Plathville 2: The Whole Family Needs Therapy

[DalmatianCat]

On 8/9/2022 at 11:23 PM, JDuggs said:

I think Ethan would benefit a lot by trying out college and challenging himself academically. He needs to take a little more control of his life now instead of spending too much time looking back at what he missed.

What exactly does Ethan do for a living?

[JDuggs]

17 minutes ago, DalmatianCat said:

What exactly does Ethan do for a living?

Going from memory which could easily be wrong, I think back in Cairo, he was doing copier repair. Tinkering with old cars and motorcycles was just a hobby. Since they moved to Tampa, he hasn’t been employed, but is playing the stock market.

He seems like he’d be smart enough to design cars, but an engineering degree would require a lot of math and science.

[JDuggs]

On IG today, Moriah stated that she’s in the process of moving. Maybe we’ll see in the next few weeks where Moriah and Ethan/Olivia are going next.

[noseybutt]

On 8/11/2022 at 7:55 AM, JDuggs said:

Going from memory which could easily be wrong, I think back in Cairo, he was doing copier repair. Tinkering with old cars and motorcycles was just a hobby. Since they moved to Tampa, he hasn’t been employed, but is playing the stock market.

He seems like he’d be smart enough to design cars, but an engineering degree would require a lot of math and science.

Yes, mechanical engineering requires a great deal of math (not so much science except physics). It is all doable. As in, an entire college prep high school math curriculum could be completed in 3-4 semesters at the community college. That would be one year--maybe 18  months-- if he took one class at a time.

After that is when the harder work would begin.

IOW, catching up from the deficient homeschooling background is not really the issue. Assuming he wanted to go that route.

I am probably over-reacting to him blaming his mother though. Anyone who has had kids in school during the pandemic knows what a trainwreck all of education is right now. He is hardly unique in not coming from a great background. 

 

ETA  On second thought. Yeah, he did get screwed by his parents. I think what is really bothering me is that he has opportunities to change all that. He does have the right to complain. Just hard to listen to that when he seems to be ignoring his current situation that most kids from lousy educational backgrounds could only dream about.

Edited August 12, 2022 by noseybutt

[marmalade]

12 hours ago, JDuggs said:

On IG today, Moriah stated that she’s in the process of moving. Maybe we’ll see in the next few weeks where Moriah and Ethan/Olivia are going next.

Ethan and Olivia moved to Tallahassee. No clue where Moriah will end up. 

[JDuggs]

9 hours ago, marmalade said:

Ethan and Olivia moved to Tallahassee. No clue where Moriah will end up. 

Is the only evidence of that Olivia’s address on Facebook or have they talked about it?

[DalmatianCat]

On 8/12/2022 at 1:53 PM, noseybutt said:

 

I am probably over-reacting to him blaming his mother though. Anyone who has had kids in school during the pandemic knows what a trainwreck all of education is right now. He is hardly unique in not coming from a great background. 

 

ETA  On second thought. Yeah, he did get screwed by his parents. I think what is really bothering me is that he has opportunities to change all that. He does have the right to complain. Just hard to listen to that when he seems to be ignoring his current situation that most kids from lousy educational backgrounds could only dream about.

It is interesting that their idea of rebelling against their parents is partying, drinking, and trying to make it in the music/modeling industry. 
Why doesn’t it occur to any of them to really rebel and buck their families rules and go to college, get a degree, and find a great job in that field? Or move on to their masters/doctorate next. I know college isn’t for everyone, but have any of them considered college? Are any of them (even Olivia) interested in higher education so they can pursue careers in healthcare, law, etc?

[QuiverFullofBooks]

On 8/11/2022 at 10:31 AM, DalmatianCat said:

What exactly does Ethan do for a living?

Reality TV.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 10, “I’m Done Choosing,” somehow just part one

Ethan is thrilled to be back at the farm. For the first time, Moriah is happy to be back. The siblings play freeze tag. Olivia’s TH says that her experiences at the farm were different and less positive. Issac and Ethan climb a tree. Ethan says “It sure beats Tampa!” Micah arrives as a surprise. They have a bell to summon the kids home. Everyone runs into the house. The boys climb out of a window and jump to the ground. Issac wonders if he and Joshua would be close. Barry arrives. He’s happy to have all the kids home. Ethan uses a fence as a balance beam (quite well).

Kim is at the house doing laundry and is really pissed off that she wasn’t invited to her family’s gathering in honor of her son. She’s planning to go to the cemetery the next day.

The next morning, Ethan and Issac are flying drones. Issac calls Kim and confirms that she will be there. They tell Moriah and she says she told Olivia that she would have separate events. Ethan says that’s unnecessary. Moriah breaks the news to Olivia. She tells Olivia that she doesn’t have to go. Olivia is very taken aback and not ready to see Kim. She leaves. In a TH, Moriah says she’s tired of things being all about Olivia. Ethan and Olivia talk briefly. She’s not sure if she’s going to come to the cemetery. Ethan’s voiceover describes this as a “tantrum,” which is absolutely not true. He mutters “tired of this” as he returns to the house.

Barry and Kim arrive at the cemetery alone together. Joshua would be 15 now. Kim asks Barry about the previous night’s party and they’re both sad that she couldn’t attend. Lydia arrives, then Micah and Issac. Ethan, Moriah, and the younger girls are in another car. Olivia rides with the crew, but doesn’t plan to get out of the car. In their voiceovers, Ethan and Olivia blame being in separate cars on each other. 

The Plaths meet at the grave, most of them holding their own flowers for Joshua. Kim and Ethan are awkwardly tolerant of each other. Barry says, “Maybe one day this will be with Hosannah and Olivia.” [I’m glad to hear the rare mention of Hosannah, who is usually completely left out of the show.] There’s a shot of the crew van where Olivia is feeling sad and angry with herself because she couldn’t be there for “the kids.” In her TH, she says she felt “out of control” and “paralyzed.” Kim’s TH says it’s hard to know that she’s Olivia’s trigger.

They share memories of Joshua. In a TH, Moriah says she struggles with having witnessed the accident; she doesn’t say so, but she definitely has PTSD. Barry holds her. Everyone places their flowers. In a TH, Ethan acknowledges that his difficulty dealing with emotions comes from Joshua’s death. In her TH, Moriah feels that maybe Joshua’s purpose was to bring the family together. Ethan tells Kim that he wants to talk to her, but not now. 

Olivia is dropping Ethan off at a pool hall In Cairo, where he’s meeting the other adult siblings. The younger girls are in the car. She makes him stop and talk to her. He says in his TH that he wants to wait until they get back to Tampa to talk. She tells him that he’s been ignoring her and being rude all day long. He says “you didn’t show up to my dead brother’s grave, so that’s on you!” and walks off. Her voiceover says she was so wrapped up in her own emotions that it didn’t occur to her that it was a big thing for Ethan. His voiceover says that he’s been trying to support Olivia, but he feels like she didn’t support him. 

This is a double-length episode. I’ll recap the rest later. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Micah posted an old picture of he, Ethan, and Marscel Thomas swimming together as kids. So they were friends with the Thomases in the past. I haven’t seen them hang out in the last few years.

[noseybutt]

On 8/13/2022 at 12:09 PM, DalmatianCat said:

It is interesting that their idea of rebelling against their parents is partying, drinking, and trying to make it in the music/modeling industry. 
Why doesn’t it occur to any of them to really rebel and buck their families rules and go to college, get a degree, and find a great job in that field? Or move on to their masters/doctorate next. I know college isn’t for everyone, but have any of them considered college? Are any of them (even Olivia) interested in higher education so they can pursue careers in healthcare, law, etc?

This doesn't surprise me. Rebellion for most teens and young adults means breaking the rules. I don't think education in this family was against the rules so much as not prioritized. The kids were taught that it wasn't necessary, which is different than saying a college degree will send you to hell.

Not that demonizing college or trade school would have made it any easier. 

The more I think about Ethan's comments to his mother, the more I do have empathy for him. He has rightly pegged that mom forced him to do a gazillion nutty things, and she could have forced him to do some schoolwork. The energy in that family was wildly misplaced.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 10, “I’m done choosing,” part two 

Ethan goes to the pool hall without Olivia. His brothers want to talk about why she’s not there, but Ethan doesn’t feel like it. Micah’s TH says he’s tired of being caught in the middle and Olivia should have put her feelings aside. I’m pretty sure I saw Olivia entering the pool hall with the little girls, but we never get back to them. In her TH, Olivia cries a little and says she was so wrapped up in her emotions that she didn’t think about the kids. In Moriah’s TH, she says “Today I have officially reached my breaking point with all this drama.” Moriah spent 3-4 years trying to make Olivia happy, and then she did one thing that affected their whole relationship, so she’s not a true friend. She’s done choosing, and is going to choose the person that’s not making her choose. This is in an end-of-season TH, and seems to reflect later developments.

Without anything actually happening in the pool hall, we cut to LA, where Micah is taking Antia out on a date. They picnic on a hill over the city. She asks about his relationship history: three relationships, with the longest one being five months. He gives her a summary of the family drama. They agree that relationships should be simple. They read lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shakespeare is difficult, and more sexual than they thought. They kiss. 

In Tampa, Ethan is making jalapeño poppers (without a recipe) for Olivia’s birthday. Moriah has somehow never heard of jalapeño poppers. Moriah asks about Olivia; neither of them has talked to her about the incident in Georgia. Ethan: “She’s not crying, so I’m assuming she’s fine.” Moriah: 🙄 “Wow.” In a TH, Moriah is frustrated, hurt, and sad, but hasn’t actually talked to Olivia. She tells Ethan that she’s going to visit Cairo again and she’s glad they didn’t move too far away. He says he’ll come along. Ethan also doesn’t know how to marinate the steak, which he plans to cook soon. Apparently he hasn’t tried to cook since his clueless attempt to make pancakes two years ago. He puts salt and pepper on the steaks. Olivia arrives. With some help from Moriah, Ethan has put together a nice dinner for two. In a TH, Ethan wishes she would apologize instead of just being nice. They tell us about the upcoming Jamaica trip. Barry sent Olivia a happy birthday text. Her birthday gift is a leather motorcycle jacket. It’s nice because last year they were separated on her birthday. Throughout the Tampa scenes there are way too many THs and reminders that there’s drama!!

Ethan and Moriah are back in Cairo. She calls Kim and arranges for Ethan and Kim to meet somewhere. Kim says “preferably not a driveway” and Ethan rolls his eyes. They settle on the pool hall’s outside tables. THs: Ethan’s never had a conversation alone with his mother. Moriah hopes Ethan can understand Kim better. Kim’s hoping for a miracle.

Ethan and Kim are really awkward. He asks why she wants the divorce. She’s unhappy and she can’t put in another decade for Mercy’s sake. He asks what she would have done differently, looking back. She says that things are different now, but they still don’t have soda. Ethan says that the real issues were schooling and dating. He says he’s felt behind since he was 13. She says her goal was to help the kids find their passion, and his is cars. In a TH, he hated sitting in front of computers. She tells him that he hated books. He says he was a kid and she really fell short on schooling, and she didn’t really try. Kim’s TH says she tried so hard and this is crushing. To Ethan, she says she should have done better.

On to dating. Ethan’s TH acknowledges that the messages about sex and dating came from church as well as his parents. Kim reminds him that he was head-over-heels in love with Olivia. He says that he shouldn’t have been raised to marry the first person who he liked. He asks if she has regrets about the conflict with him and Olivia. She feels bad, but she didn’t mean to hurt them, and she can’t quite come up with a specific regret or apology. In a TH, Ethan feels like she listened to him for a change, so he feels pretty good about the conversation. To Kim, he says that he doesn’t know what their long-term relationship will be, but the next couple of years can just be amicable. She says, “See, you do know some big words!” and laughs. He looks annoyed. They both want to avoid drama. In a TH, she feels pretty good about the conversation too. They don’t hug.

Next time: Jamaica, mon! Also, Kim and Barry update the younger kids on the divorce.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

I had labeled “I’m Done Choosing” as episode 10, but it was actually episode 11. It turns out that episode 12 was aired as the second half of episode 11, so we now have just one double-length episode to go.

Episode 13, “Everyone’s Invited,” part one

Olivia is photographing a wedding in Jamaica and bringing Ethan along as his birthday present. Moriah and Micah come too. They hired a driver, Nicole. Jamaicans drive on the left! Nicole takes them to a jerk chicken place that serves them several Jamaican specialties. The drinking age in Jamaica is 18, so Moriah gets to drink her rum punch on camera. Moriah wants a break from the drama. 

They go to the resort and the guys go swimming. Olivia’s voiceover says she’s glad Ethan isn’t being cranky, as he often is when he travels. Olivia has set up a surprise bonfire with musicians on the beach. As usual there are voiceovers about the drama!!

In Cairo, Kim and Barry tell the kids that they’re getting divorced during the summer. Everyone is sad. They don’t know who’s going to move out, and oh, by the way, they might or might not sell the house. The younger kids will stay with Kim. Lydia wants to live with Barry. Kim’s surprised. Everyone will still be in Cairo. Group hug. 

Olivia arranged a visit to a Rastafari village. Moriah has trouble pronouncing it in her TH. They haven’t heard of Bob Marley!  It’s about peace and love. Micah’s TH: Olivia needs to feel peace and love. Olivia’s TH: Forgiveness means no accountability.

Ethan says he had trouble adapting to the pace of the modern world. Moriah agrees. The Rastafarian is very pro the unplugged Plath lifestyle. Ethan says in his TH that he would like to raise his kids on a farm. 

They meet Nereree, who “tends to our sacrament.” Time for the ganja! Everyone is interested in the pot plants. Ethan has tried weed since his refusal to use it in California, and he liked it. Ethan did a lot of gardening on the farm. Nereree says “I hope your heart finds its way back home.” Olivia still doesn’t want to live in Cairo, but is looking forward to having that [rural lifestyle] later. 

In Cairo, Lydia and Kim talk at the dance studio apartment. Lydia acknowledges how much Kim went through as the mother of a large family, then tells her that she’s not doing enough for the little girls. Kim’s TH says that she doesn’t want to hurt or disappoint anyone. She tells Lydia that she has to get out of the house. Lydia says that quality time equals love for her, and she hasn’t been seeing that from Kim, who offers to get together once a week. Lydia says that Kim was much better than her own mother. They say they love each other and they hug. Kim realizes how much she’s needed. 

Coming up in the second half: drama in Jamaica! 

[Nikedagain?]

Olivia is hawking vibrators on IG. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 13, “Everyone’s Invited,” part two 

It’s their last day in Jamaica. While Ethan goes paragliding, Micah, Olivia, and Moriah are at a bar. Micah asks Olivia about the peace, love, and understanding advocated by the Rastafarian. She’s in favor, so he asks about the Plaths. She loves the siblings and is getting along with Barry. He asks about Kim. She doesn’t know, doesn’t want to be pressured, and thinks it’s fine if they make different choices. There’s also understandably a feeling of “why am I spending my vacation being filmed having this dumbass fight?” In a TH, Micah complains and Moriah pouts.

Moriah tells Olivia that “everybody needs to just always be invited.” Micah tells Olivia that there’s a lot of things about her that he doesn’t understand. Olivia tells him that peace, love, and understanding works both ways. Moriah says that Olivia needs to support Ethan in rebuilding relationships with his parents. In a TH, Moriah says that Olivia always wants to talk through problems, except when someone has a problem with her. Micah tells Olivia that he misses being close to the family, and Moriah says she feels loved and accepted now. 

Olivia says in an end-of-season TH that the siblings’ version of forgiveness includes resuming the relationship, and she’s being told that if she doesn’t want a relationship, it’s not real forgiveness. Back at the bar, we learn that Barry wants to take Ethan on a river trip for his birthday, with the other kids. Moriah says that “everyone’s invited” and “it’s your choice.” Everyone says they love each other, and then they join Ethan on a boat. In the end-of-season TH, Olivia says she appreciates the honesty, “but maybe not on vacation.” In a TH, Micah says that if he tried to talk to Olivia, she would shut him down. Moriah says “we’re all just really done.” 

Back in Tampa, Micah is with them, and the river trip is the next day. Olivia feels tense. She apologizes for not being willing to talk in Jamaica, and for how she behaved when Olivia told her Kim would be joining the memorial. Micah says that Kim has changed a lot. Olivia says she’s still struggling and Ethan asks why. She says she’s trying to support “from an empty bucket.” The siblings say that she doesn’t have to support them. Micah says that holding grudges is bad, and Olivia says that her boundary is not a grudge. 

Now we get an end-of-season interview with Olivia. She was one of ten children with a mother who wasn’t nurturing. She met Kim when she was only 16, and Kim became a mother to her. Olivia realized that she was being used, and Kim only cared about her as long as she did what Kim wanted.

And now we finally get to the credit card thing! Soon after they got married, when Ethan was 20, Olivia found out that Kim would use his credit card without asking and not pay him back. Ethan said he couldn’t stop her because he didn’t know the password for the online access. Olivia changed it (apparently being more tech savvy than he was). Kim had Olivia meet up with her in town, where Kim asked for the password. When Olivia refused, Kim blew up and slammed doors. (Olivia briefly mentions that there were other WTF moments.) Overnight, Kim decided that Olivia had the devil in her. Olivia says that someone can want you around because you meet their needs, not because they really love you. 

Back in the living room, Nathan sticks up for his sister a little. Ethan refers to his wife’s feelings as “drama” and “complicated nonsense” and says he’s at the end of his rope. Moriah wants everyone to get along. Olivia says that they can call her on it if she’s putting up walls and Micah says that she can call him on it if he says something that sounds worse than he meant it. Olivia feels like her back is against the wall. I’m going to recap the river trip segment later. 

[JDuggs]

On Olivia’s IG story today, she said she was going to miss Florida weather. I’m guessing that means they are moving out of state.

[JDuggs]

I read on some reality TV website that Olivia’s brother Nathan was charged with a DUI the day after Micah’s 21st birthday party. He pled down to reckless driving and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, 50 hours of community service and fines.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 13, “Everyone’s Invited,” just part three, but still painfully long.

Kim and Barry and the kids are heading for the “river trip,” which turns out to be tubing on a river. In a TH, Kim wants to continue to have intentional family events. In the car, Kim’s really excited to do something fun with Ethan. 

In Tampa, Ethan, Micah, and Moriah are getting ready to go. Moriah asks about Olivia and Ethan says he thinks that she already left with Nathan. Moriah asks why and Ethan says he doesn’t know or care. Moriah says that sounds like the right answer. In the car, Ethan admits that he’s bothered that Olivia left without telling him. Moriah feels drained and she wants to move out. [This feels so stupid and fake. Why wouldn’t she just leave a note?]

Olivia and Nathan are already at Ichetucknee Springs State Park, about midway between Cairo and Tampa. Olivia plans to join the Plaths, as long as she can maintain boundaries. Ethan, Micah, and Moriah arrive and things are tense. Olivia teases Ethan for wearing jeans instead of shorts. Moriah goes off on her own. In a TH, she’s confused by Olivia’s behavior. Ethan and Micah follow Moriah.

The rest of the family arrives. Everyone’s happy. They go over to a picnic table. Nathan and Olivia do not join them. In a TH, Olivia explains that she had thought they would join her by the water, and then joining them later would be weird. They also didn’t know that Moriah was planning to give the kids their gifts from Jamaica at this point.

Olivia and Nathan go over to Moriah and ask why they’re not being included. Moriah tells Olivia to fuck off. [This is bleeped in both the actual event and Moriah’s TH, so I’m not sure exactly what she said.] Moriah tells Olivia that she knew what was going to happen, and she’s sick of worrying about what’s going on with Olivia when she goes off on her own. She says that it’s important for the family to be together during the divorce. This argument feels a little more real than the rest of the show, because they stalked off away from the camera (wearing mics, so there’s audio). Moriah goes to talk to Ethan, who calms her down and says that it’s fine if Olivia and Nathan don’t join them. Olivia says to Nathan, “I’m just ready for Moriah to stop being a bitch.”

Nathan convinces Olivia to join everyone at the picnic tables for lunch. She sits with Issac and Ethan, who finish their lunch and leave. The little girls join Olivia, and the rest of the family follows. Kim and Olivia say hello, which makes Moriah feel better. She makes up with Olivia. Moriah says in a TH that both Kim and Olivia need constant validation. Good insight, Moriah! Go to Hillsborough Community College and take a psychology course! 

They finally go tubing. Everyone’s happy. Moriah has a huge tattoo of a red rose on her hip. Several THs are interspersed with tubing footage. 

Micah and Kim both talk about what they achieved over the course of the season. Olivia says that the Tampa lease ends at the end of the summer. They’ve agreed to move every year, but they’re not sure where they’re going next. Ethan’s thinking about moving to Cairo for a few months to finish his cars and help his dad. The producer asks where he would live, and he says probably at the shop. The producer asks “what about Olivia?” He shrugs his shoulders and says she can stay with him, but she won’t want to. Barry’s planning to focus on the children and he’s concerned about Kim finding a new relationship. Lydia (who hasn’t been heard from at all this episode) gets the final words of the season. She would have taken the tubing trip for granted in the past, but now she appreciates it. Enjoy whatever you’re doing, because you never know what’s going to happen.

[GuineaPigCourtship]

Exhausting, just to read.  I can't imagine living it.

[DalmatianCat]

9 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

The little girls join Olivia, and the rest of the family follows. Kim and Olivia say hello, which makes Moriah feel better. She makes up with Olivia. Moriah says in a TH that both Kim and Olivia need constant validation. Good insight, Moriah! Go to Hillsborough Community College and take a psychology course! 

Yes…they’re basically the same personality type, just different end goals. I can see why Ethan and Moriah are exhausted at this point. Moriah seems to be doing better at trying to break the relationship patterns she’s used and not just be led along.
But Ethan…she’s your wife. If you want to stay married you need to get help…and…if you’re both that miserable there are other options. Did they ever say why they reconciled? I keep having to check her Insta to see if they’re still together.

[SamanthasMom]

I know this is TLC we’re talking about, but I just can’t with filming a divorce involving children. The same with Sister Wives. The older kids are going to remember all of this, but the younger children don’t need to have everything recorded for posterity. It is a pretty horrible parenting decision to allow this.

[noseybutt]

On 8/26/2022 at 6:17 PM, QuiverFullofBooks said:

 

And now we finally get to the credit card thing! Soon after they got married, when Ethan was 20, Olivia found out that Kim would use his credit card without asking and not pay him back. Ethan said he couldn’t stop her because he didn’t know the password for the online access. Olivia changed it (apparently being more tech savvy than he was). Kim had Olivia meet up with her in town, where Kim asked for the password. When Olivia refused, Kim blew up and slammed doors. (Olivia briefly mentions that there were other WTF moments.) Overnight, Kim decided that Olivia had the devil in her. Olivia says that someone can want you around because you meet their needs, not because they really love you. 

 

Dang. 

That's bizarre. I would really like to know exactly what Ethan was buying his mother.

[freethemall]

On 8/28/2022 at 10:49 PM, DalmatianCat said:

Yes…they’re basically the same personality type, just different end goals. I can see why Ethan and Moriah are exhausted at this point. Moriah seems to be doing better at trying to break the relationship patterns she’s used and not just be led along.
But Ethan…she’s your wife. If you want to stay married you need to get help…and…if you’re both that miserable there are other options. Did they ever say why they reconciled? I keep having to check her Insta to see if they’re still together.

I'm confused by the timeline, but I believe all this was filmed before Ethan and Olivia's big Europe trip where they seemed very happy and at peace (yes, social media can lie, but I'm sure the adventure and distance was good for them). I also believe during that time Moriah and Micah posted things about how the family won't be at war anymore, and that everything is not as it seems on the show, explaining for instance about the thing with Ethan and Kim and the credit card.

I haven't watched much of the season except for some clips of the confrontations with Olivia, and reading here. Moriah was really diplomatic, Micah was less understanding. I don't agree with them telling Olivia to just get over it and move on, but I also commend them for speaking their peace as it has affected their own relationships with their parents. I think for instance when Moriah had her first concert and couldn't invite Kim because of Olivia, that was a shitty position for Olivia to put Moriah in, and Moriah seems to realize that. Hopefully Olivia will mature to finding a way to maintain her boundaries and mental health in a way that doesn't cause hurt to any of the kids and their relationships. Similar to kids of divorced parents - at a certain point for healthy coparenting you need to push your boundaries aside for the sake of the kids. Or, you know, she could also just leave Ethan and be done with the whole mess.

[JDuggs]

6 hours ago, freethemall said:

I think for instance when Moriah had her first concert and couldn't invite Kim because of Olivia, that was a shitty position for Olivia to put Moriah in, and Moriah seems to realize that. 

Olivia told Moriah upfront that she’d play keyboards for her show, but only if her parents wouldn’t be there and Moriah agreed. Then Moriah told her parents about the show knowing that Kim probably wouldn’t respect her request to not come. Olivia was doing Moriah a favor by participating, then Moriah caused the drama by letting Kim know about it. I’m sure the whole scenario was very contrived for the TV show (I don’t think Moriah has ever performed since then), but I don’t think Olivia put Moriah in that particular situation.

[fundiewatch]

I am so thankful for these summaries, interesting fodder. 
 

Question if anyone cares to answer: is this family pretending as if they aren’t influenced by the cameras? I just cannot my wrap my brain around how these parents and these adult children changing their lives to pretend this is reality.