In 2011, the Sister Wives Blog started out as a place to talk about the TLC reality show "Sister Wives", Kody Brown and his wives Christine, Robyn, Meri and Janelle. Today we not only discuss the show, we discuss Polygamy in our society, and the public perceptions of the Mormon Religion. We discuss "Polygamy USA" and will be covering "My 5 Wives."
This blog is geared towards the adult reader, so please, no one under the age of 18 years. Thank you!
I don't see Janelle playing the victim. That's Meri and Robin , with their whining and crocodile tears.
Janelle is a victim, because she doesn't stand up to Meri and Kody. Though clearly Kody sides with Meri, and doesn't stand up to Meri either. Remember the couch session, where Meri tells Kody ominously that Kody needs to listen to her and not bring in "other conversations"? That was Meri warning Kody not to listen to Janelle/Christine's counter arguments to Meri's luxury spending, even though those women have 12 of Kody's legitimate offspring, compared to Meri/Robin, who have only two.
I don't think Janelle tries to get sympathy from viewers by being passive. I don't think she plays to the audience, or much registers on the show or in the family at all. She seems to go through the motions of what the show requires, and lives largely in her own head and for her own children, and is checked out otherwise. We see her smile with her own children, and take joy in them, but with Kody and the adults, she is checked out, not playing to the camera. That's Meri's/Robin's and to a lesser extent, Christine's job. I see those three playing to the camera's (Christine has gotten good at it, though in a bratty/stinging fly way rather than crocodile tears like Meri/Robin.)
Obviously Janelle's finances are tied to these clowns, and she must feel she can't say too much, because if the real truths came out on air, they might risk losing their TLC slot. So she swallows it all down. I'm thinking of her brief headshake and flash of temper when Kody talked about family resources being used for Logan's college. That obviously was a lie, but rather than confront him on air, Janelle let him get away with it.
You can resent her for not rocking the boat on the air (obviously she tries to influence Kody in private, but we can't know how much she succeeds in reining in the others' spending), but I think she only stays now because her kids were raised with Christine's in this merged family, and if she leaves, she knows those kids will be in poverty, (Christine has never held a job, and Kody doesn't give a damn about her) and her kids will miss their half siblings.
Yes, Christine and Janelle need to be stronger together, and perhaps they were , and that's why Meri brought Robin in. (Notice Meri even brought Robin into the house furnishings meeting when Kody tried to impose some limits on Meri).
I really felt for Janelle, already overburdened, when Robin brought in nothing but more debt. Even when Janelle had a budget vacation (camping in a park) compared to the other's expensive ones, she had to rein in Kody, who wanted to buy fancy camping equipment. Janelle (who had the only functioning credit) patiently explained to him her resources were finite. Kody fussed like a five year old denied a candy bar. Kody couldn't even rent an extra truck for the move without Janelle's approval.
Janelle does seem to have low self esteem. I don't think she is overly passive. I think she just doesn't let stuff get to her on the surface as much. If you worked full time, had to commute an hour each way, had six kids, including a toddler, and had to provide for 17 kids and four other rampant spenders, wouldn't you budget your energy? I find it rather refreshing to see how easy going she is with her kids. I also think she is an introvert, and she blows off to her journal (and with emotional eating).
One thing I thought was interesting was how nervous she was about getting out of Utah. Clearly she felt there were issues with the law that were endangering them. I don't think that was acting, so what was it?
I find Janelle interesting. Yes, frustrating at times, but we know she tries to influence Kody, but off camera. And we know Meri resents it, and punishes everyone for it. I just don't think Janelle plays the victim. I do think she tries to use her power, just not in the nasty flamboyant ways that get screen time.
She does seem checked out from the silly, happy vision Kody seems to want to present, more practical. I bet she has a lot to do with the lawsuit. She was the one who got to give the lawyerly answers in their media rounds. "I hope you'll understand the legal action means a lot to us, but we can't talk about while it is still going on."
I think if Janelle saw a better option, she would take it, but I doubt she has seen one yet, especially when she's already in this deep with the TV show and the lawsuit and everything.
Anon, Very good analysis. You are very insightful. I agree with you completely about Janelle, also about how Meri brought in Robyn to get on her side with the extravagant house options. They truly are a pitiful bunch. I can't imagine sharing my husband and thinking about him having sex with three other women. But I know, it makes them better people, right? Yeah!
Great analysis of Jenelle! She doesn't have a toddler tho; her last child is Savanah, who was born in 2004. I don't think she will leave, at least until all her children are raised...maybe then, if she is smart and her self esteem continues to improve.
Janelle may have looked nervous on camera when getting out of Utah, but I saw her in a later interview laughing about it, and saying they had planned on moving to Las Vegas for some time.
I see Janelle as someone who is depressed as hell. If you recall when they first moved to LV, she was seen in tears, saying she had no idea what to do anymore after quittin her job. She sits on the coach scenes totally checked out, her emotions are almost always flat, she doesn't want to cause any conflict with the others so she agrees to most anything. She's admitted to being an emotional overeater and while we give her credit for trying to exercise, that doesn't seem to be going as well as it could be. If you read her blog, there's one about self sabbotage. She gives the same pat answers over and over. I rewatched something today and heard her give some answers that my brain can't recall at the moment, but I thought to myself "there it is again the standard Janelle response" She has 3 or 4 responses that fit any question asked. I am so NOT making fun of her at all. I think she is seriously depressed (just my opinion of course) and would like to see her get to feeling better if that is indeed what it is. She is also now dealing with her first born leaving the nest, even if it is very close to home, it's hard.
I also think that your analysis is very insightful. Janelle seems to have resigned herself to her situation and now she's just going through the motions. From what I remember, during couch sessions, Janelle gets that thousand-yard stare, slightly red and watery eyes, slumped shoulders, and she doesn't always seem to react to things as they are happening. The only times she seems happy are when she's with her kids.
"Checking out" (also known as "dissociating") is a coping technique people - usually children - develop in response to being in situations where they're abused and powerless to stop the abuse. Checking out prevents the abuse from hurting the person.
If Janelle is actually checking out sometimes and I'm not just making this up, then it makes sense that she doesn't stand up for herself. She's barely even present in the situation - to stand up to, say, Meri, she'd need to be present and able to interact with her and she's learned that there's no percentage in doing that. So she stares at nothing and lets everything just kind of wash over her.
I'm not a doctor but I do have experience in this area: my mom dissociated a lot growing up and then later in life and I also spent parts of my own childhood checked out.
Anon 1:07, you write as if you have some inside knowledge, which makes your post even more interesting to me. I agree with everything you say. At times, I'm floored by a very insightful and thoughtful comment from Janelle -- such as her observation that the plyg dresses "symbolize a loss of agency." Wow! What has she been reading? That seemed to go otherwise unremarked, but it indicated to me that she's a much more thoughtful and well read person than is generally evident.
You might have something there. Meri is taking fall for Kody desires. Meri is his REAL wife and she is about to have no kids in the house. Guess where Kody will be staying most of his time? A big empty house with Meri.
Janelle is my favorite SW because she has the most common sense of the bunch. She seems to feel the financial pressures more than the others and I'm sure this weighs very heavily on her. Obviously it is very important to her that her children be well educated and go to college like she did and I love that. I take her quiet approach on the couch as not wanting to incite the wrath of Mary. I think behind the quiet exterior there is a molten explosion of resentment. Who could blame her for turning to food for comfort as Kody doesn't seem to be there for her. No wonder she doesn't want to share a house or kitchen with mean (I have a bigger voice) Mary!
I totally agree on everything you said about Janelle. I've always gotten the vibe that she does not give a flip about anything. She always seems to be in a whole other world when all of the other wives and kody are complaining. I honestly feel bad for her because I know she hates her life and regrets that this is the life that she chose. I'm sure she struggles a lot with her religion and questioning God and that makes me really sad. I wish she could experience true freedom in Christ. I think she's convinced that this is the only way to the Celestial Kingdom and that she just needs to stick it out. I remember a few episodes back when she was talking to the camera and she said something along the lines of "there have been times when I've wondered what would happen if I just up and left? Then my conscious kicks in and my sense of responsibility says No you can't do that" it made me really sad knowing that she probably wants to leave but has all of these fears about the afterlife as well as the well being of her bonus children and her own children if she were to peace out.
I also like Janelle & coming from an abusive marriage of 35 years, I can identify with her as she detaches from the situation at hand. It took a long time for me to leave because of my children so I know how she might feel. I hope she will finally come to her senses & make her own way without the rest of them. It's a scary thing to do but it's necessary if she ever wants to be truly happy.
Great points. I think she looked nervous because she knew leaving Utah spelled financial disaster. They were giving up their jobs, and their affordable house.
And she cashed in her retirement to provide the funds for the rentals and living expenses until the TLC checks came in. I don't think I could have done that, and seen Meri/Robin not share a house, when it was my retirement funds being used for their lavish lifestyles.
I hope Kody/Meri/Robin pay Janelle back her retirement and inheritance funds. In fact, perhaps what few viewers they have should lobby Kody and Meri to do that out of their TLC funds, so Janelle doesn't lose them forever.
They were not exactly "giving up their jobs," as you put it. Meri had just been fired because her employer learned she was in a poly marriage, and Kody was in some similar employement stress. They truly left because of the sheriff's department's ongoing investigation (now suspended), and their fear of prosecution, since Utah is the only state where having a committed relationship with multiple spouses is against the state's constitution. Since that time, Utah's Attorney General has adopted and announced a policy of not prosecuting anyone for a poly marriage alone, only for other offenses, such as child brides, which are associated with the FLDS' practices. But at the time, the Browns had good reason to worry about the Sheriff's investigation. Not to mention the frequent patrols of a sheriff's car past their house, or parking within eyesight of their house and watching them for hours.
Not sure if Nevada was the best state to move to, but it was much better than Utah for the Browns.
Might want to watch this if you think that's the only reason they moved: http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/sister-wives-some-questions-about.html
My first reaction when I just read that Janelle gave her retirement money (and all money she's ever made frankly) to help with the ridiculous move, was one of disbelief and "why on earth would she do that". Then I remembered a dear friend I knew that Janelle reminds me so much of. She had a similar give give relationship with her immediate family who were grifter/entitled types and were takers. I remember listening to her talk about why she did the things she did, and it was because it made her feel important and needed. She had low self esteem as well and it made her feel good to be "taking care of" this group of people who would be on the street in rags if it weren't for her. So I wonder if this relationship, that a lot of us can't understand, means a lot to Janelle because she is essentially a "provider" and this is where she gets her self worth from. Just a thought.
Janelle stated during the Las Vegas move episodes (I believe during the episode when they were all living together in a vacation rental) that all the retirement income had been used to facilitate the move.
As far as the jobs issue - Meri and Kody both had "job issues" because they CHOSE to go public, knowing the possible consequences. I note that Janelle kept working in her *state government* job until the family left Utah - so my own personal opinion is that if the state of Utah didn't have a problem with Janelle's living siutation, why would Meri's and Kody's? Unless of course, they had other, underlying reasons for wanting to terminate the two.
We saw in at least one episode that Kody came home early from work, saw he wasn't needed at the house and then decided to take the rest of the day off - this was filmed and shown on the air. You don't think that the folks at YESCO didn't see this? We've all seen that Kody is inherently lazy, and also if memory serves he never said he was fired - he said that one of his accounts decided they wanted to work with a different sales rep and that got him called on the carpet.
as far as Meri, first off it was a part time job only, secondly we don't even know if she was getting paid of if it was just a volunteer thing, and third...it was working with troubled kids...after seeing the way she treats her own family she just doesn't seem like the best person for that job...?
IMO if Meri and Kody were exemplary employees that did their jobs well, then their employers would more than likely have kept them on as long as they wanted a job. Look at Janelle for example.
Anon 3:20 stated that since the Browns left, "Utah's attorney general has adopted and announced a policy of not prosecuting..." etc. Actually that policy has been in place for quite some time - WELL before the Browns ever went public - I think since 2003? In fact it was mentioned in the first episode of Season 2 of Big Love which if memory serves aired in 2008 or so - the finale of S1 was Barb being asked to leave the Mother of the Year ceremony because they found she was plyg. Early in Ep 1 of S2, Bill was talking to his attorney (I think) and the attorney told him, as long as he's not marrying underage girls or committing welfare fraud, then the attorney general doesn't care about the polygamy aspect (and Bill got really upset for some reason - LOL).
One more thing - back to the police cars cruising etc. If you go back to S2 of SW, it opened up with the family peeking out their windows at the papparazzi taking photos outside their home and they were concerned...so what would you do if there were strangers lurking about? why call the police of course...which is what the Browns did...and since papparazzi are really tenacious when it comes to getting their photos so they can make their money...the police had to stick around. That's their JOB. and since Lehi is apparently a hotbed of plyg families, I would be willing to bet that there are at least a few officers on the force who are living the lifestyle.
also, and I've said this before, given how much (little) Janelle was earning, her actual time at her job, and the fact that she had six children to feed...I doubt she was able to contribute all that much to her 401(k) therefore I am guessing that at most she probably had a few thousand dollars in her "retirement fund" at the time she left her job. which of course, when she withdrew it, she had to pay taxes and substantial penalties, not leaving all that much...
I have been working in the retirement industry since July and I am no expert, but if you have to touch your retirement account for something, you don't do that - unless it is catastrophic medical bills or something. The arrogance of the family to ask her to deplete her retirement is astounding.
I have a question. The couch scene with Meri and Kody after it showed her picking her options for the house: Kody was explaining that he thought Meri brought Robyn in to "validate" her selections and Meri made a weird sarcastic comment like "well let's just keep putting the blame on somebody else". What does that mean? I have no idea what she's talking about. I think she's implying that Kody is to blame but won't admit it.....but to blame for what? What did he do besides try to reign in her spending? I'm missing something...
Maybe it is Kody who wanted the fifth bedroom, etc, the biggest house and Meri took the fall for it with her wet bar whining? But I just doubt that. We know Kody is a ridiculous spender, but he's also not at all secretive about it. His cars, motorcycles, etc. When he wants to spend money, he may find some ridiculous way to justify it (he needed that new gold car for his job), but he doesn't seem shy about parading his reasoning.
That comment was really weird, I can't even imagine living near this woman. It sounded to me like these were things Kody wanted, but Meri got blamed for them??? But those were such stupid things to go over budget on, I can't imagine even Kody wanting them.
The other way I read it was it was Kody's fault for not making enough money, but certainly no one would say that out loud while they were buying McMansions.
Anon, do you maybe think that some of Meri's childish selfish demands might in fact be Kody's? At times I think this sham of a family is no longer even remotely interested in the spiritual aspects of their "lifestyle" anymore. I feel that anything and everything that do now is based on their self image as famous people. They need expensive homes to show their status. I'm wondering if the wizard of odd, Mr. Kody, himself, doesn't want the one house that isn't full of kids,toys,dirty dishes,dirty clothes etc., as "his" house?? Maybe he wants that wet bar for when the cameras aren't rolling and when he needs to impress his new worldly Vegas friends. Maybe he likes for his old Mare to take the heat about choices and she's just weird enough to equate being his fall-gal as love. I dunno....can't stand any of them. They're such hypocrites but hey..all that new money that can be spent right here & now is so much more real than all those spiritual riches supposedly up there,right?
She's projecting. She's putting the blame for her inability to make reasonable, affordable choices on Kody and then she projects the 'blame game' onto Kody and makes it out like he was blaming others.
All Kody was asking when they were doing the selections was that she keep within the budget. She totally freaked out about that and demanded to be last because IMHO she wanted to see if the other wives had budget leftovers and use those leftovers to pay for her extra wishes.
I get that this builder is offering houses like a car dealer offers cars. You get a standard model, and then there are options you can select. But I don't understand why they can't ask/insist that this builder do a custom touch of two. Meri ran up the cost of her house to get a little extra counter space, in the form of a wet bar, which necessitated something else, which necessitated another bedroom she didn't want. As a homebuilder, and designer, it staggers me that she would find it necessary to add 200+ square feet of home to get 15 square feet of counter space!
I further don't understand, and they haven't discussed, why they don't build another house with four separate apartments, similar to what they enjoyed in Utah??? Maybe that is complex, since such a dwelling would not fit in lenders' loan packages, or on standard lots, etc. But surely it could be presented as an apartment building to such parties. Any designer could readily draw up some plans.
OK, so they have elected to have four separite houses. Why would they want them at the back of this cul de sac? Why not back to back, but facing two separate streets, so their back yards could all adjoin with much less distance between?
Anon 3:31 - according to the builders website these ARE custom homes - or at least "semi custom". I guess because they got to pick their own carpet/floor coverings, cabinet colors etc etc.
There was one ep this past season where the family met with the builders and Kody asked if they could have the wet-bar without the extra room, and the builder just said no because they would have to submit new plans to the city and it would cost more money and yada yada.
Also if you read past blog posts the idea of building or buying a fourplex was discussed and Kody himself addressed this in a tweet and said it was because of resale and permits I think?
The way I heard/interpreted it, Kody initially said Meri brought in Robyn to be "on her side" and Meri took offense at that statement ("Really? Is that how you see this relationship?!"). Kody then changed/corrected his statement to say he meant "validate her" and then started to whine that he had reasons to be reacting the way her was that day. And then Meri said to "Keep blaming it on someone else..." I thought her statement was more frustration that he wasn't taking any responsibility for the fact that the way he approached that options discussion from the minute she entered the room contributed to her reaction. And I thought she brought Robyn in so the discussion would be clearer - Robyn had already been through it and would be more helpful explaining the process and choices than Kody. He has not patience and is not a good communicator. I don't think Meri brought Robyn in to be on her side or to validate her - I think she brought her in to "translate" the process and help control Kody's little outbursts.
And although Meri frustrated me a lot with all of her house "needs" throughout these discussions, I thought she was right to feel awkward with how he approached her in that meeting. He'd already been through it once and knew she'd end up over, so overcompensated and was restricting her before she even knew the lay of the land on the choices. He would have been smarter to just go through the options so she understood and picked everything she thought she wanted and then they could look at how far over they were and start working together to cut back and make adjustments. But he didn't do that; he started putting her on the defense immediately. I would have been annoyed too, if I were Meri sitting in that meeting.
In the episode where each wife was brought in separately to talk about the extras for each of their new homes--Christine Jannell and Roben all knew how their budget was looking. Along comes Meri and acts all surprised that she was already over budget but it didn't stop her from adding on another $4500. And being the man (?) that he is Kody questioned Christine about if she really needed the stone on the front of her house but didn't say word one about French doors or a wetbar!! Way to wear those "big boy" pants!!!
We've talked it to death but I really think the Robyn being pregnant/miscarrying issue is easily solved by asking one question- Do the Browns love money enough to hide a miscarriage and have it presented in a time and way that will get them the most bang for their buck? I think we all know the answer to that question. So it's easy for me to understand why they just kept mum this time, even if that's not how they normally handle these things and even if it's for no other reason than money/success of their show.
Wow, so I haven't watched this show in over a year and I just saw the clip of secrets revealed on youtube.... Meri looks so different than what I remember from when I watched the show regularly. WOW. I know it's not just makeup and hair and all that jazz. Someone mentioned a nose job awhile back and I balked at that but oh my goodness it's looks like she has had some minor work done on her nose and around her eyes possibly. However her skin and lips are so swollen and puffy and the overall effect of whatever she had done doesn't sit well with me. It just looks odd to me. I can't place exactly what the changes are but they are apparent to me and shocking after having not watched the show in so long.
Anon 2:33 pm thank you for offering a medical answer. I've asked many times and no one seemed to either notice it or know what the real cause could be. Thanks!
I'm so glad you said something about Meri's thyroid. She definitely has the puffy thyroid face neck. It could explain her fertility issues, her rollercoaster of emotions and her weight gain.
I have to disagree with the thyroid issue. I don't think she has that puffy look at all. She has the typical pre-menopause look. IMO I am also in the health field and have thyroid issues myself
Some of these veiwers have no way of knowing, but it is interesting how many symptoms of "common hypothyroidism" Meri presents on the show. I'm not even a nurse on tv, so take my discovered list lightly.
•Fatigue/exhaustion •Serious difficulty losing weight •Gaining weight inappropriately •Depression/anxiety •Low sex drive, or no sex drive •Pains, aches and stiffness in joints, hands and feet •Carpal tunnel syndrome •Difficulty concentrating •Memory problems •Feeling cold, especially cold hands/feet •Infertility •Frequent miscarriage •Stillbirth or premature birth •Constipation http://thyroid.about.com/cs/publicawareness/a/oprah_4.htm
I don't know if this will go through, as my posts aren't being allowed. If the moderators would contact me, I would appreciate it so I can either leave or stay. The post about Meri's appearance hit me in a different way. She has gained significant weight, enough that her face would be affected. I don't think she's had a nose job. The only difference I see in here is her horrible size, and a nicer hair cut. And can someone tell me once and for all why the plygs wear tank tops over their regular shirts, even in blistering weather? They are all skin tight, and nothing is kept secret, so why the tanks?
pollypinks - if you are having any trouble, please see the guidelines at the top right of the blog. I am not sure which posts you are referring to. Maybe that will help!
I just posted about watching the youtube video and forgot to mention how pleasant it is to hear Janelle talk. Her demeanor, her face, the way she speaks, and the sound of her voice are just... pleasant. I could listen to her all day long and it's so refreshing compared to the other three wives who just grate on my nerves.
Anonymous (1:07) you made some very good points about the family. When I read the book I felt sorry for Janelle and Christine, but I don't anymore. I admire Janelle. I think she has a good head on her shoulders (outside of the plural wife thing). I do think she would be gone if not for the kids. Christine disappointed me in her acceptance of Kody's behavior towards her. It seems pretty obvious he doesn't care that much for her or Janelle (I don't think Janelle gives a hoot), but Christine holds on for dear life. I wish they would all open their eyes and see that there is more to life than what they're doing. They do have great kids though. I've enjoyed watching the teenagers come into their own. I think they'll do good in life.
They could be staying for the kids at this point, that would make sense. Lots of women do that and the kids are certainly bonded to the whole family.
But from a religious belief standpoint, assuming they still really believe their faith, they truly are "holding on for dear life" (as Crimson said above). Although more accurately they are "holding on for dear afterlife." By marrying him, they have guaranteed Kody's "ticket" into the top level of the Celestial Kingdom and he will become a god. But he has to resurrect them and call them into his kingdom. He can choose not to call them and they will be relegated to a lower level of the celestial heaven. They have to try to earn their "ticket" every day of their lives, and even then it's still up to Kody to choose to call their name and resurrect them and reunite them all with the kids. (Of course, logic would say the kids won't be there as they will have moved on to another group via their own marriage, but it's tiring to try to bring logic into this type of discussion.)
If they really do believe that, it's a pretty strong reason to stay.
Anon5:45 - I've wondered about that...if it were me that was married to Kody (fiction - it would never happen, even if I were the only one dumb enough to agree to a monogamous marriage), I might be tempted to 'live the life' here in order to make sure I could give Kody Hell in the eternities. That would not only be a little slice of Heaven, but also justice for the crap he's put me through on Earth.
The option of NOT being called by him is a nice one, too. NOT being with Kody is my idea of Heaven.
Anon 7:40, LOL. Totally agree. An eternity with Kody seems more like hell than heaven. And can you imagine how disorganized and chaotic his planet will be??? Yikes.
Lots of questions about carpet vs. hardwood floors and I just had to throw in my experience.
In Albuquerque according to Zillow, there are 2700 homes for sale. Filtering with hardwood takes that number to 182. The reason IMO and IME only, is that both Las Vegas and Albuquerque have so much sand that sand damages the hardwood floors.
We live in an area that is well established now, but when we moved in 10 years ago there was a lot of construction all around this area and the amount of sand I removed from our house every day was unbelievable. Now that the construction has pretty much slowed, I still collect a fair bit daily, but it's much better.
Imagine all that sand and the hardwood floors. They would be ruined. I would assume this is why the Browns didn't have an option for hardwood. A big thing in the Southwest right now is stained concrete because it holds up to pretty much everything. We've had stained concrete in our living room and hall for about 5 years and love it. The rest of the areas are ceramic tile. Clean up is quick and easy with these surfaces.
I live in a very expensive house, and I'll add that carpet is great for one thing -- it keeps noise levels down. Imagine how NOISY the houses of Janelle and Robyn and Christine are -- and although I love my stained concrete in my rec room (clean up is super super easy) and I have tile in my dining room and kitchen (ideal for a toddler who likes to "help" when cooking and still throws food on the floor while eating) it is very nice to have carpet in the living area for some peace and quiet! So there are some of us who do prefer it, even when we can choose anything we like!
I can remember reading that wall to wall carpeting was considered a sign of being 'wealthy'. Wood floors were a sign of being 'poor', but one step up from dirt floors. Times have changed and nowadays, it's wooden floors that are coveted over the old wall to wall.
If you watch shows like Property Ladder or Flip this House, the new owners are almost always shown ripping up a corner of carpeting hoping to find a wooden floor underneath. On the flip side, does anyone remember TLCs Trading Spaces when Hildy replaced a homeowner's beloved brand new Berber carpeting with subflooring in her makeover of his bedroom? (yes, SUBFLOORING!) The homeowner was NOT amused.
I like tile but it's cold and really hard. I have tile in my entry way, which I use to love until I drop a bottle of spaghetti sauce that I was taking to the kitchen to put away. I felt like I was Joan Crawford on my knees scrubbing that damn floor - now THAT was a mess.
OMG CJ you're a Property Ladder viewer too!!! I have about 15 of the episodes on my DVR...love love love that show...
And not only hoping to find a wooden floor - no matter how crappy the location, 97 percent of PL flippers insist that granite countertops are absolutely required!
The problem with granite is that unless you really take good care of it, in no time it looks like crap. My son and his wife live in a rental with granite that has no been cared for and it looks awful. No matter how much it is cleaned it looks dirty. My daughter has it in her upscale house and even with regular care it is starting to dull. It really needs special products made for granite to stay newer looking. I can only imagine how long it will take the Brown's granite in their cheaply made houses to look like crap. I know most people prefer granite, but if I was building a house I would put in good quality tile.
I agree. I love Corian and Silestone. Granite is porous and in large kitchens shows seams. It is also high maintenance and difficult to repair.My Corian is very easy to take care of, looks brand new, there are no visible seams and it is very easy to repair. I plan on having it installed in the new house as well.
I was a Trading Spaces fan until I found out that lots of what the viewers saw was staged and that they usually did a really bad job. I hadn't known that before because reality tv was still new then and I felt betrayed. I might have continued to watch but I was tired of the designers pushing the limits just because they could and pushing the homeowner's tolerances by painting wood or doing ridiculous wall treatments (fake flowers glued to a bathroom wall, anyone?).
Granite in the wild is pretty but it has to be finished and properly cared for to look good in a kitchen. If I was building a house (or if we ever refinish our kitchen), I'd go with a manufactured quartz or quartzite countertop. It can look like stone (or not, depending on your preferences) but isn't porous so it doesn't require the same finishing or care as granite. I like tile, too, but the grout can get dirty and be difficult to clean. I definitely love a tile backsplash.
I love hardwood floors, especially the wide-plank type, but they don't work everywhere. Getting sand out of carpet could be difficult depending on the carpet type but it would be better than sand-scratched hardwood. Concrete could look really nice, especially with some area rugs to deaden the sound and add colour. I might also consider tiled or stone floors if cost was no object, which appears to be the case for the Brown family.
Well I have hardwood in my living room and hallway, carpet in bedrooms only and ceramic tile in wet areas. I love my hardwood because it's beautiful but can't imagine having 17 kids in and out on it. It would be scratched and knicked in no time, so I think not getting it is smart. Wonder if Meri will get it? Also I have granite too and I cannot imagine a house of that scale not having it. I don't know what kind I have, but mine cleans up beautifully and easily.
This is our second house, but first new construction. Picking out the trimmings was hard and stressful (lol) but a "fun" stress. They acted miserable about it, especially Meri. Probably a sign that she was in over her head. In the end, we just picked what we thought would work and hoped for the best. It turned out nice, but there are a couple of things I'd do differently if I could go back. You know they have never bought a new house and don't know what they're doing, which is probably why they don't look that impressive. They tried. For some reason, I bet Meri did her research and I bet hers will be very nice. - Mock Jobs
I've had granite counters for 12 years and they still look brand-spanking new. They're very easy to take care of. Once a month, I put a polishing conditioner on them (i have a huge kitchen and it takes 10-15 minutes max to condition them) and they always have stayed shiny glass looking. Wouldn't want anything else ever personally.
Actually, granite is not the latest thing anymore, there are so many better choices now, in the past few years it has become even more affordable as well. Marble, (several styles, price ranges) as well as stainless, even concrete, (form of) are just a few of the new countertops being offered, and alot on several home shows as well. I know Jeff from Flipping Out, refuses to install granite anymore, too many other more flattering options. So my guess is, granite is being offered in these homes because it is now the most affordable, albeit not easy to take care of, countertop for these homes.
I can guarantee there is no hardwood under those Carpets. I had a home exactly like the ones they are building... underneath is like concrete and plywood! I had my house remodeled in Vegas.. no basements either. They got ripped off on those houses...
Never been a big granite fan - one of the Prop Ladder flippers poured concrete countertops, those looked awesome! Me...I prefer butcher block. I know they need to be regularly conditioned/oiled but I love the look and feel...unfortunately I have white tile with big black grout in between. Ugh!
Prop Ladder was filmed between 2005-07 when I guess granite was hot (along with stainless)...doesn't surprise me that it's not as popular as it used to be.
Huh, I have granite in my kitchen.....I've been in my house 8 years, and the folks we bought the place from had put it in 2 years earlier. It still looks like new...all I do is clean it like normal.....easy. Maybe there's different grades of the stuff?
Cynical Jinx -- I remember that episode of Trading Spaces well...I though Hildy was crazy!
In Nevada and Arizona it's very popular to do concrete floors. Unless you've seen them, I know it may sound weird, but they are beautifully done. You cannot tell by the look, and designs can be added, and they live forever, thus dealing with many children's dirty feet coming and going. I've had hardwood before, for almost 20 years, and I'd study concrete in a heartbeat if I had as many children as the Brown's do. So I guess I'm just validating, oops, Kody speaking here, the previous post speaking up for concrete.
Fake Fan - yes, there are definitely different grades of granite as well as flavors. I've seen ugly and expensive and pretty but cheap quality. We picked ours out at a granite farm and it was a high quality stone as well as uniquely beautiful . Plus, it's been very easy to maintain and keep looking new after all these years. I still love it.
I thought those 3 choices they had to pick from were all hideous looking and i'm sure were also very cheap.
Can someone sum up the lawsuit info? I must have missed it on the show.
If it was on the secrets revealed Q&A show, I confess (someone chime in that I am not the only one!) that I couldn't watch it all. I watched the kids, but I couldn't stand to see the Meanie/Sobbin show with Kodoof in the middle.
The lawsuit, ultimately, is to change the Utah state constitution and decriminalize polygamy. It will almost certainly take a Supreme Court decision to do this (and once a Supreme Court decision comes down, any other state that has such a provision or law would also be struck down.) This isn't the same as getting polygamy legalized (which I don't think even Mormon fundamentalists want) but it would no longer be a felony.
It will probably take anywhere from 5-10 years before it makes it to the Supreme Court. This is because in part, Utah doesn't want to deal with it. They would like nothing more than the drop the Browns' case altogether, but every time they do, the Browns (and Jonathan Turley -- their top drawer -- and very expensive, Constitutional law attorney) countersue to keep the case going.
I know that some have thought that Turley is doing the case pro-bono, but I'd be shocked if this were the case. (pun intended.) We're talking hundreds, if not thousands of hours of his life, and it isn't as though he is a young man trying to make a name for himself before the Supreme Court -- he already has his "white feather" as it's known in DC. I'm sure he is being paid for his time, and that time isn't coming cheaply. Plus, there would be expenses for paralegals, research, etc. And I doubt very much that the Browns are paying for it. I'd love to know who IS paying -- and perhaps that same organization is responsible for underwriting the loans on the houses? After all, these fundamentalists groups have a LOT to gain if polygamy is decriminalized, and they have a lot of money.
For instance, the FLDS took millions in tax dollars to build an airport through the Homeland Security bill -- all pushed through by Senator Orrin Hatch (I'm sure there was an arrangement to have them block vote for him. I could probably check precinct voting records for those districts back in the early 2000's, but I'm too lazy, but no politician gives away money for nothing....I live in the DC area.....) That airport was constructed with FLDS labor, and it's almost certain that the people who built it weren't paid actual wages. Probably many were young boys who should have been in school. The "church" pocketed most of that money. Some of that trust is being held and investigated by the State of Utah, but who knows how much was socked away before the state got ahold of it?
I'm sure the AUB is financially pretty well off too. 10% of tithe is a pretty good set up, if people actually pay it. (This goes for any religious organization.) There is plenty of money for paying for attorney fees, and underwriting the Browns homes would be a pittance.
I'm sure Turley is handling the case pro bono. He's a law professor at GW Law School. He has a source of income. I went to GW Law and had him for a class. He's a publicity hound and this is not his first high-profile case.
I'm convinced Meri is a narcissist and a bully. I'm shocked by how deferential everyone is to Meri. I believe the reason is that Meri is the most vindictive and the most likely to reveal any possible welfare fraud the Browns may have committed. Therefore, she has the upper hand and she uses it freely.
I kind of feel like Meri doing the video for Logan was to show her in a better light with the viewers - like look at me participating in all the going away stuff. Did anyone notice when they gave Logan the presents - Janelle was not involved in actually giving the presents - it was Meri and Robin? Something about that just struck me as odd - maybe Janelle didn't want to be associated with what was being gifted?
As for the lawsuit - I watched the Secrets Revealed show twice and I don't think it was mentioned at all.
Well, the quilt IS ugly. I wouldn't want to be part of that gift, either. Maybe she gave Logan something in private that was just from her.
I also think the producers were sort of trying to show Meri in a positive light with the video. Well, except that she didn't know how to work her camera and had to redo the "interviews" with the kids.
Even more than the quilt being ugly, my guess is that Janelle wasn't participating in the gifting of it because it's such a wildly inappropriate gift for a young man going off to University. Even if you assume that he's going to be sleeping alone (and Janelle's given hints that she doesn't necessarily think that's likely), can you imagine the faces of his new friends seeing his family plastered all over his bed? Even if he were in a monogamous family that would put him well into the creepy zone. And having it reversible so that he has the 'choice' not to show his family is a joke, unless you assume that his bed is always going to be perfectly made, and weighted down so that no one can ever possibly see the family pics.
Kudos to Logan for at least trying to be gracious about it- he's pretty obviously not thrilled with the idea of his new classmates being confronted with his family situation (his face when Kody suggested that 'the family' visit his dorm was pretty terrified), so I give him credit for at least trying to act pleased.
Good write up on the Janelle perspective. I remember thinking her fear was real when they were leaving Utah and since she didn’t have the family history of arrests that Christine and Robyn did (their grandfathers or further back were put in prison for polygamy) and that Janelle seems to be the most logical of the group. I think what she was really worried about was being charged with fraud by Utah. There is documented evidence that Christine was on food stamps and there is speculation that Janelle got some governmental assistance for child care for her kids (which we also speculated she ‘paid’ to Christine). When filing for these and other governmental assistance, each wife would have to say they were single mothers and either did not know the name of the father(s) or could not locate him. So basically they committed fraud….and maybe Kody reminded Janelle of that which is why she was so nervous given that she worked for the State of Utah at the time. She most certainly would have been fired and they would have lost their benefits and it would have been made public. So that is my opinion of where the fear really came from for both Janelle and Kody. I think the other wives really believed they were going to be arrested. And I think Kody just flat-out wanted to live in Las Vegas.
I agree that Janelle is probably going to stick around - probably until it gets down to just she and Savannah. It would be incredibly disruptive to the other kids lives to remove them from the close proximity of the other kids. Also, I do think Janelle’s kids really do love and care about Christine. I don’t see them acting that way towards Meri but maybe that’s just what the producers want us to see. I also think that Janelle lives mostly alone , without Kody, as a functioning single mother 90% of the time. Unlike Christine, I think she is ok with that. I think she is just going along to get along and will eventually move on down the road…maybe never even officially get a ‘divorce’ (although they aren’t legally married) and move on with her life. She wouldn’t legally have to do anything. I also suspect that she got the ‘cheapest’ of the homes so that she would have the money for Logan’s college. Janelle would not sacrifice her son’s education over a wet bar or sliding door.
Remember, she made this conversion to AUB from LDS after a divorce and she was 19 or 20. She was vulnerable and Kody came along and showed her some scriptures and she went along with it. She started having babies right away and had little time to think about what she was doing. Now that she is late 30s, she is more mature and probably is doing her own research and questioning of what she has been ‘told’. After all, she did say that Joseph Smith is “just a man” which I think is a lot for her to say considering Janelle rarely speaks.
I honestly cannot watch this show anymore! This latest episode about the houses and Meri's selfishness was so out of control. Her final statement of "well I guess I'm just over budget" was so flippant. When did she get so greedy and selfish? She is a mean person. How can she justify a 5 bedroom home with a wet bar.....no wait additional counter space......when she's going to be an empty nester in less than 9 months? Can someone please explain to me how in the world this group got approved for 4 $450,000 homes? How? What's so sad is that you and I both know they will be facing foreclosure when TLC pulls the plug on this sham. I literally could not get through 15 minutes of this show. It's deleted from my DVR and from my life. SWB is my only way to get this info. And what's the deal with Sol the wonder baby wearing headphones? Even if Robchin is nursing this baby the child does NOT need to go everywhere with the family. I'm so disgusted with this clan. They are the biggest bunch of greedy fame whores I've ever seen. They are no more about religion of polygamy. I'm DONE!
I don't really understand Meri's reason for the wet bar. More counter space for entertaining that is what an island in the kitchen is for. Correct me if I am wrong but most wet bars are in the family room. Which means you don't need the extra fifth bedroom.
Agree, CPA Carol. And Janelle older kids are the most outspoken in their personal choice to not live the lifestyle and of the religion - especially Maddie, who has made comments about both their AUB religion and mainstream mormanism. I have to believe at least Maddie is having some conversations with her Mom about it.
I just watched the episode for what seems the upteenth time writing my review, and yep, that's exactly what he said! Financed over the life of that mortgage - just doesn't make sense.
I thought that was a crazy comment too. I am sure he could pay someone to haul it in for him and Christine can set them up. She showed the camera's how she can set them up herself when they moved Robyn to the house in Lehi. In fact, if you buy them at Sears or somewhere I am pretty sure they deliver them right to you and set them up. Why did they need new washers and dryers anyway? They moved theirs from Utah.
Here's what I think -- These people are not long-term planners. They live in the moment. They have no intention of ever paying off these houses. Did you see Kody's look at Christine when she said she looked forward to owning the homes free and clear? It was like "Are you fu@king nuts?" They will live high off the hog - getting the 'best' of everything - as long as the party lasts, and then they will just walk away.
If you know you're never going to honour your financial commitments, you may as well finance as much as you can. Keep your up-front costs as low as possible so the whole house of cards lasts a little longer.
Then 4 more bankruptcies and back to Utah.
Totally unfair to the kids, but maybe they tru(e)ly believe God will provide.
My husband's reply to me asking if he would finance a washer and dryer with a house was the same as when I asked for an unneeded matching dryer when our washer recently went out. The answer was NO WAY. I must say he did buy me a very nice washing machine. We don't finance such items and did'nt have the cash for a dryer we did'nt need. Must be nice to get new ones just because you don't feel like moving the ones you have. Talk about lazy.
I'm guessing their rental homes came with washer/dryer so they belonged to the landlord.
And yup - when my washer went on the fritz and my landlord took me to Sears to pick out a new one ( <3 my landlord!!) the price included delivery and set up. That was some years ago so not sure if they still do that...
You could link to them here and people could go to the photos that way or you could email the owners of the blog (over on the right hand side is an email address) and let them decide whether to post them or not.
I am just re watching the secrets revealed show and Even when I watched the show the 1st time there were no secrets revealed it was all rehash . Someone mentioned that Meri nose looked different. I think they maybe right I froze the picture at a point when there was picture in Picture from a scene filmed before to the show and she has had to have something done it's not make up reason I think this is in older pics her nose kinds points upward and has a bulb like tip and her nostrils are bigger. Her nose on Secrets Revealed is smaller doesn't point up and nostrils don't appear as big thats just my opinion and maybe I'm wrong what do others think?
The thought of going back to find youtube clips of Meri's nostrils made me laugh out loud! Man, we have all lost it - me at the very top of that list! :-)
I believe her nose looks so different because of the huge amount of weight she has gained. That would explain why her nose looks so much smaller, her face (cheeks, chin, etc.) is simply so much larger. I know that sounds mean - I don’t want to be mean just trying to understand the change. And CPA Carol, I love your comment - so true, we have all gone nuts, but it’s so much fun :)
I agree that Meri's "nose" is not surgically altered, but is down to weight gain and fluid retention..and maybe some professional makeup sculpting....and complimentary camera angles. (Gawd, I too can't believe that I am actually commenting on this)
I am new to this blog and CPA Carol, I feel as though I have lost it too! It is sooo much fun! This blog has kept me ammused while I have been bed-ridden..
I think they moved to Vegas because production costs in vegas are probably cheaper with local film crews and such. I wonder what film permits were required in lehi if any.
I just read Janelle's blog entry. It was very insightful to where her head is at. I wanted to post part of it, but decided the entire thing is worth the read.
Janelle's blog entries are enjoyable! The boxing one (hit like a girl) claims she envisions someone's face on the bag at times. Whose face do you think she punches the most? Ha ha ha
Also, the picture of her and Kody in the top right corner (meet the author) looks like she is thinking, "Do I have to touch him?" Lol
As tweeted (or re-tweeted, meaning she's quoting someone else's tweet) by Meri today.
"@dannygokey: Don't let your salary or what you think you don't have stand in the way of changing someone else's life." Totally agree!
Does she think she's actually changing lives? In what way? She is delusional. Or my translation in her mind "Don't let money or what you don't have stop you from getting what you want."
I finally watched the final episode and Janelle says something to the effect that "in the end I'm just glad that I was able to get what I needed". It's like she didn't even consider what she might like to have, but only what she needed. She's so practical it's painful to watch.
Reminds me of Courtney Stodden, who at 16 married a man older than her father. I watched Couple Therapy show she was on with her hubby, and she also claimed she was not only changing lives, she was SAVING lives too. By wearing slut clothes. She was serious.
This is the woman who just turned 18 last summer and the first thing she did was audition for Playboy. She was turned down for not being real enough.
Cynical Jinx - I also watched Couples Therapy, it was surprising that Courtney actually thought she was 'saving lives'! Nik gave an an interesting interview regarding Courtney: 'Couples Therapy' Co-Star: 'She Is Hiding A Lot Of Dark Secrets' http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/courtney-stodden-couples-therapy_n_2206125.html
I dont think there is a plastic surgeon alive that would let meri walk out with just a nose job. We all see how she over spent on rediculous options on her house. She would go ahead and get Lipo chin work her upper lip to sqare up and some injectables. So no I don't believe she has had anywork done.
I just checked out Meri's twitter page and IMO she is clearly caught up in her own delusions. She retweets these selective inane things that she twists in her to mind to make sense how she feels it should. Ridiculous. It makes no sense to anyone who has sense. She's losing touch with reality.
That quilt Robyn's sister made for Logan, while apparently well-constructed, was all kinds of ugly. Turning it over to hide the faces wouldn't hide the fugly triangle edging.
I understand financing the blinds and washer/dryer because by doing that, they don't have to pay for that stuff up front. However, from a long-term perspective, it's a very expensive decision. They'll end up paying three or four times the value of the blinds and washer/dryer at the end of the day (assuming that they don't foreclose on the homes, that is).
It's interesting that Janelle and Christine, who each have the most kids, have the least expensive houses. The houses are still ridiculously huge, but it doesn't seem right for the two with the least number of children to have the most expensive houses.
I have no idea where Meri is going to get the extra $5K for going over budget since she doesn't have an independent income. She didn't seem to care about going over budget and got mad at Kody when he was trying to get her to choose less expensive options. She freaked out at the idea that he already knew that she was over budget and she didn't know about it.
It's sort of hilarious to me that Meri "needed" the most expensive, hugest home of all of them and she still hasn't closed on the house. I suspect the house is finished - it shouldn't take that much extra time to build the extra bedroom and whatnot - and Meri and Kody didn't get that house. Or maybe they haven't closed on the house because Meri doesn't want to make a decision about having another child.
The secrets revealed show was kind of boring, but there were highlights, too. The women looked much better wearing clothes that fit and their makeup and hair looked so good! Meri's face wasn't even orange! However, Kody's vest was much too tight and even if it had fit it would have looked silly. I'm also happy that some of the viewer questions were addressed - like that damn wet bar, the way they divide their budget equally when they don't have the same number of children, and whether Kody will effectively ditch Meri if she doesn't have a baby.
The quilt looks unfinished to me. The "fugly" triangle edges were probably suppose to be covered with some sort of double sided ribbon, IMHO. It was a sweet idea...
I know this show is like watching a train-wreck, and you just can't help but look...but I really wish that we could collectively decide to stop watching and as such, that have such an impact that their show be cancelled by TLC.
This show is nothing but a blatant and infuriating sham. I thought the initial purpose of the show was to expose the so-called 'truth' about plural families; their lifestyle, their spiritual beliefs, their tight-knit family bond but it is ANYTHING but. It is nothing but a group of morally (if not financially) bankrupt, free-loading, fraudulent, scamming, scheming, money-grabbing, fame-whoring so called parental role models who have no qualms whatsoever, in raking in reams of cash by going on TV and telling lie after lie. Where is the honor or integrity? There is none. You have a man who is such a waste of skin that he is obsessed with popping out children that he isn't even man enough to support. Even though I don't in the least consider this group (or others in their so-called "faith") to be Christians, are they even following their faith? They all seem so preoccupied with material things (houses, cars, etc) that they haven't even done an HONEST day's work for. They have brought INNOCENT children into this big hot mess and have created nothing but chaos, secrecy, dysfunction and a lack of consistency. You have a so-called "father" who favors some children over others and can't possibly be spending enough quality time as a father should with ANY of these children. Now with the separate homes they are really a situation of a married man with 3 mistresses whose beds he can crawl into more conveniently. I pity the poor female children, who are growing up to believe that this kind of BS is healthy and normal. The male children are growing up to believe that a husband and father doesn't have to work hard to support and provide for his family.
I am really disgusted with it all, and with all of them. It's even sad, truly, that so many of us spend so much time reading and writing in this blog, don't you think?
I am appalled that they seem to have so many fans. American families should be appalled at the fraud in the past and what continues to take place. There are so many good American parents who work so very, very hard to be good and positive role models to their children, who give back to their communities, who work many many years to even be able to afford a very modest home for their families, and these f(cksticks are nothing more than American Gypsies who not only know how to work the system but in doing so they get a TV show and a nice sum of $$ for it. Sickening.
I agree with you Anon & couldn't have stated it better. The entire concept of the show,religion & family is ridiculous - bordering on lunacy. I thank God my depression-era grandparents aren't alive to see this. My grandfather worked himself to death to pay for his large family. He literally swept gas station floors well into his 80's. These parasites have absolutely no shame. The last thing the American TV viewing public needs to witness are more lying grifters.
I agree. I think they are a bunch of con-artists. Especially Kody and Meri. Listening to Kody explain why Logan shouldn't have premarital sex sickened me. Kody said "sex outside of marriage is just wrong!". My stomach turned. So when Kody gets sick of his FOUR wives he just grabs another to "marry". He will have a 5th wife... Robyn isn't a spring chicken and he loves reproducing.
When I was growing up as soon a one of us kids could reach the faucet in the kitchen we had to do the dinner dishes-- either wash or dry. We also had chores like taking out the trash or yard work. Why aren't the older kids pitching in with the chores-- Jannell's dishes or vacuuming for Christine? ?
anony 5:57 - we all wondered the same thing when they had their huge yard in Lehi. Why wasn't there a garden and fruit trees for all of them to learn to grow and cultivate as well as for the healthy fresh veggies/fruits? Utah Mormons are huge on gardening/canning. I have plenty of Mormon relatives there to know that for a fact.
Seems like Logan was the main one given the responsibility of father of his siblings but didn't see any of the other kids in any of the other families w/really any chores/responsibilities.
I think Mariah works at a place called Popped. They sell frozen popcorn in different flavors. I've never been there, but the Browns supposedly had an appearance there over the summer. The store is 45 minutes away from me on a good day and their appearance was right at dinner time and rush hour traffic time. I passed on the opportunity.
I realize that my opinion of Janelle is not a popular one. I don't really think that she is the "smart" one, but I guess in comparison to the rest of them, maybe she IS more so. If she *were* smart she would not agree to everything that the rest of them propose, at least as it is portrayed on camera that she does. And if she does off camera, she still doesn't seem to stop the madness..or refuse to go along with it. The show is their bread and butter....she IS smart enough to know that.
As far as Kody coming along and showing her scriptures and wooing her, which resulted in her then being thrust into having to live with mean Meri..?!! Not so sure about that.
Reality is she divorced her husband (Meri's brother) and immediately married the husband of her ex sister-in-law, Meri..then making Meri, her former sister-in-law, now her sisterwife.
She knew Meri all along, no doubt attended Meri and Kody's wedding, and likely socialized with them as married in-law couples do with each other. She surely had to know a bit about Kody's MO and she knew Meri's. And at some point, apparently Janelle wanted into that arrangement. Maybe....maybe she was the initiator? Who really knows but them??
To be fair in looking at the almost 20 year old stuff simmering between Meri and Janelle, both women knew each other before Janelle became wife #2. They were not strangers. And if the tension was bad enough for Janelle to leave with small children, she came back. For Kody? For herself? Who knows?
And if it was for her children, by then Christine already had a few of her own, plus Meri had her daughter...Janelle's children were certainly not going back to a concentrated, one-on-one life with Daddy. Kody was his usual doofus self even back then.
Also in their book there are events and timelines given which the Browns them selves have contradicted blatantly in their onscreen dialogues throughout the episodes. These people are set on presenting a storyline that maintains the ratings and they have no problem with tweaking it when it serves their purposes. jmo
AMUSED - you're not alone in your opinion at all. others have voiced the same opinion before about Janelle. Yes, she's certainly likable compared to the others. Yes, she's also "smart" compared to the others. There's emotional intelligence tho as well and I think they're ALL low on that scale. Janelle seems to have just thrown in the towel once she came back into the fold and just goes with the flow for her kids' sakes as well as her own sanity. I'm sure a therapist could have a field day with her let alone this whole dysfunctional and emotionally stunted group of "adults."
I don't know what their budget was, but the prices of all four houses are within $4K. Not that $5K over budget on a $440K(ish) home is that much, percentage-wise.
Meri's name is listed on one line and Kody's is on a separate line in the online records, for their property. Have no fear, they're joint owners of that home.
Those numbers are shocking. Who cares about the sliding door? Talk about missing the point. THAT IS ALMOST 2M DEBT. That makes me feel sick to my stomach. How could they possibly afford that without TLC? Even if they were all working???
I finally got to watch this episode last night. I personally find Meri absolutely disgusting anymore! Her greed and her jealously make her so ugly on the inside! Not like the outside looking any better. (that funky tropicana orange thing she's got going on is kinda scary looking) I honestly do not know how she's able to look at herself in the mirror acting that way, let alone on the TV for all the world to see, I would be ashamed of myself and for my family! I personally think she is somewhat jealous of Janelle and Christine because they had all the kids when she couldn't. But, I think the main reason she acts the way she does, is because she's the only "LEGAL" wife, and therefore she thinks she's entitled. It's just sad that everybody let's her get away with it. But, Karma can be a real bitch, and one of these days it'll come back and bite Meri right in the ass! I JUST HOPE THE CAMERAS ARE ROLLING WHEN IT HAPPENS!
I really can't understand what goes threw Kody's head, Janelle is by far the best wife he has, yet he treats her the worst! Same with Christine, she's definitely better than the other two, but he treats her like crap also. The only child I EVER see him holding or paying attention to is Solomon. It's almost like he doesn't have the time or the patients to even deal with the other kids, not even little Truly. Yet he can't seem to get enough kids,..for what? So he can ignore them too? Hell,maybe his paycheck from TLC goes up with every "NEW" family member.??? I would just like to see him pay attention to the ones he has now.
As far as Janelle, I think she's a good person, a great Mom, who's very smart and has a damn good head on her shoulders. I also thinks she feels trapped in a loveless marriage. You can see the sadness in her face every week, it seems like the only thing that makes her truly happy is her kids. I also think her kids are the only thing that keep her in the relationship. I just pray Janelle and Christine can find the strength to leave someday. I also hope Janelle and Christine continue working out, and learn to love themselves. And in the future maybe meet a great guy "EACH", somebody who will Love and respect them and their kids!
I have a few questions..
Where exactly did Kody get his new car? I thought, I heard (a long time ago)somebody say, it was a company car or some kind of promotion. Yet, I've NEVER seen Kody actually work..???
When Meri heard she was over budget on the house, she said she was gonna pay it out of her own pocket. And once again, I've NEVER actually seen Meri work..???
And, I can't seem to remember my other questions. But,I'm sure they'll pop in my head just as soon as I sigh out here. :/
Kinda unpopular thought but does anyone think that Meri or Kody or Robyn could have jobs but not be able to say anything publicly about them because of confidentiality? I'd think it'd be hard to get a job when you make an ass of yourself on TV once a week for a few months out of every year. Who knows though, there are enough people who love them who will buy the goo to keep them afloat I'm sure.
The real stars of this show and the people that most of us care about the most are the kids. I think they are very blessed with their children and they will bring them lots of joy for years to come. If the reason they are doing this show is to improve their children's lives financially, then the loss of privacy is probably worth it.
Maybe Kodys car is a company car because its a Sister Wives Closet "business" car??? I can see him doing something like that.
The fact that they are financing the blinds tells me they are cash poor. Why else do it? The HOA where they bought houses requires window coverings and frowns on sheets. Blinds for all windows x 4 homes would be pretty darn expensive. Of course I am sure they bought the "best".
Maybe Kodys car is a company car because its a Sister Wives Closet "business" car???
Actually, the 'company' car Kody drives is from his involvement with LIV Intl, a Utah based MLM company that sells diet supplements(that green koolaid he and Meri carries around).
I would think if MSWC had a company car, it would be Janelle's old jalopy with the taped up window - being that the site goes down whenever more than 10 people try to access it at one time.
CJ I respectfully disagree...I think the MSWC company car is a rusted shopping cart swiped from Safeway or Von's with only 3 wheels because the one wheel that locked after it went past the yellow line around the parking lot was removed. Lol
There must be something else in the deal that doesn't show up. Wife one can't have a 5th bedrm, bonus room, wet bar, french door, etc for only $4k more than another wife with a strip down model. No way no how. Where's the hidden bean?
There must be something that Meri opted out of. Insulation?
I still think they financed through ARMs - from googling it appears that they are still being written today. I just remember all the news stories that started showing up around 2007 about families living on the same or less than I make on my own who bought brand new houses - they were ok for a few years until the interest rates started adjusting. I think we are going to see the same thing happen here. But don't fear for the Browns...they'll just walk away and head back to the family homestead they opted to keep in Lehi. No worries.
My guess is that since Meri's house is Kody's house, too, they put a bigger downpayment down. That, or they took out some options that they could get right away anyway by just paying cash outside of the mortgage. I'm sure they know that people like us would be monitoring the recorder's website closely, so I'm sure they pulled some strings and figured out a way to make it look somewhat equal.
So Meri can have whatever she wants as long as the other wives get what they need? SERIOUSLY??? Merri gets a gold plated toilet seat as long as the other wives have enough toilet papper??? What about what the other wives want? At first I thought it was editting, or that TLC was slanting it to make her look bad for higher ratings but it's just so clear what a selfish person she is after hearing it come right out of her mouth in the interview. This woman is just so unreal.
Christine and Janelle wouldn't have to break up the family to get out; heck, they wouldn't have to even leave their brand-new homes! (And why should they leave - they're the only ones on the hook for them - Kody has only donated sperm to their 'relationships'.)
All Christine and Janelle would have to do is tell Kody he's no longer welcome to couch-surf at their houses anymore and he must give up his key or they'll change the locks. Kody can still visit with his children - the ones that the Nevada welfare offices know have a dad named Kody Brown, who would,incidentaly, be named as the father in the child support papers. Kody could either submit willingly to a DNA test for each child, OR the courts could use the 3 (or 5) seasons of the NATIONALLY TELEVISED show as proof of his paternity.
Oh, Kody will do whatever they say...Janelle probably knows all of the wheres and hows of their 'creative financing' tricks, since she was probably in charge of a lot of it.
How do you like your mashed potato sandwich now, Kody?
That would be hllarious! The kids wouldn't suffer, the dad would still be around the corner and so would their half-siblings. I even suspect the other wives would be OK with it, only one who go mad is Kody. I would love for this to happen!
Nevada is no joke when it comes to bleeding the beast. In Nevada, like most states, DNA is not optional when baby mommas apply for benefits/child support. With 12 kids worth of child support, Janelle and Christine would get their TLC money and Meri's!!!! Yay!!!! Plus they would keep the show moving with the obvious drama! Winner: the kids! And the viewers!
Anon 11:04 What a great show that would be -- the oppressed seizing the reins and turning everything upside down. All it would take is a lawyer. C'mon Janelle and Christine! Time for a Plyg-olution.
I love the show and It life people stop knocking the Browns they living life and are happy why knock them.I see a Loving big happy family and I am going toget my family soon with the help of God and my church I am not jumping on no dating site when the time right God will send my forever family just like the Browns I like all the sister wives and all the kids let me ask one question people if you all was in Browns place would you done anything different the answer is no why they have one thing Huge Love and God and where there is God and Love, you and your family can do anything yes I am a Lds and if they knew what I was wanting the lifestyle they tell me to leave that ok I am looking into the AUB church anyway.So Kody and your beautiful family keep up the excellent work I am praying for you and your family to stay together be happy and may God bless you all forever forgive my youall I live in east texas Huge smile
I think someday we'll find out a lot of this show was fake and staged...just like the latest Amish one turned out to be. There is no love lost between these "family" members.
I think Kody shows every sign of a gay man...he is over-compensating and is the "weakest" man I've ever seen. I highly suspect there is no sex going on between him and Janelle, possibly Christine, and Robyn seems the type to withhold if she is in a bad mood.
The women must have miserable self esteems to allow themselves to believe all this stuff. No loving God is going to refuse a women to heaven because they aren't on the coat-tail of a duffus like Kody. If all single women can't go to heaven...it must be pretty quiet up there!!
I think if they had done the in vitro/surrogacy attempt and it had failed, there's no way these folks could have ever kept quiet about it. Similarly, I htink there is no way Robyn got pregnant and had a miscarriage.....I think all folks are seeing is baby fat, and clips shown out of sequence....
Janelle and Christine are both facially prettier than Meri and they clearly have better personalities than Meri and they are obviously more fertile than Meri. If Janelle and Christine were to lose serious weight and become the size of Robyn, Meri could not handle that competition. She would become so jealous and resentful. This is a catty remark to be sure, but narcissistic, insecure, attention-seeking Meri is the catty-est "Christian" I have ever witnessed.
the thing I don't get is if they really truly believe you have to live this lifestyle to get to heaven why do they seem more than okay with their children choosing other lifestyles. Janelle seems to have the most religious commitment and Christine knows no other way to live and I see neither ever going anywhere. Meri is queen bee and Robyn is her minion but they seem to be pulling the strings so I see them staying too. The recommitment ceremony and mission statement are a restart to join the family back together. I say anything this screwed up needs to be separated not rejoined.
It seems that anytime a 'reality' couple has a recommitment ceremony, their relationship is either in the toilet or well on its way. This just shows me how desparate they are to PROVE to everyone how incredibly giddy and in love they all are - but it only shows them to be grasping at whatever shreds of happiness their union they might have had in the past, all for a paid vacation and some new wedding clothes and pictures before the crap hits the fan.
They're doomed, and we all have a front row ticket to the train wreck. They're not only grifters, but also sell-outs.
That's possibly true about the marriage being in the toilet. Afterall, Meri did admit that her & Kody were struggling & their marriage was in a bad place, before she basically offered up Robyn as a peace offering to Kody...Lol Which doesn't make a lick of sense, but U know we are dealing w/ the Browns... smh
Hey! Don't talk about my other TLC favorite, Long Island Medium, that way! I know I would have serious trouble trying to think of ways to make an ass of myself every week, but the Browns seem to have this one down.
I finally have been able to watch the secrets revealed episode, and it is clear to me that the income is split 5 ways. Kody gets his own equal share. I think that Janelle and Christine were outvoted on this--Robyn sided with Kody and Meri in the "family decision" aka vote.
Even tho the Browns may have their McMansions(for ever how long they can hold onto them anyways...) the facts still remain the same: 3 of the 4 wives are going to bed ALONE EVERY NIGHT & possibly crying themselves to sleep. Plus we already know that Kody doesn't do a fair rotation, Christine spilled the beans on that one several times...saying its been almost a week since U've seen ur kids & saying that he would come over late(most likely after everyone already went to bed) & would leave early...What's up w/ that shit?? Also, just b/c they're in the homes, doesn't mean that they still can't stand each other, all of them will still remain passive-aggressive, depressed, angry, jealous, neglected, etc......well ya'll know what I'm trying to say! Overall, I agree w/ most of everyone saying that the Browns still remain house poor & definitely living on credit! IDC how many fancy cars they drive, or how they furnish their new homes, they will be struggling to pay the mortgage, bills, basic necessities, & food for all 4 big homes!
About the Brown's having a hidden income, who knows since they love a Get Rich Quick investment scheme, maybe they got suckered into a ponzi scheme that's paying out big dividends now, but after they re-invest more $$ then they'll get taken, or however that scheme works... Yes, this is me thinking out loud in conspiracy theory mode...Lol
Question about the houses (or homes as they call them): do the other three NOT have wet bars? How many bedrooms do the other three have? Not that each kid needs his/her own room, but if anyone needed 5 bedrooms it would be the middle two wives of course.
I did think the tile around the fireplace looked cheap - but it is certainly superior to what they have had in the past and to what they should reasonably afford, given all the kids that may go to college.
Does Meri do all her own cleaning? Wow, that's a huge house to keep clean. I am a single woman with a 2000 sq foot house, and it is a lot to manage.
Re-tweeted by Meri = "Don't go into business to get rich. Do it to enrich people. It will come back to you." - Stew Leonard
Puhleese! SWC is really improving lives - NOT! Neither is selling green goo - in spite of its "humanitarian" sales pitch when the Browns joined. Now that it is obvious that the Browns have plenty of cash to be able to buy massive houses, it makes Meri's whining that they "needed" to sell that trashy jewellery to get the McMansions, look very manipulative, (not to mention crass). It served to make the silly fans believe that it all depended on them whether the Browns got the houses they "deserved," or not.
Oh that's a pretty standard MLM viewpoint. Generally they take the stance that they're in business to help others, like the United Way or something. It's like Mary Kay saying they're helping to empower women when it's so not true.
So very tired of Merri wanting all the attention. EVERYTHING is always about Merri and have almost stopped watching the show because of it. She needs to take a lesson from Janelle on how to be a graceful person. Janelle is sweet, kind and doesn't think everything is about her. I really think Merri thinks she has seniority because she's the first wife. Her and Robin make a good pair. No wonder they're closer to each other. I'd watch Janelle and Christine any day over the other two. Just my personal opinion. Kody, don't feed into Merri's behavior so much. If she gets upset, she'll get over it. I really feel like Kody's on egg shells with Meri.
If Meri ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Robyn caught onto that one pretty quick and uses it to her full advantage. It's their family dynamic reality. I imagine Mariah will be First Wife in her own plyg marriage and will run the show the same way she learned from Mother Meri. She's shown she's a clone of Meri.
The least suckiest positions (let's face it - it all sucks) are First Wife and Last Wife.
I have a very difficult time believing that any prospective husband - plyg or otherwise - would be all that eager to marry Mariah based on the way she generally behaves on the show - the whiny princess crybaby entitled spoiledness we've all seen. And that's thanks to her momma.
Regarding if Robyn was pregnant and, if so, was she being a surrogate for Meri if/when Robyn miscarried...I think the fertility specialist was trying to tell dense Meri that her fertility problems are tied to the fact that her eggs are old or non-existent at this point. (A woman's fertility begins to decline at 27.) It's not a matter of implanting a Meri/Kody embryo into a willing Robyn. The challenge is harvesting viable eggs from Meri in order to create a Meri/Kody embryo. Meri is teasing her SWs and Kody, as well as the viewing audience, because her fertility problems aren't as simple as making her big "decision" about another baby.
I would LOVE to ask the Browns some real, unscripted questions during one of their meet and greets or snake oil sell-a-ramas. I believe that's the only way these people are ever going to be called out in public. I do realize there's no way in hell they'd answer and that the person posing the questions would be politely asked to leave, but I'd LOVE to do it. I'd also have someone along with a good video cam on their cell phone to tape it all. I volunteer to do it if they're ever in the Chicago area.
So, Meri's the family videographer but doesn't even bother to know how to run the freakin' camera??? But a little kid has to point out the obvious to her? That's so typical "business as usual" for this family's ridiculously moronic adults in charge.
Regarding who may stay or go - IMHO, I feel whenever the girls say they've had enough, they will do something. Let's hear from others who have been the prime bread winner of the family for their views. Guys love playing games. Eons ago, I planned for six months - changed jobs, bought own car, got checking acct and credit cards in my name only before I made a move. No young children and love living alone.
I was watching the episode and couldn't even believe how unfair and selfish Kody is to EVEN MENTION to Christine that perhaps she could share her budget with Meri.
Come on. Later he says he was kidding, but he absolutely was not. That right there proves who #1 is that is enough for me to see how little regard he even has for Christine or Jenellle.
Meri is the greediest housewife , sister wives, and reality person on TV in my opinion. It is all about her her her, and she couldn't give a damn about the other women or children. Absolutely selfish.
I am glad Christine said no, she wants to be selfish with her budget and so she should,Meri has way more than she even needs! It is absolutely ridiculous. I really wanted to slap him and her silly in this episode.
And Meri, a grown woman, CRIES when SHE is over-budget! Who sobs like a baby when she alone has overspent funds? And for Kody to ask Christine to further sacrifice for selfish Meri is disgusting. Meri is the most revolting "personality" on TV.
I don't see Janelle playing the victim. That's Meri and Robin , with their whining and crocodile tears.
ReplyDeleteJanelle is a victim, because she doesn't stand up to Meri and Kody. Though clearly Kody sides with Meri, and doesn't stand up to Meri either. Remember the couch session, where Meri tells Kody ominously that Kody needs to listen to her and not bring in "other conversations"? That was Meri warning Kody not to listen to Janelle/Christine's counter arguments to Meri's luxury spending, even though those women have 12 of Kody's legitimate offspring, compared to Meri/Robin, who have only two.
I don't think Janelle tries to get sympathy from viewers by being passive. I don't think she plays to the audience, or much registers on the show or in the family at all. She seems to go through the motions of what the show requires, and lives largely in her own head and for her own children, and is checked out otherwise. We see her smile with her own children, and take joy in them, but with Kody and the adults, she is checked out, not playing to the camera. That's Meri's/Robin's and to a lesser extent, Christine's job. I see those three playing to the camera's (Christine has gotten good at it, though in a bratty/stinging fly way rather than crocodile tears like Meri/Robin.)
Obviously Janelle's finances are tied to these clowns, and she must feel she can't say too much, because if the real truths came out on air, they might risk losing their TLC slot. So she swallows it all down. I'm thinking of her brief headshake and flash of temper when Kody talked about family resources being used for Logan's college. That obviously was a lie, but rather than confront him on air, Janelle let him get away with it.
You can resent her for not rocking the boat on the air (obviously she tries to influence Kody in private, but we can't know how much she succeeds in reining in the others' spending), but I think she only stays now because her kids were raised with Christine's in this merged family, and if she leaves, she knows those kids will be in poverty, (Christine has never held a job, and Kody doesn't give a damn about her) and her kids will miss their half siblings.
Yes, Christine and Janelle need to be stronger together, and perhaps they were , and that's why Meri brought Robin in. (Notice Meri even brought Robin into the house furnishings meeting when Kody tried to impose some limits on Meri).
I really felt for Janelle, already overburdened, when Robin brought in nothing but more debt. Even when Janelle had a budget vacation (camping in a park) compared to the other's expensive ones, she had to rein in Kody, who wanted to buy fancy camping equipment. Janelle (who had the only functioning credit) patiently explained to him her resources were finite. Kody fussed like a five year old denied a candy bar. Kody couldn't even rent an extra truck for the move without Janelle's approval.
Janelle does seem to have low self esteem. I don't think she is overly passive. I think she just doesn't let stuff get to her on the surface as much. If you worked full time, had to commute an hour each way, had six kids, including a toddler, and had to provide for 17 kids and four other rampant spenders, wouldn't you budget your energy? I find it rather refreshing to see how easy going she is with her kids. I also think she is an introvert, and she blows off to her journal (and with emotional eating).
One thing I thought was interesting was how nervous she was about getting out of Utah. Clearly she felt there were issues with the law that were endangering them. I don't think that was acting, so what was it?
I find Janelle interesting. Yes, frustrating at times, but we know she tries to influence Kody, but off camera. And we know Meri resents it, and punishes everyone for it. I just don't think Janelle plays the victim. I do think she tries to use her power, just not in the nasty flamboyant ways that get screen time.
She does seem checked out from the silly, happy vision Kody seems to want to present, more practical. I bet she has a lot to do with the lawsuit. She was the one who got to give the lawyerly answers in their media rounds. "I hope you'll understand the legal action means a lot to us, but we can't talk about while it is still going on."
DeleteI think if Janelle saw a better option, she would take it, but I doubt she has seen one yet, especially when she's already in this deep with the TV show and the lawsuit and everything.
Anon, Very good analysis. You are very insightful. I agree with you completely about Janelle, also about how Meri brought in Robyn to get on her side with the extravagant house options. They truly are a pitiful bunch. I can't imagine sharing my husband and thinking about him having sex with three other women. But I know, it makes them better people, right? Yeah!
DeleteGreat analysis of Jenelle! She doesn't have a toddler tho; her last child is Savanah, who was born in 2004. I don't think she will leave, at least until all her children are raised...maybe then, if she is smart and her self esteem continues to improve.
DeleteJanelle may have looked nervous on camera when getting out of Utah, but I saw her in a later interview laughing about it, and saying they had planned on moving to Las Vegas for some time.
DeleteI see Janelle as someone who is depressed as hell. If you recall when they first moved to LV, she was seen in tears, saying she had no idea what to do anymore after quittin her job. She sits on the coach scenes totally checked out, her emotions are almost always flat, she doesn't want to cause any conflict with the others so she agrees to most anything. She's admitted to being an emotional overeater and while we give her credit for trying to exercise, that doesn't seem to be going as well as it could be. If you read her blog, there's one about self sabbotage. She gives the same pat answers over and over. I rewatched something today and heard her give some answers that my brain can't recall at the moment, but I thought to myself "there it is again the standard Janelle response" She has 3 or 4 responses that fit any question asked.
DeleteI am so NOT making fun of her at all. I think she is seriously depressed (just my opinion of course) and would like to see her get to feeling better if that is indeed what it is. She is also now dealing with her first born leaving the nest, even if it is very close to home, it's hard.
I also think that your analysis is very insightful. Janelle seems to have resigned herself to her situation and now she's just going through the motions. From what I remember, during couch sessions, Janelle gets that thousand-yard stare, slightly red and watery eyes, slumped shoulders, and she doesn't always seem to react to things as they are happening. The only times she seems happy are when she's with her kids.
Delete"Checking out" (also known as "dissociating") is a coping technique people - usually children - develop in response to being in situations where they're abused and powerless to stop the abuse. Checking out prevents the abuse from hurting the person.
If Janelle is actually checking out sometimes and I'm not just making this up, then it makes sense that she doesn't stand up for herself. She's barely even present in the situation - to stand up to, say, Meri, she'd need to be present and able to interact with her and she's learned that there's no percentage in doing that. So she stares at nothing and lets everything just kind of wash over her.
I'm not a doctor but I do have experience in this area: my mom dissociated a lot growing up and then later in life and I also spent parts of my own childhood checked out.
Meri is such a selfish bully.
Anon 1:07, you write as if you have some inside knowledge, which makes your post even more interesting to me. I agree with everything you say. At times, I'm floored by a very insightful and thoughtful comment from Janelle -- such as her observation that the plyg dresses "symbolize a loss of agency." Wow! What has she been reading? That seemed to go otherwise unremarked, but it indicated to me that she's a much more thoughtful and well read person than is generally evident.
DeleteYou might have something there. Meri is taking fall for Kody desires. Meri is his REAL wife and she is about to have no kids in the house. Guess where Kody will be staying most of his time? A big empty house with Meri.
DeleteJanelle is my favorite SW because she has the most common sense of the bunch. She seems to feel the financial pressures more than the others and I'm sure this weighs very heavily on her. Obviously it is very important to her that her children be well educated and go to college like she did and I love that. I take her quiet approach on the couch as not wanting to incite the wrath of Mary. I think behind the quiet exterior there is a molten explosion of resentment. Who could blame her for turning to food for comfort as Kody doesn't seem to be there for her. No wonder she doesn't want to share a house or kitchen with mean (I have a bigger voice) Mary!
DeleteI totally agree on everything you said about Janelle. I've always gotten the vibe that she does not give a flip about anything. She always seems to be in a whole other world when all of the other wives and kody are complaining. I honestly feel bad for her because I know she hates her life and regrets that this is the life that she chose. I'm sure she struggles a lot with her religion and questioning God and that makes me really sad. I wish she could experience true freedom in Christ. I think she's convinced that this is the only way to the Celestial Kingdom and that she just needs to stick it out. I remember a few episodes back when she was talking to the camera and she said something along the lines of "there have been times when I've wondered what would happen if I just up and left? Then my conscious kicks in and my sense of responsibility says No you can't do that" it made me really sad knowing that she probably wants to leave but has all of these fears about the afterlife as well as the well being of her bonus children and her own children if she were to peace out.
DeleteI also like Janelle & coming from an abusive marriage of 35 years, I can identify with her as she detaches from the situation at hand. It took a long time for me to leave because of my children so I know how she might feel. I hope she will finally come to her senses & make her own way without the rest of them. It's a scary thing to do but it's necessary if she ever wants to be truly happy.
DeleteGreat points. I think she looked nervous because she knew leaving Utah spelled financial disaster. They were giving up their jobs, and their affordable house.
ReplyDeleteAnd she cashed in her retirement to provide the funds for the rentals and living expenses until the TLC checks came in. I don't think I could have done that, and seen Meri/Robin not share a house, when it was my retirement funds being used for their lavish lifestyles.
DeleteI hope Kody/Meri/Robin pay Janelle back her retirement and inheritance funds. In fact, perhaps what few viewers they have should lobby Kody and Meri to do that out of their TLC funds, so Janelle doesn't lose them forever.
How do you know that Janelle used her retirement funds to help with the Vegas move? Was it in one of the shows or in the book?
DeleteIf that is what she did, that is awfull. She has just forever screwed her future and retirement.
Her lazy slob sister wives will never pay her back.
They were not exactly "giving up their jobs," as you put it. Meri had just been fired because her employer learned she was in a poly marriage, and Kody was in some similar employement stress. They truly left because of the sheriff's department's ongoing investigation (now suspended), and their fear of prosecution, since Utah is the only state where having a committed relationship with multiple spouses is against the state's constitution. Since that time, Utah's Attorney General has adopted and announced a policy of not prosecuting anyone for a poly marriage alone, only for other offenses, such as child brides, which are associated with the FLDS' practices. But at the time, the Browns had good reason to worry about the Sheriff's investigation. Not to mention the frequent patrols of a sheriff's car past their house, or parking within eyesight of their house and watching them for hours.
DeleteNot sure if Nevada was the best state to move to, but it was much better than Utah for the Browns.
Might want to watch this if you think that's the only reason they moved:
Deletehttp://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/sister-wives-some-questions-about.html
My first reaction when I just read that Janelle gave her retirement money (and all money she's ever made frankly) to help with the ridiculous move, was one of disbelief and "why on earth would she do that". Then I remembered a dear friend I knew that Janelle reminds me so much of. She had a similar give give relationship with her immediate family who were grifter/entitled types and were takers. I remember listening to her talk about why she did the things she did, and it was because it made her feel important and needed. She had low self esteem as well and it made her feel good to be "taking care of" this group of people who would be on the street in rags if it weren't for her. So I wonder if this relationship, that a lot of us can't understand, means a lot to Janelle because she is essentially a "provider" and this is where she gets her self worth from. Just a thought.
DeleteJanelle stated during the Las Vegas move episodes (I believe during the episode when they were all living together in a vacation rental) that all the retirement income had been used to facilitate the move.
DeleteAs far as the jobs issue - Meri and Kody both had "job issues" because they CHOSE to go public, knowing the possible consequences. I note that Janelle kept working in her *state government* job until the family left Utah - so my own personal opinion is that if the state of Utah didn't have a problem with Janelle's living siutation, why would Meri's and Kody's? Unless of course, they had other, underlying reasons for wanting to terminate the two.
We saw in at least one episode that Kody came home early from work, saw he wasn't needed at the house and then decided to take the rest of the day off - this was filmed and shown on the air. You don't think that the folks at YESCO didn't see this? We've all seen that Kody is inherently lazy, and also if memory serves he never said he was fired - he said that one of his accounts decided they wanted to work with a different sales rep and that got him called on the carpet.
as far as Meri, first off it was a part time job only, secondly we don't even know if she was getting paid of if it was just a volunteer thing, and third...it was working with troubled kids...after seeing the way she treats her own family she just doesn't seem like the best person for that job...?
IMO if Meri and Kody were exemplary employees that did their jobs well, then their employers would more than likely have kept them on as long as they wanted a job. Look at Janelle for example.
Anon 3:20 stated that since the Browns left, "Utah's attorney general has adopted and announced a policy of not prosecuting..." etc. Actually that policy has been in place for quite some time - WELL before the Browns ever went public - I think since 2003? In fact it was mentioned in the first episode of Season 2 of Big Love which if memory serves aired in 2008 or so - the finale of S1 was Barb being asked to leave the Mother of the Year ceremony because they found she was plyg. Early in Ep 1 of S2, Bill was talking to his attorney (I think) and the attorney told him, as long as he's not marrying underage girls or committing welfare fraud, then the attorney general doesn't care about the polygamy aspect (and Bill got really upset for some reason - LOL).
One more thing - back to the police cars cruising etc. If you go back to S2 of SW, it opened up with the family peeking out their windows at the papparazzi taking photos outside their home and they were concerned...so what would you do if there were strangers lurking about? why call the police of course...which is what the Browns did...and since papparazzi are really tenacious when it comes to getting their photos so they can make their money...the police had to stick around. That's their JOB. and since Lehi is apparently a hotbed of plyg families, I would be willing to bet that there are at least a few officers on the force who are living the lifestyle.
As Meri says "creative editing"....
also, and I've said this before, given how much (little) Janelle was earning, her actual time at her job, and the fact that she had six children to feed...I doubt she was able to contribute all that much to her 401(k) therefore I am guessing that at most she probably had a few thousand dollars in her "retirement fund" at the time she left her job. which of course, when she withdrew it, she had to pay taxes and substantial penalties, not leaving all that much...
DeleteI have been working in the retirement industry since July and I am no expert, but if you have to touch your retirement account for something, you don't do that - unless it is catastrophic medical bills or something. The arrogance of the family to ask her to deplete her retirement is astounding.
DeleteI have a question. The couch scene with Meri and Kody after it showed her picking her options for the house: Kody was explaining that he thought Meri brought Robyn in to "validate" her selections and Meri made a weird sarcastic comment like "well let's just keep putting the blame on somebody else". What does that mean? I have no idea what she's talking about. I think she's implying that Kody is to blame but won't admit it.....but to blame for what? What did he do besides try to reign in her spending? I'm missing something...
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is Kody who wanted the fifth bedroom, etc, the biggest house and Meri took the fall for it with her wet bar whining? But I just doubt that. We know Kody is a ridiculous spender, but he's also not at all secretive about it. His cars, motorcycles, etc. When he wants to spend money, he may find some ridiculous way to justify it (he needed that new gold car for his job), but he doesn't seem shy about parading his reasoning.
DeleteThat comment was really weird, I can't even imagine living near this woman. It sounded to me like these were things Kody wanted, but Meri got blamed for them??? But those were such stupid things to go over budget on, I can't imagine even Kody wanting them.
DeleteThe other way I read it was it was Kody's fault for not making enough money, but certainly no one would say that out loud while they were buying McMansions.
Anon, do you maybe think that some of Meri's childish selfish demands might in fact be Kody's?
DeleteAt times I think this sham of a family is no longer even remotely interested in the spiritual aspects of their "lifestyle" anymore. I feel that anything and everything that do now is based on their self image as famous people.
They need expensive homes to show their status.
I'm wondering if the wizard of odd, Mr. Kody, himself, doesn't want the one house that isn't full of kids,toys,dirty dishes,dirty clothes etc., as "his" house?? Maybe he wants that wet bar for when the cameras aren't rolling and when he needs to impress his new worldly Vegas friends.
Maybe he likes for his old Mare to take the heat about choices and she's just weird enough to equate being his fall-gal as love.
I dunno....can't stand any of them. They're such hypocrites but hey..all that new money that can be spent right here & now is so much more real than all those spiritual riches supposedly up there,right?
She's projecting. She's putting the blame for her inability to make reasonable, affordable choices on Kody and then she projects the 'blame game' onto Kody and makes it out like he was blaming others.
DeleteAll Kody was asking when they were doing the selections was that she keep within the budget. She totally freaked out about that and demanded to be last because IMHO she wanted to see if the other wives had budget leftovers and use those leftovers to pay for her extra wishes.
I get that this builder is offering houses like a car dealer offers cars. You get a standard model, and then there are options you can select. But I don't understand why they can't ask/insist that this builder do a custom touch of two. Meri ran up the cost of her house to get a little extra counter space, in the form of a wet bar, which necessitated something else, which necessitated another bedroom she didn't want. As a homebuilder, and designer, it staggers me that she would find it necessary to add 200+ square feet of home to get 15 square feet of counter space!
DeleteI further don't understand, and they haven't discussed, why they don't build another house with four separate apartments, similar to what they enjoyed in Utah??? Maybe that is complex, since such a dwelling would not fit in lenders' loan packages, or on standard lots, etc. But surely it could be presented as an apartment building to such parties. Any designer could readily draw up some plans.
OK, so they have elected to have four separite houses. Why would they want them at the back of this cul de sac? Why not back to back, but facing two separate streets, so their back yards could all adjoin with much less distance between?
I don't understand their choice housing.
Anon 3:31 - according to the builders website these ARE custom homes - or at least "semi custom". I guess because they got to pick their own carpet/floor coverings, cabinet colors etc etc.
DeleteThere was one ep this past season where the family met with the builders and Kody asked if they could have the wet-bar without the extra room, and the builder just said no because they would have to submit new plans to the city and it would cost more money and yada yada.
Also if you read past blog posts the idea of building or buying a fourplex was discussed and Kody himself addressed this in a tweet and said it was because of resale and permits I think?
The way I heard/interpreted it, Kody initially said Meri brought in Robyn to be "on her side" and Meri took offense at that statement ("Really? Is that how you see this relationship?!"). Kody then changed/corrected his statement to say he meant "validate her" and then started to whine that he had reasons to be reacting the way her was that day. And then Meri said to "Keep blaming it on someone else..." I thought her statement was more frustration that he wasn't taking any responsibility for the fact that the way he approached that options discussion from the minute she entered the room contributed to her reaction. And I thought she brought Robyn in so the discussion would be clearer - Robyn had already been through it and would be more helpful explaining the process and choices than Kody. He has not patience and is not a good communicator. I don't think Meri brought Robyn in to be on her side or to validate her - I think she brought her in to "translate" the process and help control Kody's little outbursts.
DeleteAnd although Meri frustrated me a lot with all of her house "needs" throughout these discussions, I thought she was right to feel awkward with how he approached her in that meeting. He'd already been through it once and knew she'd end up over, so overcompensated and was restricting her before she even knew the lay of the land on the choices. He would have been smarter to just go through the options so she understood and picked everything she thought she wanted and then they could look at how far over they were and start working together to cut back and make adjustments. But he didn't do that; he started putting her on the defense immediately. I would have been annoyed too, if I were Meri sitting in that meeting.
In the episode where each wife was brought in separately to talk about the extras for each of their new homes--Christine Jannell and Roben all knew how their budget was looking. Along comes Meri and acts all surprised that she was already over budget but it didn't stop her from adding on another $4500.
DeleteAnd being the man (?) that he is Kody questioned Christine about if she really needed the stone on the front of her house but didn't say word one about French doors or a wetbar!! Way to wear those "big boy" pants!!!
We've talked it to death but I really think the Robyn being pregnant/miscarrying issue is easily solved by asking one question- Do the Browns love money enough to hide a miscarriage and have it presented in a time and way that will get them the most bang for their buck? I think we all know the answer to that question. So it's easy for me to understand why they just kept mum this time, even if that's not how they normally handle these things and even if it's for no other reason than money/success of their show.
ReplyDeleteWow, so I haven't watched this show in over a year and I just saw the clip of secrets revealed on youtube.... Meri looks so different than what I remember from when I watched the show regularly. WOW. I know it's not just makeup and hair and all that jazz. Someone mentioned a nose job awhile back and I balked at that but oh my goodness it's looks like she has had some minor work done on her nose and around her eyes possibly. However her skin and lips are so swollen and puffy and the overall effect of whatever she had done doesn't sit well with me. It just looks odd to me. I can't place exactly what the changes are but they are apparent to me and shocking after having not watched the show in so long.
ReplyDeleteMeri's thyroid is definitly not working properly and that is why she looks so puffy. I have seen this many times. I am in the health care field.
DeleteAnon 2:33 pm thank you for offering a medical answer. I've asked many times and no one seemed to either notice it or know what the real cause could be. Thanks!
DeleteAnon 2:33
DeleteI'm so glad you said something about Meri's thyroid. She definitely has the puffy thyroid face neck. It could explain her fertility issues, her rollercoaster of emotions and her weight gain.
I have to disagree with the thyroid issue. I don't think she has that puffy look at all. She has the typical pre-menopause look. IMO
DeleteI am also in the health field and have thyroid issues myself
Some of these veiwers have no way of knowing, but it is interesting how many symptoms of "common hypothyroidism" Meri presents on the show. I'm not even a nurse on tv, so take my discovered list lightly.
Delete•Fatigue/exhaustion
•Serious difficulty losing weight
•Gaining weight inappropriately
•Depression/anxiety
•Low sex drive, or no sex drive
•Pains, aches and stiffness in joints, hands and feet
•Carpal tunnel syndrome
•Difficulty concentrating
•Memory problems
•Feeling cold, especially cold hands/feet
•Infertility
•Frequent miscarriage
•Stillbirth or premature birth
•Constipation
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/publicawareness/a/oprah_4.htm
I don't know if this will go through, as my posts aren't being allowed. If the moderators would contact me, I would appreciate it so I can either leave or stay. The post about Meri's appearance hit me in a different way. She has gained significant weight, enough that her face would be affected. I don't think she's had a nose job. The only difference I see in here is her horrible size, and a nicer hair cut. And can someone tell me once and for all why the plygs wear tank tops over their regular shirts, even in blistering weather? They are all skin tight, and nothing is kept secret, so why the tanks?
Deletepollypinks - if you are having any trouble, please see the guidelines at the top right of the blog. I am not sure which posts you are referring to. Maybe that will help!
DeleteI just posted about watching the youtube video and forgot to mention how pleasant it is to hear Janelle talk. Her demeanor, her face, the way she speaks, and the sound of her voice are just... pleasant. I could listen to her all day long and it's so refreshing compared to the other three wives who just grate on my nerves.
ReplyDeleteagreed, and I like her fashion sense - no baby doll tops with long sleeves underneath.
DeleteHaha, Kody probably feels that way too but would never say it.
DeleteJanelle is beautiful!! She is my favorite sister wife for sure. I feel like I could be friends with her in real life.
DeleteI just had a visual of Kody in a long sleeve shirt with a babydoll top over it.. He and Meri would look like twins!
DeleteAnonymous (1:07) you made some very good points about the family. When I read the book I felt sorry for Janelle and Christine, but I don't anymore. I admire Janelle. I think she has a good head on her shoulders (outside of the plural wife thing). I do think she would be gone if not for the kids. Christine disappointed me in her acceptance of Kody's behavior towards her. It seems pretty obvious he doesn't care that much for her or Janelle (I don't think Janelle gives a hoot), but Christine holds on for dear life. I wish they would all open their eyes and see that there is more to life than what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteThey do have great kids though. I've enjoyed watching the teenagers come into their own. I think they'll do good in life.
I am sure Christine and Janelle feel at this point they are staying for the sake of the kids. Their kids welfare is clearly very important to them.
DeleteThey have both worked to get their real estate licences and they will do something with them.
Don't see Meri or Robyn doing anything to better themselves now or in the future. They are the real blood suckers in this bunch.
Christine and Janelle have only passed the RE test - they aren't licensed as yet.
DeleteThey could be staying for the kids at this point, that would make sense. Lots of women do that and the kids are certainly bonded to the whole family.
DeleteBut from a religious belief standpoint, assuming they still really believe their faith, they truly are "holding on for dear life" (as Crimson said above). Although more accurately they are "holding on for dear afterlife." By marrying him, they have guaranteed Kody's "ticket" into the top level of the Celestial Kingdom and he will become a god. But he has to resurrect them and call them into his kingdom. He can choose not to call them and they will be relegated to a lower level of the celestial heaven. They have to try to earn their "ticket" every day of their lives, and even then it's still up to Kody to choose to call their name and resurrect them and reunite them all with the kids. (Of course, logic would say the kids won't be there as they will have moved on to another group via their own marriage, but it's tiring to try to bring logic into this type of discussion.)
If they really do believe that, it's a pretty strong reason to stay.
Anon5:45 - I've wondered about that...if it were me that was married to Kody (fiction - it would never happen, even if I were the only one dumb enough to agree to a monogamous marriage), I might be tempted to 'live the life' here in order to make sure I could give Kody Hell in the eternities. That would not only be a little slice of Heaven, but also justice for the crap he's put me through on Earth.
DeleteThe option of NOT being called by him is a nice one, too. NOT being with Kody is my idea of Heaven.
Anon 7:40, LOL. Totally agree. An eternity with Kody seems more like hell than heaven. And can you imagine how disorganized and chaotic his planet will be??? Yikes.
DeleteAnon 8:48pm "And can you imagine how disorganized and chaotic his planet will be??? Yikes." LOL!
DeleteHe'd probably like television cameras to continue following him as well, channel KODY.
Lots of questions about carpet vs. hardwood floors and I just had to throw in my experience.
ReplyDeleteIn Albuquerque according to Zillow, there are 2700 homes for sale. Filtering with hardwood takes that number to 182. The reason IMO and IME only, is that both Las Vegas and Albuquerque have so much sand that sand damages the hardwood floors.
We live in an area that is well established now, but when we moved in 10 years ago there was a lot of construction all around this area and the amount of sand I removed from our house every day was unbelievable. Now that the construction has pretty much slowed, I still collect a fair bit daily, but it's much better.
Imagine all that sand and the hardwood floors. They would be ruined. I would assume this is why the Browns didn't have an option for hardwood. A big thing in the Southwest right now is stained concrete because it holds up to pretty much everything. We've had stained concrete in our living room and hall for about 5 years and love it. The rest of the areas are ceramic tile. Clean up is quick and easy with these surfaces.
I live in a very expensive house, and I'll add that carpet is great for one thing -- it keeps noise levels down. Imagine how NOISY the houses of Janelle and Robyn and Christine are -- and although I love my stained concrete in my rec room (clean up is super super easy) and I have tile in my dining room and kitchen (ideal for a toddler who likes to "help" when cooking and still throws food on the floor while eating) it is very nice to have carpet in the living area for some peace and quiet! So there are some of us who do prefer it, even when we can choose anything we like!
DeleteGEML - I'm guessing underneath your carpet there is a beautiful hardwood floor.
DeleteDidn't think of the sand issue for hardwood, although i'm near the Pacific Coast it doesn't come up very often.
If hardwood wasn't feasible, I'd do some other sort of durable flooring and lay down big rugs, but that's just me...
I can remember reading that wall to wall carpeting was considered a sign of being 'wealthy'. Wood floors were a sign of being 'poor', but one step up from dirt floors. Times have changed and nowadays, it's wooden floors that are coveted over the old wall to wall.
DeleteIf you watch shows like Property Ladder or Flip this House, the new owners are almost always shown ripping up a corner of carpeting hoping to find a wooden floor underneath. On the flip side, does anyone remember TLCs Trading Spaces when Hildy replaced a homeowner's beloved brand new Berber carpeting with subflooring in her makeover of his bedroom? (yes, SUBFLOORING!) The homeowner was NOT amused.
I like tile but it's cold and really hard. I have tile in my entry way, which I use to love until I drop a bottle of spaghetti sauce that I was taking to the kitchen to put away. I felt like I was Joan Crawford on my knees scrubbing that damn floor - now THAT was a mess.
OMG CJ you're a Property Ladder viewer too!!! I have about 15 of the episodes on my DVR...love love love that show...
DeleteAnd not only hoping to find a wooden floor - no matter how crappy the location, 97 percent of PL flippers insist that granite countertops are absolutely required!
The problem with granite is that unless you really take good care of it, in no time it looks like crap. My son and his wife live in a rental with granite that has no been cared for and it looks awful. No matter how much it is cleaned it looks dirty. My daughter has it in her upscale house and even with regular care it is starting to dull. It really needs special products made for granite to stay newer looking. I can only imagine how long it will take the Brown's granite in their cheaply made houses to look like crap. I know most people prefer granite, but if I was building a house I would put in good quality tile.
DeleteI agree. I love Corian and Silestone. Granite is porous and in large kitchens shows seams. It is also high maintenance and difficult to repair.My Corian is very easy to take care of, looks brand new, there are no visible seams and it is very easy to repair. I plan on having it installed in the new house as well.
DeleteI was a Trading Spaces fan until I found out that lots of what the viewers saw was staged and that they usually did a really bad job. I hadn't known that before because reality tv was still new then and I felt betrayed. I might have continued to watch but I was tired of the designers pushing the limits just because they could and pushing the homeowner's tolerances by painting wood or doing ridiculous wall treatments (fake flowers glued to a bathroom wall, anyone?).
DeleteGranite in the wild is pretty but it has to be finished and properly cared for to look good in a kitchen. If I was building a house (or if we ever refinish our kitchen), I'd go with a manufactured quartz or quartzite countertop. It can look like stone (or not, depending on your preferences) but isn't porous so it doesn't require the same finishing or care as granite. I like tile, too, but the grout can get dirty and be difficult to clean. I definitely love a tile backsplash.
I love hardwood floors, especially the wide-plank type, but they don't work everywhere. Getting sand out of carpet could be difficult depending on the carpet type but it would be better than sand-scratched hardwood. Concrete could look really nice, especially with some area rugs to deaden the sound and add colour. I might also consider tiled or stone floors if cost was no object, which appears to be the case for the Brown family.
It's so easy to spend someone else's money :)
Well I have hardwood in my living room and hallway, carpet in bedrooms only and ceramic tile in wet areas. I love my hardwood because it's beautiful but can't imagine having 17 kids in and out on it. It would be scratched and knicked in no time, so I think not getting it is smart. Wonder if Meri will get it? Also I have granite too and I cannot imagine a house of that scale not having it. I don't know what kind I have, but mine cleans up beautifully and easily.
DeleteThis is our second house, but first new construction. Picking out the trimmings was hard and stressful (lol) but a "fun" stress. They acted miserable about it, especially Meri. Probably a sign that she was in over her head. In the end, we just picked what we thought would work and hoped for the best. It turned out nice, but there are a couple of things I'd do differently if I could go back. You know they have never bought a new house and don't know what they're doing, which is probably why they don't look that impressive. They tried. For some reason, I bet Meri did her research and I bet hers will be very nice. - Mock Jobs
I've had granite counters for 12 years and they still look brand-spanking new. They're very easy to take care of. Once a month, I put a polishing conditioner on them (i have a huge kitchen and it takes 10-15 minutes max to condition them) and they always have stayed shiny glass looking. Wouldn't want anything else ever personally.
DeleteActually, granite is not the latest thing anymore, there are so many better choices now, in the past few years it has become even more affordable as well. Marble, (several styles, price ranges) as well as stainless, even concrete, (form of) are just a few of the new countertops being offered, and alot on several home shows as well. I know Jeff from Flipping Out, refuses to install granite anymore, too many other more flattering options. So my guess is, granite is being offered in these homes because it is now the most affordable, albeit not easy to take care of, countertop for these homes.
DeleteI can guarantee there is no hardwood under those Carpets. I had a home exactly like the ones they are building... underneath is like concrete and plywood! I had my house remodeled in Vegas.. no basements either. They got ripped off on those houses...
DeleteNever been a big granite fan - one of the Prop Ladder flippers poured concrete countertops, those looked awesome!
DeleteMe...I prefer butcher block. I know they need to be regularly conditioned/oiled but I love the look and feel...unfortunately I have white tile with big black grout in between. Ugh!
Prop Ladder was filmed between 2005-07 when I guess granite was hot (along with stainless)...doesn't surprise me that it's not as popular as it used to be.
Huh, I have granite in my kitchen.....I've been in my house 8 years, and the folks we bought the place from had put it in 2 years earlier. It still looks like new...all I do is clean it like normal.....easy. Maybe there's different grades of the stuff?
DeleteCynical Jinx -- I remember that episode of Trading Spaces well...I though Hildy was crazy!
In Nevada and Arizona it's very popular to do concrete floors. Unless you've seen them, I know it may sound weird, but they are beautifully done. You cannot tell by the look, and designs can be added, and they live forever, thus dealing with many children's dirty feet coming and going. I've had hardwood before, for almost 20 years, and I'd study concrete in a heartbeat if I had as many children as the Brown's do. So I guess I'm just validating, oops, Kody speaking here, the previous post speaking up for concrete.
DeleteDo they only have vertical blinds in Vegas?
DeleteFake Fan - yes, there are definitely different grades of granite as well as flavors. I've seen ugly and expensive and pretty but cheap quality. We picked ours out at a granite farm and it was a high quality stone as well as uniquely beautiful . Plus, it's been very easy to maintain and keep looking new after all these years. I still love it.
DeleteI thought those 3 choices they had to pick from were all hideous looking and i'm sure were also very cheap.
Can someone sum up the lawsuit info? I must have missed it on the show.
ReplyDeleteIf it was on the secrets revealed Q&A show, I confess (someone chime in that I am not the only one!) that I couldn't watch it all. I watched the kids, but I couldn't stand to see the Meanie/Sobbin show with Kodoof in the middle.
The lawsuit, ultimately, is to change the Utah state constitution and decriminalize polygamy. It will almost certainly take a Supreme Court decision to do this (and once a Supreme Court decision comes down, any other state that has such a provision or law would also be struck down.) This isn't the same as getting polygamy legalized (which I don't think even Mormon fundamentalists want) but it would no longer be a felony.
DeleteIt will probably take anywhere from 5-10 years before it makes it to the Supreme Court. This is because in part, Utah doesn't want to deal with it. They would like nothing more than the drop the Browns' case altogether, but every time they do, the Browns (and Jonathan Turley -- their top drawer -- and very expensive, Constitutional law attorney) countersue to keep the case going.
I know that some have thought that Turley is doing the case pro-bono, but I'd be shocked if this were the case. (pun intended.) We're talking hundreds, if not thousands of hours of his life, and it isn't as though he is a young man trying to make a name for himself before the Supreme Court -- he already has his "white feather" as it's known in DC. I'm sure he is being paid for his time, and that time isn't coming cheaply. Plus, there would be expenses for paralegals, research, etc. And I doubt very much that the Browns are paying for it. I'd love to know who IS paying -- and perhaps that same organization is responsible for underwriting the loans on the houses? After all, these fundamentalists groups have a LOT to gain if polygamy is decriminalized, and they have a lot of money.
For instance, the FLDS took millions in tax dollars to build an airport through the Homeland Security bill -- all pushed through by Senator Orrin Hatch (I'm sure there was an arrangement to have them block vote for him. I could probably check precinct voting records for those districts back in the early 2000's, but I'm too lazy, but no politician gives away money for nothing....I live in the DC area.....) That airport was constructed with FLDS labor, and it's almost certain that the people who built it weren't paid actual wages. Probably many were young boys who should have been in school. The "church" pocketed most of that money. Some of that trust is being held and investigated by the State of Utah, but who knows how much was socked away before the state got ahold of it?
I'm sure the AUB is financially pretty well off too. 10% of tithe is a pretty good set up, if people actually pay it. (This goes for any religious organization.) There is plenty of money for paying for attorney fees, and underwriting the Browns homes would be a pittance.
I'm sure Turley is handling the case pro bono. He's a law professor at GW Law School. He has a source of income. I went to GW Law and had him for a class. He's a publicity hound and this is not his first high-profile case.
DeleteI'm convinced Meri is a narcissist and a bully. I'm shocked by how deferential everyone is to Meri. I believe the reason is that Meri is the most vindictive and the most likely to reveal any possible welfare fraud the Browns may have committed. Therefore, she has the upper hand and she uses it freely.
ReplyDeleteMeri is most definitely a narcissist and a bully in my professional and personal opinion. Agree with Anon 2:40 pm.
DeleteI kind of feel like Meri doing the video for Logan was to show her in a better light with the viewers - like look at me participating in all the going away stuff. Did anyone notice when they gave Logan the presents - Janelle was not involved in actually giving the presents - it was Meri and Robin? Something about that just struck me as odd - maybe Janelle didn't want to be associated with what was being gifted?
ReplyDeleteAs for the lawsuit - I watched the Secrets Revealed show twice and I don't think it was mentioned at all.
Well, the quilt IS ugly. I wouldn't want to be part of that gift, either. Maybe she gave Logan something in private that was just from her.
DeleteI also think the producers were sort of trying to show Meri in a positive light with the video. Well, except that she didn't know how to work her camera and had to redo the "interviews" with the kids.
Even more than the quilt being ugly, my guess is that Janelle wasn't participating in the gifting of it because it's such a wildly inappropriate gift for a young man going off to University. Even if you assume that he's going to be sleeping alone (and Janelle's given hints that she doesn't necessarily think that's likely), can you imagine the faces of his new friends seeing his family plastered all over his bed? Even if he were in a monogamous family that would put him well into the creepy zone. And having it reversible so that he has the 'choice' not to show his family is a joke, unless you assume that his bed is always going to be perfectly made, and weighted down so that no one can ever possibly see the family pics.
DeleteKudos to Logan for at least trying to be gracious about it- he's pretty obviously not thrilled with the idea of his new classmates being confronted with his family situation (his face when Kody suggested that 'the family' visit his dorm was pretty terrified), so I give him credit for at least trying to act pleased.
Good write up on the Janelle perspective. I remember thinking her fear was real when they were leaving Utah and since she didn’t have the family history of arrests that Christine and Robyn did (their grandfathers or further back were put in prison for polygamy) and that Janelle seems to be the most logical of the group. I think what she was really worried about was being charged with fraud by Utah. There is documented evidence that Christine was on food stamps and there is speculation that Janelle got some governmental assistance for child care for her kids (which we also speculated she ‘paid’ to Christine). When filing for these and other governmental assistance, each wife would have to say they were single mothers and either did not know the name of the father(s) or could not locate him. So basically they committed fraud….and maybe Kody reminded Janelle of that which is why she was so nervous given that she worked for the State of Utah at the time. She most certainly would have been fired and they would have lost their benefits and it would have been made public. So that is my opinion of where the fear really came from for both Janelle and Kody. I think the other wives really believed they were going to be arrested. And I think Kody just flat-out wanted to live in Las Vegas.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Janelle is probably going to stick around - probably until it gets down to just she and Savannah. It would be incredibly disruptive to the other kids lives to remove them from the close proximity of the other kids. Also, I do think Janelle’s kids really do love and care about Christine. I don’t see them acting that way towards Meri but maybe that’s just what the producers want us to see. I also think that Janelle lives mostly alone , without Kody, as a functioning single mother 90% of the time. Unlike Christine, I think she is ok with that. I think she is just going along to get along and will eventually move on down the road…maybe never even officially get a ‘divorce’ (although they aren’t legally married) and move on with her life. She wouldn’t legally have to do anything. I also suspect that she got the ‘cheapest’ of the homes so that she would have the money for Logan’s college. Janelle would not sacrifice her son’s education over a wet bar or sliding door.
Remember, she made this conversion to AUB from LDS after a divorce and she was 19 or 20. She was vulnerable and Kody came along and showed her some scriptures and she went along with it. She started having babies right away and had little time to think about what she was doing. Now that she is late 30s, she is more mature and probably is doing her own research and questioning of what she has been ‘told’. After all, she did say that Joseph Smith is “just a man” which I think is a lot for her to say considering Janelle rarely speaks.
I honestly cannot watch this show anymore! This latest episode about the houses and Meri's selfishness was so out of control. Her final statement of "well I guess I'm just over budget" was so flippant. When did she get so greedy and selfish? She is a mean person. How can she justify a 5 bedroom home with a wet bar.....no wait additional counter space......when she's going to be an empty nester in less than 9 months? Can someone please explain to me how in the world this group got approved for 4 $450,000 homes? How? What's so sad is that you and I both know they will be facing foreclosure when TLC pulls the plug on this sham. I literally could not get through 15 minutes of this show. It's deleted from my DVR and from my life. SWB is my only way to get this info. And what's the deal with Sol the wonder baby wearing headphones? Even if Robchin is nursing this baby the child does NOT need to go everywhere with the family. I'm so disgusted with this clan. They are the biggest bunch of greedy fame whores I've ever seen. They are no more about religion of polygamy. I'm DONE!
DeleteI don't really understand Meri's reason for the wet bar. More counter space for entertaining that is what an island in the kitchen is for. Correct me if I am wrong but most wet bars are in the family room. Which means you don't need the extra fifth bedroom.
DeleteAgree, CPA Carol. And Janelle older kids are the most outspoken in their personal choice to not live the lifestyle and of the religion - especially Maddie, who has made comments about both their AUB religion and mainstream mormanism. I have to believe at least Maddie is having some conversations with her Mom about it.
DeleteSpeaking of Janelle being "stuck".....she would never be truly free of them because her mother is also in a polygamus marriage to Kody's father
DeleteDid Kody really say that Meri should finance the washer and dryer because he didn't feel like hauling in and setting it up?!
ReplyDeleteyep, he really said that, out loud, on camera. LAZY AND DUMB, not a good combination
DeleteI just watched the episode for what seems the upteenth time writing my review, and yep, that's exactly what he said! Financed over the life of that mortgage - just doesn't make sense.
DeleteI thought that was a crazy comment too. I am sure he could pay someone to haul it in for him and Christine can set them up. She showed the camera's how she can set them up herself when they moved Robyn to the house in Lehi. In fact, if you buy them at Sears or somewhere I am pretty sure they deliver them right to you and set them up. Why did they need new washers and dryers anyway? They moved theirs from Utah.
DeleteHere's what I think -- These people are not long-term planners. They live in the moment. They have no intention of ever paying off these houses. Did you see Kody's look at Christine when she said she looked forward to owning the homes free and clear? It was like "Are you fu@king nuts?" They will live high off the hog - getting the 'best' of everything - as long as the party lasts, and then they will just walk away.
DeleteIf you know you're never going to honour your financial commitments, you may as well finance as much as you can. Keep your up-front costs as low as possible so the whole house of cards lasts a little longer.
Then 4 more bankruptcies and back to Utah.
Totally unfair to the kids, but maybe they tru(e)ly believe God will provide.
My husband's reply to me asking if he would finance a washer and dryer with a house was the same as when I asked for an unneeded matching dryer when our washer recently went out. The answer was NO WAY. I must say he did buy me a very nice washing machine. We don't finance such items and did'nt have the cash for a dryer we did'nt need. Must be nice to get new ones just because you don't feel like moving the ones you have. Talk about lazy.
DeleteI'm guessing their rental homes came with washer/dryer so they belonged to the landlord.
DeleteAnd yup - when my washer went on the fritz and my landlord took me to Sears to pick out a new one ( <3 my landlord!!) the price included delivery and set up. That was some years ago so not sure if they still do that...
Question - if I have pics from Twitter accounts how do I share?
ReplyDeleteYou could link to them here and people could go to the photos that way or you could email the owners of the blog (over on the right hand side is an email address) and let them decide whether to post them or not.
DeleteGreat insight... It is hard to believeJanelle is in her 30s!
ReplyDeleteI am just re watching the secrets revealed show and Even when I watched the show the 1st time there were no secrets revealed it was all rehash . Someone mentioned that Meri nose looked different. I think they maybe right I froze the picture at a point when there was picture in Picture from a scene filmed before to the show and she has had to have something done it's not make up reason I think this is in older pics her nose kinds points upward and has a bulb like tip and her nostrils are bigger. Her nose on Secrets Revealed is smaller doesn't point up and nostrils don't appear as big thats just my opinion and maybe I'm wrong what do others think?
ReplyDeleteI think she had her nose redone too. Hard to believe that change was just makeup.
DeleteThe thought of going back to find youtube clips of Meri's nostrils made me laugh out loud! Man, we have all lost it - me at the very top of that list! :-)
DeleteI believe her nose looks so different because of the huge amount of weight she has gained. That would explain why her nose looks so much smaller, her face (cheeks, chin, etc.) is simply so much larger. I know that sounds mean - I don’t want to be mean just trying to understand the change. And CPA Carol, I love your comment - so true, we have all gone nuts, but it’s so much fun :)
DeleteI agree that Meri's "nose" is not surgically altered, but is down to weight gain and fluid retention..and maybe some professional makeup sculpting....and complimentary camera angles.
Delete(Gawd, I too can't believe that I am actually commenting on this)
I actually thought she might have been hitting the bottle...you know that nose that a drinker gets.
DeleteI am new to this blog and CPA Carol, I feel as though I have lost it too! It is sooo much fun! This blog has kept me ammused while I have been bed-ridden..
DeleteCPA Carol I have to disagree...I was already nuts before this show/blog which is just bringing out my innate nuttiness. :-)
DeleteI think they moved to Vegas because production costs in vegas are probably cheaper with local film crews and such. I wonder what film permits were required in lehi if any.
ReplyDeleteI just read Janelle's blog entry. It was very insightful to where her head is at. I wanted to post part of it, but decided the entire thing is worth the read.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.discovery.com/sister-wives/2013/01/what-tense-are-you.html
Janelle's blog entries are enjoyable! The boxing one (hit like a girl) claims she envisions someone's face on the bag at times. Whose face do you think she punches the most? Ha ha ha
DeleteAlso, the picture of her and Kody in the top right corner (meet the author) looks like she is thinking, "Do I have to touch him?" Lol
Yes, that was a good blog. I haven't read the boxing one yet, it sounds funny!
DeleteAs tweeted (or re-tweeted, meaning she's quoting someone else's tweet) by Meri today.
ReplyDelete"@dannygokey: Don't let your salary or what you think you don't have stand in the way of changing someone else's life." Totally agree!
Does she think she's actually changing lives? In what way? She is delusional. Or my translation in her mind "Don't let money or what you don't have stop you from getting what you want."
I finally watched the final episode and Janelle says something to the effect that "in the end I'm just glad that I was able to get what I needed". It's like she didn't even consider what she might like to have, but only what she needed. She's so practical it's painful to watch.
Does she think she's actually changing lives?
DeleteReminds me of Courtney Stodden, who at 16 married a man older than her father. I watched Couple Therapy show she was on with her hubby, and she also claimed she was not only changing lives, she was SAVING lives too. By wearing slut clothes. She was serious.
This is the woman who just turned 18 last summer and the first thing she did was audition for Playboy. She was turned down for not being real enough.
Interesting. Random fyi - Danny Gokey is the guy from American Idol a couple seasons back who lost his wife.
DeleteCynical Jinx - I also watched Couples Therapy, it was surprising that Courtney actually thought she was 'saving lives'! Nik gave an an interesting interview regarding Courtney: 'Couples Therapy' Co-Star: 'She Is Hiding A Lot Of Dark Secrets' http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/courtney-stodden-couples-therapy_n_2206125.html
DeleteSorry for the multiple posts, but I keep finding gems that I feel I need to share.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at Danny Gokey's twitter account I found a tweet that I really wish Meri would have re-tweeted instead of the one I posted above.
@dannygokey: "We don't begin to know what freedom is until we come to a place in our lives where we have no need to impress anybody."
LOL I am the Grand Poobah of multiple posts. :=P
DeleteI dont think there is a plastic surgeon alive that would let meri walk out with just a nose job. We all see how she over spent on rediculous options on her house. She would go ahead and get Lipo chin work her upper lip to sqare up and some injectables. So no I don't believe she has had anywork done.
ReplyDeleteI just checked out Meri's twitter page and IMO she is clearly caught up in her own delusions. She retweets these selective inane things that she twists in her to mind to make sense how she feels it should. Ridiculous. It makes no sense to anyone who has sense. She's losing touch with reality.
ReplyDeleteMeri's re-tweets remind me of Kate Gosselin who re-tweets stupid platitudes constantly.
DeleteThat quilt Robyn's sister made for Logan, while apparently well-constructed, was all kinds of ugly. Turning it over to hide the faces wouldn't hide the fugly triangle edging.
ReplyDeleteI understand financing the blinds and washer/dryer because by doing that, they don't have to pay for that stuff up front. However, from a long-term perspective, it's a very expensive decision. They'll end up paying three or four times the value of the blinds and washer/dryer at the end of the day (assuming that they don't foreclose on the homes, that is).
It's interesting that Janelle and Christine, who each have the most kids, have the least expensive houses. The houses are still ridiculously huge, but it doesn't seem right for the two with the least number of children to have the most expensive houses.
I have no idea where Meri is going to get the extra $5K for going over budget since she doesn't have an independent income. She didn't seem to care about going over budget and got mad at Kody when he was trying to get her to choose less expensive options. She freaked out at the idea that he already knew that she was over budget and she didn't know about it.
It's sort of hilarious to me that Meri "needed" the most expensive, hugest home of all of them and she still hasn't closed on the house. I suspect the house is finished - it shouldn't take that much extra time to build the extra bedroom and whatnot - and Meri and Kody didn't get that house. Or maybe they haven't closed on the house because Meri doesn't want to make a decision about having another child.
The secrets revealed show was kind of boring, but there were highlights, too. The women looked much better wearing clothes that fit and their makeup and hair looked so good! Meri's face wasn't even orange! However, Kody's vest was much too tight and even if it had fit it would have looked silly. I'm also happy that some of the viewer questions were addressed - like that damn wet bar, the way they divide their budget equally when they don't have the same number of children, and whether Kody will effectively ditch Meri if she doesn't have a baby.
The quilt looks unfinished to me. The "fugly" triangle edges were probably suppose to be covered with some sort of double sided ribbon, IMHO. It was a sweet idea...
DeleteI know this show is like watching a train-wreck, and you just can't help but look...but I really wish that we could collectively decide to stop watching and as such, that have such an impact that their show be cancelled by TLC.
ReplyDeleteThis show is nothing but a blatant and infuriating sham. I thought the initial purpose of the show was to expose the so-called 'truth' about plural families; their lifestyle, their spiritual beliefs, their tight-knit family bond but it is ANYTHING but. It is nothing but a group of morally (if not financially) bankrupt, free-loading, fraudulent, scamming, scheming, money-grabbing, fame-whoring so called parental role models who have no qualms whatsoever, in raking in reams of cash by going on TV and telling lie after lie. Where is the honor or integrity? There is none. You have a man who is such a waste of skin that he is obsessed with popping out children that he isn't even man enough to support. Even though I don't in the least consider this group (or others in their so-called "faith") to be Christians, are they even following their faith? They all seem so preoccupied with material things (houses, cars, etc) that they haven't even done an HONEST day's work for. They have brought INNOCENT children into this big hot mess and have created nothing but chaos, secrecy, dysfunction and a lack of consistency. You have a so-called "father" who favors some children over others and can't possibly be spending enough quality time as a father should with ANY of these children. Now with the separate homes they are really a situation of a married man with 3 mistresses whose beds he can crawl into more conveniently. I pity the poor female children, who are growing up to believe that this kind of BS is healthy and normal. The male children are growing up to believe that a husband and father doesn't have to work hard to support and provide for his family.
I am really disgusted with it all, and with all of them. It's even sad, truly, that so many of us spend so much time reading and writing in this blog, don't you think?
I am appalled that they seem to have so many fans. American families should be appalled at the fraud in the past and what continues to take place. There are so many good American parents who work so very, very hard to be good and positive role models to their children, who give back to their communities, who work many many years to even be able to afford a very modest home for their families, and these f(cksticks are nothing more than American Gypsies who not only know how to work the system but in doing so they get a TV show and a nice sum of $$ for it. Sickening.
Anon 5:18,
DeleteI hear you !!!!
Me too!!!
DeleteI agree with you Anon & couldn't have stated it better. The entire concept of the show,religion & family is ridiculous - bordering on lunacy. I thank God my depression-era grandparents aren't alive to see this. My grandfather worked himself to death to pay for his large family. He literally swept gas station floors well into his 80's. These parasites have absolutely no shame. The last thing the American TV viewing public needs to witness are more lying grifters.
DeleteI agree. I think they are a bunch of con-artists. Especially Kody and Meri. Listening to Kody explain why Logan shouldn't have premarital sex sickened me. Kody said "sex outside of marriage is just wrong!". My stomach turned. So when Kody gets sick of his FOUR wives he just grabs another to "marry". He will have a 5th wife... Robyn isn't a spring chicken and he loves reproducing.
DeleteDoes anyone. Know if any of the teens have jobs?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up as soon a one of us kids could reach the faucet in the kitchen we had to do the dinner dishes-- either wash or dry. We also had chores like taking out the trash or yard work. Why aren't the older kids pitching in with the chores-- Jannell's dishes or vacuuming for Christine? ?
Looks like Mariah has a job...though not sure about the other teens. And Aspyn is more interested in Disneyland, it seems.
Deleteanony 5:57 - we all wondered the same thing when they had their huge yard in Lehi. Why wasn't there a garden and fruit trees for all of them to learn to grow and cultivate as well as for the healthy fresh veggies/fruits? Utah Mormons are huge on gardening/canning. I have plenty of Mormon relatives there to know that for a fact.
DeleteSeems like Logan was the main one given the responsibility of father of his siblings but didn't see any of the other kids in any of the other families w/really any chores/responsibilities.
I know Mariah and Aspyn have jobs. Mariah works (or did at least in the summer) in a mall and Aspyn works at a lawyers office.
DeleteI think Mariah works at a place called Popped. They sell frozen popcorn in different flavors. I've never been there, but the Browns supposedly had an appearance there over the summer. The store is 45 minutes away from me on a good day and their appearance was right at dinner time and rush hour traffic time. I passed on the opportunity.
DeleteI realize that my opinion of Janelle is not a popular one.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think that she is the "smart" one, but I guess in comparison to the rest of them, maybe she IS more so. If she *were* smart she would not agree to everything that the rest of them propose, at least as it is portrayed on camera that she does. And if she does off camera, she still doesn't seem to stop the madness..or refuse to go along with it.
The show is their bread and butter....she IS smart enough to know that.
As far as Kody coming along and showing her scriptures and wooing her, which resulted in her then being thrust into having to live with mean Meri..?!!
Not so sure about that.
Reality is she divorced her husband (Meri's brother) and immediately married the husband of her ex sister-in-law, Meri..then making Meri, her former sister-in-law, now her sisterwife.
She knew Meri all along, no doubt attended Meri and Kody's wedding, and likely socialized with them as married in-law couples do with each other.
She surely had to know a bit about Kody's MO and she knew Meri's. And at some point, apparently Janelle wanted into that arrangement.
Maybe....maybe she was the initiator? Who really knows but them??
To be fair in looking at the almost 20 year old stuff simmering between Meri and Janelle, both women knew each other before Janelle became wife #2. They were not strangers. And if the tension was bad enough for Janelle to leave with small children, she came back. For Kody? For herself? Who knows?
And if it was for her children, by then Christine already had a few of her own, plus Meri had her daughter...Janelle's children were certainly not going back to a concentrated, one-on-one life with Daddy. Kody was his usual doofus self even back then.
Also in their book there are events and timelines given which the Browns them
selves have contradicted blatantly in their onscreen dialogues throughout the episodes. These people are set on presenting a storyline that maintains the ratings and they have no problem with tweaking it when it serves their purposes.
jmo
Janelle did attend Kody and Meri's wedding. I think Janelle herself or Meri said that you will see Janelle in some of the wedding pics.
DeleteAMUSED - you're not alone in your opinion at all. others have voiced the same opinion before about Janelle. Yes, she's certainly likable compared to the others. Yes, she's also "smart" compared to the others. There's emotional intelligence tho as well and I think they're ALL low on that scale. Janelle seems to have just thrown in the towel once she came back into the fold and just goes with the flow for her kids' sakes as well as her own sanity. I'm sure a therapist could have a field day with her let alone this whole dysfunctional and emotionally stunted group of "adults."
DeleteAmen Amused - you KNOW I agree with you. :)
DeleteI agree with you too, Amused!
Deletejust did some snooping and Meri's house closed today....too bad, it would have been fitting if the entitled one didn't get it
ReplyDeleteMeri's house did finally close - in Kody's name. It didn't end up costing as much as I thought it would, given that she was $5K over budget:
DeleteChristine - $443,315.00
Janelle - $443,700.00
Robyn - $445,039.00
Meri/Kody - $447,017.00
I don't know what their budget was, but the prices of all four houses are within $4K. Not that $5K over budget on a $440K(ish) home is that much, percentage-wise.
The house is in Kody's name only???
DeleteWonder how come?
The house is in both Meri and Kody's names.
DeleteMeri's name is listed on one line and Kody's is on a separate line in the online records, for their property. Have no fear, they're joint owners of that home.
DeleteI looked and they are both listed, but on separate entries for the same amount.
DeleteNever bought a house but I'm guessing that is for legal reasons - both are 100 liable for the loan amt perhaps...?
Good info, thanks! The amount spent on each house really show the power structure in that "family." I, too, wonder why just in Kody's name.
DeleteThose numbers are shocking. Who cares about the sliding door? Talk about missing the point. THAT IS ALMOST 2M DEBT. That makes me feel sick to my stomach. How could they possibly afford that without TLC? Even if they were all working???
Delete2M in debt. Wow.
I finally got to watch this episode last night. I personally find Meri absolutely disgusting anymore! Her greed and her jealously make her so ugly on the inside! Not like the outside looking any better. (that funky tropicana orange thing she's got going on is kinda scary looking) I honestly do not know how she's able to look at herself in the mirror acting that way, let alone on the TV for all the world to see, I would be ashamed of myself and for my family! I personally think she is somewhat jealous of Janelle and Christine because they had all the kids when she couldn't. But, I think the main reason she acts the way she does, is because she's the only "LEGAL" wife, and therefore she thinks she's entitled. It's just sad that everybody let's her get away with it. But, Karma can be a real bitch, and one of these days it'll come back and bite Meri right in the ass! I JUST HOPE THE CAMERAS ARE ROLLING WHEN IT HAPPENS!
ReplyDeleteI really can't understand what goes threw Kody's head, Janelle is by far the best wife he has, yet he treats her the worst! Same with Christine, she's definitely better than the other two, but he treats her like crap also. The only child I EVER see him holding or paying attention to is Solomon. It's almost like he doesn't have the time or the patients to even deal with the other kids, not even little Truly. Yet he can't seem to get enough kids,..for what? So he can ignore them too? Hell,maybe his paycheck from TLC goes up with every "NEW" family member.??? I would just like to see him pay attention to the ones he has now.
As far as Janelle, I think she's a good person, a great Mom, who's very smart and has a damn good head on her shoulders. I also thinks she feels trapped in a loveless marriage. You can see the sadness in her face every week, it seems like the only thing that makes her truly happy is her kids. I also think her kids are the only thing that keep her in the relationship. I just pray Janelle and Christine can find the strength to leave someday. I also hope Janelle and Christine continue working out, and learn to love themselves. And in the future maybe meet a great guy "EACH", somebody who will Love and respect them and their kids!
I have a few questions..
Where exactly did Kody get his new car? I thought, I heard (a long time ago)somebody say, it was a company car or some kind of promotion. Yet, I've NEVER seen Kody actually work..???
When Meri heard she was over budget on the house, she said she was gonna pay it out of her own pocket. And once again, I've NEVER actually seen Meri work..???
And, I can't seem to remember my other questions. But,I'm sure they'll pop in my head just as soon as I sigh out here. :/
Honestly, being $4600 over on 450000 loan doesn't really do much to the monthly payment. So she will probably just make up for it with her "allowance"
DeleteThey still have to pay interest on that $4600 over 30 years...assuming of course they actually make the payments that long.
DeleteI don't know if ARMs are still being written but I'm guessing that's what the Browns got.
That's usually how it goes in life period - the nicest people get treated like crap, at least that's been my experience.
DeleteKinda unpopular thought but does anyone think that Meri or Kody or Robyn could have jobs but not be able to say anything publicly about them because of confidentiality? I'd think it'd be hard to get a job when you make an ass of yourself on TV once a week for a few months out of every year. Who knows though, there are enough people who love them who will buy the goo to keep them afloat I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteIf they had a job with an outside employer it would've leaked is my guess.
DeleteThats true. Lol Trying to find the good in the shit. LOL Maybe the whole selling houses will work for them ;)
DeleteThe real stars of this show and the people that most of us care about the most are the kids. I think they are very blessed with their children and they will bring them lots of joy for years to come. If the reason they are doing this show is to improve their children's lives financially, then the loss of privacy is probably worth it.
ReplyDeletePlease do not put real life information in your comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Posting Guidelines - What to do if your comment doesn't appear
Maybe Kodys car is a company car because its a Sister Wives Closet "business" car??? I can see him doing something like that.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that they are financing the blinds tells me they are cash poor. Why else do it? The HOA where they bought houses requires window coverings and frowns on sheets. Blinds for all windows x 4 homes would be pretty darn expensive. Of course I am sure they bought the "best".
Maybe Kodys car is a company car because its a Sister Wives Closet "business" car???
DeleteActually, the 'company' car Kody drives is from his involvement with LIV Intl, a Utah based MLM company that sells diet supplements(that green koolaid he and Meri carries around).
I would think if MSWC had a company car, it would be Janelle's old jalopy with the taped up window - being that the site goes down whenever more than 10 people try to access it at one time.
CJ I respectfully disagree...I think the MSWC company car is a rusted shopping cart swiped from Safeway or Von's with only 3 wheels because the one wheel that locked after it went past the yellow line around the parking lot was removed. Lol
DeleteThanks DJ! I now have root beer sprayed all over my keyboard!
DeleteIf it was a LIV company car don't ya think it would be green. . . .?
DeleteGotcha CJ...I have my moments. Lol
DeleteWell Mary Kay's lease cars are pink so it would stand to reason that LIVs would be green...
Just like the houses...the "company car" is Rent to Own as well...
Kody and Meri's house has closed and is now deeded in their names. They paid $447,000 and iirc the others were about $443,000.
ReplyDeleteDon't you mean "they promised to pay $447k"? Rent to Own...
DeleteThere must be something else in the deal that doesn't show up. Wife one can't have a 5th bedrm, bonus room, wet bar, french door, etc for only $4k more than another wife with a strip down model. No way no how. Where's the hidden bean?
DeleteThere must be something that Meri opted out of. Insulation?
DeleteI still think they financed through ARMs - from googling it appears that they are still being written today. I just remember all the news stories that started showing up around 2007 about families living on the same or less than I make on my own who bought brand new houses - they were ok for a few years until the interest rates started adjusting. I think we are going to see the same thing happen here. But don't fear for the Browns...they'll just walk away and head back to the family homestead they opted to keep in Lehi. No worries.
My guess is that since Meri's house is Kody's house, too, they put a bigger downpayment down. That, or they took out some options that they could get right away anyway by just paying cash outside of the mortgage. I'm sure they know that people like us would be monitoring the recorder's website closely, so I'm sure they pulled some strings and figured out a way to make it look somewhat equal.
DeleteSo Meri can have whatever she wants as long as the other wives get what they need? SERIOUSLY??? Merri gets a gold plated toilet seat as long as the other wives have enough toilet papper??? What about what the other wives want? At first I thought it was editting, or that TLC was slanting it to make her look bad for higher ratings but it's just so clear what a selfish person she is after hearing it come right out of her mouth in the interview. This woman is just so unreal.
ReplyDeleteOMG, yes. I was thinking the same thing--and she KNOWS it's no secret! Meri is a complete bulldog.
DeleteDon't you insult my Bullie like that! ;)
DeleteThis just popped into my head...
ReplyDeleteChristine and Janelle wouldn't have to break up the family to get out; heck, they wouldn't have to even leave their brand-new homes! (And why should they leave - they're the only ones on the hook for them - Kody has only donated sperm to their 'relationships'.)
All Christine and Janelle would have to do is tell Kody he's no longer welcome to couch-surf at their houses anymore and he must give up his key or they'll change the locks. Kody can still visit with his children - the ones that the Nevada welfare offices know have a dad named Kody Brown, who would,incidentaly, be named as the father in the child support papers. Kody could either submit willingly to a DNA test for each child, OR the courts could use the 3 (or 5) seasons of the NATIONALLY TELEVISED show as proof of his paternity.
Oh, Kody will do whatever they say...Janelle probably knows all of the wheres and hows of their 'creative financing' tricks, since she was probably in charge of a lot of it.
How do you like your mashed potato sandwich now, Kody?
That would be hllarious! The kids wouldn't suffer, the dad would still be around the corner and so would their half-siblings. I even suspect the other wives would be OK with it, only one who go mad is Kody. I would love for this to happen!
Deletehahaha YES!
DeleteNevada is no joke when it comes to bleeding the beast. In Nevada, like most states, DNA is not optional when baby mommas apply for benefits/child support. With 12 kids worth of child support, Janelle and Christine would get their TLC money and Meri's!!!! Yay!!!! Plus they would keep the show moving with the obvious drama! Winner: the kids! And the viewers!
DeleteAnon 11:04 What a great show that would be -- the oppressed seizing the reins and turning everything upside down. All it would take is a lawyer. C'mon Janelle and Christine! Time for a Plyg-olution.
DeleteI love the show and It life people stop knocking the Browns they living life and are happy why knock them.I see a Loving big happy family and I am going toget my family soon with the help of God and my church I am not jumping on no dating site when the time right God will send my forever family just like the Browns I like all the sister wives and all the kids let me ask one question people if you all was in Browns place would you done anything different the answer is no why they have one thing Huge Love and God and where there is God and Love, you and your family can do anything yes I am a Lds and if they knew what I was wanting the lifestyle they tell me to leave that ok I am looking into the AUB church anyway.So Kody and your beautiful family keep up the excellent work I am praying for you and your family to stay together be happy and may God bless you all forever forgive my youall I live in east texas Huge smile
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, Nancy!
DeleteI think someday we'll find out a lot of this show was fake and staged...just like the latest Amish one turned out to be. There is no love lost between these "family" members.
ReplyDeleteI think Kody shows every sign of a gay man...he is over-compensating and is the "weakest" man I've ever seen. I highly suspect there is no sex going on between him and Janelle, possibly Christine, and Robyn seems the type to withhold if she is in a bad mood.
The women must have miserable self esteems to allow themselves to believe all this stuff. No loving God is going to refuse a women to heaven because they aren't on the coat-tail of a duffus like Kody. If all single women can't go to heaven...it must be pretty quiet up there!!
I'm LDS, and there is NO WAY I would ever chose this for me or anyone I know. I hope you find what you're looking for, though.
ReplyDeleteRobyn's Miscarriage:
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think it's fat not baby, but....
If it was a baby, and she sadly miscarried, who was the biological mother?
Did they go ahead and do the in vitro, and tragically, things did not go right?
I think if they had done the in vitro/surrogacy attempt and it had failed, there's no way these folks could have ever kept quiet about it. Similarly, I htink there is no way Robyn got pregnant and had a miscarriage.....I think all folks are seeing is baby fat, and clips shown out of sequence....
DeleteI don't think Robyn was pregnant and had a miscarriage. The Browns would have pimped that out for ratings.
DeleteJanelle and Christine are both facially prettier than Meri and they clearly have better personalities than Meri and they are obviously more fertile than Meri. If Janelle and Christine were to lose serious weight and become the size of Robyn, Meri could not handle that competition. She would become so jealous and resentful. This is a catty remark to be sure, but narcissistic, insecure, attention-seeking Meri is the catty-est "Christian" I have ever witnessed.
ReplyDeletethe thing I don't get is if they really truly believe you have to live this lifestyle to get to heaven why do they seem more than okay with their children choosing other lifestyles. Janelle seems to have the most religious commitment and Christine knows no other way to live and I see neither ever going anywhere. Meri is queen bee and Robyn is her minion but they seem to be pulling the strings so I see them staying too. The recommitment ceremony and mission statement are a restart to join the family back together. I say anything this screwed up needs to be separated not rejoined.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that anytime a 'reality' couple has a recommitment ceremony, their relationship is either in the toilet or well on its way. This just shows me how desparate they are to PROVE to everyone how incredibly giddy and in love they all are - but it only shows them to be grasping at whatever shreds of happiness their union they might have had in the past, all for a paid vacation and some new wedding clothes and pictures before the crap hits the fan.
DeleteThey're doomed, and we all have a front row ticket to the train wreck. They're not only grifters, but also sell-outs.
That's possibly true about the marriage being in the toilet. Afterall, Meri did admit that her & Kody were struggling & their marriage was in a bad place, before she basically offered up Robyn as a peace offering to Kody...Lol Which doesn't make a lick of sense, but U know we are dealing w/ the Browns... smh
DeleteHey! Don't talk about my other TLC favorite, Long Island Medium, that way! I know I would have serious trouble trying to think of ways to make an ass of myself every week, but the Browns seem to have this one down.
DeleteI finally have been able to watch the secrets revealed episode, and it is clear to me that the income is split 5 ways. Kody gets his own equal share. I think that Janelle and Christine were outvoted on this--Robyn sided with Kody and Meri in the "family decision" aka vote.
ReplyDeleteEven tho the Browns may have their McMansions(for ever how long they can hold onto them anyways...) the facts still remain the same: 3 of the 4 wives are going to bed ALONE EVERY NIGHT & possibly crying themselves to sleep. Plus we already know that Kody doesn't do a fair rotation, Christine spilled the beans on that one several times...saying its been almost a week since U've seen ur kids & saying that he would come over late(most likely after everyone already went to bed) & would leave early...What's up w/ that shit??
ReplyDeleteAlso, just b/c they're in the homes, doesn't mean that they still can't stand each other, all of them will still remain passive-aggressive, depressed, angry, jealous, neglected, etc......well ya'll know what I'm trying to say! Overall, I agree w/ most of everyone saying that the Browns still remain house poor & definitely living on credit! IDC how many fancy cars they drive, or how they furnish their new homes, they will be struggling to pay the mortgage, bills, basic necessities, & food for all 4 big homes!
About the Brown's having a hidden income, who knows since they love a Get Rich Quick investment scheme, maybe they got suckered into a ponzi scheme that's paying out big dividends now, but after they re-invest more $$ then they'll get taken, or however that scheme works... Yes, this is me thinking out loud in conspiracy theory mode...Lol
ReplyDeleteQuestion about the houses (or homes as they call them): do the other three NOT have wet bars? How many bedrooms do the other three have? Not that each kid needs his/her own room, but if anyone needed 5 bedrooms it would be the middle two wives of course.
ReplyDeleteI did think the tile around the fireplace looked cheap - but it is certainly superior to what they have had in the past and to what they should reasonably afford, given all the kids that may go to college.
Does Meri do all her own cleaning? Wow, that's a huge house to keep clean. I am a single woman with a 2000 sq foot house, and it is a lot to manage.
Do we continue the Buzz words list & 360's on this thread, since the other page filled up quickly? :)
ReplyDeleteRe-tweeted by Meri = "Don't go into business to get rich. Do it to enrich people. It will come back to you." - Stew Leonard
ReplyDeletePuhleese! SWC is really improving lives - NOT! Neither is selling green goo - in spite of its "humanitarian" sales pitch when the Browns joined. Now that it is obvious that the Browns have plenty of cash to be able to buy massive houses, it makes Meri's whining that they "needed" to sell that trashy jewellery to get the McMansions, look very manipulative, (not to mention crass). It served to make the silly fans believe that it all depended on them whether the Browns got the houses they "deserved," or not.
From what I've seen, the only peson Meri cares about enriching is Meri. So the tweet that Meri retweeted SHOULD read,
Delete"Don't go into business to get rich. Do it to enrich MERI. It will come back to you."
Meri is a piece of work, and not in a good way.
Oh that's a pretty standard MLM viewpoint. Generally they take the stance that they're in business to help others, like the United Way or something. It's like Mary Kay saying they're helping to empower women when it's so not true.
DeleteSo very tired of Merri wanting all the attention. EVERYTHING is always about Merri and have almost stopped watching the show because of it. She needs to take a lesson from Janelle on how to be a graceful person. Janelle is sweet, kind and doesn't think everything is about her. I really think Merri thinks she has seniority because she's the first wife. Her and Robin make a good pair. No wonder they're closer to each other. I'd watch Janelle and Christine any day over the other two. Just my personal opinion. Kody, don't feed into Merri's behavior so much. If she gets upset, she'll get over it. I really feel like Kody's on egg shells with Meri.
ReplyDeleteIf Meri ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Robyn caught onto that one pretty quick and uses it to her full advantage. It's their family dynamic reality. I imagine Mariah will be First Wife in her own plyg marriage and will run the show the same way she learned from Mother Meri. She's shown she's a clone of Meri.
DeleteThe least suckiest positions (let's face it - it all sucks) are First Wife and Last Wife.
I have a very difficult time believing that any prospective husband - plyg or otherwise - would be all that eager to marry Mariah based on the way she generally behaves on the show - the whiny princess crybaby entitled spoiledness we've all seen. And that's thanks to her momma.
DeleteRegarding if Robyn was pregnant and, if so, was she being a surrogate for Meri if/when Robyn miscarried...I think the fertility specialist was trying to tell dense Meri that her fertility problems are tied to the fact that her eggs are old or non-existent at this point. (A woman's fertility begins to decline at 27.) It's not a matter of implanting a Meri/Kody embryo into a willing Robyn. The challenge is harvesting viable eggs from Meri in order to create a Meri/Kody embryo. Meri is teasing her SWs and Kody, as well as the viewing audience, because her fertility problems aren't as simple as making her big "decision" about another baby.
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE to ask the Browns some real, unscripted questions during one of their meet and greets or snake oil sell-a-ramas. I believe that's the only way these people are ever going to be called out in public. I do realize there's no way in hell they'd answer and that the person posing the questions would be politely asked to leave, but I'd LOVE to do it. I'd also have someone along with a good video cam on their cell phone to tape it all. I volunteer to do it if they're ever in the Chicago area.
ReplyDeleteSo, Meri's the family videographer but doesn't even bother to know how to run the freakin' camera??? But a little kid has to point out the obvious to her? That's so typical "business as usual" for this family's ridiculously moronic adults in charge.
ReplyDeleteRegarding who may stay or go - IMHO, I feel whenever the girls say they've had enough, they will do something. Let's hear from others who have been the prime bread winner of the family for their views. Guys love playing games.
ReplyDeleteEons ago, I planned for six months - changed jobs, bought own car, got checking acct and credit cards in my name only before I made a move. No young children and love living alone.
Walking on eggshells....the theme of people living with boarderline pesonality disorder.
ReplyDeleteI was watching the episode and couldn't even believe how unfair and selfish Kody is to EVEN MENTION to Christine that perhaps she could share her budget with Meri.
ReplyDeleteCome on. Later he says he was kidding, but he absolutely was not. That right there proves who #1 is that is enough for me to see how little regard he even has for Christine or Jenellle.
Meri is the greediest housewife , sister wives, and reality person on TV in my opinion. It is all about her her her, and she couldn't give a damn about the other women or children. Absolutely selfish.
I am glad Christine said no, she wants to be selfish with her budget and so she should,Meri has way more than she even needs! It is absolutely ridiculous. I really wanted to slap him and her silly in this episode.
And Meri, a grown woman, CRIES when SHE is over-budget! Who sobs like a baby when she alone has overspent funds? And for Kody to ask Christine to further sacrifice for selfish Meri is disgusting. Meri is the most revolting "personality" on TV.
ReplyDelete