Zach and Whitney Bates: Part 5

[justmy2cents]

The poster who had contact with Whit's 'adopted' family was @NotALoserLikeYou. She doesn't seem to post anymore. I'm not sure she met Mrs. Owens in person or if it was just a correspondence through social media.

[LawsonBatesEgo]

I agree with others. This was Whitney having a "do-over" and getting the wedding I suspect she wanted all along - nice pictures, outdoors in the summer time in a fashionable dress free of stupid alterations/the ugly modesty bolero, and with pretty pinteresty flowers/colours instead her dated red roses. I think she looked back and wished she had a "nicer" wedding with a "prettier" dress and photos, and had some regrets - not about her marriage but her actual wedding.

And she found the perfect excuse to do it over again: the situation with her parents and the TV show. She had a reason, and she had funding, and went for it. It sounds like it was filmed for the show, so her and Zach probably didn't pay anything for it - UP would have covered most of the expenses, and probably got most things cheaper from vendors in return for the TV/Instagram exposure. I guess UP was cool with paying because they "needed" a wedding for this season since I am assuming Josie's will be next season.

It is a little weird after just a few years of marriage, but if they can afford it/get someone to pay for it, and really want it, well, whatever. Like others have said, at least they both have jobs and live in a pretty low cost of living area.

 

 

[Joyfully Available]

I wonder if she got an upgrade on her bridal set at the vow renewal?? I could totally see Whit also upgrading her 3 stone engagement ring to a trendier halo diamond & mismatched band. Anybody see hand pics? She seems to be upgrading everything else in her life... I’d be interested to know if there is any sibling rivalry amongst the older sisters & Whit. She’s clearly a lot flashier than the rest of the women in the family. With the exception of maybe Alyssa. (I’m eagerly waiting to see what Josie does. I think she’s adorable.) 

***As stated before...I’m 100% guilty of following Whit & her style choices/ outfits! Guilty pleasure. Purely a fashion based post. 

[llucie]

The good thing is if they used the parents being there as an excuse to making the revewal they will probably explain the situation on the show. I am really curious about what she will say happened.

[VelociRapture]

On 7/14/2018 at 10:52 PM, Kaylo said:

Why do I feel like I remember that Whitney basically had some kind of falling out with her parents, moved in with a friend’s parents, and those were her “adoptive” parents and it was when she was like 17? Am I completely making that up or does anyone else remember that too?

My cousin lived with my parents during his teen years. His senior year he basically decided that he didn’t want to follow the family rules anymore (fairly strict, but not abusive or crazy) and moved in with his friend’s family. It is pretty common and often happens because the teenager is being a teenager. Who knows if that’s what happened with Whitney.

I remember that as well. I have no clue whether that was purely speculation or not though.

I do recall reading that the Owenses had a daughter who died in a car accident in her early teens. She was apparently friendly with Whitney and that’s how she knew them. 

I did a google search and found the public Instagram for Johnny and Lydia Owens. 

https://www.instagram.com/lakleeomemorial

Their daughter, Laklee, died when she was 11. I don’t know whether the car accident story is accurate or not. Laklee was born in 1991, so she was about 2 years older than Whitney.

There are a few posts showing Whitney if you go back on the Instagram account far enough. Here’s one of her and Zach from 2014:

Spoiler

 

I kept losing my place, but August 2014 is the last post I saw that specifically showed/mentioned the Bateses and Duggars. 

[nokidsmom]

I am sort of scratching my head over having a vow renewal after something around 4.5 years but whatever.  I can see that if Whit was looking back at her wedding and saw what she would have done differently (there's also the big question of what she was allowed to do or could afford) I get that.  I think it's not unusual for someone to look back on their wedding and think about what could have gone different, I know I have.  This time it's on Whit's terms and I can see including her parents as a big factor.     That said, I really loved her dress!  

[Nikedagain?]

On 7/14/2018 at 2:56 PM, TatertotAsserole said:

I didn't know Whitney's Dad was Gary/Jerry/Larry/Terry Gergich. Gary would never miss a family event! He leaves the Pawnee Parks office promptly at five to spend time with Gail and the girls.

Ahh The Gergicheseses are the best! 

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[Ivycoveredtower]

On 7/15/2018 at 4:40 PM, Joyfully Available said:

I wonder if she got an upgrade on her bridal set at the vow renewal?? I could totally see Whit also upgrading her 3 stone engagement ring to a trendier halo diamond & mismatched band. Anybody see hand pics? She seems to be upgrading everything else in her life... I’d be interested to know if there is any sibling rivalry amongst the older sisters & Whit. She’s clearly a lot flashier than the rest of the women in the family. With the exception of maybe Alyssa. (I’m eagerly waiting to see what Josie does. I think she’s adorable.) 

***As stated before...I’m 100% guilty of following Whit & her style choices/ outfits! Guilty pleasure. Purely a fashion based post. 

she has always seemed closer to the younger girls  Josie, Katie Carlin. and I think that's reflected in whose in her wedding party. I honestly think the Bates have a lot of  rivalry  between them all. Micheal even admitted that they hate to lose to a sibling when she Brandon, Erin and Kelly went bowling. 

[Letizia]

On 7/14/2018 at 4:20 PM, just_ordinary said:What I find very interesting is Zach. We speculated a lot about how Whitney finally got her dream wedding but this is as much as Zachs too. I wonder if he just doesn’t care for his parents modest rules anymore (maybe never did) or doesn’t want to fill in the headship role at all. It always seems to be Whitney who encourages change and he just lets her decide and seems to be very happy with it.

Or is he proud to show off his beautiful doll wife? And Whitney feels pressured to keep up her looks?

The dress is a huge stretch not only for his parents but also for many conservative families (though not as revealing as the pink top she wore in a TH).

I really don’t know what to believe with them - they are my pet fundies so I often tend to choose the nicer interpretation but I still wonder.

I think Zac feels a lot of what his parents did during his childhood was BS. For instance his famous comment about Bradley and Winnie the Pooh. He is also shown being frequently amused at what his younger siblings get away with vs what he would have been allowed to do. And I don’t just mean the little ones. Zac was really shocked when he found out about Kelly not only supporting Trace in his desire to be a part of the Dixie Stampede but trying to help Trace with his dancing then suggesting he take lessons. Zac’s face was like he had woken up in some alternative universe and he said (paraphrasing) “I never thought I’d live to see the day where my mom would want my brother to take dance lessons.” 

 

As for the headship thing the Bates are huge hypocrites in that they preach it but don’t practice it. Kelly can make googly eyes at Gil all she wants when the cameras are on but she is the boss of that family not Gil. She doesn’t even hide it well. She bosses them all around and 9 times out of 10 when someone addresses Gil it is Kelly that responds. Over at the Paine household what Erin wants, Erin gets. Tori isn’t remotely submissive to Bobby to the point that even leg humpers call her out on it. . Alyssa isn’t submissive and I don’t even know how one would get Carlin to become a meek helpmeet. Kelton also seems to worship Josie and no submission is going on there. Meanwhile Michael married a man who couldn’t intimidate a daisy. If any of the daughters found herself in an Anna Duggar type situation that marriage would be over either from a divorce or because Kelly murdered the guy with her bare hands and Gil disposed of the body in his wood chipper. Now they would never suggest that for others but Kelly and Gil are too narcissistic  to let anyone other than themselves mistreat their “most prized possessions”. And if you look at the boys the only one that seems like he would enjoy the stereotypical submissive wife is Nathan. I pity whoever he marries because he is an absolute ass. 

[HarleyQuinn]

That post just made me feel bad for her adoptive parents again. The least she could do is mention them and say she appreciated them being there for her back then. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

2 minutes ago, HarleyQuinn said:

That post just made me feel bad for her adoptive parents again. The least she could do is mention them and say she appreciated them being there for her back then. 

I agree. I looked at the adoptive family’s Instagram and in a picture of their kids, there were a couple of kids that weren’t their own. Someone asked who they were and she answered that they always had extra kids around. I take that as they are the type of family that will take in troubled kids or let kids stay with them for short periods. I bet Whitney was never adopted by them but she was having trouble in her own family and they took her in. Which I imagine pissed her biological parents off and that’s why they don’t have a relationship now. 

[LawsonBatesEgo]

I have long suspected Zach is more than a bit put out by the difference in freedom afforded to his younger siblings compared to what he had growing up. Can't really blame him either.

[Ivycoveredtower]

7 hours ago, Letizia said:

I think Zac feels a lot of what his parents did during his childhood was BS. For instance his famous comment about Bradley and Winnie the Pooh. He is also shown being frequently amused at what his younger siblings get away with vs what he would have been allowed to do. And I don’t just mean the little ones. Zac was really shocked when he found out about Kelly not only supporting Trace in his desire to be a part of the Dixie Stampede but trying to help Trace with his dancing then suggesting he take lessons. Zac’s face was like he had woken up in some alternative universe and he said (paraphrasing) “I never thought I’d live to see the day where my mom would want my brother to take dance lessons.” 

 

As for the headship thing the Bates are huge hypocrites in that they preach it but don’t practice it. Kelly can make googly eyes at Gil all she wants when the cameras are on but she is the boss of that family not Gil. She doesn’t even hide it well. She bosses them all around and 9 times out of 10 when someone addresses Gil it is Kelly that responds. Over at the Paine household what Erin wants, Erin gets. Tori isn’t remotely submissive to Bobby to the point that even leg humpers call her out on it. . Alyssa isn’t submissive and I don’t even know how one would get Carlin to become a meek helpmeet. Kelton also seems to worship Josie and no submission is going on there. Meanwhile Michael married a man who couldn’t intimidate a daisy. If any of the daughters found herself in an Anna Duggar type situation that marriage would be over either from a divorce or because Kelly murdered the guy with her bare hands and Gil disposed of the body in his wood chipper. Now they would never suggest that for others but Kelly and Gil are too narcissistic  to let anyone other than themselves mistreat their “most prized possessions”. And if you look at the boys the only one that seems like he would enjoy the stereotypical submissive wife is Nathan. I pity whoever he marries because he is an absolute ass. 

on the Zach front he also seems to respect his wife and sisters in a way many fundie families don't. I mean some of the Duggar brothers seem friendly towards their sisters but there is a clear line. Zach as said many times how close he and Micheal are and he seems to be close to his other sisters as well. 

[Ivycoveredtower]

Zachany pics  Kaci looks like a little doll

 

[llucie]

23 hours ago, Ivycoveredtower said:

on the Zach front he also seems to respect his wife and sisters in a way many fundie families don't. I mean some of the Duggar brothers seem friendly towards their sisters but there is a clear line. Zach as said many times how close he and Micheal are and he seems to be close to his other sisters as well. 

Bates males in general seem to be a lot more confortable around woman than the Duggars. For example Lawson seems to have a close friendship with Jessa.

[VelociRapture]

12 minutes ago, llucie said:

Bates males in general seem to be a lot more confortable around woman than the Duggars. For example Lawson seems to have a close friendship with Jessa.

As far as we know the Bateses have no molestations or sexual abuse scandals hiding in their closet*. The Duggars did. That very likely played a massive role in how different the siblings in both families may interact with each other and the standoffish nature a lot of people notice between the Duggar kids. 

That, plus the Bateses have a ton of very outgoing personalities while the Duggars are much quieter and more private in some ways. 

*The Gothard scandal doesn’t count because it’s public knowledge for those curious enough to look into it. 

[singsingsing]

1 hour ago, llucie said:

For example Lawson seems to have a close friendship with Jessa.

Really? Since when?

[Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, singsingsing said:

Really? Since when?

Almost every time they meet we get photos of Lawson with her kids. I don't think she'd be letting fundie men she didn't trust be picking up her kids and posting photos with them online.

[Ivycoveredtower]

15 minutes ago, Kangaroo said:

Almost every time they meet we get photos of Lawson with her kids. I don't think she'd be letting fundie men she didn't trust be picking up her kids and posting photos with them online.

they have been basically life time friends with the Bates so it's not surprising to see Lawson holding a kid or two. I don't think that means he's super close to Jessa or anything though. I don't think he's any closer to then to any of the other Duggars. 

[Carm_88]

16 minutes ago, Kangaroo said:

Almost every time they meet we get photos of Lawson with her kids. I don't think she'd be letting fundie men she didn't trust be picking up her kids and posting photos with them online.

He's a family friend. Doesn't necessarily mean that they are close, but they are close enough that she would let him hold her children. She also lets Jonathan Hartanoo (?) hold Henry and Spurgeon. Again, not sure how close they are but he's considered a friend of the family. 

[Ivycoveredtower]

1 minute ago, Carm_88 said:

He's a family friend. Doesn't necessarily mean that they are close, but they are close enough that she would let him hold her children. She also lets Jonathan Hartanoo (?) hold Henry and Spurgeon. Again, not sure how close they are but he's considered a friend of the family. 

Plus this is Lawson he seems to always need to pose with someone's baby. 

[Carm_88]

2 minutes ago, Ivycoveredtower said:

Plus this is Lawson he seems to always need to pose with someone's baby. 

And fundie babies just seem to get passed around, like a game of hot potato! 

[BeccaGrim]

16 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

As far as we know the Bateses have no molestations or sexual abuse scandals hiding in their closet*. The Duggars did. That very likely played a massive role in how different the siblings in both families may interact with each other and the standoffish nature a lot of people notice between the Duggar kids. 

That, plus the Bateses have a ton of very outgoing personalities while the Duggars are much quieter and more private in some ways. 

*The Gothard scandal doesn’t count because it’s public knowledge for those curious enough to look into it. 

I've said this before. They don't have a history of being molested or molesting their sisters.  That being said, I've heard many times that in person the Bates are actually very standoffish and quiet.  They put on a good show for the show.  And they are selling the happy lifestyle so they come off that way on film.  I actually think the way some of the younger kids stare at the camera sort of annoyed is more real as to who they are.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

I imagine Lawson likes hanging out with Ben and Jessa more than Derick and Jill. I’ve rarely seen Lawson posing with Sam or Izzy. 

[llucie]

17 hours ago, singsingsing said:

Really? Since when?

Since a long time, they meet frecuently and they upload pictures of him with the kids, or instastories of them together eating out and stuff. Like they actually meet more frecuently than Joy and Carlin and nobody doubts that they are best friends, then why Lawson can not be Jessas friend? i think he wouldnt be spending that much time with her if they werent friends.

2 hours ago, BeccaGrim said:

I've said this before. They don't have a history of being molested or molesting their sisters.  That being said, I've heard many times that in person the Bates are actually very standoffish and quiet.  They put on a good show for the show.  And they are selling the happy lifestyle so they come off that way on film.  I actually think the way some of the younger kids stare at the camera sort of annoyed is more real as to who they are.  

Funnily enought people that meet then in person said Lawson and Carlin were the nicest of the bunch, go figure.