Meri (Sisterwives) has a boyfriend er catfish MERGED

[defraudingjezebel]

I think this is another example of how out-of-tune TLC is with its viewers and audience. A Jill & Jessa special? Bad call. Making this the Robyn show? Bad call. I'm sure there are more but I'm starving and can't think straight.

I'd love to know what's going on in their HQ, that they think alienating their viewers is a good idea.

I think TLC is convinced that their reality TV families are much more lovable (and beloved) than they really are. They don't realize that most of the viewing audience is hate-watching their shows. 

[DaisyD]

I doubt if they even care. Hate watching is still watching. Ratings don't look at intent.

[FundieFarmer]

True, but the TLC shows have been dropping significantly in rankings, according to a post I saw somewhere. That can't be good for them.

[Eternalbluepearl]

I think this is another example of how out-of-tune TLC is with its viewers and audience. A Jill & Jessa special? Bad call. Making this the Robyn show? Bad call. I'm sure there are more but I'm starving and can't think straight.

I'd love to know what's going on in their HQ, that they think alienating their viewers is a good idea.

It REALLY shocked me to see Duggars on a tv commercial. I don't know why but my whole body recoiled. 

[apandaaries]

On 10/29/2015 at 0:16 PM, FundieFarmer said:

True, but the TLC shows have been dropping significantly in rankings, according to a post I saw somewhere. That can't be good for them.

I hadn't heard of the ratings suffering that badly, because I was about to suggest what daisy mentioned: hate watchers. But I guess they won't keep the station afloat.

I feel terrible for Christine. Kody treats her SO horribly. I re watched the regatta show -- he is sniping at her nonstop, then calls her a crybaby when she tells him to stop. Wtf? Very mature, Kody.

Given what we viewers can see, I'm not surprised that Christine 's mom moved in. She broke out and knows the warning signs. I think Christine still clings to her third wife fantasy (but only a teeny bit now, because things are so bad between her and Kody). I also suspect that Christine is invested in the religious aspect and is perhaps upset at her mother for leaving. Sometimes we just love to prove our mothers wrong, right? So she can accept the help but deny her mom the chance to really talk to her about the marriage.

Hopefully her mom will eventually get through. I agree with the other poster who suggested that Janelle is there for the family and might later leave. I wouldn't be surprised if Logan and some other kids got together later to get her out. She seems the sharpest and most centered -- perhaps because she doesn't seem as emotionally invested in Kody. She's one who really is there for the family, or at least it seems so.

[campused]

I just don't see Robyn being so vindictive. Knowing Meri was being catfished and knowing the divorce "could be the end of Meri?" Eh. I don't like the woman-- between her tears and the obvious favoritism Kody shows her, it's no wonder she's so hated. But I never got the feeling that the friendship between her and Meri didn't at least started off being authentic. 

 

[JMO]

I want to see pics of these FB messages before I fully believe.  I can't see Robyn cursing.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if she was sniping and complaining about Meri behind the scenes.  And Kody showed himself to be such a jack@$$ in both the daughters show (where he couldn't stop harping on how terrible it would have been to be with his wives) and the regatta episode (where everyone was yelling at each other and he was being a giant controlling @$$.)

[IreneIssh]

I want to see pics of these FB messages before I fully believe.  I can't see Robyn cursing.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if she was sniping and complaining about Meri behind the scenes.  And Kody showed himself to be such a jack@$$ in both the daughters show (where he couldn't stop harping on how terrible it would have been to be with his wives) and the regatta episode (where everyone was yelling at each other and he was being a giant controlling @$$.)

I agree. I don't know where this information is coming from, or how they even verified it. So far the only places that have reported it are Radar Online and Starcasm, neither of which is known for their journalistic integrity.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, but neither would most of the SW hate-watchers on the internet. This report goes along with what people on the internet have suspected about Robyn for years. It might only be reported because of the online speculation and have no real basis in truth. 

[defraudingjezebel]

I want to see pics of these FB messages before I fully believe.  I can't see Robyn cursing.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if she was sniping and complaining about Meri behind the scenes.  And Kody showed himself to be such a jack@$$ in both the daughters show (where he couldn't stop harping on how terrible it would have been to be with his wives) and the regatta episode (where everyone was yelling at each other and he was being a giant controlling @$$.)

I can't see Robyn dropping a bunch of f-bombs but I totally CAN see her using gendered expletives against Meri. We heard Meri drop some F-bombs in the voicemails so I wouldn't put it past any of them to use profanities amongst close friends, especially in this kind of explosive situation.  

[Eternalbluepearl]

Oh, I bet Robyn gets all kinds of vindictive. Anyone remember the old episode where Kody and crew meet with some people who are against polygamy (including Christine's aunt) on a stage and have a panel discussion? Robyn takes the mic and says to one of the ladies very confidently, "don't you make me a victim, sweetheart." and it was quite tense. I very much can see Robyn being nasty behind the scenes. 

[IreneIssh]

Oh, I bet Robyn gets all kinds of vindictive. Anyone remember the old episode where Kody and crew meet with some people who are against polygamy (including Christine's aunt) on a stage and have a panel discussion? Robyn takes the mic and says to one of the ladies very confidently, "don't you make me a victim, sweetheart." and it was quite tense. I very much can see Robyn being nasty behind the scenes. 

So true! That episode was intense. That episode is what finally convinced me that Robyn, in particular, was not as sweet as she pretended to be. The Browns were so self-absorbed in that episode, they wouldn't even listen to the people who were the victims of polygamy. I thought Kollene Snow and Willy Steed's youtube responses were incredibly interesting. They pretty much said that the Brown's injected huge amounts of drama into the panel, and that they were incredibly rude to the other guests.

[Pretzel]

No matter how dysfunctional the adult relationships are, for kids I'd choose the Browns' family over any other fundie family discussed here any day. 

 

[Queen Of Hearts]

Good grief! Now the catfish is pretending she has a book deal lined up with a publish date of March 2016.  I saw this coming a mile away when a bunch of "fans" (aka the catfish using fake names) started begging her yesterday in blog post comments to write a book. She wants us to believe an editor made this all happen overnight.  Convenient timing, eh?

[defraudingjezebel]

Good grief! Now the catfish is pretending she has a book deal lined up with a publish date of March 2016.  I saw this coming a mile away when a bunch of "fans" (aka the catfish using fake names) started begging her yesterday in blog post comments to write a book. She wants us to believe an editor made this all happen overnight.  Convenient timing, eh?

This is just ridiculous. I doubt there's anyone left that believes this clown of a person. Honestly, I'm kind of over the catfish. The voicemails were legit, and that's about the only legit thing to have come from them. Now I'm just sitting and waiting for a more substantial response from the Brown clan besides Meri's mealy-mouthed "I kinda met someone fake online but its all over now" statement. 

[Closed Womb]

I've stopped watching this show, post legal wife switch.  I'm a Robyn hater.  

My sincerest wish: original three wives leave, perhaps getting a rebrand of the show.  All of them find happiness with decent men and/or true sisterhood amongst themselves.  

In a few years, Kody takes on a few young, hot wives to unseat Robyn as queen (preferably ones with fertility problems or taking birth contol behind his back - this world need no more Kody DNA running around) and they are never on tv again.  

 

[FlamingFundie]

My sincerest wish: original three wives leave, perhaps getting a rebrand of the show.  All of them find happiness with decent men and/or true sisterhood amongst themselves.

I would just about go back to buying cable in order to watch that! How liberating for them!

[Pretzel]

Yeah, the adult relationships really are a clusterfuck. It looks like each of them has become more independent and more aware of what they want as an individual, where they want to go in the future, with whom and what they want to do and yes, that kind of provokes a lot of conflict. Kody earned his reputation as KODouche, but sometimes I feel like he doesn't really want to be the douche nugget that he is, but he has no other tools to "defend" himself. In contrast to other fundie husband-and-fathers he actually has bright moments in which he realizes that he needs to reconsider his behavior. 

I must say, I was really touched by the California episode, in which Kody took the adolescent girls to Cali for a trip. I mean, hey moms, cut the guy some slack. He confessed on national TV that he has a harder time connecting with his teen girls than with any of his boys or older girls, yet he's really trying. It was the first time he went on a trip with all 5 girls, no mother around to take over responsibility, and no idea whether the girls would be enjoying the trip at all. Of course he tried to make it as fun as possible. If he wants these trips to bring him closer to his daughters and have a heart-to-heart with each of them at one point, he needs to do this more often. Now this was his first trip. He even reflected on his relationship with the girls and how far he could push them out of their comfort zone without being all too pushy. It's not like he's unwilling to establish a real bond, but he needs to figure out the baby steps first. It really seemed like he's so over figuring out his wives but he really wants to figure out his daughters. 

I even got a little emotional b/c of Janelle and Meri. Like I said, it seems like the separate houses also grant them the space to reflect on their relationships more. Now I have no doubt that their plural marriage is crowded and messed up and TLC is probably editing the crap out of all the footage they have, but some aspects of the Browns as a family really seem to be authentic. The way they all are trying to raise the kids to be independent, self-confident, opinionated adults and make sure to have their kids' backs wins them the parent award in fundieland. I don't see any childults in the Brown family any time soon. 

[ClaraOswin]

I feel like the trip to CA was just for the benefit of the show. If there was no TLC...there would have been no trip.

[Pretzel]

I feel like the trip to CA was just for the benefit of the show. If there was no TLC...there would have been no trip.

That's probably true, but even if it's true it means that the girls have something to look back to now. I guess after all the Bateseses, Duggars, Maxwells et al. it's almost refreshing to see the Browns parenting their kids. Granted, they can come off as quite the trainwreck but I see a spark of self-reflection in the adults that I don't see in any of the other fundie parents. Fundie parents pretty much impose their own lifestyle on their kids and expect them to be obedient way into adulthood. I don't really think that is the direction in which the Browns are headed as parents to their 17 kids. 

[patsymae]

So lately I haven't seen Boryn whining about Sister Wives Closet. Is it still what she wants to do in her heart to support the family, or is it like, got the legal marriage, got my kids officially monetarily connected, and now I realize I don't have to pretend I'm a designer, or someone who believes the other women should support my "family business" any more?

Note that new season says nothing about Sister Wives Closet.

[withaj]

So lately I haven't seen Boryn whining about Sister Wives Closet. Is it still what she wants to do in her heart to support the family, or is it like, got the legal marriage, got my kids officially monetarily connected, and now I realize I don't have to pretend I'm a designer, or someone who believes the other women should support my "family business" any more?

Note that new season says nothing about Sister Wives Closet.

Probably because it's been such a failure. It'll only come up if they have good news to report.

[Natalie22]

That's probably true, but even if it's true it means that the girls have something to look back to now. I guess after all the Bateseses, Duggars, Maxwells et al. it's almost refreshing to see the Browns parenting their kids. Granted, they can come off as quite the trainwreck but I see a spark of self-reflection in the adults that I don't see in any of the other fundie parents. Fundie parents pretty much impose their own lifestyle on their kids and expect them to be obedient way into adulthood. I don't really think that is the direction in which the Browns are headed as parents to their 17 kids. 

This is why I don't really have a problem with the Brown family.  There are many people out there that aren't good at managing life (relationships, finances, parenting, etc.).  At least they seem to try and better their relationships.  Could you imagine the duggars going to real therapy and Jim Bob ever listening to the therapist telling him he isn't listening properly?  Also, even many mainstream parents have greater difficulty with their children picking a different religion, so it's impressive to see how open the Browns are to this.

[withaj]

This is why I don't really have a problem with the Brown family.  There are many people out there that aren't good at managing life (relationships, finances, parenting, etc.).  At least they seem to try and better their relationships.  Could you imagine the duggars going to real therapy and Jim Bob ever listening to the therapist telling him he isn't listening properly?  Also, even many mainstream parents have greater difficulty with their children picking a different religion, so it's impressive to see how open the Browns are to this.

Agreed. Collectively, I think it's clear those kids have been parented better than any of the true fundies we snark on. The adult relationships are all sort of a mess, but I think they've done a good job raising open-minded kids. How often can we say that here?

[Ellimenopy]

I'm with y'all about the better kids. But are y'all watching right now? Retconning their childhood is really creepy. Drawing them with Kody as children just is really fucked up to me. I think Robyn's kids are really messed up because of how hard she's shoving them into The Family.

[withaj]

I'm with y'all about the better kids. But are y'all watching right now? Retconning their childhood is really creepy. Drawing them with Kody as children just is really fucked up to me. I think Robyn's kids are really messed up because of how hard she's shoving them into The Family.

No, not watching tonight -- didn't last week, either. I was somewhere with cable for a few weeks where I could, but I can't watch where I am now and haven't felt like paying (and Amazon was late with the episode last week if I had been desperate enough to pay, anyway).