bonuses based solely on sales to consumers."

 https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2019/01/lawsuit-alleges-lularoe-pyramid-scheme-deceived.html?page=all

"LuLaRoe’s structure ensured that the highest-ranking retailers would earn income by recruiting retailers in the lower categories. This allowed two LuLaRoe retailers — who each had hundreds of recruits in their “downlines” — to make more than $5 million in profit collectively between 2016 and 2019, while at the same time, more than a third of retailers reported losses. At a LuLaRoe event in late 2017, one of those top retailers acknowledged, “I got overpaid while people on my team were failing.”  

Direct-selling businesses sometimes provide incentives for existing retailers to recruit additional retailers. When the company offers retailers the right or opportunity to earn compensation primarily derived from recruitment, rather than retail sales to consumers, the company is a pyramid scheme under the Washington Antipyramid Promotional Scheme Act."

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/lularoe-pay-475-million-resolve-ag-ferguson-s-lawsuit-over-pyramid-scheme

[Roslyn]

12 minutes ago, itsadryheat said:

Anyone know when Meri started her Lularoe career?

I am ignorant in the details of MLM's in general and Lularoe specifically, and am reading about WA state's lawsuit. Sounds like in the beginning they were paying bonus's to consultants for recruiting and they made more money this way than selling product. If Meri joined early I can see how she made money.

" . . .top LuLaRoe consultants received monthly bonus checks that were seven to twelve times higher than their merchandise sales. 

“This structure incentivized consultants to recruit more retailers to make inventory purchases rather than sell clothing to consumers for personal use,” the AG's office said. 

LuLaRoe changed the bonus structure in July 2017 to provide bonuses based solely on sales to consumers."

 https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2019/01/lawsuit-alleges-lularoe-pyramid-scheme-deceived.html?page=all

"LuLaRoe’s structure ensured that the highest-ranking retailers would earn income by recruiting retailers in the lower categories. This allowed two LuLaRoe retailers — who each had hundreds of recruits in their “downlines” — to make more than $5 million in profit collectively between 2016 and 2019, while at the same time, more than a third of retailers reported losses. At a LuLaRoe event in late 2017, one of those top retailers acknowledged, “I got overpaid while people on my team were failing.”  

Direct-selling businesses sometimes provide incentives for existing retailers to recruit additional retailers. When the company offers retailers the right or opportunity to earn compensation primarily derived from recruitment, rather than retail sales to consumers, the company is a pyramid scheme under the Washington Antipyramid Promotional Scheme Act."

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/lularoe-pay-475-million-resolve-ag-ferguson-s-lawsuit-over-pyramid-scheme

If I were to take a wild guess. I would say it probably started around the time Mariah was in uni.  Since the family couldn't pay for the higher tuition, Meri knuckled down and started earning money "on her own" to give Mariah the school she wanted demanded.

[ginger90]

17 minutes ago, itsadryheat said:

Anyone know when Meri started her Lularoe career?

2016

[Grifter Lives]

1 minute ago, ginger90 said:

2016

Agree.  She started her LulaRoe Facebook group on October 2, 2016.  Her sister recruited her, I think.

[itsadryheat]

Yep, looks like ol' Meri made some $$. Which makes the storyline of her asking Kody and the wives for money to invest in the B&B more humorous. These grifters even grift themselves.🤣😂🤣

"LuLaRoe was founded in 2013. By the end of 2017, Lularoe had gained over 50,000 consultants – ending up with around 80,000 sellers."

[Grifter Lives]

48 minutes ago, itsadryheat said:

Yep, looks like ol' Meri made some $$. Which makes the storyline of her asking Kody and the wives for money to invest in the B&B more humorous. These grifters even grift themselves.🤣😂🤣

"LuLaRoe was founded in 2013. By the end of 2017, Lularoe had gained over 50,000 consultants – ending up with around 80,000 sellers."

I think that Kody keeps Meri around for her income and storylines.  She and Christine are the only ones with discernable incomes outside of this show.  I also think that Kody hates that Meri out-earns him.  Christine probably out-earns him, too, but has less disposable income and hasn't tried to leave.

[LilWharveyGal]

Here's Bonnie's obituary for those interested in reading more about her.

Someone named Tony left a nice message.  Wonder if it's THE Tony?

[smarty]

8 minutes ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Here's Bonnie's obituary for those interested in reading more about her.

Someone named Tony left a nice message.  Wonder if it's THE Tony?

Wow, there is so much I didn't know about Bonnie.  She had an accounting degree from UC Berkely, which is an excellent school!! She was also a teacher and Principal.  

[xwordfanatik]

1 hour ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Here's Bonnie's obituary for those interested in reading more about her.

Someone named Tony left a nice message.  Wonder if it's THE Tony?

I'm betting no.  FT doesn't seem that articulate, to me, anyway.

I remember Meri saying at the preparation for the "commitment ceremony" that Bonnie was a total mathematician.  

1 hour ago, smarty said:

Wow, there is so much I didn't know about Bonnie.  She had an accounting degree from UC Berkely, which is an excellent school!! She was also a teacher and Principal.  

Me too.  Now I'm wondering which of Meri's father's, that 5 wives Bonnie was?

[Grifter Lives]

1 hour ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Here's Bonnie's obituary for those interested in reading more about her.

Someone named Tony left a nice message.  Wonder if it's THE Tony?

What a genuinely touching tribute!    

The Tony who left the tribute is identified as "TO," so I don't think it's Tony Padron.  Figure 8 Films did donate flowers.  And, two tributes looked like Sister Wives fans who road-tripped to Lizzie's, but the photos with her were sweet.  Meri and her sister (I believe) are in the photo from Nicole Aguilar.

[Gramto6]

2 hours ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Here's Bonnie's obituary for those interested in reading more about her.

Someone named Tony left a nice message.  Wonder if it's THE Tony?

I can't seem to see the Tony message. Can someone link to it?

[deirdra]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

I can't seem to see the Tony message. Can someone link to it?

It is on the Tribute Wall: Bonnie Barber Tribute wall

TO: "Bonnie was truly an amazing person. Not only did she exemplify great love and acceptance which I always felt from her but had great integrity who lived by the truth. It is a an honor to have known her."

Tony - March 29 at 02:46 PM

[Gramto6]

Thank you , somehow I just didn't see it. It is a lovely tribute & I doubt it is from FT.

 

[ginger90]

[iwantcookies]

I read birch as bi*ch 

 

[Twopper]

23 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Now I'm wondering which of Meri's father's, that 5 wives Bonnie was?

She was the first wife, based on what Meri has said.   Bonnie and Bill were LDS until they decided to do the plural marriage route and they were tossed out of the Mormon church when Meri was around 3, and they took a second wife who lived for 2 years with them at a tiny house in Bountiful where she was a real basement wife, but she bailed.  Bill took a second second wife when Meri was around 10. 

Meri was born while they still lived in California.

[smarty]

9 minutes ago, Twopper said:

She was the first wife, based on what Meri has said.   Bonnie and Bill were LDS until they decided to do the plural marriage route and they were tossed out of the Mormon church when Meri was around 3, and they took a second wife who lived for 2 years with them at a tiny house in Bountiful where she was a real basement wife, but she bailed.  Bill took a second second wife when Meri was around 10. 

Meri was born while they still lived in California.

So there was a second wife that left and then ANOTHER second wife that stayed?  Is the second wife that stayed still alive? I don't recall much about Bonnie's living situation before Parawon other than they showed Meri coming and moving her out of the house she was living in, which I assumed they sold for the down payment money to buy the Lizzie's Heritage Inn B&B.   The obituary mentions Bonnie had 5 children still alive and 2 that predeceased her.  I wonder if all 7 were her biological kids or maybe some sister wife siblings mixed in?

[ginger90]

From Sisterwives wiki:

 

“Meri Caroline Barber was born on January 16, 1971, in Alameda, California, to William James Barber, Jr. (1942-2007) and Bonnie Barber (née Ahlstrom). Her father is also a polygamist and has five wives. She has 25 siblings.”

 

If this is actually the case, the mention in her obituary of others she considered family, despite not being related by blood, were those that weren’t her own 7 children.

 

🤷🏼‍♀️

Edited April 3, 2021 by ginger90

[Twopper]

54 minutes ago, smarty said:

I wonder if all 7 were her biological kids or maybe some sister wife siblings mixed in?

I have been binge watching old episodes, and I think in the one where she talks about her parents being kicked out of the Mormon church, she mentions that her parents had 7 kids, one of the other wives  had 8, and I forget the totals for the other two, but all in all there were 27 children of whom 2 are deceased.

 

31 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

If this is actually the case, the mention in her obituary of others she considered family, despite not being related by blood, were those that weren’t her own 7 children.

I need to re-read the obit, but I was thinking this referred mostly to the children of Christine, Robyn, and Janelle.

[ginger90]

[HighlandWarriorGrl]

39 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

I’ve got no snark here.  No impatience with Meri’s usual shenanigans, or silly vanity, or anything else I have ever ragged on her for.  Because I have been in these shoes.  I have felt these feels, and it is EXACTLY the way she described it.  This really got to me.  Just reading this brought it all back to me and my heart is aching for all of us who have been fully grown with families of our own and all at once felt like lost little orphans in the blink of an eye.  It’s scary, and it’s confusing and its heart breaking.  I have only sympathy right now.  I still miss my mom (gone eight years now), amd I always will.

[Gramto6]

7 minutes ago, HighlandWarriorGrl said:

I’ve got no snark here.  No impatience with Meri’s usual shenanigans, or silly vanity, or anything else I have ever ragged on her for.  Because I have been in these shoes.  I have felt these feels, and it is EXACTLY the way she described it.  This really got to me.  Just reading this brought it all back to me and my heart is aching for all of us who have been fully grown with families of our own and all at once felt like lost little orphans in the blink of an eye.  It’s scary, and it’s confusing and its heart breaking.  I have only sympathy right now.  I still miss my mom (gone eight years now), and I always will.

Yes! My mom has been gone since 1988 and it still hurts my heart...

[Grifter Lives]

According to this article, Meri, Kody, Janelle and Christine attended the funeral on Wednesday.

https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/sister-wives-star-passes-away-kody-and-meri-mourn-bonnies-death/

[Teafortwo]

On 3/27/2021 at 12:07 PM, Twopper said:

It truly boggles my mind that they got those huge houses in Las Vegas even if they didn't keep them.  And it seems a bit like karmic justice that they had such trouble unloading them.

If only they'd waited 2 years to sell them. The RE market in Vegas was heating up in early 2020 and became insanely hot during the pandemic, with no signs of stopping. To think they could have sold now and moved back to Utah (felons no more etc).

[Teafortwo]

On 3/28/2021 at 10:49 AM, Kellyee said:

Other than needing to keep up the charade, why stay in Flagstaff?

Agreed. Maybe TLC foots the bill for Meri's rennul (TM Robyn) to keep the storyline between her and Kody going?

[NotinKansasanymore]

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/2625497/sister-wives-kody-brown-meri-mom-funeral-kisses-janelle/
 

so according to this article on Bonnie’s funeral:

1. Kody couldn’t read the room and was talkative and happy.

2. Kody and Meri barely interacted. 
 

3. Christine and Robyn did not go. 
 

4. Mariah and Audrey were both there and got their hair cut very short. 

[Sandy W]

4 minutes ago, NotinKansasanymore said:

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/2625497/sister-wives-kody-brown-meri-mom-funeral-kisses-janelle/
 

so according to this article on Bonnie’s funeral:

1. Kody couldn’t read the room and was talkative and happy.

2. Kody and Meri barely interacted. 
 

3. Christine and Robyn did not go. 
 

4. Mariah and Audrey were both there and got their hair cut very short. 

5. Janelle and Kody had a brief lip lock at the car.

6. Meri applied profuse amounts of hairspray after the viewing and before the service outside at her car. (Did they not have a powder room in the facility?)

[Luvless]

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/2625497/sister-wives-kody-brown-meri-mom-funeral-kisses-janelle/
 

Robyn and Christine are not going to be happy about that kiss. Koody’s ringlets are especially out of control and why is he yucking it up at his MIL’s funeral. Cant take him anywhere. 

[TurtlePower]

19 hours ago, ginger90 said:

ME, ME, ME. Would Meri do the same for her or is this relationship one-sided? 

[sheshark]

7 hours ago, LeahFrancis said:

 Koody’s ringlets are especially out of control and why is he yucking it up at his MIL’s funeral. Cant take him anywhere. 

Maybe he was theenking Bonnie left a sizable estate.  If she didn’t put all her money into the Inn, I hope Meri remembers she is divorced and gets to keep it all.  I don’t like Meri but I do like a payback.

[DakotaJustice]

50 minutes ago, sheshark said:

Maybe he was theenking Bonnie left a sizable estate.  If she didn’t put all her money into the Inn, I hope Meri remembers she is divorced and gets to keep it all.  I don’t like Meri but I do like a payback.

But wouldn't it be split between Meri's bio siblings? 

[suomi]

21 hours ago, ginger90 said:

All of that sorta sounds like what sister wives are supposed to provide. 

[Irate Panda]

13 hours ago, HighlandWarriorGrl said:

I’ve got no snark here.  No impatience with Meri’s usual shenanigans, or silly vanity, or anything else I have ever ragged on her for.  Because I have been in these shoes.  I have felt these feels, and it is EXACTLY the way she described it.  This really got to me.  Just reading this brought it all back to me and my heart is aching for all of us who have been fully grown with families of our own and all at once felt like lost little orphans in the blink of an eye.  It’s scary, and it’s confusing and its heart breaking.  I have only sympathy right now.  I still miss my mom (gone eight years now), amd I always will.

Meri has never been one of my favorites, but I feel very sorry for her.  I think her mom was one of the few people she had left for support, and it’s really hard to lose someone, especially somewhat suddenly.   I don’t know about her relationships with her siblings, but hopefully she has somebody to lean on because I don’t know this will bridge any gaps in the Brown gang.

[Twopper]

58 minutes ago, DakotaJustice said:

But wouldn't it be split between Meri's bio siblings? 

She may have left a will in  which she could leave it to whomever she wanted depending on her relationship with her children and grands. 

 

9 hours ago, LeahFrancis said:

why is he yucking it up at his MIL’s funeral. Cant take him anywhere. 

He is always frenetic like that.   Has to be the center of attention. 

 

11 hours ago, Sandy W said:

5. Janelle and Kody had a brief lip lock at the car.

I don't expect much out of Kody, but Janelle as a "wife" should behave better, knowing that the three other 'wives " will see this.  It may be more aimed at making Robyn jealous than the others, but it just reinforces my opinion that Janelle is cut from the same cloth as Robyn.

 

11 hours ago, NotinKansasanymore said:

so according to this article on Bonnie’s funeral:

1. Kody couldn’t read the room and was talkative and happy.

2. Kody and Meri barely interacted. 
 

3. Christine and Robyn did not go. 
 

4. Mariah and Audrey were both there and got their hair cut very short. 

I commented on #1 above. 

2.  I expected him to  pretend to be supportive since there are cameras around.

3. Christine's daughter Mykelti---who makes up these crazy names?-- was due to give birth at the end of March so she is with her.  Robyn should have gone as her older kids could take care of the younger ones for a few days.

4.  Mariah and Audrey look terrible.   Audrey has a stain on her shirt.  Mariah is wearing a suit coat over slacks  and looks like she weighs more than Janelle, Robyn, and Christine combined.   At this rate, we can expect a cross-over with her to MY600PL.  ( I have a transman in my family, and I am beginning to wonder if Mariah is going to come out as trans )

 

13 hours ago, HighlandWarriorGrl said:

I’ve got no snark here.  No impatience with Meri’s usual shenanigans, or silly vanity, or anything else I have ever ragged on her for.  Because I have been in these shoes.  I have felt these feels, and it is EXACTLY the way she described it.  This really got to me.  Just reading this brought it all back to me and my heart is aching for all of us who have been fully grown with families of our own and all at once felt like lost little orphans in the blink of an eye.  It’s scary, and it’s confusing and its heart breaking.  I have only sympathy right now.  I still miss my mom (gone eight years now), amd I always will.

This^^^^    My dad died suddenly when I was 27, and I thought that was bad enough, but it was nothing compared to what I felt when my mother died after a very short illness when I was 53.   I would have been absolutely lost without my husband and my heart hurts for her that she won't have support from Kody or the other "wives."    Yep, Janelle this is such an awesome life style.  NOT!!  My daughter is having our first grandchild in June, and I  miss my mother so much and wish she could have been here to be a great-grand.

[ginger90]

I find it quite rude to take pictures at a funeral by anyone outside the family (if the chose to do so). That article was awful, IMO.

[Sandy W]

6 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

I find it quite rude to take pictures at a funeral by anyone outside the family (if the chose to do so). That article was awful, IMO.

It is intrusive and assumptions were made about Kody clapping on his way into the funeral parlor.  He may have been simply rubbing in hand sanitizer.  There was no fanfare or photos when Janelle laid her mother to rest in December, I wonder what the attraction was for Meri's mothers funeral.  Could TLC have alerted the press as they are presently rolling out episodes and it would generate interest at this time?

[MargeGunderson]

If my husband was not by my side at my mother’s funeral, that would be the end of it. Perhaps Kody was by Meri’s side, but if he was I think there would be photos and comments in the story like “Kody puts aside his differences with Meri and supports her at her mother’s funeral.” He’s such a self-centered asshole that I wouldn’t be surprised if he completely ignored Meri the entire time. I hope that this encourages Meri to just walk away from the entire shitshow and finally go “live her why” or whatever nonsense hashtag she’s using.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Who is going to make the overpriced potholders now?  Ok, sorry, that was snarky.. I do feel for Meri about losing her mom, and what I saw of Bonnie she seemed very sweet and probably really loved being at the Inn.. I saw above where she wrote that it was "not in her"  plan, well sorry Meri we don't get to chose they how or whys we lose our loved ones. I do secretly hope that she goes back to ask Christines mom to run the inn and she tells her to f-off...

[NoWhammies]

That article is absolutely appalling on so many levels. Grief is such a private thing, and it drives me nuts when rags capitalize on someone's grief, which has the potential to compound it. I lost my dad about three years ago (my mom is still alive), and I was absolutely unprepared for that level of grief. If I'd had someone writing crap like that and I saw it...

Let Meri have some peace. Her entire world has been forever changed, and I suspect she's lost the only source of unconditional love and support she has ever experienced. 

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

I find it quite rude to take pictures at a funeral by anyone outside the family (if the chose to do so). That article was awful, IMO.

Well, color me cynical but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear that somebody in the family got paid.  Several of them routinely do People spreads for the $$$.  One of the kids may have tipped off the rag as to time and place and picked up some payoff.   

As as bad as the hearsay was, it would not put it past Kootie to do some sort of attention grabbing with the captive crowd.  Many of whom were not wearing masks, I noted.  Funerals often beget funerals.

[Kellyee]

Quote

3. Christine and Robyn did not go. 

So much for the sisterhood.

Meri seems genuinely devastated, and it's shitty of the article to bring up the color of her dress. 

There's another article out there where a supposed close friend of Robyn's blames Meri for all the family problems and says everything is her fault. I really think Robyn is a manipulative snake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cetacean]

2 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

Meri seems genuinely devastated, and it's shitty of the article to bring up the color of her dress. 

Yeah, that was just mean. Maybe that was her mom's favorite color.  None of anyone's business, really. 

I wore a light green suit at my mom's funeral because that's all I had and she'd have rolled over in her grave if I had gone out to buy something.  Plus the day someone dear to you  passes is not the time for a shopping trip.

[Pickleinthemiddle]

2 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

So much for the sisterhood.

Meri seems genuinely devastated, and it's shitty of the article to bring up the color of her dress. 

There's another article out there where a supposed close friend of Robyn's blames Meri for all the family problems and says everything is her fault. I really think Robyn is a manipulative snake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dress is fine.  Not everyone wears dark colors to a funeral.  

I saw on a youtube video about Kendra dishing the dirt on Meri.  I wouldn't doubt what she is saying.  But doubtful that her and Robyn are talking anymore.

[MargeGunderson]

I wonder if Meri wore yellow as a tribute to her mother. The picture of the memorial card that Meri posted had daffodils on it, and a daffodil was lying next to the card in the picture.