Sister Wives 6: Five Adults or Are There? Mariah Is Engaged.

[SilverBeach]

2 minutes ago, Pecansforeveryone said:

Thank you,@SilverBeach. The last two episodes are the 1st I have watched of this family so I appreciate the background information. 

You're welcome, I've followed this train wreck from the beginning as I have had a long-standing interest in the FLDS and Mormon fundamentalism.

[ViolaSebastian]

It was always my understanding that one of the (admittedly very, very few) benefits of this lifestyle was having a built-in support system for raising your kids. But It doesn’t really seem like this is the case for the Browns anymore. P

[Pecansforeveryone]

No, it doesn't. Robin seems like she has enough kids of her own and the biggest kid of them all (Kody) to really engage with the other kids. Meri clearly wants to be a traveling business woman and not a nanny but lacks the courage or the insight to admit that. 

[Carm_88]

I think it worked out in the big house because they had their own space. Janelle and Meri hated each other in the first years of Kody's marriage to Janelle. Janelle said that Meri was abusive. Christine was the stay at home Mom while Meri and Janelle both worked, so she took care of a lot of the younger kids and she really seemed to enjoy that. They sort of had their own things, Robyn kinda messed that up and well, Kody is just selfish and Robyn appears to be pretty selfish too. 

They would all be a lot happier if they went their separate ways. Kody and Robyn could be selfish to themselves, Meri could whine about how she was catfished and she could get a wet bar, Janelle and Christine would find men who wouldn't forget that they were there. 

[DaisyD]

On 2/25/2019 at 6:44 PM, apandaaries said:

Does he plan on making the kids collect pine nuts? Oddly, that money making opportunity pops up frequently polygamist memoirs.

That and collecting firewood. FLDS have had issues with the Forest Service for child labor in the past.

On 2/26/2019 at 10:16 AM, Pecansforeveryone said:

I think Kody has huge fears of the lure of worldly attractions for his children much the same way Jim Bob Duggar does. Now, his children are nowhere near as sheltered or undereducated as Jim Bob's which is great. However, that means it's harder for him than for Jim Bob to exert ongoing control over his children. I do think it's all about control and image for Kody at the end of the day. 

That liberal, accepting community he's looking for is also going to be accepting of lots of other things. He's going to run into trouble with worldly things in Flagstaff too.

[SilverBeach]

Meri annoys me. That is all.

[Alice in Fundieland]

I’ve been behind on my viewing and snarking, but finally caught up. I’m avoiding work today, so I give you my first Sister Wives bingo card.

[Pecansforeveryone]

I hate saying this. Christine is the 1st basically sweet person I have ever wanted to punch. It just tore my heart out to hear her son pour his heart out about how he can't get thru to his mom about staying in Vegas. It also makes me all the more enraged with Kody. (Metaphorically punch, I don't believe in violence.) 

[mstee]

I’m not familiar with Flagstaff. Any posters know if the property purchased matches up with any of the ones shown on the show? I’m curious where they’ve chosen to build. 

[ifosterkittens]

Did you know the Browns had to leave their home in Utah? The kids came home from school on a Friday, were told they were moving, couldn’t tell anyone, and moved three days later. Kody says the move to Vegas was always a temporary one, Vegas was never meant to be home. He can’t wait to leave Vegas, but has loved his time in Vegas. 

Kody has been looking at property and discussing moving for years, so the whole presentation for the wives on why they should move was apparently staged for the viewers. Kody said Flagstaff has safe energy, Vegas’s energy is aggressive— I am not sure what that means. On two occasions Kody described Flagstaff as yummy, perhaps he should reference a thesaurus and find some better synonyms. 

Gwen and Ysabel sit down with the parents to discuss Flagstaff so Kody can get them on board with the move. Robyn’s two older daughters got to visit Flagstaff. Ysabel asked if they were going to build one large home, and when asked if that is what she wanted she said no. Ysabel ain’t no dummy she sees none of her mothers want one big house. A realtor did a walk through  at Christine’s house telling her what needed repaired, painted etc before putting it on the market; she also asked about one big house. Was the realtor Mona who originally sold them the lots? 

Christine and Robyn love one property Coyote Pass. Christine said it was green, had trees, and she heard angels singing. Robyn also heard angels singing at this property, and commented on the trees last episode. I do not understand the appeal of the trees. Robyn said yes Flagstaff is more expensive, but she thinks it is worth it to persevere their family culture and higher quality of living. I wish she would expand on this. When Kody was looking at different places to consider for the move he said Robyn said pick the most beautiful place you can, don’t settle. I guess this is why there is so much commentary on the trees they are moving for aesthetics. 

The family lived in Vegas for seven years, five years in the houses, and this is the longest time Meri lived in one house since being married to Kody. Meri doubts Flagstaff will be there last move, but hopes it will be. Kody and Meri are taking the slow and gentle approach to courtship via therapist Nancy’s suggestion. They discuss their relationship privately, not on camera because that doesn’t feel safe. Meri said they need to figure out to be friends and get along. 

Meri and Kody meet with a realtor in Flagstaff, and she mentions the possibility of one big house. So Ysabel, the Vegas realtor, and now Flagstaff realtor mentioned this. Kody said one house could kill intimacy, and Meri clearly doesn’t want it, and doesn’t think the other wives want it. Meri and Kody look at the Cottonwood property which has tons of trees. Meri loves Cottonwood. There are only three lots (didn’t say if one could be divided). Meri said she was freezing while looking at the properties, but couldn’t be bothered to button up her jean jacket or zip her outer jacket. Meri and Kody both prefer Cottonwood to Coyote Pass, but when the parents sit down to discuss it after Meri’s visit Kody doesn’t come out and say he prefers Cottonwood. Why not speak freely? Why be a worm and make it look like Meri is the one who doesn’t agree with Christine and Robyn? Kody then in all his brilliance says they can rent for a year in Flagstaff, and if it fails move back to Vegas. This was not well received by the wives. Christine admits she struggled after the move to Vegas, and so did Kody, but Kody said at least I behaved. Once again the keep sweet mentality rang true. Kody said it is hard he can’t make a unilateral decision on the move. I did enjoy Meri’s jab saying wasn’t the move supposed to improve finances. 

Aspyn’s finance Mitch has Scottish heritage, so he is going to wear a kilt, and have bag pipers at the wedding. Mitch and Aspyn went cake tasting, and invited all the parents, Mariah and Mitch’s sister Lauren, and wanted their opinion on the cake, but didn’t want them to be pushy about it. Why did they bother inviting all the parents? The parents all preferred the Samoa cake (like the Girl Scout cookie), Mitch and Aspyn prefer the chocolate with hazelnut, so it will be two tiers of the chocolate with hazelnut and Samoa for the middle tier. Robyn’s ex husband did the cake smash, and got it all over her face and dress and she was not pleased. 

Kody says Vegas is changing, he wants to move for better weather and beauty wise. A lot of people move for a job, and I would say that is why the Browns are moving. If they didn’t have the moving storyline they would have a few snippets of Isabel’s scoliosis, and Mitch and Aspyn’s wedding. Kody said their jobs can move with them. Meri sells LLR, and Christine is now selling it as well. Janelle has the Strive with Janelle, and Robyn has My Sister Wive’s closet. I don’t know what Kody does or how any of this pays the bills. 

Gabriel (Janelle’s son), Gwen and Ysabel (Christine’s girls) and either Aurora or Breanna (not sure which or Robyn’s girls) did a couch scene/interview and Gabe said the move affects him the most. He is on varsity wrestling and ranked 10 out of 850 academically at his high school, and moving ruins the chance for scholarship to college. Gabe did a one on one interview, and it tugged on the heart strings; he was honest and raw. Janelle who claimed a few episodes ago she would not move, she would not uproot another teenager especially after what Hunter went through is now all about moving to Flagstaff so she can hike and be outdoors.

The family gathers and next episode they are all taking a trip to visit Flagstaff and decide which property they want. Also Dayton just got accepted to NAU in Flagstaff. If this was filmed in Spring 2018 then Dayton likely applied to NAU Fall/Winter 2017, so you have to think the family knew Flagstaff was a real possibility prior to Kody’s presentation to the wives on why the family should move. Maybe Dayton applied to various colleges and made the decision on where to attend based on where the family moved. I just wish they would be transparent about the timeline of things, and not fake surprise to Kody’s we need to move presentation. 

[SilverBeach]

7 hours ago, Pecansforeveryone said:

I hate saying this. Christine is the 1st basically sweet person I have ever wanted to punch. It just tore my heart out to hear her son pour his heart out about how he can't get thru to his mom about staying in Vegas. It also makes me all the more enraged with Kody. (Metaphorically punch, I don't believe in violence.) 

That's Janelle you are talking about, and her son Gabriel.

5 hours ago, HA88 said:

Janelle who claimed a few episodes ago she would not move, she would not uproot another teenager especially after what Hunter went through is now all about moving to Flagstaff so she can hike and be outdoors.

Such bullshit, fuck Janelle for caving like she did and not letting Gabriel stay with Maddie either. It all works out for Robyn's son though, surprise surprise.

Edited March 5, 2019 by SilverBeach

[mstee]

I remember janelle telling a story about refusing to move and staying behind for a year or something way worse back during the early years of their marriage. They were way more religious then (aka believing they have to listen to Kody) so I don’t know why she is caving in now to him. 

[StraightOuttaArkansas]

7 hours ago, mstee said:

I remember janelle telling a story about refusing to move and staying behind for a year or something way worse back during the early years of their marriage. They were way more religious then (aka believing they have to listen to Kody) so I don’t know why she is caving in now to him. 

Especially if they are doing it for storylines for the show, Janelle standing her ground and staying for her kid would make a pretty interesting one.

[BlondeIdol]

Haven’t watched the latest episode yet and I know the whole ‘surprising the wives with the move’ is definitely just a storyline for the show but I really wish they would stop going on and on about the kids. It is so obvious that Kody doesn’t about any of them except Robyn and her family. If he really cared I don’t think they would be moving. The move seems so disruptive to some of the children and I can see how moving is messing with Gabe’s college plans and life in general. I don’t know much about Arizona or that part of the country but other then Flagstaff(allegedly) being a more conservative environment for Robyn, there doesn’t seem to be any real reason to move. 

[TheOneAndOnly]

The Vegas homes are still on the market. Want one?

Christine's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4039-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M26196-67438

Janelle's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4023-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M18719-64944

Meri's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4007-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M13777-87577

Robyn's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4034-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M29067-92782

[OyToTheVey]

My heart broke for Gabriel. IDK about Vegas or Arizona or Utah, but in NYC parents move into closet sized apartments just to have a good zip code for their kids to go to a better school. My mind can't fathom taking a teenager who is 10th overall out of 850 students, on a varsity team, with scholarship opportunities and moving him to a much smaller school. Maybe it's the way I grew up but we would have found family friends to take him in for the 2 years he needed to finish high school. There's no way that kid would have changed schools. ESPECIALLY after what an older sibling has gone thru with the same thing.

[Pecansforeveryone]

@BlondeIdol, I am an NAU alumni. Yeah, this move makes zero sense. Flagstaff is notoriously expensive, full stop. It's also not that conservative. It's a college and tourist town. The downtown has a heavy hippy, new age, wannabe Buddhist vibe. It's also where all the bars are. Jobs are heavily in tourism and hospitality. As others have mentioned no one is hiring high schoolers anymore, so that takes away opportunities for the kids still at home. Yeah this move is crazy and crazier. 

[Alice in Fundieland]

1 hour ago, TheOneAndOnly said:

The Vegas homes are still on the market. Want one?

Christine's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4039-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M26196-67438

Janelle's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4023-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M18719-64944

Meri's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4007-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M13777-87577

Robyn's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4034-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M29067-92782

Wait, wait, wait. You mean they didn’t all sell their homes in 30 days like their realtor Mona suggested was possible? I can’t believe it! (sarcasm) I looked at the links for each house. Robyn’s says it’s off the market and that the site was updated in October 2018, but the other 3 are active listings. 

It makes me so angry that they disrupted the lives of their children and moved to a new, more expensive state without selling their existing homes. Are they being paid so much from their tv show that they can afford to make reckless choices like that? I used to tolerate the Browns because at least they weren’t pushing their beliefs on their kids and they let them make up their own minds about major life decisions.  Now I’m just disgusted by their selfishness. 

1 hour ago, OyToTheVey said:

Maybe it's the way I grew up but we would have found family friends to take him in for the 2 years he needed to finish high school. There's no way that kid would have changed schools. ESPECIALLY after what an older sibling has gone thru with the same thing.

Especially when there was no good reason for the move other than his father wanted to move. And especially when he has older siblings still living in the area who he could stay with to finish school. 

Edited March 5, 2019 by Alice in Fundieland
added info on Robyn’s house

[OyToTheVey]

@Alice in Fundieland I was just in that area on vacation. Why would anyone buy a house in a famous cul de sac? Especially when 3 other houses are empty. There's so many new developments being built in that area. I doubt those houses are an easy sell. 

[ViolaSebastian]

2 hours ago, TheOneAndOnly said:

The Vegas homes are still on the market. Want one?

Christine's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4039-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M26196-67438

Janelle's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4023-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M18719-64944

Meri's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4007-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M13777-87577

Robyn's - https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4034-Wild-Eagle-Cir_Las-Vegas_NV_89129_M29067-92782

Damn, those things must have cost a fortune to air condition. What a waste.

[bal maiden]

No way I would buy any of those houses knowing that Kody had boned in them. 

[OyToTheVey]

16 minutes ago, bal maiden said:

No way I would buy any of those houses knowing that Kody had boned in them. 

I'm pretty sure he's only boned in like 2 of them tho. Just my guess.

[PumaLover]

17 minutes ago, bal maiden said:

No way I would buy any of those houses knowing that Kody had boned in them. 

I laughed and gagged at the same time, but I agree!

Thanks for the updates. Still can't bring myself to actually watch (and I watch Counting On, so I have a pretty low bar). I'm sitting here wearing my Flagstaff sweatshirt and drinking out of my Flagstaff mug that I bought on vacation, still wondering how these people can afford to just drop everything and move there. Especially since the houses haven't sold! When we bought our current property (in rural California mountains), it was inexpensive but we still had to wait for our previous house to sell so we could put a down payment on it. I don't get how people just have that much money to play around with. I really find it hard to believe their show is doing so well that it pays them millions per year. Does it!?

So I'm assuming like Counting On the show is like a year behind so I'm sure they're already living there (didn't run into any of them while I was in town, but I hung out in the heathen downtown by the bars and stuff). So does that mean poor Gabe did end up moving? It makes me so sad for him. Sounds like he had a great opportunity that was taken from him, all because his dad is incredibly selfish.

[bal maiden]

If you look them up on White Pages, there are addresses for them in Flagstaff. These rentals are not remotely close to each other. So I'm guessing we'll get a lot of the 'Kody is so stressed going house to house' storyline, when they show them moving to Flagstaff...

[Alice in Fundieland]

This is the list/purchase price history for Christine’s house. They’ve had these houses on the market since July and they probably still owe a significant amount of money on them since they bought them 7 years ago.  According to a mortgage calculator website, with 5% down on the listed purchase price of $443,315 as well as taxes and insurance, Christine’s monthly mortgage payment in Vegas is probably around $1,700. If they still own 3 of those houses and the payments are similar that’s $5,100 a month for empty houses in another state.

How can they afford mortgages for several empty homes in Vegas, rent for 4 properties in Flagstaff, and land and building costs for one or more homes somewhere else in Flagstaff?