The future of 19KAC

[Daenerys]

J'fetus was supposed to be the gravy train to at least a couple more seasons of the show being guaranteed, but obviously that is no longer the case. There is little chance of another successful pregnancy for Michelle.

 

Apart from J20, there has been no 'major' event in the life of the main Duggar family since Josie came out of the NICU over 18 months ago, and even putting aside my dislike of the family, the show is clearly stagnating. There's only so many times we can watch them have a party or go on a trip without the 'excitement' of a big change in the family.

 

Obviously TLC will now be looking to end the show in the foreseeable future unless something BIG happens. Considering the Duggars are clearly desperate to keep the show going, I can see them forcing something BIG to occur. Since Josh's children clearly aren't enough, I would speculate they are now thinking about another TV courtship. It could be Jana/JD, but considering they aren't big TV personalities I would even speculate they'd stretch to Jill/Jessa if they thought it would boost the ratings.

[CanadianHippie]

Here's to hoping one of the J'slaves makes a break for it and succeeds. Then Ma and Pa Duggar get to deal with one of their perfect Fundy christian children leave to live among the worldly in the public eye.

[annalena]

They're gonna sell out one of the girls for marriage or "pray" for another pregnancy. Which is going to backfire, big time.

I can see both Jana and JD seriously annoyed about having to have a TV courtship, they're just not the types. Jill or Jessa though, yes.

[CanadianHippie]

Once they start marrying off the other kids they can change the name of the show to "How many grandchild can we get before TLC cancels us!"

[pixydust]

I think that someone will court/get married or someone will actually start college. I could see them sending someone to a community college for a semester, then deciding that they could get the same with college Plus!, so they quit.

Oh, and I predict another J'chelle pregnancy and an Anna pregnancy in the next year.

[annalena]

Oh, PLEASE can someone start college.

I don't believe it though.

I have a strong feeling Jchelle will get pregnant again though, and I have a feeling it's gonna end tragic.

Anna will definitely also get pregnant within the next year, if she isn't already.

[tropaka]

TLC's got to be getting nervous at this point....predict the show is cut down to specials, the next ones being any weddings of the daughters or a "college" graduation. In my dreams, it would be great if one or more of the kids do break out into the real world in some outrageous way (but that will never happen).

[tabitha2]

J'fetus was supposed to be the gravy train to at least a couple more seasons of the show being guaranteed, but obviously that is no longer the case. There is little chance of another successful pregnancy for Michelle.

Not at all.What Michelle is going to do is pull a Kelly Bates and use progesterone treatments and try till she has a successful one.She likely won't report the early miscarriages and celebrate the pregnancy that makes it as a triumph.

[lilwriter85]

I wouldn't be surprised if a courtship or an engagement gets announced soon. I think Boob at this point is desperate to keep the gravy train running longer. Boob is probably negotiating with TLC right now and maybe asking TLC for two more seasons in case Michelle or Anna gets pregnant again.

TLC is aware of the increased dislike of the Duggars over the past couple of years and the show is barely pulling 1 to 1.5 million viewers and I think TLC was probably planning to axe them last summer, before Michelle found out she was pregnant.

[Daenerys]

Not at all.What Michelle is going to do is pull a Kelly Bates and use progesterone treatments and try till she has a successful one.She likely won't report the early miscarriages and celebrate the pregnancy that makes it as a triumph.

There is something like an 80% chance of a healthy 45 year old miscarrying if she gets pregnant. Michelle's uterus is so fragile she can't have drugs to induce contractions because it risks a uterine rupture. She can try all the drugs she wants, I still say it isn't happening.

As for courtship, I remember Jill saying something about they might not all get married in birth order. The way she said it made me think that there was something in the works for a child other than Jana. Probably JD but she would make much better TV.

[tabitha2]

Maybe,but it did for Kelly Bates-who has actually been pregnant more-so they aren't going to see any reason why it should not for them.

[Daenerys]

Maybe,but it did for Kelly Bates-who has actually been pregnant more-so they aren't going to see any reason why it should not for them.

Kelly Bates has not had anywhere near as many caesareans as Michelle (I'm not sure she's had any) and particularly has not had the physically more traumatic preemie caesarean that was required for Josie.

[annalena]

There is something like an 80% chance of a healthy 45 year old miscarrying if she gets pregnant. Michelle's uterus is so fragile she can't have drugs to induce contractions because it risks a uterine rupture. She can try all the drugs she wants, I still say it isn't happening.

As for courtship, I remember Jill saying something about they might not all get married in birth order. The way she said it made me think that there was something in the works for a child other than Jana. Probably JD but she would make much better TV.

Remember last season's last episode when all the girls looked at Jana? No idea if that is a hint or not, but it could be...

[tkr322]

Honestly I thought the show was SO boring when Josie was in the NICU. It was the same thing over and over. I stopped watching then. I like to watch the more mundane things like the parties and trips... maybe it's because they show more of the family than just dumb J'chelle and Boob hanging out in the hospital with little Josie just lying there.

Didn't one of the news articles mention them wanting to adopt? I could see that happening, or Jana starting a courtship. I haven't seen her on the show for a while actually.

[pixydust]

As for courtship, I remember Jill saying something about they might not all get married in birth order. The way she said it made me think that there was something in the works for a child other than Jana. Probably JD but she would make much better TV.

I've been wondering if Jill is actually long distance courting with a guy in med school who wants to be a missionary or a guy who is already a medical missionary. Jill loves missions and South America, and all of the "Jill is going to be a nurse! Jill is going to be a midwife!" stuff would fit with that.

I don't think that Jana is/will be courting soon, I think that she is depressed , so they are keeping her out of the public eye as much as possible (or would depression be a reason to get her married off?).

Wasn't is rumoured that JD was courting that Anna girl? I guess that didn't work out....I wonder if they consider that "giving away pieces of his heart".

[tabitha2]

Whether they eventually have another or not,they will see the treatments as an approved possibility and hang on to chance they do have-and keep trying till they can't I am 100% sure.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Whether they eventually have another or not,they will see the treatments as an approved possibility and hang on to chance they do have-and keep trying till they can't I am 100% sure.

If their pursuing fertility treatments went public, wouldn't a significant portion of the fans finally turn away? I mean, you've got all those people who just loooove the Duggars because of their "not on public assistance, bootstrappy, self-supporting" image and idea that "well, they're just blessed to have tons of kids, it just happens to them, and they accept it."

If they go for fertility treatments though, seems to me people might start wondering just where that money is coming from (though probably still say "well it's their money, so for them it's okay" maybe). They'd see that it's NOT actually about leaving it up to God, but in fact a race, at which point I wonder if she'd finally fall over the edge into the "attention whore" bin with Octomom.

Dunno, but can't help wondering... :whistle:

Having the show convert to specials only is probably the easiest way to ease it out - recognize the falling audience while also still recognizing that long time followers (fans OR not) would probably tune in for a special just due to groundbreaking sensationalism angle. Otherwise, the show's been on long enough that all possible angles of "look at this HUUUUGE family manages to do ordinary household tasks! Can you believe it???" angles have surely all been played out to death by now.

[annalena]

I actually think they've really pushed it with this pregnancy. If they admitted to fertility treatments, that might even make hardcore fans turn away.

The show has become dead boring. We all do not need to see Jessa slave and Jinger slave pack up the bus again, or Jchelle pretending to homeschool, or all of them on whatever kind of outing where teenagers push strollers.

[bananacat]

Michelle will try to get pregnant again. I suspect she'll use fertility drugs, or maybe even IVF. To pay for it, they might marry off some of the older girls and heap more work on Joy. Getting rid of even one daughter would save them a fortune on hair gel. If Michelle does manage to get pregnant with these treatments, TLC will drop them like a brick, after a season of editing to show their true colors. People are already starting to wise up and stop liking the Duggars, but TLC will want to make sure everyone really hates them before canceling.

If Michelle doesn't manage to get pregnant in spite of everything, she'll try to adopt a kid, and TLC would definitely keep them on the air for that whole fiasco. TLC would probably even help it along by finding a baby and setting up the private adoption. And in about 5 years we'll hear from the birth mom who will go on some talk show and reveal how coercive TLC was in taking her baby and giving it to the Duggars.

[marmalade]

I've been wondering if Jill is actually long distance courting with a guy in med school who wants to be a missionary or a guy who is already a medical missionary. Jill loves missions and South America, and all of the "Jill is going to be a nurse! Jill is going to be a midwife!" stuff would fit with that.

I don't think that Jana is/will be courting soon, I think that she is depressed , so they are keeping her out of the public eye as much as possible (or would depression be a reason to get her married off?).

Wasn't is rumoured that JD was courting that Anna girl? I guess that didn't work out....I wonder if they consider that "giving away pieces of his heart".

Well, JD does fit the out of birth order suggestion of Jill's. Who knows? He and the Hackel girl may still be an item, but it's long distance and then Mullet's pregnancy announcement of J20 could have taken the steam out of that story line. IF there's anyone courting, the couple, willing or not, will have to play it for the cameras to keep Boob's cash cow running.

[annalena]

Michelle will try to get pregnant again. I suspect she'll use fertility drugs, or maybe even IVF. To pay for it, they might marry off some of the older girls and heap more work on Joy. Getting rid of even one daughter would save them a fortune on hair gel. If Michelle does manage to get pregnant with these treatments, TLC will drop them like a brick, after a season of editing to show their true colors. People are already starting to wise up and stop liking the Duggars, but TLC will want to make sure everyone really hates them before canceling.

Really? You think TLC will turn around??

[tabitha2]

In their POV Progesterone shots are perfectly acceptable as they are just treating a child already created as they would give baby tylenol to an infant.They aren't actually creating life just taking measures to protect it.And thats the way they will sell it to the public.

[JenniferJuniper]

I'm having trouble seeing a scenario that keeps the show alive past dealing with this latest crisis, which was brought on entirely by Jim Bob and Michelle's recklessness.

They've done the "world tour" thing.

Courtship? Been there and done that. We know how it works, we've seen the ugly homemade bridesmaid dresses, and thanks to Jim Bob, we even know what sort of sex education the kids get the day before the wedding. Legos.

Flight of one of the older girls? Don't see it happening and even if it did, Boob wouldn't allow it to be featured on the show.

Anna's had two kids already (even had one on the toilet), a girl and a boy, so there's nothing new under the sun there.

Jackson and Hannie are too old now to play the adorable little kids who say the darndest things, and since Jennifer and Jordyn can't talk, there are no immediate replacements on the horizon.

J20 was the best shot of keeping things going for awhile, but considering what happened, I think most potential viewers would be turned off by any further attempts to have the 20th. It's becoming ghoulish.

[tkr322]

In their POV Progesterone shots are perfectly acceptable as they are just treating a child already created as they would give baby tylenol to an infant.They aren't actually creating life just taking measures to protect it.And thats the way they will sell it to the public.

Yep, that's exactly what Kelly Bates said in the 20/20 episode.

And again, it's pills not shots she takes :) (I took them, too) The progesterone shots are for women who are susceptible to pre-term labor. The pills are taken in the first trimester when women have low progesterone before the placenta takes over and produces the progesterone.

[Daenerys]

Michelle will try to get pregnant again. I suspect she'll use fertility drugs, or maybe even IVF. To pay for it, they might marry off some of the older girls and heap more work on Joy. Getting rid of even one daughter would save them a fortune on hair gel. If Michelle does manage to get pregnant with these treatments, TLC will drop them like a brick, after a season of editing to show their true colors. People are already starting to wise up and stop liking the Duggars, but TLC will want to make sure everyone really hates them before canceling.

If Michelle doesn't manage to get pregnant in spite of everything, she'll try to adopt a kid, and TLC would definitely keep them on the air for that whole fiasco. TLC would probably even help it along by finding a baby and setting up the private adoption. And in about 5 years we'll hear from the birth mom who will go on some talk show and reveal how coercive TLC was in taking her baby and giving it to the Duggars.

I think it'd be a Central American one, though not one that looks 'too brown' if you know what I mean. They could use it as a chance to show off Jill's Spanish skills, and there would be minimal likelihood of the mother coming after them in any way. There's no way they'd be approved in the US but there are so many unwanted kids further south I can see it happening.

If Joy is going to be a sister-mom to this child, I hope she at least gets a say in the choosing.