S03.E06: The Big Event

[LittlePeas3]

I am 20 minutes into this and just about speechless.  I am more annoyed that the lovely person who recorded it and put it on youtube couldn't manage to record it louder so that when the ads came on, they didn't blast the house and give away to my headship who is sleeping in that I am watching this pathetic train wreck of a show.  

I wonder if Ben works with this organisation.  He at least is going to school.  Was he home schooled or did he attend a regular school as a kid?  Maybe Spurgy and fellow multiple siblings will go to some school when they reach school age?  It is to be hoped anyway.  

Joy, can you be dumber than dogshit, seriously?  

Been reading the above comments, I think the M kids have been absorbed into the girls and boys dorms and maybe J & A are in the shed out the back that Ben lived in.  Poor Anna, I know she made the choice to marry Josh and has been so brainwashed into believing she has to stay with him, but the thought of having to add to the M-kids makes me pity her more and more. 

Crapola, kids made too much noise and woke the headship, will have to watch the rest later.  The noise level in our house will treble now because everyone under 7 has to spend the next 30+ minutes annoying daddy :D   within 3m of the computer I was using to watch youtube! 

[Sew Sumi]

31 minutes ago, OpieTaylor said:

Anyone else snicker when Bin said, "Jinger has no idea what's coming for her" in regards to Babe's plans? 

As a football fan, I enjoyed the camp scenes and was feeling pretty good about Bin, thinking at least he's accomplishing something. But now that I've learned that he just joined in for probably one time on something that already existed - and it was presented as all his idea, really annoys me. There would have been nothing wrong with telling the truth - that Bin had a great opportunity to get a little work experience and was allowed to participate in this Life Champs day-camp. But instead, TLC, or the Duggars, or Bin and Jessa just had to make it more.

Re painting the guest house - was that really even necessary?  Why not instead show the Duggar clan doing some good works for someone else? And if the Dullards are actually going to live there (and not return to Danger America), why not let them pick out their own color scheme and then actually take part in the work themselves?

The irony here is that when Venessa lived in the house and threw Muffy's baby shower, the entryway with the vaulted ceiling was painted OFF WHITE. Given that KJB bought the place not long after Venessa was run out of Arkansas on a rail, it had to be the DUGGARS who painted the place that horrid mustard color in the first place. 

Where was Jana then, eh? 

eta (post snuck in while I was typing): Ben was homeschooled, but at least his family belonged to a co-op. I've seen Guinn post about it several times. Ben also played football for an independent team (I guess all homeschooled?) for at least his senior year (pics are out there). Point being, the Seewald kids were exposed to a lot more in terms of both education as well as experiences than the Duggar kids. 

Edited September 28, 2016 by Sew Sumi

[Natalie68]

5 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Guest house? That's more like a mansion! Guess Jill must indeed be the favorite child. Or else Jim Bob is dangling the carrot that makes sure Derrick doesn't take Jill away from home to Central America ever again. 

Too much Ben, though I admit he's more interesting than most of the Duggar brothers. Jim Bob better get one of them married off soon before all the girls are gone, or Josie will wind up cooking and doing their laundry for them at age 10. They seem to be incapable of doing it themselves. 

I"m still wondering where Josh and Anna are living. I've seen rumors more than once that Jim Bob bought them a house, as a bribe to keep Anna from leaving. But I have to wonder if they're actually living in John-David's house. Have we ever actually seen his house on the show? I guess he owns it but isn't allowed to live in it.

I was speculating that being the tattletale she knows ALL the secrets so she must be kept happy.  Plus perhaps her experience with Josh was worse than others?  Either way I smell a payoff.  How else can you explain blatant favoritism for the least charismatic character on this shitshow?

[Christina87]

Re: Josh and Anna, I bet you are soooo right. Michelle is desperately mourning the fact that her youngest is almost seven, and will do anything to add young kids back into the house. This way, she is "helping out" by letting them live in the shed alone, so they can work on their marriage. Plus, they have less "stress" because all of their kids' needs are taken care of. The kids also get the supposed benefit of being around older kids, the Lost Girls get to be fake big siblings, and Michelle gets another M baby every year, who can be her buddy while Anna "works on her marriage." In Mee-chelle's eyes...PERFECT!

[kokapetl]

Attention TLC! Pay for a makeup artist, or smear the lens with Vaseline or something. I could just about count every pore on the Duggar kidult's faces. 

[mjstrick]

Do these young women know anything about anything?  What's baked Zito?  Uh, I dunno.  What's the difference between spaghetti and linguini? Uh, durrrrr, they're both pasta?

 

What football.position would ben play?  Um....uh... position?  Durrrrr

 

Ugh

[Churchhoney]

4 hours ago, tenativelyyours said:

I often wonder if Jana wasn't always the "easy" kid.  A couple of my siblings have gone through that.  One of their early kids turns out to be so easy it is not funny.  Sleep through the night.  Done.  Potty trained.  Done.  Walking. Done.  Relatively smart.  Done.  Then the next kids come along and are what kids usually are.  Cranky. Fussy.  Work.  And the odd thing, in my family and in others, the cranky child gets rewarded.  Not consciously, but because parents tend to strive to make their babies happy.  And since Me-chelle is all about the baby aspect, how much is she loved the fussy little bundles that required all her attention?  And easy babies that have younger siblings often turn into the responsible child early on (they don't always stay that way or even for that long, but often enough that the younger children the parents indulged become that older child's responsibility.  And in this case completely. 

Jinjer really had to play up the 'girls in love' are all about the countenance.   Silly girls.  What we menfolk suffer just so you look presentable.

I wanted to sit all of them down and have a football quiz.  Even Bin seems like he was more about wearing his jersey on jersey day than actually knowing that much about the game in terms of training others.  He seems like such a dull little follower in all things no matter how he strives otherwise.  Just hope Jessa's self-centered impatience doesn't cause her to yank too hard on that leash.

The pretend redecorate/remodel/renovate/try to pretend they do something beyond wait for the cameras was rather silly since the ratings strongly suggest that they are only pulling in a strong crowd of long time viewers.   We can count and we can recognize.  If you weren't all so freaking dull, maybe things could slide by.  But when curling irons are a plot line, you people are too blithering flat and dull to draw attention away from details you will try to pass off differently in episodes to come.

I think the New York aspect was some little demographic study done by the network to determine how to make them more mainstream and hide their tawdry creepy perverted past.  I think if they really had true ties to the area, they would not have to do much nor would they have had the engagement in the city itself since no one actually lives there in NYC itself.  All camera ready and no doubt hoping to tie it all in with plenty of network morning news show appearances.  I think they are going to tap out the season with the wedding announcement and then go for a wedding special that stands alone.  Maybe between Thanksgiving and Christmas.   That or the show is going to go full bore all the way to December with the wedding as the last bit.  We know they filmed the return of the Dullards.  And there were a couple of social media pics from both the Dullards and the Fire and Binstones that suggested for camera contrivance.  They really are dragging this show out. 

The Holy Goalie really is all about his close up.  He really comes off creepier and creepier in his on camera persona.  Considering that Derrick Dullard has never really relaxed for the cameras (I think a small part is he is the most self-aware and knows full well he is grifting his life away but is too lazy and too simple in his own way to see past the fact that grifting is giving him the closest thing to a good life he can imagine) and bin just seems to finally be settling in, The Holy Goalie is all kinds of weird since he comes off like someone doing a parody of a game show host.  Not an actual game show host.  But without the snark intended.  It's all accidental.  He reminds me a bit of all those people on Dateline that talk about how perfect their marriages are and then it turns out they killed their spouse.  That sort of over eager almost crooning fakery that just seems always a touch off even before you hear the details of the crime. 

Yes yes yes yes yes yes and yes.

[GeeGolly]

I love when the producers throw in those questions. I feel like they're offering those for the non-leghumpers.

[Gemma Violet]

5 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I agree, they do it on Cake Boss and every HGTV show as well. "Oh, no! Our home makeover isn't even close to being finished and the owners are on their way!". Well considering the owners are getting five figures worth of free labor and decorations, they can wait outside for five fucking minutes while you hang the curtains. 

They do it on Project Runway, too.  There's always one designer who says, "Oh no, we've only got a couple of hours left and I've got absolutely nothing sewn yet!"  And then, miraculously, they have a complete outfit ready for the runway.  

I haven't seen this episode yet.  It's still on my DVR.  After reading the recaps, not sure if I want to see it.

[Absolom]

Ratings will make some posters happy:  998K viewers and a .32 rating.

[cereality]

I think Bin may be growing on some of us a bit bc he is now starting to act like who he was raised to be. Don't get me wrong - he is also from a batshit fundie family, but it's a family with "only" 7-8 kids that seems more "normal" than the Duggars. The mom seems tight with the kids -- I mean SHE was the one who cried when she saw Jessa in her wedding dress, not Jessa's own mom; Ben apparently used to stay up and hang out with his sisters - so I don't think they have the hard boy/girl divisions as much at their house; the dad apparently works 60 hrs a week and does whatever jobs he has to do to make money -- while the Duggar men don't roll out of bed before 10 am. I think Ben has friends -- probably from his homeschool coop/football team; in fact I think his best man at his wedding was a friend, not a brother. And just seeing him interact with people -- I think he likes people, doesn't shy or run away from them even if they are different. I mean -- Flame!? I know it's a made for TV partnership but he doesn't seem at all put off or nervous or fake around Flame and they are as different as can be -- a country bumpkin and an urban black man. Even at the coaches dinner -- he had to feel out of his depth with all these NFL and college players and yet you could see him intently listening to their stories.

The first few seasons -- I'm sure he was overwhelmed by the cameras, Pa Duggar, and his bitchy wife. He looked like he was trying SOO hard to please and be sweet; and in the THs he often looked zoned out -- so he wouldn't say anything, so as not to contradict Princess Jessa or to make her mad and to avoid a put down. Now I feel like he'll joke around in the THs even if they are corny jokes or he'll talk even if his vocab isn't the best bc he doesn't care as much what Jessa says.

I will say I never understood the Jinger/Bin chemistry thing -- but when he was at the house at 4 am asking her if she got any sleep, the smile/eagerness on his face was unlike any I've ever seen in the Duggar home, ever. I mean guys and girls barely speak to each other. And here he is talking to his sister in law in a very FRIENDLY and familiar way. Hopefully for all involved, no chemistry - but this is his real persona, how he talks to his own sisters . . . .

[flyingdi]

Okay, okay start throwing the rotten produce.  What is the difference between linguine and spaghetti?

[Fuzzysox]

10 minutes ago, flyingdi said:

Okay, okay start throwing the rotten produce.  What is the difference between linguine and spaghetti?

So as an Italian born in Italy I will answer, one is round (spaghetti) and one is flat (linguine). Phew big mystery solved. lol

[GeeGolly]

Under 1 million, numbers dropping, even TLC is not happy.  I retained it! (I think)

[maraleia]

Based on everything happening now on the show I'm convinced that the cutoff between a semi-literate Duggar kid is Josiah with Joy and the rest of the kids being in the illiterate group.

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

Ratings will make some posters happy:  998K viewers and a .32 rating.

I like it. Maybe they can name the next episode in keeping with the ratings. They had "The Big Surprise," then "The Big Event." Next week they can have "The Big Dud."

[Tabbygirl521]

Dang it, for some reason this ep is not showing up on OnDemand. The upcoming ones are, but not this. Frustrating!!

[Missy Vixen]

Here's a question: What would you do if you found you had a houseful of functionally illiterate children? They are NEVER going to be able to take care of themselves and will be taken advantage of the minute they are outside of the protective bubble their parents have forced on them.

Has this occurred to the production staff at TLC? Do they think it's cute and entertaining to exploit at least 9 children who will never be able to fend for themselves?

[cereality]

33 minutes ago, Missy Vixen said:

Here's a question: What would you do if you found you had a houseful of functionally illiterate children? They are NEVER going to be able to take care of themselves and will be taken advantage of the minute they are outside of the protective bubble their parents have forced on them.

Has this occurred to the production staff at TLC? Do they think it's cute and entertaining to exploit at least 9 children who will never be able to fend for themselves?

Gotta say -- I don't think it's TLC's problem, it is JB and Michelle's problem. TLC is there to make a show that viewers watch such that advertisers will advertise on it and TLC will make money. TLC isn't holding a gun to JB or to Jessa/Jill's heads to make them film this show. If JB REALLY thought the harm to his children was too much, he could have refused to renew the contract at any time and found some other way to provide for 19 kids. I mean didn't Jon Gosselin (at least for a long time and during the divorce - not sure now) put his foot down and would NOT give permission for his kids to be on TV bc he didn't like the effect it was having?? Didn't Bill and Jen totally put their foot down and tell TLC no shooting for x number of MONTHS after they adopted each kid so that they could have time to bond with their family without TLC folks filming every tantrum or smile? I'm sure they did that knowing that TLC could walk for good, but they did what they needed to for their family. Over the yrs there have also been families of multiples who've gotten lucrative offers to film their home life/child rearing and as tight as money was, some said no bc they did not want their kids' childhoods to change in any way -- the Dilley sextuplets come to mind; until the kids reached 18, they'd give 1 interview to ABC on GMA every few yrs and that was it, they absolutely refused even 1 season of a show even though lots of people wanted to watch their lovable kids and they certainly could've used the money.

[Missy Vixen]

1 hour ago, cereality said:

Gotta say -- I don't think it's TLC's problem, it is JB and Michelle's problem. TLC is there to make a show that viewers watch such that advertisers will advertise on it and TLC will make money. TLC isn't holding a gun to JB or to Jessa/Jill's heads to make them film this show. If JB REALLY thought the harm to his children was too much, he could have refused to renew the contract at any time and found some other way to provide for 19 kids. 

1

IMHO, but there really was no other (legal) way to provide for nineteen children. They were already living off of their former church. KJB chose to spend the quarter mil he socked away on a Senate race instead of feeding his kids.

I realize this will be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think KJB or J-Chelle give a shit how their epic failure as parents has affected their kids. They're determined to stay in the $40K per week limelight no matter what they have to do to accomplish this. One has to think this includes some significant coercion of their kidults and spouses.

[Celia Rubenstein]

13 hours ago, yogi2014L said:

Seriously why the fuck was Mechelle even there. She has literally at least 7+ kids at home to watch. 

I think you answered your own question.

Joy is stupid. 

[yogi2014L]

1 minute ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I think you answered your own question.

Joy is stupid. 

HAH! Touche

[CarolMK]

Regarding the ratings, is there really any danger of it being cancelled? Somehow, I don't think TLC will ever give up on the Duggars because they've been filming them for so many years and it was a highly rated show back in the day. I'm sure the Duggars could well afford to give it up, but Jim Bob is greedy. Especially since it looks like he's going to have to provide some type of housing and cars to all of his children after they marry. Many other families that are in the same religious faith will probably just end up having some of their kids staying at home forever and never marrying. He seems to actively want his kids married and starting families of their own. But he doesn't seem to care whether or not they can provide for themselves, that's what TLC is for.

It will be interesting if Jinger and Jeremy do manage to make it on their own, even in a small apartment, with no interference from Jim Bob and Michelle. They might even decide to just have a couple of kids (anyone know how many siblings Jeremy has?). 

[cereality]

1 hour ago, Missy Vixen said:

IMHO, but there really was no other (legal) way to provide for nineteen children. They were already living off of their former church. KJB chose to spend the quarter mil he socked away on a Senate race instead of feeding his kids.

I realize this will be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think KJB or J-Chelle give a shit how their epic failure as parents has affected their kids. They're determined to stay in the $40K per week limelight no matter what they have to do to accomplish this. One has to think this includes some significant coercion of their kidults and spouses.

Right - it IS very hard to provide for 19 kids, which is one of many reasons that people - even fundies - don't have 19. Ben comes from a family of 7-8, as does Chad Paine, as does John Webster, Brandon Keilen, and Anna. At some point those families limited their child bearing and probably didn't actively try. If JB found it so hard to provide, he could've done that. Since he didn't care how the kids were provided for or effected and wanted fame and easy money, he went the TLC route - also his decision as headship. But why should TLC - a business - care? That's the parents' job. TLCs job is to make money, not to care that 12 yr old Jackson reads at preschool level and the older girls could benefit from therapy.

[BitterApple]

Jeremy has a brother and a sister. I'm not sure where he falls in birth order, though.

[Sew Sumi]

Jeremy is the baby. I'm not sure whether the brother or sister is the oldest. 

[Spencer Hastings]

My favorite part of the episode was the interaction between Ben and Jinger.  None of that fake, cutesy stuff that they do with their partners.   No awkward silence that you see between the siblings.  Just a very natural interaction that we don't see often from these people.  They seem comfortable with one another, not even in a romantic way but there's definitely a natural chemistry there.  They probably could have been good friends in another life.

[becca3891]

On 9/27/2016 at 9:14 PM, GeeGolly said:

 

On 9/27/2016 at 10:26 PM, Missy Vixen said:

Here's a thought: I believe that Janarella is being punished for some reason. I'll take this to her thread if I have to, but I have often wondered why J-Chelle seems to detest her, KJB uses her like she's an indentured servant, and her brothers and sisters follow their lead.

One has to wonder what Jana did or did not do to be treated this way. 

It brings to mind the reports that she was made to go to Weight Watchers, and also her crying over the jewelry box story. I wonder if she was labeled "Rebellious" years ago and has never shaken the title, even though she bends over backward trying to please everyone.

On 9/27/2016 at 11:50 PM, Temperance said:

 

On 9/28/2016 at 2:14 AM, Maria Von Trapp said:

 

14 hours ago, Temperance said:

Jinger also flat out said she loves Jeremy. Jessa and particularly Jill were careful to save I love him for marriage. It goes along with the fundie "Don't give away pieces of your heart/save your heart for marriage" ideal. 

My memory is that Jill and Jessa said I love you, which surprised me. Anyone else remember?

11 hours ago, LittlePeas3 said:

 

 

5 hours ago, cereality said:

Right - it IS very hard to provide for 19 kids, which is one of many reasons that people - even fundies - don't have 19. Ben comes from a family of 7-8, as does Chad Paine, as does John Webster, Brandon Keilen, and Anna. At some point those families limited their child bearing and probably didn't actively try. If JB found it so hard to provide, he could've done that. Since he didn't care how the kids were provided for or effected and wanted fame and easy money, he went the TLC route - also his decision as headship. But why should TLC - a business - care? That's the parents' job. TLCs job is to make money, not to care that 12 yr old Jackson reads at preschool level and the older girls could benefit from therapy.

I grew up knowing a lot of no birth control families, and 7-12 kids was the norm. It didn't mean they were using birth control, but between the fact that many women don't get pregnant while breastfeeding, and some also have multiple miscarriages, that's a more typical number to have than 19. Of course, JB and Mechelle actively tried to have as many as possible, which is a step beyond simply not using birth control. 

[Vaysh]

Quote

My memory is that Jill and Jessa said I love you, which surprised me. Anyone else remember?

Yes, they both said it with varying degrees of conviction. I especially recall that cringe-worthy announcement of Jill's where she declared that she'd fallen in love with someone she'd never even met.

[louannems]

When Jana and Joy inspect the guest house, prior to "remodeling",  anyone notice how the camaras kept panning to the unmade bed.  When is a Duggar bed ever made up with sheets, blanket and topper?

[Absolom]

10 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Regarding the ratings, is there really any danger of it being cancelled?

No show lasts forever except the news type ones.  The Duggars were very close to cancellation before Jill's courtship and wedding.  TLC will give up the Duggars the minute that they aren't providing something that TLC wants or needs.  How long a show has been on does not figure into that decision.

11 hours ago, Missy Vixen said:

IMHO, but there really was no other (legal) way to provide for nineteen children.

Of course there is.  We have friends who have 15 kids and they are supporting them all.  Of course, they are also making sure that their kids get an education and they will go to college when they graduate from a real high school. 

11 hours ago, Missy Vixen said:

They're determined to stay in the $40K per week limelight

With all the issues with Josh and advertisers I would wager that TLC kept a tight hand on the checkbook for the new show so they probably aren't getting anything close to that.

[BitterApple]

It always annoys me how the Duggars act like a person with "only" 2 or 3 siblings won't know how to deal with a large family. Given that Jeremy's background is Italian Catholic, I guarantee he's been to celebrations involving a sizeable amount of relatives. I'm sure he's also attended a soccer banquet or two, so eating with a crowd isn't a foreign concept to him. The only difference is he probably didn't have half a dozen grimy, unbathed children pawing at him the second he walked in the door. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by BitterApple

[Natalie68]

14 hours ago, Missy Vixen said:

Here's a question: What would you do if you found you had a houseful of functionally illiterate children? They are NEVER going to be able to take care of themselves and will be taken advantage of the minute they are outside of the protective bubble their parents have forced on them.

Has this occurred to the production staff at TLC? Do they think it's cute and entertaining to exploit at least 9 children who will never be able to fend for themselves?

As soon as I read this I thought a new season of American Horror Story!  Maybe it would be too close to Children of the Corn.

Its a disservice to all those kids to keep them locked in illiteracy.  But most also aren't intellectually curious either.  Isn't sloth one of the deadly sins?  At least that is what I remember from Seven.

[Whyyouneedaname]

this was one of the worst episodes yet...I seriously fast forwarded through much of it.

[Evagirl]

25 minutes ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

this was one of the worst episodes yet...I seriously fast forwarded through much of it.

I did the same thing.  Unless it's about courting/dating, I find the other stuff pretty boring.  If Jana or Joy doesn't start courting next, it will be very boring after Jinger marries and leaves home.  I won't why don't they focus on the boys courting?  Surely out of all those boys over 16 years old, somebody wants to date.

I think the problem is that they don't date like mainstream America.  When they date they're actually looking for a life-long partner, so it kind of puts people off.   Heaven forbid if they try to date/court more than one person.  Focusing on the first person that comes along is very risky and can lead to a lifetime of unhappiness. 

[sometimesy]

From comments, this episode is like eavesdropping on boring people.

[graefin]

20 hours ago, LittlePeas3 said:

maybe J & A are in the shed out the back that Ben lived in. 

Why does everyone think they really sold the Siloam Springs house? I thought it was clear that "selling" it (to some entity unknown to the public) was just a move to try to protect Josh's assets from impending lawsuits. Actually, I would bet large amounts of money they still own it and that's where they are living.

[Arwen Evenstar]

Most boring episode.  Other than enjoying Spurgie's pudgy hands and feet, the rest of the episode was a waste of time.  Ben pretending to own that youth football idea made him look fake. Maybe the goodie bags were their idea. Seems like the kids enjoyed their day out, but I skipped thru most of that.

How much footage of Cringer curling her hair??? WTH????? Then talking about remodeling a house that really didn't look that bad on the inside, other than that mustard color. Jilly Muffin could keep the memories of Mustard Sweater alive in there. Why don't they clean up the TTH?

And those stupid questions and stupid answers. The bar is evidently very low at Duggar Academy since Chef Boy Ardee and Stouffer's lasagna is about the only Eye-talian food they really know about. Their inability to get most of the football questions right kind of made me sad. Though I've never been a big football fan, I went to a university that was big on football, and watched the Dallas Cowboys games with my dad. It's the fact that they aren't allowed to watch TV that makes them so awkward and their lack of participation in mainstream culture is glaring and downright pitiable.

Jessa saying that Josie would make a good water boy seemed like a very insensitive thing to say about a child who by all accounts appears to be cognitively and fine motor skills challenged.  All I can think of is Adam Sandler in The Water Boy and some children with Down's syndrome are water boys as a way to feel included.

[Missy Vixen]

13 hours ago, cereality said:

But why should TLC - a business - care? That's the parents' job. TLCs job is to make money, not to care that 12 yr old Jackson reads at preschool level and the older girls could benefit from therapy.

2

Mods, if this has to be moved to the TLC forum, I get it and thank you.

This is IMHO, but I've been stewing on this for a little while. Remember the good old days when TLC found themselves in the midst of a firestorm because four of their programs had to be shelved or scrapped due to their refusal to perform routine background checks on their "stars" and the inevitable arrests/highly publicized flameouts? I realize that every business is looking to make money, but I had to laugh at the carefully orchestrated PR move of producing a special on sexual assault (that ran at 10 PM Labor Day weekend), insisting that they cared about the fate of the two (and counting) families caught in the midst, bla bla bla. Shorter TLC: Of course we care! How quickly can we get these shows back onto the schedule?

I realize that most viewers have no idea how uneducated the vast number of Duggar children are. They also don't care that these kids have most likely been coerced into continuing by both parents and TV network because it's beneficial for both sides. I wonder how palatable it would be for those same trainwreck viewers if they had any idea of the true cost of greedy parents and conscience free executives. This is the reason laws governing minors working in television were implemented; one has to wonder how those laws have been circumvented over the past 10+ years since any minor's school day is required and spelled out in those laws.

Is there an on-set monitor to ensure the nine younger Duggars and their parents comply with those laws? If not, why not?

[Missy Vixen]

2 hours ago, graefin said:

Why does everyone think they really sold the Siloam Springs house? I thought it was clear that "selling" it (to some entity unknown to the public) was just a move to try to protect Josh's assets from impending lawsuits. Actually, I would bet large amounts of money they still own it and that's where they are living.

 

That address was splashed all over the media. One would like to think that KJB might have a shred of concern for his grandchildren's safety at the least, but I wonder about this as well.

[Absolom]

54 minutes ago, Missy Vixen said:

This is the reason laws governing minors working in television were implemented; one has to wonder how those laws have been circumvented over the past 10+ years since any minor's school day is required and spelled out in those laws.

The laws you are talking about are only in effect in a few states.  Arkansas is not one of them.  Reality TV producers try to use the fiction that they are not producing scripted TV but rather documentaries.

[farmgal4]

4 hours ago, sometimesy said:

From comments, this episode is like eavesdropping on boring people.

I agree!  I never watch this show; I just come here to enjoy the snark every week.  Just from reading these comments, it's apparent that this episode must have been the most boring episode in the history of boring episodes, and that's really saying something, considering how boring this family is in general.  Can you imagine how dull this family's life must be on a day to day basis?  

[SongbirdHollow]

11 hours ago, Vaysh said:

Yes, they both said it with varying degrees of conviction. I especially recall that cringe-worthy announcement of Jill's where she declared that she'd fallen in love with someone she'd never even met.

Every time I think of that scene, I hear Savage Garden in the background...

I knew I loved you before I met you...I think I dreamed you into life...

[Churchhoney]

3 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

 It's the fact that they aren't allowed to watch TV that makes them so awkward and their lack of participation in mainstream culture is glaring and downright pitiable.

 

And, you know, this wouldn't really be a bad thing if they instead were enthusiastic sculptors or ran barefoot marathons through the deserted countryside or had a small organic farm in their backyard or did mental math contests for fun or something. The tragedy is that they aren't part of the popular world but they aren't part of any other world that has actual content, either.

The only world they're part of is a world of negativity -- don't do this, don't do that, don't talk to those people, don't think those things..... It's all boring, bleak and empty and therefore stupid. Aside from all the Jesus talk -- which is parrot talk as far as I can see -- they have no sources of inspiration in their lives, and that's what makes them seem like old fuddy duddy people at the same time as they're frighteningly immature for their ages. Dull as dishwater for life is what they're likely to be, I think. Which is really sad.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Churchhoney

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, Missy Vixen said:

Mods, if this has to be moved to the TLC forum, I get it and thank you.

This is IMHO, but I've been stewing on this for a little while. Remember the good old days when TLC found themselves in the midst of a firestorm because four of their programs had to be shelved or scrapped due to their refusal to perform routine background checks on their "stars" and the inevitable arrests/highly publicized flameouts? I realize that every business is looking to make money, but I had to laugh at the carefully orchestrated PR move of producing a special on sexual assault (that ran at 10 PM Labor Day weekend), insisting that they cared about the fate of the two (and counting) families caught in the midst, bla bla bla. Shorter TLC: Of course we care! How quickly can we get these shows back onto the schedule?

I realize that most viewers have no idea how uneducated the vast number of Duggar children are. They also don't care that these kids have most likely been coerced into continuing by both parents and TV network because it's beneficial for both sides. I wonder how palatable it would be for those same trainwreck viewers if they had any idea of the true cost of greedy parents and conscience free executives. This is the reason laws governing minors working in television were implemented; one has to wonder how those laws have been circumvented over the past 10+ years since any minor's school day is required and spelled out in those laws.

Is there an on-set monitor to ensure the nine younger Duggars and their parents comply with those laws? If not, why not?

The laws are state by state. Here;s the US DOL's summary of Arkansas'. They basically put it on the parents, looks like, and since Arkansas also has very parent-power-heavy homeschooling laws, there's pretty much nothing here to enforce or monitor as far as I can see -- Once the parent signs, they're good to go.

"11-12-104-A child under 16 employed in the entertainment industry must have a permit and the written consent of a parent or guardian for issuance of the permit; written statement from principal as to academic standing of child;"

https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/childentertain.htm

Edited September 30, 2016 by Churchhoney

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, Churchhoney said:

And, you know, this wouldn't really be a bad thing if they instead were enthusiastic sculptors or ran barefoot marathons through the deserted countryside or had a small organic farm in their backyard or did mental math contests for fun or something. The tragedy is that they aren't part of the popular world but they aren't part of any other world that has actual content, either.

The only world they're part of is a world of negativity -- don't do this, don't do that, don't talk to those people, don't think those things..... It's all boring, bleak and empty and therefore stupid. Aside from all the Jesus talk -- which is parrot talk as far as I can see -- they have no sources of inspiration in their lives, and that's what makes them seem like old fuddy duddy people at the same time as they're frighteningly immature for their ages. Dull as dishwater for life is what they're likely to be, I think. Which is really sad.

Oh come on Churchie, they have their beloved BIBLE BOWL, although I don't remember any pictures of Duggars there in years. I think the last I saw were the Smuggars with the FabWallers maybe 4 years ago this holiday season, ie when the Smugs were in DC. I'm pretty sure I remember pictures of Marcus and Paul crawling/toddling around a Christmas tree somewhere in Virginia. 

Edited September 30, 2016 by Sew Sumi
grammar matters

[luvmylabs]

Isn't it true that the Duggars stopped playing broom ball when it was no longer free?  I can't remember the actual circumstances.  One of the girls said they loved broom ball.

[Absolom]

Yes, Jim Bob couldn't stand to pay for it so they had to quit.  Never mind that the money was needed to keep the rink operating.

[CarolMK]

Wow. everyone really hated this episode. Jeremy and Jinger better reveal their wedding plans quickly before the entire audience is bored to death.

[fuzzylollipop]

What a snoozefest! Way too much Ben and that god awful sub "urban" football camp. 

All I could concentrate on this episode was how crispy and unhealthy Jinger's hair looked. 

I mean bad hair and Duggars kind of go hand in hand. The boys all have those receding hairlines from the moment they hit puberty. The girls all need to lose at least a foot of hair and get rid of those curls circa 2003. And don't even get me started on Mechelle and Boob's hair helmets. But Jinger's really stands out because it's not just horrendously styled like the rest of them, but it looks so dry and lifeless. I almost think it's worse when she straightens it because then it's really obvious. The banana curls she was working on actually look better. I'm hoping she breaks the mold and does an updo for that mop for the wedding. 

I can't believe I just wrote an entire paragraph on Cringers banana crunch hair. But you know the show is boring when there's not even anything to snark on. Plus it was really distracting during her talking heads, it's like the hair becomes it's own character on this show.

But seriously, I want to give Jinger a makeover so bad! A nice and modern bob cut until healthy hair grows out, a lesson in the "less is more" make-up handbook. Jeremy, help her!

Edited September 30, 2016 by fuzzylollipop