Alaskan Bush People - General Discussion

[Sup wit dat]

This topic replaces the old Alaskan Bush People forum which has been vaulted at the location below:

http://forums.previously.tv/forum/883-alaskan-bush-people-v/

[realityobserver]

8 minutes ago, Sup wit dat said:

Noah guarding Browntown? 

Yeah, all alone , except for the 5 man film and sound crew, the make up artist, the transportation crew, the caterer, the stage manager, the director, the set designers, the trained toothless clawless bears roaming around, etc etc... what a load...

 

9 minutes ago, Sup wit dat said:

And where is Bam during this serious time when the family needs to stick together?

He is far far away in a jail cell somewhere for trying to con someone on his own no doubt... Probably tried to make bail with a dog fur key chain...

 

10 minutes ago, Sup wit dat said:

I really hope Ami is ok because otherwise I think they've crossed the line of human decency by using a serious illness like cancer as a storyline for this crap show.

The dignity has hit a new low for TV with this 'plot'... What on earth were they thinking of to follow a poor woman around as she gets treated for possible cancer, and then present it as a reality show. If it was the almighty dollar, I am embarrassed as well they should be, to live in a society that actually promotes this garbage, and on top of that, Billy seemed to be the only one who genuinely cared...

Is this now 'Southern California City People' or what ?

Why don't those 'so called Alaskan wild men' get jobs to help pay for the horrendous doctor and hospital bills heading their way ???   Nope, they play with the dog and swing on ropes and make toy bows and arrows, what a bunch of brainless clods ...

[Blondie]

Noah,   said he knew the fencer was working because he could hear the popping.   Should have done his homework.  If it's popping it's shorting out somewhere and won't stop a bear, or your little brother.  6 joule packs quite a wallop when the fence is properly grounded.  It will still tingle a bit if there is a short but not enough to keep out a predator.  And the drill bit you were using to make the screw holes for the hinge on the shell?   It' was way too big.  In fact, did anyone else notice how it cracked the shell when he first showed it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

[brgjoe]

Sheesh.  Could they drag this stuff out any further?  First their "new" show of the year was basically just a clipfest. 

And now this episode drags this whole, "What is wrong with Ami" to the end of the show....and even THEN we still didn't get the results of the test.  "Tune in next week to see the kids doing dumb stuff and even more filler video clips and find out once and for all, what is wrong with Ami!" 

It's getting to the point where it's almost ghoulish.  Like they are trying to promote and make money off this poor woman's illness.  And during this time, I don't believe for a second that Noah was up there in Browntown all the time by himself.  If my mom were sick, no freakin' way I'd be away from her any length of time.  And second of all, they all have left Browntown before.  Why couldn't they do it again?  Especially with their "expert bear proofing", uh, expertise.  *snort*

And where was good o' Bam Bam through this?  I know he's "away" and not on the show now, but you would think they would have one of the family members utter some throwaway line like, "Bam was here for awhile, but had to leave for something urgent once again...."

If this show goes in the direction of exploiting Ami's illness, I think I won't even tune in to snark on the show.  It would be too cruel for me to ever watch again.

[Beden]

Yes, clearly having Noah supposedly staying in Browntown to guard home, hearth and the cats is BS and, as noted above, he had the company of the film crew, likely a producer or two and god knows who all else--any one of whom would have lent him their cell phones to call LA and check on Mom...if his own had a dead battery. And, of course, he's really staying at Hoonah Lodge or whatever.

I also agree that using possible cancer as a plot twist is exploitative, at best. Even if the storyline is real, who on earth would want their mother's/wife's potentially life threatening illness filmed and aired on national TV? And--on another note, why were the 'kids' all just hanging around, moping while waiting for tests and their results? If they're so broke (which, we know, they aren't as they're pocketing whatever paychecks they're getting and have been getting for 6-7 years now)--why aren't they doing something to bring in some money they claim they need so badly? But I have to say that Backwoods Barbie is developing some fashion sense...girl's looking good.

Nice little cabin/cottage they seem to be renting, though.

[iluvobx]

18 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'm not trying to be funny, but, is it documented that this purported family is really related?  I've wondered why they have different accents since they first came on the scene.  I just don't get it.  Slight differences are one thing, but, theirs are very different and I can't find an explanation for it. 

Bad acting?

[sigmaforce86]

I can't snark on the Ami parts of the show because I'd feel bad but I don't think she's faking it.  I do wonder why they had to go all the way to California for a biopsy - treatment maybe, if it's cancer you'd want to find the best place even if you had to (and could afford to) travel but there's a cancer treatment center in Anchorage so very curious why they didn't confirm the diagnosis close to home by doing the initial tests and biopsy there.

So it's hard not to go off on them because so much doesn't make sense - if there's no diagnosis yet they wouldn't know how long they're staying so why not a hotel near the hospital instead of the house that seems to be way out of the city - so they can live in the urban outdoors and Bear can tumble and be extreme in the backyard?  Which, by the way, on the list of things we can laugh at - "extreme juice" - really Bear, punching the hell out of the fruit over a questionably clean piece of plastic tarp (or maybe it was a garbage bag, hard to tell) makes the juice taste better than squeezing it in the house at the counter.  Couldn't you just fix it in the kitchen using your extreme knife skills?

I'll give credit to Rain though - the sundress was nice, the short hair suits her, she almost looks like a different person.

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, realityobserver said:

Why don't those 'so called Alaskan wild men' get jobs to help pay for the horrendous doctor and hospital bills heading their way ???   

Mr. AZC suggested that Bear could try out for American Ninja Warrior while they're down in the lower 48.  One of their filming sites is Universal Hollywood - not that far from Santa Monica.  That would be EXTREME!!!  And the prize money would fix all their problems.  Including dental work.

[realityobserver]

When Noah rolls out the 'lectric bear fence', it looked like a total of maybe 12 feet... what is to stop the bear from just walking around the stupid thing ?

At one point Noah tells the camera that he hasn't seen his family in 'months'... months ?  Just how long have they been in SoCal ?  And they are just now getting around to the tests on Ami ? What did they do  all the rest of the time ? Rehearse their lines ? BS BS BS....

[Beden]

And if they're so committed to Bush living (and what with all that winter prep they never seem to finish before the wintry winds howl relatively just around the corner) why are they all hanging in SoCal? Maybe a few of the kids could--oh, I don't know--be 'home' preparing for winter? Y'know, chopping wood, laying in food supplies, getting the wind turbine working (it didn't seem to be turning this ep, unless I missed it), insulating the boys shacks/tents/tree-houses, bartering for a CB for communication? I'll agree that Ami does, indeed, seem to have some medical issues and it would make sense that Billy would be with her (and yes, Anchorage or even Juneau surely have medical facilities for at the very least, diagnosis) but the entire clan minus Noah?

Another thing--of all the kids, Noah seems the least Bush ready, seemingly preferring to hang in his laboratory all day doing god knows what; he doesn't seem the type to, if needed, take out a rampaging bear.

[rmontro]

This storyline might be the most brilliant thing the Bush People have come up with yet.  Who's going to talk snark about a woman fighting a battle with cancer?  They may have come up with the one thing we won't make fun of.  I'm not going to bash them for choosing to film Ami's health problems.  It might even be therapeutic for her to share her story with people.  If it were to turn out that her health scare is fake though, that would be in very bad taste.

I didn't expect to find out the biopsy results, although they pretty much gave it away with the previews.  But I would have liked to have seen some details on where they were staying.  Maybe this is intentional to keep the curious away, but is it a house?  Apartment?  Rented?  Bought?  A guy on the road was a fan who just happened to let them use his house?  Are they paying the rent with trout?  My guess is that, like Browntwon, Discovery rented the place for them.  Do they have to take Bear to the park every day to play?

The bit with Noah guarding Browntown is pointless.  We all know the lease is run out.  They probably just used the last hours of it to film Noah there so it didn't go to waste.  This could make a decent horror movie actually.  A group of tourists go to Browntown seeking out the Bush People.  One by one they suffer horrible deaths by Home Alone-type booby traps constructed by Noah out of whatever was laying around.  As each one dies, they catch a glimpse of a darkly clad man with a cane and a top hat.  

I agree with Dennie, Gabe looks pretty out of it.

[Dennie]

They would like us to believe that Alaska does not have facilities to administer test and treat people with cancer? So I guess at any given time a certain percentage of the state must go to the dirty rotten lower 48 in order to get these services.  And not just the lower 48, but the lower lower 48. So on the way let's just bypass Seattle because everyone knows that even though it would be a shorter distance to their beloved bush , it's just too darn cold and rainy still. Dont judge them!

They ALL had to vacate  Browntown for every previous predicament yet they surprisingly have to leave someone behind in Brownytown this time? I guess mom being possible gravely ill is not a time for whole family togetherness. That would be absurd. Or perhaps they figured since Bammy couldn't be there then why the heck even try.  

Of all the boys, they leave No-a-lot behind? The one that is always hurt and never lifts a finger is now in charge of the whole shebang. But I guess with all of his inventions in place, Browntown can run by itself with Noah only there as Systems Administrator.  (An hey, booty calls from Ruth Rhain is much easier with no other pesky Brown's around.) When doing laundry he said he owns only 2 shirts. Yet he appears to have 5 leather vest, 3 boots with spurs, 10 vampire coats, 15 canes, and 17 top hats.  Let's just think about that one.  I believe they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes.  

Thank goodness their lower lower 48 temporary compound is still a good place to roll, jump, throw mud pies and pound things for little Extweem Bear. We don't want that child bored and loose in Santa Monica. He might try selling his blue tarp fruit salad to unsuspecting city folk.  

 

 

[brgjoe]

Well, I guess with everyone in the (way) lower 48, Noah has the house all to himself -- he doesn't have to live in the chicken coop any longer!  Yay!  Winner winner, chicken dinner!  :)

I was going to add but forgot to mention that little part about Bear and his EXTREME JUICE.  All that pounding of fruit into that bag, climbing around like a marsupial, howling like a wolf, etc., might have been cute when he was in his teens.  Or even 20's.  But now that he's turned 30, it just looks dumb/weird/psychotic.  Cut your hair, act like and adult and get a (real) job. 

Speaking of haircut, agreed with most of you -- Rain's haircut looks good on her.  She probably acted the most mature out of all of the kids from that episode.

And the location also bothered me.  Why did they have to travel that far down there for a biopsy?  I am sure there are capable clinics that are closer to good ol' Browntown than that place.  Plus, I think it would take a lot of trout to barter to raise enough $$ for all of them to travel that far.   Or maybe they found another cedar stash of Bam's lying around to barter with.  ;)

Perhaps I missed it, but what the heck is powering the electric bearproof fence?  I thought they used all the generator gas for that stupid mill thing of Matt's.   And I didn't think that wind turbine thing was fully functional yet.   Though I s'pose Noah-Divinci supposedly had months to work on that thing.  Perhaps he got it to function finally.  ;)

[clod]

haha.    I had forgotten the spurs.     :)

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Dennie said:

They would like us to believe that Alaska does not have facilities to administer test and treat people with cancer? So I guess at any given time a certain percentage of the state must go to the dirty rotten lower 48 in order to get these services.  And not just the lower 48, but the lower lower 48. So on the way let's just bypass Seattle because everyone knows that even though it would be a shorter distance to their beloved bush , it's just too darn cold and rainy still. Dont judge them!

Ha, good point.  Not only do they have to travel to the lower 48, they have to go to Southern California.  Wow, life is hard for bush people.

I recall reading something about the reason that there were so many reality shows set in Alaska is because they offered special incentives for filming there.  Are those up now?  Maybe that's why they went to California.  Or maybe they were just peeved that Alaska didn't want to give them the dividend.  No free money - no reason to stay there now!

When Bear was playing in the grass on the hospital grounds, I was expecting him to climb that palm tree or whatever it was.

[frenchtoast]

A place to discuss Season 5. Moved some posts from the Season 4 topic but the clip show threw a small wrench in the works. 

Carry on with the snark!

[gaPeach]

What can I say that has not already been said?

Why exactly do all the kids have to go with mom to doctor?  This in itself proves they DO NOT live in Brown Town.

Why did they go to California?  Are they implying Alaska does not have the facilities to do a biopsy? 

Extreme juice made from fruit that was beaten and watered down by the garden hose...........just no.

Noah only has two black shirts, is left to guard/wander/piddle in Brown Town while the whole freaking family lays around rented home in California.  Huh?

I still love this show for the snark factor but find myself yelling at the TV more and more due to its Extreme Ridiculousness 

I hope Amie is ok.  I did not think she was faking it and actually felt bad for her that she had cameras and so many people just looking at her suffering with worry.  That was awkward. 

[Rock knocker]

6 hours ago, rmontro said:

 

I recall reading something about the reason that there were so many reality shows set in Alaska is because they offered special incentives for filming there.  Are those up now?

Yup, the program has ended

 

https://www.adn.com/film-tv/article/walker-kills-suspended-film-incentive-program/2015/06/16/

[Guest]

These people have become downright vulgar.

[realityobserver]

13 hours ago, rmontro said:

 

This storyline might be the most brilliant thing the Bush People have come up with yet.  Who's going to talk snark about a woman fighting a battle with cancer?  They may have come up with the one thing we won't make fun of.

 

Agreed... It would be similar to cheerleading the folks who beat baby seals to death...

And the show seems to confirm that Ami is in stage 4 lung cancer... see the website (whether it is true or not)... poor woman, prayers for her and the family from all of us...

[AZChristian]

23 minutes ago, realityobserver said:

Agreed... It would be similar to cheerleading the folks who beat baby seals to death...

And the show seems to confirm that Ami is in stage 4 lung cancer... see the website (whether it is true or not)... poor woman, prayers for her and the family from all of us...

I know someone on FB who lives in Hoonah.  Unconfirmed reports from people on the production staff indicate she does, indeed, have Stage 4 lung cancer.  Wouldn't wish this on anyone.

[Beden]

Quote

I know someone on FB who lives in Hoonah.  Unconfirmed reports from people on the production staff indicate she does, indeed, have Stage 4 lung cancer.  Wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Absolutely. I do, however, have a problem with exploiting her illness for a TV show--contracts be damned--whomever made the decision. Whether the family, or some part, agreed to keep filming or whether their feet were held to a legal/lawsuit fire...not okay IMO.

I'm curious, if the diagnosis is correct (and I also hope, for her sake, it isn't) if she was a smoker. This isn't any kind of implied criticism of her; my mother died from the effects of smoking and I simply wonder if Ami may be another victim.

Edited June 23, 2017 by Beden

[AZChristian]

46 minutes ago, Beden said:

Absolutely. I do, however, have a problem with exploiting her illness for a TV show--contracts be damned--whomever made the decision. Whether the family, or some part, agreed to keep filming or whether their feet were held to a legal/lawsuit fire...not okay IMO.

Absolutely right.

[SRTouch]

6 hours ago, Beden said:

Absolutely. I do, however, have a problem with exploiting her illness for a TV show--contracts be damned--whomever made the decision. Whether the family, or some part, agreed to keep filming or whether their feet were held to a legal/lawsuit fire...not okay IMO.

I'll echo everyone's wishing her good results in her treatment. But... sleazy exploitation is the norm with this show. Arrest and conviction for fraud was good for several shows. Matt going to rehab good for several shows. Same with Billy and his health problems - that was good for a cliffhanger at the end of the season plus the whole next season.

Oh, and while I still read the snark here, I gave up watching - I was wearing out the remote, fast forwarding through the rehashed clips. Then, as if that wasn't enough, I saw the 30+yo, who supposedly has been living in the bush his whole life, and self proclaimed fire starting expert, demonstrate how not to split firewood, while destroying yet another tool. Oh, Noah, come fix my ax handle!

Edited June 23, 2017 by SRTouch

[rmontro]

10 hours ago, Beden said:

Absolutely. I do, however, have a problem with exploiting her illness for a TV show--contracts be damned--whomever made the decision. Whether the family, or some part, agreed to keep filming or whether their feet were held to a legal/lawsuit fire...not okay IMO.

If Discovery Channel is forcing them to film their suffering, then yeah that is not okay.  I think it's more likely that they have just made a decision to live their lives (sort of) on camera, and that this is part of those lives, and they are going to share it.  I'm not going to criticize them for that, because it is up to them how best to deal with what is going on.  

That link that RealityObserver posted says that radiation and chemotherapy had not slowed her cancer growth, which sounds pretty dire.  I know someone with stage four lung cancer who has survived over a year now with it, but in that case it did respond favorably to the radiation and chemo.  They were showing some reruns tonight where they were talking about their distrust of modern medicine.

I also wonder if Ami was a smoker, and they just didn't show it.  Or perhaps she gave it up in recent years?

[Rock knocker]

I think I've seen scenes where Gabe (the strong one) had cigs rolled up in his shirt sleeve, greaser style

[realityobserver]

10 hours ago, rmontro said:

That link that RealityObserver posted says that radiation and chemotherapy had not slowed her cancer growth, which sounds pretty dire.

Yea, the website I linked to is called 'Blasting News', not exactly the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, so take that report with a grain of salt... But then again, Ami's medical situation wouldn't be on the front pages (or anywhere else I assume) of those newspapers anyway.

[clod]

1 hour ago, Rock knocker said:

I think I've seen scenes where Gabe (the strong one) had cigs rolled up in his shirt sleeve, greaser style

 

sounds like a rare sleeved scene.     ( tank top in freezing weather   /    leather coat in the rain )

[Beden]

18 hours ago, rmontro said:

If Discovery Channel is forcing them to film their suffering, then yeah that is not okay.  I think it's more likely that they have just made a decision to live their lives (sort of) on camera, and that this is part of those lives, and they are going to share it.  I'm not going to criticize them for that, because it is up to them how best to deal with what is going on.  

I agree that, if they did decide to film of their own (and especially Ami's) free will then the decision is, obviously theirs to make. The problem I have with that is the show is clearly scripted and no more reflects their actual day to day lives than it reflects mine. To choose now to show a clearly very ill woman suffering, possibly dying is, at best a jarring decision when viewed in light of how fake the rest of the show is.

Again, JMO but it interjects a tragic, desperately painful and sad reality to what was almost a comedy of idiocy and is shocking at best. It's sort of like we're sitting in our homes watching the 3 Stooges and all of a sudden a masked man runs on stage with a real gun and starts shooting.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Beden said:

 It's sort of like we're sitting in our homes watching the 3 Stooges and all of a sudden a masked man runs on stage with a real gun and starts shooting.

I couldn't agree more. The show is a horibly scripted farce while lung cancer is a very real tragedy.

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, Beden said:

I agree that, if they did decide to film of their own (and especially Ami's) free will then the decision is, obviously theirs to make. The problem I have with that is the show is clearly scripted and no more reflects their actual day to day lives than it reflects mine. To choose now to show a clearly very ill woman suffering, possibly dying is, at best a jarring decision when viewed in light of how fake the rest of the show is.

Nearly all of the reality shows like this are scripted, although this one does seem to be more fake than most.  When I say "reality shows like this", I mean the ones where cameras follow people around, not the ones that are kind of like game shows, like Alone, Survivor, Amazing Race, etc.  But there are still "real" aspects about it.  Like I believe the Brown kids were home schooled (maybe not adequately).  Their bad teeth appears to be genuine.  Although I have joked before about Bird taking out her fake jacked up teeth after filming ends lol.

It seems strange that people complain so much about the show being fake, but then when something real happens (cancer), then they get upset that they show that.

[Beden]

I suspect the problem viewers (at least on this site) are having with the storyline regarding Ami's illness is the abrupt u-turn the show took, with little warning. Of course we all know that 'reality' shows are largely scripted but it's almost as if the scripted OR scenes in MASH were suddenly replaced with a quick cut to a genuine tragedy--a horrific multi-car accident or a real building collapse with terrible injuries and deaths where the blood isn't made of corn syrup and food coloring, the screams are real and the family members stand in shock.

It's jarring. The show made a quick jump from a clown act building a jury-rigged wind turbine next to the rented cow to an actual life and death situation. Viewers tune in expecting Matt to build a house out of saran wrap and instead we see a woman seemingly fighting for her life with her close to weeping husband by her side and her children scared to death and lost.

It also appears true that the sympathy and good wishes for Ami and company are also real. No one in their right minds would want anyone to go through seeing a beloved mother/wife suffering and in pain. The comments on this site alone bear that out. I don't see the comments here so much as complaints as surprise and some confusion as to why this was even filmed and is being aired unless TPTB or the family want to make some kind of statement--as is their right to do if that's their decision. It may well not be mine but that hardly matters.

[realityobserver]

After reading the comments here and at other sites, it seems the loyal viewers are indeed mystified at the programs direction. Some will argue that filming and presenting a medical situation is crass and just plain wrong. Others will say that it is part of the family drama and is best to be produced as a part of the show.

 

Let us assume that they didn’t film it (the medical issues), and Ami just disappeared from the show, even with an explanation from Billy and the kids telling us what happened. We would have many people saying ‘why didn’t you show us’, and the others saying ‘ok’, and moving on.

 

And let us of course look at why this show is on television in the first place. To earn revenue and sell products through advertising. The Brown family did not go to network after network pitching this show I assume, some network executive presented it to his bosses, and they decided to produce it and write script to make it entertaining. Then, of course, this leads to where does the script end, and real life take over.

 

How this plays out will surely be something to see for all of us who tune into the half comedy, half drama, 3/4 crisis ‘reality show’ that we love to love/hate…

 

Somewhere I read on a comment board to the show, that Ami had a very high priced handbag hanging on the bed, her nails were done to perfection, and for some reason, something among the stuffed animals above her head was blurred out… Also, Billy seems to be wearing a Rolex watch… And the house they are living in seems to be full of furniture, and other junk laying around, and makes you wonder where this all came from. Gabe is shown playing a guitar, never saw him do that before…

 

And why did Cupcake need to come to Santa Monica and not Noah ???

 

more.....

[AZChristian]

Given their off-season trips to Hawaii, and surreptitious pictures of them sporting Apple watches, etc. . . . these are shysters and "actors"; but when you start messing with people's emotions for money (like filming a family member's illness and potential demise), you've crossed a line.

[DoctorK]

Quote

something among the stuffed animals above her head was blurred out

I caught that too. I watched closely to see if when the camera moved we would get a quick look at it, but I didn't see it.

[rmontro]

17 hours ago, Beden said:

It's jarring. The show made a quick jump from a clown act building a jury-rigged wind turbine next to the rented cow to an actual life and death situation. Viewers tune in expecting Matt to build a house out of saran wrap and instead we see a woman seemingly fighting for her life with her close to weeping husband by her side and her children scared to death and lost.

It's jarring, but what choice did they have?  It's not like they decided "Hey, let's give Ami cancer".

 Either they keep filming the usual dreck but hide Ami out of sight, or they take a sabbatical on filming.  Or they go ahead and show what is happening.  

If the Browns (and Ami especially) have decided to show her fight, I think we should respect that.

[Beden]

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

It's jarring, but what choice did they have?  It's not like they decided "Hey, let's give Ami cancer".

 Either they keep filming the usual dreck but hide Ami out of sight, or they take a sabbatical on filming.  Or they go ahead and show what is happening.  

If the Browns (and Ami especially) have decided to show her fight, I think we should respect that.

I agree with you; the choice to film the actual reality of Ami's illness should absolutely rest with the Browns and, to a lesser degree, TPTB. I'm simply saying that, after 6-7 years of scripted BS, the abrupt turn to a life and death illness is a large pill to swallow (no pun intended, I swear). Breaking the 4th wall in a production, out of the blue, always tends to either amuse or confuse an audience and that's what's happening.

As I've said, the choice wouldn't have been the one I'd have gone with but no one gives a rat's ass what my decision would have been and there's no reason why anyone should. But I clearly haven't chosen to live my life on TV or in front of an audience of strangers so it's a moot point. And, again, I genuinely wish her well, whatever the final outcome may be.

[realityobserver]

And on a lighter note...

     At the beginning of the show, Rain and Bear are mentioning how hot hot hot extreme hot it is in SoCal where they are staying. 9 weeks ago would be in April, is it that hot really ? After looking at a yearly chart of weather in that area, it appears to be rather mild most of the year. Anyway, the Bear gets some garden hose and totally destroys it by poking holes into the hose and then proclaiming it a cooling off fountain or something. He has it wrapped around some outdoor table, and Rain is seen catching drops of water in her mouth from the 'fountain'... Isn't this the same Rain who complained bitterly, and almost won an Emmy for the gagging she acted out, when she tasted tap water in last years 'California trip' episode ? She seems to be the smart one nevertheless, she is wearing shorts (along with her new 'do and makeup from her trips to the local mall) to stay at least a little cool in the 'oppressive heat' that is SoCal.

     Why didn't they just go inside and relax in the AC that was obviously on in the house ? Ami is all bundled up in blankets, everyone else seems comfortable in long sleeved shirts and trousers (inside and outside), Billy even is wearing a white bathrobe over his clothes in one scene. Was the 'fountain' scene just an afterthought to show the extremeness of simple minded Bear ? Are the producers looking to keep Bear in the forefront for a spinoff deal ?  And the house seems to have plenty of extra hoses as he again grabs one and runs down the hill with it to mix his Lemonorange concoction.

     Snowbird needs a little fashion sense IMO... Dressing up like GI Joe getting ready for maneuvers is just a bit over the top. Why all the camo, what is next, camo face paint and a mock M-16 ??? And that gravelly, raspy, froggy way of talking with the messed up teeth drives me crazy. And she explains how she is the confident one... OK... According to her, things get done with her around... OK

     It seems to me poor Matt seems lost and looks like he came off a 3 day bender, I think he is having trouble finding his place on this show to fit in anymore.

     And why did Bear and Gabe stay behind when the rest of the folks climbed in the car to go back to the hospital to get the results from the tests ? And where did they get the car ?? Is it a Uber or Lyft, you cannot see the driver. And when they showed a clip from next week, they had Bear sitting high up in a tree watching for the car to arrive back at the house. I found that funny, like a puppy or a 2 year old waiting for mommy. If you were so anxious, why not go along with the rest of the clowns ? Why not just watch some TV and have the iPhone on your lap when they call ? Or not call, can't you just amuse yourself with a PS4 till the adults get back ? Gotta be in the tree, that is the Bear's trademark signature I guess... Glad it is not sitting on the toilet... what a chump

..............more.............??

Edited June 26, 2017 by realityobserver
mispelling

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, Beden said:

I agree with you; the choice to film the actual reality of Ami's illness should absolutely rest with the Browns and, to a lesser degree, TPTB. I'm simply saying that, after 6-7 years of scripted BS, the abrupt turn to a life and death illness is a large pill to swallow

Well, there was the incident with Billy's seizures.  That seemed exaggerated and overdramatized though.  Seems like every other episode starts with "something that will change the Wolfpack.... forever!".

It's hard for me to say if I would film the cancer story if I were in their shoes or not.  I wouldn't want to be filmed at all.  But for this family, they probably don't have many other prospects aside from the TV show, you know?  They probably don't want to derail it.  

 

1 hour ago, realityobserver said:

      At the beginning of the show, Rain and Bear are mentioning how hot hot hot extreme hot it is in SoCal where they are staying. 9 weeks ago would be in April, is it that hot really ? After looking at a yearly chart of weather in that area, it appears to be rather mild most of the year. Anyway, the Bear gets some garden hose and totally destroys it by poking holes into the hose and then proclaiming it a cooling off fountain or something. He has it wrapped around some outdoor table, and Rain is seen catching drops of water in her mouth from the 'fountain'... Isn't this the same Rain who complained bitterly, and almost won an Emmy for the gagging she acted out, when she tasted tap water in last years 'California trip' episode ?

..............more.............??

Lol, good point about the tap water.

What makes the complaining about the hot weather difficult to swallow is that they obviously made the decision to go there.  Why couldn't they stay in Alaska to get treatment, or go to Seattle, which is closer?  Maybe Park Slop's health insurance is in California.

As for Bear and Gabe staying behind from the hospital trip, maybe the hospital asked them nicely not to bring them?   :)

[thebigboot]

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

Well, there was the incident with Billy's seizures.  That seemed exaggerated and overdramatized though.  

Here's the biggest problem with Billy's seizures and the cancer now. All the true believer fans were so worried but then couldn't explain how he just had all these seizures, bad enough to go to the hospital... and is then shown driving shortly after? Even with Matt's explosion situation. The show wasn't filming when it was first reported. They seem to have backed themselves into a corner on this one.

[wanton87]

6 hours ago, realityobserver said:

And when they showed a clip from next week, they had Bear sitting high up in a tree watching for the car to arrive back at the house. I found that funny, like a puppy or a 2 year old waiting for mommy. If you were so anxious, why not go along with the rest of the clowns? Why not just watch some TV and have the iPhone on your lap when they call ?

That’s probably the most ridiculous thing about this show RO; it’s so over the top “gimmicky”. Not an episode goes by in which one the boys (usually Noah) invents a gadget or household item (and wastes a ton of resources in doing so) when a much better item could be purchased for a fraction of the cost. Some of them were pretty stupid, such as the saran wrap greenhouse, the sawmill, the hot tub, and the clothes dryer. I guess they’re going for the “we live out in the middle of no where, so we have to improvise” angle. But if that were truly the case, you’re probably not going to have access to all the material that you see them wasting on these ridiculous inventions.

My TV went south on me, so I haven’t seen the show this season, but I do hope that Ami does not really have stage 4 lung cancer. That would be real bad, and if it’s true, she won’t likely be around this time next year. The younger children, particularly Rain, are going to have a real hard time ahead of them if that’s the case.

Edited June 26, 2017 by wanton87
Spelling

[DoctorK]

Quote

s for Bear and Gabe staying behind from the hospital trip, maybe the hospital asked them nicely not to bring them?   :)

Sounds quite reasonable to me. Weren't those two clowns rolling around on the grass and in the landscaping at the hospital earlier?

[realityobserver]

1 hour ago, wanton87 said:

My TV went south on me, so I haven’t seen the show this season

Not missing a whole lot, Ami's sick and the cult moved to California to have tests done on her... Why they all (except Noah) had to go is beyond me... If any of these wild men had jobs, I am sure they would stay and work to support themselves and family, and stay in contact by phone, but these are the Browns, so throw any common sense and logic out the window. And now that they are in CA they are acting as stupid as can be... As usual...

[rmontro]

When they were packing up to leave Browntown, they showed Ami holstering the .45 they always show her with.  Even though Railing Kill showed that in the scene where she supposedly shot it, the gun turned into a .38 when she fired it, then back into a .45 when she held it in her hand.  Anyway, I'd like to see her trying to get onto an airplane to California carrying that.

[AZChristian]

25 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Anyway, I'd like to see her trying to get onto an airplane to California carrying that.

If it's unloaded and in a locked case, she could declare it and check it in as baggage for the baggage hold.  But that would require planning ahead - not the strong suit of any of these folks.

[Rock knocker]

Interesting interview on the Lars Larson Show today.  Lars interviewed former Anchorage Daily News writer Tom Kizzia, who wrote about the Hale's, an Alaskan Bush family.  There the similarities to the Brown's ends.  The family in Tom Kizzia's book "Pilgrims Wilderness" differs wildly from the Brown family.  The Hale's are  headed by a Texan in ill health from a well-off family who married a 16 year-old child bride, who at the time was ten years younger than her husband.  There was recrimination by her family because of the percievd isolation forced on her by her husband Bobby Hale.  Some saw the family as a cult headed by a crazy man who talked often about spirituality and the need to keep the family together.

 

They moved to Alaska with their large, barely literate home-schooled brood, surviving at times on the bartered labor of the sons, and eventually became local media darlings until it came out that they were welfare cheats.  After some issues with the Feds, poor Bobby Hale ends up dead imprisoned for multiple child molestation charges on his eldest daughter.

 

Anyway, I read the book a number of years ago and was happy to stumble upon the interview today.  You can find the interview as hour 2 062717  

http://www.larslarson.com/lars-larson-podcast/

 

[realityobserver]

Watched the Alaskan Bush People episode tonight and found it rather interesting.... my thoughts are here...

Edited June 29, 2017 by realityobserver

[AZChristian]

15 minutes ago, realityobserver said:

Watched the Alaskan Bush People episode tonight and found it rather interesting.... my thoughts are here...

The link wants me to log into Wordpress.  Haven't got an account there.

My thought:  If Bam came back, they either offered him more money than he was getting before, or Ami is really sick.

[realityobserver]

29 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

The link wants me to log into Wordpress.

Sorry... try again , I think i fixed it...

And thanx for letting me know.... let me know if it works this time...

Edited June 29, 2017 by realityobserver

[brgjoe]

Seems to be working fine this time, RO. 

Loved your review on your blog.  Agreed with pretty much everything you put in there.  I also have kinda liked Bam.  You could tell from earlier episodes he was going through the motions.  And seemingly detested being part of this farce.  It was like he couldn't get away from it soon enough.  Though it was nice seeing his talk with Billy.  Probably about the best part of last night's episode. 

Once again, cancer sucks.  And I hope Ami does recover from it.  Feel bad for her and anyone affected by that disease that must be wiped forever from this planet.

I also call BS on Noah-Divinci being able to get the wind turbine working to power everything around Browntown all by his lonesome.  The guy needs a cane to walk around with.  No way can I see him climbing up and down that wind turbine platform to get everything situated and hooked up in order to get power to everything around the Browntown homestead.

Snowbird and the bird calls/bird treats.  Ugh.  Less said about that scene, the better.

And I don't know why it bothered me so much, but them going in and out of their "froggy"-type accents really annoyed me.  It has always irritated me to some degree in the past.  But for some reason it got on my last nerve more than usual of late.

Even with Ami's dire diagnosis, I still don't see why they couldn't have gone to a clinic that was hella closer to Browntown than this place.  Heck, even the Mayo Clinic is closer.  Seems to me they (if this was even close to a legit show) could have still found a place that had a decent hospital/clinic that still was close to wide open sparsely inhabited "bush" areas for them to set up Browntown II.  Heck, they probably didn't even have to leave Alaska to do that.  So still don't know why they had to go all the way to SoCal for this.  (unless it's just close to Disco headquarters and they wanted to save some production II).