Jill & Jessa Counting On, Regular Season 1

[calimojo]

I totally don't buy the "we don't know how to cook" schtick.  That was just for the show.  We have seen Joy make homemade bread, starting from grinding her own wheat.  We have all see the girls from the earlier shows cooking a fair amount. 

 

I can buy that one or two of them cook less than the others but I firmly believe all of those girls can pull together a 'normal' meal for the child army. 
 

I remember an episode where they were cooking chicken tenders and veggies for fajitas or tacos.  And there was a lasagna episode too, I think, or maybe it was spaghetti.

I have no trouble believing that they aren't gourmet cooks and that they rely on boxed foods, canned foods etc, but I also find it very hard to believe that Joy would feel overwhelmed by making mashed potatoes from scratch.  I mean, this is a girl that ground flour from wheat berries.

Like everything else with this crazy bunch,  that story line was fake. 

 

They are definitely coaching the kids to be more animated and I think they really want to emulate the closeness that shows with the Bates kids.  I didn't find it very convincing.  I think the girls are probably pretty close, but I don't think the boys and girls are close like we see with the Bates brothers and sisters.  And I don't get the impression that the Duggar middle boys are all that close either.  Jackson seems to be odd man out quite a bit, and now that Hannie has been re-directed to her godly womanly pursuits,  Jackson is probably pretty lonely. 

[nst]

I think Ben's story lines are the ones that will be the fakest and that is not a word

and that building a tree house will be a total fake scene 

 

[Mercer]

I accidentally saw a preview for the show while channel surfing for bad motel TV and... these people are just insufferable! I don't understand how they have fans. They're so annoying, I can't imagine legitimately enjoying watching their antics, even setting their beliefs and behavior aside.

[calimojo]

6 hours ago, RabbitKM said:

It is interesting to me that they shop at regular supermarkets.  With a family that size, you would think that shopping at Costco would be easier, if not cheaper.  Rather than buying five "family size" bags of corn at the grocery store, you can get one massive bag at Costco.  I personally don't shop there consistently, but I don't have 19 people to feed.  I go there for household basics, as well as to stock my freezer, because I prefer not to have to run out to the grocery store every other day.

In the first specials it showed them going to Aldi.  Shopping at an upscale grocery store was not how they used to do it. 

 

As to comments above about Green Bean Casserole, and prepared foods,  I will confess to loving that old casserole.  Probably because we only eat it twice a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It does look a bit gross, but honestly, A lot of casseroles are gross looking, but many still taste great. 

 

 

The thing is though about the way the Duggars seem to be cooking/eating in the last several years, is that they are not really eating cheaply.  Prepared foods are often more expensive that buying simple ingredients to make from scratch.  And Frozen veggies are decent option if fresh is too expensive of not available.  I think the Duggars have abandoned their thrifty ways when it comes to comfort options, and technology.  They all have iPhones, Macs, and likely other high end electronics.  And while, from the looks of their clothing they do mostly still shop at discount or used stores,  in other ways they are not at all economical.  They eat out a lot, order in Pizza a lot, spend obscene amounts of money on stupid shit like plastic flamingos for a gender reveal, travel a ton (though probably much of that is picked up by TLC). 

 

And I even wonder if they are cooking for the show,  Do they even have to pay for those groceries?  or is that part of the budget for the show. 
 

While the oldest ones remember lean times,  I think the memories are distant and they are all quite used to living the good life.  I mean, who has a spare mansion with a big pool just sitting around next door to use for filming or God knows what?  Who has 2 planes?  Who has countless SUV's and other cars?  These are not middle class people.  (Classless maybe, but that is a different topic)

 

Back to the relationships:  try as they might,  they are never going to be able to pull of that zany, warm and fuzzy feel that the Bateses' have locked up.  Love 'em or hate 'em,  you can't deny that there is real warmth in that family and it is not evident with the Duggars.  They are awkward with each other.  And those middle boys, seriously need to get some direction as they really seem to dull as dirt. 

[Kelsey]

A few thoughts

1. If Michelle is oh so modest why would she tell the world that she needs a release at the end of a long, hard *snicker* day. GROSS!

2. I don't cook but I know how. If you tell the world that you're an expert at being a homemaker, you should at least have a presentable house and be able to cook some actual food, IMO.

3. Why would you preach 2x a week if you are not fluent in the language?

4. I watched a documentary called Living on a Dollar (free on Netflix) that was based in Guatemala. I really, really hope that the Jillards are not down there just preaching instead of actually helping these people. 

[Coconut Flan]

We don't know where they really shop on a regular basis.  The shopping trips on the show are arranged by production and probably paid by production. 

[ClaraOswin]

39 minutes ago, calimojo said:

I totally don't buy the "we don't know how to cook" schtick.  That was just for the show.  We have seen Joy make homemade bread, starting from grinding her own wheat.  We have all see the girls from the earlier shows cooking a fair amount. 

 

I can buy that one or two of them cook less than the others but I firmly believe all of those girls can pull together a 'normal' meal for the child army. 
 

I remember an episode where they were cooking chicken tenders and veggies for fajitas or tacos.  And there was a lasagna episode too, I think, or maybe it was spaghetti.

I have no trouble believing that they aren't gourmet cooks and that they rely on boxed foods, canned foods etc, but I also find it very hard to believe that Joy would feel overwhelmed by making mashed potatoes from scratch.  I mean, this is a girl that ground flour from wheat berries.

Like everything else with this crazy bunch,  that story line was fake. 

 

They are definitely coaching the kids to be more animated and I think they really want to emulate the closeness that shows with the Bates kids.  I didn't find it very convincing.  I think the girls are probably pretty close, but I don't think the boys and girls are close like we see with the Bates brothers and sisters.  And I don't get the impression that the Duggar middle boys are all that close either.  Jackson seems to be odd man out quite a bit, and now that Hannie has been re-directed to her godly womanly pursuits,  Jackson is probably pretty lonely. 

I agree...the storylines are all ridiculously fake. And boring. If they are going to fake things they should at least make them interesting.

In the webisode, Jackson was hanging out with Justin so that's something at least.

[EmCatlyn]

11 hours ago, DuggarWatch said:

There is a shortage of children to adopt in America.  Jessa isn't doing anyone a favor by trying to adopt.  The last thing a child needs is to be part of a Ben-Jessa ministry!  I can only hope that the authorities in Arkansas who supervise adoptions carefully scrutinize the Seewalds, their religious beliefs and intent to homeschool (no-school) their children. 

I think Jessa's interest in adoption is because she doesn't want to have 19 pregnancies (including 2 twin births and 2 miscarriages/still births) but she wants to fulfill the ideal of having a huge family without the physical investment.

[2manyKidzzz]

21 minutes ago, EmCatlyn said:

I think Jessa's interest in adoption is because she doesn't want to have 19 pregnancies (including 2 twin births and 2 miscarriages/still births) but she wants to fulfill the ideal of having a huge family without the physical investment.

Well, it is Godlee to  have a lot of children, tons and tons and many more, but what if they are all boys!!!!! Who will be the tiny slave children to do the work?!?!?!? And that many children is better in theory than practice. MeeChelle herself said she either did crack up a bit, or almost until she prayed and God sent a laundry lady. Or something. 

Jessa has had a modern life, traveled, been a TeeVee star.....and so now she should be birthin' a million children???? Or, maybe I am wrong and she loves the idea

Sorry, it is late, and I really cannot even think of having that many chlldren. 

[EmCatlyn]

8 hours ago, ClaraOswin said:

In the midwest, green bean casserole is a favorite on Thanksgiving. People in my family love it. I am not a fan but it has nothing to do with the canned soup. (I am basically the only person on FJ who doesn't have a problem with using it in recipes though.  I even eat canned soup for lunch once in a while. The horrors! Haha!)

Not just in the Midwest.  Green bean casserole was always served by my former in-laws at Thanksgiving and they were originally from NYC.   And several families I know in the South serve it also.   I don't like it, but it is hard to avoid at potlucks.

[colors_outside15]

8 hours ago, SilverBeach said:

Anna's very own brother presented her with a choice. She chooses to believe that marriage is to God first and Smuggar second. I don't fault her for deciding to stay with a cheater, a lot of people do that. I fault her more for staying with a molester, who then cheated, let his sisters, wife, and mother take the heat, and absconded on supporting his family for months, revealing very little in the character department. Anna is not a zombie she is an adult married woman with children. Now Priss is another story, she is a grown married woman but she is not on the same level as Anna. 

 

I think this depends on what you mean by zombie. Anna is certainly brainwashed as hell ... she is going through the steps that have been ingrained in her since birth without doing any critical thinking (she can't do that right now - she doesn't know how and no one around her would support that goal) at all ... pretty zombie-like if you ask me.

and while i'm happy that anna's brother and younger sister support her leaving josh, they went about expressing that in the absolute worst manner ... especially daniel. i don't blame him for being angry or wanting his sister to leave that disgusting, pathetic excuse of a human. BUT going to people magazine, calling josh a pig, and saying he would never stop trying to get josh out of the family was the wrong way to approach the situation (imo) for two reasons. (1), this is all incredibly personal. i wish anna wasn't forced to go through it publicly. i don't give a shit about boob, meechelle, or joshua dealing with public consequences, but it seems unfair to anna as she is forced to immediately stand up for her husband in part because of the media AND none of this is remotely okay for the four m children. they will find out, and it will hurt them deeply and leave scars forever. (2) daniel publicly shamed anna (unintentionally) in his statements because he spoke out against "her decision". this made her run deeper into the cult. and, on instagram, suze reposted the picture of josh about how sex is only between a husband and a wife and his sisters and girls from ashley madison. yes, i got a kick out of seeing that, but if anna did, it hurt her. how could it not? daniel, rebecca, and suze (imo), should have tactfully and lovingly reached out to anna - presented her with multiple options, but assuring her they will support her no matter what. that - choices and unconditional love - would have made anna more likely to leave in the future when another scandal erupts. now, she likely thinks her siblings have teamed up against her, and is going to be gulping kool-aid like a frat boy doing a keg stand.

[Ungodly Grandma]

7 hours ago, Mercer said:

I accidentally saw a preview for the show while channel surfing for bad motel TV and... these people are just insufferable! I don't understand how they have fans. They're so annoying, I can't imagine legitimately enjoying watching their antics, even setting their beliefs and behavior aside.

I know, is this what some people find entertaining? No wonder the US is so divided!

[Rescinded and Mended]

On 3/16/2016 at 8:59 PM, sj3339sta said:

Justin is Marcus' buddy????  As in the M kids are just shoved right into the Duggar fold.  

Hands down, that's easily one of the most disgusting things about this family. It really doesn't matter whether you ever get married or not (looking at you, Jana). As long as you're a kidult in the Duggar cult and live in the central hive, the buddy system will always be in place, and you're always going to have other people's children handed off to you to raise. I haven't seen any of the new shows yet (thanks, Buzzard!), but if Anna seems happier and glowing, aside from too much bronzer, it's not because Smuggles has made his grand re-entry into her life. It's because she's discovered the joys of having other people raise her children for her while she takes a break living at the Tinker Toy House. This is more than simply having Jana tag along on a trip to help wrangle the littles, and it could be possible that with the exception of Meri, all of Anna's older children have full-time buddies. Wonder how happy she's going to be when she and Smugs and the 4 M kids all wind up moving out into their own place, and she has to be a mom full time again.

[winterdice]

Maybe if Ben is so tired he yawns while driving, he shouldn't be driving? Jessa is able to drive, surely. 

[anotherone]

9 hours ago, nst said:

I think Ben's story lines are the ones that will be the fakest and that is not a word

and that building a tree house will be a total fake scene 

 

It is a word now.  The perfect word to describe the show.

[HereticHick]

I assume Tabitha Paine the tutor/substitute J'Slave was neither seen nor heard in this episode?

[SassyPants]

Just now, SassyPants said:

I'm J'chelle IS a Gm... To 6

 

[DuggarWatch]

13 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

I assume Tabitha Paine the tutor/substitute J'Slave was neither seen nor heard in this episode?

Well, of course not!  Michelle has to keep up the image that she is the homeschool teacher.  

[SilverBeach]

http://wonkette.com/599726/here-is-your-recap-of-that-new-duggar-show-are-you-happy-now

I spit coffee everywhere while reading this, comments too. Note the use of "eleventy" in the article, that caught my eye.

 Sorry if this is a duplicate posting.

[SilverBeach]

3 hours ago, colors_outside15 said:

I think this depends on what you mean by zombie. Anna is certainly brainwashed as hell ... she is going through the steps that have been ingrained in her since birth without doing any critical thinking (she can't do that right now - she doesn't know how and no one around her would support that goal) at all ... pretty zombie-like if you ask me.

and while i'm happy that anna's brother and younger sister support her leaving josh, they went about expressing that in the absolute worst manner ... especially daniel. i don't blame him for being angry or wanting his sister to leave that disgusting, pathetic excuse of a human. BUT going to people magazine, calling josh a pig, and saying he would never stop trying to get josh out of the family was the wrong way to approach the situation (imo) for two reasons. (1), this is all incredibly personal. i wish anna wasn't forced to go through it publicly. i don't give a shit about boob, meechelle, or joshua dealing with public consequences, but it seems unfair to anna as she is forced to immediately stand up for her husband in part because of the media AND none of this is remotely okay for the four m children. they will find out, and it will hurt them deeply and leave scars forever. (2) daniel publicly shamed anna (unintentionally) in his statements because he spoke out against "her decision". this made her run deeper into the cult. and, on instagram, suze reposted the picture of josh about how sex is only between a husband and a wife and his sisters and girls from ashley madison. yes, i got a kick out of seeing that, but if anna did, it hurt her. how could it not? daniel, rebecca, and suze (imo), should have tactfully and lovingly reached out to anna - presented her with multiple options, but assuring her they will support her no matter what. that - choices and unconditional love - would have made anna more likely to leave in the future when another scandal erupts. now, she likely thinks her siblings have teamed up against her, and is going to be gulping kool-aid like a frat boy doing a keg stand.

Zombie-like is not zombie. Brainwashed is not zombie.  I come from the perspective that adults who stay in and by default promote the hate, homophobia, and misogyny that is ATI/IBLP/GOTHARD should be held accountable. I had a dustup with a poster recently because I would not change this perspective. I do not intend to change it as these people are harmful, no matter how good they look or how cute their babies are.

Anna has been forced to do nothing.

There are some of us who have stayed away from posting on the Duggar forums because of what I will call the sympathetic tone that has taken over. I decided that is bullshyte, the rest of us have every right to participate fully in these threads without being piled on and being told we are terrible people. I joined FJ because of the Duggars, and I will not have my participation diminished by fear.

Like I always say, we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.

BTW, I need no more explanations of the Duggar women's cult upbringing, I know all of that and have acknowledged it many times (terrible upbringing for the Duggar men too). The Duggars are vile and reprehensible, no question. But it is the next generation that is responsible for continuing to propagate the hate. I cannot support that in any way, shape, or form.

Have a nice day everybody, I am going to engage in hair therapy at the salon. I deserve it.

 

[nst]

I don't think I have any sympathetic tone when it comes to Anna or Josh - I think they are both vile and I think Anna will use her martyr syndrome when he is allowed to be in public and it will be on her instagram. As for Josh - well my feelings are obvious and so out there - i can't scream at the guy enough 

I don't protect them 

as for Ben and Jessa - they are just insane - and yes that took a while to see - but I got there - but again they are fun snark - opposed to everyone else 

I say join in and just say what you want - and if you stand by it wonderful ! 

 

[19 cats and counting]

I want to see an honest talking head from Joy and Josiah about what really happened to their relationship.  They were the original Jackson and Johannah (that we know of).  I want an honest answer if brothers and sisters are allowed to be close in the family.

It looks like the Jackson/Johannah separation has begun.

[SilverBeach]

13 minutes ago, nst said:

I don't think I have any sympathetic tone when it comes to Anna or Josh - I think they are both vile and I think Anna will use her martyr syndrome when he is allowed to be in public and it will be on her instagram. As for Josh - well my feelings are obvious and so out there - i can't scream at the guy enough 

I don't protect them 

as for Ben and Jessa - they are just insane - and yes that took a while to see - but I got there - but again they are fun snark - opposed to everyone else 

I say join in and just say what you want - and if you stand by it wonderful ! 

 

Oh yeah the whole bunch is snark worthy (except for Priss). 

[nst]

Just now, SilverBeach said:

Oh yeah the whole bunch is snark worthy (except for Priss). 

exactly and what I think is insane even more - what does Derick do for the other five days ? 

they really should not have shared that information - makes them all the more grifters imo 

[SilverBeach]

Just now, nst said:

exactly and what I think is insane even more - what does Derick do for the other five days ? 

they really should not have shared that information - makes them all the more grifters imo 

Grifting is a high art with them. This tee vee resurgence is nothing but the big grift.