In 2011, the Sister Wives Blog started out as a place to talk about the TLC reality show "Sister Wives", Kody Brown and his wives Christine, Robyn, Meri and Janelle. Today we not only discuss the show, we discuss Polygamy in our society, and the public perceptions of the Mormon Religion. We discuss "Polygamy USA" and will be covering "My 5 Wives."
This blog is geared towards the adult reader, so please, no one under the age of 18 years. Thank you!
Theory on taralycee....robchin brought her in to level the playing field. Built in babysitter so she is always available for childless fun.....JUST LIKE MERI!!
Also, since she is an adult... does that mean she is getting paid? She really hasn't been in many of the episodes, but I could be wrong as I have been mostly reading the blog while "watching".
To clarify on the previous thread about the ads, my area had a bunch of awful charity ads with abused animals and sad music, but that might have just been the rerun in the middle of the night my DVR picked up. I wonder what their prime time ads looked like...
I'm not too worried about the ads because I don't think the gravy train is over for the Browns. Their lawsuit will keep heating up for at least a couple years, and it could be a LOT of drama, as they try to legalize polygamy. Can you even imagine if they win? These losers are going to make it all the way to the Supreme Court, no matter who wins. Their agenda is to legalize polygamy and they're laughing at us all the way to their McMansions.
I still have Sunday's episodes on my DVR - if time permits this evening I am going to try and go through them and see how many TLC upcoming promo spots, how many Ad Council/charity spots, and how many actual sponsor ads (and what products) are being featured. Plus whatever local spots show up. just would be interesting.
They could do all kinds of stuff! Their 15 minutes has not happened yet, it will be in a few years as the lawsuit crawls through the courts. That might explain the lazy mismash of crap for this season, the drama is yet to come.
Interesting to me that if they have all this cash, why couldn't they pay their debts until recently?? Seems to me they only got serious about their debts/credit when they wanted mortgages for the McMansions....idiots.... And my opinion is that they didn't get bunch of money from their book, their book royalties were discussed here awhile back...
Good question. Who knows why - and who really knows what the truth is about their debts/credit. The only one for sure that had old debt that needed to be cleaned up/paid off was Sobyn. And I'm willing to bet she never thought for a minute she would be getting a house like this and need her credit so she probably figured too bad so sad for the creditor and was just going to stick it to them.
But clearly they are paying their bills - which are substatial. The money has to be somewhere.
I'm certain they are living on credit through their "businesses". I've seen this happen before. As soon as they build up enough equity to do so, they'll open HELOCs. IMO
is anyone else as bugged as I am at how they pronounce certain words??? I've seen others discuss Robyn's take on "Dayton" (DAY-UN), these other examples make me nuts.
"FAWH-MILY"- it's family. No 'awh' in it. They all say it that way.
"FELL"- how Christine says "Fail". We 'felled' as a fawhmily.
d. It drives me NUTS how they say "SERRRR O GET" (surrogate) Kody pronounces things like he is from Wyoming (with a Y!) my mother is and I hear him say things like "pry" in place of "probably"
They don't say their t's which is really annoying - esp Meri and Sobbin. Also the way Mariah says "baby" like a baby is annoying. Go back and listen. Sobbin does not know that the plural of kids is kids' - not kids-ez. It is pronounced the same way as kids, not with an extra syllable Robyn if you're reading this, take note!
I can't remember what exact words Robyn used, but on the interview special she said something weird about how they didn't officially have the houses. I think it was something like "have not the key." Did anyone else hear this? Whatever it was, it was a weird non-sentence. Meri also says she takes things "personal."
Someone on the other thread mentioned their book as a source of income. I was once an aspiring author so I kind of looked into what sort of money an average writer earns per book. (obviously famous best selling authors, like Grisham and JK Rowling, are a different story). I came to the general conclusion that the author(s) nets about $1-2 per book after all the expenses, etc. (same with musicians by the way). From what I can tell, generally 35,000 books purchased is considered 'a best seller' (readerviews.com website). I believe at one point, the book made the best seller list. The Browns may have negotiated an upfront 'fee' for their 'story' and maybe got $50k - $75k. So let's be genererous and assume they made $75k on the book. That still isn't that much money, only $15k per adult. So the book alone can't be the main source of their income and did not allow them to put 50% down on their houses.
I am kind of thinking like another contributor to this blog that thinks there is some money earned that we (and the IRS) aren't aware of. Either some 'plural marriage' foundation or benefactor or something. And that may be the case for NOW, but it won't last forever.
After crunching some numbers (see the last reply in discussion thread 4) I think they actually made decent money off TLC for seasons 2 and 3/4. They did 23 episodes for season 2 and 20 episodes combined for seasons 3/4.
A person's credit score usually goes up after a bankruptcy since they can't discharge debt again for many years. Christine declared bankruptcy in 2010? She's had some time to clean up her credit since then. If they are making over $300,000 per year on the show it's conceivable they could have qualified for these mortgages without the 40% down payment based on the two years of TLC income they've received. They probably still received some help with the down payments but it may not be nearly as much money as was estimated.
If we figure their payments are close to $2000 a month on a 30 year loan at 3.5% interest they would need to be making $76,000 each per year to qualify. That's pretty close to what I estimated them making in the previous discussion thread. I don't believe they could include any other source of income besides TLC.
Christine seems to be doing the smart thing by trying to get herself a career she could sustain after TLC drops them (which they will). Robin is probably making a livable income on her MSWC, although less than they anticipated. Someone else calculated she is probably getting $4000 a month. Is Janelle working again? I'm unclear what she's doing since they moved. As for Kody and Meri...I have not seen them make any move to plan for after TLC money dries up. I thought Meri is supposed to be helping with the clothes end of MSWC but I haven't seen anything but jewelry so far; she's obviously not working too hard on that and is more concerned about the instant gratification of her wetbar in the house she hasn't qualified for yet.
You can't count the half hour episodes as full episodes also they were paid less money back when the show started. That financing they were approved for was from a subprime lender, meaning high interest, high down payment, interest only payment which is not a good thing. 4 homes costing over 400,000 each is over 1.6 MILLION dollars! With a subprime lender holding the note? Miss one payment and they could very well foreclose, and Christine has said she'd recently was late on her car payment, and hoped that if she gets behind that Kody will help her! This is a recipe for disaster no matter how much people try to make that they can afford those houses!
Xenia, I agree they were paid WAY less when the show first started, but they had good ratings for their first season and were renewed for a good number of episodes. I may be wrong, but don't lenders look for two years employment within a field with the last year's tax return as the income they consider?
JK+8 made the same money on half hour episodes as they did on full episodes during each season so I'm uncertain if the episode length would impact their incomes.
I didn't know they used a subprime lender. Definitely not good!
I still think the money is being divided equally 5 ways with Kodouche using his to money to pay on the Lehi home and jointly qualify for Meri's 5 bedroom McMansion, which means him and Meri with one child between them get almost as much money as the other three who have 16 children between them. Totally unfair division there.
Couldn't we figure out their individual incomes based on what their mortgage payments are by assuming they each purchased the maximum home they qualified for?
I don't think making $75,000 a yr for Christine or Janelle would be enough to pay that mortgage with utilities, HOA fees and groceries. That would be cutting it way too close. Plus how else will they make $75,000 a yr when the show is over?
Keeping in mind payments are made quarterly to authors from publishers, this seems to be a good indicator the Brown's are making money from their book. I will admit I thought the book had been out longer. I'm still not saying it's their sole source of income but hitting number #7 on the best sellers list isn't shabby. I didn't take the time to look if it got any higher. I still don't think it's their sole source of income, or even the biggest but things like interviews will boost sales. If they have a contract they'll be pulling in money from the book as long as it's in print.
I agree that the wives would have to be making more than $75,000 a year to keep up on these houses. Even if they put half down on the houses, with HOA fees, utilities, six kids to feed and clothe, insurance, gas, cars, and oh yeah, the monster house payment, I would say they'd need to make at least $100,000 grand a year. My husband and I were making about 75k a year and bought a house for 200k, with 3 kids to take care of, and without HOA's, car payments, and twenty percent down with 3.5% interest, we still needed to budget monthly. I can't imagine the payments and upkeep on their large houses with double the kids and no one with a real job. I am thinking someone is helping them out, although I can't think of who or why. A lot of things just don't make sense.
Once again, Dec 31 Kody tweets an answer to the question why they didn't build one home: probs with permits and resale. Sorry to disagree, but I watched a rather lame home show called "Flipping Vegas" where he was flipping a polygamists house. So, yes, they do exist. Maybe you should of bought the one he flipped!
He also tweeted a response to a question about who to use for buying a house in LV. He couldn't even spell Mona's name correctly. What a shame and quite embarrassing considering all the air time they've given her. He said her name was Mona Ricci, it's actually Mona Riekki.
Don't forget how much everyone 'struggled' once they moved to Vegas. I think one person got a 'Word-of-the-Day' calendar; Therapy Edition for a birthday and everyone takes full advantage of it. At least their getting an education and working through their 'struggles' as a family!
The only permit problem kodouche had was with meri...she wasn't going to PERMIT it to happen....she shouldn't be expected to share her kitchen or her wetbar. I wonder if the celestial palace will build them separate McMansions. After all if they can't live together here how are they going to pull it off in eternity?
It's a planet they are going to. Far Far away, the final frontier...
If I were a polygamist, I would be furious this was what America was seeing. If Joe Darger keeps being buddies and tweeting with Kody, I will wonder about him too. No respectable man could look at this and not be worried about the children.
AZ, too funny, I have the same book, but I was thinking too bad the Mayan deal didn't pan out because then she would have been permanently prego and the whole baby farce would be done.
All I can say is that whatever planet I happen to end up on in eternity, I want it to be far, far away from thThe Big Brown Marble. Hopefully, they'll still have the cameras rolling, though.
NowMad said "If I were a polygamist, I would be furious this was what America was seeing." Believe it or not, this is probably the better side of polygamy.
I've noticed Meri having the family over, I think two or three times this past year. I think she's driven for a hobby room because she loves to sew and create things. I'm slightly annoyed by the skin tight clothing most choose to wear, then wear a tank top on top of it all to give the allusion of modesty. They really need clothes that fit. I think Janelle comes the closest, and I think regardless of the business of these women, they would benefit from some online classes, leading towards college degrees, and future income, rather than spend so much money on their homes. Granite counter tops are ridiculously expensive if you are on a tight budget, and studies have shown they emit radon. Why not go for something cheaper, that looks just as good? And Kody should have reigned in Meri with the house spending. He doesn't have to go along with everything just because she's good at blackmail.
That lawsuit isn't going anywhere near the Supreme Court. Polygamy won't be decriminalized based on the privacy argument that Turley is trying to make. Since marriages are legal when licensed by the state, there is no privacy granted, much like their very easy to obtain property records. It might if he were to argue enumerated powers, but privacy, no. In fact, since they have never been charged with polygamy, they may not even be granted standing to challenge the law. As for possible benefactors, I still think that creepy dude who got the FLDS children to harvest his pecans might be a likely candidate.......
It doesn't matter what the lower courts rule, this will get appealed up by either side. It's too big of a topic, and it's legally too close to the gay marriage fight, which is why the Browns are now pro gay marriage and have some odd allies in this lawsuit.
Go read up on the lawsuit documents from this site, they're fascinating. The Browns aren't suing about licenses, they're suing about Utah's criminal law that makes them admitted felons.
Out of curiosity what LAWS have the Browns actually broken? He is only legally married to Meri with "sealing" ceremonies to the other 3, as far as I know it's not illegal to have 3 mistresses or an open marriage so what LAWS have they really broken and what could they actually be prosecuted for? Question 2 is does the maintaining of all individual residence have any bearing upon what they are trying to do with the lawsuit? Again, I just don't see where this is really anything other than an open marriage.
Julz - Utah law specifically defines polygamy as follows:
"According to Utah’s bigamy statute, “A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person.” Utah Code Ann. § 76-7-101(1) (2003). The law, therefore, applies not just to individuals who have obtained multiple marriage licenses, but also to those who are legally married to only one person, while also engaging in other marriage-like relationships that are not recognized by the state.
Polygamy is also specifically prohibited in the Utah state constitution. "ARTICLE III ORDINANCE The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the people of this State: [Religious toleration. Polygamy forbidden.] First:--Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited."
Something else I noticed, coincidence or not: Truely is an anagram of Turley, their lawyer. Weird.
I keep hearing about some of the mistresses/fake wives getting help from welfare, etc. because they are single parents. What I don't understand is how they can do that without the state then going after Kody (the father) for child support. In most states, the mom has to sign a legal document stating she will assist the state with recouping tax dollars paid to her on the theory that those tax dollars are basically replacing the child support payments she is not getting from the father. An Income Withholding Order is issued to the father's employer,bank account, or whatever recovery method is available. They can even prevent renewal of auto tags, or pull a driver's license for non-payment of support. In some cases, mother is offered help with job training and is EXPECTED TO WORK when her children reach school age. Now, I realize in this case that even if there was a withholding order, and Krody was having payments deducted from his income, the receiving mom would just put the check back in the "family pot". However, it would also mean that her assistance from the state would decrease because she is receiving monthly support payments. Therefor, they would not really be benefiting from the tax payers. Also, it would be on Krody's financial records as a monthly obligation. That would be a real b***h for Meri since her child is of age. Robyn would only benefit for ONE child with Krody, but Christine and Janelle would each get the lion's share!!! My main point is, they would basically be recycling their own money instead of playing the system with tax payer money...just sayin'
Exactly! In my state, he'd have to pay child support for all these kids. Someone posted a while back that Utah doesn't do this when you apply for assistance, which blew my mind.
Hi Maggie Dean: I am curious if the mothers' last names cause legal complications for them. AFAIK, except for Robyn, the have the last name of Brown. Please correct me if that's wrong.
Assuming that Janelle and Christine legally changed their last names in court to Brown, what did they cite as their reason for the name changes? Did they admit that they were changing the name to fit in with a polygamous husband, and if so, did a judge agree to that? Along those lines, when applying for welfare, weren't they asked about former names used, and if so, did the social worker ask the reasons for the name changes? My understanding of the welfare system is that it's very thorough, as in, an application for food stamps can be up to 20 pages, and even asks about livestock ownership. I don't understand how the presence of other adults, especially the father, in the childrens' home is apparently not being reported.
I changed my first name a few years ago (never went by my birth name, so changed my first name to what people actually called me). All I had to do was swear that I wasn't changing it to perpetrate a fraud or avoid any legal issues. Grandson changed his last name a couple of years ago (his dad was a dud, and he changed it to his step-father's name). Again, no problem.
Hi AZChristian, I suppose it might vary from state to state as to what the courts want to know. I knew a man who, like your grandson, changed his name because his father had not been in his life. He was asked about it both in the paperwork filed in court, and by the judge.
Regardless, I'm more curious about if Christine was asked by social workers about her past names, and reasons for the changes. Anyone who has been on assistance will tell you that there are many personal questions asked. It seems to me that a social worker in Utah would be suspicious of a 40-ish woman who claims to have never been married, changed her last name, and has six children who all share facial features that are not their mother's, i.e. appearing like they could have been fathered with the same man. If, for example, when she had just four kids and filed for benefits while claiming the father was unknown, then came back a year later with a fifth child who apparently has the same facial features of that supposedly "unknown" father, that should be a red flag.
In his book, "Under the Banner of Heaven" about fundamentalist Mormons, Jon Krakauer talks about how they're experts on getting around the welfare system. They call it "bleeding the beast." It's a cultural thing within the flds community, accepted as normal and practiced regularly. Of course I know nothing about the Browns' other sources of income but I bet welfare money factors in to some degree.
Since I'm really bored, I've taken it upon myself to check the property records for the remaining house transactions. Waterworks and Grody's place hasn't popped up as sold or transferred yet. As of this morning. I'm going to keep checking, but wouldn't it be interesting if their mortgage falls through? That would make a great story line!
A pic that Maddie just tweeted shows her and her grandmother...they looked photoshopped...or is it some kind of effect/app on the iphone? Are they trying to make out like they haven't moved in the dreamhouses this Christmas? odd
It seems all of their instagram pictures have that grainy look to them. And yes, I think they are trying to 'fool' the audience that they haven't moved yet...hence the reason for the 'deletion' of Mariah's picture in the new kitchen.
Aspyn sure isn't hiding the house in her pics. She's tweeted lots of pics in the new house. Also, the camera crew is apparently there. Guess they are re-creating Christmas in the new homes. So, basically, they'll be back for another season.
Odd. Why would Mariah have to delete it? That sounds like good news for the Kodependents.
If they are covering their tracks like this, I guess they have another season to complain about how hard it is to buy houses after rotating bankruptcies, and gush about stupid little options in four houses most viewers can't afford, even with jobs.
There was another picture that she just took of snow in Utah and a few beautiful houses. Everyone kept commenting and asking if they were the new houses. She said in all caps "there is no snow in Vegas and these are not MY new houses. Lol" she then went on to state that she was in Utah at her Aunt's home. This was 2 days ago when they apparently celebrated christmas- according to aspyn's tweet- maybe that picture was taken at her aunts house too? These people are nuts.
Mariah tweeted last night that she couldn't wait for the family Christmas today. Now I see she tweeted this picture from today. They must have re-created Christmas for the cameras. It makes perfect sense.
"I want them to have their autonomy," So that one wife isn't being stifled by the relationship inside a home with another wife."
They are such hypocrites! What about the TEARS for not being together? Is he saying that they were stifled before? This family is the biggest bunch of liars on TV. Where's Natalie Morales? I want him to clarify the lies about the home, wanting to be together, not together, and I want her to ask it. I also want her to ask why all the tears of not being together if they didn't want it in the first place? 4 homes will make them 4 neighbors. Doesn't mean they have to see, interact, acknowledge or validate each other. IT DOES MEAN, they will have a closer eye on where Kody is at. Good thing they all have 3 garages, hide that sports car quick! Get a lover to lie about your whereabouts. Should not be to terribly hard to do with this bunch, since lies are more common than bad grammar and those dang awful baby doll tops. Seriously, this is a very dysfunctional family. Get off TV, get a nice double wide and park it in the Utah yard, and try to frazzle together what is left of your self entitled mess. THAT you owe to your children. They have to be making a huge mess of these poor childrens' minds. We want to live together, no we don't! Do they have to have 4 dollhouses now? I pray they don't get too brainwashed and see this for what it is. Love your parents, kids, but realize that this is not the way to live or think.
I know! I just watched that clip of Kody sayins "I want them to have their autonomy." and said, "WHAT?!?!?!" I thought they WANTED to be together! And since they couldn't find one giant house, a la Lehi, they were forced into the four seperate homes. And it was all, "Oohh.... we want to be together. Boo hoo... This is too much to bear... We need to be a family..." And then, oh! McMansions?! Everyone gets their own and doesn't have to share a kitchen and Janelle and Christine don't have to deal with Mean Meri living under the same roof?... Well then hello! Of course now the McMansions are what they want.
And yes, NowMad, I agree with what you said, "why all the tears of not being together if they didn't want it in the first place?"
Long time reader, first time poster. Aspyn tweeted a Christmas picture that shows camera crew in the background... definitely taping for another season!
Let's sum it up to the almighty dollar, that's about it right? The Brown's realized their so-called "reality" show would make them some bucks, so they jumped at the chance. If and I say if, they were practicing polygamy, this quickly left them in the home in Lehi. They repeatedly state, this is a "lifestyle" choice, which is completely evident by their purchasing of the four different huge as a mofo houses..excuse my french. ;) They just can't stand the agony of sharing a large home together. Let's be real here, in "reality" normal minded folk, no matter what religion/belief system, call it what you will, would save their pennies/dollars/quarters, for a rainy day. Or how about when the show is cancelled? Grandiose thinking, my friends, and entitlement. The Brown's started with a touch of it to start with, or they wouldn't have gotten into all this. But TLC has expertise at bringing out the me, me, me, in it's reality stars, and also reeling us in to watching in the first place because at first the shows seem genuine at first...lol.. By the way, Meri has done something to her nose, it looked different in the older episodes, like it had more of a point.
LOL anonymous that is the first thing I said when I saw Meri,,,"she has had her nose done"!!! As far as living under one house. They cannot do that, then it would be saying to the LAW, I am a polygamist and Kody would be arrested. By living in four separate homes then he is not a polygamist in eyes of the law. He is only a low life husband with four mistresses.
These wives have very different views and standards regarding housekeeping and child rearing. Meri is organized and neat and fairly strict with her daughter. In the book Janelle admits she doesn't care to clean the kitchen after dinner but waits until the morning. Just right there is a big conflict. Then from the looks of Christine's house she doesn't clean, lets the kids trash the place and is lax about making the kids attend school. Now the kids could live perfectly happy lives in a clean house, not jumping on the furniture etc. Or vice versa. But it would be hard to live where the parents don't agree on the ground rules. It looks like the Dargers at least have the same basic standards for the kids and their house.
If meri had 6 kids she wouldn't want to clean the kitchen until the morning either, or make them all go to school all the time. You can't really compare the married mother of one to single moms of 6.
Good point, but in my opinion nstead of working on jealousy (which after 20+ years still exists and doesn't seem to be going anywhere), they ought to be working on the types of issues you listed above. Those are the things that you work together on as a family to compromise and work out. That's what being a family who love each other is all about. Mock Jobs
Well that is why Kody is the "Husband" and thus the the "Leader" in their family. Obviously Joe Darger runs a tight ship and maybe we all think he is overbearing but honestly someone needs to be in charge. Kody started the whole marriage off on the wrong foot by not taking charge of his family and not taking charge of the Meri situation. If they are all going to live forever in the celestial kingdom forever and ever, they probably need to start learning how to truly love each other. When they stand before God and explain their lives, He might just overlook the fact that the wives generally hate each other. But He might not tolerate such abuse of each other either. If you are going to hitch your wagon to this 'belief' then I would sure do a better job of truly being loving and kind rather than selfish and mean. Just sayin.
Have to agree- Papa Joe is a little creepy and scary to me, but Kody really needs to take charge.
When Meri did that insincere "apology" to Janelle during a recent couch session, Janelle answered to the effect that Kody needed to have stepped in. He's a wimp!
Since Janelle worked all day to support everyone, and Christine watched and fed all the kids, the least that part-te working, mom of 1 Meri could do is wash the damned dishes herself.
Anonymous 8:54, you're exactly right. During the longest 10 months of my life, my hard-to-please mother lived with us. At this point, we'd been married about 20 years and I kept a nice, clean house. But she picked at EVERYTHING.
I once mentioned to a friend that the latest sin I'd committed was that I hadn't ironed a permanent press tablecloth before I put it on the table. My friend said, "Hand her an iron and tell her that it obviously bothers her more than it does you, so she is perfectly welcome to iron it." I did.
What dishes? Every time we see the family eating at Janelle's house they are using paper plates and plastic forks! This family's carbon footprint is HUGE!
Anyone think that there is some sort of AUB church that Kody may be starting in LV? If he holds services in each home they all are exempt from paying property taxes!
Very doubtful since Kody ruffled AUB feathers with his over the top antics and unwanted publicity. At this point Kody is only interested in the church of Kody.
They're in a gated community with an HOA. They can't have a church there. They can have private Bible studies, but that doesn't qualify them for a tax write-off.
I am probably going to hell for this.... But along with the "Who-ville" resemblance....in the first and third pic above, Meri bears a strong facial likeness to the lion in the original Wizard of OZ. (I think the change in Meri's nose is down to applied shading with make-up)
Also my reply above with "Bravo" was intended for NowMad's post.
Or we could pretend we want to buy some jewerry or green stuff and hang out with them for a while and then have a few laughs over some cocktails at a wetbar...
I'm assuming Meri will want to show off her new McMansion ASAP and they will schedule a LIV meeting soon in her home. I can't wait to RSVP for that one! I'll go to the bathroom and snap some photos along the way. Since she LOVES entertaining and all!
I just had this vision of Kody lying in bed at night dreaming of the day when people come to see the McMansions like they do at Graceland. He probably truly believes that he could sell tickets for tours, etc.. I wouldn't put it past being one of his "go-to" plans!
I want to see that too! I don't see Christine sharing any of her future earnings with the other wives, EVER. I laughed when she said her bit about sharing her commission checks because that ain't never going to happen. She is too selfish and smart for that. I also think Janelle is done sharing her future paychecks, not with six kids, one who is in college and 5 heading there straight after. I don't see her contributing a dime to Robyn's kids when she is so adamant about her kids getting an education. I think she is just waiting for the show to end so she can live on her own again and get a job. I don't think it is laziness that she hasn't worked since moving to Vegas. I think she is done being the cash cow. Now that she doesn't need a wife to babysit her kids, she is keeping her money. From what we have seen of the wives now, it is every wife for themselves from now on. Now that they have all made their own money, I don't see them going back to all sharing their paychecks. I also think Robyn will be out of there as soon as TLC rolls out and they can no longer keep up with the mcmansions. Janelle and Christine are never going to like her, Meri is a back-stabber, and Kody will soon be eyeing a fifth wife. She will be looking for husband number 3 and making sure he is really loaded this time. Meri and Kody should be looking into a REAL career right now, because when the gravy train is gone, they are screwed.
I totally agree with you anonymous. I have said all along that Janelle and Christina see what a fool they have been. You can see the wheels turning in Janelle's head. Unfortunately, they are in a mess they cannot get out of given the number of children they have. I am thinking that Kody doesn't do much "rotating" thru their beds. If Janelle loses the weight she wants she will get her self esteem back and be out of there.
Love the video clip...don't know if I'm more disturbed by what's coming out of their mouths or the amount of make-up they have on. Perhaps they've now decided to layer fake eyelashes as well as their clothing. This whole "we are reality stars" crap has really brought out the worst in them.
Something else that had to be a lie during these episodes. Kody was explaining something about the "rotation". He said that they rotate except when a new baby is born. They have a babymoon he called it. He stays with that baby momma and baby for a couple weeks to bond with the baby. How is that true? When Truley was born, he was courting Robyn and kissing her while christine was actually in labor!!!! No way he stayed with Christine during that time for a babymoon. Jerk!
I call BS on the babymoon,too. That must be another one he and Robyn conveniently came up with. Christine stated on the show that she hardly saw Kody during his courtship with Robyn. Christine said that he didn't even acknowledge her birthday or their "anniversary" so there is no way he spent a two week "babymoon" with her. What an a-hole.
Does anyone know how much Meri was over budget by the end. I know she started out over by $200, but at the end did they say it was $44.65 or $4465.00. She did say that she would pay for the difference herself and that it wouldn't come from any of the other wives.
She was almost $5000 over budget on the house in the last episode when she made the statement that no problem, she'd make up the difference on her own. HA
it was $4465. they were with the builder's design reps. Most builders agree to certain options and grades thereof in the agreed price... anything over that is over budget.
How could Meri afford to pay $4,465 in extra charges but Janelle couldn't come up with the cash to have the builders pour a cement slab in the back of her house for a patio? Seems fishy...
The fact that Janelle opted for financing window treatments over the patio (which adds value) shows that she's not as financially savvy as people make her out to be...or Kody didn't want to bother installing them (no big deal, get a drill and a cordless screwdriver...), he actually admitted that he didn't want to have to deal with installing the washer/dryer etc. lazy ass.
Not hooking up your own washer and dryer???? I changed a plug on my dryer with directions from the nice folks at Lowes. I was excited at the accomplishment, but if I had a hubby... Sex can't be the only thing they desire from a rotation
Aspyn tweeted about her family having their christmas yesterday. Then she posted a picture of her present and in the background there was camera crew. I wonder if TLC will air that and have the Browns act like it was really christmas morning..
I can't speak specifically for NV, but in some states, the government will NOT go after the father for the mother using: food stamps, medical & WIC. Only for cash aid.
The government will not go after Kody or any father of any state who's not married to the mother getting Wic services for her children. Remember, Kody's situation is exactly the same as those who simply live together because they cannot afford health care insurance. In my state it's right around $8000.00 per person a year, if your employer doesn't chip in, and then, you can still lose the farm over what you owe. I know. I was a nurse for the V.A. during a 23 year nursing career, and always had insurance, yet at one time owed over $5000.00 in medical bills for myself and children as a single parent. Drug coverage is sinful. Absolutely sinful. So for those who aren't part of the conservative rich, I always suggest living together so that the children will have health care coverage, and I imagine that's how all of Kody's children are covered except for Mariah.
Soon enough used books will be in circulation & the sales will slump. Viewers are bored. Due to the obnoxious number of abused animal/kid ads, sponsors are few & far between.
I can almost hear the 15 minutes of fame bell ringing. Almost.
Id love to hear their ten year plan! Because TLC is obviously going to be moving on, very soon.
First time commenter....long time reader! I love this blog! I wonder if as some other commenters have suggested that maybe the Browns are financially secure finally now that they've made money off of the show public appearances and books. They might be playing up the financial drama to create a storyline. Part of mealso thinks they're trying to get sympathy from viewers. "Look at them trying to be a family!" I'm sure not buying into it though!
I just wonder if they will sell these homes in the future. Perhaps when the housing market picks back up again. They may be able to sell for a profit... get back their massive down payments and then some. Return to Utah and LOL?
Granted, I don't know if it is possible with their interest rates to really profit. Or whether the housing market will go back up enough to profit. But either way, if the houses become too much $$ to handle, they can resell and as long as they don't take a huge hit on the price, can get that down payment money back and still be sitting pretty at the end of the day, no?
I'd like to see Meri and Robyn fall, but I just don't think it will happen. I have no ill will towards the other two.
Mariah's picture on twitter is gone, along with Aspyn's. That didn't take long. I wish I'd known how to capture the images. Mariahs picture of the McMansion really was a great shot of the inside of the house.
I went back to look again at the plans . 5 bedrooms, a hobby room , an office and a bonus room. For 1 woman, a soon-to-gone child, and a rotating husband. And a wet bar to display Christmas pastries. What a ridiculous waste of resources. At least they will not be lacking closet space for the extra running shoes!
I frequently balk at the housing situation when I think of it.
I've really not been terribly judgemental about how the Browns choose to parent & etc, but the houses just rub me the wrong way.
Meri comes off as extremely selfish, not matter how you look at the situation with the house. The extra bedroom, and the hobby room add more un-needed square footage to the house which is going to factor in to property tax and utilities; it may not seem like a large amount, but considering all the mouths to feed and clothe, one would think that the Browns would be looking to do this as inexpensively as possible.
Some of the Mormons I still keep in touch with from my childhood LDS days point to things like this when they say polygamy doesn't work.
I don't understand the financing of a washer/dryer or blinds with the home loan. I built a new home 3 years ago as a single/divorced mom of 1. I didn't know anything about home construction but I researched and found a honest builder with a 25 year reputation. It's a modest home 2000 sq feet 3bed/2bath I built it for 174,000 and put down 25,000 and was given a 29,000 credit for the property I owned that it was built on. While building, I had a lighting allowance that I had to go to the lighting store and pick out everything from porch lights and door bells to fancy fixtures. I went over my budget by 400.00 and I had to pay the lighting store that day. When I went to HH Gregg for my appliances there was only a budget for frig/stove/dishwasher/microwave. Washer and dryer, blinds, bar stools nothing like that was part of the building contract. Because I was building in the country and not in a subdivision, I opted to forgo landscaping, just grass planted around the house. My point is there are lots of ways to have an affordable new home as a single mom. Every spring I add a little more to the yard. I also budgeted 10,000 of my own money for new furniture. I couldn't see having this brand new home with my old furniture. Just brought special pieces of furniture and shopped around for sales and good deals on new furniture. I saw pics on the girls twitter and the blinds in the house look just like the ones I bought at home depot. I had 21 windows to cover and only spent 775 on the blinds and paid a friend 100. to install. Who would pay interest on window blinds??? If I could educate myself on home building they certainly could with a just a little effort.
This whole story line about Meri having supposed thoughts about another baby ... at her age ... with her level of work ethic ... as if most of us ever believed it... Well, this week everyone witnessed just how much this ongoing conversation is a charade. Kody said they'd known for 2 1/2 years that Meri didn't want another baby. So, given what he himself said, I don't know how anyone could still be hanging onto the fake story ... and if Meri and Kody keep harping and weeping about this again - next season - well that is going to cause TLC to lose viewers for sure, because, at this point, any conversation about Meri having a baby is just teeeeeeeeeeeeeediously boring and annoying ... cuz we all know it ain't gonna happen. They really need to drop the topic asap. TLC should not even have Meri tell Kody anything about a decision on camera -- I, for one, just can't stand to see her weep all over again, and I'm sure I'm not alone on that!
Many people in AUB don't belong to a United Order, and don't deed their properties over. No way will Kody do that. And yes, there is an AUB temple in Ozumba, but there is also another one in Bluffdale, Utah, right next to Camp Williams.
Robyn does not appear pregnant in the Istagram photo....and Christine looks really good! It looks like someone has a sliding door though, if that is one of the new homes!
I guess for FauXmas, nobody but Jenelle could be bothered to do their hair. Even Robyn, who is quite good at that curling iron. I have no issue with sliding doors, but vertical blinds scream cheap motel to me. Just saying, Meri.
"I just wonder if they will sell these homes in the future. Perhaps when the housing market picks back up again. They may be able to sell for a profit... get back their massive down payments and then some. Return to Utah and LOL?"
When I looked at a map of the area these new homes are in, there were literally HUNDREDS of other houses for sale in the area, most for about half what these ones cost. Maybe not as new, but dirt cheap compared to what the Browns paid for their McMansions. I think it will be a very long time before they could sell them for profit, even with cheap financing and a lot of money down, especially since they built 4 identical houses on the same cul de sac. Who'd want to pay double the price for a cookie-cutter house exactly like the one three of their neighbors have? If Kody was serious about "resale value" he would have bought true custom homes, in an area with few other houses for sale (definitely NOT Las Vegas.) But that would take planning and research, instead of desperate panic buying at any price whatever they could get.
I do find it amusing so many new house pictures are showing up on Twitter though, maybe it's their way of showing us all "See, we DID get the houses nah nah you were wrong about us!" Then they pull them so they don't get in trouble with TLC.
Even in the pictures though, the houses look kind of cheaply built. But maybe it's just the bad picture quality though, I'll bet they look super duper neat in real life. ;)
Surfkitty, you hit the nail on the head...if those houses are anything like the model (and from the twitter pictures, it looks like they are) those are some of the cheapest looking $450K houses I've ever seen.
OMG, DakotaJustice...you are not going to believe this, but I am pretty sure I recognize that house....I am fairly certain I knew the folks who lived there in 1994 or so....I had to double check, so I googled the address, and got a link to the MLS entry...you can look at all the other pics of the place....so I confirmed, that is totally the house I drove one of the residents home to in 1994...
Thanks for replying to that! I'm not very knowledgeable about housing markets and especially not in Vegas. I'm glad to know they won't be walking away from this better off than they went in, anyway.
I couldn't agree more. I was so surprised by how inexpensive the model looked when they went through it. For some reason, it lacked a lot of personality for that price. Then when the picture was posted of them in the living room, I was very surprised how plain it looks. My main concern would of been, buying a sturdy home that would withstand the elements of weather in heat, and also the heavy traffic of the children. I really like Christine, but I noticed in the rental home that it didn't seem to have been taken care of very well, and I wonder what will happen in a cheaply made home. Also, when I lived in AZ, we specifically bought a house that faced a certain way, so that when the sun set, it did not bake our upstairs. Even with that, we had to have special screens put on the house (HOA only allowed certain sun-blocking methods) because it was still so warm at times. I wonder if they took any of that into consideration.
Is someone who knows where these houses are allowed to email me the general location? I'm really curious as to where they are. My friends and I want to check them out because have nothing better to do haha.
I don't in any way believe that Meri is going to let Mariah leave the house to go live at college. Am I the only one who thinks this? Meri is way too selfish and possessive to give up her only daughter. I know parents like that and they just guilt and nag their children into staying. Mariah may WANT to go to college in Utah or to go live in the dorms, but that doesn't mean she's going to. I would bet Mariah is going to go to a local junior college for her gen eds to "save money" or will go to UNLV but live at HOME, unlike Logan. Meri's just going to turn the waterworks on her daughter about how lonely she is in this big, big house and Mariah will feel bad and stay. I mean, Kody is not in any way supportive of any of his children leaving either (you know, you have to build an entire bedroom for them in case they want to come and visit for the weekend). I think it's only because Logan insisted and Janelle backed him 100% that he's living in the dorms right now. Even if Mariah really wants to, I don't think she'll be able to withstand the tremendous guilt and pressure from Meri AND Kody. I just don't see Meri suddenly and miraculously doing something in her child's best interest rather than her own.
I completely agree. Kody wants Mariah around because she keeps sceri meri happy, without her she will focus her attention on nagging kody or more "vacations" where they have to pretend they're a real "marriage"
I get the feeling that Mariah would find it difficult living in a dorm. She seems more sheltered than the other children, which is of course all the more reason that she should definitely live in a dorm. Being forced to interact with a wider range of people would give her a new perspective and help her figure out if she really wants to be a polygamist.
I agree with you that she probably won't go. She's so conservative that I would imagine she would stay with her mother, which of course Meri will love.
She's just a kid. Who knows what will happen when she goes off to college? Who knows what it will be like to be away from your mom and all that chaos and cameras and people peeking at your houses? Like any of the kids, she can do anything and be anything. Just because their parents are complete morons and made them go on TV doesn't mean any of the kids have to be like them.
The older teenagers have a great support system in each other, and they're going to be just fine. Mariah might be uniquely disadvantaged with that nasty, selfish baggage, but people have overcome worse. I have a lot of hope for these kids.
Does anyone else wonder why the Brown's teenager's twitters are not set to private? Both of my teens have twitter and instagram and their profiles are set to private. You have to ask to follow them before you can see their pictures or tweets.
Most teens like being "famous" and want as many followers as they can get. That's normal for their generation. And why would you want that to end? They probably read this blog.
If they set them to private, they can't consider them advertising for the family business and can't write the cost of the phones off on their income taxes. JMO.
I've always wondered why their twitter is not private. I also wonder why so many adults apparently follow the teens. Last year, Aspyn had an obvious adult woman complaining about how Aspyn's tweets were cluttering her tweet list (or whatever its called). Aspyn's tweets were typical teenage stuff - but it floored me that an adult actually followed her and then had the nerve to complain about her tweets.
One of the adult Browns have said they prefer the use of 'plural marriage' instead of polygamy. So I'm not surprised that she caught and corrected herself to keep in step with her elders.
But I agree that plural marriage is just an euphemism for polygamy (or polygyny).
Have to put my two cents in on the "Secrets Revealed" First of all, there are no secrets revealed, just the same old repeated stuff. The Brown's are in no way gonna get questioned by someone who will ask real questions. They won't agree to it. Notice also the continuous blinking the women do, (except Meri) when asked questions, mind you, it could be the fake lashes, but I have heard from friends who study body language, this is a sign of complete insecurity, has anyone else heard this? I know it's not right to judge people, but Meri and Koty really eat their 15 minutes of fame up..they love being in the spotlight..Meri gets worse with each episode, her head is actually getting bigger as we speak.
I also noticed,at the end of the so-called interview, Koty makes his little teary-eyed speech, he looks quickly and directly at Robin. There is no doubt she is his favorite sister wife. Body language tells us so much.
I'm sorry if this has been touched on before, but I have noticed that Logan looks a lot like he could be Christine's son instead of Janelle's. Wondered also if anyone noticed Robin pulling out what looks like her checkbook when she comes back in with Meri to discuss her over budget..what's was that all about?
I noticed that in the last show (where Logan was leaving for school) that meri cried 7 times. Robyn had a few "moments" but dry eyes from Christine and janelle the whole show. BUT if they had an equal amount of screen time as meri. . . . .
This evening from 7 - 9p central time SW is showing reruns. Need to take note of the advertisers. Am thinking of their creative financing that they maybe paying interest only and have balloon notes.This was used thirty yrs ago when points were high. With their high payments, doubt if Meri can afford to stock her pantry and wet bar for all that entertaining. Unless Mariah attends a local community college and commutes. many colleges mandate freshmen live on campus, to experience campus life which would be to her advantage.
BTW, I am pretty sure the instragram photo of "Christmas" with the whole group was in Janelle's house. Those are her couches (from the 'horse/cowboy' room) at the rental. Meri would NOT have slidig doors or vertical blinds. For all the entertaining Meri claims to love to do, most of the celebrations are at Janelle's.
Theory on taralycee....robchin brought her in to level the playing field. Built in babysitter so she is always available for childless fun.....JUST LIKE MERI!!
ReplyDeleteI think you are on to something...
DeleteAlso, since she is an adult... does that mean she is getting paid? She really hasn't been in many of the episodes, but I could be wrong as I have been mostly reading the blog while "watching".
To clarify on the previous thread about the ads, my area had a bunch of awful charity ads with abused animals and sad music, but that might have just been the rerun in the middle of the night my DVR picked up. I wonder what their prime time ads looked like...
ReplyDeleteI'm not too worried about the ads because I don't think the gravy train is over for the Browns. Their lawsuit will keep heating up for at least a couple years, and it could be a LOT of drama, as they try to legalize polygamy. Can you even imagine if they win? These losers are going to make it all the way to the Supreme Court, no matter who wins. Their agenda is to legalize polygamy and they're laughing at us all the way to their McMansions.
I record the shows when they are initially aired, and I did note a lot of HSUS spots being shown, more than normal for prime time IMO.
DeleteThe HSUS and similar spots are due to the holiday season. That's when charities get the largest chunk of their money for the year.
DeleteIf TLC had paying sponsors willing and able to take some of those spots, then I'm sure we would have seen fewer HSUS ads, regardless of the season.
DeleteI still have Sunday's episodes on my DVR - if time permits this evening I am going to try and go through them and see how many TLC upcoming promo spots, how many Ad Council/charity spots, and how many actual sponsor ads (and what products) are being featured. Plus whatever local spots show up. just would be interesting.
DeleteAbout Robyn being Meri's lap dog: VERY true! And Meri will be happy that this "dog" *hopefully* won't pee on her carpet ;)
ReplyDeletemaybe not on the carpet, but it's sure going to mark her territory on Meri's lover.
DeleteOh gag...I just threw up a little lol ;)
DeleteAnd apparently we are seeing the end of Robyn. Piss on Meri's carpets and you are basically slated for death :(
DeleteIn regards to their lawsuit.....I see a lifetime movie coming out of this.....that should bring in some cash to clear those house titles....
ReplyDeleteThey could do all kinds of stuff! Their 15 minutes has not happened yet, it will be in a few years as the lawsuit crawls through the courts. That might explain the lazy mismash of crap for this season, the drama is yet to come.
DeleteRoll that in with their book royalties plus all the other misc. things we as viewers don't see and they could be doing just dandy
ReplyDelete(Posted in the last thread)
That's what I'm saying. They have hefty monthly bills in that family (before these new houses) and they appear to be making them just fine.
There is some serious cash rolling around that family.
Interesting to me that if they have all this cash, why couldn't they pay their debts until recently?? Seems to me they only got serious about their debts/credit when they wanted mortgages for the McMansions....idiots....
DeleteAnd my opinion is that they didn't get bunch of money from their book, their book royalties were discussed here awhile back...
Good question. Who knows why - and who really knows what the truth is about their debts/credit. The only one for sure that had old debt that needed to be cleaned up/paid off was Sobyn. And I'm willing to bet she never thought for a minute she would be getting a house like this and need her credit so she probably figured too bad so sad for the creditor and was just going to stick it to them.
DeleteBut clearly they are paying their bills - which are substatial. The money has to be somewhere.
I'm certain they are living on credit through their "businesses". I've seen this happen before. As soon as they build up enough equity to do so, they'll open HELOCs. IMO
Deleteis anyone else as bugged as I am at how they pronounce certain words???
ReplyDeleteI've seen others discuss Robyn's take on "Dayton" (DAY-UN), these other examples make me nuts.
"FAWH-MILY"- it's family. No 'awh' in it. They all say it that way.
"FELL"- how Christine says "Fail". We 'felled' as a fawhmily.
"Jew-lery"- Robyn...
It's a regional dialect.
Deleted. It drives me NUTS how they say "SERRRR O GET" (surrogate)
DeleteKody pronounces things like he is from Wyoming (with a Y!) my mother is and I hear him say things like "pry" in place of "probably"
I almost fell out of my chair when one of them said something didn't getta go...what was that?
DeleteAlso Sobbin Robbin is fond of "kid-ez" when she means "kids"..
DeleteAs in "the kid-ez were here"....
The "hubby" room drives me insane. Oh, and the fact that they all keep droning on about whatever a hobby room is.
DeleteRobin's pronounciations bother me the most: 'sturz' for stairs and 'sillings' for ceilings...ugh....
DeleteThey don't say their t's which is really annoying - esp Meri and Sobbin. Also the way Mariah says "baby" like a baby is annoying. Go back and listen. Sobbin does not know that the plural of kids is kids' - not kids-ez. It is pronounced the same way as kids, not with an extra syllable Robyn if you're reading this, take note!
DeleteI can't remember what exact words Robyn used, but on the interview special she said something weird about how they didn't officially have the houses. I think it was something like "have not the key." Did anyone else hear this? Whatever it was, it was a weird non-sentence. Meri also says she takes things "personal."
DeleteSomeone on the other thread mentioned their book as a source of income. I was once an aspiring author so I kind of looked into what sort of money an average writer earns per book. (obviously famous best selling authors, like Grisham and JK Rowling, are a different story). I came to the general conclusion that the author(s) nets about $1-2 per book after all the expenses, etc. (same with musicians by the way). From what I can tell, generally 35,000 books purchased is considered 'a best seller' (readerviews.com website). I believe at one point, the book made the best seller list. The Browns may have negotiated an upfront 'fee' for their 'story' and maybe got $50k - $75k. So let's be genererous and assume they made $75k on the book. That still isn't that much money, only $15k per adult. So the book alone can't be the main source of their income and did not allow them to put 50% down on their houses.
ReplyDeleteI am kind of thinking like another contributor to this blog that thinks there is some money earned that we (and the IRS) aren't aware of. Either some 'plural marriage' foundation or benefactor or something. And that may be the case for NOW, but it won't last forever.
After crunching some numbers (see the last reply in discussion thread 4) I think they actually made decent money off TLC for seasons 2 and 3/4. They did 23 episodes for season 2 and 20 episodes combined for seasons 3/4.
DeleteA person's credit score usually goes up after a bankruptcy since they can't discharge debt again for many years. Christine declared bankruptcy in 2010? She's had some time to clean up her credit since then. If they are making over $300,000 per year on the show it's conceivable they could have qualified for these mortgages without the 40% down payment based on the two years of TLC income they've received. They probably still received some help with the down payments but it may not be nearly as much money as was estimated.
If we figure their payments are close to $2000 a month on a 30 year loan at 3.5% interest they would need to be making $76,000 each per year to qualify. That's pretty close to what I estimated them making in the previous discussion thread. I don't believe they could include any other source of income besides TLC.
Christine seems to be doing the smart thing by trying to get herself a career she could sustain after TLC drops them (which they will). Robin is probably making a livable income on her MSWC, although less than they anticipated. Someone else calculated she is probably getting $4000 a month. Is Janelle working again? I'm unclear what she's doing since they moved. As for Kody and Meri...I have not seen them make any move to plan for after TLC money dries up. I thought Meri is supposed to be helping with the clothes end of MSWC but I haven't seen anything but jewelry so far; she's obviously not working too hard on that and is more concerned about the instant gratification of her wetbar in the house she hasn't qualified for yet.
You can't count the half hour episodes as full episodes also they were paid less money back when the show started. That financing they were approved for was from a subprime lender, meaning high interest, high down payment, interest only payment which is not a good thing. 4 homes costing over 400,000 each is over 1.6 MILLION dollars! With a subprime lender holding the note? Miss one payment and they could very well foreclose, and Christine has said she'd recently was late on her car payment, and hoped that if she gets behind that Kody will help her! This is a recipe for disaster no matter how much people try to make that they can afford those houses!
DeleteXenia, I agree they were paid WAY less when the show first started, but they had good ratings for their first season and were renewed for a good number of episodes. I may be wrong, but don't lenders look for two years employment within a field with the last year's tax return as the income they consider?
DeleteJK+8 made the same money on half hour episodes as they did on full episodes during each season so I'm uncertain if the episode length would impact their incomes.
I didn't know they used a subprime lender. Definitely not good!
I still think the money is being divided equally 5 ways with Kodouche using his to money to pay on the Lehi home and jointly qualify for Meri's 5 bedroom McMansion, which means him and Meri with one child between them get almost as much money as the other three who have 16 children between them. Totally unfair division there.
Couldn't we figure out their individual incomes based on what their mortgage payments are by assuming they each purchased the maximum home they qualified for?
I don't think making $75,000 a yr for Christine or Janelle would be enough to pay that mortgage with utilities, HOA fees and groceries. That would be cutting it way too close. Plus how else will they make $75,000 a yr when the show is over?
Deletehttp://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/52767-tracking-amazon-becoming-sister-wives-skyrockets-following-tv-special.html
DeleteKeeping in mind payments are made quarterly to authors from publishers, this seems to be a good indicator the Brown's are making money from their book. I will admit I thought the book had been out longer. I'm still not saying it's their sole source of income but hitting number #7 on the best sellers list isn't shabby. I didn't take the time to look if it got any higher.
I still don't think it's their sole source of income, or even the biggest but things like interviews will boost sales. If they have a contract they'll be pulling in money from the book as long as it's in print.
I agree that the wives would have to be making more than $75,000 a year to keep up on these houses. Even if they put half down on the houses, with HOA fees, utilities, six kids to feed and clothe, insurance, gas, cars, and oh yeah, the monster house payment, I would say they'd need to make at least $100,000 grand a year.
DeleteMy husband and I were making about 75k a year and bought a house for 200k, with 3 kids to take care of, and without HOA's, car payments, and twenty percent down with 3.5% interest, we still needed to budget monthly. I can't imagine the payments and upkeep on their large houses with double the kids and no one with a real job.
I am thinking someone is helping them out, although I can't think of who or why. A lot of things just don't make sense.
Once again, Dec 31 Kody tweets an answer to the question why they didn't build one home: probs with permits and resale.
ReplyDeleteSorry to disagree, but I watched a rather lame home show called "Flipping Vegas" where he was flipping a polygamists house. So, yes, they do exist. Maybe you should of bought the one he flipped!
http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/flipping-vegas-flood-house-interesting.html
And the clip shows otherwise too!
DeleteHe also tweeted a response to a question about who to use for buying a house in LV. He couldn't even spell Mona's name correctly. What a shame and quite embarrassing considering all the air time they've given her. He said her name was Mona Ricci, it's actually Mona Riekki.
DeleteThis was brought up on the last page but I guess that there wasn't room for comments--- what is LIV???
ReplyDeleteAlso just wondering if Sat Nite Live has done a spoof on Sister Wives yet???
It's a pyramid marketing imo scheme. Lots of great stories on here about it. you might try googling on the right LIV.
DeleteWe need a buzz word list.
ReplyDeleteValidation
Serendipity
Autonomy....
Don't forget how much everyone 'struggled' once they moved to Vegas. I think one person got a 'Word-of-the-Day' calendar; Therapy Edition for a birthday and everyone takes full advantage of it. At least their getting an education and working through their 'struggles' as a family!
DeleteIconic
DeleteDon't forget FINITE. If I heard Finite Resources one more time I was going to scream!
DeleteMister Sister, I validate your buzz word list. I think it would not discourage the autonomy of the group. Very serendipitous of you. ;)
DeleteYou're all forgetting "wet bar" which is plyg slang for "more counter space"
DeleteOBEY
Delete"work together"
DeleteSurrogate
DeleteLover
Plural
Plyg(s)
She-Rah - don't you mean surr-a-git?
DeleteEarnest money
DeleteRotation :)
DeleteSterling Silver
DeleteHobby Room
Sliding Glass Doors
Wetbar
Kitchen Abuse
The main buzzword of this show should be the sound of crying, since at least one of the wives cries in every episode.
ACCESS
DeleteLover Next season I think we should all pick a word and each time it's said we drink! we'll all be smashed within no time!
DeleteRotate
DeleteStressed
DeleteStressed out
The only permit problem kodouche had was with meri...she wasn't going to PERMIT it to happen....she shouldn't be expected to share her kitchen or her wetbar. I wonder if the celestial palace will build them separate McMansions. After all if they can't live together here how are they going to pull it off in eternity?
ReplyDeleteI don't know about their beliefs, but in my Bible it says there are no tears in heaven. How are they going to pull THAT off?
DeleteIt's a planet they are going to. Far Far away, the final frontier...
DeleteIf I were a polygamist, I would be furious this was what America was seeing. If Joe Darger keeps being buddies and tweeting with Kody, I will wonder about him too. No respectable man could look at this and not be worried about the children.
AZ, too funny, I have the same book, but I was thinking too bad the Mayan deal didn't pan out because then she would have been permanently prego and the whole baby farce would be done.
DeleteAll I can say is that whatever planet I happen to end up on in eternity, I want it to be far, far away from thThe Big Brown Marble. Hopefully, they'll still have the cameras rolling, though.
DeleteWho does Meri entertain. She loves to entertain. Please. I never see them entertaining. I would hate to be there neighbors.
DeleteNowMad said "If I were a polygamist, I would be furious this was what America was seeing." Believe it or not, this is probably the better side of polygamy.
DeleteI've noticed Meri having the family over, I think two or three times this past year. I think she's driven for a hobby room because she loves to sew and create things. I'm slightly annoyed by the skin tight clothing most choose to wear, then wear a tank top on top of it all to give the allusion of modesty. They really need clothes that fit. I think Janelle comes the closest, and I think regardless of the business of these women, they would benefit from some online classes, leading towards college degrees, and future income, rather than spend so much money on their homes. Granite counter tops are ridiculously expensive if you are on a tight budget, and studies have shown they emit radon. Why not go for something cheaper, that looks just as good? And Kody should have reigned in Meri with the house spending. He doesn't have to go along with everything just because she's good at blackmail.
DeleteThat lawsuit isn't going anywhere near the Supreme Court. Polygamy won't be decriminalized based on the privacy argument that Turley is trying to make. Since marriages are legal when licensed by the state, there is no privacy granted, much like their very easy to obtain property records. It might if he were to argue enumerated powers, but privacy, no. In fact, since they have never been charged with polygamy, they may not even be granted standing to challenge the law.
ReplyDeleteAs for possible benefactors, I still think that creepy dude who got the FLDS children to harvest his pecans might be a likely candidate.......
It doesn't matter what the lower courts rule, this will get appealed up by either side. It's too big of a topic, and it's legally too close to the gay marriage fight, which is why the Browns are now pro gay marriage and have some odd allies in this lawsuit.
DeleteGo read up on the lawsuit documents from this site, they're fascinating. The Browns aren't suing about licenses, they're suing about Utah's criminal law that makes them admitted felons.
Out of curiosity what LAWS have the Browns actually broken? He is only legally married to Meri with "sealing" ceremonies to the other 3, as far as I know it's not illegal to have 3 mistresses or an open marriage so what LAWS have they really broken and what could they actually be prosecuted for? Question 2 is does the maintaining of all individual residence have any bearing upon what they are trying to do with the lawsuit? Again, I just don't see where this is really anything other than an open marriage.
DeleteJulz - Utah law specifically defines polygamy as follows:
Delete"According to Utah’s bigamy statute, “A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person.” Utah Code Ann. § 76-7-101(1) (2003). The law, therefore, applies not just to individuals who have obtained multiple marriage licenses, but also to those who are legally married to only one person, while also engaging in other marriage-like relationships that are not recognized by the state.
Polygamy is also specifically prohibited in the Utah state constitution.
Delete"ARTICLE III
ORDINANCE
The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the
people of this State:
[Religious toleration. Polygamy forbidden.] First:--Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited."
Something else I noticed, coincidence or not: Truely is an anagram of Turley, their lawyer. Weird.
I keep hearing about some of the mistresses/fake wives getting help from welfare, etc. because they are single parents. What I don't understand is how they can do that without the state then going after Kody (the father) for child support. In most states, the mom has to sign a legal document stating she will assist the state with recouping tax dollars paid to her on the theory that those tax dollars are basically replacing the child support payments she is not getting from the father. An Income Withholding Order is issued to the father's employer,bank account, or whatever recovery method is available. They can even prevent renewal of auto tags, or pull a driver's license for non-payment of support. In some cases, mother is offered help with job training and is EXPECTED TO WORK when her children reach school age. Now, I realize in this case that even if there was a withholding order, and Krody was having payments deducted from his income, the receiving mom would just put the check back in the "family pot". However, it would also mean that her assistance from the state would decrease because she is receiving monthly support payments. Therefor, they would not really be benefiting from the tax payers. Also, it would be on Krody's financial records as a monthly obligation. That would be a real b***h for Meri since her child is of age. Robyn would only benefit for ONE child with Krody, but Christine and Janelle would each get the lion's share!!! My main point is, they would basically be recycling their own money instead of playing the system with tax payer money...just sayin'
ReplyDeleteThey simply don't list the father on the birth certificate and maintain they don't know who he is.
DeleteI believe the women claim to not know who the father is....don't know if that is the case with these women, but that is how is often done.
DeleteI have a feeling that Kody is listed on all of his offsprings birth certificate.
DeleteExactly! In my state, he'd have to pay child support for all these kids. Someone posted a while back that Utah doesn't do this when you apply for assistance, which blew my mind.
DeleteIsn't tht why they moved? He was being "investigated" for polygamy, THIS is exactly why it is illegal!!
DeleteHi Maggie Dean: I am curious if the mothers' last names cause legal complications for them. AFAIK, except for Robyn, the have the last name of Brown. Please correct me if that's wrong.
DeleteAssuming that Janelle and Christine legally changed their last names in court to Brown, what did they cite as their reason for the name changes? Did they admit that they were changing the name to fit in with a polygamous husband, and if so, did a judge agree to that? Along those lines, when applying for welfare, weren't they asked about former names used, and if so, did the social worker ask the reasons for the name changes? My understanding of the welfare system is that it's very thorough, as in, an application for food stamps can be up to 20 pages, and even asks about livestock ownership. I don't understand how the presence of other adults, especially the father, in the childrens' home is apparently not being reported.
Is one required to cite a reason for a name change? I would assume that the govt agencies rely on the applicants SSN.
DeleteI changed my first name a few years ago (never went by my birth name, so changed my first name to what people actually called me). All I had to do was swear that I wasn't changing it to perpetrate a fraud or avoid any legal issues. Grandson changed his last name a couple of years ago (his dad was a dud, and he changed it to his step-father's name). Again, no problem.
DeleteHi AZChristian, I suppose it might vary from state to state as to what the courts want to know. I knew a man who, like your grandson, changed his name because his father had not been in his life. He was asked about it both in the paperwork filed in court, and by the judge.
DeleteRegardless, I'm more curious about if Christine was asked by social workers about her past names, and reasons for the changes. Anyone who has been on assistance will tell you that there are many personal questions asked. It seems to me that a social worker in Utah would be suspicious of a 40-ish woman who claims to have never been married, changed her last name, and has six children who all share facial features that are not their mother's, i.e. appearing like they could have been fathered with the same man. If, for example, when she had just four kids and filed for benefits while claiming the father was unknown, then came back a year later with a fifth child who apparently has the same facial features of that supposedly "unknown" father, that should be a red flag.
In his book, "Under the Banner of Heaven" about fundamentalist Mormons, Jon Krakauer talks about how they're experts on getting around the welfare system. They call it "bleeding the beast." It's a cultural thing within the flds community, accepted as normal and practiced regularly. Of course I know nothing about the Browns' other sources of income but I bet welfare money factors in to some degree.
DeleteThis is funny. Like, "I have six kids and I don't know who the father of any of them is."
DeletePosting here after a little while away. Is the property they are building on the same lots that Kody ran around, looking like a complete asshat?
ReplyDeleteWhat bugs me the most is the use of government funds, food stamps, etc. And the greed of a few, namely Kody and Meri.
I don't know how they qualify for loans when they are receiving gov'e benefits, and I hope that STOPS.
Is the property they are building on the same lots that Kody ran around, looking like a complete asshat?
DeleteYes, it is, and they have moved into the finished houses.
Since I'm really bored, I've taken it upon myself to check the property records for the remaining house transactions. Waterworks and Grody's place hasn't popped up as sold or transferred yet. As of this morning. I'm going to keep checking, but wouldn't it be interesting if their mortgage falls through? That would make a great story line!
DeleteThis is the old Lending Tree commercial I always think of when I consider how the Browns are paying for all this... "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/r0HX4a5P8eE
Guess we'll find out when the Browns' house of cards gets knocked down.
A pic that Maddie just tweeted shows her and her grandmother...they looked photoshopped...or is it some kind of effect/app on the iphone? Are they trying to make out like they haven't moved in the dreamhouses this Christmas? odd
ReplyDeleteIt seems all of their instagram pictures have that grainy look to them. And yes, I think they are trying to 'fool' the audience that they haven't moved yet...hence the reason for the 'deletion' of Mariah's picture in the new kitchen.
DeleteAspyn sure isn't hiding the house in her pics. She's tweeted lots of pics in the new house. Also, the camera crew is apparently there. Guess they are re-creating Christmas in the new homes. So, basically, they'll be back for another season.
DeleteOdd. Why would Mariah have to delete it? That sounds like good news for the Kodependents.
DeleteIf they are covering their tracks like this, I guess they have another season to complain about how hard it is to buy houses after rotating bankruptcies, and gush about stupid little options in four houses most viewers can't afford, even with jobs.
If that picture lasts 24 hours, I'll be surprised (but prepared with a snip tool ;)
DeleteThose Brown's sure are some slick uns..lol
DeleteThere was another picture that she just took of snow in Utah and a few beautiful houses. Everyone kept commenting and asking if they were the new houses. She said in all caps "there is no snow in Vegas and these are not MY new houses. Lol" she then went on to state that she was in Utah at her Aunt's home. This was 2 days ago when they apparently celebrated christmas- according to aspyn's tweet- maybe that picture was taken at her aunts house too? These people are nuts.
DeleteMariah tweeted last night that she couldn't wait for the family Christmas today. Now I see she tweeted this picture from today. They must have re-created Christmas for the cameras. It makes perfect sense.
Deletehttp://instagram.com/p/UAFISayoV1/
Is Kody picking his nose in this pic? How classy.
Delete"I want them to have their autonomy," So that one wife isn't being stifled by the relationship inside a home with another wife."
ReplyDeleteThey are such hypocrites! What about the TEARS for not being together? Is he saying that they were stifled before? This family is the biggest bunch of liars on TV. Where's Natalie Morales? I want him to clarify the lies about the home, wanting to be together, not together, and I want her to ask it. I also want her to ask why all the tears of not being together if they didn't want it in the first place?
4 homes will make them 4 neighbors. Doesn't mean they have to see, interact, acknowledge or validate each other. IT DOES MEAN, they will have a closer eye on where Kody is at. Good thing they all have 3 garages, hide that sports car quick! Get a lover to lie about your whereabouts. Should not be to terribly hard to do with this bunch, since lies are more common than bad grammar and those dang awful baby doll tops.
Seriously, this is a very dysfunctional family. Get off TV, get a nice double wide and park it in the Utah yard, and try to frazzle together what is left of your self entitled mess. THAT you owe to your children. They have to be making a huge mess of these poor childrens' minds. We want to live together, no we don't! Do they have to have 4 dollhouses now? I pray they don't get too brainwashed and see this for what it is. Love your parents, kids, but realize that this is not the way to live or think.
I know! I just watched that clip of Kody sayins "I want them to have their autonomy." and said, "WHAT?!?!?!" I thought they WANTED to be together! And since they couldn't find one giant house, a la Lehi, they were forced into the four seperate homes. And it was all, "Oohh.... we want to be together. Boo hoo... This is too much to bear... We need to be a family..." And then, oh! McMansions?! Everyone gets their own and doesn't have to share a kitchen and Janelle and Christine don't have to deal with Mean Meri living under the same roof?... Well then hello! Of course now the McMansions are what they want.
DeleteAnd yes, NowMad, I agree with what you said, "why all the tears of not being together if they didn't want it in the first place?"
Sheesh people... Pick a story and stick with it.
Long time reader, first time poster. Aspyn tweeted a Christmas picture that shows camera crew in the background... definitely taping for another season!
ReplyDeletepic.twitter.com/K7PMIUNf
i tried the link but it didn't work. Has anyone else been able to use this link?
DeleteLet's sum it up to the almighty dollar, that's about it right? The Brown's realized their so-called "reality" show would make them some bucks, so they jumped at the chance. If and I say if, they were practicing polygamy, this quickly left them in the home in Lehi. They repeatedly state, this is a "lifestyle" choice, which is completely evident by their purchasing of the four different huge as a mofo houses..excuse my french. ;) They just can't stand the agony of sharing a large home together. Let's be real here, in "reality" normal minded folk, no matter what religion/belief system, call it what you will, would save their pennies/dollars/quarters, for a rainy day. Or how about when the show is cancelled? Grandiose thinking, my friends, and entitlement. The Brown's started with a touch of it to start with, or they wouldn't have gotten into all this. But TLC has expertise at bringing out the me, me, me, in it's reality stars, and also reeling us in to watching in the first place because at first the shows seem genuine at first...lol.. By the way, Meri has done something to her nose, it looked different in the older episodes, like it had more of a point.
ReplyDeleteLOL anonymous that is the first thing I said when I saw Meri,,,"she has had her nose done"!!! As far as living under one house. They cannot do that, then it would be saying to the LAW, I am a polygamist and Kody would be arrested. By living in four separate homes then he is not a polygamist in eyes of the law. He is only a low life husband with four mistresses.
DeleteBRAVO !!! <>
ReplyDeleteAgree, agree !!!
And...
"Do they have to have 4 dollhouses now?"
Brilliant !!!
These wives have very different views and standards regarding housekeeping and child rearing. Meri is organized and neat and fairly strict with her daughter. In the book Janelle admits she doesn't care to clean the kitchen after dinner but waits until the morning. Just right there is a big conflict. Then from the looks of Christine's house she doesn't clean, lets the kids trash the place and is lax about making the kids attend school. Now the kids could live perfectly happy lives in a clean house, not jumping on the furniture etc. Or vice versa. But it would be hard to live where the parents don't agree on the ground rules. It looks like the Dargers at least have the same basic standards for the kids and their house.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the part where they're competing for the unemployed manchild they call a "husband." Don't forget that little detail.
DeleteIf meri had 6 kids she wouldn't want to clean the kitchen until the morning either, or make them all go to school all the time. You can't really compare the married mother of one to single moms of 6.
DeleteGood point, but in my opinion nstead of working on jealousy (which after 20+ years still exists and doesn't seem to be going anywhere), they ought to be working on the types of issues you listed above. Those are the things that you work together on as a family to compromise and work out. That's what being a family who love each other is all about. Mock Jobs
DeleteWell that is why Kody is the "Husband" and thus the the "Leader" in their family. Obviously Joe Darger runs a tight ship and maybe we all think he is overbearing but honestly someone needs to be in charge. Kody started the whole marriage off on the wrong foot by not taking charge of his family and not taking charge of the Meri situation. If they are all going to live forever in the celestial kingdom forever and ever, they probably need to start learning how to truly love each other. When they stand before God and explain their lives, He might just overlook the fact that the wives generally hate each other. But He might not tolerate such abuse of each other either. If you are going to hitch your wagon to this 'belief' then I would sure do a better job of truly being loving and kind rather than selfish and mean. Just sayin.
DeleteFacing a sinkful of smelly, crusty dishes in the morning would be a rotten way to start my day.
DeleteI respectfully disagree that with more kids. Meri would let the dishes go and allow the kids to skip school. My mother didn't!
Have to agree- Papa Joe is a little creepy and scary to me, but Kody really needs to take charge.
DeleteWhen Meri did that insincere "apology" to Janelle during a recent couch session, Janelle answered to the effect that Kody needed to have stepped in. He's a wimp!
Since Janelle worked all day to support everyone, and Christine watched and fed all the kids, the least that part-te working, mom of 1 Meri could do is wash the damned dishes herself.
DeleteAnonymous 8:54, you're exactly right. During the longest 10 months of my life, my hard-to-please mother lived with us. At this point, we'd been married about 20 years and I kept a nice, clean house. But she picked at EVERYTHING.
DeleteI once mentioned to a friend that the latest sin I'd committed was that I hadn't ironed a permanent press tablecloth before I put it on the table. My friend said, "Hand her an iron and tell her that it obviously bothers her more than it does you, so she is perfectly welcome to iron it." I did.
She never complained again. About anything.
What dishes? Every time we see the family eating at Janelle's house they are using paper plates and plastic forks! This family's carbon footprint is HUGE!
DeleteCarbon footprint carbon schmootprint - with 17 kids of course our shared environment on this earth is hardly a consideration for these overbreeders.
DeleteAnyone think that there is some sort of AUB church that Kody may be starting in LV? If he holds services in each home they all are exempt from paying property taxes!
ReplyDeleteVery doubtful since Kody ruffled AUB feathers with his over the top antics and unwanted publicity. At this point Kody is only interested in the church of Kody.
DeleteThey're in a gated community with an HOA. They can't have a church there. They can have private Bible studies, but that doesn't qualify them for a tax write-off.
DeleteI am probably going to hell for this....
ReplyDeleteBut along with the "Who-ville" resemblance....in the first and third pic above, Meri bears a strong facial likeness to the lion in the original Wizard of OZ.
(I think the change in Meri's nose is down to applied shading with make-up)
Also my reply above with "Bravo" was intended for NowMad's post.
Maybe we should have a blog convention in Vegas and have a field trip to see their houses.
ReplyDeleteI'm in! LOL.
DeleteNow that would be fun. We could play games like "Pass the Tissues" and "Guess Where Kody is Tonight"
DeleteOr we could pretend we want to buy some jewerry or green stuff and hang out with them for a while and then have a few laughs over some cocktails at a wetbar...
DeleteI'm assuming Meri will want to show off her new McMansion ASAP and they will schedule a LIV meeting soon in her home. I can't wait to RSVP for that one! I'll go to the bathroom and snap some photos along the way. Since she LOVES entertaining and all!
DeleteCount me in I could use a vaycay!
DeleteTho not a plyg-cay lol
Count me in but I'll use my person persona, not my k9 persona, cuz I don't trust Meri.
DeleteBorder Collie - Just don't let either of your personas pee on her floor!
DeleteI just had this vision of Kody lying in bed at night dreaming of the day when people come to see the McMansions like they do at Graceland. He probably truly believes that he could sell tickets for tours, etc.. I wouldn't put it past being one of his "go-to" plans!
DeleteWhat I want to see is Christine succeed in real estate and insist she keep her entire check to keep up with her own bills while Meri loses her home!
ReplyDeleteI want to see that too! I don't see Christine sharing any of her future earnings with the other wives, EVER. I laughed when she said her bit about sharing her commission checks because that ain't never going to happen. She is too selfish and smart for that.
DeleteI also think Janelle is done sharing her future paychecks, not with six kids, one who is in college and 5 heading there straight after. I don't see her contributing a dime to Robyn's kids when she is so adamant about her kids getting an education. I think she is just waiting for the show to end so she can live on her own again and get a job. I don't think it is laziness that she hasn't worked since moving to Vegas. I think she is done being the cash cow. Now that she doesn't need a wife to babysit her kids, she is keeping her money.
From what we have seen of the wives now, it is every wife for themselves from now on. Now that they have all made their own money, I don't see them going back to all sharing their paychecks.
I also think Robyn will be out of there as soon as TLC rolls out and they can no longer keep up with the mcmansions. Janelle and Christine are never going to like her, Meri is a back-stabber, and Kody will soon be eyeing a fifth wife. She will be looking for husband number 3 and making sure he is really loaded this time.
Meri and Kody should be looking into a REAL career right now, because when the gravy train is gone, they are screwed.
I totally agree with you anonymous. I have said all along that Janelle and Christina see what a fool they have been. You can see the wheels turning in Janelle's head. Unfortunately, they are in a mess they cannot get out of given the number of children they have. I am thinking that Kody doesn't do much "rotating" thru their beds. If Janelle loses the weight she wants she will get her self esteem back and be out of there.
DeleteDudes! Did you guys see this pic posted by Aspyn??? Christine looks AMAZING!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for her!!!
Love the video clip...don't know if I'm more disturbed by what's coming out of their mouths or the amount of make-up they have on. Perhaps they've now decided to layer fake eyelashes as well as their clothing. This whole "we are reality stars" crap has really brought out the worst in them.
ReplyDeleteSomething else that had to be a lie during these episodes. Kody was explaining something about the "rotation". He said that they rotate except when a new baby is born. They have a babymoon he called it. He stays with that baby momma and baby for a couple weeks to bond with the baby. How is that true? When Truley was born, he was courting Robyn and kissing her while christine was actually in labor!!!! No way he stayed with Christine during that time for a babymoon. Jerk!
ReplyDeleteGood call, Megs Mom !!
DeleteHe was indeed slurping all over Sobbin while Christine was in labor&delivery...and postpartum with newborn Truly.
He could have a babymoon, a bootymoon, whatever as far as I'm concerned. The less I saw of him the better.
DeleteIs that all it takes to bond with a baby? A couple of weeks? Parenthood sounds like a snap. What's all this whining about eighteen years all about?
DeleteI call BS on the babymoon,too. That must be another one he and Robyn conveniently came up with. Christine stated on the show that she hardly saw Kody during his courtship with Robyn. Christine said that he didn't even acknowledge her birthday or their "anniversary" so there is no way he spent a two week "babymoon" with her. What an a-hole.
DeleteDoes anyone know how much Meri was over budget by the end. I know she started out over by $200, but at the end did they say it was $44.65 or $4465.00. She did say that she would pay for the difference herself and that it wouldn't come from any of the other wives.
ReplyDeleteI was under the impression that it was $44.65 monthly, and $200 monthly. But not I guess $4465 overall makes sense too
DeleteShe was almost $5000 over budget on the house in the last episode when she made the statement that no problem, she'd make up the difference on her own. HA
DeleteWhen Meri said she'd make up the difference she was over budget for the house on her own, she was over almost $5000.
Deleteit was $4465. they were with the builder's design reps. Most builders agree to certain options and grades thereof in the agreed price... anything over that is over budget.
DeleteHow could Meri afford to pay $4,465 in extra charges but Janelle couldn't come up with the cash to have the builders pour a cement slab in the back of her house for a patio? Seems fishy...
DeleteThe fact that Janelle opted for financing window treatments over the patio (which adds value) shows that she's not as financially savvy as people make her out to be...or Kody didn't want to bother installing them (no big deal, get a drill and a cordless screwdriver...), he actually admitted that he didn't want to have to deal with installing the washer/dryer etc. lazy ass.
DeleteNot hooking up your own washer and dryer???? I changed a plug on my dryer with directions from the nice folks at Lowes. I was excited at the accomplishment, but if I had a hubby... Sex can't be the only thing they desire from a rotation
DeleteAspyn tweeted about her family having their christmas yesterday. Then she posted a picture of her present and in the background there was camera crew. I wonder if TLC will air that and have the Browns act like it was really christmas morning..
ReplyDeleteThey twitted last week they would have Christmas late because the whole family would not all be there on Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak specifically for NV, but in some states, the government will NOT go after the father for the mother using: food stamps, medical & WIC. Only for cash aid.
ReplyDeleteThe government will not go after Kody or any father of any state who's not married to the mother getting Wic services for her children. Remember, Kody's situation is exactly the same as those who simply live together because they cannot afford health care insurance. In my state it's right around $8000.00 per person a year, if your employer doesn't chip in, and then, you can still lose the farm over what you owe. I know. I was a nurse for the V.A. during a 23 year nursing career, and always had insurance, yet at one time owed over $5000.00 in medical bills for myself and children as a single parent. Drug coverage is sinful. Absolutely sinful. So for those who aren't part of the conservative rich, I always suggest living together so that the children will have health care coverage, and I imagine that's how all of Kody's children are covered except for Mariah.
DeleteSoon enough used books will be in circulation & the sales will slump. Viewers are bored. Due to the obnoxious number of abused animal/kid ads, sponsors are few & far between.
ReplyDeleteI can almost hear the 15 minutes of fame bell ringing. Almost.
Id love to hear their ten year plan! Because TLC is obviously going to be moving on, very soon.
First time commenter....long time reader! I love this blog! I wonder if as some other commenters have suggested that maybe the Browns are financially secure finally now that they've made money off of the show public appearances and books. They might be playing up the financial drama to create a storyline. Part of mealso thinks they're trying to get sympathy from viewers. "Look at them trying to be a family!" I'm sure not buying into it though!
ReplyDeleteI just wonder if they will sell these homes in the future. Perhaps when the housing market picks back up again. They may be able to sell for a profit... get back their massive down payments and then some. Return to Utah and LOL?
ReplyDeleteGranted, I don't know if it is possible with their interest rates to really profit. Or whether the housing market will go back up enough to profit. But either way, if the houses become too much $$ to handle, they can resell and as long as they don't take a huge hit on the price, can get that down payment money back and still be sitting pretty at the end of the day, no?
I'd like to see Meri and Robyn fall, but I just don't think it will happen. I have no ill will towards the other two.
They have to be able to find a buyer willing to pay way more than the median for some soulless boxes. In a glutted market yet.
DeleteI doubt they'll build up much equity - I can see them walking away when the payments are too much for them.
Mariah's picture on twitter is gone, along with Aspyn's. That didn't take long. I wish I'd known how to capture the images. Mariahs picture of the McMansion really was a great shot of the inside of the house.
ReplyDeleteYep, that didn't take long at all... but look above. Santa's been at it again! ;)
DeleteYou are awesome!!!! :)
DeleteI went back to look again at the plans . 5 bedrooms, a hobby room , an office and a bonus room. For 1 woman, a soon-to-gone child, and a rotating husband. And a wet bar to display Christmas pastries. What a ridiculous waste of resources. At least they will not be lacking closet space for the extra running shoes!
ReplyDeleteI frequently balk at the housing situation when I think of it.
DeleteI've really not been terribly judgemental about how the Browns choose to parent & etc, but the houses just rub me the wrong way.
Meri comes off as extremely selfish, not matter how you look at the situation with the house. The extra bedroom, and the hobby room add more un-needed square footage to the house which is going to factor in to property tax and utilities; it may not seem like a large amount, but considering all the mouths to feed and clothe, one would think that the Browns would be looking to do this as inexpensively as possible.
Some of the Mormons I still keep in touch with from my childhood LDS days point to things like this when they say polygamy doesn't work.
"Five bedrooms, a hobby room, an office and a bonus room"
Delete= 8 BEDROOMS.
An 8 bedroom house for a mother of one whose daughter is about to leave for college. It is to laugh.
Meri wants everyone to remember she IS the ONLY real wife!!!
DeleteMariah just posted a family Merry xmas pic with one of the new houses on full display.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the financing of a washer/dryer or blinds with the home loan. I built a new home 3 years ago as a single/divorced mom of 1. I didn't know anything about home construction but I researched and found a honest builder with a 25 year reputation. It's a modest home 2000 sq feet 3bed/2bath I built it for 174,000 and put down 25,000 and was given a 29,000 credit for the property I owned that it was built on. While building, I had a lighting allowance that I had to go to the lighting store and pick out everything from porch lights and door bells to fancy fixtures. I went over my budget by 400.00 and I had to pay the lighting store that day. When I went to HH Gregg for my appliances there was only a budget for frig/stove/dishwasher/microwave. Washer and dryer, blinds, bar stools nothing like that was part of the building contract. Because I was building in the country and not in a subdivision, I opted to forgo landscaping, just grass planted around the house. My point is there are lots of ways to have an affordable new home as a single mom. Every spring I add a little more to the yard. I also budgeted 10,000 of my own money for new furniture. I couldn't see having this brand new home with my old furniture. Just brought special pieces of furniture and shopped around for sales and good deals on new furniture. I saw pics on the girls twitter and the blinds in the house look just like the ones I bought at home depot. I had 21 windows to cover and only spent 775 on the blinds and paid a friend 100. to install. Who would pay interest on window blinds??? If I could educate myself on home building they certainly could with a just a little effort.
ReplyDeleteThis whole story line about Meri having supposed thoughts about another baby ... at her age ... with her level of work ethic ... as if most of us ever believed it... Well, this week everyone witnessed just how much this ongoing conversation is a charade. Kody said they'd known for 2 1/2 years that Meri didn't want another baby. So, given what he himself said, I don't know how anyone could still be hanging onto the fake story ... and if Meri and Kody keep harping and weeping about this again - next season - well that is going to cause TLC to lose viewers for sure, because, at this point, any conversation about Meri having a baby is just teeeeeeeeeeeeeediously boring and annoying ... cuz we all know it ain't gonna happen. They really need to drop the topic asap. TLC should not even have Meri tell Kody anything about a decision on camera -- I, for one, just can't stand to see her weep all over again, and I'm sure I'm not alone on that!
ReplyDeleteUnited Order and Private Property in the AUB:
ReplyDeleteThe AUB practice is for all members to deed all their property to the United Order.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_United_Brethren#Doctrines_and_practices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Order
I wonder what this implies for the new houses, their financing, and the future of these houses?
It was also interesting to read that the AUB temple is in Ozumba Mexico.
Many people in AUB don't belong to a United Order, and don't deed their properties over. No way will Kody do that. And yes, there is an AUB temple in Ozumba, but there is also another one in Bluffdale, Utah, right next to Camp Williams.
ReplyDeleteRobyn does not appear pregnant in the Istagram photo....and Christine looks really good! It looks like someone has a sliding door though, if that is one of the new homes!
ReplyDeleteWe know. We think she had a miscarriage.
DeleteI think this is Christine's home, I don't see a wet bar! Kody probably made her delete the picture because he wasn't "ready"!
ReplyDeleteI guess for FauXmas, nobody but Jenelle could be bothered to do their hair. Even Robyn, who is quite good at that curling iron. I have no issue with sliding doors, but vertical blinds scream cheap motel to me. Just saying, Meri.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the episode where meri was over budget....please tell me no one coughed any extra cash up for her...?
ReplyDeleteLucidJanuary 2, 2013 9:54 PM said:
ReplyDelete"I just wonder if they will sell these homes in the future. Perhaps when the housing market picks back up again. They may be able to sell for a profit... get back their massive down payments and then some. Return to Utah and LOL?"
When I looked at a map of the area these new homes are in, there were literally HUNDREDS of other houses for sale in the area, most for about half what these ones cost. Maybe not as new, but dirt cheap compared to what the Browns paid for their McMansions. I think it will be a very long time before they could sell them for profit, even with cheap financing and a lot of money down, especially since they built 4 identical houses on the same cul de sac. Who'd want to pay double the price for a cookie-cutter house exactly like the one three of their neighbors have? If Kody was serious about "resale value" he would have bought true custom homes, in an area with few other houses for sale (definitely NOT Las Vegas.) But that would take planning and research, instead of desperate panic buying at any price whatever they could get.
I do find it amusing so many new house pictures are showing up on Twitter though, maybe it's their way of showing us all "See, we DID get the houses nah nah you were wrong about us!" Then they pull them so they don't get in trouble with TLC.
Even in the pictures though, the houses look kind of cheaply built. But maybe it's just the bad picture quality though, I'll bet they look super duper neat in real life. ;)
...the houses look kind of cheaply built
DeleteSurfkitty, you hit the nail on the head...if those houses are anything like the model (and from the twitter pictures, it looks like they are) those are some of the cheapest looking $450K houses I've ever seen.
Hey CJ I found a house which has equal craftsmanship, more personality...and an addition guaranteed to make Robyn feel right at home! Check it out:
Deletehttp://www.burbed.com/2012/04/16/castro-valley-value-is-in-the-land-and-the-vehicle/
OMG, DakotaJustice...you are not going to believe this, but I am pretty sure I recognize that house....I am fairly certain I knew the folks who lived there in 1994 or so....I had to double check, so I googled the address, and got a link to the MLS entry...you can look at all the other pics of the place....so I confirmed, that is totally the house I drove one of the residents home to in 1994...
Deletehttp://www.redfin.com/CA/Castro-Valley/5939-E-Castro-Valley-Blvd-94552/home/1884999
Seeing the inside of it, I am not surprised...they were, um, rustic. And let me say, I did not know them *well*.....
But I am laughing my head off.... wow, the comments and such on the link you sent are hilarious!
I love real estate blogs and Burbed is one of my favorites :-p
DeleteThat's amazing!! Don't you think Robyn would love the trailer though? That's an idea for when they move back to Lehi. Lol
Thanks for replying to that! I'm not very knowledgeable about housing markets and especially not in Vegas. I'm glad to know they won't be walking away from this better off than they went in, anyway.
DeleteI couldn't agree more. I was so surprised by how inexpensive the model looked when they went through it. For some reason, it lacked a lot of personality for that price. Then when the picture was posted of them in the living room, I was very surprised how plain it looks. My main concern would of been, buying a sturdy home that would withstand the elements of weather in heat, and also the heavy traffic of the children. I really like Christine, but I noticed in the rental home that it didn't seem to have been taken care of very well, and I wonder what will happen in a cheaply made home. Also, when I lived in AZ, we specifically bought a house that faced a certain way, so that when the sun set, it did not bake our upstairs. Even with that, we had to have special screens put on the house (HOA only allowed certain sun-blocking methods) because it was still so warm at times. I wonder if they took any of that into consideration.
DeleteIs someone who knows where these houses are allowed to email me the general location? I'm really curious as to where they are. My friends and I want to check them out because have nothing better to do haha.
ReplyDeletePolygamists and dead dogs. Is it a thing with them?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2163176/Polygamous-towns-home-Warren-Jeffs-cult-sued-destroying-homes-properties-non-believers.html
I don't in any way believe that Meri is going to let Mariah leave the house to go live at college. Am I the only one who thinks this? Meri is way too selfish and possessive to give up her only daughter. I know parents like that and they just guilt and nag their children into staying. Mariah may WANT to go to college in Utah or to go live in the dorms, but that doesn't mean she's going to. I would bet Mariah is going to go to a local junior college for her gen eds to "save money" or will go to UNLV but live at HOME, unlike Logan. Meri's just going to turn the waterworks on her daughter about how lonely she is in this big, big house and Mariah will feel bad and stay. I mean, Kody is not in any way supportive of any of his children leaving either (you know, you have to build an entire bedroom for them in case they want to come and visit for the weekend). I think it's only because Logan insisted and Janelle backed him 100% that he's living in the dorms right now. Even if Mariah really wants to, I don't think she'll be able to withstand the tremendous guilt and pressure from Meri AND Kody. I just don't see Meri suddenly and miraculously doing something in her child's best interest rather than her own.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Kody wants Mariah around because she keeps sceri meri happy, without her she will focus her attention on nagging kody or more "vacations" where they have to pretend they're a real "marriage"
DeleteI get the feeling that Mariah would find it difficult living in a dorm. She seems more sheltered than the other children, which is of course all the more reason that she should definitely live in a dorm. Being forced to interact with a wider range of people would give her a new perspective and help her figure out if she really wants to be a polygamist.
DeleteI agree with you that she probably won't go. She's so conservative that I would imagine she would stay with her mother, which of course Meri will love.
I dunno I think Meri is going to want grandchildren. Real ones from her own flesh and blood.
DeleteOf course the next question is who's going to be the husband? Mariah doesn't strike me as a prize, but then again neither does Meri...
She's just a kid. Who knows what will happen when she goes off to college? Who knows what it will be like to be away from your mom and all that chaos and cameras and people peeking at your houses? Like any of the kids, she can do anything and be anything. Just because their parents are complete morons and made them go on TV doesn't mean any of the kids have to be like them.
DeleteThe older teenagers have a great support system in each other, and they're going to be just fine. Mariah might be uniquely disadvantaged with that nasty, selfish baggage, but people have overcome worse. I have a lot of hope for these kids.
Does anyone else wonder why the Brown's teenager's twitters are not set to private? Both of my teens have twitter and instagram and their profiles are set to private. You have to ask to follow them before you can see their pictures or tweets.
ReplyDeleteMost teens like being "famous" and want as many followers as they can get. That's normal for their generation. And why would you want that to end? They probably read this blog.
DeleteIf they set them to private, they can't consider them advertising for the family business and can't write the cost of the phones off on their income taxes. JMO.
DeleteI've always wondered why their twitter is not private. I also wonder why so many adults apparently follow the teens. Last year, Aspyn had an obvious adult woman complaining about how Aspyn's tweets were cluttering her tweet list (or whatever its called). Aspyn's tweets were typical teenage stuff - but it floored me that an adult actually followed her and then had the nerve to complain about her tweets.
DeleteIsn't it funny how Mariah or whoever tripped over the word "polygamy"? I guess because polygamy is illegal, plural marriage however...
ReplyDeleteOne of the adult Browns have said they prefer the use of 'plural marriage' instead of polygamy. So I'm not surprised that she caught and corrected herself to keep in step with her elders.
DeleteBut I agree that plural marriage is just an euphemism for polygamy (or polygyny).
It's rather ironic to me that Meri and Robyn's main twitter photos are with them and ole Kodester but Janelle and Christine's aren't.
ReplyDeleteHave to put my two cents in on the "Secrets Revealed" First of all, there are no secrets revealed, just the same old repeated stuff. The Brown's are in no way gonna get questioned by someone who will ask real questions. They won't agree to it. Notice also the continuous blinking the women do, (except Meri) when asked questions, mind you, it could be the fake lashes, but I have heard from friends who study body language, this is a sign of complete insecurity, has anyone else heard this? I know it's not right to judge people, but Meri and Koty really eat their 15 minutes of fame up..they love being in the spotlight..Meri gets worse with each episode, her head is actually getting bigger as we speak.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed,at the end of the so-called interview, Koty makes his little teary-eyed speech, he looks quickly and directly at Robin. There is no doubt she is his favorite sister wife. Body language tells us so much.
DeleteI'm sorry if this has been touched on before, but I have noticed that Logan looks a lot like he could be Christine's son instead of Janelle's. Wondered also if anyone noticed Robin pulling out what looks like her checkbook when she comes back in with Meri to discuss her over budget..what's was that all about?
ReplyDeleteI noticed that in the last show (where Logan was leaving for school) that meri cried 7 times. Robyn had a few "moments" but dry eyes from Christine and janelle the whole show. BUT if they had an equal amount of screen time as meri. . . . .
ReplyDeleteThis evening from 7 - 9p central time SW is showing reruns. Need to take note of the advertisers.
ReplyDeleteAm thinking of their creative financing that they maybe paying interest only and have balloon
notes.This was used thirty yrs ago when points
were high.
With their high payments, doubt if Meri
can afford to stock her pantry and wet bar for
all that entertaining.
Unless Mariah attends a local community college and commutes. many colleges mandate freshmen live on campus, to experience campus life which would be to her advantage.
So it looks like Meri no longer makes the jammies for the kids huh? Funny, I thought that was a tradition.
ReplyDeleteI think she still does - look at the bottoms!
DeleteLOL I bought some PJ bottoms like that at Costco - $10.99 each.
ReplyDeleteTaking a closer look at the pics, UGLY boring cabinets/kitchens, and OMG those vertical blinds on the sliding doors...zzzz.
BTW, I am pretty sure the instragram photo of "Christmas" with the whole group was in Janelle's house. Those are her couches (from the 'horse/cowboy' room) at the rental. Meri would NOT have slidig doors or vertical blinds. For all the entertaining Meri claims to love to do, most of the celebrations are at Janelle's.
ReplyDelete