Do you want Counting On to be cancelled...

[JordynDarby5]

8 hours ago, JillRodsEyeliner said:

Derwood can't work at all! He tried that once and Jolly Muffin wouldn't let him eat lunch alone. 

Don't forget when they exploited poor little Josie. Mullet just had to put a headband on her head to show Josie is a girl. Poor little peanut had and IV in her head and was crying in pain. I think Mullet gave up? Don't forget the howler monkeys destroying the historical Little Rock house. I forgot what the name of the house is. I hope they made the Duggars pay for the damages.

That poor beautiful house. And poor Josie. Yet another child they exploited. 

[Million Children For Jesus]

This thread makes me want to advocate against children in reality TV. I don’t have the time or the resources, but I can’t just sit here and type about it, while doing nothing. Where to start? Any leads for me? 

[JillRodsEyeliner]

@JordynDarby5 I  agree, poor little Josie! Her birth should have been keep off camera. Don't forget Mullet protesting a liquor store while Josie was fighting for her life. Priorities! Mullet calling Josie's seizures glitches and acting like it was a cold.

[Eternalbluepearl]

I thought Counting On had run out of content. A video popped up on my Facebook newsfeed today entitled "Jeremy organizes his books." So no worries, friends. TLC knows what viewers want. 

[Million Children For Jesus]

I wonder if there is a clause in their contract that absolves TLC of financial agreements if ratings drop below a certain limit. Why else would they try to make this show so boring? It’s almost like they’re trying to kill it without being in breach of contract. Arranging books? Haircuts? Come on. There is just no way seasoned producers and script writers brainstormed that as good entertainment. I think they’re sitting around asking each other, “How do we kill this thing without paying these Fuggars?”

[Coconut Flan]

The way TV contracts are written, TLC can cancel the show at any time without needing to give a reason.  They have no reason to resort to shenanigans like making the show boring.  The show almost got the ax a few years ago because ratings were so low and then the marriages came along.  The ratings are dropping into the danger zone again.   If the ratings get too low, the show will be gone.

[JillRodsEyeliner]

On 3/3/2018 at 3:32 PM, Sky with diamonds said:

No pun intended? But they all need a reality check. Then again, if the Josh scandals didn't do it, what will? 

Oh my goodness...that picture of Derick...is he going for the fundie heart throb status? 

It's Jill's reminder when Derwood want a sexy time.

[VelociRapture]

4 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

The way TV contracts are written, TLC can cancel the show at any time without needing to give a reason.  They have no reason to resort to shenanigans like making the show boring.  The show almost got the ax a few years ago because ratings were so low and then the marriages came along.  The ratings are dropping into the danger zone again.   If the ratings get too low, the show will be gone.

Which, of course, means everyone reading here who watches and who truly wants the show gone should stop watching. We usually have someone here recap, usually our beloved @Buzzard - her recaps are a million times more entertaining then the actual show and they won’t rot your brain.

[SapphireSlytherin]

I don't watch anymore - @Buzzard's recaps are fabulous!

[Sky with diamonds]

6 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

Which, of course, means everyone reading here who watches and who truly wants the show gone should stop watching. We usually have someone here recap, usually our beloved @Buzzard - her recaps are a million times more entertaining then the actual show and they won’t rot your brain.

That's what I will do from now on. 

[TatiFish9]

I thought the show was done after a renewal date was not announced and the seasons were getting shorter.

Suddenly someone is pregnant and we're back at it. I don't get it. The rating remained the same from the time they stalled until the time some new life event occurred. While I believe TLC can pull the plug at any time I believe they keep the Duggars around for some reason. 

It truly seems like they're trying to have the show die off instead of doing a big chop. Because honestly there is so much more that can be featured than these kids recycling their parents life styles. 

I guess TLC know the fan base well.

[singsingsing]

One reason I want the show to be cancelled is pure curiosity. I want to see what they all do when they no longer have the show. Will they band together and try something else? Each branch out in their own direction? Who will go out and get a job, who will go to school, who will try to make a living on YouTube? That to me is going to be a lot more interesting that what they're making for lunch or buying from the thrift store, or what kind of dress Mz. Renee patches together for the 14th cookie cutter Duggar wedding that happened 8 months ago and that we're just seeing now.

[kachuu]

17 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

One reason I want the show to be cancelled is pure curiosity. I want to see what they all do when they no longer have the show. Will they band together and try something else? Each branch out in their own direction? Who will go out and get a job, who will go to school, who will try to make a living on YouTube? That to me is going to be a lot more interesting that what they're making for lunch or buying from the thrift store, or what kind of dress Mz. Renee patches together for the 14th cookie cutter Duggar wedding that happened 8 months ago and that we're just seeing now.

I don't think we'd find out. The show is super edited to involved only what they want to be portrayed, but other than rumors that circle around, I don't think we'd ever really know what happens behind closed doors. Just announcements: Such and such got married, & oh look their pregnant. They are pretty good with keeping a lot of information on the down low for the most part.

I just can't see any of them doing any type of YouTube channel...

[singsingsing]

Just now, kachuu said:

I don't think we'd find out. The show is super edited to involved only what they want to be portrayed, but other than rumors that circle around, I don't think we'd ever really know what happens behind closed doors. Just announcements: Such and such got married, & oh look their pregnant. They are pretty good with keeping a lot of information on the down low for the most part.

I just can't see any of them doing any type of YouTube channel...

I think we'd find out some of it. Some of them seem to enjoy the spotlight more than others, at least, and they know that they can continue to market their lives even off the show. I also think some of them (coughDerickcough) would go a bit off the rails and maybe spill a bit more information that the others would like. Other than that, I'm under no illusion that we'd suddenly have a real glimpse into their actual lives, but I do think we'd continue to get updates and some would be a lot more open than others. This is really the only existence they know, in a way, sharing their lives with the world for the purpose of their "ministry".

[AliceInFundyland]

It's what we all want to know, isn't it? What's going to HAPPEN to the Duggars? Someday, something will derail their facade in a permanent fashion. In the meantime we will continue to speculate on and parse over everything we see them doing. 

With so many of the fundies we have these hopes that they will break free. We follow them, um, dare I say, slightly obsessively....for years. And we have seen a lot of them drop off the radar with no explanation. That's always difficult. People like endings to their stories. When will the shoe drop in Duggarville? Our patron fundie girl is now pregnant and shows no sign of escaping  It could take years for a lost girl tell-all. Quitting the show feels a little like (and someone touched on this upthread) giving up before the end of the story. You know all the characters, you want to see how it comes out. Unfortunately, courtship-engaged-married-baby-baby haircut can only go on so long.

The Duggars are frustrating in their elusiveness. They are a huge family with many individuals. Yet they are conditioned to a group think that erases all that individuality. On top of that, they can't even talk about the cult they are a part of. Seriously, the show would be improved if they could at least talk about their beliefs. (If only for sheer absurdity. I know this is a horrid idea.) Counting On should go away because it brings nothing to the table. I don't support their wretched ideas etc. but my main objection is a failure to be interesting.

Anyway, they will always be a source of discussion here, even when the show ends. As sing said, they can't quit the media. But also, FJ can't quit them.

[JillRodsEyeliner]

On 3/7/2018 at 9:33 AM, Million Children For Jesus said:

I wonder if there is a clause in their contract that absolves TLC of financial agreements if ratings drop below a certain limit. Why else would they try to make this show so boring? It’s almost like they’re trying to kill it without being in breach of contract. Arranging books? Haircuts? Come on. There is just no way seasoned producers and script writers brainstormed that as good entertainment. I think they’re sitting around asking each other, “How do we kill this thing without paying these Fuggars?”

Too bad Jolly Muffin is off the show! She could totally give hair tutorials since she is a hairstylist! She could also host a catching babies show. She could have used this new season of life as a platform for her hairdressing and birthing skills. Precious, totally!

[CarrotCake]

16 hours ago, kachuu said:

I don't think we'd find out. The show is super edited to involved only what they want to be portrayed, but other than rumors that circle around, I don't think we'd ever really know what happens behind closed doors. Just announcements: Such and such got married, & oh look their pregnant. They are pretty good with keeping a lot of information on the down low for the most part.

I just can't see any of them doing any type of YouTube channel...

Oh Jessa would definitely start a YouTube channel if the show was cancelled. I could totally see her vlogging about parenting, hairstyling, not-cooking etc. 

Not that it would show anything behind closed doors.

[Plexus31Wife]

I tend to be against cancelation. In terms of pure thrills, the show ranks right up there with "Grass as it Grows: a second-by-second video blog hosted by my lawn", but I do agree with those who've said it might help the family to tone down the crazy toward their kids. It's been a while since I saw all the girls dressed in matching prairie dresses, for example. So yes, let's keep these people out in the daylight, where we can see them. 

As for whether I'd watch it, though... Well, that's another story. I'm planning to stay away from that show until the kids learn to describe their emotions with a richer vocabulary than just "excited," "super-excited" and "excited and nervous." I'm pretty sure my uncle's dog has more emotional depth than these kids do. 

[JillRodsEyeliner]

On 3/4/2018 at 2:02 PM, victoriasponge said:

From an entertainment perspective, I'd like the show to actually be... well... entertaining. Look into the tougher parts of their lives, the way the second gen is having to make decisions about their lives. How do they decide where to work? Whether to continue with an education? The pants debate, how did that go down and what do older family members think? Have their beliefs changed or morphed as they've moved or gone to different churches? How do they cope with the difficulties of being known for being so conservative and how has this affected them?

Still show the babies and whatever, but it doesn't have to be so adorable all the time, discuss the struggles that come along with this lifestyle of just having babies, talk to the courting couples about what they really need to expect. Actual interviews with Jim Bob and Michelle discussing the new difficulties now their kids are growing up - affording weddings and houses and helping them out. Having more guests from other families, showing the wider community they're in and how they fit into it now.

From an ending fundie perspective - cancel the thing entirely. The leghumpers would still find a way to defend them to the grave even if they showed the more difficult parts of their lives.

That would never happen! Cletus Bob and Brandeen-Michelle would never be able to answer those hard questions. I'm just waiting for more skeletons to come out of the closet. 

[Plexus31Wife]

16 hours ago, AliceInFundyland said:

With so many of the fundies we have these hopes that they will break free. We follow them, um, dare I say, slightly obsessively....for years. And we have seen a lot of them drop off the radar with no explanation. That's always difficult. People like endings to their stories. When will the shoe drop in Duggarville? Our patron fundie girl is now pregnant and shows no sign of escaping  It could take years for a lost girl tell-all. Quitting the show feels a little like (and someone touched on this upthread) giving up before the end of the story. You know all the characters, you want to see how it comes out. Unfortunately, courtship-engaged-married-baby-baby haircut can only go on so long.

I like how you've phrased that. It's like giving up before the ending. 

I also wonder if the very existence of the show limits the kids' chances of escape. I imagine the Duggar children may be on an even tighter emotional leash than other Fundie kids precisely because they are in the public eye so much. 

[Toothfairy]

Yes. Let's be real here. We watched because we wanted to see the kids rebel and turn away. They'e boring. All they do is get pregnant and married. While living off TLC. Time for real adulthood and to cut it off. 

[clueliss]

I want it left on - mainly because the Duggars (and the Bateseseses) need to be where everyone can keep a collective eye on them.  

[SapphireSlytherin]

37 minutes ago, clueliss said:

I want it left on - mainly because the Duggars (and the Bateseseses) need to be where everyone can keep a collective eye on them.  

The thing is, though - we're not seeing their "real" lives. We're seeing what they (and TLC) want us to see. They're adept at hiding the unsavory bits, and making sure everything is sweetness and light.

[viii]

38 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

The thing is, though - we're not seeing their "real" lives. We're seeing what they (and TLC) want us to see. They're adept at hiding the unsavory bits, and making sure everything is sweetness and light.

Agreed - anything we see is hardly real. They film a small portion out of the year, so majority of their lives are unseen anyway. I don't think it can be claimed that having the show protects the children or anything. If anything, I think the younger children are spared the rigerous punishments the older children received simply because they're mostly being raised by siblings. 

I wonder if Jana has permission to spank the kids and stuff, or if Boob and Meech just parent when it comes to the corporal discipline. 

[CorruptionInc.]

I think of Duggar rubbish as cockroaches.

For the one you CAN see there are 10 more you can't see.