Bates Special/Bates New Blog Post MERGED

[IReallyAmHopewell]

So now that they have a house with enough light in it to film they will get their own show? Who gets it next--the Wilsons?

[icecreamycakeycake]

The Bates special is just lunacy. Does anyone know if Sean Overbeeke is producing it? Does he not have new show ideas in his head, besides taping Gothardites?

Also, does anyone know if TLC is owned by a bunch of fundies? I mean, we have the Duggars, the Bates, Pastor Wives, and Sister Wives. Ugh, enough with the craziness.

I don't know who owns TLC but I believe that the people in charge of programming know exactly what they're doing by producing these shows. They draw in not only the fans, but the snarkers as well. The editing deliberately appeals to both communities. I'm sure Sean and other execs cream over the discussions here and on other boards such a TWoP, particularly when the snarkers get outraged and antagonize the fan-bots, it's all a win-win situation for TLC.

The Duggars might be on a slipery slope outta dodge, but airing the Jubilee special will appease the devotees who want to mourn with the Duggars (gag), horrify the snarkers, and people will tune in either way to see what all the fuss is about.

[xReems]

Of course they're doing a special--free hospital bill and stay, especially since Jeb had some complications and had to stay in the NICU. Hospitals are not free in this country these days and it's especially harder when you don't carry health insurance. Why worry about getting a health insurance when you can just get TLC to take care of it for you. They learned that from their good 'ol friends, the Duggars! A wedding can ring up poor daddy's Lawson's bill, which is where TLC comes in and pays it for them! Congratulations Zach and Sarah--you will be having a free wedding, while preaching how a wedding shouldn't be lavish and that it's all about "buying used, saving the difference", just like how the Duggars preach.

Seriously, the Bates are just as money hungry as the Duggars. They've seen how much of a lavish lifestyle they're living and wants to be part of it as well. They rely on their son, Lawson, for money, so why not take the load off of him by just having a film crew follow them around 24/7. Kelly can preach the whole "No, we don't want a tv show" but once the Duggars are canned and TLC needs a new fundie family to corrupt, the Bates will stand up and be perfectly ok to "preach their faith" for their beloved fans to see. It won't be much longer until Kelly and her older girls become more and more fashionable than before and go on random trips for "educational purposes" during the school year.

[donks]

Maybe TLC will pay these scumbags enough to feed their starving horses.

[Buzzard]

The question is how saavy they are. Were they smart enough to be TLC "employees" and get on the health insurance train? I doubt it.

I'd kill for one of TLC competitors to do an expose on the TLC fundies.

[Witsec7]

Gil and Kelly aren't getting any younger. Their kids aren't generating enough money to support the household and at some point Gil will be old enough to depend on ebil social security. Until that happens they need income, whores that they are, TLC is the natural choice.

[shesinsane]

The Bates family has four children who share the same birthday, but none of them are twins. The Duggars have two sets of twins. (Kelly Bates has given birth more times than Michelle Duggar.)

Surely the cause of many sleepless nights in the Duggar household.

[lilwriter85]

Gil and Kelly aren't getting any younger. Their kids aren't generating enough money to support the household and at some point Gil will be old enough to depend on ebil social security. Until that happens they need income, whores that they are, TLC is the natural choice.

This. I think Kelly and Gil probably a low point recently and realized that need some extra money.

[CustardTart]

I love how the article pointed out that Kelly's had more pregnancies than Michelle.

The Duggars have two sets of twins. (Kelly Bates has given birth more times than Michelle Duggar.)

:lol: Michelle is washing her own mouth out with soap right now!

[NJMom]

I'll bet Jim Bob is kicking himself for having the Bates family on in the first place 3 years ago. Does everybody remember that episode? Producer Sean actually went up to Zach and asked him if he was interested in any of the Duggars girls (in a roundabout way), and he admitted that the families had not gotten together for the past 8 years. So the Bates visit must have been partially a TLC setup at the time, and I guess since they generated good ratings, the Duggars continued to have regular visits "because they're best friends and all get along so well". You have to wonder how much of this friendship was for real and how much of it was for the TLC cameras. And now the Duggars are getting replaced by the same family!Well, I can't feel too sorry for them- they've probably made a couple million by now, being on the air for the past 8 years. I'm sure that the Bates are working much cheaper than the Duggars, so even if ratings aren't great, it won't cost TLC that much to produce a series of specials.

[CustardTart]

The Duggars have helped people. We talked it over with the children, and everyone likes the idea of helping others.

The Bates family is doing the show so they can help people, not for money, you silly people!

[Visionoyahweh]

I'll bet Jim Bob is kicking himself for having the Bates family on in the first place 3 years ago.

I wonder if it was Gothard/Sean's idea more than Jim Bob's. Good press and good gratings trump anything the stars want.

[silverspoons]

I think the Bates are going to get ripped apart more then the Duggars. How many times do you read an article on the Duggars and see comments like "as long as they can afford to have the kids". Gil has already said he doesnt have insurance for some of the kids and uses the ER, this will make the average viewer upset( I know when I get the dreaded letter once a year from our insurance saying the rates are going up & I know part of it is the absorbed costs of people who use the ER with coverage or writeoffs)especially when he left a job with health coverage to be self employed and spend more time with his family.

Kelly better be careful when she puts quotes out there about having easy pregnancies when we all know about the serious complications with baby 17? and the progrestrone treatments.

I wonder if they would have gotten the show if they had the old house and van? Would TLC have shown the boys all sleepng in that hot attic and the 15 passenger van for 19 kids? I doubt it. The only quiverful family I have known lived in poverty and as they had more kids the living conditions got worse. TLC is doing no favors showing this a few select families who are on the top.

[flipflop]

I know a lot of you prefer the Bates to the Duggar's but I really don't. I find Gil Bates to be the most arrogant man, he is very controlling and really loves that head of the household/my will is law nonsense. He definately gets off on his authority far more than Jim-Bob and Kelly really encourages him in it.

Also very superficial but why do they allow their girls to wear those awful dresses. Michaella stop sewing immediately the clothes you make are horrible, shapeless unflattering sacks! The rule is modest not ugly.

[EmmieJ]

I won't watch the special, but I'll definitely be curious to see what kind of ratings they pull in. I think people are losing interest in watching the dreariness that is fundie adult children's lives.

[formerlyfundie]

I'll bet Jim Bob is kicking himself for having the Bates family on in the first place 3 years ago. Does everybody remember that episode? Producer Sean actually went up to Zach and asked him if he was interested in any of the Duggars girls (in a roundabout way), and he admitted that the families had not gotten together for the past 8 years. So the Bates visit must have been partially a TLC setup at the time, and I guess since they generated good ratings, the Duggars continued to have regular visits "because they're best friends and all get along so well". You have to wonder how much of this friendship was for real and how much of it was for the TLC cameras. And now the Duggars are getting replaced by the same family!Well, I can't feel too sorry for them- they've probably made a couple million by now, being on the air for the past 8 years. I'm sure that the Bates are working much cheaper than the Duggars, so even if ratings aren't great, it won't cost TLC that much to produce a series of specials.

I remember that. It is funny now since clearly Zach has no interest in the Duggar girls and went for a more down home country type like Sarah, part of me feels that even if he were interested in one of them he didn't want the spotlight...or maybe he does since his family is all over the place now. Maybe he will get married and get out before all of this happens. I don't see the Bates having the same appeal as the Duggars, I think that ship has already sailed. The initial interest will be there and I am SURE there will be a Baby 20, so that might peak viewership but with Kelly's miscarriage rate, I don't think TLC can afford another Jubilee situation.

People are much less harsh on the Bates but I think that has to do with them not being on TV regularly yet. They do seem somewhat more humble and genuine than the Duggars, but I felt the same way when the D's first started. Money and fame does a lot to you- imagine what the B's will look like in a few years if they get a show!

[freejoytoo]

I don't understand what is so likeable about the Bateses. They're not fame whores but that doesn't change the fact that they subscribe to the exact same dangerous philosophy, wouldn't let their adult daughter accept a scholarship, abuse animals and want to pass laws that would force people to live their way of life. Oh, and didn't they have a picture of a KKK leader on their wall?!

[slickcat79]

Well, I would say that if anyone wants info from the Bates blog or the old people articles, now would be the time for screenshots. I have a feeling there's going to be some scrubbing going on in the next few weeks...

And seriously, Joe Stetson? It's like a 10-year-old writing his very first Western. Not that Jeb is much better, but I can kind of get behind Gil putting his foot down on that one. Maybe next time they'll just skip the vote since it clearly doesn't matter anyway.

[bananacat]

Maybe TLC will pay these scumbags enough to feed their starving horses.

Any money they get will go towards trying for another baby. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried IVF. Oh sure, they're against it now, but I'm sure God will lay it on their hearts that it is actually acceptable for them. Or they might adopt or hire a surrogate. Moar Baybees always comes before the welfare of animals and/or existing children.

[marmalade]

The TLC cameras were there. People recognized sound man Jim. The cameras didn't film Gothard's sermon.

I saw a picture of the entire crew on Smug's instagram. Including Jim, Scott Enlow on camera and Sean Overbeeke. Sadly, Enlow put the camera down during Gothard's speech, so they're still hiding the truth about this lifestyle. Gothard basically blamed the wife if anything went wrong with the husband. It was horrifying to hear.

[Visionoyahweh]

I wouldn't be surprised if they tried IVF

They don't need it. Kelly is mega-fertile. They just need to find treatments that allow her to retain a pregnancy, like using progesterone.

[FJismyheadship]

You would think tlc would bribe one of the kids who isn't happy to run away or rebel. That would make for better ratings.

[Buzzard]

I'll bet Jim Bob is kicking himself for having the Bates family on in the first place 3 years ago. Does everybody remember that episode? Producer Sean actually went up to Zach and asked him if he was interested in any of the Duggars girls (in a roundabout way), and he admitted that the families had not gotten together for the past 8 years. So the Bates visit must have been partially a TLC setup at the time, and I guess since they generated good ratings, the Duggars continued to have regular visits "because they're best friends and all get along so well". You have to wonder how much of this friendship was for real and how much of it was for the TLC cameras. And now the Duggars are getting replaced by the same family!Well, I can't feel too sorry for them- they've probably made a couple million by now, being on the air for the past 8 years. I'm sure that the Bates are working much cheaper than the Duggars, so even if ratings aren't great, it won't cost TLC that much to produce a series of specials.

I really wonder if 14 kids and pregnant again would have turned into a series in the way it has if the internet was as common as it is today. The information out there about the Bates family (and the Duggars) would make any true fan with access to google think twice about "loving" any of these families. TMZ is out there (and so are we) to ensure that the truth is told. I dont see this becoming a series. I DO see a fundie courtship series surrounding all these "royal" families coming. UGH.

[Guest Anonymous]

I totally believe the Duggars & Bateses are anything but close friends. That was obvious from the get go. In the episode where JB calls Gil & ask for help cleaning up their property after the ice storm, JB seemed very bossy, and Kelly (?) made a semi-rude comment about how the Duggar kids are more rambunctious. Then there was Tori's (?) rude comments while the Duggar girls were painting a door for their nursery. Part of me hoped that Jill would slap her in the face with that paint brush! I don't see a Duggar-Bates courtship happening at all...even between the younger kids. They are closer to frenemies if not complete rivals.

[gustava]

[quote="lauracat7

Beyond hilarious ~:)