S04.E05: Craig Of All Trades, Master Of None

[LIMOM]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

They talked about living rent free in the old house, this house is also owned by her parents.

If so girlfriend needs to stop being on her high horse. Yes, Craig is not the most focused individual however he has zero responsibility and he is kind, which goes a long way in my mind.

So he hasn't find his way yet, for now he is a bravo celebrity.

Passing the bar demonstrates that he, at least is intellectually solid.

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, LIMOM said:

f so girlfriend needs to stop being on her high horse

To me it gives her even more reason since it's her family that he is living off of while pursuing a gazillion interests and making decisions like buying a house and starting a clothing line without bothering to mention it to her.

[LIMOM]

4 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

To me it gives her even more reason since it's her family that he is living off of while pursuing a gazillion interests and making decisions like buying a house and starting a clothing line without bothering to mention it to her.

Nope.

I bet you that he is the one paying the social outings and the groceries.

Who pays the cable, electrics and the like?

It is not her money so if her parents feel otherwise, it is up to them to ask for money. However, I think that they know that Naomie got a decent man...

While, I don't think that he is god's gift to the world, he is employed (bravo) he cooks, gardens and even sews.

And on the shallow end, he is total eye candy.

[RedHawk]

Just now, biakbiak said:

To me it gives her even more reason since it's her family that he is living off of while pursuing a gazillion interests and making decisions like buying a house and starting a clothing line without bothering to mention it to her.

I don't see evidence that he's "living off" her family. Maybe last season when they lived rent-free at the first house, but are her parents paying all the bills? I doubt it. We see him driving a Porsche. I think that was hers, or he could afford to lease it now that he's making good money on the show.

Craig and Naomie aren't married so he can buy a house without her permission or agreement. Yes, he should have mentioned it sooner, maybe she's so busy studying and he's so busy with all his things that it didn't come up until then. Seemed like he decided to buy a house  (to use for rental income, I think) and expected Cam to find one for him in a few days. He's impetuous, and I can see how that upsets Naomie at this point in Craig's life, though perhaps now in real time he's proven himself. We'll see.

[robroy]

I have to 100% agree with Corter on dealing with addicts. I had a long term close friend nearly brought down 3 marriages, hurt many relatives and frayed multiple friendships with their addiction. And it took 2 separate rehabs (the first was a forced one that failed spectacularly) and the threat of losing their children to get in order. It was a painful learning lesson for several of us. And the truth is not a damned one of us were of any help. We were not trained nor had we personally overcome addictions. You have to want to be sober, commit to a process and follow through. Its not like removing a wart- the addict has to buy into their treatment and then apply themselves to maintaining on a daily basis. I can't truly blame Thomas because he is pretty much an addict himself and one person cannot answer for someone else's sobriety beyond not giving them drugs or enabling. The last thing one addict needs is to become enmeshed with a second.

And from that scene at lunch- part of me wonders if Kathryn's real problem isn't that drugs are medicating or masking some form of mental illness. I have a friend (although not as close as the person above) who recently has gone off the deep end on us. Our friend who is in recovery (that's what they call rehab and the continued process of staying sober) reached out to an interventionist. He assessed the overall situation and said this was going to be a very difficult case because he thinks the second friend was suffering from a mental illness as the root problem. The friend in recovery is very leery because even 3 years in there is still the basic disposition to redevelop addiction. And to be honest- Kathryn is better without Thomas because they obviously say/do things that are huge triggers for the other.

As much as Thomas is a douche, he is a reasonably sober douche. And he has taken the basic steps to be a primary parent to those children. Kathryn is too wrapped up in her own head to achieve either of those.

And while I'm glad for Craig that he passed the bar- that change in ownership at CSOL doesn't have a single thing to do with him not completing his thesis. I have a good friend who works for that school and they had classes/admitted students/held graduations/had SC Bar prep classes through the entire fiasco. He really is a bit of a dilatant. I'm glad be loves a hobby and has a charitable side but if he & Naomi are going to work out he needs to develop some discipline and she needs to learn to roll with the punches a bit more. I also think there is no reason for him to drive a 50-80k Porsche (not sure if that is the larger or smaller SUV.) That payment alone would have gotten him into rental property ownership 2 years ago.

And on the car front- whoever mentioned a lot of old Jeeps drew a chuckle out of me. I actually have the same model as Kathryn but one of the higher trim levels and recognized Shep's as the oldest of the lot. In Shep's case it kinda fits his profile- spend your $ on housing, activities and vacations, not a vehicle to impress people you do not know.

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

don't see evidence that he's "living off" her family. Maybe last season when they lived rent-free at the first house

Well if they were living rent free at the first house which was like twice the size and on the water I see no reason to think they arent doing it this season at the house that they are living at now.

I never said that she was paying all the bills. Just that it's not to much to ask if he wants a career in law and what his future plans are when he keeps going from one thing to another and tells her she is acting stupid and ignorant when she asks him specific questions.

[RedHawk]

1 minute ago, LIMOM said:

It is not her money so if her parents feel otherwise, it is up to them to ask for money. However, I think that they know that Naomie got a decent man...

Agreed, and Naomie is getting a Bravo check now as well, so why would her parents be supporting them both financially? (Maybe they pay for her education and her car and insurance, but not other expenses now that she's "working".) She and Craig at an age where they'd likely be much happier to be independent of parental control by paying their own way.

[Major Bigtime]

4 hours ago, corter20 said:

Thomas eggs on a lot of things that make Kathryn react

The sun coming up would egg on Kathryn if she thought Thomas was responsible for it not rising soon enough. I really felt badly for Jennifer during that scene, I felt only disgust for Kathryn.

[robroy]

11 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

Agreed, and Naomie is getting a Bravo check now as well, so why would her parents be supporting them both financially? (Maybe they pay for her education and her car and insurance, but not other expenses now that she's "working".) She and Craig at an age where they'd likely be much happier to be independent of parental control by paying their own way.

The trick is- if they are living in the Old Village Mt Pleasant as I suspect- they can't afford those houses after you take taxes and lifestyle choices out the Bravo earnings.

Which reminded me about someone asking about where Thomas/Landon ate in this ep. It is the restaurant at bridge on Harbor View road on James Island. I recognized on of the houses backing up to it from Dills Bluff. I think they snuck that camera shot of the Ravenel Bridge in for filler because the front of the restaurant faces the road/the harbor/downtown and they were seated at the back/side towards James Island.

[LIMOM]

1 minute ago, robroy said:

The trick is- if they are living in the Old Village Mt Pleasant as I suspect- they can't afford those houses after you take taxes and lifestyle choices out the Bravo earnings.

Which reminded me about someone asking about where Thomas/Landon ate in this ep. It is the restaurant at bridge on Harbor View road on James Island. I recognized on of the houses backing up to it from Dills Bluff. I think they snuck that camera shot of the Ravenel Bridge in for filler because the front of the restaurant faces the road/the harbor/downtown and they were seated at the back/side towards James Island.

The new house?

how much do you think that small house is worth?

[RedHawk]

13 minutes ago, robroy said:

I can't truly blame Thomas because he is pretty much an addict himself and one person cannot answer for someone else's sobriety beyond not giving them drugs or enabling. The last thing one addict needs is to become enmeshed with a second.

I'm taking my comment to the Thomas and Kathryn thread. 

[slowpoked]

4 minutes ago, robroy said:

The trick is- if they are living in the Old Village Mt Pleasant as I suspect- they can't afford those houses after you take taxes and lifestyle choices out the Bravo earnings.

Yes, I think the house they're living in right now, is in Mt. Pleasant. Naomie regularly updates on Instagram all the construction work they've done on it so far.

1 hour ago, zoeysmom said:

Jennifer is so incredibly sympathetic, but I do recall last year when she misled or lied to Craig about Thomas not seeing Kathryn in the hospital.  She also did the live reporting from the flamingo party.  So does not have a terribly innocent past when it comes to interfering.  My guess is Thomas forgave her when he learned she was going through a difficult pregnancy.  Some real life tragedies surpass petty bickering.  This one is pretty big. 

Can't remember who said it in an interview, maybe Landon or Cameran, that when everyone learned what was happening with Jennifer, everyone agreed to put aside their differences and support her during her difficult time, like what most normal, decent people would do. 

[LIMOM]

5 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Yes, I think the house they're living in right now, is in Mt. Pleasant. Naomie regularly updates on Instagram all the construction work they've done on it so far.

IF he is managing or doing the construction himself, he is truly not getting a free ride but rather pays his rent in kind, imo.

[slowpoked]

9 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

IF he is managing or doing the construction himself, he is truly not getting a free ride but rather pays his rent in kind, imo.

There was a post in Cameran's IG awhile back of Craig signing escrow papers and Cam saying congratulations to Craig for buying a house. I would assume that what Cameran is referring to is the house in Mt. Pleasant. But it's plausible it's an entirely different property that Craig is turning into a rental.

[biakbiak]

34 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Yes, I think the house they're living in right now, is in Mt. Pleasant. Naomie regularly updates on Instagram all the construction work they've done on it so far.

She does? I regularly look at it and it's all travel and party pics.

[RedDelicious]

1 hour ago, RedHawk said:

We see him driving a Porsche. I think that was hers, or he could afford to lease it now that he's making good money on the show.

The Porsches (I think they are on their second) are Naomie's and the Mercury Milan, which we saw Naomie driving on last week's episode, belongs to Craig.  We saw Craig driving the Milan in earlier seasons before Naomie. 

It is my belief that Naomie's parents foot the bill for the house they live in, the Porsche Craig drives all the time and to some extent the trips they take.  I'm no one to talk - my parents bought my house for me free and clear but I also work my ass off at a career job and pay everything else related to my life on my own.  I'm not frittering my life away on random hobbies just because I can.  I work hard at my career and have not taken advantage of my fortunate situation.  I see Craig as taking advantage of his fortunate situation because he is able to.  I couldn't give two shits if he's traveling (in First Class) to Haitian orphanages.  I would be doing that too if I had a sense of entitlement that in my opinion Craig possesses. 

I volunteer in my town and my associated school district (even though I don't have kids) as much as I am able to with my job, but I don't advertise it on social media.  I can't stand do gooders who do it for the praises on Instagram. 

ETA: So my point is, because I believe that Naomie's parents are subsidizing their lifestyle, I think Naomie had every right to be upset with Craig and his random pursuits, most of which he undertook without consulting her.  Who does he think he is?  Grifter.

Edited May 4, 2017 by RedDelicious

[slowpoked]

6 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

She does? I regularly look at it and it's all travel and party pics.

On the IG story feature, which disappears after 24 hours I think. She's posted about cabinets, paint colors, floors, etc.

[LIMOM]

3 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

The Porsches (I think they are on their second) are Naomie's and the Mercury Milan, which we saw Naomie driving on last week's episode, belongs to Craig.  We saw Craig driving the Milan in earlier seasons before Naomie. 

It is my belief that Naomie's parents foot the bill for the house they live in, the Porsche Craig drives all the time and to some extent the trips they take.  I'm no one to talk - my parents bought my house for me free and clear but I also work my ass off at a career job and pay everything else related to my life on my own.  I'm not frittering my life away on random hobbies just because I can.  I work hard at my career and have not taken advantage of my fortunate situation.  I see Craig as taking advantage of his fortunate situation because he is able to.  I couldn't give two shits if he's traveling (in First Class) to Haitian orphanages.  I would be doing that too if I had a sense of entitlement that in my opinion Craig possesses. 

I volunteer in my town and my associated school district (even though I don't have kids) as much as I am able to with my job, but I don't advertise it on social media.  I can't stand do gooders who do it for the praises on Instagram. 

Why on earth would they pay for the trips they take?

And imo, it is a double standard, if the situation was reverse and Craig was the woman nobody would accuse him of taking advantage of anyone.

He acts as a housewife and if Naomi's gets tired of him, she can send him my way. I love a home cooked meal and a well kept garden.

Embroidery on the side? A huge bonus!

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

 

And imo, it is a double standard, if the situation was reverse and Craig was the woman nobody would accuse him of taking advantage of anyone.

I would feel the same if the woman was acting like Craig does with Naomie, though I never said taking advantage merely that her family is supporting part of him having all of these options (including to use their house for an impromptu dinner) but he doesn't share things with her and belittles her when she asks basic questions about his goals or what he is doing, he did a similar thing with the fundraiser. 

[LIMOM]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

I would feel the same if the woman was acting like Craig does with Naomie, though I never said taking advantage merely that her family is supporting part of him all of these options (including to use their house for an impromptu dinner) but he doesn't share things with her and belittled her when she asks basic questions about his goals.

What do you mean by sharing things?

[scrb]

The Craig and Naomi "fight" is probably a story line.

They set up the cameras by the pool house, then probably did several takes.  So these two practiced sniping at each other a few times.

No way these were spontaneous fights.  If they were like that several times, they wouldn't bother being together.

[RedDelicious]

Believe it or not, Naomie's parent's house on the water with the pool in the deck was placed into her name by her parents.  I wonder what the reasoning was for that.  It's public record.  I think the little house that Naomie and Craig live in is rented.

[LIMOM]

4 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

Believe it or not, Naomie's parent's house on the water with the pool in the deck was placed into her name by her parents.  I wonder what the reasoning was for that.  It's public record.  I think the little house that Naomie and Craig live in is rented.

Wasn't it sold last season?

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

Wasn't it sold last season?

I believe the poster was referring to the house they had dinner on during this episode.

[RedDelicious]

9 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

Wasn't it sold last season?

The really cute house they were shown in last season was sold - I'm talking about the big one her parents have now where they filmed the dinner scene.  It is in Naomie's name - you can look it up in the Charleston County assessor's database: http://publicrecords.netronline.com/state/SC/county/charleston/

Edited May 4, 2017 by RedDelicious

[LIMOM]

4 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

The really cute house they were shown in last season was sold - I'm talking about the big one her parents have now where they filmed the dinner scene.  It is in Naomie's name - you can look it up in the Charleston County assessor's database: http://publicrecords.netronline.com/state/SC/county/charleston/

THanks.

[RedDelicious]

10 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

THanks.

Sooooo much good stuff in there ? 

[scrb]

Craig gonna have to sign a prenup.

Plus any property that Naomi inherits will be excluded from any divorce since she got them before marriage.

[RedHawk]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

Craig gonna have to sign a prenup.

Plus any property that Naomi inherits will be excluded from any divorce since she got them before marriage.

Inheritance? Naomie is I think 25, and her parents seem youthful, maybe 50-55 max? Unless something unfortunate happens, there likely won't be any inheritance for 20-25 years or more. It's funny that people are commenting about how Craig is waiting to get his hands on Naomie's money as if her parents are on their deathbeds. 

[zoeysmom]

To me, this episode is a great example of the producers editors hoping for the worst when actually there was a silver lining.  I don't blame Naomie for being concerned about Craig's commitment to taking the bar.   More power to her for expressing her concerns and Craig had every right to refute them.  COuples talk.  Turns out he had it handled.  They are a cute couple and maybe they will not be renewed on the show because they don't have issues.    How does one pick on a guy who wants to save orphans?  It is not hot or sexy like hitting on women in bars, or being embroiled in drug addiction and custody battles but it is another look at these supposed Southern Charmers.

As to Naomie being a trust fund kid-how is that different from Shep or Whitney or even Landon for that matter?  I hope they don't hold it over her head or Craig's for that matter. 

[robroy]

9 hours ago, LIMOM said:

The new house?

how much do you think that small house is worth?

I think the house is probably worth 150 but the lot might be worth 500-700 if there is the glimpse of marsh that it seems to have in some shots.. Without that view it would still be atleast a 400k lot. That area is really hitting an upward swing in value at the moment and some folks actually prefer it to downtown since Mt Pleasant is more liveable in many ways. That area in particular is near downtown, Sullivans Island and the end of 526. It also has plenty of retail, restaurants, bars, etc. If you google 'homes for sale Old Village Mt Pleasant' you get a quick idea of what is selling over there. In my neighborhood it would be around 380-440k but I am across the opposite River from downtown. 

[Nancypants]

Small talk.

[LIMOM]

7 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Inheritance? Naomie is I think 25, and her parents seem youthful, maybe 50-55 max? Unless something unfortunate happens, there likely won't be any inheritance for 20-25 years or more. It's funny that people are commenting about how Craig is waiting to get his hands on Naomie's money as if her parents are on their deathbeds. 

While I don't get the Goldigging  going vibes from Craig and they are a lovely couple who are in my opinion even keeled (beside the parental money), it is smart to get a prenup imo.

So she comes into the marriage with a $ 500 k house, who says that number one her parents are going to leave her a fortune and as you say they are young and could live another 40 years, things change....

I found it petty that people are looking at this tv couple and counting their coins and worrying about Naomie's financial well being.

she is an MBA student and as we can see on the show, assertive enough to discuss issues with Craig.

Let them live and be great!

[MrSmith]

19 hours ago, biakbiak said:

To me it gives her even more reason since it's her family that he is living off of while pursuing a gazillion interests and making decisions like buying a house and starting a clothing line without bothering to mention it to her.

Completely agree. The problem with Craig's decisions are the lack of discussion with Naomie. You don't profess to love someone and then start making life-altering decisions without so much as a heads-up. I mean, they're supposed to be partners in life; so why not rely on your partner for her input and perspective? You aren't going to make it through married life with a "successful" marriage unless you discuss this kind of stuff with her. (Or unless your definition of "successful" is simply being married, without any of the other stuff that typically goes with that.)

[LIMOM]

2 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

Completely agree. The problem with Craig's decisions are the lack of discussion with Naomie. You don't profess to love someone and then start making life-altering decisions without so much as a heads-up. I mean, they're supposed to be partners in life; so why not rely on your partner for her input and perspective? You aren't going to make it through married life with a "successful" marriage unless you discuss this kind of stuff with her. (Or unless your definition of "successful" is simply being married, without any of the other stuff that typically goes with that.)

Craig appears to me as someone who has ADD. I don't get the greedy vibe at all.

I have a friend who is a serial entrepreneur. He gets bored easily and goes from business to business. He is somewhat successful and has a 30 years old marriage.

It takes a special woman to accept and thrive with the chaos but it is part of that person charm. He is always game for something new. It makes for an interesting life, imo.

Perhaps Craig is the same type of restless, always in motion type of individual?

[MrSmith]

8 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

Perhaps Craig is the same type of restless, always in motion type of individual?

That could be. I just hope he starts to talk to her more about these things. I cannot imagine ever making those kinds of decisions without at least mentioning to my wife that I am considering those things. I would bet that your friend who is a serial entrepreneur at least clues his wife into what he sees himself doing in the near/immediate future.

[RedHawk]

I re-watched the rooftop dinner/argument and came out feeling more sympathetic toward Craig. He makes a romantic dinner for Naomie after her hard day of studying, and she asks about his day. He tells her he set up the corporation to start the clothing line and she immediately starts cutting him down and criticizing his plans. His excitement fades and he's shocked and hurt. 

They have very different methods of working. Naomie is the type to have a plan, focus, work hard, and achieve one goal at a time. Nothing wrong with that, and it's generally considered the "correct" way to succeed. Craig seems more scattershot, interested in many things and willing to dabble until something clicks. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. However, he was an academic success in high school, must have done well in college, and as we now know, DID finish his thesis and pass the bar, which he took 4-5 months after this dinner. 

Naomie is basically telling him he'll never succeed, when he's already had successes, even if only academic at that point. That hurt Craig, who was apparently planning to use his Bravo money (another "success") to invest in some ideas he thought would yield future profits. As he said to her, "What have I lost?" Only time, really. And some of the time he lost when he should have been finishing his degree and taking the bar was actually spent filming this show and earning a good paycheck for it.

So I can see both sides, and why at that particular time Naomie was worried about him. She would have been taking bar prep classes and studying every moment. She thought Craig's toys and hobbies were procrastinating (and maybe they were) without seeing that he was creating something -- a garden, a cute embroidered handkerchief, etc. And remember how, before their dinner they had a phone call and he excitedly told her about his new sewing machine. She was rude about it, acting like it was such a weird thing, and again he was hurt by her reaction. 

Craig seems to accept Naomie for who she is, and he's hurt and angry that she is not showing confidence in him and supporting him in his endeavors, instead criticizing how he does things and saying he's not going to succeed unless he does things her way/the typical way. She hasn't yet accepted that Craig does not do things the typical way, and yet he can do many things successfully. Maybe now that he's passed the bar she will get a better understanding of his methods and appreciate him for who he is, which is the only way they will make it as a couple.

[LIMOM]

5 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

That could be. I just hope he starts to talk to her more about these things. I cannot imagine ever making those kinds of decisions without at least mentioning to my wife that I am considering those things. I would bet that your friend who is a serial entrepreneur at least clues his wife into what he sees himself doing in the near/immediate future.

Now that he is approaching retirement age.lol.

Lucky for him, he married a super stable and understanding woman.

I can see that it can be seen as disrespectful but I think in a true impulsive individual, it comes from a different place.

My son has ADD and he acts very much like Craig. He seems aimless however it is because he gets bored super easily and means no harm whatsoever.

Of course, Craig needs to improve communication skills between the two of them.

Luckily for Them , Naoemie is assertive and a good communicator imo.

he will learn or will be kicked to the curb, imo.

[RedHawk]

40 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

That could be. I just hope he starts to talk to her more about these things. I cannot imagine ever making those kinds of decisions without at least mentioning to my wife that I am considering those things. I would bet that your friend who is a serial entrepreneur at least clues his wife into what he sees himself doing in the near/immediate future.

They are not yet married although they are living together. They're young and it's early in their relationship. It's still his money and her money, his life and hers more than "theirs". They have a lot to learn about how to discuss decisions that will affect both their futures, how to handle money, how to argue constructively, etc. Naomie needs to see the whole Craig and accept him as he is, which means he might spring things on her from time to time. And Craig needs to learn that he should let her know his plans and give her a chance to express her opinion on them. (Well, he does that but his timing it a bit late.) 

Right now, after their argument, I think he's going to feel less like sharing his plans for fear she's always going to cut them down. Naomie has reasons to worry about Craig, so she comes off as wanting to control him. I've seen that happen in a marriage and the marriage quickly soured.

Edited May 5, 2017 by RedHawk

[Major Bigtime]

I don't see them getting married.

[scrb]

It's doubtful that Craig is bringing up the rental property and the clothing line for the first time to Naomi on camera.

[JenE4]

Craig said in the Step and Release episode that his main goal is to be independently wealthy so he can travel and do charity work. The kid is more focused on retiring than getting his first damn job. You don't have mailbox money, Craig! Put my vote down for flittering between get rich quick schemes without any drive to do ACTUAL work. If it's fun, he'll pick something up but then drop it as soon as it seems like actual work. Remember how he thought he'd run gentry bourbon without any experience and then had a temper tantrum when JD wanted him to make photocopies for the tasting?

[MrSmith]

@RedHawk Good points. Somehow I originally only saw your most recent post and missed the one before it.

[RedHawk]

Anyone have info on this clothing line Craig mentioned? Who is the partner he named? I may have missed something earlier. Is their plan to do socks, trucker hats, polo gear, caftans, muumuus -- or all of those?

Edited May 5, 2017 by RedHawk

[LIMOM]

6 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

Anyone have info on this clothing line Craig mentioned? Who is the partner he named? I may have missed something earlier. Is their plan to do socks, trucker hats, muumuus -- or all of those?

He should do QVC. If Lisa Rinna can manage to make a fortune, I can see him making a nice buck.

Go there, be pretty, smile. There.

[RedHawk]

After seeing him work that sewing machine, I vote Craig the Housewife Most Likely to Actually Have a Hand in Designing and Creating Their Own Line.

[JenE4]

Nothing to see here, folks.

Edited May 5, 2017 by JenE4
Somehow my post from earlier just reposted now

[Natalie68]

12 hours ago, LIMOM said:

While I don't get the Goldigging  going vibes from Craig and they are a lovely couple who are in my opinion even keeled (beside the parental money), it is smart to get a prenup imo.

So she comes into the marriage with a $ 500 k house, who says that number one her parents are going to leave her a fortune and as you say they are young and could live another 40 years, things change....

I found it petty that people are looking at this tv couple and counting their coins and worrying about Naomie's financial well being.

she is an MBA student and as we can see on the show, assertive enough to discuss issues with Craig.

Let them live and be great!

Even if he doesn't ever work, she comes from money and probably will make a decent salary.  They have a house and cars.  Having someone like Craig who is super handy at building things, gardening, cooking yummy looking food, sewing, AND super good with the kitty (I feel you can tell things about a person on how they treat pets) etc is worth him never working provided they can make ends meet and she is ok with it.  I didn't like how he spoke to her but I have a feeling she will disabuse him of the notion she will accept that treatment.  If he were acting like Shep without the mailbox money?  I would say dump that loser.  Even with the mailbox money I don't think Shep is a catch.  He may be fun to hang out with though.

[scrb]

I didn't mean he's a gold digger but just pointing out that Naomi comes from a more affluent family which may give her real estate which would be a substantial part of her or their net worth.

Plus, if Naomi succeeds with her MBA and starts drawing a high salary while he stays entrepreneurial and doesn't have regular income, she could be liable for alimony in case of a divorce.

Hell, she'll probably use her health care benefits to give him coverage while he's trying out all these business ideas.

Even though he's passed the bar, it doesn't mean he's going to practice law or even if he does, he may not get hired by some big firm paying him a big salary.  The law school he went to doesn't sound like a place which would get him in with big firms.

But even if he got hired by a big firm, he'd be expected to work and bill a lot of hours.  Maybe too many hours to do anything else, including reality TV.  Big firm may not allow Bravo to film him at the office either.

[breezy424]

I think it all a storyline given an interview she gave.  He 'was' studying for the bar.  He was doing his thesis. 

Heck, they both probably get a decent check for the show and they have to earn it.  Hence, a little 'drama'.

Naomi is getting her masters in finance.  Craig just passed the bar.  They're both ambitious.  Neither of what they're presently doing is 'easy'.  Naomi's family apparently has money.  But I don't think either is sitting back and taking advantage.  I hope the best for both of them.  Overall, they seem to have a good relationship.