S04.E02: Immaculate Misconception

[Maggienolia]

Okay. Just finished the episode and reading comments and here's my 2 cents: 

Faked or not, the "mother/daughter" talk Babs had with Whitney was priceless. Go Babs! And really, Twit, your mother is there telling you in no uncertain terms that she loves and accepts you whether you are straight, bi, lesbian, or whatever and all you can do is make that face and act like it's the most SCANDALOUS thing in the world for her to use the term "bi" instead of saying "bisexual" (and I LOVED Babs th "I don't know if it's hyphenated or not"... uh-huh. Twit underestimates how sharp her momma is, and sometimes her momma plays into it). The comment of Whit not FITTING in the closet wasn't lost on me either... Babs has some claws when she wants to. This is someone I'd love to take to lunch and say "Okay, just between us, dish." You KNOW that would be fun! 

Buddy. Despite his flaws and times he's been a jerk, I felt kinda bad for him in the episode.

-He was supportive of Twit when she told him she the pregnancy news. It may have been a little awkwardly done, but he was trying to be a good friend and be supportive of her.

-At least he is HONEST and AWARE of his need to lose weight and get healthier. And since when does expressing that he feels (bad, unhealthy, like a "wooly mammoth" didn't he say?) and that he is growing more concerned about his health and the desire to do something about it rather than just buying bigger clothes = "I hate my body"???? He didn't say he hated his BODY but he did clearly express that he doesn't like feeling like crap all the time and not being able to breathe well and having the fear of a heart attack before he's 42. His concerns were all focused around his HEALTH (HER big catch-word) not about the aesthetics of weight. But wait - if he actually DID start eating better and exercising and MAKING those changes to IMPROVE his health... hmmm... that would cast a pretty sharp contrast on ole Twit. Can't have THAT. Oh. No. Good for Buddy for being that self-aware that he is at least to the point where he wants to try and make changes. AND GOES TO THE F*ING YOGA CLASS! And Kudos to him for FINISHING the f*ing yoga class. No, he should never have started out with a hot yoga class (even a beginners one) but he did TRY and do what he could and when he had to step outside (I had to do that too the first time I took a Bikram's class) he didn't just sit outside and wait for Tal to finish - he went back in and finished the class. Maybe he hated it and maybe he'll never try another yoga class, but props for going and sticking it out. And he did it with a pretty good attitude too. He even says that he felt like a "bull in a china shop" but you see him trying and even laughing a little (at himself of the situation) and being a good sport about the whole thing. That's WAY more than Twit would have done!! 

-In the bar, when Twit walks in and he "announces" her... is it just me or did he sound a little salty there? Like "ooooo, everybody, it's the Big Fat Fabulous Whitney! Bow down" in a really sarcastic kind of way. Move out, Buddy!! Move on!!! Go get healthy!! You can do it!! You have the potential to be a really likable guy!! Get away from the black hole that is Twit before it's too late!!! 

Lennie. Oh, Lennie. Bless your heart. Good on you for asking those questions when confronted with the news of her alleged pregnancy. She's proven she's got a little of the stalker/crazy girlfriend in her ("you called me 10 times?!?") so yes, fair questions. And kudos for being a mensch about the news and the comment "what are WE going to do?". Well, okay, kudos to him OR to the writers who had the presence of mind to paint him in a slightly less -as Buddy put it- "punk b*tch" light.  Total agreement with all of you who have posted that it's crappy of her to tell him she's "pregnant" based solely on a (few) home test(s). And was it me, or did two of them look totally blank? Whatevs. And did she not look totally aghast in the preview when he talks about finding a crib on Craigslist? IF there is a child from this (please God no, have mercy on the potential child!) AND it's Lennie's (I'd insist on a DNA test to prove paternity if I were him) then I hope he steps up and does the right thing by the child but for the love of God and all that is holy, RUN as fast and far from Twit as you can! The TLC checks may be good but they can't be that good! 

NC Folk Festival invite: gotta be fake. There is NOTHING remotely FOLK about her faux-zumba pseudo-class. And yes... the "my dance career" comment had me almost gagging. Uh-huh. Yeah, I can hear the cries of despair from the artistic directors of the ABT, Bolshoi, and Paris Opera Ballets that this might mean a derailment of your *stellar* [cough cough gag] dance career. Sigh. Oh Twit, the delusions are so strong with you. Did anyone catch in the first episode of the season (I think it was that one) where she talks about Tal joining the class and that they (I think she actually said "none of US") weren't real dancers - but not to tell her big girls that. So which is it? No, no. We all already know the answer to that one. 

Sorry for the long rant, just had to get that vent out. I don't know that I'll make it many more episodes into this sh*t show. The pregnancy storyline is just beyond the pale. And the touching the belly and the radio show and the vulgarity that seeps from every pore of her being. But so goes it in My Big Fat Fraudulent Life. 

[Brooklynista]

6 hours ago, Nowhere said:

Yeah but I doubt Buddy is willing. When she had that shower incident last season and needed Buddy to rub her back, he even said he was disgusted. 

Buddy can barely breathe when he's sitting still. I can't imagine him exerting enough energy to connect with Whitney's ladybits.  I can't imagine what his girlfriend does with him. Being overweight is one thing but even Buddy's coloring is off now and he's a sweaty mess.

[Alapaki]

On 1/31/2017 at 9:26 PM, MegD said:

She sure is acting like it's weeks before she goes to see the doctor to confirm that test. Did I hear Boo-bear correctly? Only the first one was "clear". The others were maybes? Also, it was overnight before he saw them. Don't they have to be read within a certain time to be accurate? The whole "I'm 3 days pregnant" and the belly rubbing is a little lot excessive.

Yes, she said that the darkest line was on the first test she took, and the subsequent ones were lighter.  That's not a good sign.  

Unfortunately I think Whitney's "fans" are going to do directly from "wow, I'm so happy for you!!!" to "awww, I'm so sorry!!!", without stopping to realize that all of her TH's, and a good many of what I believe are reenactments, were voluntarily done by her at a time when she knew that she'd never been pregnant.

And I'm sure the Dance Festival is bullshit.  But I loved Todd's reaction that demonstrated how truly incompetent, unprofessional, unqualified, and uncoordinated Whitney really is.

[mamadrama]

Less someone think I hated Whitney this week because she’s fat, here’s a running list of the things she did in this episode that pissed me off:

-         Grew self-righteously indignant when Buddy revealed very real concerns he has about his weight and health.

-         Got attitude with Todd for having other obligations that were equally, or more, important than her. Not everyone has to be up your ass all the time, Whitney.

-         Shamed her mother and put on an over-the-top act for viewers when Babs was trying to have an honest heart to heart that most gay and bi people would LOVE to have with their parents. (When my small, southern town friend came out to HIS parents, his dad chased him down the road with a shotgun.)

-         Once again exuded unprofessional behavior at the radio station when she revealed that she hadn’t bathed and then took off her top.

-         Once again showed her conceit and inflated sense of self-worth when she assumed Lennie was coming over for a booty call.

-         Told Lennie and Buddy that she was pregnant, and even let it play out at the radio station to an extent, before she had it confirmed. There was no reason to bring Lennie into it until she knew for sure. She just wanted attention.

-         Allowed TLC to drag the pregnancy storyline out even farther with her viewers. No, she doesn’t have a say in editing. However, the vaguebooking, the pictures of pregnancy tests, etc.-that’s all on HER.

[Snarklepuss]

I hardly feel like posting here anymore when everything about this show is fakety, fake, fake.  Please, even SHE would go straight to the doctor after those home test results!  If even people here on this board know about needing blood test confirmation because of PCOS false positives, I'm damned sure any doctor would know too.  This is just a cheap way to create a show plot out of absolutely NOTHING.  I feel like we've all been had and her actions on social media are confirming that.

She is not acting like any pregnant woman in anyone's reality, even hers.  She is detached and unemotional about it, which for me is an obvious clue that she is putting on an act, and a bad one at that.  If she really thought she was pregnant the entire WORLD would be sucked into it like it was THE most amazing, fantastic thing EVER.  Lennie never shows any affect either.  Some of that is his personality but it's really OTT on this show because he is just a very bad actor.  I am sure he is well aware that this is just a fake show plot and is selling out to it for more $$$.

Whitney has obviously drawn Roy into this farce, probably luring him in with money to participate in her little delusional charade about him.  Too bad he is mortifying himself on national TV for a few extra bucks.

Babs is trying to push the "I'm really a bad girl" envelope again with her bisexual admission.  Only most of us are like "who cares?", "yawn", and "next!".  This is not the 1980s, Babs.  Their interactions used to be funny.

Buddy's admission about not liking his body and being aware that he needs to do something for his health is the only real thing anymore on this show.  I feel for him and hope he gets his act together.  It's truly painful to watch him snore and huff and puff like that.  He is reminding me more and more of all the accounts about Henry VIII before he died.

[TurtlePower]

6 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I hardly feel like posting here anymore when everything about this show is fakety, fake, fake.  Please, even SHE would go straight to the doctor after those home test results!  If even people here on this board know about needing blood test confirmation because of PCOS false positives, I'm damned sure any doctor would know too.  This is just a cheap way to create a show plot out of absolutely NOTHING.  I feel like we've all been had and her actions on social media are confirming that.

She is not acting like any pregnant woman in anyone's reality, even hers.  She is detached and unemotional about it, which for me is an obvious clue that she is putting on an act, and a bad one at that.  If she really thought she was pregnant the entire WORLD would be sucked into it like it was THE most amazing, fantastic thing EVER.  Lennie never shows any affect either.  Some of that is his personality but it's really OTT on this show because he is just a very bad actor.  I am sure he is well aware that this is just a fake show plot and is selling out to it for more $$$.

Whitney has obviously drawn Roy into this farce, probably luring him in with money to participate in her little delusional charade about him.  Too bad he is mortifying himself on national TV for a few extra bucks.

Babs is trying to push the "I'm really a bad girl" envelope again with her bisexual admission.  Only most of us are like "who cares?", "yawn", and "next!".  This is not the 1980s, Babs.  Their interactions used to be funny.

Buddy's admission about not liking his body and being aware that he needs to do something for his health is the only real thing anymore on this show.  I feel for him and hope he gets his act together.  It's truly painful to watch him snore and huff and puff like that.  He is reminding me more and more of all the accounts about Henry VIII before he died.

I'm starting to feel the same way. For "reality" shows in general, this is when I begin to lose interest--when there are very fake storylines being pushed. I'm more interested in the actual day to day interactions of people, not fake stuff and bullshit bad fake stuff at that. 

Seein' this, TLC? This is when people get mad and stop watching. 

Edited February 2, 2017 by Runnergirl
Apostrophe abuse correction

[notyrmomma]

10 minutes ago, Runnergirl said:

I'm starting to feel the same way. For "reality" shows in general, this is when I begin to lose interest--when there are very fake storylines being pushed. I'm more interested in the actual day to day interactions of people, not fake stuff and bullshit bad fake stuff at that. 

Seein' this, TLC? This is when people get mad and stop watching. 

Yes, this.  If I wanted to watch a made up story, I would stay up to watch Closer to Home (which isn't half bad, but my TV time is very limited and I prefer real stories about real people).

Something else is bothering me though.  So I'm the type of person that always likes to be learning, which is why I prefer documentaries to scripted/sitcom type shows, as I said above.  I'm always researching something.  When I was in my early 20s when I was still trying to figure out who I was, I researched what it was like to be homosexual.  The one thing that stood out to me until this day is that real homosexual people want to make a life with (live with, have companionship with) someone of the same sex, not just have sex with them.  That's actually how I came to the conclusion that I was not a lesbian.  I would be so bored living with a woman for the rest of my life.  A lot of women get turned on by lesbian sex, but that doesn't make them a lesbian or bisexual.   Whitney is just a sexual opportunist.  She will do whatever gives her pleasure the quickest.  If I were homosexual, I would be offended that she called herself a lesbian just because she will screw anyone who is willing.

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I have to add - I think it's really tone deaf to pursue this storyline if it's a false positive. To drag it out week after week is gagalicious.

Let's assume she really did get a false positive - then take 1 ep to go to the doctor, discover it's false, talk about how PCOS patients get false positives, talk about her conflicted emotions about the news, etc. End of storyline.

If it's not false, and she winds up miscarrying, then again - don't drag it out! It is cruel. Use it as a chance to talk about how PCOS patients have staggering miscarriage rates, talk about what PCOS folks can do when they are trying to conceive to up their chances of the pregnancy sticking, talk about Whitney's emotions about losing the pregnancy, etc - but don't drag it out. 

[Just B]

18 minutes ago, goodbyeglittergirl said:

I have to add - I think it's really tone deaf to pursue this storyline if it's a false positive. To drag it out week after week is gagalicious.

Let's assume she really did get a false positive - then take 1 ep to go to the doctor, discover it's false, talk about how PCOS patients get false positives, talk about her conflicted emotions about the news, etc. End of storyline.

If it's not false, and she winds up miscarrying, then again - don't drag it out! It is cruel. Use it as a chance to talk about how PCOS patients have staggering miscarriage rates, talk about what PCOS folks can do when they are trying to conceive to up their chances of the pregnancy sticking, talk about Whitney's emotions about losing the pregnancy, etc - but don't drag it out. 

If Whitney was really pregnant, I think it would be leaked out by now and there would be no reason to keep it secret. We all know it's a false positive, so why on earth does TLC think it's appropriate in any way to drag it out.

She also posted a photo of her and Lennie with caption #thankful; they're looking like happy expecting parents to be. It's all becoming kind of sickening actually and we're being punked. 

[Cherrio]

39 minutes ago, notyrmomma said:

Whitney is just a sexual opportunist.  She will do whatever gives her pleasure the quickest.

I agree.     She really should find the closest government agency to indulge in as much "census" experiences as she can.

[okerry]

On 2/1/2017 at 11:26 AM, momofsquid said:

 

 

On 2/1/2017 at 1:25 PM, Fuzzysox said:

Who else thinks that the fake baby could have been Boo Bear's and not Lennie's?

Something tells me that Whit can't keep her pants on around any man and would sleep with anyone that was willing. 

Not all promiscuous people are narcissists - but virtually all narcissists are highly promiscuous (ask Google.) That's because sex - even, or maybe especially, with a stranger, provides instant attention and validation that you're desirable. Of course, it can also provide instant validation that you're just a disposable thing to be used, but that never seems to occur to a narcissist.

On 2/1/2017 at 1:57 PM, Brooklynista said:

AND! AND! You are not getting laid!!  That's the most important part of this equation. She SAYS she and Lennie got together 3x since they broke up but does he know that? His voice on that phone call was not the voice of a man who was thinking he was going to get some.  No, no.  That was the voice of "what is it now?".

LOLOLOL I think this is one of my favorite comments here, like, ever.

Edited February 2, 2017 by okerry

[okerry]

5 hours ago, notyrmomma said:

The one thing that stood out to me until this day is that real homosexual people want to make a life with (live with, have companionship with) someone of the same sex, not just have sex with them.  

***Excellent point. 

Whitney is just a sexual opportunist.  She will do whatever gives her pleasure the quickest.  If I were homosexual, I would be offended that she called herself a lesbian just because she will screw anyone who is willing.

I would add, " . . . whatever gives her pleasure, attention, and validation the quickest."

[honeydo7]

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's, who've all received tons of cash, after signing contracts allowing TLC to enter their homes  & film every nuance of their lives. Families who became overnight celebrities, making television appearances, doing magazine interviews, writing self-help books &  got used to getting "freebies," like pianos, designer duds for their kids, shopping sprees, VIP status at sporting events/ theme park excursions & all-expense paid vacations for their entire families?   I enjoy watching the show &  I say go for it girl!  Because as we all know , in the world of reality television nothing lasts forever!

[ClareWalks]

9 minutes ago, honeydo7 said:

 

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's, who've all received tons of cash, after signing contracts allowing TLC to enter their homes  & film every nuance of their lives.

 

Are you asking if we're upset with Whitney because she is paid by TLC to do the show? Because I don't think anyone faults her for that. I doubt she makes "tons of cash," though, it seems like she is struggling to get by since she needs roommates to pay her mortgage which is cosigned by her dad.

[Pachengala]

LOLOL welcome to the boards, Honeydo, have fun looking around. 

[EE2000]

On 1/31/2017 at 11:39 PM, Awfarmington said:

Is anyone curious why his pants (and possible man parts hanging out) were down while laying on the couch? I'm trying to think of a time I fell asleep and woke up with my pants down. Can't think of a single time. 

My husband can fall asleep and minutes later his pants can be down past his waist, but he tosses and turns and the poor man has a flat butt and nothing really stays up without a belt.         

[leighroda]

1 hour ago, honeydo7 said:

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's, who've all received tons of cash, after signing contracts allowing TLC to enter their homes  & film every nuance of their lives. Families who became overnight celebrities, making television appearances, doing magazine interviews, writing self-help books &  got used to getting "freebies," like pianos, designer duds for their kids, shopping sprees, VIP status at sporting events/ theme park excursions & all-expense paid vacations for their entire families?   I enjoy watching the show &  I say go for it girl!  Because as we all know , in the world of reality television nothing lasts forever!

I couldn't care less that she or anyone else for that matter is paid by TLC, I would never want to be on reality tv... but that's the wonderful thing about the world, not everyone thinks or feels the way I do.

My "Whitney bashing" comes into play when she is knowingly garnering attention/sympathy from a pregnancy that never happened. I don't care what she says about editing... nobody forced her to post anything on social media perpetuating the belief that she is in fact pregnant. It's common knowledge that you don't announce a pregnancy to others until it's been confirmed by a doctor, so to watch her carelessly turning all of these lives upside down by announcing she "is pregnant" is infuriating to me, and this is a website designed to vent that frustration. And maybe it's her prerogative if she wants to announce before it's confirmed, but at least throw these people a bone and let them know she hasn't seen a doctor yet... but she doesn't seem to care. Could it be producer driven? Sure... but what she does outside of the show is not really indicating that. 

Do I think the other shows you named are fame whores... yeah probably to some degree, but again what they choose to do to make money makes no difference to me, I'm the sap watching the shows... but, of the ones I've seen (I haven't watched all of them so I do t know) none of them have taken something this serious this far. There's always cliff hangers, but I've never seen a false positive pregnancy drug out this far, which is where I take offense.

[mamadrama]

1 hour ago, honeydo7 said:

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's

Yep. 

[Ocean Chick]

1 hour ago, honeydo7 said:

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's, who've all received tons of cash, after signing contracts allowing TLC to enter their homes  & film every nuance of their lives.

Never watched any of the others, but I'm sure I would.  If you're going to put it out there in the universe, then I'm entitled to my opinion of it.  I was hoping that Twit would be someone I could root for, but she's not.  But if you want to support her, have at it.

[SongbirdHollow]

2 hours ago, honeydo7 said:

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's, who've all received tons of cash, after signing contracts allowing TLC to enter their homes  & film every nuance of their lives. Families who became overnight celebrities, making television appearances, doing magazine interviews, writing self-help books &  got used to getting "freebies," like pianos, designer duds for their kids, shopping sprees, VIP status at sporting events/ theme park excursions & all-expense paid vacations for their entire families?   I enjoy watching the show &  I say go for it girl!  Because as we all know , in the world of reality television nothing lasts forever!

You forgot the Chrisleys. Yeah, I've called out all of them for being inauthentic. But Whitney's personality puts her at the top of the obnoxious list.

[zxy556575]

3 hours ago, honeydo7 said:

Wondering if you Whitney Basher's felt the same way about the Gosselins, Duggars, Roloffs,  the Honey Boo-Boo clan, the Jones family & now the Busby's, who've all received tons of cash, after signing contracts allowing TLC to enter their homes  & film every nuance of their lives.

Have you read those threads?  ;)

[AnJen]

19 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I hardly feel like posting here anymore when everything about this show is fakety, fake, fake.  

Agreed, but also I think that's the problem with reality tv; we know Whitney's dance class is fake because it's only done for the show, the radio station job is fake for the show, the baseball job was done just for the show...But that's because without all the fake storylines we'd be watching Whitney eat breakfast and sit around for several hours doing nothing. 

Most of us, even if we're unique in some aspect of our life, would be pretty boring to watch week after week on tv. If TLC decided to film my life it'd be like 40 hours a week of me sitting at my desk job, another 5 hours of me sitting in class, some more sitting while studying, going to bed by 10, walking up and doing it all over again. 

Which isn't to say my life is a bore, I certainly don't find it one, but it would be an absolute snooze-fest to watch unless it was fake in some way. 

The producers have run out of ways to keep Whitney interesting, because it's clear she's not willing to lose the weight. If she was, they'd pretty much have their story there: Whitney's workouts, her diet, her celebrating each milestone, her setbacks, her picking herself up and hopping back on the wagon, her slowly getting smaller and experiencing life at a lower weight, etc. Mundane things like shopping trips and restaurant visits would all be interesting through the lens of someone trying to lose almost 300lbs while still trying to live a normal life. 

Whitney isn't willing to lose weight, but they want to keep their jobs and keep making money, so they cobble together different stupid plots for her. Whitney gets a fake job! Whitney teaches a fake class! Whitney has a fake pregnancy! 

I wonder sometimes if the producers and editors are bitter about what the show has become. The first season seemed to me to be gearing towards becoming a weight loss show, but Whit wasn't willing to lose the weight, which became apparent early in season 2 when she "tried really hard" all summer and barely lost 3 measly pounds. At her weight, she could have lost 10 times that amount while still eating almost double what I eat in a day. 

I wonder sometimes if that's why there not bothering to show her in a positive light anymore; no one's making her be rude and crass and bitchy, so that must be Whit's genuine personality - either she hid it well in season 1 or they chose not to show it back then. I wonder if they're bitter about the show that could've been.

[mamadrama]

38 minutes ago, AnJen said:

 

The producers have run out of ways to keep Whitney interesting, because it's clear she's not willing to lose the weight.

I thought you were going to say, "Because it's clear that she's not interesting."

You're right about the storyline aspect-there's nothing really there without the fake stuff. 

Whitey Thore was an overweight woman who jiggled her junk a little on You Tube and appeared to have fun doing it. Good for her! She SHOULD be enjoying her life. However, that doesn't make her unique or interesting. Without employment, hobbies, physical activity, volunteering, or close friends there's just nothing THERE. They've had to create all of these things to give themselves something to film. Now THAT makes me feel bad for her. 

[princelina]

7 hours ago, EE2000 said:

My husband can fall asleep and minutes later his pants can be down past his waist, but he tosses and turns and the poor man has a flat butt and nothing really stays up without a belt.         

Haha remember Everybody Loves Raymond where Debra yells at Ray for pretending he can't put on a diaper; he retorts, "It's not my fault the kids have no hips!"  :)

22 hours ago, mamadrama said:

-         Shamed her mother and put on an over-the-top act for viewers when Babs was trying to have an honest heart to heart that most gay and bi people would LOVE to have with their parents. (When my small, southern town friend came out to HIS parents, his dad chased him down the road with a shotgun.)

I enjoyed your post even though I haven't watched - have to add here's why I hate her show that doesn't include her weight - Glenn and Babs, who I used to like, are full of shit and big fat liars too.  Does anyone believe she is really gay and not just making up shit for her show?  Or that her parents aren't in on it at this point?  (Bitch wrote a memoir about her fat sexy self - did it include lesbianism?  I haven't read the book but I think it would have been mentioned here if it did.)

21 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Lennie never shows any affect either.  Some of that is his personality but it's really OTT on this show because he is just a very bad actor.  I am sure he is well aware that this is just a fake show plot and is selling out to it for more $$$.

Whitney has obviously drawn Roy into this farce, probably luring him in with money to participate in her little delusional charade about him.  Too bad he is mortifying himself on national TV for a few extra bucks.

Lennie - yes.  Working at Michael's doesn't pay the bills on its own.  But I think Roy seems more surprised than the rest of us that he has been drawn into it this far!

1 hour ago, AnJen said:

Agreed, but also I think that's the problem with reality tv; we know Whitney's dance class is fake because it's only done for the show, the radio station job is fake for the show, the baseball job was done just for the show...But that's because without all the fake storylines we'd be watching Whitney eat breakfast and sit around for several hours doing nothing. 

Most of us, even if we're unique in some aspect of our life, would be pretty boring to watch week after week on tv. If TLC decided to film my life it'd be like 40 hours a week of me sitting at my desk job, another 5 hours of me sitting in class, some more sitting while studying, going to bed by 10, walking up and doing it all over again. 

Which isn't to say my life is a bore, I certainly don't find it one, but it would be an absolute snooze-fest to watch unless it was fake in some way. 

The producers have run out of ways to keep Whitney interesting, because it's clear she's not willing to lose the weight. If she was, they'd pretty much have their story there: Whitney's workouts, her diet, her celebrating each milestone, her setbacks, her picking herself up and hopping back on the wagon, her slowly getting smaller and experiencing life at a lower weight, etc. Mundane things like shopping trips and restaurant visits would all be interesting through the lens of someone trying to lose almost 300lbs while still trying to live a normal life. 

Whitney isn't willing to lose weight, but they want to keep their jobs and keep making money, so they cobble together different stupid plots for her. Whitney gets a fake job! Whitney teaches a fake class! Whitney has a fake pregnancy! 

I wonder sometimes if the producers and editors are bitter about what the show has become. The first season seemed to me to be gearing towards becoming a weight loss show, but Whit wasn't willing to lose the weight, which became apparent early in season 2 when she "tried really hard" all summer and barely lost 3 measly pounds. At her weight, she could have lost 10 times that amount while still eating almost double what I eat in a day. 

I wonder sometimes if that's why there not bothering to show her in a positive light anymore; no one's making her be rude and crass and bitchy, so that must be Whit's genuine personality - either she hid it well in season 1 or they chose not to show it back then. I wonder if they're bitter about the show that could've been.

The fact of the matter is that no matter how much we enjoy our lives, none of us are that interesting to others :).  There has to be some "hook" or "theme" to keep a reality show going.  I think this started with a combo of fat-girl-dancing/see-her-deal-with-PCOS.  So in comes Big Girl Dance Class - fine enough, it has a place on the show and I can see why it was conceived.  Also Whit being "invited" to dance in lesser festivals for something to film.  Then there were the doctors appointments and medical info about PCOS, which they HAD to know would turn into a show about weight loss, or at least following the doctors' recommendations and seeing what happens.  I'd bet money that at the time Whit thought it was a good thing that would motivate her to get her act together, even while she was singing the praises of loving her fat.  

But as it turned out, she wasn't ready to get down to business, so now she is employed in the main business of all addicts - blaming others and making excuses and fully expecting everyone in her world to comply.  And they are behaving accordingly.  Some don't want to argue with her at all, some don't want to shame her on TV, some fall for what she is saying and righteously defend her, and some are into the fame and $$ that come from their own "stardom" on her show.

At this point I think it's time to add a separate category - some have been hired to play her friends and don't give a shit about her anyway!  And that includes the producers and editors, who I think had a show in mind that she agreed to, and later, in her arrogance, told them off and shamed them for shaming her when they tried to discuss it.  I see them getting their revenge now :)

I started this to say that I can live with the fake that is part of reality shows if it fits in organically and make sense (in this case BGDC, some of her invites - like to present at her small college, or the dance party in California for the fat Irish guy), even the fake radio job.  But fake boyfriend Lennie is toeing the line, fake gayness a smidge further (especially when they introduce it with Donna - "my best friend" - really? Three seasons in and we've never met your BEST FRIEND?  Who apparently was mentioned in the book you wrote where you talked about all of your sex partners and never mentioned you were gay?) and fake pregnancy that drags on for 3+ episodes (esp. when SM lets us all know what's happening in real time) is just wrong.  And her parents going along with it - they all disgust me at this point.  Run, Buddy, run!  I liked you at one point!  

And kudos to the girl who left after two seasons - I don't know if Whit dumped you because you lost weight or because you wouldn't appear in a fake lesbian boob-massage scene with Glenn and Babs, but either way - you go girl!

[CarolMK]

How are the ratings for this show? Unless some major event happens, I'm not sure it'll last another season after this one airs. Doesn't seem to be much in the way of real new storylines. I guess they'll focus on Babs and how she is doing after her stroke but with Whitney, it'll just be more drama .

[Snarklepuss]

Speaking of her friend Donna, last season weren't there photos of her with Whitney on Facebook that made them look like they could be "more than friends"?  I seem to remember discussion about that on this board and elsewhere.  I thought the scene where Babs and Glenn find them in a provocative position in Whit's bed might have been contrived to address public "confusion" about that, supposedly head on.

[Minivanessa]

7 hours ago, CarolMK said:

How are the ratings for this show? Unless some major event happens, I'm not sure it'll last another season after this one airs. Doesn't seem to be much in the way of real new storylines. I guess they'll focus on Babs and how she is doing after her stroke but with Whitney, it'll just be more drama .

Ratings: 1.44 million viewers, ranks 20th in market share among 18-49 year olds for cable shows that night. Not bad numbers especially for TLC, I think. Whit's gravy train's gonna keep rolling for awhile yet.

[TurtlePower]

10 hours ago, AnJen said:

Agreed, but also I think that's the problem with reality tv; we know Whitney's dance class is fake because it's only done for the show, the radio station job is fake for the show, the baseball job was done just for the show...But that's because without all the fake storylines we'd be watching Whitney eat breakfast and sit around for several hours doing nothing. 

Most of us, even if we're unique in some aspect of our life, would be pretty boring to watch week after week on tv. If TLC decided to film my life it'd be like 40 hours a week of me sitting at my desk job, another 5 hours of me sitting in class, some more sitting while studying, going to bed by 10, walking up and doing it all over again. 

Which isn't to say my life is a bore, I certainly don't find it one, but it would be an absolute snooze-fest to watch unless it was fake in some way. 

The producers have run out of ways to keep Whitney interesting, because it's clear she's not willing to lose the weight. If she was, they'd pretty much have their story there: Whitney's workouts, her diet, her celebrating each milestone, her setbacks, her picking herself up and hopping back on the wagon, her slowly getting smaller and experiencing life at a lower weight, etc. Mundane things like shopping trips and restaurant visits would all be interesting through the lens of someone trying to lose almost 300lbs while still trying to live a normal life. 

Whitney isn't willing to lose weight, but they want to keep their jobs and keep making money, so they cobble together different stupid plots for her. Whitney gets a fake job! Whitney teaches a fake class! Whitney has a fake pregnancy! 

I wonder sometimes if the producers and editors are bitter about what the show has become. The first season seemed to me to be gearing towards becoming a weight loss show, but Whit wasn't willing to lose the weight, which became apparent early in season 2 when she "tried really hard" all summer and barely lost 3 measly pounds. At her weight, she could have lost 10 times that amount while still eating almost double what I eat in a day. 

I wonder sometimes if that's why there not bothering to show her in a positive light anymore; no one's making her be rude and crass and bitchy, so that must be Whit's genuine personality - either she hid it well in season 1 or they chose not to show it back then. I wonder if they're bitter about the show that could've been.

Even at my job, which can be exciting at times (emergency response/public safety). There'd be quite a bit of time waiting for an emergency to occur, especially in winter. 

In regards to Whitney, the show I wanted to see was one in which Whitney set out on a journey to better health despite the challenges she faces--so the direction this show is heading has me likely to drop it. I was hoping to see her with her trainer a lot, working on her nutrition even though it's hard for her, actually DOING her "dance" class and so on. Instead Whitney has been injured, sick, insufferable, whiny and unwilling. 

I wonder how long this circus is contracted for because it's become SO. DAMN. STOOPID. If it gets any more stupid I'm pulling the pug on this one, I just can't take the uber fake.

[SongbirdHollow]

So if nobody is that interesting why do these shows have to go on season after season? Just end it and move on to the next person with a story. Don't pretend things are happening and expect us to believe it's reality. 

[leighroda]

3 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Ratings: 1.44 million viewers, ranks 20th in market share among 18-49 year olds for cable shows that night. Not bad numbers especially for TLC, I think. Whit's gravy train's gonna keep rolling for awhile yet.

I know TLC doesn't care because ratings are ratings, but it annoys me because this fake pregnancy storyline is the only reason the ratings are what they are, without this storyline there's no way that many people would be interested in her usually routine.

[MegD]

12 hours ago, mamadrama said:

13 hours ago, AnJen said:

 

The producers have run out of ways to keep Whitney interesting, because it's clear she's not willing to lose the weight.

I thought you were going to say, "Because it's clear that she's not interesting."

You're right about the storyline aspect-there's nothing really there without the fake stuff. 

Whitey Thore was an overweight woman who jiggled her junk a little on You Tube and appeared to have fun doing it. Good for her! She SHOULD be enjoying her life. However, that doesn't make her unique or interesting. Without employment, hobbies, physical activity, volunteering, or close friends there's just nothing THERE. They've had to create all of these things to give themselves something to film.

The longer this goes on, the more I'm reminded of the show Ruby. Ruby came up with this "I don't remember the terrible things that happened to me and made me fat" storyline in the third (I think) and fourth seasons before it got cancelled. She also did the "see how hard I'm working out, it's not my fault I'm fat" thing too. If Whit starts with the cutesy words, I'm done.

[M.F. Luder]

I kind of think that Whitney has the potential to be interesting just living a normal life. Even with all her faults, she has an engaging personality and she has a great set of friends. Her relationship with her parents has potential for a lot of comedy and also sincere emotion. The generation divide, as well as her father's clear love for her and his anxiety about her life decisions can bring a lot of real, relatable drama that could make compelling TV. They could have Whitney really examine whether she wants to ever be a biological mother or not, have her explore her fertility options in a real way, they could have her have a genuine conversation with her dad about how she sometimes feels judged (or whatever) by his desire for her to follow a traditional life path, etc. To me, I would much rather see Whitney explore real-life issues that a 30+ year old woman has (even if mundane) rather than roommate issues, fake dance competitions, fake crushes, etc. that are more consistent with the issues that a 20 year old has and are just as mundane.

[yogi2014L]

14 minutes ago, M.F. Luder said:

I kind of think that Whitney has the potential to be interesting just living a normal life. Even with all her faults, she has an engaging personality and she has a great set of friends. Her relationship with her parents has potential for a lot of comedy and also sincere emotion. The generation divide, as well as her father's clear love for her and his anxiety about her life decisions can bring a lot of real, relatable drama that could make compelling TV. They could have Whitney really examine whether she wants to ever be a biological mother or not, have her explore her fertility options in a real way, they could have her have a genuine conversation with her dad about how she sometimes feels judged (or whatever) by his desire for her to follow a traditional life path, etc. To me, I would much rather see Whitney explore real-life issues that a 30+ year old woman has (even if mundane) rather than roommate issues, fake dance competitions, fake crushes, etc. that are more consistent with the issues that a 20 year old has and are just as mundane.

I totally agree. 

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, M.F. Luder said:

I kind of think that Whitney has the potential to be interesting just living a normal life. Even with all her faults, she has an engaging personality and she has a great set of friends. Her relationship with her parents has potential for a lot of comedy and also sincere emotion. The generation divide, as well as her father's clear love for her and his anxiety about her life decisions can bring a lot of real, relatable drama that could make compelling TV. They could have Whitney really examine whether she wants to ever be a biological mother or not, have her explore her fertility options in a real way, they could have her have a genuine conversation with her dad about how she sometimes feels judged (or whatever) by his desire for her to follow a traditional life path, etc. To me, I would much rather see Whitney explore real-life issues that a 30+ year old woman has (even if mundane) rather than roommate issues, fake dance competitions, fake crushes, etc. that are more consistent with the issues that a 20 year old has and are just as mundane.

The problem I see is that Whitney is a petulant, immature, selfish, irresponsible, self-centered, lazy, oafish person whose mental growth appears stunted. 

If you envision a show with this as the format - you will have to have a casting call because Whitney certainly is not the above.

[M.F. Luder]

18 minutes ago, PsychoKlown said:

The problem I see is that Whitney is a petulant, immature, selfish, irresponsible, self-centered, lazy, oafish person whose mental growth appears stunted. 

If you envision a show with this as the format - you will have to have a casting call because Whitney certainly is not the above.

Haha! You're right about that. I guess that's why I watch this show for the snark value rather than any genuine interest in Whitney's life.

[mamadrama]

From here on out I am going to start referring to people on this show as "characters." 

So the character of Whitney could really use a rewrite. Her over-the-top reactions (that pearl-clutching, open-mouth "oh" she does when she's pretending to be shocked) are getting old. Were viewers meant to believe she was surprised to be having a sexuality talk with her mother, when Whitney herself will talk about sex with anyone and their brother? You can't even mention her weight without being accused of fat shaming but SHE can shame the character of her mother for having a reasonable talk about sexuality. (And she can shame the character of Todd for having a life outside of her, shame the character of Buddy for being legitimately concerned about his body and health, can shame the comedienne for her drinking, etc.) 

As we have said before, it's not about no body shame-it's about walking around on eggshells not to make Whitney upset. 

[gonecrackers]

With the dance class I noticed them greeting each other as people who hadn't seen each other for quite a while. After learning here that the 'class' doesn't happen unless they're filming, it made sense.

Also, if Todd really does live in NY, then maybe he was just getting back which is why he was 'late'. He also greeted everyone & everyone greeted him like they hadn't seen each other for a while too.

Do they even pretend it's an actual class & that Todd lives there?  I haven't followed it closely enough to tell.

[Tabbygirl521]

Are we actually to believe that Glen can't handle the idea of her being a single mom, but he is A-OK with all the crass behavior she puts out week after week? 

[MegD]

34 minutes ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

Are we actually to believe that Glen can't handle the idea of her being a single mom, but he is A-OK with all the crass behavior she puts out week after week? 

Sadly, that is believable, at least to me. I know someone who makes Whitney look shy (I know way too much about her life) and who's about the same age, her parents are fine with that behavior. However, if she showed up knocked up and unwed? They'd flip. Crass can be ignored, but kids can't be. It's the quirks of Southerners of a certain age.

[auntjess]

I see there really is a https://nationalfolkfestival.com/ in Greensboro in September.
The only role I can see for the dance class is that a TV show will be allowed to shoot a segment during the festival. 
Nothing on who the performers will be yet.

[unoiamacutie]

What's ironic about that radio show scene is that in the previous season when Roy was sending her those texts she said that she saw him as a little brother. Now she's getting offended that he didn't like her like she hoped and that he was in a relationship. *sigh*

[Ketzel]

8 hours ago, auntjess said:

I see there really is a https://nationalfolkfestival.com/ in Greensboro in September.
The only role I can see for the dance class is that a TV show will be allowed to shoot a segment during the festival. 
Nothing on who the performers will be yet.

The National Folk Festival is a very well-established event, and has been for years. But Whitney must have been referring to the September 2016 festival, no? She said the invitation was "last minute" and she didn't have any choreography or costumes planned, when she told the class and Todd they were going.  So I'm guessing she wasn't referring to the September 2017 event which is still eight months away.

Edited to add: Hah! I knew the whole thing was fake. There was no way Whitney would have been invited as an actual performer in such a prestigious event specifically dedicated to preserving and sharing folk music and dance traditions! Here's a news clip - notice third line of the article!

Edited February 4, 2017 by Ketzel

[TurtlePower]

1 hour ago, Ketzel said:

The National Folk Festival is a very well-established event, and has been for years. But Whitney must have been referring to the September 2016 festival, no? She said the invitation was "last minute" and she didn't have any choreography or costumes planned, when she told the class and Todd they were going.  So I'm guessing she wasn't referring to the September 2017 event which is still eight months away.

Edited to add: Hah! I knew the whole thing was fake. There was no way Whitney would have been invited as an actual performer in such a prestigious event specifically dedicated to preserving and sharing folk music and dance traditions! Here's a news clip - notice third line of the article!

Just, wow. Guess we shouldn't be surprised she faked this as well. Is anything about her life accurate or true?

[goofygirl]

Good detective work on the National Folk Festival, ketzel.     Just found the whole "pregnancy" foolish and totally unbelievable.  The fact that TLC seems to be showing in previews that the joke is going  to continue for a while, kinda makes me sick.  I wish they'd just go ahead and tell the frickin' truth.

Edited February 4, 2017 by goofygirl
I can't type!

[Maggienolia]

23 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

Are we actually to believe that Glen can't handle the idea of her being a single mom, but he is A-OK with all the crass behavior she puts out week after week? 

It's probably more the fear of her being a single mom moving back in with her parents and them having to raise their grandchild because the single mom has defaulted on her mortgage and can't be bothered with a baby - someone who will NEED attention FROM her and not GIVE attention TO her. 

[Maggienolia]

8 hours ago, Ketzel said:

The National Folk Festival is a very well-established event, and has been for years. But Whitney must have been referring to the September 2016 festival, no? She said the invitation was "last minute" and she didn't have any choreography or costumes planned, when she told the class and Todd they were going.  So I'm guessing she wasn't referring to the September 2017 event which is still eight months away.

Edited to add: Hah! I knew the whole thing was fake. There was no way Whitney would have been invited as an actual performer in such a prestigious event specifically dedicated to preserving and sharing folk music and dance traditions! Here's a news clip - notice third line of the article!

The fakery is just becoming so pathetically obvious! From the moment she mentioned the "invite" I kept thinking Why would the National FOLK Festival invite a (basically) big girl zumba class to perform (Has Zumba been moved into the canon of American Folk dance??) and Why would they wait until the last minute to do so (not being a fly-by-night, sh*t-show kind of festival, but a well-established and well-run one) and Don't performers have to apply to be festivals like this and are then selected? Unless you are some really famous, expert in the area of the festival where you might be approached/invited to be a headliner or something (and Twit is NONE of those -even in zumba) - none -NONE- N-O-N-E of it added up for me. The News clip Ketzel shared explains it all. Makes perfect sense now. Just kinda sad that the NFF allowed TLC to make sound like Twit had been invited and was being a part of the festival. 

[leighroda]

I wonder if they didn't like that she implied that she was invited for the actual festival and that's why they were sure to state that she was not part of the festival.

[Ketzel]

My guess is that TLC approached the National Folk Festival organizers, offered a donation, and asked if they could use their outdoor stage set-up to film an episode of MBFFL before the Festival actually opened.  I am quite sure it would never have occurred to the NFF organizers that the show would pretend that Whitney and Company had been invited to participate in the actual Festival.   It's such an outrageous thing to do, to deliberately misrepresent yourself as sponsored and endorsed by the Festival when you know perfectly well you weren't.  (At least as bad as pretending you came in second in a prestigious ballroom competition, when you actually weren't even eligible to enter, because the real competition was limited to amateur couples and, weak as their dancing is, Todd and Whitney are technically professionals.)

[Stripper Glitter]

On 1/31/2017 at 7:32 PM, leighroda said:

Generally, I could see mayyyybe a week for a normal pregnancy, I think in general they try to get you in asap because whether or not you are pregnant is kinda a big deal, however, Whitney would be high risk right off the bat, between pcos/weight/and prediabetes... so I don't believe they would be so relaxed about getting a definitive answer... I'm not a ob expert though, so I could be wrong.

My youngest is almost 7. My OB didn't see me until the end of the first trimester. Generally a long as you're taking prenatals and don't have any extenuating circumstances there's no reason to be seen until 11-12 wks.

[ClareWalks]

4 hours ago, Stripper Glitter said:

My youngest is almost 7. My OB didn't see me until the end of the first trimester. Generally a long as you're taking prenatals and don't have any extenuating circumstances there's no reason to be seen until 11-12 wks.

That is usually true, but Whitney has several extenuating circumstances. She would be seen early, I'm sure. Especially since she almost never gets periods normally and her hormones are a disaster.