Duggars Losing It?

[luckylassie]

By "It" I mean ratings and fans. I know a few people that were once die-hard supporters but now they are just wanting the show off the air. Back in 08' it seems like so many people were fawning over how sweet Anna was and how Michelle (even with 18 kids) was such a good mother. Now, it seems the enchantment has ended.

[maybeizfundie]

Honestly, they're kind of boring. At least, the them that the show presents.

[forever ago]

I suspect it's because the fans are picking up on how worn-out the kids, particularly the older girls, seem. They're also probably tired of every episode title having "Duggars" somewhere in the title, and while I don't watch the show regularly it seems like TLC is running out of new ideas for episodes.

[Guest Anonymous]

I think a lot of people who were initially enchanted by this family discovered the dark side from reading this and other snark boards. That was enough to take the bloom off the rose.

[cindyluvs24]

And it's become so staged and phony. I'm a little tired of J and M's comments making the smallest occrrence an opportiunity to somehow link to their beliefs. "Grandma Duggar is such a good example of a caring godly wife" or some such during the Let's-drag-terminal-grandpa- in -front-of the-camera episode. Yes she is, but newsflash: Us liberated heathen gals don't throw out spouses onto ice floes when they get sick. Get over yourselves. Lots of other examples but that one stuck in my craw.

[cindyluvs24]

And the trip to Kleinfeld's for the wedding dress. Seriously?? Your definition of family togetherness means you drag little boys there to wait and wait and wait?? They couldn't go for a walk or play in Central Park? And while I'm at it, is there a reason Michelle couldn't comb her hair for the renewal ceremony? The white dress over the pregnant belly was hysterical enough (think Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl). I think most people have seen it for its shock value but are not interested in being converted over the airwaves. And other than the standard "we have 19 children", what else have they got going for them?

[forever ago]

I think a lot of people who were initially enchanted by this family discovered the dark side from reading this and other snark boards. That was enough to take the bloom off the rose.

Au contraire. Just a short while ago I didn't care about the Duggars and didn't watch TV, like, ever. I got fascinated by fundies because of a story I'm trying to write, and found this forum. If anything the snark has made me want to watch it more.

[bananacat]

Just like any reality show, this one is getting stale. Very few shows of any type last more than a few seasons. They were boring to begin with and now they're more boring. If you've seen one Duggar dental episode, you've seen them all. If you've seen them pack for a trip, you really don't need to see that again. Even a courtship probably wouldn't save ratings because we've already seen that.

I also think that Josie's health problems have turned viewers away. It was all fun and games when Michelle could pretend that every pregnancy was perfectly healthy. She could ignore medical advice and get away with it because she was damn lucky. Now that her plan backfired she has shown how risky it is. If she doesn't have more kids, then there's nothing for viewers to look forward to. If she does have more kids, then the public will vilify her.

[bananacat]

And it's become so staged and phony. I'm a little tired of J and M's comments making the smallest occrrence an opportiunity to somehow link to their beliefs. "Grandma Duggar is such a good example of a caring godly wife" or some such during the Let's-drag-terminal-grandpa- in -front-of the-camera episode. Yes she is, but newsflash: Us liberated heathen gals don't throw out spouses onto ice floes when they get sick. Get over yourselves. Lots of other examples but that one stuck in my craw.

Ugh, I know! I especially hate the one where they volunteered at a soup kitchen and Michelle said it's such a great way to develop a "servant's heart". No Michelle, helping need people one time does no give you a servant's heart. Doing it every day or every week might, but even then you shouldn't brag about being a decent human being. And going to a poor country to build something for them just so you can take over their culture and convert them, without any attempt to understand their culture and calling their version of Christianity some kind of Devil-worship is not charity. It's just arrogant and presumptuous. The ironic thing is that if those people came to the United States and spoke English well but with an accent, the Duggars would be the first to flip out. But they go to a Spanish-speaking country and JB makes a mockery of their language. I know it's hard for most adults to learn new languages, but JB did not take it seriously at all.

I could also do without their smugness about not allowing their kids to date or kiss, and their crap about being debt-free. I could be debt-free too if a tv station paid for my palace. And kissing before marriage didn't ruin my life. They are just so smug about everything. They really think the rest of the world is full of people who do nothing all day but get drunk, buy designer shoes on credit, and finish it off with an orgy with random strangers. A 16 year-old who has never kissed is not special. A kid who makes a pinata is not a super-creative genius. JB said that his kid made the pinata because he doesn't have tv, like no kid who watches tv could ever come up with such an idea. Get over yourselves, Duggars!

[luckylassie]

I find the Duggars to be arrogant at times too. Even Anna seems to have a bit of a snooty side to her IMO. I kind of get the feeling that only skirt wearing fellow fundies get spared from Duggar judgement

[xReems]

When they first started, it was all about showing the viewers how they manage to handle all these children from their day to day life, to homeschooling, to chores, etc. What they wanted to show was how a family of 14, at the time, could have fun, love each other, and yet maintain a conservative Christian view.

The Duggars have let the fame get to their head, even though they claim they have not. They're mooching off of TLC so much, it's impossible to hide it from the viewers. They are staging every little scene, it's hard to tell which is actual and which is staged. What really turned me away was when they brought up Grandpa Duggar and had an episode on that. Seriously, when it comes to death in the family, the last thing I would want is to have a camera in my face for the world to see. That, to me, is a personal thing and would prefer to remain private and be with family and not use it as an opportunity to rank in viewers. I feel like that's what Jon and Kate did when they announced their divorce-I'm sure they knew announcing it on a special, talking about their struggles, could bring in viewers, which, surprise surprise, it did.

Another thing that irked me like anything was when they used their iPhone to film Josie at the hospital all miserable after having a seizure. Seriously?! Who the hell does that?! Are you people that desperate to show the world your daughter in pain that you're willing to film her in the ambulance and at the hospital like that? Fine, show her afterwards and talk about it, but what was the point in doing some amateur shots of it? Disrespectful and total fame whores.

If they want to bring in viewers, show a typical date of your older girls, without it being staged whatsoever. I want a raw footage of it, nothing scripted. I swear, if I have to see another episode of them going to the dentist or doing another field trip, I'll explode.

OR...even better: maybe show us how your homeschooling thing works, considering everyone is assuming Michelle hides away in the bedroom and just lets Jessa or the computer teach them.

[Justme]

I don't think it's just the Duggar's show. I think Reality TV is starting it's way down. What used to be "real" is now staged and scripted. The Rolaf's "burnt out". Kate &bratskids are laughable.

I do feel sorry for the children who were brought up with camera's in their homes. Fame fades and unless the parents were carefully putting money away in trust funds for them, they'll have no money to pay for college, etc. Those poor Goslin kids who were filled "potty training" at 2 are going to be very embarressed at 16 when the shows are in re-run or their friends see an old DVD.

[ChunkyBarbie]

The whole learning a servant's heart BS ticks me off! Michelle, YOU, Smuggar and JB need to learn to serve others, your daughters ARE servants. Michelle would have a total break down if she had to do what the older girls do for even a day. Moron.

[HowRude]

I honestly want to see the show go own I want to know how Josie turns out, see the girls married off, and see if someone escapes.

[maybeizfundie]

I agree, "reality" shows in general are just getting dumber and dumber.

The first couple of Cake Boss seasons were wonderful, but the scripting and manufactured "excitement" became downright stupid.

[lilwriter85]

I agree with others the show is getting stale and reality shows about families eventually lose viewers either once the show gets boring or when certain details are found out the family. With the Roloffs, viewers loved them at first because they were curious to see dwarf parents raising a family, but in time fame got to Matt and Amy's head and certain details about Roloff's past finances and issues with LP organizations came to light and then people got turned off Jeremy's MySpace comment scandal.

At first a lot of people liked the Duggars at first because they were curious to see how a large family managed and they probably bought into Mullet's little girl voice. In time, some people started searching around online about the QF movement and those details scared them. Also the way the family acts on the show sometimes has probably turned people off. Smuggar is a nickname that you see on different forums and sites. The way the older girls are treated turned off viewers after they saw that the girls were taking care of the younger ones frequently.

I'm not surprised the show has lost ratings. Some people probably stopped watching after Josie's birth and also it has become obvious that a lot of things are staged.

[lilwriter85]

When they first started, it was all about showing the viewers how they manage to handle all these children from their day to day life, to homeschooling, to chores, etc. What they wanted to show was how a family of 14, at the time, could have fun, love each other, and yet maintain a conservative Christian view.

The Duggars have let the fame get to their head, even though they claim they have not. They're mooching off of TLC so much, it's impossible to hide it from the viewers. They are staging every little scene, it's hard to tell which is actual and which is staged. What really turned me away was when they brought up Grandpa Duggar and had an episode on that. Seriously, when it comes to death in the family, the last thing I would want is to have a camera in my face for the world to see. That, to me, is a personal thing and would prefer to remain private and be with family and not use it as an opportunity to rank in viewers. I feel like that's what Jon and Kate did when they announced their divorce-I'm sure they knew announcing it on a special, talking about their struggles, could bring in viewers, which, surprise surprise, it did.

Another thing that irked me like anything was when they used their iPhone to film Josie at the hospital all miserable after having a seizure. Seriously?! Who the hell does that?! Are you people that desperate to show the world your daughter in pain that you're willing to film her in the ambulance and at the hospital like that? Fine, show her afterwards and talk about it, but what was the point in doing some amateur shots of it? Disrespectful and total fame whores.

If they want to bring in viewers, show a typical date of your older girls, without it being staged whatsoever. I want a raw footage of it, nothing scripted. I swear, if I have to see another episode of them going to the dentist or doing another field trip, I'll explode.

OR...even better: maybe show us how your homeschooling thing works, considering everyone is assuming Michelle hides away in the bedroom and just lets Jessa or the computer teach them.

Their mooching days are limited. They probably love having their mission trips financed by TLC and they probably like buying more expensive things on TLC's teat. In the last episode I rolled my eyes when Boob was bitching about the subway ticket costs. I really doubt it was his money that paid for the tickets. I bet a crew member handed him money before they were filmed at the ticket office.

[lilwriter85]

I think a lot of people who were initially enchanted by this family discovered the dark side from reading this and other snark boards. That was enough to take the bloom off the rose.

I agree FJ, twop, IMDB and sites like NLQ all helped into taking off that bloom. I also saw some stuff on topix forums that gave away some details on the family.

[leena_noor]

They were so 'different' in the beginning--very open in their differentness with their dress, way of speaking (nike anyone?). Now their kids just look ignorant when they can't answer simple questions, and people are realizing how much the older kids raise the younger. There is no 'parenting' advice, except that you should have lots of older girls to use as slave labor.

I wonder what they'll do when the money stop rolling in? Will they still be able to cash in on the name and write "parenting" books?

[makepeace]

TLC must be pissed about how boring the show has become. I could see TLC executives organising courtships and a wedding for the twins because that's the only thing that will increase views. Something needs to happen! Otherwise, I would rather watch the bates.

[lilwriter85]

They were so 'different' in the beginning--very open in their differentness with their dress, way of speaking (nike anyone?). Now their kids just look ignorant when they can't answer simple questions, and people are realizing how much the older kids raise the younger. There is no 'parenting' advice, except that you should have lots of older girls to use as slave labor.

I wonder what they'll do when the money stop rolling in? Will they still be able to cash in on the name and write "parenting" books?

I think they will be ok financially when the TLC money stops. There will probably less trips and less expensive electronics and other things for the Duggars though. Boob and Mullet aren't too huge in the publishing world. Their first book got decent sales but it wasn't really considered a hit. It was on the top 35 of the New York Times Bestseller list 5 or 6 times but it never cracked within the top 20. That book was only released in paperback and books like I Hope Serve Beer Hell and sold a lot more than the Duggars first book.

The second book which was released in hardcover has done better than first book. But it hasn't been on the NY Times top 35 in a few weeks. The first book didn't have staying power and I think with the second book, most of sales have been made already. I think the first and second books will be out of print within five years from now. They have too small of a reading audience to be long term successes in the publishing world.

The Duggars probably don't make much in audiobook sales. Mass amounts of people probably wouldn't want to hear a little girl voice Mullet narrating a book. I can see them publishing more "parenting" books without TLC but they will never have mainstream success. People like Laura Hillenbrand, Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger are the types of non-fiction authors will really rake in big money because they can appeal to mass audiences. The Duggars only have their fundie audience which is a small audience and their naive audience which is also another small audience.

[Cerulean Blue]

I started DVRing the series and only watch the episodes that sound like they have the most interesting content. The recent episode in which the Duggar girls host a (NOT)Dating Seminar did not disappoint, just disappointed me that all four of them have totally bought the entire party line. They had the author of that What To Do While You're Waiting For Your Prince (NOT)Charming book as a guest, and introduced the concept of "courting," probably the first time it was ever discussed on a non-religious channel. I'll bet that one blew some of the viewers' socks off, at least the folks who aren't onto all the current trends in fundieland! Seriously, though, I really felt sad that every single one of them plans to go this route. If they have thoughts of their own, it surely wasn't evident.

[bananacat]

When they first started, it was all about showing the viewers how they manage to handle all these children from their day to day life, to homeschooling, to chores, etc. What they wanted to show was how a family of 14, at the time, could have fun, love each other, and yet maintain a conservative Christian view.

The Duggars have let the fame get to their head, even though they claim they have not. They're mooching off of TLC so much, it's impossible to hide it from the viewers. They are staging every little scene, it's hard to tell which is actual and which is staged. What really turned me away was when they brought up Grandpa Duggar and had an episode on that. Seriously, when it comes to death in the family, the last thing I would want is to have a camera in my face for the world to see. That, to me, is a personal thing and would prefer to remain private and be with family and not use it as an opportunity to rank in viewers. I feel like that's what Jon and Kate did when they announced their divorce-I'm sure they knew announcing it on a special, talking about their struggles, could bring in viewers, which, surprise surprise, it did.

Another thing that irked me like anything was when they used their iPhone to film Josie at the hospital all miserable after having a seizure. Seriously?! Who the hell does that?! Are you people that desperate to show the world your daughter in pain that you're willing to film her in the ambulance and at the hospital like that? Fine, show her afterwards and talk about it, but what was the point in doing some amateur shots of it? Disrespectful and total fame whores.

If they want to bring in viewers, show a typical date of your older girls, without it being staged whatsoever. I want a raw footage of it, nothing scripted. I swear, if I have to see another episode of them going to the dentist or doing another field trip, I'll explode.

OR...even better: maybe show us how your homeschooling thing works, considering everyone is assuming Michelle hides away in the bedroom and just lets Jessa or the computer teach them.

The Duggar shows have ALWAYS been staged and heavily edited. And the Duggars never wanted to just show the world a happy, large family. Their reasons for doing the show are to convert people to their brand of Christianity and to convince people to have more kids. That's what they do. They are out to convert. And they know that they have to present it in a certain way that is more appealing because if everyone saw their true lives from the beginning they would not want to join up.

[tinuviel]

Another part of the problem is that the fundiness prevents all of them from being able to say what they really think. I think the show would be much more interesting if there were some character development, so to speak. Let the girls narrate what actually goes on, how they feel about it, etc. Not just "some of us like pickles and some don't". Of course that wouldn't be allowed, but I would definitely tune in more if it were.

[nutella addict]

I'd read some of the threads on the old board once or twice but mostly rumors without too much of the ATI/IBLP craziness, and I don't think I really started researching it until my homeschooled friend told me how sad she was to find out they were ATI, and that's when I started reading up on Gothard and finding it all quite insane. I thought they were odd and sometimes smug but I think they've only gotten worse over time, and also that when you actually bother to read up on their beliefs is when you realize the "dark side". They were interesting because they were different and I could never believe how many kids they had - when I saw one of the early specials I thought Michelle looked like a crazy person (it was in the eyes...and the frumpers) but I wasn't interested enough to read more at that point (years ago). I think there are plenty of other people who don't realize any of those things either, or are ok with the few hints in the show (eg, are conservative themselves or something). It's only maybe after this and the smugness and the lack of college or other options for the girls is showing up in more recent seasons more and more frequently that people are being turned off. And it's getting so boring! So staged and so many repeats, and like tinuviel pointed out, no character development. Add to that that I hate the format of TLC shows where they show you what's coming up about 10 times in an episode so you see the same scene over and over again, and of course I don't watch much - it's not worth the trouble of waiting for and finding youtube uploads.

What I suspect will happen is, if nothing super exciting happens soon that hasn't been done two or more times before, the show will fizzle out, and go back to just being specials. The Hayes stopped their show for whatever reason, but still have the odd special, and I suspect the Duggars love fame too much not to do a special, and if they have something special-worthy - twin grandkids, weddings, something, Michelle actually having another baby (which I doubt will happen), a kid escaping, them adopting - TLC will probably call them back in for it. Heck, for the Hayes all they had to do was get a dog for their special, IIRC.