Which Duggars do you think will court next?

[PracticeMakesProgress]

I have really low expectations from Jim Bob and Michelle, but I have trouble thinking they'd ever tell their daughters they HAVE to start courting for ratings. Jill in particular seemed so enthusiastic about Derick. Her feelings looked genuine. She seemed head over heels and like she needed NO convincing to get married ASAP.

More iffy on Jessa. She DID start courting during that "slow" period in the ratings and didn't seem that into Ben at the beginning. Which seemed a bit weird.

But at the same time...I have trouble thinking Jim Bob would pick Ben of all people, IF he was pulling the strings. I mean, Ben is zealous. He checks that box. But he's also a PR disaster waiting to happen and has none of the "qualities they need in a future husband." They made a huge stink about Derick being able to support Jill, and Josh had to have a plan to support Anna, too.

What do you do married with no BC, while someone is still in school with no income? How are you supposed to provide for a child, much less yourself? That looks pretty bad. It's definitely not in line with the ultra-fiscally conservative image Jim Bob tries to portray.

Didn't Jim Bob even cowrite a book about men preparing for marriage while still living at home? Recommending they buy a house in cash before marriage? Yeah, that sure went out the window fast with Ben.

I also think things are different now that the Duggars have more money and means. When they were packed like sardines in the first house, I'm sure following those strict financial rules to a T was essential. And if Ben (and Derick) had come along in the era of the prairie dress, JB would probably be a lot more harsh in his vetting process regarding a "plan" for supporting his daughters.

JB and J'chelle can obviously extend more of a helping hand and, BONUS, keeping the daughters close and riding the TLC gravy train means more help around the TTH, and a greater likelihood that everybody will stay in the fold. The scene where they ask Derick about his plans seemed a bit forced, since they were getting married in a few days, and 2,000 root beer floats had already been ruined when they were having such a critical discussion. After all, Jill and Derick are squatting in a most fabulous house NOT in anyway paid for by that sweet Wal-Mart money. (Kudos to Derick, though, for having an actual degree and an actual job with benefits. And I guess for Jill for helpmeeting the shit out of such a great guy.)

[eh02]

I think the reason Jim Bob didn't apply all of the standards to Ben is because he can relate to him.

I think he fully expects Ben to get a job and find his own way of caring for Jessa as he gets older. He's cutting him more slack because he understands his situation, having lived it.

It still reeks of bullshit coming from Jim Bob's mouth.

The men are supposed to prove they are financially responsible enough to handle a one income household before they marry. Period. Ben didn't have to do that. Frankly, Jim Bob and Michelle should be ashamed that they put so much pressure on their daughters to fit into this gender mold and then hold Ben to a lower standard.

Jessa will be the one who suffers from it if the show is canceled down the road and they suddenly have no TLC money, no Jim Bob money, and 8 kids to support.

[rosaline]

Here is an article (corporate.discovery.com/discovery-news/duggar-proposal-drives-tlcs-19-kids-counting-highe/) that discusses the ratings boost from the courtships. Here is a quote from it:

I don't think any of us have any proof that the show was about the be canceled but the ratings were definitely pretty low. And the season before the courtships mostly focused on Josh and Anna moving to DC. What would they have focused on besides the courtships for that season? I do think Jim Bob is a smarmy business man enough that he realized that the show was in danger unless either #20 came along or he started marrying off children. The show needed some sort of focus. I think he might have started allowing courtships that he may not have previously. I actually think Derrick and Jill sort of came together and would have happened regardless. But I think Ben would have been turned away previously but Jim Bob figured it was time to marry off a daughter so he allowed Ben and Jessa to court.

The current season (season 8, according to the article) outperforming all previous season averages does not mean that ratings were low in the season preceding it; they might just have been a few points higher than season 7. Do you have anything that directly says ratings were low in seasons 6 or 7?

[rosaline]

(I don't not believe that ratings were low; I'd just like to see where that idea actually comes from.)

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

(I don't not believe that ratings were low; I'd just like to see where that idea actually comes from.)

I think the season before Jessa's courtship was leaked had ratings that fell below 2 million viewers on a fairly regular basis.

As for Jessa and Ben being awkward at the beginning and Jill not being awkward at the beginning:

-- Jessa and Ben were still "getting to know" each other when the courtship was accidentally leaked. Because it blew up like it did, the Duggars had to act fast and the "figuring out if we should go forward" was skipped in favor of "making this a legitimate courtship." I don't think it was done for ratings. I think they would have saved it until Jessa and Ben were a lot more comfortable with each other if it wasn't for that facebook picture being picked up by someone on here. So, we watched the majority of their process and both of them had to learn to be the center of attention (especially Jessa who was used to allowing Jill and Jinger take center stage).

-- Jill and Derick had known of each other for quite a while. They did most of their "getting to know you" and "figuring out us" off screen. Plus, as the most outgoing and outspoken of the girls, Jill is used to being the center of attention and knows how to hold herself in front of the cameras/media. That said, if they started filming Jill and Derick as early as they had filmed Jessa and Ben, I'm sure it would have along the same plane of awkwardness as Jessa and Ben.

[rosaline]

Interesting! Thanks for the info.

[CorruptionInc.]

Duggars have 3 - 6 months before they need to gain interest again by courtships. We've got Jill about the give birth to Rick James (I kid, I think...) and all the fundies will want to see that. I bet there will be an announcement from Ben and Jessa any day now, so that helps ratings... otherwise no one cares about M4; so after that, someone will have to court!

[SassyPants]

I think they're good to go for another 2 seasons. They have plenty of material from which to work.

I don't think anyone will be courting/marrying until 2016 at the earliest.

[CorruptionInc.]

I think they're good to go for another 2 seasons. They have plenty of material from which to work.

I don't think anyone will be courting/marrying until 2016 at the earliest.

Two more seasons of them at least. That makes my stomach turn.

[hollywood]

I vote John but it won't be that big of a deal. He doesn't seem like he really wants to find anyone.

Right now everyone seems too young except for Jana and John, and Jana doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

[Feberin]

The current season (season 8, according to the article) outperforming all previous season averages does not mean that ratings were low in the season preceding it; they might just have been a few points higher than season 7. Do you have anything that directly says ratings were low in seasons 6 or 7?

I'm having trouble finding old ratings information. But here is Free Jinger talking about them back in March 2012. In the discussion it's mentioned they didn't make it into the top 100 shows for their time slot with numbers beneath 1 million. Here is another Free Jinger post where somebody mentions their numbers being around 1 mil.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I think they're good to go for another 2 seasons. They have plenty of material from which to work.

I don't think anyone will be courting/marrying until 2016 at the earliest.

I think courtships will happen regardless of whether they need ratings/storylines or not. I think when Josh got married, I think it was largely fueled by an uncertainty of the success of the show which drove him to marry for financial reasons. But the show took off, and the subsequent kids were spared from NEEDING to marry.

Now the Duggars have married two kids off because they WANTED to be married, and the Bateses are also marrying because they WANT to be married. I wouldn't be surprised if both families crank out a lot of courtships/marriages in the coming year/two years. There are currently 5 unmarried Duggars over the age of 18, and the Bateses have 3 soon to be 4 who are unmarried/not in an announced courtship. I predict there will be at least 2 courtships from the Duggars and at least 1 from the Bateses by the end of the year just because they're at that point in their lives.

[SassyPants]

I think courtships will happen regardless of whether they need ratings/storylines or not. I think when Josh got married, I think it was largely fueled by an uncertainty of the success of the show which drove him to marry for financial reasons. But the show took off, and the subsequent kids were spared from NEEDING to marry.

Now the Duggars have married two kids off because they WANTED to be married, and the Bateses are also marrying because they WANT to be married. I wouldn't be surprised if both families crank out a lot of courtships/marriages in the coming year/two years. There are currently 5 unmarried Duggars over the age of 18, and the Bateses have 3 soon to be 4 who are unmarried/not in an announced courtship. I predict there will be at least 2 courtships from the Duggars and at least 1 from the Bateses by the end of the year just because they're at that point in their lives.

The name of their show includes AND COUNTING in the title. Without M and JB reproducing, they needed more people to add to the numbers, hence more weddings.

IMO, they certainly needed more wedded couples to ensure that they would continue growing their numbers.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

The name of their show includes AND COUNTING in the title. Without M and JB reproducing, they needed more people to add to the numbers, hence more weddings.

IMO, they certainly needed more wedded couples to ensure that they would continue growing their numbers.

It's 19 kids and counting, not 19 kids, 3 spouses, 3 grandkids, and counting. They'll be "and counting" forever because it's a brand name, not because it actually means anything.

[Ofglen]

I think courtships will happen regardless of whether they need ratings/storylines or not. I think when Josh got married, I think it was largely fueled by an uncertainty of the success of the show which drove him to marry for financial reasons. But the show took off, and the subsequent kids were spared from NEEDING to marry.

Now the Duggars have married two kids off because they WANTED to be married, and the Bateses are also marrying because they WANT to be married. I wouldn't be surprised if both families crank out a lot of courtships/marriages in the coming year/two years. There are currently 5 unmarried Duggars over the age of 18, and the Bateses have 3 soon to be 4 who are unmarried/not in an announced courtship. I predict there will be at least 2 courtships from the Duggars and at least 1 from the Bateses by the end of the year just because they're at that point in their lives.

"It's a new season of life!" :mullet3:

[calimojo]

The courtship of Jessa has confused me. Jessa is viewed by many as the prettiest of the girls, and if JB were completely pulling the strings, you would think he could have found a much better match for Jessa as I have no doubt she caught the eye of many single Fundie men. Likely some of them were even "fundie" royalty and would have garnered more publicity and interest than Ben.

Ben just seems like such as step backwards for Jessa. Yes, he is nice looking, but he is just terrible on screen, can barely string a sentence together, and doesn't appear to have an original thought in his head.

So, that kind of leaves me believing that the whole Jessa/Ben thing must have been just a random occurrence. Not something that JB orchestrated, like we have been led to believe with Derick and Jill. I just can't imagine any reason why JB would intentionally match his "prettiest" daughter up with Ben on person.

[HarleyQuinn]

Why do some people think Jana had a failed courtship or courtship prospect? I see that getting thrown around occasionally.

[weirdemmaline]

Why do some people think Jana had a failed courtship or courtship prospect? I see that getting thrown around occasionally.

I thought it was because of that one episode from an earlier season when she was like freshly 19/20/21 and she was asked in a Talking Head whether she'll be courting soon and she looked "kind of sad" (as she just kind of... does) and said something like "well daddy knows what I want/well my parents know my heart"

idk to me at least it suggests she had a 'special friend' or whatever and it didn't work out because of the parents?

[singsingsing]

There was also a talking head where they were asked if any were in a courtship and they all turned and looked at Jana - one of them (Jinger I think) even said "Jana?" As though they thought she might have something to tell them. But she just smiled and shook her head. That's not proof of anything, but probably a source of some of the speculation.

[SassyPants]

The courtship of Jessa has confused me. Jessa is viewed by many as the prettiest of the girls, and if JB were completely pulling the strings, you would think he could have found a much better match for Jessa as I have no doubt she caught the eye of many single Fundie men. Likely some of them were even "fundie" royalty and would have garnered more publicity and interest than Ben.

Ben just seems like such as step backwards for Jessa. Yes, he is nice looking, but he is just terrible on screen, can barely string a sentence together, and doesn't appear to have an original thought in his head.

So, that kind of leaves me believing that the whole Jessa/Ben thing must have been just a random occurrence. Not something that JB orchestrated, like we have been led to believe with Derick and Jill. I just can't imagine any reason why JB would intentionally match his "prettiest" daughter up with Ben on person.

But even if it had been a random occurrence, why didn't JB put a stop to it? I think he needed it for ratings, either that and/or Jessa did tell them that she was going to bolt if he didn't give his permission.

Even if JB was 19 when he married, it was a different time...or maybe he just wanted to teach them a lesson about what a difficult path they have chosen.

I just can't see any parent who claims that THEY have the final say in these matters, actually approving of this union. A 19 yo uneducated, unskilled, unemployed teen? Now we can admit that Jessa is working (she is), but let's not forget this is a patriarchal cult- The choice of Ben just doesn't fit; goes against everything they purportedly believe in and espouse.

[BrownieMomma]

But even if it had been a random occurrence, why didn't JB put a stop to it? I think he needed it for ratings, either that and/or Jessa did tell them that she was going to bolt if he didn't give his permission.

Even if JB was 19 when he married, it was a different time...or maybe he just wanted to teach them a lesson about what a difficult path they have chosen.

I just can't see any parent who claims that THEY have the final say in these matters, actually approving of this union. A 19 yo uneducated, unskilled, unemployed teen? Now we can admit that Jessa is working (she is), but let's not forget this is a patriarchal cult- The choice of Ben just doesn't fit; goes against everything they purportedly believe in and espouse.

Because the rules are for everyone else - first of all, the rules are for the kids. Then the rules are for the rest of the ungodless heathens who is everyone who is not JB, Michelle, their kids or JB's family.

The rules don't actually apply to Jim Bob and Michelle - those are changed to whatever JB&M want.

Ofc jill and jessa want to get married, what else are they going to do?

[SassyPants]

Because the rules are for everyone else - first of all, the rules are for the kids. Then the rules are for the rest of the ungodless heathens who is everyone who is not JB, Michelle, their kids or JB's family.

The rules don't actually apply to Jim Bob and Michelle - those are changed to whatever JB&M want.

Ofc jill and jessa want to get married, what else are they going to do?

Well if the rules are that easy to discard, the kids need to set their demands a bit higher. Moving out, college, real jobs for everyone, including the girls, movies, books, internet, rib eye steaks on the barbie.... carte blanche.

[ljohnson2006]

I hope it's CinderJana. But that means J'Chelle and Boob would have to be parents for the first time in forever, so I doubt it'll happen. Probably one of the disposable kids. Like Joseph.

[Kira]

But even if it had been a random occurrence, why didn't JB put a stop to it? I think he needed it for ratings, either that and/or Jessa did tell them that she was going to bolt if he didn't give his permission.

Even if JB was 19 when he married, it was a different time...or maybe he just wanted to teach them a lesson about what a difficult path they have chosen.

I just can't see any parent who claims that THEY have the final say in these matters, actually approving of this union. A 19 yo uneducated, unskilled, unemployed teen? Now we can admit that Jessa is working (she is), but let's not forget this is a patriarchal cult- The choice of Ben just doesn't fit; goes against everything they purportedly believe in and espouse.

1. Maybe Jim Bob didn't stop it because Jessa and Ben were/are in love. :shrug:

2. Jim Bob isn't the first fundie patriarch to allow his daughter to marry someone we might consider a "bad choice." If you been on FJ you shouldn't be confused by the choice of Ben.

3. Ben is not unemployed and he's taking college classes.

4. Jessa could have married fundie royalty, but is there a such thing as ati royalty? Are they any better off than Ben.

[Kira]

Didn't Jim Bob even cowrite a book about men preparing for marriage while still living at home? Recommending they buy a house in cash before marriage? Yeah, that sure went out the window fast with Ben.

That was Steve Maxwell.