Meri (Sisterwives) has a boyfriend er catfish MERGED

[purple_summer]

Because, at that point, Meri and "Sam" were still together. On the blog in the wall of text (which has actually been broken up into paragraphs now! Albeit, rather large paragraphs, but still), it was said that the plan was to come back to Utah and move Meri into "Sam's" house, 5 minutes from where he lived and a mile or so from the cul-de-sac. Then they would figure out what she was going to do. They didn't break up until sometime in mid-to-late August IIRC. Then, according to "Sam" (but how would "he" know this if they had stopped talking, unless Kendra told him), she told Robyn about what had happened sometime in the early days of September.

Is this why she was saying "don't be surprised if I'm gone"?

[theinvisiblegirl]

Wait, is Kendra the realtor?!

No, I think that's... Monique? Mona? Something like that.

There was one episode of Sister Wives, when the 4 women went on a vacation to somewhere in California (I want to say San Francisco). I think they were looking for outfits or outfit inspiration for their family re-commitment ceremony thing. Kendra either worked there or went along with them, but she was definitely there.

Just found a picture of Kendra from that episode. The arrow points to her.

Who's Lindsay, who's Kendra? Guys, I'm freaking out here...

"Lindsay" is Jackie, the catfish. "Lindsay" is an associate of "Sam's". Meri has met "Lindsay" aka Jackie, as there are pictures to prove it. "Lindsay" uses Jackie's picture as her own and says they look similar but aren't the same person.

If you need more about Kendra, Pretzel, just let me know and I'll try to say more.

Is this why she was saying "don't be surprised if I'm gone"?

Yes! That's why she was saying that. Because, according to "Sam" there was a plan. Whether or not it was a real plan is definitely up to criticism because "he" could very well be bullshitting us. However, I took it as there was some sort of plan for Meri to move closer to/in with "Sam", before Meri found out that "Sam" was a scam.

I can't believe I know all of this about this Sister Wives catfish saga 

[IreneIssh]

I asked my mom to DVR the Tell All special so I can watch it without hinky links over Thanksgiving!! 

I'm weirdly excited to be able to watch cable TV for a couple days 

[jerkit]

Thanks, invisiblegirl!

[polecat]

Oh, god, Jackie ... have you ever even MET a n actual, real-life adult man? 

I cried in the elevator today. Kevin was with me. Nothing was said, no music was playing to provoke it. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore ... I have to learn how to love myself again. Because this has broken me. This helped me figure out my sadness and why I was not even loving myself anymore."

It's bad enough that she's writing like a love-sick teenager, but she can't even figure out what kind of story she wants to go with -- Is she vindictive angry Sam today? Is she mooning, forlorn Sam today?   Is she the passionately in-love Sam who adores the goddess Meri and would never wish her harm (all the while he's frantically stabbing her in the back as the jilted ex)? Who knows! Not even Jack-hole knows. 

 

[theinvisiblegirl]

Oh, god, Jackie ... have you ever even MET a n actual, real-life adult man? 

I cried in the elevator today. Kevin was with me. Nothing was said, no music was playing to provoke it. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore ... I have to learn how to love myself again. Because this has broken me. This helped me figure out my sadness and why I was not even loving myself anymore."

It's bad enough that she's writing like a love-sick teenager, but she can't even figure out what kind of story she wants to go with -- Is she vindictive angry Sam today? Is she mooning, forlorn Sam today?   Is she the passionately in-love Sam who adores the goddess Meri and would never wish her harm (all the while he's frantically stabbing her in the back as the jilted ex)? Who knows! Not even Jack-hole knows. 

 

The different sides of "Sam" are almost comical. You never know which you'll get.

[Eternalbluepearl]

Seriously! This "guy" is too much! Cried in an elevator...sheesh. 

[Mitz_]

Oh, wow. I have done some reading on Jackie's other victims and all pity for Jackie and her special brand of crazy has evaporated for me. That bitch is evil. 

It it seems like at least one of the victims have legal recourse but I guess the victims don't want to do anything because it would be so embarrassing? What a pity. 

Jackie seems to be really "in love" with Meri in her own deluded way. Of course real love is not vindictive, but Jackie is probably incapable of real love.

I'm wondering if Jackie got any money out of Meri. On one hand I think that Meri is absolutely doing the right thing as far as her own best interests are concerned, by keeping her mouth shut. But if Meri has legal recourse, which she may not even have, it would be really irresponsible of her not to take it. Someone needs to blow this chick out of the water. Why is this not stalking at the very least and why isn't she facing any consequences for it?

[IreneIssh]

Oh, wow. I have done some reading on Jackie's other victims and all pity for Jackie and her special brand of crazy has evaporated for me. That bitch is evil. 

It it seems like at least one of the victims have legal recourse but I guess the victims don't want to do anything because it would be so embarrassing? What a pity. 

Jackie seems to be really "in love" with Meri in her own deluded way. Of course real love is not vindictive, but Jackie is probably incapable of real love.

I'm wondering if Jackie got any money out of Meri. On one hand I think that Meri is absolutely doing the right thing as far as her own best interests are concerned, by keeping her mouth shut. But if Meri has legal recourse, which she may not even have, it would be really irresponsible of her not to take it. Someone needs to blow this chick out of the water. Why is this not stalking at the very least and why isn't she facing any consequences for it?

I get this sense too. I have a feeling that Jackie is in love with Meri, and based on some evidence I've seen of her reaching out to her years ago, probably has been for some time. It does seem like Meri was targeted by her. 

There are quite a lot of twitter accounts trying to expose Jackie for what she is, but I feel like a lot of them are crossing the line into cruelty by bringing her mother into it too. I know that Jackie's mom has been shown to have a criminal record as well, but it has nothing to do with this situation, and Jackie is a grown woman who is personally accountable for her own actions. It reminds me of a This American Life episode about trolling where the author of the piece was trolled by someone on twitter who pretended to be her dead father. (Found here: If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say, SAY IT IN ALL CAPS) 

[Georgiana]

Oh, wow. I have done some reading on Jackie's other victims and all pity for Jackie and her special brand of crazy has evaporated for me. That bitch is evil. 

It it seems like at least one of the victims have legal recourse but I guess the victims don't want to do anything because it would be so embarrassing? What a pity. 

Jackie seems to be really "in love" with Meri in her own deluded way. Of course real love is not vindictive, but Jackie is probably incapable of real love.

I'm wondering if Jackie got any money out of Meri. On one hand I think that Meri is absolutely doing the right thing as far as her own best interests are concerned, by keeping her mouth shut. But if Meri has legal recourse, which she may not even have, it would be really irresponsible of her not to take it. Someone needs to blow this chick out of the water. Why is this not stalking at the very least and why isn't she facing any consequences for it?

I hate to say it, but I don't see that the catfish has done anything illegal, which is why she is not facing legal consequences.   

Stalking would be if the catfish physically followed Meri around or attempted to gain access to her.  You may, in some states, be able to swing electronic monitoring as stalking, but there is no evidence that the catfish has done either.  There is no evidence the catfish has tried to directly contact Meri after she was told not to.  The catfish has not made any threats towards Meri or the Brown family.  Meri's got nothing.  

Meri is a public figure which means she is not applicable to the same sort of defamation or privacy laws as a private individual.  It is not against the law anywhere to speculate on the life of a public figure OR to post photos of them taken on public property OR to post factual information obtained about them.  Even for a private individual, it is generally not illegal to post texts, photos, voicemails, etc. you obtained legally (aka they were sent to you).  

The only way Meri has any legal recourse is if she can PROVE that the catfish is posting malicious falsehoods about her.  By keeping claims vague, the catfish makes this very difficult.  If the catfish is NOT lying (and there does appear to be some truth to her story), then what she is doing is perfectly legal.  

 

[Mitz_]

Well, The one thing that Jackie is lying about is that she is a man, Sam Overton is real and Meri had an online affair with him. It seems like that would be enough for something but Meri probably doesn't even want to open up that can of worms. But yeah, most of it is not anything illegal, for sure. 

I was reading about another woman who gave Jackie money to invest in "Sam's" company. Good Lord.

 

 

[Letgo]

This was a strange episode. They should have had one of those "sit down" shows with an interviewer to explain the catfish mess. Not a dinner that was a confused mess of non-information. I guess TLC wants to draw out the suspense of the situation. That dinner went on and on without saying anything to explain WHY Meri might be gone. They had clearly already discussed the situation as no one expressed shock or surprise. There should have been an outcry about Meri saying she might be gone if that had been the first they'd heard of it. They'd ask why, where, what happened, what can I do, they'd object, beg her not to leave, etc. And Kody just sat there. This was not news to him, nor should it have been.  Meri definitely should have given him a heads up, privately.      

Meri should have gone with her gut if she really was suspicious from the get-go. When I listened to some of the voice mails Meri left for "Sam" I kept thinking that his behavior seemed very much like that of a teen girl-the not talking to Meri, not returning calls or texts, getting all hurt. That should have been a Big Clue. Jackie may do a convincing man's voice, but her behavior as "Sam"  is that of a very immature girl.

I do feel sorry for Meri. It's bad enough being catfished, but she has to have her experience exposed on television and on the Internet.

[IreneIssh]

This was a strange episode. They should have had one of those "sit down" shows with an interviewer to explain the catfish mess. Not a dinner that was a confused mess of non-information. I guess TLC wants to draw out the suspense of the situation. That dinner went on and on without saying anything to explain WHY Meri might be gone. They had clearly already discussed the situation as no one expressed shock or surprise. There should have been an outcry about Meri saying she might be gone if that had been the first they'd heard of it. They'd ask why, where, what happened, what can I do, they'd object, beg her not to leave, etc. And Kody just sat there. This was not news to him, nor should it have been.  Meri definitely should have given him a heads up, privately.      

Meri should have gone with her gut if she really was suspicious from the get-go. When I listened to some of the voice mails Meri left for "Sam" I kept thinking that his behavior seemed very much like that of a teen girl-the not talking to Meri, not returning calls or texts, getting all hurt. That should have been a Big Clue. Jackie may do a convincing man's voice, but her behavior as "Sam"  is that of a very immature girl.

I do feel sorry for Meri. It's bad enough being catfished, but she has to have her experience exposed on television and on the Internet.

Don't worry. That's what they're doing this Sunday 

[Letgo]

Beware. Brings a whole new perspective to "wall of text"

http://www.notbatmanyet.com/?p=2226

 

I have read "Sam's" blog and always wonder how much of it is true. The parts about the other wives and Kody-Robyn trying to help, the counseling session with the wives, the suggestion of having their nails done together, the marriage being bad for the last ten years, Kody melting down his ring, those kinds of things. Obviously the part about having sex 60 times is a lie. I think Meri might have noticed a vital part of "Sam" was missing. But if this emotional affair was as intense as it seems, Meri would have confided in her wonderful new bf. So I do wonder about how things are between Meri and Kody. Meri only had her husband to herself for a year or two, didn't she? Then he "married" Janelle and the husband sharing began. Such a sad way to live. I'm curious if Meri is now questioning polygamy or if she just questions being in a polygamous marriage to Kody.

[FundieFarmer]

The link to the map of players I shared upthread is updated rather regularly. I can try to hunt down the link for y'all again if you'd like

[Letgo]

Don't worry. That's what they're doing this Sunday 

Can't wait to see how they handle this. It will be hard not to be brutally honest since there is already so much on the Internet. But they can maintain that most of it is untrue, especially the notbatmanyet blog claims.

Once again, I am so glad I am not famous. I would so hate to be Meri and have all this aired on national television. Their lives have certainly been hugely impacted by their decision to go public with a TLC show. It saved them financially, but at a great personal cost. Poor Meri.

[IreneIssh]

Meri has been tweeting again and has posted some stuff like this image:

I'm sure all of these things happened with her catfish, but unfortunately I feel like a lot of these things happen in her relationship with Kody and her Sister Wives too that aren't being acknowledged  

Note that re-writing history thing, ROBYN!

[theinvisiblegirl]

"Rewriting history" - I didn't automatically think of Robyn, but when I saw IreneIssh say that, I did laugh.

I think the only way Meri could do anything legally is if there was some sort of paper trail of a money exchange between herself and "Sam" or "Lindsay". I don't know anything about law, though, so she may have some sort of legal claim.

I saw a call on some anti-Jackie twitter account saying to report her fraud to the FBI if she's catfished you and taken money from you. I don't know how legit that is, though. It seemed... weird. I feel like the FBI would only be involved as a last resort?

[polecat]

That melting-down-the-ring thing really bothered me, and I'd like to know if it's true, too. (I don't remember it on the show but could've missed it). Couldn't he have just put it away for one of his kids or returned it to Meri if he didn't want to "play favorites"? Or worn it along with a ring from the other wives? OR something? 

[FundieFarmer]

Wait, what about melting down the ring?

[IreneIssh]

Wait, what about melting down the ring?

The Catfish said in their mega-paragraph post that Kody had his wedding ring with Meri melted down a few years ago and said that was Meri's breaking point. I can find the quote when I'm not on mobile

[Georgiana]

It really, REALLY bothers me that Meri is trying to spin this into "I got targeted by an abusive person and that's why all this happened." 

1. Because emotional abuse is a serious and often downplayed issue, and this sort of makes a mockery of that and

2. Because it is a lie.

It bothers me that the Browns are STILL pretending they have this perfect, happy marriage and that they are using something as serious as relationship abuse as a smokescreen for their obvious issues and for Meri's stupidity/naivety.  

[FundieFarmer]

The Catfish said in their mega-paragraph post that Kody had his wedding ring with Meri melted down a few years ago and said that was Meri's breaking point. I can find the quote when I'm not on mobile

Oooo! I shall go read the whole thing. I hoped to avoid but I suppose I should. Thanks, IreneISSH!!

[theinvisiblegirl]

Has anyone seen this alleged video of "Sam" and "Lindsay" together? Apparently it was filmed and uploaded to YouTube recently, but I can't find it. If anyone has a link, would you mind sharing?

I don't know why this fascinates me so much xD

[bionicmlle]

@theinvisiblegirl you haven't seen it because it doesn't exist.  "Sam" is obfuscating about where it is, "Lindsay's" video page is empty and when he refers to "my website" no one knows WTF he is talking about.... because it's all fake.  I will admit looking around a little bit for it, but he is doing to his readers exactly what I am assuming he did to Meri -- becoming defensive about repeated questions about it ("Why do you continue to ask about this?  You have asked 7 times already. I posted it on my website.  Many people have found it.  I'm over this" essentially) and it feels like we are the stupid ones for not being able to find it, becoming frustrated and continuing to go back for more.  It's such a mindfuck.

 

ETA:  Ok, so "he" should really read as "she" but whatevs..... it's all so confusing now!! Where's my wine?