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Sunday, August 11, 2013

Review: Sister Wives - A Tale of Two Episodes S06Ep02: Four Lives of Kody's Wives and S06Ep03: Big Boy Panties


Something is wrong in Kodyland. Janelle's feeling the need to make money to support her family while dealing with the rising testosterone levels in her house and her struggle to lose weight.

Robyn's trying to make My Sister Wife's Closet a viable company, without a clue how to go about it.


Christine wants to work but really doesn't want to work.

And Meri and Kody just sit back doing what they do best, nothing.

Yep, it's just another two episodes in the lives of Kody Brown and his Kodypendents.

Old Uncle Art is gonna be busy now!

S06Ep02: Four Lives of Kody's Wives

Robyn is clueless on how to run a business. The St George Expo was a bust according to Janelle, who has had enough of MSWC because it just isn't generating enough income. Or as she puts it, not enough profit to pay her light bill, let alone her mortgage.

Ouch!!

Now mind you, Robyn is begging for her husband and her sisterwives to "support" her, which translates to Janelle and Christine doing the grunt sales work while Robyn and Meri can sit back on their ample laurels "managing" while popping bonbons in their mouths.

Fair enough, I say. But what I found troubling in this whole fiasco, besides Robyn's lack of business acumen, was Kody's explanation of why he doesn't want to be involved in MSWC. You see, when he sells jewelry to women, because he's on TV the women instantly become enamored of him and want to be his 5th wife.

Or, as Kody explained, "...if I'm making a connection with a woman...or flirting with her, or I'm trying to give attention to what I'm trying to sell a piece of jewelry...they might think that I'm hunting on a 5th wife... which is the farthest thing from the truth!...It's something I'm apprehensive about..."

Whoa there, Kody. You're supposedly  a salesman (at least that was what you said in season 1). Good salesman should be able to sell anything to anybody...so if women are misconstruing your sales pitch, maybe you need to tone it down a notch. Like a real salesman would.

Anyway, Janelle and Christine aren't buying what Robyn's trying to sell, and that is leaving her very very upset. Of course, if Robyn had a clue about business and a good work ethic, she wouldn't need to include her sisterwives in her little MSWC venture. She could  take the profits and run, just like fictional Margene did in Big Love so many years ago. But Robyn obviously doesn't have the same caliber of storywriters like Big Love, so the audience is stuck with this damn storyline for the rest of the season.

Will Robyn be content to just have Meri to boss around?  Will Janelle and Christine rot in sisterwives hell for not supporting a fellow sisterwife?

Stay tuned.



This storyline gets an Uncle Art, for being damn silly.



While Meri and Robyn are focused on MSWC, Janelle and Christine prepare for a meeting with Mona, the real estate lady at Janelle's house. While Kody lounged in his easy chair, upstairs Garrison and Gabriel go at  each other again, almost like the last time when Gabriel bloodied his older brother Garrison's nose.

I'm not going to go into detail, but the most significant thing I noticed was just how ineffective as parents Kody and Janelle were. Kody doesn't want to get involved because he doesn't want to be seen as the bad guy. Janelle blames everything on the testosterone levels of teen boys. She feels the separation of houses makes her to be like a single parent. Which in reality is exactly what she is.



Janelle gets an Uncle Art for using the raging male hormone excuse once again and not demanding that Kody spend more time being a male role model than being a "celebrity" polygamist.

Kody gets 3 Uncle Arts for being Kody.



Next we have Christine and Janelle meeting with Mona the Real Estate Lady.

Unfortunately, Christine is not cut out to be a serious employee out of the home. My opinion is she has been tainted by Kody's total lack of work ethic. She didn't prepare for the meeting, and she absolutely blanched when Mona admits she hasn't had a day off for six weeks.

When Mona tells Christine there may be a delay in all four wives moving into their houses, Christine has a melt down.

Later at home, while talking to Kody (who was lying on his back on her bed with his stinky foot precariously close to her face) she tells him she can't be away from her kids nights and weekends. Of course Kody agrees with her, she needs to stay at home to be with her children. Heaven forbid SHE should expect HIM to help her out with  the fruits of his loins.

Which makes me wonder, wasn't that a bonus of having sisterwives to help take care of your children? And if moving to Las Vegas, as Kody claims, caused his family dynamics to change, he failed to see HE was the one who demanded the move in the first place. And Kody as a polygamist  should realized he would be travelling from house to house. Then he dismissed Christine by accusing her of creating drama that doesn't exist. What a jerk!

Sorry, no sympathy from me. It just makes me wonder, who the hell is writing this crap?


I don't think Uncle Art's picture can get any bigger...
Kody gets another Uncle Art, while Christine gets 3 Uncle Arts for her ignoring her dire financial situation by refusing to acknowledge the fact her children are no longer babies (except for Truely) and that Janelle offered to jobshare with her on the real estate gig. Oh yeah, and for not demanding Kody be an adult and take care of his offspring like a normal father would.

And 2 Uncle Arts to the producers who should have left this crap on the cutting room floor.


A day later (or maybe the same day, it's hard to tell), Janelle met with Robyn to talk to her about MSWC. She's had an epiphany: Kody should not be involved because MSWC should be a woman powered business; Christine should be involved only in the "fun" things and Janelle, hold onto your hats, flip-flopped her position to one that she could use MSWC to market a plus-size line of exercise clothes. She tells Robyn she does want to be a part of MSWC after all.

I've invited Uncle Art to go to Las Vegas in order to throw his stinky old boot at Janelle's head because this is not the end and she WILL flip flop AGAIN on her role in MSWC.

Of course, now that Robyn was all happy happy joy joy over Janelle coming over to MSWC's darkside, it was time for footage of her date with Kody.

I don't know, but it's getting rather tiresome hearing Kody trying to impress yet another monogamist about his being a polygamist. I'd respect Kody more if he just came out and said, "Yo, I'm a polygamist with four wives." But no, it always has to be something like, "I came from Utah to Las Vegas with my WIVES and 17 children. Yes, I have FOUR WIVES!...heh, heh, heh...what do you think about that, huh? I'm a STUD!"

I was so hoping that Kody's rope would break, not high enough to kill him of course, but just high enough we could see his long hair flowing in the wind on the way down.

Josh the repelling guy gets one Hyrum for acting like he was interested in Kody's conversation about being a polygamist.

The last segment was all about Meri. While Janelle was on her way to the gym, Meri was running on the streets of Las Vegas with Mariah.  In her voiceover she explained how proud she was that Mariah wanted to be a plural wife. And that Mariah was just like her when it came to dealing with life's disappointments living with Kody. Is it me or does Meri look like she gained every pound Janelle has lost?

As we watch the Browns yet again, touring those McMansions, we find out that Logan will have his own bedroom in Janelle's house. In the couch interview with the teen girls, even though the consensus was that everyone wanted to be in the homes by Christmas, realist Maddie was again the voice of reason.

She said "Life happens..."

Maddie gets 2 Hyrums, which will qualify Mariah getting dibs on being his 2nd wife.




S06Ep03: Big Boy Panties


After her blowup with Robyn, and her realization that real estate was not her cup of fundamentalist Mormon tea, Christine decided to do the patented Janelle flip flop. She tells everyone at the next MSWC meeting that she wants to devote her time to MSWC now. But when Christine's suggestion of putting the iconic MSWC logo on t-shirts was brutally shot down by Kody as frumpy, Christine got really upset.

Not upset enough to leave Kody's sorry butt, of course, but  just enough to make you wonder what the heck IS going on between those two. Should Dr Phil have an intervention with them? Or how about a stint with Dr Drew on his Couple's show?

Being that Kody has not proven himself to be successful at anything (except making babies), personally I would not listen to a word he says. In Kody's world, overpriced ugly jewelry is ICONIC. T-shirts are FRUMPY MARKETING. Kody doesn't want T-shirts making his ICONIC website FRUMPY. That those t-shirts might bring in more sales dollars than a year of selling that junk jewelry is not the point. And that, my friends, is why Kody is a failure at business.

He doesn't need big boy panties, he needs some brains in that big old noggin of his. But later on, we find out somebody will be making money off of MSWC. Too bad it's not the Browns.

Dr Drew gets a Hyrum for being the hunk Kody wishes he was.



Back at the cul-de-sac, the Kody Krew take yet another tour of the McMansions.

All does not go well. Janelle finds out that instead of carpeting leading down that long, long, hallway to her master suite, the workers laid tile instead. Janelle is not amused, and worries about the noise of footsteps. Lady, I would be more worried about your teens fighting each other. Priorities, Janelle! Tile is the LEAST of your problems.

Meri  immediately put on her mean face. Crapola will hit the fan if there are
ANY mistakes made in her McMansion.  Once inside her soon to be home, Meri breathed a sigh of relief: All was OK, in fact her wet bar was beautiful. I tried to get a good picture, but Meri was moving so fast all I could get was a blur.

Really Meri. You could have had a wet bar built without needing that 5th (or was it a 6th) bedroom. And would it have hurt to put backsplashes on the kitchen and wet bar walls? That house looks like a $450K barn, holy cow!

Mona the real estate lady gets a Hyrum for having to put up with the Browns crapola (even though she made a nice commission off of THAT sale, for sure).

Before seeing Meri, Kody and Mariah take a road trip to her college in Utah, we got a short look at Mykelti, Christine's 16 year old daughter. She is your typical teenage girl. The only problem is she has Christine and Kody as parents. My thoughts? I shuddered in horror when Christine went on and on about her daughter. I felt so sorry for the teen. So Mykelti, if you read this, I'm sending you lots and lots of positive thoughts. And if you want piercings, and tattoos, I say go for it. But just remember, tattoos are kind of permanent and piercings can get infected. That's all.

Okay, back to Meri, Kody and Mariah. Before going to Westminster College, Kody and his legit krew stopped at the old homestead in Lehi. Seems Mariah had thought about living there while attending school in SLC. Which is kind of weird being that would be a LOT of driving. I could never allow my 18 year old to drive that kind of mileage on a freeway each day. I would worry myself sick!

Luckily, Mariah decided against that arrangement. So of course, Meri and Kody decide that maybe it would be better to sell the house. WHAT??? Did Kody and Meri forgot about a certain 3rd party that originally was the sole name on the deed until recent years? Yes, I'm talking about Janelle. RENT that house, you silly fools! You need the income!


At the college, Kody immediately endears himself to the Director of Admissions by asking her if she was "...familiar with the words fundamentalist Mormons." Too bad she didn't come back with "Why of course! I'm not an idiot. Are you familiar with the word DIVERSITY?" But I could see why - she'd not only have to spell it for Kody, she'd have to explain to him what it meant before he could answer. I'm sure that's why we only saw her say the word diversity in her talking head.



Darlene the Admissions Director gets a Hyrum for putting up with Kody and the film crew on her campus. Here's hoping enrollments go up for next semester.

Back in Vegas, Mariah decided she didn't want to go on a tour of the UNLV campus with Aspyn, even though her  "bro" Logan would be the official UNLV tour guide. I don't know, I would have jumped at the opportunity to go on that tour if it was my brother. I would have so much fun giving him a hard time while wearing my Westminster College hoodie. What a missed opportunity!

So instead we get a boring rehash of the tour Logan went on when he graduated the year before, Logan saying how much he's enjoying himself, and how he's not committing one way or the other on going plural in the future. Sounds like Logan is having fun outside the family. I have a feeling he won't be using that bedroom much in mother Janelle's house.


The shows producers get two Uncle Arts for the lack of imagination on this segment.


Last but not least, Kody and his Krew try to sell their wares (MSWC and LIV) at the Christmas Crafts and Gifts expo in Las Vegas. How LIV could be considered a gift or craft I don't know, but if you look real close you'll see his booth was next door to MSWC.

Robyn then introduced MSWC new manufacturer to everyone and presented her with a "big" check. Like I said earlier, it was nice to see someone  making money from MSWC.

Sadly, sales at the Vegas expo were worse than the St George venture. Maybe Robyn's new business pal will give her some much needed pointers. And at the next MSWC meeting, Janelle flip flops AGAIN and tells Robyn she was disengaging from MSWC,  focusing her efforts only on real estate. Seems that profit of about $500 just wasn't worth Janelle's effort if it won't pay her bills.

But if it was any consolation, Christine didn't flip flop, and told Robyn she wanted start supporting MSWC 100%. What a wonderful sisterwife.

And with that, Robyn gets the last Uncle Art for being totally clueless about running a business. Hmmm....I wonder how this one will turn out? Tune in next time for the continuing saga!


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To All the Kind Readers of SWB:

Thank you so much for your patience. I apologize for the delay. Like Maddie says, "Life Happens...", especially when PCs and internet connections conspire against you.

Regards,
Cynical Jinx



PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR DISCUSSION HERE!




220 comments:

  1. OMIGOSH CJ!!! Hilarious! I got as far as "I was so hoping Kody's rope would break..." before I had to stop reading, because I was about to spew coke all over the screen. Pure genius, bravo! SO glad I found this blog!

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  2. Sometimes I wonder if Mariah was accidentally reading from Meri's script.

    You can definitely tell who's Mama she belongs to!! They are cut from the same cloth.

    The looks on her face could read...."Don't you DARE tell me to do something I am NOT willing to do!!!!"

    And what about Modesty?? Those leggings (from the Westminster sweatshirt scene) were far from Modest.

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    1. I think the modesty thing (for this bunch) is more about "covering skin" than "covering shape"-think Morphsuit vs Bhurka. Of course at the beach, all bets are off. I think it has so much more to do with keeping the sacred underwear out of the public view than keeping the skin of the ladies from peeking out. Janelle's clothes are looser than those of the others. My guess is the baby-doll tops are designed to keep the sacred seams from showing through the clothes. My personal standards for modesty are different from theirs. My modesty standards are more about my comfort with showing the goods than the public's reaction to seeing the goods. Too put it another way, I am less worried about the reaction of "the drooling oversexed hoards" than just keeping what is "mine" to myself. What you chose to show or not show, call modest or immodest, that is your business. (But calling out someone else's daughter for what she is wearing--super uncool, Meri.)

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    2. I've noticed that modesty for the Browns is all about covering skin but zero thought on the tightness of their clothes. Unfortunately we've also learned (thanks to Meri & Robyn) that the modesty rule does not apply when filming romantic vacations or birthing babies.

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    3. I think, for them, all that has to be covered are the magic undies. When they go swimming they don't wear the magic undies hence no need to cover. Though I wonder if all of the wives wear magic undies all of the time, sometimes it rather seems they are covering themselves like _if_ they are wearing them but it doesn't look like they wear them.

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    4. My vote is they do not wear the sacred underwear, they seem to pick and choose what tennets they follow and my bet is that is one they ignore.

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  3. Nice Work CJ. I love the "Uncle Arts" and the "Hyrums." I need a little levity in my life. This forum keeps me watching the show. Others are right....it's too bad that you are not on the payroll.

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    1. I agree with Forest Rose! Loved the Uncle Art and Hyrum awards! That was genius! lol

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  4. Outstanding Cynical Jinx! And please don't apologize for how long these recaps take...we all appreciate the time & effort that goes into everything you do on this blog!

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    1. I agree!!! She does a wonderful job...we need a like button here and it would be perfect.

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  5. And, true to KoDoofus' value system, Westminster "looks like a college should look." I know that's how I will make the decisions as to where my kids attend college. What the buildings look like, not what can be learned inside those buildings. Kody will take this as too much of a compliment, but he is like another Vegas native, Andre Agassi. Image is everything. By the way, Kody, Andre has accepted his hair loss and now goes around bald.

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    1. When Kody said that about Westminster, I thought- "Spoken like someone whose only experience with higher education is watching "Animal House".

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    2. Ha! Careful there----Animal House was filmed at my alma mater---University of Oregon----a fine school that looks the way a university should look *tee hee*

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    3. What went through my head when I first heard Kody utter those immortal words from someone who more than likely barely graduated from HS - classic dumb jock I think - was this scene from Rodney Dangerfield's "Back to School"

      In fact come to think of it, maybe Kody lifted it from the film. lol.

      Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield): Boy, what a great-looking place. When I used to dream about going to college, this is the way I always pictured it.
      Jason Melon (Keith Gordon): Wait a minute. When did you dream about going to college?
      Thornton Melon: When I used to fall asleep in high school.

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    4. I thought it was interesting that Kody made the comment, "THIS is what a college should look like." I understand it might be his first reaction, but I expected him to be a little more open-minded / less prejudiced. After all, no one would look at his family and exclaims, "Oh! Wow! THIS is what a family is SUPPOSED to look like." Well, maybe fellow polygamists.

      Not sure why this popped into my brain while I was watching the episode, but it did.

      Kody ought to be the LAST person to judge a book by its cover.

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  6. We all have "The Decision" to look forward to..remember Kody said Meri had until they moved into the houses to decide if she wants a baby? Also, Aspyn's conference with the councelor that came to the house for Mariah, was trying to get her to say what it is she wants to do..when she said maybe a para legal but that sounded like too much work..she just wants to be a mom..christine said maybe a teacher, but Asyns desire is to be a mom..her role model is her mother..her father it seems didnt councel her like he did mariah about being a doctor

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    1. I'm guessing that the Big ZZZZZZ Decision will be "deferred" until next season.

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    2. Im thinking the "big decision" will be part of the season final, and then throw out some big "drama"

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  7. My favorite S.W. is Janelle. She is trying so hard to loose weight and it is working. I see a difference in her size in the newer shows. I think that Janelle and Chistine are close and Mary and Robin are good buds.

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    1. I know, I totally like Janelle, and her kids. I would definitely buy a "Team Janelle" or a "Free Janelle" t shirt if it was available. And I can do frumpy; there's always pjs or lounge wear around the house.

      And there was an actual mention of Robyn's kids seeing their bio dad, wow!

      I'm being a bit snarky, aren't I.*shame*

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    2. Janelle wants some lovin...the body language of kody..his arm around the shoulders of all wivez except robyn..he keeps his hand on her thighs..
      Janelle should start her own biz and keep the money and Meri and her mini me need yo get a job..Christine should clean and cook with robyn for them all since those two seem daft.

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    3. "He keeps his hands on her thighs" Gross!! But right none the less...ugh.

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    4. I'd totally wear a "Team Janelle" t-shirt around the house and while watching Sister Wives on iTunes! Frumpy is awesome when it's within the confines of one's own dwelling. ;-)

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  8. What will be the buzzword tonight??? I'm so sick of "access" and now "engage" and "disengage." Seems like every other episode we get some buzzword from a motivational seminar or management theory that the Browns repeat till it's dead. Is it from a Word a Day calendar?

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    1. Just now watching last week episode. Surprised it is almost half way through senior year and they are just now looking at scholarships. My kids already had all if their forms out by end of junior year.
      Soooo sick of all the home drama, the crying and whining. Thank goodness for SWB, can turn off this mess.
      I appreciate all the thought, effort and work put into this blog !

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    2. Hate to say it but the new buzzword tonight appears to be "romance", closely followed by "mattress".....

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    3. I think the buzzword was "invested"..how many times did Kody use it referring to the kids as in the Kids are invested in these houses

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  9. I wonder who does the editing on the show. It is so difficult how they go back and forth and show repeats of certain scenes. Kody is an idiot the way he speaks of different mothers for the children and which kids would be better served with scholarships because some of the mothers have more children. It sounds like he thinks the other "wives" are single parents and he has no responsibility for their financial support. Good for Logan for staying away. Some of the others will also move out and stay away. Meri Jr. (Mariah) will model herself after her mom.

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  10. I was just watching the rerun of last week's episode. Kody saying something to the effect that they will be splitting the cost of college tuition across families really jumped out at me. Janelle's and Christine's kids will of course be getting a lot more financial aid than Meri's daughter. So J & C don't get extra money for their higher water, electric, and food bills, but all of a sudden when Meri's one kid is more expensive, the Browns are splitting the cost across families?? When are Christine and Janelle just going to leave?

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    1. What's mine is mine...and what's yours is mine. Meri's mantra.

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    2. It made me sad to see how much more Kody was involved with the goings on of Mariah versus Aspyn. He had virtually no thought of or contact with Aspyn. If it made me sad to see such obvious favoritism it must be brutal on the kids involved :(

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    3. Those are really great observations, "Sad for them" and "GossipMagee." I truly hope it was the way the filming was edited and not a genuine reflection of Kody showing favoritism.

      Mariah really made me mad in this episode. I understand her deep desire to attend Westminister, but she would do well to have a backup plan or at least get to see different universities to get an idea of what they can offer. Perhaps she was afraid that if she gave her parents an inch, they'd take it and run a mile with it... After all, I'm sure the tuition would be a lot easier to manage if Mariah were to attend university with her brother. Nevertheless, her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She demonstrated characteristics of a spoiled, stubborn, entitled young lady. As someone said above, definitely her mother's daughter. For Mariah's sake, I hope she can snap out of it and make something of herself.


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    4. Not to mention that Westminster is extremely expensive...

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  11. Wow C.J., you have hawk eyes! I totally did not notice the LIV table at the Las Vegas episode until I watched it again and looked for it. Thanks for the reviews they are great! Watching the newest episode now and as they were going to commercial Kody said something about it getting awkward with Janelle when they start to get romantic! Just what you would want your husband saying on TV! Yikes!

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  12. I'm about three minutes into tonight's episode and I can't listen to Meri say "KUUUULLLL!!" any more! And Mariah? Just because the building is ready doesn't mean your parents truly own the house...you have much to learn...quit pouting for pity's sake!!

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  13. Kody has cold sores on his mouth!

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    1. That's external validation of their "shared love" . This should make Christine very happy since she's the one who spouted some bullshite about how "they better be having sex" in regard to questions about her spiritual hubby spending the night with his other mistresses. Ick. It's gross Christine & somewhere in that bubble head of yours you gotta know it. On another topic, I believe they should market their own plyg brand of spanx & name it "plugs in a blanket" or something else iconic.. They certainly could use some & it might do wonders for their current sausage casing look.

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    2. "plygs in a blanket" is genius!!!!

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    3. Ahahaha plygs in a blanket, I love it!!!

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  14. Great review, my sister!!
    I would say drinking game alert... homes, financing, Christmas, but my friends you'd all be in the ER!

    Is Mariah the only child that opinion matters??

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  15. I can understand Meri wanting her home to be perfect, but it looks like she is nit picking everything to death and being a giant PITA to the builders. It make me happy to see that she is going to be the last one to be able to move in.

    Meri-- please turn off the water works and stop throwing yourself a pity party every time something doesn't go exactly every time you don't get your way.

    BTW: It looks like Kody and Jenelle both have a cold sore?

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    1. Yes...they do appear to be sharing Robyn's celestial cold sore (yuck).

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  16. AHouseisNotAHomeWithoutAWetbarAugust 11, 2013 at 9:32 PM

    How telling watching Meri sobbing and saying "I really thought Robyn and I were going to be the ones getting into our homes first and now...." These people can barely tolerate each other. The look on Meri's face while the other wives received good news about being able to close proves that the number one emotion in their family is straight up jealousy. With disdain for each other a close second.

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    1. I understand her being upset, but I wonder WHY she is last. I thought her (and Kody's) loan got approved earlier than the others'. That tells me she was late filling out some paperwork. Meri, it's your own damn fault.

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    2. Ellen, yes...she and Kody did not turn their paperwork in soon enough, and if I recall correctly, there was an earlier episode where Mona mentioned to them that they needed to get their paperwork turned in if they wanted to be in the house by Christmas. But, they twiddled their thumbs and it didn't happen, just as Mona said.

      When they were doing the walk through of the home, Merri acted as though she wanted to blame Mona for her not getting the house before Christmas, when she can only blame herself and "lover"! Merri makes me sick.... I used to like her back when the show first aired, but now I literally cannot stand her!

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  17. I would guess that kody and mary and janelles credit issues at closing stem from them being on the title on the lehi house. Late mortgage payments are the hardest to overcome and would bet they had a few. Mariah saying i hate the underwriter..great..i underwrote mortgages for 25 years and its always because the borrower did not get documents in in time to settle requirements

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    1. I don't know if anyone caught it but Mona had told Meri that she wasn't able to close because she just got her papers in and the company would most likely not look at the papers before Christmas......and Meri is surprised that she is the last one to get approved? She was told on last weeks show (or maybe the one before) that she needed to get her papers finished in order to get approved and to stop making changes. All the water works are really getting on my nerves....can Meri and Mari be anymore jealous of the other family members? And whose fault is it???

      Also....what happen to Dayton? I haven't seen him in a long while....has he gone to live with his Dad? The girls were going up to see their dad....but there was no Dayton...its like he dropped off the face of the earth...

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    2. I was wondering the same thing... Where's Da-ton?

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    3. Debbie, I caught that remark from Mona also. I kept wondering if Meri told Mariah the truth, that the reason they were last was because her Mother OF ONE CHILD could not get her paperwork done.

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    4. I went through financial problems, and the next house we bought had to be manually underwritten. Meri is not in her house because she couldn't get her documents in. This is her fault, and she should own this.

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    5. I wondered the same thing about Robyn's son. .. where is he?

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    6. Dayton mystery! (Maybe his dad doesn't consent to the filming?)

      Did you catch Mariah's mention of the "underwriters?" The house was ready, but the approvals were not. Who are the underwriters? TLC?

      Robyn wants to own the house in the name of Robyn Brown. The public records show that escrow closed in the name of Robyn Sullivan.

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    7. But that's just it, Anon 11:39, this family has not demonstrated taking responsibility for their choices in life. It is a lot easier to point fingers than it is to see the wrong in a situation or in one's own character, admit it, and seek to change. This family needs some serious counseling and/or life coaching.

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    8. What kept popping into my mind last night was this. There's only ONE house which has Meri and Kody both on the title - and that's the house that didn't close before Christmas because the paperwork wasn't done. We all keep talking about Meri not submitting the paperwork on time.

      Where in the heck was the CO-OWNER? Why is HE getting a "pass" on not getting the paperwork done????

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    9. Dayton was in the kitchen when they were showing Robins home before they left to see the Dad. I'm almost certain. I know I saw him at some point, standing in the kitchen, with a black sweatshirt on, and black cap I think. He has grown taller, and a lil wider, looks like teenager now!

      Delete
  18. OMFG, I should seriously have cracked open a bottle of wine prior to the start of tonight's Episode.

    1. Meri, you are a materialistic, deluded fool. Blubber, blubber, "all she wants for Christmas (blubber blubber) is to be in the house." Get a grip woman. What matters in life is being TOGETHER as a FAMILY at Christmas, not whether you're in your fancy McMansion. There are people in the US of A, families, who don't know where their next is coming from, who've had their utilities turned off, who are living in their minivan (and not a fancy rental home), who don't know what's up or down. There are families who will be spending the very last Christmas with a terminally ill child or parent, and they would give ANYTHING to just be together irrespective of WHAT home they're in. You have your priorities in life all screwed up and it's easy to see your daughter now does too. None of you 5 adults deserve a DOG HOUSE, let alone a McMansion. You all make me sick and you should all watch tonight's episode and feel great shame and I will buy a bottle of champagne and drink a big fat toast when your McMansions are all repossessed.

    2. Poor Sobbin. Such a victim. She's had such a tough life. Oh cry me a river. You're nothing but a parasite who jumped at the chance to ride the Clown Train and reap all of the benefits that would come along with it. What a shameful role model for your children. They, along with the many others, will not have the blessing of growing up to learn about the value of hard work, paying your debts, helping to support your family with a real job, being financially responsible, planning for your future. What a bunch of opportunists.

    3. These Clowns care more about big fancy shiny new homes and being "mortgage-poor" as they put it than coming together as a real true family and being unified. What a joke. They act like a bunch of yokels who went from living under a bridge to living in the Taj Mahal. Many people in the US would have given their left kidney to have had such nice rental homes to live in and they act like living in them has been so, so terribly hard and beneath them. Where is GOD in any of this?

    4. Well we see Janelle and Grody off buyin a new love-nest -- now why is that? What have they been sleeping on in Janelle's rental, an air mattress? I thought they all bought new furniture prior to moving into the rentals because, you know, they had to FLEE Lehi with barely more than the shirts off of their backs. What will next week's episode be?.....more shopping trips to furnish the palatial mansions?

    Honest to God, I can't hardly believe that this crap is even on TV. What a sad commentary on society today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, yup, yup & YUP! You nailed my opinion of these con artists better than I ever could have. Why are people so stinking blind & tolerant of their scuzziness? Does anyone believe that if the tables were reversed, the Browned would overlook the sharks conning & stealing from taxpayers, retailers, medical institutions & anyone else who lost money rightfully owed to them when the Browns filed repeated bankruptcies & just started the overspending again instead of gainfully seeking real employment? I can see Janelle & Meri tsk tsking the sharks for their reckless spending. This makes these people absolute liars without remorse. Somehow I don't believe God would be okay with these lazy losers.

      Delete
    2. Evidently their God speaks for them to reside in the four McMansions?

      Delete
    3. While reading this comment, all I could think about was how I spent Christmas 2012. My son was getting ready to leave for his sixth tour of duty. I am truly wondering if they have any sense of what real worry, fear or disappointment is. They are so ungrateful.

      Delete
    4. What Anon 9:39 said! This has to be one of the most pathetic displays I've ever seen. Such ingratitude, selfishness, and whininess. Time for the so- called adults to start acting like adults. Mariah may be disappointed but it's because Meri is egging her on. The parents need to set the tone and let the kids know what behaviour is acceptable. They should be ashamed finite.

      Delete
    5. Meri should have told Mariah it was her and dad's fault. Meri disgusted me more than ever. I hope she had to do the dishes after supper since she didn't help Christine.

      Delete
    6. I hear you, @ 10:45. I'm a double blue star mom, and have been thru multiple deployments, in combat zones. These folks don't have a clue........
      btw, did I hear that Mormons don't serve in the military?

      Delete
    7. Just to clarify, Mormons do serve in the military. My husbands unit has several LDS members.

      Delete
    8. Anon 10:45, I hope your son is safe and home soon. I agree, they are ungrateful. It's ridiculous to be so upset over a house, when they are all healthy and together.

      Delete
  19. I haven't been watching this show much, but decided to turn in tonight.

    I realized this family's sense of entitlement fills me with rage.

    At one point, Meri talks about how she feels she "doesn't deserve" this big house. Well, Meri, if you are reading here, the reason you feel that way is because you DO NOT DERSERVE a $450K house. You do not. You have not earned it and you will never own it.

    A person who buys a $450K house who can actually afford it would have $90K for a downpayment (so in your family - 90K x 4 = $360,000) and they would have a steady income well into the 6 digit range.

    Plus a good credit history.

    This bunch of grifters pisses me the hell off. Not a single one of them should be getting into a $450K home. None of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meri's comment about feeling undeserving of the house ticked me off, too. In fact, when she said, "I'm having trouble accepting it because I don't feel like I deserve it", I said (out loud) "That's because you DON'T deserve it! NONE of you deserve those homes!"

      This show upsets me to the point that I am seriously considering not watching it any longer. They make my blood pressure rise too much!!

      Delete
  20. This is the most "real" emotions I have seen Christine ever show. And of course Kody had to turn around and be not only patronizing, but an absolute ass.

    The houses are gorgeous, however they came 3 years too late. This family has been doomed for some time. I just hope they don't trash them before the next owners move in.

    Someone needs to check Mariah. That degree of snottiness is not tolerable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really think those houses are beautiful on the outside but the interiors are so industrial looking! They are big but they are not built well, they look poor in quality for what they paid. I was shocked at the lack of options they were presented with in terms of flooring and counter tops. I used to live in Vegas and they could have found something much more "homey" and for a lot less. This family just wanted what they wanted and didn't care to do the work and research to look for the best option for their family. No one in their right minds living in Las Vegas would have paid the amount they did for what they got.

      Delete
    2. I'm not that surprised. Kody thinks the more something costs the better quality it is. Robyn's last owned house was a double wide in Montana so she's happy even though the interiors are so lacking in refinements. Meri got her wet bar but it looks so poorly made and cheap. Even with French doors instead of sliding glass doors the inside of her house looks cheap. That real estate agent and the company that was selling the houses made off with a lot of money from the browns so it looks like the grifters got taken!

      Delete
    3. EXACTLY! Those houses are nice at first glance but they are very poor quality! Those builders saw what a doofus kody is and played him and his wives. I can't get over how stupid this family is. They have such a crappy financial past, what the hell were they thinking purchasing 4 huge houses! They are never going to turn a profit, that is for sure.

      Delete
    4. I wish they had been able to make one large home, just like they had in Lehi, but "McMansion-ized" to suit their needs / wants in Las Vegas. At least then the materialism of the adults would have served a good purpose: keeping the family together. Having four houses next door to one another is nice and all. Maybe they were thinking of resale value? It just still seems so split up to me. I hope the back yards will at least be more like the one in "Big Love."

      Delete
    5. I too was surprised at how inexpensive all of the options were. The outsides are the best parts of the home. We just put new light fixtures in our home, and the ones they have look to be the bare minimum. The carpet in Janelle's house looked like the lowest end. I was also surprised that there was no "personality" to the homes. No decorative aspects built in. Like little nooks in the walls, or arched doorways, or anything to add just a bit more character. Where's the crown molding for that price? I like Christine as a person, but I am worried that house is going to be trashed within months.

      Delete
  21. Watching new sister wives & I just keep saying to all of them which means my TV liar liar pants on fire.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Don't you need to qualify before you start to build. I don't get it.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have enjoyed sister wives since the first episode but for the first time in my life I actually sought out a blog to vent frustration. Meri is so obnoxious! I can't stand it anymore! There are people in our own communities all over the country who are homeless, jobless, hungry, etc and she has the nerve to get that fussy over her perfect lighting fixtures and perfectly level mantle?! What is wrong with this woman?! She's acting like such a spoiled brat! I'm about to completely lose interest in this show (which is pretty sad cuz I'm very easily entertained) if they don't go back to being nice people struggling to live a different lifestyle as good people with good hearts that just want to be good parents. This crybaby business has to stop. Wake up Browns! You're not that special and you're going to look back and be very embarrassed at your petty materialistic behavior. I mean if you're gonna be so picky Meri, maybe think about better makeup, a hairstyle that isn't horrible, dropping 50 lbs and honestly, fixing your pig nose. I know that's mean but that's what you get when you go on tv and display such screwed up priorities like bawling your eyes out cuz you can't get in your house by Christmas! Boo hoo hoo!! I can't afford food. Shut up Meri.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seems someone would tell her that her face is too orange!

      Delete
  24. Is it possible that Mariah is more of a spoiled brat than her mother is?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is possible.

      Delete
    2. I wonder how polygamy as a tool for character growth is working out for Meri and Mariah? If their claims are true, I'd hate to see what they'd be like if Meri hadn't chosen this lifestyle.

      Delete
  25. New episode clearly shows how selfish and dysfunctional this crew is. The wives with the little kids are getting to move in 1st, but instead of being happy for her bonus children Meri is crying that she's last.

    And I really didn't need to see Kodouche and Janelle laying on a mattress together talking romance, then 5 minutes later switch to he and Robyn hanging all over each other in the new kitchen. Guess love is in the air down at the Brown cuddle-sac and Ko-stud seems to be quite pleased!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, i thought Mona looked quite uncomfortable during the love-fest at Robyn's.

      Delete
  26. Why does Meri want a wet bar so badly?! I thought as a Mormon she doesn't drink booze anyway?!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My thoughts exactly..maybe she can cry at her wet bar about the next problem that arises.igh

      Delete
    2. Not all Mormon sects follow the "word of wisdom" as an actual commandment. It was originally more of a guideline. So mainstream Lds do not drink ect. but this group does.

      Delete
    3. With Meri-quite-contrary as a sister-wife, I'm thinking the other three wives need a wet bar infinitely more than Meri does!

      Delete
    4. Kody&....

      It has already been said several times that they do not drink. I don't know if it is all AUB or just the Browns but Kody's older brother as well as Kody's family does not drink. Counter space is stupid though. She just likes the look of it.

      Delete
  27. AHouseisNotAHomeWithoutAWetbarAugust 11, 2013 at 10:12 PM

    It hurts me to see Christine doubt herself and say she feels like she is being a bad sisterwife, when in reality, she seems like the only one of the four women who makes a concerted effort every day to live the "principle" they way they describe it. is supposed to be.

    During that dinner in Janelle's new house, Meri and Mariah sulked in a corner, Robyn gave her pained "I am smiling but on the verge of tears (as always)" smile while Christine seemed to be truly joyful for Janelle and her kids. She also seemed truly elated at the idea that they could all be together in the new house. It didn't seem to matter to her at all that it wasn't HER new house. And the gifts she gave the children were thoughtful, sweet and a way to unite all the kids as one unit. She put the same amount of effort into each kids' gift. She also put a ton of work into that family mission statement business.

    So basically, I watch this whole episode watching Christine working so hard to make their family work as ONE family and then they wrap it up with her crying and saying she has been a lousy sisterwife and had to change her ways. From where I am sitting, she is the ONLY one acting the way they claim sisterwives are supposed to yet she is riddled with self doubt because her jerk of a husband refuses to validate any non-sunshine and rainbows feeling she might have and instead tells her she is being unreasonable. It is a crime and she deserves better.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Well I have turned off SW for good. This show was the last straw for me. I'm just tired of seeing a bunch of unemployed grifters act so selfish and entitled. And Mariah it will be a cold day in hell that you become a Physician, keep dreaming girl!! Be grateful for what you have because you all will end up back in Lehi withing a couple of years, and your furniture will be repossessed as well.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow. Glad Christine got a good edit. Happier Meri is showing true colors!! So laughing at what the builder said. Mariah, honey, you are not the wife.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol..I was cracking up too & loved loved the builders observations of Kody w/ each wife. When he described Kody & Robyn's relationship status as still being in the honeymoon stage,I thought Oh snaps, the ripples & roars in the cult de sac that statement must have caused tonight. Also when he described Kody to basically be accommodating to Meri....Lmao

      Delete
    2. This is something I'd like to see more of: other people's reactions to the Brown Crazy Train. The segment with the builder describing Kody's relationship with each wife was a great honest observation. Of course you see it when you watch the program, but some people might think it might just be how TLC edits. It's obvious to us, but liked hearing it from a third party. Can you imagine what Danny and the rest of the builders would have REALLY said if they weren't trying to be nice to their customers?

      Also, loved that Christine got Joseph Smith's birthday celebration back instead of Kody's Hannuka. THAT'S the kind of thing I expected to see in this show, how they live their lives and celebrate their religion/culture and not scenes of Kody's nasty hair flying in the wind in his convertible. I think that was Meri's mother sitting in the circle on the floor of Janelle's new house.

      I enjoyed seeing another example of Janelle and Christine's relationship: Janelle was perfectly comfortable with Christine making dinner and then using Janelle's kitchen to serve it up. Christine felt enough at ease with Janelle to do that. The two other wives and husband would never have come up with the ideas to 1.) help Janelle in her moving by making supper 2.) turn it into a celebration of moving AND their(Christine's really since Kody doesn't seem to follow it) faith and 3.) come up with the idea for low cost yet very thoughtful and personalized gifts.

      Other than apologizing, it seems like Christine has been renewed, like she is acting more like her first season per Sobbin self. Yay Chrisitine!

      Yay Janelle for bein the first one to get into the McMansions because you did your paperwork in a timely fashion! I picture Meri throwing darts at her Janelle dartboard because she is so ticked at not having the first celebration at her wet bar!

      Delete
  30. Mariah receives the most out of all the kids in that family. Her attitude about the other houses closing before hers was vile. Queen Meri didn't get her paperwork in on time and she harassed the builders. She went over budget and got the most house. They both cry about not getting their McMansion first but it is Queen Meri's own fault! Queen Meri and Mariah need to go work at the homeless shelter and see what being without a home really looks like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Poor Mariah is 18. Yes, she is behaving like a brat, but I blame her parents. It's Meri's job to pull her aside and nip that attitude in the bud, quickly and firmly. It's Kody's job to be aware that there is a problem in the first place, instead of flitting around with that poop eating grin on his face taking credit for being a "rock star". Unfortunately, due to the Internet and syndication, Mariah's teenage tantrum will haunt her forever, while most of us get to leave ours behind when we grow up.
      I feel sorry for Christine's landlord. It looks like they have trashed that rental. The blinds are missing slats, the carpet is stained, etc. Add him/her to the list of folk left worse off for knowing this family.
      Kelly, your plygs in a blanket concept is brilliant!

      Delete
  31. Stumbled across your blog while searching google for news on SW & have been greedily reading through the archives since. Fascinating reading. I think the Browns have too. Is it just me, or did tonight's episode attempt to address many of the criticisms expressed in this blog? IE, couch seating order, Janelle & Cody's relationship, etc.? Nice act, I guess, to try to sway their viewers they are back o track & keep the TLC gravy train rolling.

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    Replies
    1. I kept saying that the whole time hubby and I were watching last night's new episode.

      "We say on the blog that he doesn't seem to show any affection to Janelle . . . and all of a sudden, there it is!"

      "We say on the blog that you hardly ever see them together as a big family . . . and there they are!"

      Yep, somebody in Las Vegas is reading the blog. I'm still thinking they need a baby elephant as a pet. (And if one shows up, I get credit!!!)

      Delete
    2. I have soooo much fun with this blog! I am so thankful that I found it! It's the first thing I look up each morning when I get upstairs to my office and the last thing I look at before I go downstairs to cook dinner. All you people are so clever and entertaining. Ha! LOVE the elephant comment and absolutely, you get the points AZChristian!!! Everyone contributes with different thoughts and perspectives and I love how people pick up on the little things that I miss!

      So everyone here at SWB - keep up the good work!!!!

      Delete
  32. All I can say is where are they getting the money for these houses? Where do they get the money for the expensive cars and college for the kids? Is TLC paying for it all?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Buy a home, especially one just built and first lived in by you is an exciting and emotional time.

    Mariah is a kid. I find the upset at the underwriters misdirected. Mommy and daddy didn't get the paperwork in on time. Too much time spent on scrapbooking and checking out of the site and spending 3/4ths of his time with other family. Not to mention the mess they look like on paper. If they had been good financial stewards they could have taken the cash from the show and bought 4 houses on a block or 4 houses in a development that didn't cost 450K. Closing much easier when you are buying with cash. But she is kid. Full of emotions and most kids don't understand how closing and paperwork work. But in all sincerity I don't get why it's so important when she is moving out of the house less than 7 months from Xmas.

    Christine mothers all the children. And the fact that she managed to find a way to uniquely and equally gift each child with something that didn't take money proves she is worth her weight in gold and invested in the whole family.

    Glad to see the children spending time with Bio dad, but why wasn't the son also going?

    I think it's creepy her changing her name yet again. A thirty something with four last names and one legal marriage? Did she have step family and take on a name that way? Was she married to another person besides kids dad? That extra name creeps me out. Brown wasn't one of the three names the debt people were working with. Did she spend time under a name to hide from her ex? Or was it to get credit for a likely bankruptcy? Or a new name to hide her personal financial history so she could get a rental and all those things hard to do when you are a financial mess?

    Unless there was a financial reason to leave the rental by the 26th why not wait for all of then to get keys to move in for reals. Have a holiday dinner in one of the new homes, but nothing overnight until all of them have them.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Still have 90 minutes before the new ep, but I have to say what a treat it was to take a little break from my ride today and see that CJ had posted her recaps! Double fun!!!

    Looks like Uncle Art got a workout today :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Ok, a couple of comments on tonight's episode...

    First, the positive; Robyn's hair looks great.

    Mariah is sooo her mother's daughter.

    It was nice to see footage of Kody with Janelle, talking about their intimacy as a couple. There isn't much direct allusion to those two as a couple. They seem so mismatched. I cannot see them as a couple in a monogamous relationship. I can easily see Kody and Meri married to each other (and no one else). I can see Kody with Robyn (and no one else). Christine is a bit more of a stretch but still not too hard to imagine. But, without shared religious beliefs and the limited spousal pool of polygamy, I just can't see Kody and Janelle together.

    The only reason Kody is able to maintain a semblance of meeting each wife's and child's immediate needs is that he doesn't have to juggle a job on top of four families. If each adult in that family was maintaining a full-time job or anything resembling that... well, it simply would not work. As in, it would not work even more badly and significantly that it already isn't working.

    Christine's gesture of getting each child a personalized gift about themselves was not only sweet, it was the only indication by any member of that family that any one of them views themselves as a single family. Everyone else's emphasis on "my family's" house (as opposed to one of the four houses our family has) shows that the fragmentation will not just continue but may be accrued by this move. The four households will be in close proximity. This will allow Kody easier access to spending time with each one but they will remain four separate, distinct households, and four separate, distinct households. Not one big family with four roofs. Christine aches for one big family. Janelle and Robyn would probably not be averse to it. But it is the last thing Meri wants. Her attitude seems to be that she has allowed her lover to covert with these other women whose children she will agree to entertain at family functions, not that they are her family members. It is just something she is tolerating (barely) to get the afterlife she wants. A means to an end.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Kody and his legit krew. Bravo, CJ!

    ReplyDelete
  37. In Lehi, Kody explains in a voice-over that their former house does not feel like their home, since their soul is no longer in it. He explains that bringing their souls and their families to a house is what makes it a home. Yet, they constantly berate the rentals for not being their homes or feeling like their homes. They must have literally sold their souls to get those new houses. (Maybe that's why we think they're generic and flimsy.)

    Also, their Lehi home looked emptied, in move-out condition, not abandoned or evacuated by someone who had to flee in the middle of the night immediately. If Mariah's idea about commuting from that house were at all feasible, they're missing the income opportunity of renting it to college students as off-campus housing, or, maybe to a sorority or fraternity. Or, rather than just having it sit empty (as if in-laws weren't actually occupying the house), maybe they could have helped a family in their community who needed a roof over their head.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I like Christine, but I did not like that she said something along the lines of "all comments are important." Then she put down her "difficult" daughter's opinion. Mhykelti did not have something positive to say about the family. That should be important and should be addressed. Instead it was quickly put down.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Mariah needs to forget about living in plural marriage. She's definitely not built for it. I mean, she can't even be happy for her "mothers." How will she be happy for "wives."

    Also, Christine needs to quit alluding to the fact that it would have been soo terrible if she went to someone for "help getting out." Makes me think she thought about it. Also, makes me think she thinks other women that get out are wrong in doing so or are now missing out. Not to mention, I thought she could leave at any time and was under no threat. Then why would she need "help" doing so? Also Christine, someone listening to you and validating you is NOT soo bad.

    Last but not least, anyone notice that one of Robyn's girls was shaking and crying when entering Janelle's home? What's up with that?!

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  40. I don't fault Meri for wanting the mantel or lights level. They're paying big bucks for that house and I'm sorry, it should be built properly. If I were buying it, I would want it right also.

    Now, should they be buying those specific homes. NO, they can't afford them and will more than likely move out of them late one night. I'm still wondering how they think they deserve and can pay for them. It truly boggles the mind and appears to be a side-effect from being on a reality show. Get yourself a mansion, cause you know the gravy train will run forever... ummmmm, not likely. No reason why they couldn't have bought 4 houses together in a reasonably priced neighbourhood and paid cash or close too with their earnings from the show and then could afford a half way decent lifestyle. Like others have mentioned, the price of the house is one thing and maybe that can be swung, but the upkeep and monthly costs associated with houses that size are another thing!

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    Replies
    1. I wasn't able to stay awake for last nights new ep, but just wanted to respond-
      Yup they are overpaying for those ugly homes.

      And I don't think it's true that every reality show fam buys a giant home or lives like the money will never stop. The Browns are following the Gosselin arc. On purpose or not, I have no clue...

      Delete
  41. Meri and Kody are missing out on an opportunity to teach Princess Mariah a couple of valuable lessons; (1) Life doesn't always go the way we want it to; (2) when you procrastinate doing what you need to do, there are consequences (MERI- put away the scrapbooking and get your loan paperwork together!!!); and (3) Be flexible and gracious because there are always others worse off than you are.

    Mariah- with your "me-me-me" attitude, please please give up the idea of plural marriage.

    This "family" is in denial- new houses will not fix your problems.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Christine's gift to the children was beautiful. She is the best parent out of the group. I wish she would get some self esteem and realize she doesn't have to take Kody's abuse. He is ruthless.

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    Replies
    1. It was awfully nice to see the children in the episode tonight.

      Delete
  43. Damn that Hyrum looks yummy! Yeah, not so bright and younger than I but... never mind. ;) Looking forward to seeing THAT show again!

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  44. Did anyone else notice Meri saying "I was wondering how they were going to separate the yards" during the landscaping inspection? You would think a good sister wife wouldn't be so fixated on where her dirt ends and another sister's begins. I swear if Meri had her way she would have an electric fence installed to protect her pristine home from wandering sister wives and bonus children.

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    Replies
    1. I wonder if she feels some sort of entitlement or better than the others because she is the only person who is legally married to Kody. Her behavior seems very different than the first season.

      Delete
    2. A long time ago on this blog someone who had known Meri and her family while they were growing up told us that Meri and her siblings were all pushy, argumentative, demanding and just plain unlikeable. Janelle must have had a reason to divorce Meri's brother after only a year. Hmm What possessed her to get involved in a menage that included another member of that family? Mariah seems to be a repeat of her mother--too bad that she didn't take some childhood lessons for light hearted humor from Christine! LOL My own girls were pretty snotty at that age but wouldn't have let it all hang out for a TV camera!

      Aspyn going to college to become a teacher sounds like a grand plan. She'll make and enjoy being a great early education teacher and maybe she'll meet a wonderful monogamous guy who will treat her as the light of his life. All the girls of the single moms have had an inside view of polygamy and I'll bet Maddie isn't the only one saying, "I don't want to share".

      When you read the accounts of early Mormons practicing polygamy, it doesn't seem uncommon for the wives not to live together as one big family. In modern times it seems rather standard practice for wives to either have their own homes as with Kody's moms and the Kingstons or to live with wives who get along together as with FLDS or Bountiful in Canada. Bet 3 of the Kodettes would love to see Meri housed in any state but Nevada!

      Delete
  45. OMG the SW's are tearing up the Twitter accounts tonight :)

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  46. Tonight was the last for me...I will still come here to get some "real" insight into this bunch, but cannot contribute to ratings for this crew. I still like Janelle and Christine very much, but to see the hate and disdain seething from Meri when Mona was telling all the wives they would be closing except her was hard to watch. Then to see Mariah act like the most jealous brat in the world not to be happy for the rest of the family was to much. Although I did like seeing Kody call Meri out in the previews for next week when he pretty much said all Meri's poo pooing about Mariah being so upset was not only Meri's doing, but her own emotions as well. I would really love to see him put her in her place like he does Christine. Mariah may get more of the material things than the other teens, but she can't match Maddie or Aspyn in the beauty, spunk and personality race. The older Aspyn gets the more beautiful she gets. Her skin tone is so pretty and Loving the long hair on her. Maddie has a smile just like Janelle, its genuine and she is so much prettier with her blonde hair. I hope when Aspyn gets to college she meets a nice boy and has a real one on one relationship and sees what it's like to have someone love only her. I really wish these kids well. Logan and Hunter seem like very average teenage boys. Mykelti going to the college/HS program is great and hopefully it will boost her self esteem. But little Savanna is the cutie of the bunch. I hope all these kids have a successful life, despite their upbringing. But I have a feeling that Mariah is in for a huge wake up call when she gets to college and she is not the most important person in the room.

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    1. But I have a feeling that Mariah is in for a huge wake up call when she gets to college and she is not the most important person in the room.
      Yes, when I was in high school, we called the transition from high school to college as going from being a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond. It's one of the first hurdles of college life to overcome. The second was finding a good roommate. Difficult, but not impossible.

      Delete
    2. 100% AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS! Mariah is obviously a spoiled only child and it is not becoming. It would not surprise me if the only reason she wants to become a doctor is because she thinks she will make bank; she and her mother are incredibly entitled and greedy. She doesn't seem to have genuine care for anyone except herself. Aspyn and Madison will go much further with their more generous, reasonable spirits. Their mothers seem to be raising them with values and realistic expectations. Meri has not done Mariah any favors. And the fact that she is not owning up to the real reason she didn't get into her home with the others -- her lack of responsiblity -- is leading Mariah even further into La La Land. If the kids prove anything, it is that they have been raised separately enough to mirror their respective mothers' beliefs and ideals.

      Delete
  47. I'm watching last week's ep again (not yet 9 pm here in Cali) and the way the producers are using the background music just makes me wanna throw up. again.

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  48. You know - since carpet starts looking crappy (especially with all those kidlets) relatively quickly I would've chosen a hardwood floor (or tile) & just lay down a bunch of rugs. That reduces the noise and wears longer plus easier to change the look.

    But I suppose it doesn't matter since they're short timers...

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    Replies
    1. I find it shocking that they put carpet in at all. Where I live (East coast of Canada) carpet has been out of style for YEARS. I haven't been in a house in a good 5 years that has had carpet. We replaced ours with hardwood 10 years ago. Is this different in the states? It is SO hard to clean I couldn't imagine someone getting it now.

      Delete
  49. I think maybe SWB has cracked the code on the producer's game plan for this season.

    1-Check out the blogs...especially SWB, before writing *and editing* the scripts.

    2-Note which wife is getting the most heat or the most praise on the Blogs.

    3- Showcase that wife in the next ep with positive or negative footage, depending on which way the wind was blowing for that wife in the blogs.

    4- Keep the waterworks clips coming *at least* twice per ep. Meri and Sobbin do it the best, so keep the teary scripts focused mainly on them. Sobbin looks pitiful when she cries, and Meri looks, uh, well to be honest, she looks a bit bovine.

    5-Flaunt the McMansions and piss off everyone who has ever struggled to make ends meet or who has done without their dream, and who hasn't scammed for government handouts. Matters not that people are disgusted, it keeps the viewers buzzing.

    6- Ignore the fact that the viewers resent the obvious sham of airing events in 2013 which actually took place in 2012.

    7- Keep showing Kody for the ass he is, since anything HE does, good or bad, is their money shot.

    Tonight's episode was iconic, in that it so, so clearly showed them all for what they are. They are Ignorant, Arrogant Ingrates !!
    Even the Beverly Hillbillies never resorted to greed and snobbery.

    For all the Run-Janelle fans....she isn't going anywhere. Obviously, the mattress clip was done to address that issue from the blogs.

    Those many cold sores must have been shared and multiplied just like their love !! Good news is that scene too was last year, so they all should be healed by now.

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  50. So its ok for Mariah to throw his sy fits, talk noise & be pissed off & she gets coddled by her mom. But God forbid if Janelle's or Christines's sons act up then they get in trouble or called monsters by their good for nothing but making babies part time dad.. smh

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  51. Whenever the moms were handed their new house keys, Kody speaks confidently about officially owning all those homes.
    So a big part of me still wonders what the real story & current status of how they actually qualified & acquired the homes??

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  52. These people kill me. The words I hate the most are kodys little catch phrase "ruining our family culture" (in reference to the nice rental homes)
    I like to think if I ever met him I'd slap him, but then he'd be able to claim it was because he was being persecuted for his religion. In reality I just think hes a big dumb jerk.
    I had my house built as well and I have to say I'd go ape s@!# if my home had any mistakes in layout. Then again I intend to live in mine until I die. I also intend to pay my mortgage off by working for my money and living within my means so maybe it just means more to me. (Btw cj you are right by the time you pump that much momey into a home you might just as well soring for the backsplash)

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  53. Anyone else notice that during Meri's crying melt down about Mariah wanting to be in the house for Christmas Robyn actually said "it's Mariah's last wish". My goodness you'd think she was terminally ill our something. Meri and that girl are spoiled to the point of being ridiculous

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    1. Meri needs a job to get her mind off of herself. Mariah comes off just plain entitled. Kind of makes you wonder if real trouble struck their lives how they would react. Can you imagine what a hissy fit these two will pitch if one of the other girls in the family gets married before Mariah? I can almost envision the wedding day sabotage that will ensue.

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  54. when Kody left with robyn to go to Yoming..i wonder how long they were gone? he said he would be gone a day..but seems it would take longer than that to travel by car round trip..Robyn closed on Dec 21..she said on twitter how hard it was to not have her kids on christmas. did they drive her kids there and return by christmas?
    wow these people do alot of driving..robyn is saying on twitter how great it feels to own a house....mariah is apologizing for being a brat on twitter...and basicaly someone told meri her daughter was ungrateful..i wonder if robyn is eve aware she has a lien? that could be an episode right there..maybe real estate scholars janelle and christine can explain it to her

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  55. Some questions?

    - Does Kody help pack each house?

    - Why wouldn't Meri and Mariah be happy that the two families with the most kids could get in their houses first?
    Mariah.....it's not all about me, me, me, me, me....learn that or polygamy is not for you.

    - Did anyone else find it weird that Robyn has a picture of just her, Kody and her kids on her Christmas tree?

    - Anyone find it odd that Meri was concerned about how the yards were separated?

    - When Kody was leaving with Robyn they showed him kissing Meri and Christine good bye...but not Jenelle (my
    daughter caught that one)

    - Romance with Jenelle is awkward Kody??? RUN JENELLE RUN!....of course when the show is over and the
    $$$$$'s are no longer coming in. This was just sooooooooooooo obvious...he has been married to Jenelle for
    freakin' 20 years....BUT this is the first time you didn't have that odd feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!

    - GIRLS LISTEN HERE....his heart belongs to ROBIN!!!

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  56. I am glad people on facebook are finally wising up to these scammers, although most of the comments are upset about their current financial mess, they have no clue that the Brown family are repeat offenders! I would love one of them to publicly acknowledge their bankruptcies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would you acknowledge a bankruptcy publicly? Same reason they won't.

      Delete
  57. Robyn made a comment tonight at the end of the show "there are blessings that monogamous woman out there will never understand...never." We as Christian's as human have no right to judge. That is why I have never judge you or your lifestyle choice. I am an extremely happy woman in a monogamous marriage. I think you should think before you make such a bold comment. Especially if any of your children do not choose the same path as you.

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    Replies
    1. I found that comment very strange as well. Monogamous women also will never understand having to wait for their turn in between spousal visits or having their kids complain that they never see their dad because he is at a sister wife's house. I'm sure Robyn is referring to the "wonderful" relationship that polygamous wives have with their sister wives, but I don't think that in the case of the Brown family these relationships are "wonderful" or even remotely enjoyable. I personally don't have an issue with the polygamous lifestyle, but I do take issue with Robyn putting down monogamy.

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  58. I live in a country where polygamy is legal. When the lifestyle is a choice made by consenting adults and is part of the culture, fine. I understand it. Islam allows for a man to have up to four wives. It has nothing to do with salvation. When one has to live Principle in order to achieve the highest realm of Heaven, that is something else altogether.

    Even so, I really respect the families who really live out their faith, like those in "Polygamy USA" or even the Darger family. Kody Brown and his wives started out being a positive public face of polygamy, but fame brought out the personality flaws that their lifestyle was supposed to "fix."

    "Sister Wives" is no longer fun or enlightening to watch. The adults do not seem genuine. They're barely a "family" these days, The "plot" lines are boring and predictable. Things don't look like they're going to change for the better. What would I like to see? A change of heart... Genuineness... Honest, hard work... A desire to be the public face of their faith once more and live it out like they mean it. Do the Browns have to be perfect? No. Just real. And willing to grow. That would be a journey I'd want to watch.

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  59. Few random things:

    Mariah’s statement about being upset with the underwriter was very telling. Meri has fed her a bunch of lies about how the house closing late wasn’t her fault. GRRRR I wanted to set that girl straight. She is starting to sound EXTREMELY spoiled and entitled, just like her mother. None of the other kids seem to have that only child mentality which goes to show just how disconnected they really are.

    The VP of Pinacle Homes (Daniel Martter) pointed out the different ways Kody interacts with each wife; which I personally felt was the most interesting thing about the whole season. He said:
    “He seems very serious with Janelle”
    Translation: No romance
    “Jovial with Christine”
    Translation: Treats her like a kid
    “Accommodating with Meri but doesn’t always agree with her”
    Translation: That woman is a bioootch!
    “Robyn, it’s like the honeymoon is still on”
    Translation: Only one he is actually into


    Did anyone else notice when Christine first walked into her house (beginning of episode) from the garage door the door slammed into the wall. You can see Mona in the background checking the wall for any damage while Christine was oblivious due to her distraction of walking into her new home. No stopper or any mechanisms to slow down the momentum of an opening door. Cheap cheap cheap. These houses are so cheap!

    I also did not see Kody kiss Janelle goodbye. Someone else mentioned this and earlier and I noticed it too.

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    Replies
    1. The epi before last, one of christines kids had got out of the shower, and came up behind her and truly sitting on the couch reading and his hair was all wet, and he shook his hair all over them, if you look in the background, when he did that it got all over her computer and everything and no one noticed, or said anything about it, just laughed.

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  60. Tonight's episode totally validated my previous thoughts on Meri and Mariah: Meri is so jealous hearted she cannot even consider celebrating her sister wives' new homes even though she knows she will get her house in a day or two. Also, when the builder guy gave his take on Kody's relationship with all four wives he said what we thought: 1) Robyn is his honey moon girl; Christine is his lighthearted fun girl; Janelle is his serious girl; and Meri is the girl that is complicated in that nothing seems to make her happy. So, tonight I will tell Kody why Meri is so difficult and somewhat complicated.
    Meri is jealous and that is something we can all see in the way she looks at the other wives' children, homes, and bodies. Regardless of her going to be "an empty nester" she still had to have her fair share. Plus she constantly talks about how she takes care of her things unlike the other wives. Whenever they showed the scenes of Meri and Mariah shopping, they do so in a frenzy as if they are gluttons at a food trough.

    Mariah kept saying she wanted to slap the face of the person keeping them out of their house and Meri was like Mariah doesn't want anything for Christmas but our home. Okay, really. She is what...almost 18 and Meri is upset that she doesn't want anything for Christmas. Meri needs to take that child down to a homeless shelter and let her...well Meri too...see what it is like to really be in need.

    I agree with those who have said that Janelle is in this for ever and that she has no idea of how to teach her children how to solve problems without hitting and kicking each other. That thing she says about the testerone is absolutely suggesting that men, because of testosterone, cannot control themselves.

    This family is on a fast spiral out of control...but why would we think that Kody and his four concubines could do anything to nurture children when they are so clueless about people outside of themselves. Very sad.

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  61. Ok you guys, did anyone else notice when they were reading the pictures Christine gave everyone how Robyn slapped Truely's hand away when she came over to Robyn and her daughter while they were reading? The look on her face showed all the irritation she usually tries so hard to hide. The one scene showed me exactly why I have never really liked Robyn or believed her "sweet" act. She doesn't care about her sister wive's kids, she isn't even that nice to her own kids.

    So Meri got a trip to Mexico for her 20th anniversary and Janelle got a new bed? Wow, that seems fair.

    Also fair, a bio dad to 14, leaves 13 of them behind, not to mention 3 wives who are moving into new houses, to drive his 4th wife and one bio kid to another state. Priorities Kody, focus on the majority of your kids, especially when they are out of school for Christmas break.

    After Meri's antics tonight, I don't know if I can keep watching the show. My poor husband was forced to watch it with me and every time she came on, he kept saying he couldn't stand that wife. He also couldn't understand why she felt her and her one child deserved the moon when the other wives have so many more kids. The witchy look on Meri's face when she found out she wasn't moving in first, wow, how can they even pretend with this charade much longer?

    Christine needs to own her feelings, she is so not happy. It must suck to get to move into the first house your name is actually on the deed to, and your husband has to rush off with the replacement wife because of her extra kids. Own it Christine, you have every right to be mad.

    Kody is a jerk, I cannot stand him. He should also start hitting the gym with Janelle, he's looking rather round.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just didn't understand why they would drive from LV to Montana to drop Robyns kids off. Their dad should have flown to LV to get the kids and flown them back again. NOTHING this family does makes any sense at all.

      Delete
    2. Or Robyn could have driven herself without Kody. But you are right it makes no sense. Maybe they are reading this blog and are learning something from it.

      Delete
    3. Yes, I noticed Truely's hand getting slapped away- it was casually and chillingly done. Christine is right not to trust Robyn to look after her kids.

      Delete
    4. Why should their real dad pay for that? Sobbin Robyn moved the kids to LV, not him.

      Besides, Sobbin figures that gives her alone time with Kody and more importantly, keeps him away from the other women! Kody also can't let Sobbin see another man alone, he's too possessive for that. Sobbin can also lay on the drama and bawl about her horrible ex to Kody, and have Kody be her knight in shining armor "saving" her in the encounter with her ex.

      Delete
    5. Freya - I'm glad I wasn't the only one who saw Robyn push Truely's hand away! I even rewound it to make sure that's what really happened. It was very subtle but I guarantee there's a lot more of that type of thing going on when she's around.

      Delete
  62. Awesome post. It is just me, or does anyone else think these houses look cold and ugly? There's a juvenile detention center here that looks very similar to these houses with the exception of their being barbed wire around them and a guard shack.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, look above a few posts, there are many that share this opinion. Just because something is big and cost a lot of money doesn't mean it is nice! Nothing this family does makes sense to me.

      Delete
  63. I thought it was funny (but not in a good way)how Kody explained how when selling jewelry women assumed they would become the 5th wife. Okay...yeah, so they can get a huge house all to themselves. lol. I just want to know how they can afford all this? you have a ton of kids graduating so that means more tuition. It seems like when TLC pulls the plug on this show...it's going to be a hot mess.
    But maybe that is why Meri is getting a house to herself, but not really...maybe Kody will bring a 5th wife and put her in their with mean old Meri with her dark orange fake tan-Meri will share her house with a hot new wife..that would bring a rise in ratings..seeing Meri going nuts would be fun

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  64. Watching Mariah was intolerable last night. As others have mentioned, she'd better rethink that decision to be a sister wife because she is way to selfish, jealous and a spoiled brat.

    As I watched, I was wondering how well Mariah's attitude will translate into the medical school interview process, if she actually gets that far. I work at a major medical school and she certainly does not exhibit the maturity of students who are focused on becoming a physician-these kids are driven, mature and focused....Mariah is only focused on herself and seems to be in love with the idea of trying to impress with her "made for TV dream".

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  65. Mariah acted so spoiled. Holy cow! She lives in a beautiful rental house with her mother not homeless under a bridge. Seriously to cry and flip out over moving in before Christmas where is her patience. Other people including myself could never afford such an expensive house (love the term McMansion).

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    Replies
    1. i kept thinking TLC was reaching for the drama. They know we're all tired of the same old fake surrogacy b.s. and the ridics business/financial woes as well as the houses. They know peeps don't care for Mariah as the spoiled and only child special status, so they decided to get everyone's panties in a wad by this ridics Meri/Mariah childish drama. Is Mariah six years old and can't understand the closing/underwriting process let alone that Momma dinked around on getting the necessary paperwork into them?? Man - the look of anger and bitterness on Meri's face when everyone was celebrating their own closings was PRICELESS! lol (even if it was scripted.)

      sorry - but those houses SCREAM cheap!! wouldn't give more than $250 grand based on their poor quality. i'd have to do a ton of upgrades let alone would not want cookie cutter house matching each other at that $500 grand price tag. can't wait to see what's up with them 5 years from now!

      Delete
  66. Since this is the last season of What Not To Wear it would have been great to have the sister wives on and get those girls some style! I'm so sick of that weird layered look. It would have been right up their alley to each get $5,000 worth of free clothes! Did anyone else noticed Merri's hair looked messed up when she was doing the couch segment last night?

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  67. I found it very telling that Kody admitted to feeling like a failure when it came to running his family. I'm glad he did as he really doesn't appear to know how to manage them. I know we all have issues with Meri but she seems to be the person with the ability to actually run and organise this bunch. Not saying she's perfect but each time something major has happened she's been the wife dealing with things and directing the others. Kody just kinda runs around like a headless chicken or he just stands there looking clueless.

    Mariah is the unfortunate product of her parents inability to raise her well. I'm sure some of the brattiness is normal teenager stuff. I get it from my own kid everyday and she's been raised well with discipline and chores but they still have their own minds and personalities. She may not have been told the honest truth. Maybe Meri told her it was the underwriters dragging their feet. It would have been great to actually see Meri admit to Mariah on camera that she was the person at fault and that she hadn't gotten her paperwork submitted in time.

    Christine is certainly the wife with the biggest heart and most forgiveness in her. For her to cook, gift and celebrate each kid no matter who the bio mom is was awesome. She looked genuinely happy. None of these women will ever leave Kody. We need to stop waiting for that to happen. I hope all the kids leave and make their own lives a long way from this chaos. I don't imagine Kody's EVER going to be able to come up with a game plan for managing this family.

    Back to the houses. If I paid $450,000 for 1 house I would expect: TILED backsplash throughout the kitchen. Top of the line travertine floors not crappy slate. Hardwoods not carpet in family area. Jetted tub in master bath. High end lights not builders cheapo lights. Did we even see a ceiling fan? Living in LV with high heat I'd expect ceiling fans and good ones in most rooms. My knee jerk reaction to all the kids running through the houses was don't touch the walls!! I really hope those walls have a satin paint finish and not a cheap matt paint or they're going to be repainting those walls every 12 months!! As for the bills. I have run and rerun the numbers. My family is in a high enough income bracket to buy a house just like this and we can't afford it if we want to be able to buy a new car every 10 years or even grocceries!!

    A 5/1 ARM 20% down (yeah right) is about $2600 a month. $500 at least on electricity, conservatively $100 a month each for gas and water in the summer, who knows for tv, internet and cell phones. Grocceries, medical insurance, car insurance, life insurance, medicines and the all important toilet paper for that number of people and that's a budget of a small country!

    Having already been told by someone married to ex FLDS spouse that their church probably contributed to the purchase of these houses I don't doubt that they're actually paid for. I'm sure the Brown clan are paying the church back and not the builder. I really think this whole qualify for mortgage storyline is crap as NONE of the wives has an income to actually qualify for any kind of mortgage. If they're getting $75,000 an episode then that's $450,000 a season as they have 6 episodes (??). Take out taxes (choke choke) they're going to be left with at least $300,000. I calculated a very conservative $4600 a month per house per month for expenses. That's $18,400 a month for the 4 houses and $220,800 a year for all 4 houses. That still leaves them $79,200 a year PLUS their money from their foolery/LIV businesses and whatever money Janelle and Christine make at the real estate thing if they're even really doing that. This family is not poor. They just like to whine and carry on about being poor.

    All I did last night was tell Kody to shut up. My choice to watch I know but omg he just irritated me the entire episode!!!

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    Replies
    1. But the Browns aren't FDLS, they're AUB, and from all I've read they aren't exactly a wealthy congregation, nor very large. FLDS has their hands in a lot of profit-making businesses, they own an entire town. What does the AUB have? A big lawsuit to pay off from a woman they ripped off. Based on photos I think Caramel Brownie posted a few months back when she drove through the Lehi area, there's not a whole lot of wealth apparent. Also, it's public record that the financing was provided by the builder who had paid too much for the land to begin with and was sitting on it at a loss for years before Mona brought the Browns - who could not even qualify for foreclosed existing homes at half the cost of these monstrosities via conventional financing.
      Nope, I don't think AUB is assisting them at all & they don't even attend the church anymore - are they in fact still considered AUB members? Do you *really* think they're still tithing 10% or whatever? Methinks not.

      Delete
    2. I know they're AUB but they still operate under the same / similar rules and beliefs as FLDS. Even Kody was going on about being FLDS at Westminster when they took Mariah. Yes I do beieve they are fully paid members of their church in Lehi. I don't see them ever cutting that umbilical cord off. Ultimately we're never going to know. As for the homes the whole mortgage thing may have been public record at the time of purchase but who knows what's happened in the 8 months since they got the homes? I just don't believe a word this group says.

      Delete
    3. I'm still of the opinion that TLC has their finger in these houses. They offered to buy Honey Boo Boo's family a new house, (which they refused) so why wouldn't they pony up for the Brown's? TLC has a vested interest in this show/family and "helping" them buy the houses or just outright buy them would behoove them. Just my opinion, tho

      Delete
    4. "Even Kody was going on about being FLDS at Westminster..."
      No, Kody asked the admissions director if she was aware of the term "fundamentalist Mormons", which has a totally different meaning.

      FLDS = The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Also known as the "First Ward". Warren Jeffs is the leader.

      AUB = Apostolic United Brethren, which is the sect of fundamentalist Mormon the Browns are members. J LaMoine Jenson is the leader.

      Read more about Mormon Fundamentalism here: Mormon fundamentalism

      Delete
  68. They are all so busy - give me a break. These people could never be happy because they feel no gratitude for these gifts they have been given. Undeserving, unemployed ingrates. They have rental homes and a property in Lehi and too much time on their hands. I don`t understand how they are Mormoms but Christmas is so important to them. Kody owns half of 4 houses with no job other than TV star. Robyn does not cook for him. Meri is worried about the property lines. Christine looks miserable except when she talks about her perfect new shiny house. Janelle goes along with this juvenile nonsense and ends up getting half a bedroom set from her husband as her gift for Christmas, birthday and anniversary. There is no hope for these fools.

    ReplyDelete
  69. The one (and only) thing I always admired about the Browns were their children. They all seem like really...good kids. My jaw just dropped last night watching Princess Meri, I mean Mariah. Now that she is 18, can we discuss how insane it is for a girl who is touted as so smart to be so selfish?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. " Now that she is 18, can we discuss how insane it is for a girl who is touted as so smart to be so selfish?"
      Only if it is within SWB's posting guidelines. Please keep in mind she is still a teenager. Most teenagers are not known to exhibit a lot of altruistic behavior towards others.

      This is a good time to remind everyone to take a moment to read SWB Posting Guidelines

      Delete
  70. Aprons, Aprons, Aprons! The red paisley with the cute trianglular fold down top that Christine wore when cooking was beautiful. It was one that a lot of apron wearing women would enjoy. Later she was modeling the apron that Janelle deisgned for the Closet. It didn't quite have the vibe going that the red one did. Style is not really Janelle's forte. I am surprised that she decided to be a designer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She probably bought the apron from Sur la Table. Lol

      Delete
    2. I recognized the apron that Christine had one...I have that pattern and have made several of them. Super fast and easy and super cute, too boot!

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  71. Love the recaps CJ!

    Quick question: Why was Kody wearing black gloves during several of the scenes? Was he planning to go out and rob a bank to buy the Christmas gifts? He was wearing them inside several times.

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  72. When the builder was giving his critique of Kody's actions toward each wife, he said Kody acted like a newly wed with Robyn and they were still on their honeymoon (or some such language). I would like to see the reactions of the other wives to that comment.

    Kody shove the door open wider when the entered one of the houses (Robyn's) and it hit the wall. Mona yelled, "Watch out". Have you heard the expression "bulls in a china shop".

    When Christine opened one of the kitchen cabinet doors you could see the inside. They sure looked cheap.

    Does anyone know if Las Vegas has sink holes? What justice. I hope they have insurance on the houses.

    If I were Janelle I would be running after all the little kids with a wet cloth to make sure they didn't leave greasy stains on anything after eating. I would also want the first night in my house to be just my kids and Kody. (Maybe that is the difference from being a sister wife and a monogamous person.) Being me, I would not want Kody there.

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  73. I so want to give Christine a hug, and tell her that she can do so, so much better.

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  74. Last night when Christine said "I don't deserve this house" I'm sure there were thousands of woman like me shouting at their TV "NO YOU DON'T!"

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  75. Yep, for a half a million a piece, in a locale where you can get pretty good bang for your real estate buck, those houses are bottom level quality.

    Among other things, looking at those corners on the contractor-grade granite counters, wait till someone makes a quick turn on those pointed edges. No beveling or smooth detailing at all on those edges.
    And yes, as CJ, noted, no back splashes, Beyond the cosmetic value, it won't take long for the stains and dings to appear on those walls.

    That patio at Sobbin's also was bargain basement. Size doesn't equal quality.
    The interior doors all are low-grade. No trim to speak of anywhere.

    They are so stupid..all of them.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Now that I've read through this entire page and not seen comments on something I observed last night . . . here goes!

    Kody and Janelle picked out the new bed. Kody made a big deal out of getting the bed into the new house as a surprise for Janelle. In an interview portion, Kody talked about how wonderful it was to have the new bed for him and Janelle, and says he spent the first night in the new house (i.e., with Janelle).

    Next day, Kody is talking to Robyn and mentions how tired he is. Hmmmm????? What were he and Janelle doing all night that Kody didn't get much sleep? That's the most blatant reference to anyone's sex life that I've ever seen on this show. And it fit in with the whole "yes, Kody and Janelle are REALLY husband and wife" slant of the episode.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also found that really strange. Kody's facial expression when he was describing getting/using the bed into the house was just too icky for me. For a family that NEVER discusses their sex lives, I thought it was very revealing -- too much information.

      Delete
  77. Clear something up for me: Robyn said her oldest two had to go to Montana for Christmas with their bio dad and she wanted the girls to see the house (mentions them by name). What happened to the son? Is he from a different father? Did I hear her incorrectly? Are they just trying to pretend he doesn't exist?

    I wonder if Mariah will ever connect the dots that the person who kept them from getting into the house before Christmas was MERI with all the delays she caused by going over again and again and by not getting her paperwork done in time. Is she really so out of it that she thought she could turn in papers on Monday and everyone would just stop what they were doing and approve them asap?

    And I cringed at the 'we experience blessing that monogamous women simply will never understand'. Stomach turning.

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    Replies
    1. "Robyn said her oldest two had to go to Montana for Christmas with their bio dad and she wanted the girls to see the house (mentions them by name). What happened to the son?"
      What she said was (courtesy closed captioning) "Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna...this is the year that they're supposed to go see their biological father in Montana..."

      So Robyn did mention all three of her children's names.

      Delete
    2. Since Meri's house is also in Kody's name, it's entirely possible, even probable that he was the source of the holdup of the financing paperwork. Meri is known for being organized, Kody not so much.

      Delete
  78. CJ – thanks for suggesting that Uncle Art drive to Las Vegas and throw his boot at Janelle’s head for her ridiculous support and then non-support of MSWC. This whole constant flip flopping of hers indicates to me that she is not really the career uberwoman she has been given credit for. I’ve said it before, she merely held down a regular job for many years., which in their family is a huge deal. Janelle is showing no real common sense about making a living at all. She isn’t even listed as a seller for any properties yet on TMI Realty. So big boot hit for Janelle for piddling around on the whole making money thing. Uncle Art can throw it at her again for blaming her boy’s punching and kicking and cursing on their hormones and testosterone, which seems to be Janelle's go-to excuse for her boys pummeling each other. And finally while he is there, Uncle Art just needs to take Kody out for a long walk and beat his head with the boot until he cries for mercy.

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  79. A few thoughts:

    Re the editing: We saw the Meri blubbering scene at least 4 times in this show.

    Christine would make a great teacher. Too bad she is so uneducated, she should be teaching not selling real estate or jewelry. Maybe she could get a job as a teacher's aide.

    I'm pretty sure Mona enjoyed telling Meri she wouldn't make the Christmas delivery. Meri must have given her plenty of headaches along the way. Mona seemed genuinely happy for Christine and Janelle.

    Why in the world did they decorate their rentals for Christmas? At that point I would have had most of my possessions packed up and ready for a move.

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  80. LOVE THE RECAPS! I also love the Uncle Arthur and Hyrum awards! What about adding an "Uncle Arthur's Boot" award, to equal 5 Uncle Arthur's?

    I love Janelle but am frustrated at her lack of assertiveness. Christine is growing on me, and I feel sorry for her. She seems to be the only one interested in truly living the Principle, and Kody gives her absolutely Zero validation. Robyn is close to Meri because she knows which side her bread is buttered on. Robyn is not very smart, but she is clever and manipulative without being very self-aware. And Meri? She is full of anger and jealousy, grabby and selfish. She has raised a Mini-Me.

    My favorite episode of the entire series is ep. 1 of season 2, where they all went to the Brown ranch in Wyoming: lots of emphasis on the children, lots of emphasis on family, lots of emphasis on the Principle. I'd like to see more of that, but perhaps it's not the producers' fault--perhaps this family has strayed so much from their supposed roots and values that there isn't much of it to show on screen. :-( I award the entire bunch of them 5 Uncle Arthur's Boots.

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  81. I must REALLY not understand how building a house works. I find it unbelievable that you can build a house to your specifications without having your financing in place. I mean what happens if you can't get a loan? The builder has to find someone who wants to buy the house the way YOU decided you wanted it? And I hate to sound catty, but wouldn't it have just served The Browns right if whoever's house was smack dab in the middle of the group was the one that couldn't get a loan?

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  82. Christine passed the RE exam and was unable to understand what mona was saying? The glimmer of hope comment was over the top..she was waiting on docs..it was a done deal..the drama OMG..its the end of the month in December..holidays ..getting docs at the end of a holiday month is always tough...manufactured drama...their in..now what drum are they going to beat constantly..will they finally be happy? will the story line shift?

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  83. I vote for the personal boot-toss, but it has to be a very SPECIAL boot. I'm thinking of the 1975 movie "The Who's Tommy" and the 3 foot high platform boots that Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard. Which means that Uncle Art will need Hyrum and Ezra to help him with the toss. :)

    or maybe the Monty Python Flying Circus "squish" boot. talk about satisfaction...

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  84. I for one am looking forward to watching the ep tonight - I went to bed super early last night. Thank goodness for DVR!

    SO looking forward to the highlights (or are they lowlights) that y'all have pointed out, especially Christine letting the door slam into the wall of the NEW house. We already noticed last year that her rental house was turning into a pit, it's going to be interesting to see how quickly the McMansion falls into that same category. Janelle is messy/sloppy, and Meri is neat as a pin of course with her one kid, not sure how Robyn is as a housekeeper, but Christine clearly doesn't give a shit.

    When the homes are offered on the REO market in a few years, hopefully Mona (who I'm certain will be the listing agent) will post some photos of the interior as well as the exterior.

    SO reminds me of the homes in the classic Sinclair novel "The Jungle" - overpriced shoddily built, poorly designed: "They used the very flimsiest and cheapest material; they built the houses a dozen at a time, and they cared about nothing at all except the outside shine."

    Of course the Browns could care less because NONE of the adults have an eye for taste or design whatsoever. all they see is big and new. not third rate. And YUP for that kind of $ in LV I would expect top of the line EVERYTHING. The builders are taking the family for as much as they can get, knowing damn well that the chances of them seeing the houses fully paid for is slim to none.

    and of course since they financed EVERYTHING down to the (no doubt) overpriced window treatments and appliances, the Browns don't give a rat's ass. they very much live for the moment.

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  85. Just a thought. People keep saying how cheap the houses appear. I agree the carpet and tile is SO cheap. Some of the homes Granite is nicer then others. The lights Meri thought were uneven are cheap looking too. However, these homes are HUGE. Overall they are nicer then a lot of people's and obviously much bigger.

    Christine to me is the only mom who knows ALL the kids well enough to give that gift. She really does love them all, its too bad the other moms don't treat her kids the way Christine treats theirs.

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  86. Did anyone notice as Kody was surprising Janelle with the bed that he said he had gotten it on layaway (or I guess maybe he meant rent-to-own)? That comment was right on par with financing the washing machine, or dishwasher? I can't remember. How do you have the cash to buy a $450k house but not a maybe $1k bed?

    Also I agree the houses look AWFUL. As someone said earlier, I don't fault Meri for wanting things to be level, given they are paying so much. I would feel the same way. But these people have no taste whatsoever. That brown carpet was horrific.

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  87. Wondering why on Amazon this episode is not for sale yet! I came home a little late and missed the beginning last night and want to watch again to try to catch some of the details you all speak of. I do agree above Robbyn is just mean! It is not her place to slap anyone elses hand.
    If Meris daughter says things like I just want to slap someone then she learned that from her mom I am sure. It is not the first time her violent verbal temper has come out. Then for her mom to make it sound like my selfless daughter wants nothing for Christmas but the hahA house. Please! Meri cries for Meri. Her daughter wants nothing but a 450,000 dollar house she is leaving in a few months, a 30,000 dollar a year college and every pair of stretch leggings in every color ever made. Nope, I think this is momma and not the girl. Momma indulges and the kid has no clue she is being rude or inappropriate as no one ever corrects her. Half the time when the child makes these statements she has a look on her face that shows that she does not really understand and just bursts with temper. She will hopefully grow out of it in college when others do not indulge her as she was at home. A lot of kids grow up quick when they move away.
    Normally 18 is still a kid but in the plyg world you have to remember 18 is an old maid sure those Brown girls looking at their prospects already before they end up being 20 and unmarried with no kids!
    Christine was sweet and did a LOT of work for the gifts and dinner for everyone. She is the friend you would want to have. Janelle hopefully wore Kody out on that bed. And Robbyn once again got Kody all to herself. The women by now have seen he can not keep his hands or lips off of her. Lots of endearing kisses on her forehead and lips as if he really truly cares for her. The other wives he has a put on look on his face. When he was hugging Christine when they came through the house his face was like yeah, I am here doing my duty and hugging you before I get on the road with my babe. One of the boys went to hug him as he left and he about shrugged him off in a hurry. When has the Brown family ever left anywhere on time that this time they had to run?

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    Replies
    1. Wondering why on Amazon this episode is not for sale yet!"
      The episodes usually appear in my list 48-72 hours after the show airs. So check again on Tuesday (maybe) or Wednesday.

      Delete
    2. I also noticed that Kody half-heartedly hugged Christine and could barely bring himself to hug his son. How sad.

      Delete
  88. Ok, I don't understand why people are saying those houses are too expensive for what they got. Maybe because where I am from, houses are SUPER expensive, for example, we are selling my grandmas house, much smaller and older than the sister wives houses, and the real estate agent said they would like it at 430,000, and this is a house that needs a lot of work, mind you. So I was thinking these wives got a lot of bang for their buck for huge houses like that, at that price, lol. Yesterday me and my brother were speculating perhaps Mary should live in Robyn's basement with only a wet bar and a window.

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    Replies
    1. My take on it, is that the quality of the homes are not up to par for what they paid. In that area, for that price, the homes should of been much better quality, with lots of upgrades. Now if you were in NYC, you would get a shoebox for that price. If you were in OK, where I reside, I'd have an amazing spread, etc.. Location dictates what you can get for what price, etc.. I noticed how cheap the carpet looked. The fixtures were very cheap, etc.. The last custom home I built was half that price, and we went to show rooms and picked out everything. I even got to pick the slab of granite I wanted to the kitchen counters made from. The floors were solid wood that were glazed, etc. etc. etc.

      Delete
    2. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. No - in vegas, those are not a lotta bang for their buck. the houses are big but cheap quality and overpriced. the builders have made out like bandits. and ultimately so will the private lender when he gets these back. the losers will be the Browns. and they'll be clueless as to why.

      Delete
  89. Christine needs a big, wet Hyrum smooch for a couple of reasons: She was genuinely delighted when the other wives got their houses. She got very thoughtful gifts for the kids that obviously came from the heart. And she must be planning to use that library, did anyone hear her use the word "nebulous"?

    And, if I do say it myself, kudos to us here at SWB. All of our uproar over Kody not letting Christine celebrate Joseph Smith's birthday clearly made its way to Kody. Loved that she got to celebrate in the way that she wanted. See, we do make a difference in the world here at SWB. :-)

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  90. Most of the family's problems can be blamed on Kody's horrible values and lack of leadership.

    If you want something, you WORK for it. No one hands you anything for nothing. If you get anything for nothing, you had to cheat or scam or steal for it. This does not make you a good person. Quite the opposite. There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things if you earn them.

    Home is where your loved ones. It doesn't have to involve a fancy building. Look at the BooBoo family. If he treated the rental houses as home, so would the kids.

    Apparently his dreams of grandeur led him to promise the kids things he couldn't deliver. The kids deserve the security of knowing they can count on their parents.

    If Kody wants this to be one big family, treat it as one big family. Same rules for all the kids regardless of the mother. Have everyone move into the McMansions after everyone's houses close. Dinners together (dad, all the moms,all kids) as the default, understanding that some teens will be missing from the to time due to activities and jobs. No private dinners with the mom and just their kids. Don't refer to Christine's kids or Janelle's kids. They are "the kids" or "Hunter" or "Mykelti".

    Finally, he has to actually LEAD family. A big organism like this family won't lead itself!

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  91. CJ, can we consider giving out an Ezra when someone does something that shows immaturity and irresponsibility (i.e Ezra being driven for hours to get his truck and forgot his key, forgetting his work gloves at home)?

    I think Meri deserves an Ezra for not getting her paperwork in on time and creating all the unnecessary drama on getting her house before Christmas. Of all the wives, she has the most time to do anything and she dropped the ball. Own it, Meri, you are living with the consequences of your decisions. The Ezra eyebrowns for you!

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  92. I just re watched this episode...did anyone else notice Robyn said that she doesn't make promises that she can't keep? I thought that was interesting considering how much they've already discussed her large debts. Seems she's made promises to creditors that she couldn't keep...

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  93. The cabinetry in the kitchen is definitely builder's grade. Those kitchens are huge though and to upgrade the cabinets would cost at least $12,000. We got a smaller kitchen in our new house and the upgraded cabinets were $6,500. Also, the builder didn't even offer a backsplash as an upgrade. Their builder probably didn't either.

    Of all the adults, I think Janelle and Christine have the most authentic, loving relationship.

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  94. I noticed that when they went into Christine's home to look at it, Kody threw open the door so hard it banged against the wall. I believe it was Mona who said "Be careful" two time in a row, and sounded frustrated. Had to play it back twice to check.

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  95. I could hardly stop myself from yelling at the TV last night. I thought that they were ONE family. Meri's hysterics about not getting her house were completely absurd, considering it was her fault that her paperwork didn't get done on time. There was a small snippet where Mona said something that seemed to indicate that Meri had just submitted documents right before Christmas Eve and there was no way anyone would be able to process things in time. It also seemed like Mona had been nagging her and Robyn to get their paperwork in. I can understand why Robyn's situation was a bit complicated with the divorce, but what exactly was the issue with Meri's paperwork? Hers would have been the most straight-forward as she and Kody are legally married.

    Apart from that, I thought that it was important to get at least ONE house in time for Christmas. They are supposedly ONE family, so as long as they are able to celebrate Christmas together in one of the houses, what difference does it make. The other wives seemed happy when they learned that Janelle would be getting her house, even when they were unsure about their own homes. Meri was the only one with a sour look on her face. One house for Christmas would have been sufficient and having three of the four should have been a jackpot for the family. Mariah could sleep over with one of her many siblings and I'm sure Robyn can have Meri at her place since all her kids seem to be leaving town to be with their bio-Dad.

    Instead, Meri seemed genuinely resentful and openly hostile towards her sister wives and did nothing to calm the situation with Mariah. Kids sometimes have to deal with disappointment and good parents help them. Good parents also take responsibility for their actions when they are the reason for disappointing their kids.

    Kudos to Christine for being an awesome parent who truly takes the time to get to know all the kids and treats them all as "her" children.

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  96. I quickly watched the show this morning. I swore I saw Dayton sitting next to one of the Mom's and he had a hat one (ski cap type if I remember correctly). I thought it was when they were all holding the candle??? (is that was that was) and passing it around as they gave their ideas. It was just a quick shot but it was definitely him.

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  97. Meri Quite ContrariAugust 12, 2013 at 2:56 PM

    Five more observations:
    1. Mariah thinks she is a celebrity with all the camera time she gets. The way she carries on keeps her monopolizing the camera.
    2. Ever so self-unaware, Kody calls himself a fireman putting out fires rather than the absent father/husband who creates most of the problems.
    3. Got my Truly fix in this episode. Delightful.
    4. We didn't get to see the family talk about the life of Joseph Smith during the housewarming/birthday party, but we did get to see Truly dance. (Not a bad tradeoff.)
    5. Robyn is incapable of motivating her children to help. Her communication becomes clearer when she is at the end of her rope. I don't think she thinks two steps ahead about what is needed to be done. Consequently, her kids will always be wrong. Sad.

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  98. Yeah last nights show was pathetic (with the exception of Janelle and Christine) Damn, I know we should not pick on the children, but come on! Mariah was acting like the worst spoiled child, and of course Meri didn't help things. She must be 18 by now, and man, if my child was acting like that (esp in front of a camera for the entire world to see) I would try to get her to shape up!
    I know its all for the 'dramatics' of the show, I do believe most reality shows are 'scripted', and if this is, they need new writers!!!

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    1. If it's scripted, then shame on the parents for allowing their children to be exploited and shown in an unattractive light on TV. If this was Mariah's actual reaction, then shame on the parents for allowing it to be filmed and shown on TV. Meri and Kody should have taken their daughter aside privately and explained. Meri should have taught by example that the right thing to do is to show happiness for the rest of the family who did get into their houses.

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  99. So I watched the episode last night. Not sure if anyone else picked up on this, but I don't think Meri and Robyn are THAT close. I think they both know how to say the right stuff around Kody but a lot of it flies under his radar. Like when Meri was talking about the front yards, and then Robyn piped in with a quick quip. They seem more like frenemies to me. Maybe they both work on that joolery business together because they both know they are each other's biggest threat, and don't see Christine or Jenelle as a threat at all. If Robyn smacked Truely's hand, that is so messed up. She's just an innocent little girl. They all make me sick. I hope that when the kids grow up, they learn a few lessons that their parents never bothered to teach them. The oldest brother that is in college (Logan? Hunter? there's too many sorry) seems well-adjusted.

    They really couldn't wait another week to celebrate Christmas in all the new houses? That's what I would do. Make it fun, Christmas in January. When people teach their children to feel entitled and not happy with things they have no control over they will never be happy in life. Christine is working so hard to be a good sister wife, and the only people who appreciate her are the kids. I agree with what other people say about Robyn. She's going to take away Kody to drive her up to see her other kids' Dad. What, does Kody feel threatened by her ex?? He should. The ex is smart enough to stay off reality TV. Just sayin..

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  100. It was great seeing Christine having her Joseph Smith birthday party without getting harassed about it like last year. She does seem to be into genuine fun.

    Meri and daughter are coming across as selfish moaners. Maybe they should have watched the show after they edited it and edited it again; unless there was no other footage that portrayed them in a more favorable light.

    Oh Well, since this was from last December, I guess we can believe that they are all snug as bugs in a rug in their new homes.

    Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but does anyone have an idea how much each adult is being paid for the show?


    Emma

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  101. While Meri and Mariah were wallowing in self pity for not getting in their house and being devoured by jealousy, Christine and her kids were busy making dinner for Janelle, Kody, and the kids so on her first night in her house, she would not have to cook. Robyn was so busy being stressed over well being Robyn and Meri was just eaten up with jealousy. jealoussssss.

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