Season 7 Discussion

[BitterApple]

Is it me or does Alyssa look pregnant again? 

If they did an outdoor ceremony and served actual food, I'm assuming the guest list wasn't 3,000 of the Bateseseses closest "friends."

I'm also dying to see a front view of Josie's gown.

[Sew Sumi]

It was designed by former Project Runway winner Leanne Marshall. I've always loved her stuff. 

[IndianPaintbrush]

An outdoor wedding is a refreshing change of pace for the fundie crowd. I wonder why there aren't more of them - seating issues maybe?

[dccfan37]

10 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Is it me or does Alyssa look pregnant again? 

If they did an outdoor ceremony and served actual food, I'm assuming the guest list wasn't 3,000 of the Bateseseses closest "friends."

I'm also dying to see a front view of Josie's gown.

Here’s a picture of the front!

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, dccfan37 said:

Here’s a picture of the front!

Thanks! I love the dress, it suits her perfectly.

[RebeccatheWriter]

22 hours ago, SongbirdHollow said:

I tried, I really did. But I just could not watch the Josie/Kelton engagement ep. I got as far as the first charm and found myself in a diabetic coma. That the parents encourage these over the top displays of "love" is just plain weird.

I will say, Josie (and all the Bates girls) are stunning. With Gil and Kelly being attractive but average, I just don't know how it happened.

Many times beautiful people together don't make beautiful children/adults. So maybe the opposite is true. The Bates children all seem to grow up to be quite attractive though many of them do have some awkward years in between. 

[RebeccatheWriter]

1 hour ago, IndianPaintbrush said:

An outdoor wedding is a refreshing change of pace for the fundie crowd. I wonder why there aren't more of them - seating issues maybe?

Some fundies only believe it is a wedding if it is in a church. I know Kelly's adopted sister opted for an outdoor wedding so maybe they aren't that tight on the idea of church wedding or else. And Gil started his church in a Holiday Inn so I think their definitions on that might be looser. Not to mention, Josie seems to like Zach and Whitney a lot. Since their vow renewal was outside (I think), she might have gotten the bug. 

Josie was reportedly wanting a fall wedding. In the Smokey Mountains that is a prime time for weddings. So it is possible that dates weren't as available as they would have wanted. Couples book their wedding locations a year or more in advance in some cases, especially during the peak of leaf season. While it is a bit early for that, I could see them having trouble since Josie and Kelton didn't have that long of an engagement. So rather than one of the commercial little wedding chapels in Gatlinburg (think southern Vegas style wedding), they probably opted for outdoors on a Friday where they could have a wedding and a reception location that met their requirements.

I like Josie's style in terms of fashion and aesthetics. She was the one who wanted to paint the girls' room a shade of gray and lose the country cluttered look they had going on before.  I think we'll see in the next season that she was probably more assertive about what she wanted in the wedding than say Tori. 

 

[floridamom]

Who are the appropriately dressed couple in the photo with Josie & Kelton? They look great.

I agree, Josie's wedding gown suited her perfectly. She's a 19 year old young bride. A matronly, heavy gown wouldn't have looked good on her. The leaves on her head just looked like that old 'don't fool Mother Nature" margarine commercial. I think a short veil would have looked nicer on her.....waaaayyy too many heavy green leaves in the girls' bouquets. Looked more like potted plants than a floral bouquet. Is this a new thing with brides? I've been out of it for a while.

[Sew Sumi]

We're discussing the wedding on the Duggars' friends board. More appropriate there, given this wedding won't air until S8. ?

[Bridget]

It could just be me, and I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is, but Josie doesn’t look like herself at all in the wedding photos. I know make-up & hair play visual tricks, but I wouldn’t know it was her unless someone told me.

She looks older than 19, especially standing next to Kelton, who looks like a freakin teenager in the photos that I’ve seen so far. 

There is one photo on the US Weekly site where Josie looks like herself. You’ll know it when you see it.

[floridamom]

I agree with you, Bridget. I also thought Josie didn't look like herself. Good eye.

[Bessiesue]

My Mother always said the couple matures 5 years on their wedding day.  All the stress of planning, and the wedding itself.  

She is so beautiful, and yes, she does look like Mother Nature.  I am so happy that she had her day her way.  It is amazing to me how her side profile favors Alyssa.  

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, Bridget said:

 

There is one photo on the US Weekly site where Josie looks like herself. You’ll know it when you see it.

She almost looks like she got fillers or Botox done before her wedding. I'm hoping she isn't starting with that crap at such a young age, but I totally agree she doesn't look like herself. Maybe it's the eye makeup giving her a more mature look.

Edited October 7, 2018 by BitterApple

[Saltgypsie]

I love all of what I've seen so far.. probably my favorite Bates or Duggar wedding so far!

[RebeccatheWriter]

She normally highlights her eyelashes quite a bit and they don't seem to be as dark an emphasized in the pics. It looks like she went for a more natural makeup look. That was probably a smart move given how much this family cries before, during, and after weddings. 

I like the look of her dress and even the leaves, etc. in her hair. I did something similar with my hair back in the day. That said, I'm hoping that the decisions they made were made by them. I don't really want another season of Kelly Jo Bates: Stressed Out Wedding Planner for her Daughters. 

[Bridget]

7 hours ago, BitterApple said:

She almost looks like she got fillers or Botox done before her wedding. I'm hoping she isn't starting with that crap at such a young age, but I totally agree she doesn't look like herself. Maybe it's the eye makeup giving her a more mature look.

I agree - her face looks like it's a lot puffier. She's got such distinctive features, which makes her so beautiful to begin with, hence her face looking so unrecognizable in the photos. Her hair looks a lot longer too; maybe she got extensions too? That made a huge difference too.

I really do like her and wasn't mad when she announced her engagement. I'm thrilled that she obviously called the shots for her wedding and did it her way. I can't wait to see more photos and read more about it. The only thing I didn't care for were the bouquets. Way too much overflowing greenery for my taste. Did she want to add some flowers to the greenery? ?

Kendra Duggar had similar bouquets: way too much flowing greenery with some flowers thrown in.

I also agree with your previous post about them probably having kissed before! There was zero awkwardness in the kissing photos. Part of me was thinking she'd have pulled a Jessa and opted to smooch in private, but I can honestly say I'm really looking forward to watching her wedding next season. I love these two together and wonder how far away they will be moving from Gil & Kelly Jo. I would guess they might choose Nashville so Bobby & Kelton's bromance can continue on, but Tori and Josie couldn't be more opposite!  Josie is definitely not drinking the same KoolAid that Tori is, so I am especially curious to see what the next year brings them. (Please, no babies!)

[floridamom]

Bridget; I wish I could like your post 1000 times. I agree completely.

I secretly hope the Josie & Kelton pack up and move to Florida near Alyssa. It's beautiful here and I think Alyssa would be great for Josie to have nearby. More moderate and free to be who THEY want to be without Kelly's mouth.

[Sew Sumi]

Don't forget who John's father is and that the Websters have been campaigning for him. Not moderate at all. Let's not forget who these people really are underneath the pretty facades.

[cereality]

It isn’t my impression that Josie and Kelton will move anywhere. The girls who moved “had to” bc their fiances were from other places (Alyssa; Carlin) or bc their husbands had jobs elsewhere (Michaela; Tori).  Here Kelton is from Knoxville and works for his uncle’s family business in Knox.  Plus he seems very close to his dad/siblings and seems like he may want them around esp when it’s baby time next year; yeah he went off to college but it’s quite likely that he viewed that as the adventure for his life – to live on the beach for 4 yrs, knowing you’d move back close to your family in Knox after. Maybe he’d want to go to Nashville to be able to pal around and live life with bff Bobby and maybe Josie would want to be in FL bc of Alyssa. They’re one of the few fundie couples who have options bc they have marketable skills. Being as young as he is, I assume he’s just an employee of his uncle’s plumbing co. – not an owner (yet) who MUST stay. He could easily go to Nashville and get a job with another plumbing co. esp with a few years of experience now.  And he comes from a family that isn’t shy to start businesses – he could open a branch of his uncle’s co. in Nashville or start his own in a few years.

Wedding seemed nice. I didn’t recognize Josie in the reception pics. I realize people cake on a ton of makeup for weddings, but she looks like an entirely different person/different face. Kelton looked fine but I feel like we’ve seen that look on him before – tie/vest – maybe at one of the other weddings? IDK why you wouldn’t want to dress it up a bit more as the groom and wear a jacket. It isn’t so hot in Oct that you can’t do that. 

What were they thinking with red FLORAL ties for the groomsmen? My first thought – as vocal and rude as Nathan has been with his sisters’ bridal choices – Michael’s dress; Tori wearing her hair up etc. – did he not have the balls to tell his brothers in law that those ties are a no and floral/paisley isn’t even fashionable right now? I’m guessing not bc I’m guessing Kelton, Bobby, and Evan have surmised that Nathan and Law are complete jokes to be laughed off; not that Bobby or Evan are such prizes themselves but at least they can get a girl to talk to them.

I was wondering why they had a Friday wedding. But if the Smokys are popular in the fall, then yeah people will book up venues 1 yr in advance if not more, so then when you MUST get married in 3 months it’ll be an outdoor park on a weekday.  It would blow Josie and Kelly’s minds if they realized that some people want to get married at a certain place and when they realize 3 mos. isn’t enough time to secure that place, then they’ll [gasp] get married 15 mos later – or in fundie speak, they’ll be get married right around the time your baby is turning 6 months.

[RebeccatheWriter]

15 minutes ago, cereality said:

Wedding seemed nice. I didn’t recognize Josie in the reception pics. I realize people cake on a ton of makeup for weddings, but she looks like an entirely different person/different face. Kelton looked fine but I feel like we’ve seen that look on him before – tie/vest – maybe at one of the other weddings? IDK why you wouldn’t want to dress it up a bit more as the groom and wear a jacket. It isn’t so hot in Oct that you can’t do that. 

The park where they got married was toward the north side of Knoxville. On Friday it was around 90 degrees in Knoxville and humid. The Bates Family Blog has some videos of some of the siblings saying congrats. (Trace, Jackson, Tori (and Bobby)). They are all talking about how hot it was at the wedding. We're having an exceptionally hot fall this year, as it hasn't yet to actually feel like fall. I honestly feel sorry for Tori, who is looking very pregnant and probably felt that heat. That might have been a reason that her face looked different and her makeup was different. She might not have wanted to sweat off her makeup and may have used a different base or powder to avoid her face looking red in the heat. If she or whoever did her makeup decided to use stage or camera ready makeup on her to mask the effects of the heat/humidity and lights from cameras for indoor shots, etc., it can make your face look less defined unless you really work at contouring things. 

Edited October 7, 2018 by RebeccatheWriter

[Lisa418722]

16 minutes ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

The park where they got married was toward the north side of Knoxville. On Friday it was around 90 degrees in Knoxville and humid. The Bates Family Blog has some videos of some of the siblings saying congrats. (Trace, Jackson, Tori (and Bobby)). They are all talking about how hot it was at the wedding. We're having an exceptionally hot fall this year, as it hasn't yet to actually feel like fall. I honestly feel sorry for Tori, who is looking very pregnant and probably felt that heat.  

I went to the Smokies this weekend and on the news, they were talking about how hot it still was this late in the season.  Friday afternoon according to my phone it was 86 degrees with a feel like temp of 94 degrees.  When I saw that Josie and Kelton got married outside, my first thought was about their dresses and suits and how hot everyone probably was.   

[PradaKitty]

Josie’s hair is much blonder than it used to be and Gil needs to have his suited altered and pressed prior to the next wedding. 

His suit!

[Evagirl]

I just read where Lawson wrote and performed a song at Josie's & Kelton's wedding.  I'm sure the lyrics are beautiful.  He does have a gift for writing songs, but lets be honest, he does not have a good singing voice.  He's often off-key (and I know even read music!), and his voice cracks a lot.  However, he seems to be making a living in Nashville with his singing voice, so I guess I must have a tin ear.

Off topic a little bit - I saw a picture of Trace at the wedding and my goodness has he matured into a good-looking young man.  I always thought Lawson was the best looking, followed by Nathan.  But I think Trace has them both beat now.  All of the adult female Bates are stunners.  They are a really good-looking family.  A few of them were a little awkward looking in their teens (but so was I and many others).  They all blossomed into beautiful people.  Since Zach has lost weight, he looks 10-years younger.  He and Whitney both look great.

[gunderda]

2 hours ago, Evagirl said:

I just read where Lawson wrote and performed a song at Josie's & Kelton's wedding.  I'm sure the lyrics are beautiful.  He does have a gift for writing songs, but lets be honest, he does not have a good singing voice.  He's often off-key (and I know even read music!), and his voice cracks a lot.  However, he seems to be making a living in Nashville with his singing voice, so I guess I must have a tin ear.

Off topic a little bit - I saw a picture of Trace at the wedding and my goodness has he matured into a good-looking young man.  I always thought Lawson was the best looking, followed by Nathan.  But I think Trace has them both beat now.  All of the adult female Bates are stunners.  They are a really good-looking family.  A few of them were a little awkward looking in their teens (but so was I and many others).  They all blossomed into beautiful people.  Since Zach has lost weight, he looks 10-years younger.  He and Whitney both look great.

I thought Josie was going to be the ugly duckling of the family- she was pretty awkward looking not that long ago -  but she really grew into a beautiful young lady

[Sew Sumi]

Alyssa had the longest awkward phase of the adult daughters. And damn, I never thought that Trace would outgrow the ferret face; he had it for years! 

[IndianPaintbrush]

I just realized that after Carlin and Katie, there's no more girls of marriageable age for a while. What will Kelly do?? The Bates boys better find themselves some wives before she goes into wedding withdrawal.

[RebeccatheWriter]

15 hours ago, IndianPaintbrush said:

I just realized that after Carlin and Katie, there's no more girls of marriageable age for a while. What will Kelly do?? The Bates boys better find themselves some wives before she goes into wedding withdrawal.

Given how much she ignored Zach and Whitney's wedding, I'm thinking this may be a breaking point for Kelly. 

[floridamom]

Katie is now the eldest unmarried female living at home. I hope that girl isn't saddled with the brunt of the housework and cooking. I think Kelly hasn't been too interested in developing HER cooking skills all these years, ala Michelle Duggar. Those adult men who still live at home surely don't wash their own skivvies. They need to learn how to use a washing machine and a toilet brush. Katie, be smart girl, and either find yourself a nice guy and get out of there or go to a real college somewhere else! Maybe then Kelly will be forced to introduce herself to a pot or a pan.

[Kbo]

On 10/9/2018 at 3:05 PM, IndianPaintbrush said:

I just realized that after Carlin and Katie, there's no more girls of marriageable age for a while. What will Kelly do?? The Bates boys better find themselves some wives before she goes into wedding withdrawal.

I wonder who’s going to be overseeing the home schooling. They showed the older girls doing a lot of it, but they’re gone or will be soon. I think Kelly likes to flit off with the older kids, and I can understand that, but she’s still got little kids that need to be raised. And there’s nobody left to delegate to except the older boys. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Kbo

[RebeccatheWriter]

It should be interesting. During the TLC series and early in the UP run, Kelly was seen much more hands-on with the kids. She taught, not just assigned workbook pages, etc. However, that responsibility got passed on as the years went by to Tori and then to Carlin. Even the cooking, which Kelly claimed was not a chore but something that Alyssa and Michaela begged to do, was eventually assigned to Tori. The exact quote was something to the effect that Tori didn't like to cook but saw the need and stepped up. So Kelly isn't teaching. She isn't cooking. She is still assigning the younger children cleaning chores. I'm guessing Lawson isn't doing the grocery shopping any longer, as he has more "important" things to attend to these days. But I would assume that one of the drivers in the family does that too. So she wedding/shower plans all day?

Maybe season 8 could have an episode that focuses on a "typical" day for Gil and Kelly. Gil apparently doesn't do a lot of the tree work now. So what does he do all day? What does Kelly do all day? 

[andromeda331]

30 minutes ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

It should be interesting. During the TLC series and early in the UP run, Kelly was seen much more hands-on with the kids. She taught, not just assigned workbook pages, etc. However, that responsibility got passed on as the years went by to Tori and then to Carlin. Even the cooking, which Kelly claimed was not a chore but something that Alyssa and Michaela begged to do, was eventually assigned to Tori. The exact quote was something to the effect that Tori didn't like to cook but saw the need and stepped up. So Kelly isn't teaching. She isn't cooking. She is still assigning the younger children cleaning chores. I'm guessing Lawson isn't doing the grocery shopping any longer, as he has more "important" things to attend to these days. But I would assume that one of the drivers in the family does that too. So she wedding/shower plans all day?

Maybe season 8 could have an episode that focuses on a "typical" day for Gil and Kelly. Gil apparently doesn't do a lot of the tree work now. So what does he do all day? What does Kelly do all day? 

Oh, yes I love Kelly's claims Tori "volunteered" to cook. Sure everything we've seen about Tori she loves to volunteer. Amazingly every single time a daughter marries and moves out there's another daughter "volunteering" to take her place in cooking, teaching and/or whatever needs to be done so that Kelly won't have too. Or when Carlin and Josie in one episode were pretending to worry about what they'd do with Mom being down for a few days and thankful that Michael could fly into help. Yeah, right, like they wouldn't still have been stuck doing the cooking if Michael hadn't come. Kelly doesn't do anything anyways so her being down for a few days was no different then any other day. 

[BitterApple]

I agree with the above comments. Michael flying down was just an opportunity for her to visit on UP's dime. I'm sure those girls have been running the household for a while and are perfectly capable of calling Domino's to order dinner. Similar to the Duggars, the Bateses try to create the narrative that things will fall apart if the matriarch is out of commission, but those of us who see through their b.s. know better. I don't think Kelly is quite so lazy as Michelle, but she's not far behind. 

[Kiss my mutt]

Maybe kelly can get a treadmill like Michelle did. 

[Pasha Kitty]

22 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

Maybe kelly can get a treadmill like Michelle did. 

Kelly needs to cut her carbs drastically, then the weight will come off.  Carb intake should be less than 75g per day, Kelly, so if you're reading this, log onto Carbmanager.com so you can track your daily intake.  It's a great tool.  You'd be surprised at how quickly the carbs add up.  Heck, one hamburger roll is 39grams carbs.  As for low fat foods, forget them- the contain added sugar.  Go for full fat.  Carbs make you fat, not fats (good fats, like olive oil, Kerrygold grass fed butter, 'real' cheese). Good luck!

[floridamom]

Thanks, Pasha, for the carb info. I"m stuck at a 20 pounds weight loss since July and can't seem to move forward. I walk every day and am careful what I eat. Granted, I sit all morning at work so not much exercise there. I would like to lose 15 more. It's becoming frustrating for me to weigh every morning (to keep myself in check for the day) and not see any progress.

[Brown eyed girl]

 

[BitterApple]

They look cute and happy. I wonder where they'll be living when they get back?

[cereality]

I assume Knoxville, no? It's where Kelton's uncle's plumbing business is and also where they both grew up? Maybe they're having thoughts of Nashville bc of bff Bobby, but IDK that may not be immediately upon marriage.

[BitterApple]

28 minutes ago, cereality said:

I assume Knoxville, no? It's where Kelton's uncle's plumbing business is and also where they both grew up? Maybe they're having thoughts of Nashville bc of bff Bobby, but IDK that may not be immediately upon marriage.

I meant along the lines of whether Kelton already bought a house or if they'll be in an apartment for a while. I'm assuming they'll be in a much nicer place than Tori and Bobby were after they got married.

[Evagirl]

Josie posted several pictures on Instagram.  She is simply stunning!  What a beautiful young woman.  She has such a sweet personality and that goes a long way in making one look attractive.  Sometimes no matter how good-looking a person is, if they're conceited or arrogant, looks just don't matter.

[floridamom]

Yes, Josie is glowing....sex can do that for you.

[Kiss my mutt]

6 hours ago, floridamom said:

Yes, Josie is glowing....sex can do that for you.

Lol and pregnancy!

[Temperance]

@cereality You were totally right about those ties. They looked like wallpaper. 

[Brown eyed girl]

[cereality]

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 3:28 PM, floridamom said:

Yes, Josie is glowing....sex can do that for you.

Is there something about sex that makes people – esp males of the fundie persuasion – look younger? Is it just the glow and happiness? Was looking at some of their pics and Kelton is already young looking, but in some of his honeymoon pics he seriously looks like a high school sophomore.  This has been true for even for ugly, pudgy, balding fundie men – like Joe Duggar – on their honeymoon, they suddenly looked younger! Then of course they return to normal life and go back to their usual selves or even if they were good looking before, they start aging in dog years (i.e. Chad) as they use their minimal employability to provide for the 37 kids that they must receive yearly as the lord’s blessings.

How nice would it be if Kelton and Josie came back to Knox, and just enjoyed married life for 5 years – work; travel as much as possible on any whim that strikes; sleeping in on weekends; hiking/biking/whatever hobbies AND then considered children and had a normal number of them like 1-4 and called it quits. This is totally doable since they married SO young – 5 yrs from now they’d still only be 24 and 27, which are still easy child bearing ages.

But who are we kidding, every time I’ve wished that some fundie would find some normalcy, I’ve been disappointed. And while he appears normal, Kelton is fundie thru and thru – of the homeschooled with pamphlets followed by unaccredited Christian college variety. It’s quite possible that Josie is already pregnant or will be in the next 2 mos like most of her sisters have been.  And while Josie acts like Alyssa – too good for the life and family she was born into – Alyssa still walks the walk with a yearly pregnancy and I can’t imagine Josie being too different.

[BitterApple]

I'm not optimistic either. One of the biggest things I've noticed is that Josie has a good-sized social media following yet she doesn't use it to promote her skills and build her clientele the way most hairstylists do. I think work is just a stop-gap and she'll bail once the second line comes in on the pregnancy test. 

[RebeccatheWriter]

On 10/19/2018 at 8:48 PM, BitterApple said:

I'm not optimistic either. One of the biggest things I've noticed is that Josie has a good-sized social media following yet she doesn't use it to promote her skills and build her clientele the way most hairstylists do. I think work is just a stop-gap and she'll bail once the second line comes in on the pregnancy test. 

Most salons that rent space to stylists will include the stylists on their own social media and feature them to drum up business. Ross the Boss, where she works, doesn't rent booths to stylists, but hires them outright. There are pros and cons to that. It's often a good opportunity for a stylist who doesn't want to go out on their own yet or at all, as the company provides customers to you and your receive a salary versus it being based off your contacts, sales, etc. Many who are fresh out of tech college and have recently received their license will start at a place like that because they can build up their clientele and then move to their own space where they can set their own hours, prices, and list of services. The downside is that she can't really call her own shots. She gets assigned customers who can request her if she's available and they like her. She gets paid the same no matter how many heads she works on. And she has to do multiple tasks like run the register, clean up, open and close the salon, etc. 

It's all a ruse anyway. Once the second line comes in, she'll decide that she can work from home. There will probably be an episode about Kelton and Chad converting a room to be her salon. We'll see her cut a few of the kids hair and then it will never be mentioned again. 

[ChiCricket]

1 hour ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

It's all a ruse anyway. Once the second line comes in, she'll decide that she can work from home. There will probably be an episode about Kelton and Chad converting a room to be her salon. We'll see her cut a few of the kids hair and then it will never be mentioned again. 

 Perhaps so then their friends and family can pay her in cash, and she won't declare that income on taxes.

[RebeccatheWriter]

On 10/25/2018 at 1:07 PM, ChiCricket said:

 Perhaps so then their friends and family can pay her in cash, and she won't declare that income on taxes.

I doubt Gil would pay for the younger ones. He was already (jokingly?) bemoaning the idea and saying how they could get them for free from her. 

[ChiCricket]

5 minutes ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

I doubt Gil would pay for the younger ones. He was already (jokingly?) bemoaning the idea and saying how they could get them for free from her. 

Yeah..I can see that. My son is an auto mechanic, and everyone seems to think he should fix all their cars for free, on his one day off.