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| Robyn wondering "What's this on my finger?" |
Without a doubt, 2013 was, to quote Queen Elizabeth II, an Annus Horribilis for Kody Brown, his Sister Wives and his immediate family.
In June, Kody's brother Curtis was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident. In August, daughter Truely was hospitalized in acute kidney failure - the result of severe dehydration. And then, apparently less than a week from Truely coming home from the hospital, Kody's father Winn Brown passed away suddenly from a stroke.
Meri's sobbing about being an empty nester rather pales in comparison, wouldn't you say?
In true Kody style however, the Browns first had to deal with their commitment celebration. Kody's late brother and father will be remembered later in the episode.
Now, I was just getting ready to watch Kody and Krew continue the façade that this celebration was vital to the welfare of their family (not to mention a tremendous drain to SOMEbody's pocketbook) when someone caught my eye.
This was not Shawn's first time at the Kody Brown rodeo, nosireee. He first appeared in Season 03, Episode 11 "Kody Steps Into the Ring"...remember that one? Kody introduced "Shaun" as a new Vegas friend he made, and they went to "Shaun's" brother Kevin's gym so Kody could wrestle with him. Here are some pics to remind you.
I guess it's a good thing that Kody has a longtime Vegas buddy to throw a few scraps of business to when necessary. I'm too lazy, but wasn't Shawn/Shaun's wife also the florist in the last episode?
Actually, a wreath would be more appropriate if you ask me.
Anyway, after being prompted by a producer no doubt, Mark began a long discourse about how he felt about polygamy. Seems Mark is a live and let live kind of Christian, and since the Browns must be Christian too, it's OK with him if Kody wants to deal with four wives. Mark did question the sin part of having multiple wives, however.
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| My HELL!! |
Whatever, dude. But isn't that essentially what Kody does whenever he meets someone new? He always mentions his "wives" and when he sees the person has a quizzical look on their face he "clarifies" by saying something like "Yeah, I have four wives!". Or sometimes he might act all stealth by mentioning he has 17 kids, waiting a beat and then adding " and four wives". So as far as I'm concerned, Kody has never shied away from making sure everyone within earshot knows he is a polygamist since moving to Las Vegas.
Now from twitter, we know that Kody and at least Meri did travel to Wyoming to attend both Curtis' and Winn's funeral services. Surprisingly this segment, filmed several months after the funerals, was handled with dignity.
It was sad to see how much Sheryl missed Winn, and how Genielle missed both Winn and her son Curtis. But in a way it was a good thing that as sister wives, Sheryl and Genielle still had each other and would not be alone.
And who didn't have a tear in their eye when Kody read his last letter to his father over Winn's grave. Or when all the kids tied colorful bandannas on a rugged fence at the old Brown Ranch. Those were really touching moments.
Did Kody totally forget the season 3 episode 5 when he and family traveled back to Wyoming and his old friends knew that Kody's mother and father were polygamist and had been excommunicated from the LDS church while he was away on his mission?
Of course, the final segment consisted of Kody again justifying why the commitment celebration was even more necessary than before. The passing of his brother and father, with Truely's near fatal illness "...has really put some significant weight to this commitment celebration for us" Kody explained. As he put it, his new goal "...is to make our family commitment celebration very memorable for me and the family."
Next week, the season starts to wind down with only one more episode left before the commitment celebration.
In hearing some of the background of Kody's relationship with is father, it make me wonder if Kody converted to please his father. Or, to gain some kid of acceptance. The timelines are fuzzy to me, but as the full story comes out as time goes on...it occured to me that this might be the case.
ReplyDeleteIf Kody had been saying he was cold for years (from the time he was 9 until he was 14) it was indeed odd that this was the time chosen for a nice warm pair of coveralls. I would think that working outside in the Wyoming winters would require those at all times.
DeleteI agree with you. I think there is more to Kody's "conversion" to polygamy than meets the eye. It sounds to me like Kody resented his father for favoring another brother...brother decides not to go the polygamy route but like you said without a firm timeline it's hard to say. So I wouldn't be surprised if Curtis was like Maddie and loudly proclaimed he would not have plural marriage. Kody chose to follow polygamy to please his father.
DeleteIn their book, Janelle said that Winn wanted her to marry one of Kody's other brothers. He was against her marrying Kody. The little bit of background from Kody last night shed a little bit of light on their relationship. If this is the case, it would explain why he seems so shaky on fundamentalist Mormon doctrine as compared to Papa Joe Darger or the Centennial Park priesthood crowd.
I too think that the memorial was tasteful. It was indeed a hard few months for the Brown family. I don't know if it was just acting, or if Robyn was really surprised when Kody told her that he had to meet with all of his wives before they left for Wyoming, but she didn't appear happy.
ReplyDeleteWhen Kody's mom Genielle was telling all the grandkids how she and Winn met, I noticed once again how Robyn's daughters always have to be front and center. The oldest one was practically draped in the chair along with Genielle.
ReplyDeleteOh my, you are so right. I hate to say this (but I will because this is my living room) that child is way too overactive. Remember how Kody had to tell her repeatedly to be quiet in the last episode? And she literally HANGS off men for dear life it seems. It's like she's overreacting for the camera or maybe more accurately, for attention.
DeleteI think from the beginning of kodys relationship with robyn she pushed her kids to call kody daddy. so it would not surprise me if robyn coaches her kids to smother kody with affection. Robyn lives in a fantasy world that kody is their biological father and her past marriage was a dream or nightmare, depending on the day.
DeleteI can't help but notice this in practically every episode. To add to the input on this episode, Aurora is also leaning on Kody's shoulder as he reads his letter to his father at the grave. Personally I think its sad that these girls seem so desperate to have this interaction/attention from a man. I can only imagine what implications this will have for them if they become sister wives in their future marriages.
DeleteRobyn displays the "Kody is our key to salvation, forgiver of loss of virginity, and one true sire of all worthy children" attitude in front of her kids. "THEIR BIOLOGICAL DAD IS BAD" + "Kody is mom's soul mate" = poor little girls who are hyperactive and seeking almost any male attention.
DeleteRobyn's daughters are extremely needy and clingy. I hope that they grow out of this and soon. I can recall several episodes where they were literally hanging off of Logan or Kody or Hunter or even when Curtis came into town. Does Robyn give them no attention at all? Or does she somehow encourage this behavior?
DeleteI totally agree with anony 6:03 PM that some of that need for attention is because Robyn doesn't really pay them too much attention either. (Except for King Sol). Remember the whole "honeymoon" experience she was trying to create and basically said she throws her kids into bed when Kody arrives so she can focus on him. And good grief what she has put her kids through - divorce (which didn't seem amicable so I'm sure there was fighting leading up to it), moving into a home with their single mom, then moving into a rental home several hours away to join a family with a million different moms and kids but not really joining the family because they didn't live together, packing up yet again and running off to Vegas in the middle of the night, tv cameras stuck in their face constantly, the birth of the second coming King Sol, moving from the rental home into the McMansion... Good grief! Those kids really have no sense of what stability means! The other kids, even though Polygamy seems crazy to us outsiders, at least grew up with stability for the most part.
DeleteSad as it is, I would think it is part of their religious education to seek/ crave male approval. Gets you into heaven, gets you a husband, gets you favorite sister wife status. In their culture, a survival technique. Sad!
DeleteIn response to CPA Carol, Hockey Mom and a couple of Anons above...
DeleteAlthough I have no doubt that Robyn's poor kids probably do have some emotional issues that need to be addressed (think of all they've been through in 4 years?) What if the behavior we see from, I believe it is Aurora, is actually a little more straight-forward. Yes, she is seeking attention, from the CAMERA....There were a couple episodes in particular where Robyn's girls literally threw themselves into the arms of Kody, Logan, or Hunter that kinda felt, well...odd at best, and inappropriate at worst...one scene when they visited the empty lots, one scene when they entered the new homes, and anytime someone enters through a door... then it dawned on me those are all staged shots where someone yells "marker, roll tape"...It interesting how Aurora manages to hang all over, whomever is framed for the shot...
i agree hagar's harem about the camera time..i never thought of that before but i think you are onto something. is robyn encouraging this ?
DeleteHi Anon @5:20
DeleteEither Robyn is coaching her, or Aurora has become very camera savvy over the past 4 years...Robyn is nothing if not scrappy, who knows what that nutty bird is up to... Aurora is a pretty little girl, and if she has the least little interest in acting or modeling I could see Robyn walking around with head-shots of her kid in her purse for every camera guy and casting director she comes across...like a plyg version of Dance Moms.
I think the creepiest moment was when Kody mentioned his father had a surprised look on his face when he died. He said that was because his dad saw Curtis. I think that was awful. He had that look on his face because he was dying! If he saw Curtis on the other side, he would have a smile.
ReplyDeleteI know! I thought he probably had this look because, as Kody said, he stood up, had a stroke and died. He was probably gasping for air or shocked and scared for his life. It was a morbid moment for me in this
DeleteI still do not understand the belief system of this religion. Curtis did not participate in their religion. Does this mean that they think Curtis will still go to Heaven with them?
DeleteKody's father sounds like he was horrible to Kody. And I felt angry when Kody said his father and janelle's mom had "only" 20 years together. Good god, at least they had that long. My Dad had about 6 months with the love of his life. Every day is a gift. For the first time I understood Kody's desperate need for attention: he did not get it as a child.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine how awful it would be to have to work with an attention hog like him every day?
DeleteKody seems to forget that according to their religion, Janelle's mom Sheryl will have an eternity with Winn in the afterlife.
I was surprised that Kody's mother was the one being so forward with his father about her intentions to be with him. The way Kody described his father and the relationship Janelle had with him make him sound like an arrogant chauvinist. I didn't really like the father the bits we've seen of him in past episodes, but it was not enough to really say why, just a gut feeling. Sounds like a miserable guy to be married to, especially in such an already male-centered religion/lifestyle.
Deletechristine did say in a couch session that Kody was an idiot! and robyns mouth fell open..christine said they all put up with his antics....and that they all felt that way..except for robyn..and whats up with the plastic chairs in front of robyns house?
ReplyDeleteI think the only reason Kody harps on and on about how important it is for the wives to stay together when he passes, because if not they are not a family - is because he doesn't want to be replaces. Even after he's dead he wants to be the center of attention. If the woman stay a family, what are they going to do? Find a husband to take on all of them? Hardly. Do they go their seperate ways, they'll definitly get married again. I think Meri would be like another person if she could have some real companionsip.
ReplyDeleteYea, just like he wouldn't allow Dayton to be called by his given name "David" because it was Robyn's ex and the children's father's name. Kody wants to be the only man in their life for sure.
DeleteI'm not so sure that was a Kody thing - that seems more like a Robyn thing trying to force herself into the family and make up for not having as much history with them as she does. She really has a warped sense of reality. And did you catch her look when they were discussing the happy memories and being a family in the Wyoming house? Not a happy camper, that one. Better believe she drummed up some drama to bring the attention back to her on that trip, I'm sure!
Delete"Like we should have been together since day one" she can wish it all day long but facts are stubborn things. Christine gave an interview somewhere where she said she thought 16 years in between wives was to long. Robyn coming in to the family so late really was hard. The kids had a tougher time adjusting also. Maybe thats why robyn opens her flap trap about the kids so much. She is acting like she knows them better than she really does.
DeleteANON 11:53, I totally agree with you. Just like in the couch session with them talking about Mariah going away, Robin had a lot more to say about it than Mary. When it comes to the kids, I doubt that she really "knows" any of them, not even her own really. She seems to have her nose too far up Kody's butt to have much of a relationship with any of the children with the exception of Sol, and we know why she gives him so much attention.
DeleteI found it striking that both Kody's mother and Janelle's mother admit that forging a relationship was not an easy situation. Polygamy is not natural and it forces women into relationships that are not at all comfortable. I am glad that these two women were able to get to a place where they can comfort each other on the death of Winn. But for myself, I do not want to force myself into such pain. Polygamy is a adisgrace for women.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Janelle's frosted hair got even lighter this episode. Not a fan
ReplyDeleteAnyone else notice the coupls of extra kids on the ranch in the scene where Kody was leaving everyone outside and went to his mother's house to talk about how she is dealing with everything?
ReplyDeleteThose are cousins. In Season 2 we learned that one of Kody's brothers-in-law (and his family) lives on the ranch and runs it.
Deleteis kody's constant need to prove he is manly a side effect of how his dad treated him? His friends from high school that thought he was gay, did his father treat him different because of this? this episode was revealing in many ways about kodys family, but left me asking more questions about how kody was raised and how that played a part in how kody is perceived by fans
ReplyDeleteI still think he's gay.
DeleteI think he may seem gay because he didn't get the male affection he needed from his father rather than the other way around.
Deletei think meri is possibly gay..the episode where they went to mexico and went down into the water cave (shield my eyes from meri's over exposure) she went on and on about how cute the guide was. enough that kody noticed. and all the talk about how meri was in love with robyn too..just a thought but i thought in the begining it was weird
DeleteThis isn't an insult, I'm bisexual in a heterosexual marriage, but I think perhaps meri may be bisexual as well. I have great "gaydar" and her polygamist obsession with other women and oddness, including lack of confidence and wanting to share kody, seems....like she's attempting to find platonic friends who she secretly is in love with.
DeleteI haven't watched the new episode yet, but a couple things... One, I can't remember what episode it was, but I distinctly remember a show - a couple seasons back I think - where Genielle and Sheryl were visiting LV, and Genielle said she had a hard time accepting Sheryl in the beginning, but that she now considers Sheryl one of her closest friends. Then, in this episode, from what I'm gathering, they're both saying that it's just now as Winn has died that they are becoming close? I'm confused.... Does anyone else remember the scene I'm thinking of? It wasn't the Mother's Day episode...before that, but I can't remember the reason they were both visiting at the same time....Crap. Anyway, not to say that Genielle has ever been untruthful (personally, I LOVE Genielle) - I blame editing, or something - but either you have been friends for a while now, per the prior episode, OR you're just now becoming friends after Winn's death - both can't be true. I HATE inconsistencies. (I know....one must ask why I continue to watch SW's then). (-:
ReplyDeleteSecond, the whole attention whore thing is interesting to me from a psychological perspective. I can understand why the wives are attention seeking - they COMPETE for the attention/affection of their "husband," for pete's sake. But as for why Kody's such an attention whore, why Robyn is WAY over the top compared to the other three wives in trying to grab all the attention, and why Robyn's two girls are so attention hungry....I'm not sure. Maybe some people just crave attention - could be as simple as that, I guess? As for the girls, sometimes I wonder if it's because they're deprived of attention by Robyn (and maybe in the past by their biological father), but then I look at other examples of HUGE families where the children can't get that much individual attention either (e.g. Duggars, Bates, Dargers), and you don't see the same needy, attention-grabbing behavior from their children.... In my opinion, and I am totally NOT snarking on Robyn's children, because, well, they're children, and they have Robyn for a mother and Kody for a step-father, so totally not their fault (as if it's ever really the child's fault) - but I think they would be well served if they received some therapy/counseling of some sort, because something seems off with them. And honestly, it hurts me to see children who are...hurting, and have no control over their environment or what's causing the hurt.
Off to work, will comment more once I watch the episode, I'm sure. (-:
CJ, another awesome review, as always. I laughed out loud at the wreath reference. (-:
- Lori
...Genielle said she had a hard time accepting Sheryl in the beginning, but that she now considers Sheryl one of her closest friends.
DeleteOff the top of my head I believe that was from the episode when the Browns first traveled to Wyoming with Robyn (and she blew the engine of the van). Genielle also talked about how plural marriage was like a wheel, with each new wife causing the spokes to rearrange themselves in response (or something like that). I also think that was the episode when Genielle said she took care of the Winn's children, but Sheryl took care of Winn when he married her. Genielle always mentions how smart Sheryl was/is, too.
Remember, Sheryl was Winn's 3rd wife. Lord only knows how the relationship was between Genielle and the 2nd wife. But I was surprised to see just how pretty Sheryl was from the photos in this episode. I think there must have been some real deep resentment of Sheryl. I think Genielle believes if she says enough times that she and Sheryl are friends, it will make it so, but I think she resents Sheryl for taking away the love of her life. But you can still see her resentment this season when the mother-in-laws went to the McMansions. Genielle was still hurting - you could see it in her demeanor. Sheryl was still hurting too but if you look at Kody, he has nothing but cold eyes for Sheryl. When he said earlier there was one motherinlaw he didn't like I bet money it is Sheryl because she stole his father's affections away from his mother - hurting her badly.
Now that Winn has died, I'm not surprised Genielle continues with the "I love my sister wife" song and dance. All you need to do is take a look at Sheryl to see the truth of the matter, especially when she declined Kody's offer to discuss her feelings with him. I'm just getting the feeling Kody's dad's version of plural marriage was to be exclusive to a wife, until she was replaced by a newer model. At least Kody seems to make an attempt to equally spread his time with each wife, kind of...
I think Robyn's daughters' neediness is learned behavior from Robyn and she learned it from her plyg mother. Maybe love can be multiplied but time cannot, and since actions speak louder than words and actions require time, the message she and her mother got is that they must compete for time/attention.These women are naturally attention starved and they and their kids pine for the man in their life as a husband/father.
DeleteMany of the kids in Kody's first 3 families probably got their needs met by older siblings. Aspyn and Mariah are often seen loving on the youngest and Logan gives attention to the younger sibs, the youngsters learned early on that Krody was not a source and got most of their needs met elsewhere. Janelle's independence likely had a big influence on her kids and Meri with only one child didn't have to split her Krody time with 10 kids, so their kids didn't acquire that "smell of desperation" quite like Robyn's have. Christine is not as desperate as Robyn but she lacks independence and always finds a way to give Krody a pass even if she initially stands up to him.
As for Kody, I think this episode was very enlightening, his father sounds like he was a total narcissist and never gave Kody love and attention. Kody was freezing from age 9 to 14 while working on his dad's "dream" ranch and when he tried to please his father by lettering as a Freshman he FINALLY gets coveralls to keep him warm (after 5 years!) instead of a letter jacket!!! Winn didn't give a flip about sports - probably because it didn't benefit him and his dream ranch, he couldn't reach outside of himself and be happy/proud of his son for an achievement that meant something to Kody rather than himself. It sounds like everyone had to serve Kody's father. Like Kody's high school classmate said - he found a way to be the center of attention - the attention he never had.
It seems to me that polygamy creates a lot of attention starved, needy people by serving a few narcissists.
The thing that worries me is that the clingy behavior exhibited by Robyn's older children is often shown by abused children. If this is true, then I hope that they get professional help. I do not mean to put the children down, they may be in real pain.
DeleteI think there was an episode a couple seasons back where Genielle discussed how difficult it was on her when Sheryl married Winn, and how she felt inferior or something to that extent because Sheryl was very smart and very pretty, etc. She then went on to add that she had since come to consider Sheryl to be one of her closest friends. In this last episode, I believe what was mentioned was that the two women were once again spending time with each other and enjoying more activities together like going to church or to the movies, which they hadn't been able to do together for a long time since Winn became sick because one of them always had to stay with him.
DeleteAurora needs help. Robyn is in la-la land pretending her first husband never existed and elevating Kody to god status, and Kody is too narcissistic and busy with his other wives to notice. This poor child is on the path to disaster and the entire family is too dysfunctional to notice.
DeleteI noticed several times how needy Robyn's kids seem. The oldest daughter seems so hyper. She's a child. I realize kids can have a lot of energy, but that type of energy to me goes beyond normal behavior.
Deletei think the unknown babysitter/houseguest is robyn's sister.
ReplyDeleteIn that picture she looks pregnant - if she's not then she has clearly not received the "modest is hottest" memo. That skin tight (stretched to the max) white nearly see through shirt is concealing nothing!
DeleteShe definitely made an unfortunate fashion choice with that blouse.
DeleteThere are a lot of pictures of that girl (Mindy) on the internet with her in ill fitting outfits. She proudly shows of her breasts and wears skin tight everything, not that there is anything wrong with that of course. She is also 30 I believe and pals around with the Brown teenagers. In my snarky opinion she should invest in a good sunscreen if she wants to keep up with the under 20 crowd.
DeleteI wonder if she's the 5th that Krody may be courting. If not, it almost seems like she's trying to "attract" him with how she's dressing.
DeleteAs a mother of teen-aged girls, I would be worried if a 30 year old woman was aciting like a pal to them. It is not normal in my society. Teen-agers should hang out with their peer group.
DeleteIf Robyn isn't talking she thinks she's invisible. It's hard to watch her messing with herself all the time.
ReplyDeleteI will start off by saying that I think TLC is the one interrupting the ‘real’ story line and planting all these commitment ceremony diversions (in order to get the plugs in for the vendors they got discounts from). I also think the producers suggested the stupid stop at the store Meri worked at long ago to tell the owners they are plygs. It seemed so stupid to do both of these things during the “big 3” events going on. (Truely, Curtis and Winn). TLC seems bound and determined to shove this ceremony down our throats. What the producers should have done is let the real life drama led the season, put the silliness on hold, and let the real stories lead the show.
ReplyDeleteI am not enjoying anyone’s tragedy, don’t get me wrong, but I am really enjoying this season so much more than the past one. I actually think that Kody has handled the three big issues very well and has validated to me that he really does love his family and he really tries to be a good father. I know he’s not perfect, he does have 17 kids which is a ridiculous number of kids to try to be close to at all times…however, he has shown that he wants his kids to have the college experience, he allows his kids to have opinions and hobbies, and given his upbringing, is so much more demonstrative than his father. For instance, he almost always says “I love you” to whatever kid is around when he is leaving. I don’t think his dad did that for him. I know things were different back then and all but now I am kind of starting to get it. Kody left for his LDS mission, came back and his parents converted to polygamy. Kody, who never felt accepted or loved by his dad, joined the faith, possibly because he really and truly believed it or more likely because he wanted his dad to accept him. The story about the coveralls was kind of heartbreaking and I found myself actually feeling sorry for Kody. He had to work in below zero degree weather without the proper warm clothing and his dad got him that as a gift but wrapped it in a box that might lead Kody to believe it was a letterman’s jacket? Sorry but that sucks and I can certainly see why Kody had bad feelings about it. The fact that he then spun it into a nice memory made me kind of sad for Kody. So, I may get flamed for this, but these past few episodes have redeemed Kody, for me at least.
I hated all the McMansion/wetbar/French doors, MSWC and fake drama last year. No wonder we hated them so much, this was totally fabricated and silly. You can tell how people really are when there is a crisis. And when there is a crisis, the Browns are a family. They pull it together and are a family when it matters the most. I am shocked that I have come to this conclusion but there you have it.
This episode made me sad for Kody too, and for all of us who have had a horrible parent. There's so much pressure to forgive (they did the best they could, etc.), when sometimes they didn't do the best they could or the best wasn't good enough. Some people are just bad, mean parents and we shouldn't feel the need to spin icky memories into good ones. This hit a nerve for me obviously.
DeleteKody still seems to be devoid of emotion - true emotion - to me. I don't know. Maybe it just comes across that way on tv, but seriously, I just don't see it. But I did feel like a curtain had been lifted a little with this whole Dad of his story. I did feel bad for him and it was very enlightening as to his need for attention comes from.
DeleteThanks for your comment CPA Carol. I think it's easy for us to get wrapped up in the snark, but these are real people, not fictionalized characters. They are complex, and I think well-intentioned (although sometimes misguided) in their faith and family. In other words, they are not bad people. I think that is so much more apparent when they are being authentic and vulnerable for the cameras instead of mugging through promos and fabricated moments. For at least half an episode, we were exposed to reality in a reality TV show.
DeleteThe coverall story was indeed sad and I'm sure the way his dad treated him has a lot to do with him being devoid of emotion. I see a strange, puzzled look about him when they are doing couch interviews that would stir up empathy in a normal person. I think empathy baffles him and it is something that he will always be lacking. .....I can't imagine Kody working hard on a ranch. Most people who are brought up with work ethics are not lazy like Kody. He has NO work ethic. He doesn't even look like he ever did work like that. (Just sayin')
DeleteHis brother Curtis seemed like a really good guy that was emotionally involved with his wife and kids. How very sad for that family to lose him.
Hm. Well the coveralls story (Note I have not had an opportunity to really watch the ep and just based on what I've read) is KODY'S version/perception of something that occurred over 30 years ago. I used to get Christmas gifts that were "practical" all the time. like sox, underwear, nightgowns when I was a kid. Still do get practical gifts and I give them too (in the form of Starbucks gift cards usually - since they sell food I would call them practical).
DeleteWinn isn't here to defend himself or tell his side of things, and the only person who was present at that time who could say anything different is his mom, and I think Kody has always been her golden boy and also she's not the most assertive person in the world either.
Also, I'm CERTAIN that the Brown family wasn't exactly rolling in the buckaroos. Ranch life is tough, and the Pioneer Woman (Food Network) not withstanding, most ranchers are not wealthy. My daddy was born and raised on a working farm during the Depression, with five brothers and a sis and they all worked HARD. and at Christmas they got practical gifts, clothing sox underwear and maybe one fun gift (usually fudge or something handmade). Dad is fond of saying the only thing they usually bought at the store was sugar and salt.
Kody needs to get his self-entitled narcissistic head out of his ass and think of others for a change. it's all about HIM HIM HIM. gag me.
I think once you watch this weeks show you might change your opinion. I saw what CPA Carol described above - Kody's father DID put overalls into a box from a company that made letterman jackets. I think it was a cruel joke, and belittled Kody's athletic achievements. And Kody's mother demonstrated she can be very assertive with Winn. It could be Kody is the way he is because of how he was treated by his father. Kody's perception is Kody's reality in this case.
DeleteThe Brown family was definitely not loaded. In 1986 Winn and Genielle filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy or a corporate-type bankruptcy. It was evidently a very simple bankruptcy because it was discharged in 1987. Most chapter 11 bankruptcies last at least 5 years. Also, I would like to point out that Lovell, Wyoming was THAT Lovell, Wyoming, the one where the horrible scandal occurred. A doctor took advantage of all his female Mormon patients. I think that living there must have been terrible.
DeleteNote that Meri and Kody were living in Powell, Wyoming in 2005 and probably before.
I don't think that the fact that Kody had a terrible father or grew up in a terrible town excuses his behavior.
Correction: they filed 1985. sorry for the typo
DeleteKody, said that the overalls were in a box from the same store that sold Varsity Jackets in his small community. I also live in a small community. Varsity Jackets are sold at our "outdoor" strore. It doubles as a sports store. If that is true of Kody's community then the dad may not have deliberately set Kody up for a nasty surprise. However, a Varsity Jacket is a right of passage for a high school athlete. Kody's dad would have to be very out of society not to know that. It pleases me to see Hunter running around in his Varsity Jacket.
DeleteCPA Carol, I agree with you. Seeing the Browns deal with real-life situations instead of manufactured "crises" puts the family in a WAAAAY better light than watching them feud over superficial TLC-driven materialistic nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot you guys! I haven't watched it yet and now all I'll be able to do during the show is watch Sobbin' Robyn pick, peruse, and flick! Ugh, I HATE that!! Who would sit and pick and check out what they got on national TV?? It freaks me out and now that's all I'll be able to see!
ReplyDeletei wonder what got robyns big boy panties all in a knot this episode
ReplyDeleteActually, for the first time in many episodes, Robyn was not featured for mcuh of the time.
ReplyDeleteI just wonder when Kody will announce that he's courting again. I just can't imagine that four wives will be enough now that TLC has announced the new show starting Mar 9 th. I would think he would at least try to keep even with the wife count, if not go ahead and one-up them.
ReplyDeleteAh, now there's a way to save the show. Commitment ceremony (where Kody should be committed) to try to boost ratings, Robyn having another baby to try and boost ratings....meh, not that great...but Kodouche courting another woman? Oh, I'm in! Now that would be worth watching, sweetie!!
DeleteThat would be the ratings boost they need. Can you imagine the drama?
I just wonder when Kody will announce that he's courting again
DeleteI remember reading something that when Kody was initially approached about a series, during the negotiations he let the "powers that be" know that he was willing to add on an additional wife if that would seal the deal for a reality show. I believe he was only in the "interested" stage with Robyn - formal courting had not begun. And I read that when Kody approached the AUB hierarchy for permission to marry Robyn he was denied because the AUB felt he couldn't afford another wife. He went ahead and courted Robyn anyway, and the rest is history (including a now completely messed up Christine who thought she would always be the third and final wife).
If Kody was told by TLC that he would need to add a wife or two to be renewed, I'm certain he would do it, in a heartbeat. He got those huge ass McMansions for a reason. If Robyn doesn't start popping out more babies, she will be sharing her McManse with a new sister wife that will.
The master bedroom is downstairs in all the houses, so when kids go off to college, the upstairs bedrooms will begin to empty. And Meri's little girl's room upstairs? Oh yes, a sisterwife would fit perfectly up there, plus there are at least 2 other rooms that aren't even occupied (didn't she get 6 bedrooms for the price of a wetbar?).
Can you imagine the drama?
DeleteOh man, that would be sooooo good!!
Like I wrote above, there's no reason why another wife can't be moved into Meri's AND/OR Robyn's McMansions. You know, now that I think about this, maybe that's the reason Robyn had yet another relative occupying a room...so she can say to Kody that she doesn't have room for a sister wife. Although if another sister wife joined the family Robyn wouldn't need to rely on the kindness of her sisters/relatives to be her housekeeper/nanny. But she would lose out being Kody's newest toy...
OR...he can just have the additional wives live in the Lehi house now that the threat of prosecution no longer exists. Yeah, TLC can now film Kody's new families (how about 3 more wives) in Lehi, including all their trials and tribulations, Robyn continuing with her online business which starts to make a lot of money which goes directly to finance the Lehi compound, Christine literally blowing a gasket about the situation getting even more depressed, Janelle continuing to sell Real Estate and making a lot of money to support the new wives, and Meri not really caring because she's the legal wife.
I think to be competitive, Kody needs those 3 additional wives!
LOL TLC really should let us write their script lines! The blogs have so much more interesting ideas than their film makers. Three more wives living in Lehi, the Kody commute and him approaching the age of the "wilting willie" would provide endless drama for a few more seasons. The Browns might actually have enough equity accrued in the McMansions to pay Janelle's realtor's fee for selling them when the big bucks dry up.
DeleteI've been watching the Olympics so missed this episode and will have to catch it next Sunday. But after reading the comments about Robyn's girls, I thought about Dayton being on the Autism spectrum with Aspergers. Those characteristics are frequently clustered in families with a whole variety of disorders--ADHD, learning disabilities, social difficulties, etc. Sharing the diagnoses for the girls may be too real for a series focussing on McMansions and wet bars. beegee
I just don't understand how things work in their religion. I'm thinking that in the beginning of the show, when they talked about adding a wife, they acted like it was the type of thing that God tells them when it's time to take another wife. Here lately,however, (since he's so nutty for Robyn), it seems like he will always answer No if asked about adding a wife. I just seems like if they really felt led by God to do what they do, then they should never say never. I started watching this wreck to learn, now I'm more confused than ever!
DeleteOooh this is genius! They could name a spinoff show "Seven Brides For LOVER! And I want each "wife" to have her own marriage certificate to frame and hang on the wall. As a matter of fact, I think crafty ( so many ways that could interpreted) Meri should waddle herself to the nearest Michaels and buy blank certificates, frames etc..Oh and buy extras since you never know when a new lover for LOVER will join the family.
Deleteshe was having camera time and storyline withdrawal...her body lanquage was weird
ReplyDeleteFather son relationships can be complicated...based on what I've seen on the show, I have a feeling Winn was an old school "nose to the grindstone" cowboy. Working and owning a ranch is a hard life. And I'm not even trying to be snarky here, but Kody is dreamer, im sure he was no differant as a kid. He has said it himself, he always wanted bigger things for himself. His mother, his brother, his old friends from high school, an episode from season 3 I think, have all said he always had to be the center of attention...he has been a glory hound since, forever...and there is not a lot of room for that on a ranch. I'm sure Winn loved his son, he probably just didn't know what do with him... (every big family has that one kid that makes you shake your head...and their's was named Kody)
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to have found this blog. I missed the other blog. I liked this episode. Kody seems to really love his mom. I like seeing him with her. Janelle seemed really choked up when she was talking about Curtis. When the original three and Kody got together Curtis was a little boy. Genielle was so precious telling her story. I think Christine is way over the top at times. Robyn and her scratching, picking, hands in her hair. She forgets the cameras are rolling. Was Kody wearing clogs when he was having his heart to heart with his mom?
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my Living Room! Enjoy your stay!
Deleteyes..he had clogs on..so much for wearing his cowboy boots to please janelle..maybe he felt free to indulge his fashion
DeleteA friend and I used to have a rule that we would never go out with a guy who wore clogs. Now I guess we would say no hookups with a guy with clogs. Still seems like a good rule to me even though I can't explain exactly what is wrong with the guy with clogs other than bad taste (and bad taste can be trained/persuaded out of them).
DeleteKody's feet have always repulsed me. His ugly flip flops with jeans and the pink shirt. Blond hairy toes. Ewwww!!! I need brain bleach every time I see them show his feet. Clogs? Ack!!!
Deletewell..robyn did benefit financially from the show by adding her on..will she be ok with another wife so the tlc gravey train continues? if the other wives had to sacrifice a night to take her sorry ass on and all of her debt, maybe a fifth to help pay for her house and lien.
ReplyDeleteI liked seeing something that was really part of their life. I don't like that it was a hurtful loss, but as a viewer it mad the Brown family human. I would like to see more of their real life. I want to know how they do their rotation. Does Kody stay at one house one night or several at a time. I would not like for him to pop in and out. I wouldn't like it period, but if I had to live it- I think I would prefer several days at a time. Maybe a week at a time. He could do one week here one week there rotations. I want to see him in a home with a wife and her kids or all of them together doing the everyday stuff. I want to see him showing a wife that he does love her. They are showing their relationships as one dimensional. I want to see them act like "real husband and wife" together as a real family. I think they are getting further away from their religion. They are cursing on tv. They are laughing at their kids saying hell and oh shit on tv. I don't think that is very Mormon. I think they lost a lot of their true beliefs and convictions since doing this show.
ReplyDeleteChristine checking married box is WRONG. She is not legally married. Christine you are still single. If everyone ignores the law and goes by his own rules and not societies norms then what do we have?
ReplyDeleteI agree, even their lawsuit does not attempt to say that these are valid marriages. I am sure that Christine wants to feel that she is married, however, she is NOT.
DeleteShe sure didn't check the married box when applying for welfare benefits... she used single parent with 6 kids!
DeleteMark my words. This show is not being cancelled any time soon. They are going to be on TLC as long as the Duggars. I imagine 4 or 5 more seasons. If they added a 5th wife, or if one of the wives left (or in Meri's case divorced), then the show would be cancelled. Or if Kody were to really lose his temper and throw something or have a real yelling match with a daughter or wife, the show might be cancelled. But none of that is going to happen. This is a show to try to decriminalize polygamy. So what we will see is one of the daughters go to the hospital---maybe Robyn's oldest, so this would give Robyn a chance to show what a great Mom she is and Meri could visit her to make up for not visiting Truely. But the hospital visit would be the result of an accident, not neglect Say, she runs in front of a car, or falls, or something. And we might see Janelle's Mom deal with depression. And Janelle sells a house. And the Browns face discrimination for some reason. Maybe their car gets towed by spiteful business owners. And the case progresses through the court system and they give more interviews about it. They will have more of the wives tell sob stories. Maybe they will get Janelle to talk about her Dad who I believe is deceased. It will be boring, but at the same time, it will have enough for us to have debates. And they will try to get our sympathy while at the same time making us angry enough to watch.
ReplyDeleteOMG> I will need to find a serious all-consuming hobby or get rid of all my TVs and computers.
I saw a desperate moment for Robyn this episode, finger-combing and hair-tossing in the middle of the living room. Her girls are obnoxious, pushing their way to smother whomever the attention happens to be on. I have noticed Robyn swatting Truely away. Every time she pukes her opinion, I can tell Kool Kodster coached her because she blathers unnecessary, useless big words to try to prove to us that she knows what those words are. Meri lives and perpetuates such a farce, it is glaringly obvious that she now likely realizes that maybe all this wasn't such a great idea and she is trapped in misery of her own making. Just mvho, of course.
ReplyDeleteMeri said on one of the first episodes that sometimes the only thing keeping her from leaving is that she doesn't want to take Mariah away from her family. Well...Mariah is now an adult and no longer needs Meri to be married to Kodouche to participate in the "family." However, for the time being, I don't see Meri leaving as long as the TLC $$ are coming in. If the show gets cancelled, on the other hand, I am very interested to see what Meri will do then....
DeleteWhen this show gets cancelled, I see Robyn splitting. It's difficult to say what Meri and Janelle will do. Christine will never leave, unless she has a moment of clarity like her mother did. I think Janelle is outta there as soon as her younger kids are a little more independent. She left the family for a few years before. Who's to say she won't do it again. With Robyn and Janelle out of the way, Meri might stick around, because she would only have to deal with Christine. Meri's been lording herself over Christine for years.
DeleteSince the made for tv ceremony is a joke (we all know the wives barely tolerate each other) & another baby would probably scare viewers away after Robyn's last birthing extravaganza, I think there's only 1 sure way to keep the show going... Wife #5!
ReplyDeleteInteresting how Janelle is talking about her prior polygamist days, weird how Janelle's mom married Kody's dad. Effed up.
ReplyDeleteI hesitated to post this, because I might be too sensitive about this kind of stuff, but when Kody spoke with such "concern" about Sheryl, saying that Genielle had mentioned "Sheryl didn't have enough time with Winn," I hear the word "time" with a capital T. In their religion, during a sealing they are married for "Time and Eternity." If a wife bears children and/or is otherwise a sweet, good wife during the Time on earth, then her husband will recognize her after death and reach out to pull her into heaven with him for Eternity. Sheryl married Winn when she was 48. Her marriage wasn't about bearing children; it was all about the way she and Winn felt about each other--they fell in love. This of course would feel terrible to Genielle, who might have understood and accepted a younger woman capable of bearing children. But because Sheryl did not fulfill the main "purpose" of a wife during Time (child-bearing), there might be some fear about her status as a wife in during Eternity. Kody's remarks (and perhaps to a certain extent, even Genielle's observation that he repeated for the camera) rubbed salt in Sheryl's wounds, and I have a feeling it was carefully and purposefully done.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that little insight into their faith. I had no idea that the word "Time" took on such a specific connotation. This adds a new layer to the situation. For those familiar with the doctrine of Mormon Fundamentalism, if a wife does not bear children, is she really denied eternity with her husband? As an outsider, this concept seems so farfetched. It's hard for me to wrap my head around grown, educated adults believing these precepts wholeheartedly.
DeleteAnon 10:15AM, it is up to the husband. The woman's fate in the afterlife is in the hands of her priesthood holder: her husband, if she is married, and her father, if she is not.
DeleteOh lawd. There are still women out there that tolerate and believe this kind of misogynistic thinking? Has someone told them that we are allowed to vote and own property and everything now?
DeleteWow, even the language is different with these people. I wouldn't have thought that the sue of the word "time" would have such a different meaning.
ReplyDeleteTime and eternity is a common religiuos concept. Mormonism is not the only world religion that believes the word time stands for the time spent on earth and the word eternity means time spent in heaven.
DeleteI'm still chuckling over that Freudian slip that Kody made - ***MY*** hell.
DeleteIt's really more like the rest of the family's hell...for some reason I flashed on Alice Cooper "Welcome to my Nightmare..." haha.
Kody's true colors are coming out more as each season passes. He's away from the rest of the UAB congregation, so he doesn't have to watch what he says or does anymore - no filter and he believes that he is the shit. No one is telling him what to do, other than TLC, and they aren't about to say anything because they want him to act that way. So we can all snark, and keep watching the train wreck.
You are right, Anon. 7:30AM...but many religious words and phrases (such as "born again" and "saved" for instance) mean different things depending on the specific religion. "Time and Eternity" is a phrase loaded with extra meaning when used in a Mormon context (I'm not speaking specifically LDS Mormon, but them as well).
DeleteThe phrase "code switching" has been used by linguists and anthropologists to denote instances where a cultural group (usually a subdominant one) switches between general meaning and specific cultural meaning, in order to communicate on two different levels (on one level, openly to the general dominant culture, and on another more hidden level to a sub-dominant group--sort of like the extra-textual meanings in African American spirituals). To be honest with you, I notice code-switching a LOT on this program, but this is the first time I've pointed it out. I am very sensitive to it (sometimes too much so, so I might "read" things that aren't there---but this time, I was sure enough to post about it).
@Sister Kolobster, thanks! I agree with you regarding the use of the word "time". What other examples have you noticed?
DeleteI would love to know too. This is fascinating to me.
Delete@Fleagh, it's kind of complicated and time-consuming to back this up, so I'll do a hasty job of it and you can agree with me or not...but Christine has used the terms "home" and "key" and the image of "finding one's way home" in the past in code-switching ways. These phrases have layered meanings in their religion. "Key" especially means heavenly-granted authority (Kody, as priest of the family, holds certain "keys" over the rest of them, for example), and the image of "finding your way home" is straight out of many, many old Mormon catechisms. If you watch Polygamy:USA, the episode titled "The Baptism," you will hear Michael Cawley asking his 8 year old daughter questions from the Articles of Faith. Then he asks her a question from a child's catechism: "When you get the Holy Ghost, what will that help you do?" And she answers "Find my way home." And her father reiterates, "Yes, he will help you find your way home to Heavenly Father." The idea of heaven as home and the soul as separated and lost from that home is not particularly Mormon. However, most other Christian belief systems see the soul as a lost sheep and Christ as the Good Shepherd who goes out and finds that sheep. In Mormon imagery, the sheep is not found by the Shepherd; indeed, the sheep is prepared to find its own way back to the fold. To someone of their faith, he afterlife is a complex, dark place, but a prepared soul knows what to do to find its way "home" (an unprepared soul will not have this knowledge). Thus, Christine's frantic repetition of "We've got to get these houses so the older kids can find their way home!"( which I heard her say more than once in a passionate manner) seems outwardly ridiculous, but not if you understand that her choice of words speaks of her fear that unless the families unite (another layered word) on the cul-de-sac, some of the older kids might fall away from their faith.
DeleteJust curious..does anyone know if the Brown family's particular sect of Mormon Fundamentalism follows the leadership of a self-appointed "prophet"? They've never commented on this aspect of their religion on the show.
ReplyDeleteHere's an informative article from Wikipedia on the AUB (the sect the Browns belong)
DeleteApostolic United Brethren
I think the section titled "Organization" will answer your question!
Thank you CJ. This was an interesting read.
DeleteI wish we could find someone close to where Robin and her husband divorced. They could go to the county courthouse and look up their case and tell us all the scoop. Does Robin not realize talking so terrible about her ex damages her children. My husband is a judge who hears divorce and custody cases. He said the judge could hold her in contempt for bad mouthing her children's father on national t.v. He could drag her into court and really let her have it.
ReplyDeleteI think if Robyn's ex-husband wanted to make a public statement about Robyn, he would have done it after her little virginity sermon last season, which I thought was completely inappropriate and potentially damaging to her children's psyche. Since there was no backlash or statements from his side of the family, I am guessing her claims of spousal abuse are not unfounded. Just a hunch.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the opposite. Her ex has the children during the summer and Christmas vacation. Also I recall on an episode (I think it was the camping trip to Big Bear) Robyn was sobbing that if the Brown children didn't stop bullying her children, they could choose to live with their father fulltime.
ReplyDeleteI think if there was abuse, her ex would not be given unsupervised access to his children for long periods of time in a rural town at least 2 states away. At least I would hope not. I think the reason why there's nothing coming from her ex and his family is because 1)they are still prominent members of the Pinesdale AUB community and Robyn's behavior is beneath them to even acknowledge and 2) everyone in Pinesdale know Robyn and take anything she says or do with a grain of salt - while saying under their breath how batshit crazy she is.
I agree with Cynical Jinx on this one...
DeleteNot only does the ex have quite a bit of access to the kids, but at some point he would have had to agree to let them participate in the show. At a minimum, as the non-custodial parent (who can rightfully bring an action against the custodial parent) he could have fairly easily stopped them from being on the show.
Their whole money deal is just killing me, I know we will never really know how much they actually make, or how much is actually given to them...but between houses and cars and college tuition and European vacations, and landscaping, and elaborate celebrations...just all of it, I think at the end of the day...the Browns are about the green...
And really, who can blame them? These people have gone from barely scraping by (bankruptcies, and food stamps aside, I think they were genuinely just trying to get by every month, which is what sort of made them appealing that first season) to half a million dollar houses, endless perks and don't forget the red-carpet evenings out on the Strip that they like to tweet about all the time. These people won the plyg lotto!
Maybe, just maybe, Robyn's ex is sitting back thinking to himself, I can either take on the grief of trying to stop this mess, or I can see my kids as much as I can so I still have some influence, and hopefully, (which he could easily do by court order) force Robyn to put money aside for the kids... I really pray that is the case.
I think she likes playing the victim. I would just love to see what is alleged in the divorce file. Public record but usually you have to appear in person to view it. I mean she did have a bill of $1000 at Victoria Secret and she continued to birth babies. Seeing her mom on the show doesn't strike me that she could have moved in with her if it was so terrible. I'm not saying it wasn't bad just think that she gets a lot of attention with her story and every time she mentions it it seems to get worse.
ReplyDeleteIf you are willing pay (here, usually $1 per page), the court clerk will mail copies to you of the docs if you send in a request, as they public record. Also, in larger counties, sometimes the court docs are viewable for free online (like here, in Dallas). I don't actually know exactly where Robyn lived when married (St George?), but it might be worth a look if you know to see if that county's records are online. (I will admit that since bankruptcy records are online, and since I have a subscription to PACER from work....I did kind of use it, even though there's a charge, to look at all the Brown family BK filings. I know...not work-related. I'm a bad person. Sue me. Also recently looked up Vince Young's BK case. )-: ).
DeleteHowever, back in the day when I was doing family law (yuck, yuck, yuck!), 95% of the time, nothing "awful" was alleged in any documents that were actually filed with the court. Those are normally pretty standard. You might find out the grounds for divorce, but most states now are "no fault" states, in which case most attorneys just use irreconcilable differences, since it no longer really matters. And, you will normally find a listing of debts, which gave us Robyn's VS tidbit.... But, most of the time, the mud slinging (i.e. the juicy stuff), comes out during court appearances/hearings. Depending if a court reporter was hired, a transcript might be available, but those are NOT public record, meaning you or I can't find out what court reporter was there and call up and pay for a transcript.
I know....sad, but true. )-: I think the only way we will ever find out anything about her marriage/divorce other than Robyn's version of it is if someone speaks out. I've seen a few things here and there from people claiming to have known Robyn and David Jessop, but nothing that you could say for sure was credible, and nothing all that earth shattering. Now...if only David Jessop would say something. But, for some reason, NOT a word....despite the fact Robyn et al has misaligned his character repeatedly on national television. To me, that says one of three things. They're either paying him to stay silent (or giving him a break on child support); he doesn't want to come out openly as a polygamist/bring attention to himself, etc; or three, he doesn't give a shit about Robyn and fam period, and thus, feels no need to defend himself or "get back" at Robyn by saying bad things about her. No idea what his true reason is, but doesn't stop me from trying to guess! Very, very curious. (-:
- Lori
Was reading backwards, bottom to top, and just saw what CJ said above. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to just reiterate what you'd already said about David Jessop! Should read in order....
Delete- Lori
UGH! Not only should I read in order, I should proofread better. "Maligned," not "misaligned." Sorry, again!
Delete- Lori
Robyn's rhythmic playing with her necklace reminded me of a hyperactive child. I wonder if she always found it hard to sit still and do nothing.
ReplyDeleteI notice she does that a lot. Not just playing with her necklace either, she's always fidgety. Is that not distracting? Lol. Sometimes I have to go back a scene and re-watch because I'm so distracted with her fidgeting! Kate Gosslin from Kate plus 8 used to tug at her earrings when doing her couch interviews. EVERY SINGLE TIME! I don't think she did one interview that she wasn't tugging on them. It drove me nuts. I could never stay focused on what she was saying because I was worried she'd tug too hard and rip it right out of her head. Robyn is no different for me. Thank goodness for this blog. When I miss something "important" I can read about it here haha. And yes Robyn is very child-like.
Deletemaybe she is NERVOUS
DeleteThe necklace itself was nearly invisible on television. At first I thought she was just moving her hand in a funny way. Robyn is quite the gal.
DeleteBeing nervous doesn't make you pick crud out of your eyes and examine it on national television...and she does that type of nasty stuff repeatedly. That's not nerves...that's just dirty.
DeleteWhat would she be nervous about? She's ALWAYS fidgety. I especially can't see her being a nervous person when she's such a camera hog all of the time. Her personality is closer to Kody than any of the other wives. I doubt she's nervous.
DeleteAs this series rolls on down the track, I have more and more curiosity about Robyn. She's frequently expressing a pity party. Teenage marriages with a baby coming soon don't always survive the stress but extravagant debt to Victoria's Secret while having no crib doesn't show good judgement from either partner. "Stolen purity"--jeesh! Does she really think the rest of the world lives in her fantasy world? But my most current curiosity is about a woman with three older children and a toddler in this milieu needing a nanny/housekeeper. First we saw Taralyce who lasted a few month and now we see Mindy Jessop, who another blogger says is Robyn's stepneice(daughter of one of Paul Sullivan's older daughters). Mikelti and Mindy have referred to Mindy bathing Sol and cleaning bathrooms on Twitter. We know Janelle is selling real estate and working out, Christine is parenting, Meri is weeping over her empty nest, Kody is running between houses on the cult-de-sac while mismanaging male pattern baldness but what is Robyn doing besides doodling in her "design" notebooks and showing off more scintillating underwear?
ReplyDeleteI know this is a little off-topic, but does anyone know what happened to the other blog? After all those years it just...stopped! Not a word of warning, no goodbyes, no apologies for disappearing...it's just dead.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is it wasn't unusual for MS to take long breaks, especially if she'd been ill. She has been gone for longer periods in the past, so I think she'll return to SWB eventually.
DeleteMy fear was that she had passed away...the last message was posted by a relative 2 months ago saying she had suddenly contracted an infection but would be back as soon as she was able to.
DeleteI really enjoyed some of the articles and content that expanded on polygamy, she had quite a network of resources and experts whose posts were very enlightening. CJ - glad I stumbled across your livingroom! (o:
Welcome Kristi !!
Deletei think kody has to remind people he is a polygamist constantly because they no longer live like polygamist, and meris selfish me me me taking from the kids is so not how they used to live. They used to say when they moved to vegas that meri was a mile away and then justifying the mcmansions they talked about how far away some of the wives were. I think meri did not like the neighborhood the other wives were in and refused to live there. Her rental was far betther then the others. Meris selfishness got worse when the money rolled in. I think they know about the comments people make about this, so they have to scream we are polygamist. and they are persecuted.
ReplyDeleteI went looking for some articles about the Double Dollar Ranch because I remember it was posted at the Sister Wives blog. Back in the days of Sister Wives blog, we talked about how they would divide up the ranch among the children and how it was assessed at about $600,000. Well, apparently that is not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it is not listed for sale. Even if it were, it is owned by a Trust, plus Winn and someone named "Gordon". (Is that the cousin who runs it?) So only a half would go to Winn and his heirs (widow and children.) This Gordon person would get the the other half, if he agreed to the sale, which he apparently has not.
But the fact I discovered is that the real estate taxes have not been paid for a year. I don't know how much because it is divided into 18 parcels and each one is shown as delinquent and I didn't add them up. But I estimate the delinquent taxes are about 7000 or 8000, not including interest or penalties. All of that would have to be paid in lump sum to prevent the county from conducting a tax foreclosure sale and seizing the property. (They aren't like the IRS: slow and willing to work out payment arrangements.)
So Genielle and Sheryl might be thrown out of the property. Just another reason why polygamy does not work. Of course, that also means the children inherit nothing. But the Browns and TLC will spin it as another bad interference of the government and how the government discriminates against polygamists.
I could have sworn most of the ranch land was leased from the US govt. Also just because someone's past due on their property taxes doesn't mean their lifestyle or religion doesn't work! Possibly the delinquency was due to Winn being very ill or from bad business decisions but I don't see the fact the ranch MAY owe back taxes as a indication polygamy doesn't work.
DeleteWell, I thought that a tax bill of 7000 or 8000 might be kinda low for the amount of acreage there was so that makes sense.
DeleteI guess I was a little vague about the tax bill. I was not saying that a delinquent tax bill is the result of polygamy. I am saying that having lots of wives and children often leads to financial strain (unless the man starts out as a millionaire). And financial strain leads to bankruptcy, unpaid tax bills, wives not being adequately provided for, etc.
Sorry for the confusion.
I will keep my comments to myself from now on, since I thought some things were obvious.
Frankly, I was shocked to see how modestly Genielle was living when they first showed the ranch on TV several seasons ago. For a family as large as the Browns, I thought it was disgraceful that it took TV cameras to get someone motivated enough to paint her tiny house. After listening to Kody in this past week's episode, I am beginning to think that Winn was kind of an a**hole.
DeleteI lied-- I can't stop making comments--what is wrong with me?? I should have said: "just another situation where polygamy did not work" instead of "just another reason why polygamy does not work".
DeleteThat is just my opinion. Lots of people think Kody makes it work. I don't. I can't stand Kody. Not only is he creepy to me, I think he has evil eyes. JMHO
Anonymous 2/13/14 at 2:28 wrote: After listening to Kody in this past week's episode, I am beginning to think that Winn was kind of an a**hole.
DeleteIf so, that explains a lot - apples not falling far from trees and all that.
I live in Missoula, MT which is close to Pinesdale, MT where David Jessop lives - Robyns X . I work Monday thru Friday so I would not be able to go the court house in that county and check things out. I would not feel comfortable taking a drive to Pinesdale and see if anyone there would talk to me as they are pretty guarded and would spot me right away as being a stranger. If any body has any ideas of what I can do to find out more on David and Robyn let me know
ReplyDeleteThank you for offering but I would not feel comfortable asking you to find out information for the simple reason that Robyn's ex has never appeared on the show, been mentioned by name on the show, or participated in interviews on the Browns or Robyn.
DeleteThe man and his family deserves their privacy. The Browns are fair game for discussion due their reality show but I really believe they offer enough discussion material without us needing to delve too deeply into public records.
I think if there was any juicy gossip to be found in those files, radar online or tmz would have dug it up years ago.
DeleteDo AUB members count it as divorce if they are not legally married? Or do they just walk away? Does anybody know the divorce rate among this group? It seems pretty high considering they are married for time and eternity.
ReplyDeleteAnother point--do they think they will be happier in the heavenly version of this life? I don't get going through such hell just to live the same thing for all eternity on some damn planet that your friends and other family members aren't even on. Are you allowed to visit other planets? (can't believe I just typed that last question!)
Does anybody know the divorce rate among this group?
DeleteIt's been estimated at 35%, which is considered highest among the different FM sects. The author (Bennion) said this was because the AUB allows women to go to the council and ask to be reassigned if she feels her husband is not a good priesthood holder. That's how one of the Darger wives (one of the twins) was able to dump her first husband to eventually marry Papa Joe. Actually, I read her ex-husb was a real piece of work so I can see her dumping him was justified.
Teaser previews are airing now hinting at an additional wife in the future. Gimmick to keep people watching or do you think they're desperate enough for another season that they will actually go out and nail one?
ReplyDeleteI think you're right on both!!
Deletei did this because my mom bore testimony and i bought..what kody said with his friend from school when they went to lovel wy in season 3 and his friend said kodys family was prostilizing
ReplyDeletethis was in the conversation when kody and his friend on the boat. sounds like kodys mom and dad converting really affected kody..and kody admits he dosnt know much about doctrine..that was a reveling and honest conversation
I remember that episode when his friend said that. I have my own special theory about this...When I have more time I'll make another comment about it!!
Deletesean has a workout video for sale on MSWC website..there is a small video at the bottom of the page that i swear he looked and sounded like he was going to cry at any moment yikes!
ReplyDeleteI just spent an hour on Facebook going through Robyn, Taraleyce, and their mom's public Facebook posts to
DeleteSee if I can find David Jessop and there's too many Jessops. Ugh
Deletedoes anyone think that Meri might be faking her "love" of Robyn so she can continue appearing as Kody's biggest supporter among the wives, and thus his second favorite. You can flat out tell the moon revolves around Robyn in Kody's eyes. She's his new play thing until they find a younger, prettier, and thinner "new wife". It's so transparent and sad.
ReplyDeleteI just saw the Sister Wives and Kody on ABC News talking about their case with Utah. Kody said he is glad they won and now all polygamist families can stop hiding. What has this world come to. I hope that polygamy is never made legal. I could give a rats ass who Kody wants to sleep with or how many women and kids he wants. Utah says that's its ok for him to live with as many women as he wants as long as there is only 1 legal wife. Then why in the hell does the other 3 call themselves wife's. They are single women. I can't stand that Kody is making money off his lifestyle choice. Why do we continue to give his ass air time. Polygamy is so degrading to women and children. Will someone please tell me how many other polygamist families live like the Browns. If so, then I will gladly shut up. They only live like this due to the TLC money. If the Browns did not have TLC money, then how would they be living. They make it seem like polygamy is the new way of life. They base this on their faith. I never like to talk about people's faith but I can't for the life of me understand their religion. I have tried my best to understand. I for one don't believe that the man holds all the power and he is the one to call you up to heaven. I say this is a crop of shit. I wish this show ends and then we can see how Kody spends his time. This ass is getting paid to lay around while lots of hard working families can't even afford one home and he has 4 homes. Cry me a river, I don't feel bad for them. Yes, I feel bad that they have had some family tragedy but people die every day. There are families out there who are going thru much more than the Browns. Why are we not feeling sorry for them. To hell with the Brown famiy. I can't stand polygamy and I don't believe that these people are happy. It pisses me off when people think that Kody is a super dad and wonderful husband. What the hell do you think they are going to say on camera. There is no way in hell that one man can devote his time to a family this large and be there for 4 women. Someone is lying. This show is so fake. Why does this madness not end. Enough already.
ReplyDeleteDelurking to say
DeleteI don't know. I was brought up to believe in the rights of individuals, that we all have freedoms including the freedom of religion. I get so worried that people will start thinking hey, these polygamists are wrong so let's exterminate them and some people who maybe slept thru their history classes will forget the massacres of millions of people that happened because a group of people believed another persons religion or lifestyle choice or color of their skin or tribal group was wrong. When you say that a person's way of life makes you mad, well all I can say is where will this hatred end? Whether you call it the final solution (Hitler) or ethnic cleansing (the 1990's version of the final solution) it all boils down to one thing: Hatred of things you don't even try to understand.
I pray to God that history will not keep repeating itself. Please, God don't let it happen again. Please people, stop the hating.
It's kind of a hysterical leap to go from thinking polygamy is inherently degrading to women and not sustainable financially (agreed) to exterminating them. Jesus. We can disagree with them, and do, without wishing them harm. I think maybe you need to chill out and figure out why us disagreeing is making you so nutty.
DeleteAll right, now I'm stepping into this. While I appreciate your opinion Anon 9:13am, do you really think it was necessary to used words such as hysterical, nutty and chill out to make your point?
DeleteFrankly, I can see both sides. There are some people who feel that polygamy is the root of all evil. There are others that feel people who practice polygamy are within their rights to do so. I can respect both opinions.
But what I don't respect is someone being told they need to chill out, being told they are hysterical and that they are nutty because of their opinion.
That's how I see it.
This conversation has run it's course. Let's move on.
:-)...Thank you for your explanation as it has helped me to better understand your viewpoint.
DeleteKey really is "Legal wife". Don't get lost
ReplyDeleteI wish ABC would do a segment on Colorado City and Flora Jessop and the good she does, make no mistake, Pologamy is degrading to woman and to the children it produces,
ReplyDeleteABC has done that already. It was a segment with reporter John Quinones who accompanied Flora Jessop on one of her extraction runs in Colorado City in 2006.
DeleteOops. The segment was originally aired in 2004 and rerunned as followup in 2006.
DeleteSister kolobster you nailed it! I have sometimes understood that things they say has another meaning and especially christine. I'm quite "over sensitive" and hear/interpret even if there is nothing and I have been wondering what she really means cause I can hear in her voice /tone that she sound different. But I tried to believe it's again all in my head until now. I was right! You made me feel less stupid :)
ReplyDeleteI Haven't yet seen that episode with them being at the ranch. I have one episode reordered to se tomorrow and it's the one he burns his bag. Next episode is on Wednesday. We are a bit behind with the Browns here in Sweden. Thank God this blog exists :)
Reading here almost every night when it's bedtime.
Orcid