The Duggars: In the Media and TLC

[Tabbygirl521]

On 11/25/2019 at 10:18 PM, queenanne said:

Multiple strippers and escorts hired by multiple men in the same family?  Yeah, that lets the Duggars right out... I know protests like these are often the equivalent of shouting into the wind, but no way is this accepted underground (or even networked) operating procedure for multiple Duggar men including the patriarch.  These people are too prudish, sheltered and trapped.

I’m not sure how prudish they really are. JB is too much into the hey-hey-hey and humping minigolf to be a genuine prude. I actually think this family is hyper sexualized in a weird way, with the constant emphasis on breeding and tracking of Mom’s fertility. Gross! They spawned a Josh; there may be more. 

[Temperance]

The Duggars seem to be less interesting in the public eye. They could use a new storyline.  Kate Gosselin's show seems to be cancelled so that may buy them some time. 

[mynextmistake]

On 1/17/2020 at 12:27 AM, Temperance said:

The Duggars seem to be less interesting in the public eye. They could use a new storyline.  Kate Gosselin's show seems to be cancelled so that may buy them some time. 

They’re played out. People were interested in the older girls’ courtships and weddings, but now they are all married off (except Jana) and nobody cares about the boys. The endless parade of sheltered, barely-out-of-their-teens moms churning out babies is more depressing than interesting, as is watching the younger kids run screaming around the TTH while receiving no education or parenting. Even snarking on them is losing its appeal, because there’s nothing interesting to discuss.

i feel like TLC is really missing an opportunity here to revitalize the show and make it interesting by following the married girls and giving a realistic portrayal of their lives.  Talk to Abbie about hyperemesis, and how being pregnant was not the joyful experience she anticipated. Ask her how she feels about the thought of experiencing it 10 more times.Talk to Jill about her struggles having to spend so much time alone with the boys, and learning to renegotiate an adult relationship with her parents. Talk to Ginger about the uncertainties of life in image-conscious LA, and how that is affecting her. Get REAL. 

But of course that would never happen, because the Duggars would have to agree to admit their childhood and faith might not be perfect. 

[lookeyloo]

6 hours ago, mynextmistake said:

They’re played out. People were interested in the older girls’ courtships and weddings, but now they are all married off (except Jana) and nobody cares about the boys. The endless parade of sheltered, barely-out-of-their-teens moms churning out babies is more depressing than interesting, as is watching the younger kids run screaming around the TTH while receiving no education or parenting. Even snarking on them is losing its appeal, because there’s nothing interesting to discuss.

i feel like TLC is really missing an opportunity here to revitalize the show and make it interesting by following the married girls and giving a realistic portrayal of their lives.  Talk to Abbie about hyperemesis, and how being pregnant was not the joyful experience she anticipated. Ask her how she feels about the thought of experiencing it 10 more times.Talk to Jill about her struggles having to spend so much time alone with the boys, and learning to renegotiate an adult relationship with her parents. Talk to Ginger about the uncertainties of life in image-conscious LA, and how that is affecting her. Get REAL. 

But of course that would never happen, because the Duggars would have to agree to admit their childhood and faith might not be perfect. 

right.  Good idea that won't happen - they have sugar coated everything so far.  Not likely to change.  I'll bet Kendra has some melt down moments and then feels guilty about them.

[Barb23]

1 hour ago, lookeyloo said:

right.  Good idea that won't happen - they have sugar coated everything so far.  Not likely to change.  I'll bet Kendra has some melt down moments and then feels guilty about them.

Agreed. Kendra seemed overwhelmed at times with just one kid. It would be interesting to see how she's handling two.

@mynextmistake. Great ideas. Let's hope TLC reads here. 

[Oldernowiser]

Even if they were to “get real” for three sentences, the closer would always be some version of, “But then #bestgodlyhubbyevah prayed with me and I read my Bible and now I am so blessed!”

 

[floridamom]

My opinion is that Kendra is still a 'little girl' and she is now saddled with the sole responsibility for two babies with no other siblings to help her out like at her parents' house. I think she's not prepared for this much responsibility all at once...marriage, sex, household chores and now babies. Lauren, the drama queen, is young also and I think experiences the same, mostly acting out with her 'tantrums'

[FizzyPuff]

5 hours ago, floridamom said:

My opinion is that Kendra is still a 'little girl' and she is now saddled with the sole responsibility for two babies with no other siblings to help her out like at her parents' house. I think she's not prepared for this much responsibility all at once...marriage, sex, household chores and now babies. Lauren, the drama queen, is young also and I think experiences the same, mostly acting out with her 'tantrums'

If only they weren’t raised in a cult obsessed with virginity till marriage and then pop out as many kids as possible because that’s what their God wants them to do, they’d actually have a few years to get to know each other and bring children into the world when they are ready (or maybe decide children aren’t for them at all). I don’t blame Lauren for having “tantrums” it’s the only thing she has in her life that she can control. I’m not saying I like the way she behaves but I can’t blame her. I do hope Kendra and Joe slow down the baby train but I doubt it. 

[PikaScrewChu]

6 hours ago, floridamom said:

My opinion is that Kendra is still a 'little girl' and she is now saddled with the sole responsibility for two babies with no other siblings to help her out like at her parents' house. I think she's not prepared for this much responsibility all at once...marriage, sex, household chores and now babies. Lauren, the drama queen, is young also and I think experiences the same, mostly acting out with her 'tantrums'

Kendra went from 0-100 within the span of 24 hours. They were so strict on the touching while courting and during the engagement. She legitimately got pregnant within the first couple of tries (Garrett was born 273 days after the wedding). Going from 10 second sidehugs to having sex with no prep time in-between is not healthy. 

My idle speculation is that the Dugs didn't expect Lauren to be this much of a drama queen. Once they had her paired off with Josiah there was no going back though. 

I wouldn't be surprised if Justin is courting though. If they are savvy she'll be TV ready and a sympathetic character for the audience by the time all is said and done. But this is the Duggars we are talking about so I'm doubtful they are actively searching for women that will connect to the TeeVee audience. 

[GeeGolly]

16 hours ago, PuffinFizz said:

If only they weren’t raised in a cult obsessed with virginity till marriage and then pop out as many kids as possible because that’s what their God wants them to do, they’d actually have a few years to get to know each other and bring children into the world when they are ready (or maybe decide children aren’t for them at all). I don’t blame Lauren for having “tantrums” it’s the only thing she has in her life that she can control. I’m not saying I like the way she behaves but I can’t blame her. I do hope Kendra and Joe slow down the baby train but I doubt it. 

I know a couple of Laurens in real life. For them it's not about control. They are all about attention and drama. They can somehow turn anything at all into a negative. And everything thing they do is some kind of self-sacrifice.

We secretly call one of the Laurens "even though". I dust even though it irritates my allergies. I ski with my husband even though I hate the cold. I love my son's tutor even though she's a half hour away.

I imagine being a Duggar is very hard for Lauren. Her need for attention will always be unfulfilled with them. But she will turn that into 'even thoughs'.

I loved being at my inlaws for Christmas even though I hate crowds. I went on the marriage retreat even though I had morning sickness...  

[Albanyguy]

5 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I imagine being a Duggar is very hard for Lauren. Her need for attention will always be unfulfilled with them

Yes, I think she expected being part of a famous TV family (who also consider themselves Fundie Royalty) would bring her a lot more attention than she's gotten. The courtship/engagement/wedding didn't cause much of a stir because there have just been so damn many of them by now. Except for Anna, who is part of the constant drama surrounding Josh, the fans will always be more interested in the daughters than in the daughters-in-law. She's married to Josiah, who falls right in the middle of the pack and has never been one of his parents' favorites. I think she was shocked to discover how low her place on the Duggar pecking order really is.

[Minivanessa]

1 hour ago, Albanyguy said:

Except for Anna, who is part of the constant drama surrounding Josh, the fans will always be more interested in the daughters than in the daughters-in-law. She's married to Josiah, who falls right in the middle of the pack and has never been one of his parents' favorites. I think she was shocked to discover how low her place on the Duggar pecking order really is.

Well said. Except for Josh and JD, I truly have no idea who the Duggar sons are, what their names are, and in what order they were born. Nor, do I care. If not for reading here I would think that Joe is a nickname for a kid named Josiah. The older ones all work for JB, and God forbid JB should share any glory by really publicizing what each of his sons actually DOES when not marrying and procreating. Well, except for JD (did you know he's a PILOT?) and now Jed!2020 who's the anointed politician. Of course, thanks to the show, The Sexpest's big job in DC was well known, and we saw how that worked out. Heh.

The over-18 daughters are telegenic and have had distinct personalities; the Duggar boys not so much. As to looks or personalities. 

Poor Lauren. I agree that she's a drama queen, and that she must be sorely disappointed that she left her family where I'm sure she was the star as Daddy's Favorite Daughter Ever, and found no similar role in the Duggar tribe. Gosh, adulting is haaard. Wah wah wah.

[PikaScrewChu]

Could you imagine if Marjorie Jackson had married into the clan? I think she would have generated more interest than the current crop of daughters-in-law.

It's really strange to think about that Anna has been around so long that she is a part of the Duggar brand. Maybe JB should have married off the other boys much sooner. Eh. 

Then again the less children born into this cult, the better. JB and Abbie will get nowhere near the double digits now. 

[FizzyPuff]

15 minutes ago, PikaScrewChu said:

Could you imagine if Marjorie Jackson had married into the clan? I think she would have generated more interest than the current crop of daughters-in-law.

It's really strange to think about that Anna has been around so long that she is a part of the Duggar brand. Maybe JB should have married off the other boys much sooner. Eh. 

Then again the less children born into this cult, the better. JB and Abbie will get nowhere near the double digits now. 

That girl had personality, more personality than the family she was going to marry into, I’m so glad when all that stuff came out about Josh she ran (poor Josiah though). I think the Duggars reckon they had a great escape from her, shame really she would’ve been interesting to watch.

[awaken]

On 1/24/2020 at 2:26 AM, mynextmistake said:

They’re played out. People were interested in the older girls’ courtships and weddings, but now they are all married off (except Jana) and nobody cares about the boys. The endless parade of sheltered, barely-out-of-their-teens moms churning out babies is more depressing than interesting, as is watching the younger kids run screaming around the TTH while receiving no education or parenting. Even snarking on them is losing its appeal, because there’s nothing interesting to discuss.

i feel like TLC is really missing an opportunity here to revitalize the show and make it interesting by following the married girls and giving a realistic portrayal of their lives.  Talk to Abbie about hyperemesis, and how being pregnant was not the joyful experience she anticipated. Ask her how she feels about the thought of experiencing it 10 more times.Talk to Jill about her struggles having to spend so much time alone with the boys, and learning to renegotiate an adult relationship with her parents. Talk to Ginger about the uncertainties of life in image-conscious LA, and how that is affecting her. Get REAL. 

But of course that would never happen, because the Duggars would have to agree to admit their childhood and faith might not be perfect. 

Completely true. These are all topics that we want to see play out in a show, and would make it a lot more interesting!  It’s so bland and dumbed down now, with no substance whatsoever. 

9 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I know a couple of Laurens in real life. For them it's not about control. They are all about attention and drama. They can somehow turn anything at all into a negative. And everything thing they do is some kind of self-sacrifice.

We secretly call one of the Laurens "even though". I dust even though it irritates my allergies. I ski with my husband even though I hate the cold. I love my son's tutor even though she's a half hour away.

I imagine being a Duggar is very hard for Lauren. Her need for attention will always be unfulfilled with them. But she will turn that into 'even thoughs'.

I loved being at my inlaws for Christmas even though I hate crowds. I went on the marriage retreat even though I had morning sickness...  

Ha. Love the “even though”!  I was just talking about these types of people with a coworker. Those who put a negative on the end of every statement. We called them contrarians, but even thoughs is great!

[Temperance]

As far as I can tell, Counting On is up for renewal and may not be renewed for a new season. I was trying to see if they could be holding any announcements for the next season, but it's unclear if there will be another season. 

The ratings haven't been great, but they're kinda consistent from what I've seen.  I do expect the show to go down, but not for another year or two.

[JoanArc]

18 hours ago, Temperance said:

 

The ratings haven't been great, but they're kinda consistent from what I've seen.  I do expect the show to go down, but not for another year or two.

 

"Jana, get in this wedding dress!"

[Temperance]

I don't know how to quote posts from other threads, but @tabloidlover and @Sew Sumi pointed out that Abbie and John's daughter Grace's birth special was aired on television last night with very little fanfare. It seems telling about how the Duggar brand is going. 

I'm a little confused that the show seems to be ending now, because the ratings were staying the course. The Duggars may seem boring, but they haven't changed much. Kate Gosselin's show being cancelled seemed like it might buy the Duggars a little time. 

I assumed the show would end within a year or so. A friend has a theory that one of the kids would have a mega family like JB and Michelle and take over the show, but that seems a long way off. (Especially since Josh and Anna are out.)  I agree they could use new plots. The biggest draw JB can come up with is a new courtship. 🙄

Maybe TLC is worried about Derick's tell-all? Or maybe TLC is worried about the Home Security Investigation? Maybe TLC thinks the Plaths are the future?

It would be for the best if the show went off the air.  I could picture a Breaking Amish type show featuring some of the Duggar kids. Of course it doesn't seem better if another fundie family takes their place. 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Temperance

[Minivanessa]

I didn't watch it, but I also noticed that little 30 minute episode on the TLC schedule when I was checking the online program listings. Whoever said it was "slipped into" the schedule has it right, IMO. I didn't see any promos for Counting On, and I watched me some TLC on Wednesday and Thursday nights. They were promoting the heck outta their other shows in the commercial breaks, too. 

I think TLC is just not into the Duggars these days. They have several new and continuing series which seem to draw at least as well as the Duggars, and their strongest ratings performer is 90 Day Fiance. That set of shows seems to draw two to four times the viewers that the Duggars do.

I agree with @Temperance that the biggest deal that JB can offer TLC is a new courtship. And unless it's Jana, it will be yet another of the fungible sons. A balding greasy-faced guy barely out of his teens with no education who still lives with his parents and if he works at all, he does something for one of his dad's businesses, most likely involved with buying old cars at auction or something. Yawn. He'll be paired with a smiling/giggling 18 year old daughter of a fundie family and they will yak about courtship rules and marrying their best friend with whom they've never spent five minutes alone and will have a gross five-minute face-munching kiss in front of the congregation when pronounced man and wife, and will have a baby before their first wedding anniversary. 

[Churchhoney]

8 hours ago, Temperance said:

I don't know how to quote posts from other threads, but @tabloidlover and @Sew Sumi pointed out that Abbie and John's daughter Grace's birth special was aired on television last night with very little fanfare. It seems telling about how the Duggar brand is going. 

I'm a little confused that the show seems to be ending now, because the ratings were staying the course. The Duggars may seem boring, but they haven't changed much. Kate Gosselin's show being cancelled seemed like it might buy the Duggars a little time. 

I assumed the show would end within a year or so. A friend has a theory that one of the kids would have a mega family like JB and Michelle and take over the show, but that seems a long way off. (Especially since Josh and Anna are out.)  I agree they could use new plots. The biggest draw JB can come up with is a new courtship. 🙄

Maybe TLC is worried about Derick's tell-all? Or maybe TLC is worried about the Home Security Investigation? Maybe TLC thinks the Plaths are the future?

It would be for the best if the show went off the air.  I could picture a Breaking Amish type show featuring some of the Duggar kids. Of course it doesn't seem better if another fundie family takes their place. 

Maybe they've got somebody new in the programming department who just thinks it's time to freshen up the schedule somehow....

Edited February 17, 2020 by Churchhoney

[GeeGolly]

And the walls are about to come tumbling down.

Now we need to advocate for letting these threads stay open, after they do.

[BitterApple]

I didn't even know it was on. I'm happy for JD and Abbie, but these birth specials are all the same. When it's the bazillionth Duggar grandkid, nobody really cares anymore. Interest will wane even further once the courtship focus shifts towards the Howlers. 

[kokapetl]

On 2/12/2020 at 12:39 PM, Temperance said:

As far as I can tell, Counting On is up for renewal and may not be renewed for a new season. I was trying to see if they could be holding any announcements for the next season, but it's unclear if there will be another season. 

The ratings haven't been great, but they're kinda consistent from what I've seen.  I do expect the show to go down, but not for another year or two.

The show definitely needs to lift it’s game. They need to pick some favourites and send them on a year long road trip around the country or something, let’s see Jessa cry in a diary cam or something. 

[PradaKitty]

They really didn’t have much footage in the birth special. Abby was able to keep her delivery private and appeared to handle her labor very stoically. JD seemed very much the supportive spouse throughout the labor. 

[BigBingerBro]

3 hours ago, kokapetl said:

The show definitely needs to lift it’s game.

You can say that again.  I haven't watched any of the last few seasons, but it seems to me that the content would bored me to tears.  You'd think they would at least try and make it somewhat fresh and interesting.  Marriage retreats, funerals, watching the posers more to CA, seems worse than watching paint dry.  I wonder if TLC had them on some sort of contract so they just put minimal effort into it.  I wonder if and when we'll get a formal announcement that the show is over and dead once and for all.  Considering all of the desperate yet badly executed attempts from nearly the entire family trying to be social media influencers, they must see the writing on the wall.

Edited February 17, 2020 by BigBingerBro

[Zahdii]

50 minutes ago, BigBingerBro said:

I wonder if and when we'll get a formal announcement that the show is over and dead once and for all.  Considering all of the desperate yet badly executed attempts from nearly the entire family trying to be social media influencers, they must see the writing on the wall.

Well, I have some advice for them.  Get a J O B!

I know it's going to be difficult, because the Duggar kids as a whole have no real education, don't understand the concept of time or money management, and are terrified of doing things outside of the cult unless it's online where they have a lot of fans applauding them at every turn.  But unless JB is willing to pay for everything for all time, they're going to eventually run out of money.

Now is the time to advance their education or look into job training, while they still have a cushion to fall back on.  Now is the time to learn how to budget and live within their means.  Now is the time to ask people (who work for a living) advice on how this getting to work on time is done.

Now is the time to learn how to deal with working with heathens.  How to stop pontificating on their beliefs and do the job.  How to handle workplace disputes or how to ask for time off for emergencies.

There are so many things they don't understand, and they need to start learning how to do it unless they are able to go off grid and do everything for themselves.  I don't think they have it in them to do that, and I hope that they eventually start to resent their parents for putting them in this position.

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, BigBingerBro said:

You can say that again.  I haven't watched any of the last few seasons, but it seems to me that the content would bored me to tears.  You'd think they would at least try and make it somewhat fresh and interesting.  Marriage retreats, funerals, watching the posers more to CA, seems worse than watching paint dry.  I wonder if TLC had them on some sort of contract so they just put minimal effort into it.  I wonder if and when we'll get a formal announcement that the show is over and dead once and for all.  Considering all of the desperate yet badly executed attempts from nearly the entire family trying to be social media influencers, they must see the writing on the wall.

I wonder if TLC is like Bravo and just quietly cancels shows without telling the public? 

However, someone filmed Gracie's birth, so I am not that optimistic that the show has been canceled. There's just nothing to film now that all the babies have been born.

[Temperance]

2 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

I wonder if TLC is like Bravo and just quietly cancels shows without telling the public? 

However, someone filmed Gracie's birth, so I am not that optimistic that the show has been canceled. There's just nothing to film now that all the babies have been born.

TLC does cancellation quietly look at Kate's show. The network put out no formal statement, but suddenly I saw article after article saying the show was cancelled.

As for there being nothing to film, if nothing else there's travelling and Christmas. If TLC is deciding to whether or not to renew, I could see the Duggars holding back on news until the show is renewed. 

[crazy8s]

the list of things TLC can't, won't or shouldn't film might play into things.

no Josh or Jill. no Jeremy at his seminary (though everything else with the "break out stars" is good)

probably should not show Jed! who is running for office or any mediccorps shenanegans

no one is currently pregnant or courting (that we have heard)

Does anyone remember a show called First Time Flippers or some such name? It showed idiot house flippers doing incredibly stupid things and shoddy work. given the howler construction crew, there's the new Duggar TV show.

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by crazy8s

[Sew Sumi]

12 minutes ago, Temperance said:

TLC does cancellation quietly look at Kate's show. The network put out no formal statement, but suddenly I saw article after article saying the show was cancelled.

As for there being nothing to film, if nothing else there's travelling and Christmas. If TLC is deciding to whether or not to renew, I could see the Duggars holding back on news until the show is renewed. 

But wouldn't the Duggars help themselves by giving TLC stuff to film rather than holding them hostage by withholding pregnancy or courting announcements?

[libgirl2]

Maybe they don't have enough conflict and fighting like we see on so many of these shows? The curiosity factor is waning. There is nothing new..... another baby, another wedding..... boring. 

[Absolom]

20 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

I wonder if TLC is like Bravo and just quietly cancels shows without telling the public? 

Very frequently.  It's more often that we hear from the participants themselves that filming has stopped.  I've heard they've done some more LA filming so I don't expect they've ended the show yet.  Saturday night was schedule filler of something they'd already released online.  We'll get it again in a regular season episode, too.

[Sew Sumi]

2 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Maybe they don't have enough conflict and fighting like we see on so many of these shows? The curiosity factor is waning. There is nothing new..... another baby, another wedding..... boring. 

Well, the show IS called Counting On. I think there's an expectation of more babies. 

[GeeGolly]

The new season of Bringing Up Bates has just been announced. They aired a compilation show prior to the season opener.

I think the season opener of Counting On will be announcing Joy's and Jinger's pregnancies.

 

[farmgal4]

8 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

The new season of Bringing Up Bates has just been announced. They aired a compilation show prior to the season opener.

I think the season opener of Counting On will be announcing Joy's and Jinger's pregnancies.

 

Joy and Jinger are pregnant?  How’d I miss that news?

[Sew Sumi]

Neither has announced a pregnancy. That's just speculation on how the show will keep going.

[Churchhoney]

Maybe they've gone quiet because they're retooling it into a spin off from the "summit" for Gothard-families-seeking-courtships of which Jed! was executive director...

All they need is seven teen girls from families dying to marry off their daughters to godly guys (and that should be easy to find, given the number of super-fundie daughters hanging around unmarried in their floor-length denim skirts.)...and voila -- .

They can start getting the audience used to seeing the Duggar boys the same way they saw the Duggar girls as JSlaves for all those years -- only this time they'll be JSlumlordPropertyLawnMowers and JPreviouslyTotaledUsedCarSalesmen.

People will get to know their "personalities" (ha) and start to get invested in their futures....And then they can start introducing those seven teen girls from Gothard land, one by one. And it's ...

Seven Brides for Seven Duggars -- 

Jed....Jer....Jason....James....Justin....Jackson....and INTRODUCING JTyler.....

I wouldn't be surprised if JB pitched this to the network.....

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Churchhoney

[libgirl2]

16 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Well, the show IS called Counting On. I think there's an expectation of more babies. 

yes, but tastes and times change. 

[Sew Sumi]

6 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

yes, but tastes and times change. 

Not if you're a leghumper. They live for that crap. But are there enough of them to keep the show viable as hate-watchers continue to drop off?

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Not if you're a leghumper. They live for that crap. But are there enough of them to keep the show viable as hate-watchers continue to drop off?

exactly. 

[galaxygirl76]

I believe Jed2020 may also be a problem because his opponent can see this as advertising for him and I think that may not be allowed. At least that's what I remember from  when Arnold ran for governor. 

[crazy8s]

5 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I believe Jed2020 may also be a problem because his opponent can see this as advertising for him and I think that may not be allowed. At least that's what I remember from  when Arnold ran for governor. 

i edited my previous post because I left out the word not on showing Jed! and mediccorps.

I think his opponent can demand equal air time or something if he is shown on TV

I also think that may be why Jed! was not named on the duggar page for the 5k he and Jeer just ran. the duggfam's 1.2 million instagram followers would be seen as an unfair advertising advantage. (though hardly any, if any, of their fans would be in the actual district to vote for Jed!)

 

[MaryAnneSpier]

If TLC were interested in keeping the show going, they'd air stuff that people may actually find interesting. Interview Jill and Derick to see how she is progressing in post-compound life. Interview some of the older kids, married and unmarried, about the religious aspect of their lives and perhaps let that lead into viewers understanding some of the real issues of their near-cult. Even perhaps bring in Anna's brother who offered to let her live with him and we can hear from an escapee what life was lik then and now after breaking free. And as has been suggested before, these kidults need to work at real jobs. Watching them have deer-in-headlights looks when someone at work swears or wears a low-cut shirt could make for entertaining tv, from both leghumpers and hate-watchers. A few years ago after the Josh scandals came out, I had hoped TLC would actually make a show worth watching to examine the harm isolated religious sects can cause, but no, they had to keep the sunshine and roses angle going. 

[Future Cat Lady]

48 minutes ago, MaryAnneSpier said:

If TLC were interested in keeping the show going, they'd air stuff that people may actually find interesting. Interview Jill and Derick to see how she is progressing in post-compound life. Interview some of the older kids, married and unmarried, about the religious aspect of their lives and perhaps let that lead into viewers understanding some of the real issues of their near-cult. Even perhaps bring in Anna's brother who offered to let her live with him and we can hear from an escapee what life was lik then and now after breaking free. And as has been suggested before, these kidults need to work at real jobs. Watching them have deer-in-headlights looks when someone at work swears or wears a low-cut shirt could make for entertaining tv, from both leghumpers and hate-watchers. A few years ago after the Josh scandals came out, I had hoped TLC would actually make a show worth watching to examine the harm isolated religious sects can cause, but no, they had to keep the sunshine and roses angle going. 

It would be interesting, but there is no way JB would agree to participate in something like this. 

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, Churchhoney said:

Maybe they've gone quiet because they're retooling it into a spin off from the "summit" for Gothard-families-seeking-courtships of which Jed! was executive director...

All they need is seven teen girls from families dying to marry off their daughters to godly guys (and that should be easy to find, given the number of super-fundie daughters hanging around unmarried in their floor-length denim skirts.)...and voila -- .

They can start getting the audience used to seeing the Duggar boys the same way they saw the Duggar girls as JSlaves for all those years -- only this time they'll be JSlumlordPropertyLawnMowers and JPreviouslyTotaledUsedCarSalesmen.

People will get to know their "personalities" (ha) and start to get invested in their futures....And then they can start introducing those seven teen girls from Gothard land, one by one. And it's ...

Seven Brides for Seven Duggars -- 

Jed....Jer....Jason....James....Justin....Jackson....and INTRODUCING JTyler.....

I wouldn't be surprised if JB pitched this to the network.....

 

They could do Five Bates for Five Duggars, starting with Jason and Katie Bates. Unfortunately they have to wait another 5 years to pair off Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn and Josie with the Bates boys. 😁

[JoanArc]

Maybe they signed a 5 year contract, which would be up now?

[fonfereksglen]

2 hours ago, Absolom said:

Very frequently.  It's more often that we hear from the participants themselves that filming has stopped.  I've heard they've done some more LA filming so I don't expect they've ended the show yet.  Saturday night was schedule filler of something they'd already released online.  We'll get it again in a regular season episode, too.

TLC/Figure 8 filmed the last Kate G episode without proper permits for the four minor children. That episode has now been scrubbed out of existence.

If TLC includes Prop in their filming, do the stringent CA child labor laws regarding filming apply? 

[Churchhoney]

12 minutes ago, fonfereksglen said:

TLC/Figure 8 filmed the last Kate G episode without proper permits for the four minor children. That episode has now been scrubbed out of existence.

If TLC includes Prop in their filming, do the stringent CA child labor laws regarding filming apply? 

Well, FWIW, according to this website AbuseWatch.net, the California laws do apply -- 

"A couple of states make it difficult to classify children in TV production as anything other than actors; California is one. In The Learning Channel (TLC) show Octomom, the children live in California and they are subject to the states child labor laws. As a result they receive payment ($250 per child, per episode), are protected by law, have oversight to ensure that they work safely (as best babies can) and within confines that avoid exploitation or abuse."

https://www.abusewatch.net/CAN_Pos.php

 

[Temperance]

3 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

But wouldn't the Duggars help themselves by giving TLC stuff to film rather than holding them hostage by withholding pregnancy or courting announcements?

I didn't mean they're withholding information from TLC; I meant they're withholding information from the general public/tabloids. I get the sense that TLC usually films the announcements/news before they go public.  This is particularly true with pregnancy announcements. The women tend to announce to the famly about one month in (which is filmed), but announce publicly at 2-4 months in (which is filmed). Anna Duggar went even longer before announcing she was pregnant with Marcus (M#3) to line-up with the start of the new season of then 19K&C. They definitely filmed her knowing she was pregnant. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Temperance

[Absolom]

36 minutes ago, fonfereksglen said:

If TLC includes Prop in their filming, do the stringent CA child labor laws regarding filming apply? 

They should.  TLC likes to ignore state laws though.