House Hunters - General Discussion

[snarts]

9 hours ago, sskrill said:

Geneo Grissom and Haley Eastham.  They were college sweathearts, she is an attorney in Dallas.  Looks like she went to law school in Boston while he played for the Pats.  I think was retired from football by the time that was filmed, but I don't think they mentioned if he had a new career.

They were very nice - I really liked how they treated each other too.  Seems like they had been together for quite a lot of life changes and still seemed to really genuinely like each other.  What I really liked was they each wanted the other to have what they wanted.

The episode originally aired in 2021, he was retired from the NFL, working in tech sourcing at Uber.  They were so cute, I liked that she was cautious about their spending, citing the number of NFL players who are bankrupt years later. 

Dallas, TX: new episode but yet another retired military couple downsizing (into a 4 bedroom $800k+ house). Not surprised at the house they chose. I am surprised that a 72ft pool is going in that tiny backyard.

[Kenzie]

4 hours ago, snarts said:

I am surprised that a 72ft pool is going in that tiny backyard.

It sounds like he's going for a lap pool which might be the best choice for a yard that's not too deep. The pool can be as long as they have length for but not usually over 10' wide.

I really liked the exterior of that house.

[Mom21]

22 hours ago, sskrill said:

Geneo Grissom and Haley Eastham.  They were college sweathearts, she is an attorney in Dallas.  Looks like she went to law school in Boston while he played for the Pats.  I think was retired from football by the time that was filmed, but I don't think they mentioned if he had a new career.

 

They said he worked for a tech company. Turns out the company is Uber. She was a cutie but too bossy.  They had been together  for a while with no kids; sort of surprising. I [very vaguely] recall him in the NFL but don't remember much about his career.  I'm pretty sure he closed it out with the Saints.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I saw a Dallas episode, couple downsizing and had to get out of their rental. Of course they had already purchased by the time they filmed this, so there was no real urgency. She wanted one story for her bad knees. 

What a joyless episode. The same comments over and over. I ended up FFing through the third house just to satisfy my curiosity about what they got. 

[CousinAmy]

10 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

I saw a Dallas episode, couple downsizing and had to get out of their rental. Of course they had already purchased by the time they filmed this, so there was no real urgency. She wanted one story for her bad knees. 

What a joyless episode. The same comments over and over. I ended up FFing through the third house just to satisfy my curiosity about what they got. 

Now that I know the trick - they must own the house already - the show makes no sense. Why would you turn down the perfect house for one with the only bathroom in the basement (slight exaggeration). Sometimes the deal breakers are broken - "We must have a 4th bedroom but we'll settle for 2."

I prefer British house hunter shows because it's definitely not the same repetitive thing. And the people are delighted when they're shown a 300-year-old barn. They revere quirky houses with CHARACTER! 

 

[Orcinus orca]

10 minutes ago, CousinAmy said:

Now that I know the trick - they must own the house already - the show makes no sense.

And I always wonder if they have regrets when they tour places that are way better than the one they ended up with.

Honestly, watching with the sound off is about the only way I can manage to watch this show.  It's gotten so repetitive and boring I skip most of the places I don't care for or would never live.

[laredhead]

I must have missed something regarding the Dallas couple who wanted to downsize.  What was the size of their former house?  The new one is over 3,100 sf.  Were the rooms in the old one not configured to their liking?  

They didn't annoy me like a lot of other HH's have done.  I agreed with the wife who doesn't like kitchen cabinets that don't go to the ceiling.  That's just dust catching space, IMO.  I'm also not a fan of the gray fad.  One last thing, if I'm going to pay $800,000+ for house, it needs to have wood floors, and not luxury vinyl flooring like the 3rd one that was featured. 

[rhofmovalley]

3 hours ago, CousinAmy said:

Now that I know the trick - they must own the house already - the show makes no sense. Why would you turn down the perfect house for one with the only bathroom in the basement

The other two houses they tour are decoys. They're not really for sale or they are Air BnBs. The production company sometimes pays the owners of the decoy houses to allow them to film.

(I apologize if you already knew this.)

[chessiegal]

3 hours ago, CousinAmy said:

Now that I know the trick - they must own the house already - the show makes no sense.

Having to be in escrow or owning the house was never a secret. All you have to do is go to the HH web page and they have a link for "how to be on the show" that goes to the production company's website that explains it. Production companies don't have the time to follow people on a real house hunt. I think HH is an inexpensive show to produce. My stepdaughter lives across the street from a decoy house in NOLA. She saw them filming. There was the real estate agent, couple looking, a producer, and a camera person. She said they were there for about 4 hours.

Edited September 12, 2023 by chessiegal

[Kenzie]

3 hours ago, laredhead said:

I must have missed something regarding the Dallas couple who wanted to downsize.  What was the size of their former house?  The new one is over 3,100 sf. 

Their former house was about 4,500 sq. ft.

[mojito]

9 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

It's gotten so repetitive and boring I skip most of the places I don't care for or would never live.

Lately, I've been barely watching HH or HHI. From time-to-time in the past, I have quit watching for months at a time. So sick of hearing the same descriptors and phrases:  "I'm not a fan of" [you're not allowed to say "I don't like"], "deal breaker", "wow factor", "modern farmhouse" [vertical, wide, and almost always white board and batten siding and 2 stories seem to do the trick], "outdated" [not the latest soon-to-be-outdated trend]. What people want is frequently what they've apparently seen on TV, or, in other words, tomorrow's "cookie cutter" requiring a "complete gut". 

Often I have wondered how many other people listen to house hunters declare their need for more room for their shoes and clothes and think that this does not reflect well on their values. Yeah, sometimes I'm too serious. 

I would love to see a House Hunters series, at least for a few weeks, of non-North American people purchasing homes in the US. I'd like to hear their comments about our homes, and what they'd do to make the home more to their liking.

Edited September 13, 2023 by mojito

[Grizzly]

Hudson Valley, NY. I cannot imagine having to sit on a train for 2 hours to go to work. And then another 2 hours home. What a long day. I loved #1 and #3. #2 had interesting furniture choices. The blue velvet in the main bedroom and tiger print on the other beds. Happy with their choice.

[chessiegal]

13 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I cannot imagine having to sit on a train for 2 hours to go to work. And then another 2 hours home.

I've commuted by train, but it was about an hour each way. It's relaxing, you can read or work. You can't do that if you're driving. I'll take the train ride every time.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I've commuted by train, but it was about an hour each way. It's relaxing, you can read or work. You can't do that if you're driving. I'll take the train ride every time.

I can't do either one on a train any more than I can in a car, as my motion sickness would kick in something fierce and make me nauseated. 

If I didn't have that issue, though, I'd definitely take a train commute over a car commute.  But, either method of transport, two hours each way is too much (as would be one hour)!  I live in Los Angeles, where insane commute times are accepted, but I am not okay with anything more than half an hour long term (I took a job with a 45-minute commute - and only because I work later hours than the average bear, so missed the worst of rush hour coming and going - but only because I knew it was a one-year gig). 

[snarts]

Hudson Valley, NY: I used to live in the area. They made the right choice in Beacon, especially if they can walk to the train station.  The worst commutes are those where you have to drive 20+ minutes to the train station, spend hundreds of dollars monthly to park there, and then commute 1 hour+ into the City, often with delays.

Their commute from Middletown would've been awful. As they mentioned, it would've meant taking the Palisades line into NJ and changing train lines. Newburgh, also on the west side of the Hudson, would've meant driving across the Hudson to Beacon to pick up the Metro North line. 

Again, Beacon was their best choice, the taxes were likely much lower as well (something I wish they'd mention on the show as it's a huge consideration. My property taxes were $11k/year in 2006!). As a teacher, maybe she'll eventually look to find an opportunity closer to their new home. I didn't completely understand what he did for a living and whether it required him to commute into the City daily.

In any case, cute couple and I liked seeing any area not often featured on HH.

[Rickster]

I rarely watch the US House Hunters, but tuned in last night since I am also somewhat familiar with the area and coincidentally commuted into NYC from Connecticut for about 5 years.

I agree there was no way they should have been looking at the west side of the Hudson that far north if they needed to get into the city daily. I checked the monthly fair pass on the train to Grand Central is almost $450 from Beacon. The other factor to keep in mind if you are commenting by rail is the need to build in a time cushion for delays, plus the time to get from Grand Central to wherever you work. If I were the teacher, I'd be looking for a local job immediately. The guy seemed to be involved in the theater, which if not a daily commute, I'd think would involve some late evenings in the city, which can be hard to manage with the commute as well.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Rickster

[StatisticalOutlier]

I re-watched the beginning of the Beacon, NY, episode.  She's a "middle school science and music teacher by day and a photographer and actor by night."  He's a "musical theater conductor and pianist."  

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

#2 had interesting furniture choices. The blue velvet in the main bedroom and tiger print on the other beds.

I can't believe there aren't a million comments about that furniture!  Because the blue velvet is the furniture, and not a textile on the furniture. 

First seen in the living room, in the form of two very tufted very puffy very blue couches.  Not what I'd go with, but a valid choice, I suppose.  And couches are supposed to be made of fabric.

But that bedroom!  All of this was completely, and I mean literally completely, covered with blue tufted fabric:  two very large dressers, a bedside table, the mirror frame over the dresser, a gigantic headboard, and as if that's not enough some sort of blue tufted bed platform that turns the normal rectangular bed into a round bed, and you have to crawl over it to get into the bed. 

I thought we'd been transported to Graceland.  In fact, I've been to Graceland and I can still say I've never before seen anything like what they had in that bedroom.

Even the non-furniture in there was weird:  on the dresser were an antique freestanding mirror that hangs on a hook (I had one when I was little, and Mary Tyler Moore has one in her apartment, over by the closet), and a safe.  Sitting on the dresser.  No other piece of personal property anywhere, other than the TV, and they're probably mad the show was taped before they figured out how to tuft that.  (No, wait--I think that's a paper shredder on the floor by the window.)

And the bedspread!  White, with some lacy inserts that revealed the purple blanket underneath it, I suppose to match the dark gray sheets?? 

This was right up there with that carpet in a house several years ago that somebody finally figured out is probably made for the arcade area in a bowling alley or movie theater.

[dogdays2]

Even my DH, who is an infrequent watcher, is SO tired of the following:  

• "Craftsman" (I bet 99% of the folks on HH have no idea what craftsman is until the producers tell them to say it)
• "Open concept"
• "Spa bathroom with garden tub" (DH asked in all seriousness whether this meant the tub was outside)
• "Character" (and, after seeing two homes with character ALWAYS choose the new build that has none)
• "Large backyard" (and then, after seeing two homes with large backyards, ALWAYS choose the new build with a tiny backyard)
• "Near bars and restaurants" (as an aside, does anyone else note that the folks on this show are almost always shown drinking alcohol?)

Then there are the buyers who want a Mediterranean style home in New England or a Victorian in Arizona.  

99% off the time, they pick the new build.  At least show us two new builds in an episode so there is some suspense.  And if they don't pick the new build, they almost always pick the most expensive home (which is also often the new build).

And why does there have to be the drama of one person liking something and the other person hating it?  It makes the "hater" look like a rather nasty person when, in reality, the person is probably quite normal.  There can be drama without the love/hate aspect in every single episode.

Finally, I am SO tired of one person wanting to spend a lot and other other person being frugal.  If it's not a couple, it's parent / child or buyer / friend.  It gets old, especially when they almost always spend the max to get . . . a new build.

We all know the show is scripted but please get some new writers!

[Jumping off my soapbox]

 

 

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, dogdays2 said:

Even my DH, who is an infrequent watcher, is SO tired of the following:

To add to the list:

• "Walkable" as if anyone walks long distances for coffee and a bagel - or anything else for that matter
• "Gut job" for anything built more than six months ago
• "Charm" which apparently has no definition because they never seem to pick a place based on it
• "Natural light" meaning lots of windows which they then complain about because "neighbors can see in"

[rhofmovalley]

I do actually walk almost everywhere which is why I am reluctant to move out of my (very walkable) neighborhood. It was a prime factor in choosing my current home.

And yes, the writers need to find new schticks to assign to the buyers/amateur actors. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by rhofmovalley

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 9/12/2023 at 8:24 AM, Orcinus orca said:

Honestly, watching with the sound off is about the only way I can manage to watch this show.  It's gotten so repetitive and boring I skip most of the places I don't care for or would never live.

Thanks for the tip! 

Hudson Valley - a 2-hour commute to work at a school? seemed crazy. She did say she's an actress and I think his job was definitely in theaters in NYC. I thought I wouldn't like the couple at first, but they were okay. I loved how they loved everything about the first house, all the quirky stuff. I laughed how the woman admitted that the kitchen was a high spot even though she doesn't cook. Of course, it was easy for them to appreciate the quirks of the houses they hadn't chosen. But it was still nice to see.

I admit that they almost caught me with the bathroom "being renovated" in House 2. I guess sometimes they do see houses that they don't pick that are being renovated!!

I loved the first house but the third one made sense, and it's nice that you can walk to the train - here in CA that would be a huge issue, not having to pay to park. 

I don't know anything about the Hudson Valley except that it looked like Yonkers where Hello Dolly was set. Very pretty! I love seeing areas that are new to me. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Mediocre Gatsby
merged replies

[laredhead]

Am I the only one who was confused about last night's HH's reason for buying a vacation house in the Naples, FL area?  First it was for the large family, all of whom would seldom be there all at once, then it was for the parents who spend 2 months in Florida every year, then it was for rental purposes.  That woman was all over the map.  What did she do to be able to afford that as a second home, which by the way she stated she was the buyer many, many times.  I think even her twin sister got a little tired of hearing it.  And did I hear correctly that her parents have been spending $20,000 to $30,000 a year rented houses in Florida and hosting the family while they are there?  I really should not have erased that video so quickly. 

As for the houses, I wasn't over impressed, especially when the realtor showed them a 1,000 sf house which would have been OK for a couple of people, but not the sister who has 5 children, and definitely not for 16 or 17 people that the family included.  That was an obvious decoy.  Anyone want to tell her that a screened pool area will not keep out a determined alligator or snake? 

[rhofmovalley]

I stopped watching Florida Vacation home in the first few minutes. Her voice was so grating! Plus I have zero interest in Florida. I did see the very end when she was screeching about buying the biggest and most expensive home. Good for her 🙄

[chessiegal]

Florida Vacation House - Holy mascara Batman. Is there any mascara left in America?

[snarts]

Colorado Newlyweds:  so much for wanting land. They picked the pricey new construction on a postage sized lot. I did like the design & finishings aside from the upstairs carpet and small bedrooms. $900k doesn't go very far in that area, it doesn't even net you a finished basement or backyard landscaping.

[cameron]

2 hours ago, laredhead said:

Am I the only one who was confused about last night's HH's reason for buying a vacation house in the Naples, FL area?  First it was for the large family, all of whom would seldom be there all at once, then it was for the parents who spend 2 months in Florida every year, then it was for rental purposes.  That woman was all over the map.  What did she do to be able to afford that as a second home, which by the way she stated she was the buyer many, many times.  I think even her twin sister got a little tired of hearing it.  And did I hear correctly that her parents have been spending $20,000 to $30,000 a year rented houses in Florida and hosting the family while they are there?  I really should not have erased that video so quickly. 

As for the houses, I wasn't over impressed, especially when the realtor showed them a 1,000 sf house which would have been OK for a couple of people, but not the sister who has 5 children, and definitely not for 16 or 17 people that the family included.  That was an obvious decoy.  Anyone want to tell her that a screened pool area will not keep out a determined alligator or snake? 

That is one close family for sure!!  Not my cup of tea.

 

1 hour ago, rhofmovalley said:

I stopped watching Florida Vacation home in the first few minutes. Her voice was so grating! Plus I have zero interest in Florida. I did see the very end when she was screeching about buying the biggest and most expensive home. Good for her 🙄

She was over the top IMO.

[rhofmovalley]

1 hour ago, snarts said:

Colorado Newlyweds:  so much for wanting land. They picked the pricey new construction on a postage sized lot.

Probably producer driven. Must.Have."Storyline".

[cinsays]

6 hours ago, snarts said:

Colorado Newlyweds:  so much for wanting land. They picked the pricey new construction on a postage sized lot. I did like the design & finishings aside from the upstairs carpet and small bedrooms. $900k doesn't go very far in that area, it doesn't even net you a finished basement or backyard landscaping.

where oh where will they house their 15 atvs???

glad they aren't my neighbors

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Naples, Florida - just weird. The last house did have the pool she wanted, but they didn't even mention how much the HOAs are - with neighborhood pools and restaurants etc., they must be high. Of course that might be why renters are willing to spend a lot. 

I know that the first house was small, but being able to walk to the beach AND stores AND restaurants seems good to me. I'm in a group of friends who've been doing Thanksgiving together for almost 40 years, and having "walkable" things is really important. Especially as the kids grow up. 

I like that the sister was giving so much input, since she had the largest family (so when she said "we can do 3 bedrooms," I believed her) and also since she and her husband do all the cooking. 

But I don't get why this woman was so DRIVEN to do this (I guess I don't need to get it!) and if her parents spend 2-3 months a year in Florida, maybe they could have kicked in some money?

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Colorado newlyweds - I liked them and just incidentally I appreciate how long they spent together before they got married. It's so important with kids not to rush in. 

I can't believe they didn't go for House #1 if it was available when they were looking. House #2 was so crowded with neighbors. it's not like they were moving to the area and needed to find friends for Tripp. They threw me off by taking off their shoes. I'm losing my edge! 

Still, I liked them both and I'm glad they found something they liked. 

[cameron]

5 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Colorado newlyweds - I liked them and just incidentally I appreciate how long they spent together before they got married. It's so important with kids not to rush in. 

I can't believe they didn't go for House #1 if it was available when they were looking. House #2 was so crowded with neighbors. it's not like they were moving to the area and needed to find friends for Tripp. They threw me off by taking off their shoes. I'm losing my edge! 

Still, I liked them both and I'm glad they found something they liked. 

Learned a new word from that show "grody".  Guess she thought she was "kool".

[rhofmovalley]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

Learned a new word from that show "grody".  Guess she thought she was "kool".

I use "grody" all the time, but I was a teenager in the 1980s.

[buttersister]

Quote

But I don't get why this woman was so DRIVEN to do this (I guess I don't need to get it!) and if her parents spend

My sense is that she’s done very well with her real estate investments. And wants the fam to know and appreciate that. Possible they had doubts back in the early single-mom-of-two days.

[Grizzly]

Atlanta, GA. The dreamy episode David is hosting. I wanted to stab something every time they said "cute" or "super cute". Just shut up and make a decision.

[Grizzly]

LA, CA. I've always liked Jillian Barberie. Glad to hear she's healthy. Really enjoyed her relationship with her kids. That fixer upper would have been a mistake. When they were showing the 3 bedroom, I kept saying you could do something with the garage. I guess she heard me 😄

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Spokane County - I liked the area and houses, but I was uncomfortable with the guy's constant pushes to have a baby with the woman. He has 18-year-old twins and a 12-year-old already. I'm sure she can handle her own decisions, but I didn't like hearing it over and over. 

I liked the first house, and it was the only one in the location they wanted, so I wasn't surprised that they chose it. 

I rolled my eyes so hard at the woman saying, when seeing the big space in the third house basement, that the trouble with buying a big house was having to decide how to fill the space. No. There's no law that every inch of a house has to be filled with furniture for a specific purpose. 

[Bastet]

17 hours ago, cameron said:

Learned a new word from that show "grody".

"Grody" was a standard term in the '80s here in L.A.  "Grody to the max" was reserved for the song, but "grody" as an adjective was common.  I haven't heard or used it in quite some time, though.

[chediavolo]

On 9/13/2023 at 1:45 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I re-watched the beginning of the Beacon, NY, episode.  She's a "middle school science and music teacher by day and a photographer and actor by night."  He's a "musical theater conductor and pianist."  

I can't believe there aren't a million comments about that furniture!  Because the blue velvet is the furniture, and not a textile on the furniture. 

First seen in the living room, in the form of two very tufted very puffy very blue couches.  Not what I'd go with, but a valid choice, I suppose.  And couches are supposed to be made of fabric.

But that bedroom!  All of this was completely, and I mean literally completely, covered with blue tufted fabric:  two very large dressers, a bedside table, the mirror frame over the dresser, a gigantic headboard, and as if that's not enough some sort of blue tufted bed platform that turns the normal rectangular bed into a round bed, and you have to crawl over it to get into the bed. 

I thought we'd been transported to Graceland.  In fact, I've been to Graceland and I can still say I've never before seen anything like what they had in that bedroom.

Even the non-furniture in there was weird:  on the dresser were an antique freestanding mirror that hangs on a hook (I had one when I was little, and Mary Tyler Moore has one in her apartment, over by the closet), and a safe.  Sitting on the dresser.  No other piece of personal property anywhere, other than the TV, and they're probably mad the show was taped before they figured out how to tuft that.  (No, wait--I think that's a paper shredder on the floor by the window.)

And the bedspread!  White, with some lacy inserts that revealed the purple blanket underneath it, I suppose to match the dark gray sheets?? 

This was right up there with that carpet in a house several years ago that somebody finally figured out is probably made for the arcade area in a bowling alley or movie theater.

More like a bordello. FUGLY& classless. 🤢

[chediavolo]

On 9/3/2023 at 10:24 AM, snarts said:

Corpus Christie, TX: the military should really promote military pensions in their recruitment ads. A $2.5M budget on their retirement home after recently launching three kids? Yowza.

I thought for sure that they'd pick the one under construction. Seemed to fit their needs much better. Where's his boat going to go in the $2.7M home with no boat dock that still looked to be a half mile walk to the beach?

A lot of the hype you read about military salaries being low is BS.  Those that make a career out of it are set for life. Never mind all the government & local benefits. Meanwhile seniors who actually need it, get squat unless you are destitute. Same for teachers in certain areas. I know an art teacher who has students  that can barely speak English , so what are they really getting from her class and she makes 6 figures a year. 

[Dibs]

"Daniel vs. The City" rerun.  How adorable was he???  The way his female friend kept harping on "room for children if you decide to have a family" made me think she hoped to be considered for that.

I also really enjoy seeing NYC in general and Brooklyn in particular featured.

[cinsays]

26 minutes ago, Dibs said:

"Daniel vs. The City" rerun.  How adorable was he???  The way his female friend kept harping on "room for children if you decide to have a family" made me think she hoped to be considered for that.

I also really enjoy seeing NYC in general and Brooklyn in particular featured.

yeah, enjoyed this episode and he and his friend seemed very nice.  hope he's loving his new home.  in his step-down outside space were those ac fixtures from the other homes in the building that might need access by them for repair/servicing?

[cameron]

5 hours ago, chediavolo said:

A lot of the hype you read about military salaries being low is BS.  Those that make a career out of it are set for life. Never mind all the government & local benefits. Meanwhile seniors who actually need it, get squat unless you are destitute. Same for teachers in certain areas. I know an art teacher who has students  that can barely speak English , so what are they really getting from her class and she makes 6 figures a year. 

But he isn't getting full salary now, at the most 50% of his naval aviator salary.  That's a little hard to swing a $2,500,000 house on unless he is supplementing his retirement with working full time now out in the corporate world.

[pdlinda]

15 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

but I was uncomfortable with the guy's constant pushes to have a baby with the woman. He has 18-year-old twins and a 12-year-old already.

These are two professional Asst Principals.  I would suspect they are in their late 30's or early 40's.  He already has 3 children from a previous marriage.  They are buying an expensive home.  If she leaves her job to parent a newborn that might impact their ability to manage their finances.  Even after she returns to work, they would have to consider the cost of childcare AND he still has financial responsibility for at least one of his children.

Wouldn't a reasonable person assume that they would have decided between them BEFORE MAKING WEDDING PLANS  whether or not they wanted to have children together???  She referred to "negotiating" the subject. 

I always feel sorry for children being born under a "coerced" situation where one parent isn't 100% IN for the prospect of being a parent. 

My belief is DON'T HAVE CHILDREN if you're not 10000% committed to the role of parenthood.  That includes THE COST of raising a child.

You can divorce a spouse but children are a LIFETIME responsibility that can NEVER be severed (regardless of how dysfunctional the relationship may be there's always a connection)!  

 

[cameron]

36 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

These are two professional Asst Principals.  I would suspect they are in their late 30's or early 40's.  He already has 3 children from a previous marriage.  They are buying an expensive home.  If she leaves her job to parent a newborn that might impact their ability to manage their finances.  Even after she returns to work, they would have to consider the cost of childcare AND he still has financial responsibility for at least one of his children.

Wouldn't a reasonable person assume that they would have decided between them BEFORE MAKING WEDDING PLANS  whether or not they wanted to have children together???  She referred to "negotiating" the subject. 

I always feel sorry for children being born under a "coerced" situation where one parent isn't 100% IN for the prospect of being a parent. 

My belief is DON'T HAVE CHILDREN if you're not 10000% committed to the role of parenthood.  That includes THE COST of raising a child.

You can divorce a spouse but children are a LIFETIME responsibility that can NEVER be severed (regardless of how dysfunctional the relationship may be there's always a connection)!  

 

Think the upcoming marriage might be on shaky footing.

 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Yeah, even if the producers told him to keep saying it, it was uncomfortable to watch. 

[MooCat Pretzel]

Principals in WA:  Do they even like each other?  If that was supposed to be playful banter between the two, it was incredibly awkward.  Surely they have agreed to have a child because if she was unsure or didn’t want one, why would her fiancé keep needling her about it on national television?!?  

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by MooCat Pretzel

[buttersister]

He lost the argument? Not used to losing? Lots of luck to those two.

[buttersister]

I can’t see the beach. I can’t see the ocean.

I can’t see being married to this passive-aggressive whiner. Rerun of couple moving from Austin to some beach Texas town. Or maybe it’s an investment property. I don’t care. G’night.

[cameron]

9 hours ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

Principals in WA:  Do they even like each other?  If that was supposed to be playful banter between the two, it was incredibly awkward.  Surely they have agreed to have a child because if she was unsure or didn’t want one, why would her fiancé keep needling her about it on national television?!?  

 

Because he's probably on an ego trip to produce a male heir.

 

 

[Crashcourse]

8 hours ago, cameron said:

Because he's probably on an ego trip to produce a male heir.

But he already has a 12-year-old son.  I think the couple was going for playful banter, but it hit with a thud.