430 replies to this topic

[Pauline Fowler]

I figured the special (and upcoming shows) needed a new thread. I see Duggar re-tread with a country twang. And siblings who sit too close to each other.

I do hope they show Zach proposing to the girl he's "courting." They've set a record for longest Gothard courthship (Anna's sister went from pre-courtship to wedding bed in 5 months flat).

Mods, can you edit the title from "That" to "The." Not sure what made me do that, especially when I had the show title open in another window. Thanks!

[Absolom]

From TLC:

The Bates Family (wt) introduces us to an amazing family of 21, living a simple, music-filled life in the picturesque hills of Tennessee. In this special, we meet the family, learn of their business, and witness the joy as they welcome their 19th child.

I agree, Southern twanged Duggars with even more old-fashioned clothes and ideas. I haven't researched Gothard courtship rules enough to know what his recommended length of time is but I think I read where he recommended very short engagements. No designer or couture dresses for Gothard brides. They take too long to get made.

[takers]

As we don't have cable I'm really hoping iTunes picks this up like the Duggars. I'm able to catch them the next day, usually. I'd hate to miss out on watching the Bateses!

[essinad]

Slightly better music. Slightly worse hair and clothes. A lot less money. And some of those Bates boys seem... off.

So, of course, I'll be watching this trainwreck.

[AuntieTig]

Was this the same family that appeared on the Duggars with all matching frumpers, after the Duggar girls exchanged theirs for modern modest or whatever they call it?

[Absolom]

It probably is. The first episode that they were on the girls' dresses were pretty bad with almost all of them or all of them matching in odd gingham colors that were homemade.

Edited by Absolom, Mar 13, 2012 @ 8:47 PM.

[essinad]

Yep - Same family with the teenage girls wearing the same matching pastel dresses as the babies. I noticed their clothes are more stylish now that the TLC money is coming in.

Lawson is the only adult male in that family that's anywhere near attractive, and then he ruins it all with the yodeling. Alyssa certainly is... perky. Does Erin have a stick up her ass or has she been Jana'ed?

[Christmas Time]

Bates Family = Duggar 2.0

[WhitneyWhit]

There is no reason for this show to exist. These people are like an even more backwards version of the Duggars.


I found it so sad and infuriating that Kelly said she liked having so many kids because she's never lonely and always has someone to talk too. I don't about her, but I think normal people have friends for that. I also found it even sadder when Zach talked about having friends and playing with the neighborhood kids. They went from being sociable with friends to living in a commune with only their siblings.

Also, these people can't even pronounce their own kids' names right. Michela was pronounced Michael-uh.

[pairafids]

I don't know what it is, but I found them way less annoying than the Duggars. Maybe I'm just not sick of them yet. Their music ability seemed at least marginally better. Plus maybe they're not as jaded to the cameras yet.

[chants]

[quote]I don't know what it is, but I found them way less annoying than the Duggars. Maybe I'm just not sick of them yet. Their music ability seemed at least marginally better. Plus maybe they're not as jaded to the cameras yet.[/quote]

My thoughts exactly. So far not as annoying (but give it time, lol) and they have much more actual musical talent.

Gil and Kelly seem to have a closer relationship with their kids and know them on a more personal basis. I noticed Alyssa and Tori have thinned out, lost some of the leftover baby fat they had in earlier appearances. And Alyssa's hair was more wavy, less crazy curly.

[quote]Also, these people can't even pronounce their own kids' names right. Michela was pronounced Michael-uh.[/quote
That's her name, pronounced Michael-uh. Not Mikayla.

[WhitneyWhit]

That's her name, pronounced Michael-uh. Not Mikayla.

Oh, my bad. I had never heard her name pronounced before.

[StrawburryTarte]

Frumpy clothes aside, the Bates are a whole lot better looking than the Duggers.

Not sure why this show is needed, but the Bates seem nicer and less smug, too.

[Pauline Fowler]

That was gawdawful. Hubby in the other room when he heard the first bit of Batesgirl yodeling, comes into the living room and says "What was THAT?" I point to the TV. Having heard the Duggars, he runs for shelter.

I noticed that they put in a FU Internets! shot of one of the kids feeding a horse about a cup of kibble at the hitchin' post on the deck. No mention of Zack's courtship or how the baby spent a week in the NICU, but loved how they kept in that Kelly had gestational diabetes and had a caption that she CHOSE to have her last 5 babies in the hospital. Uh, maybe that's because she had to be airlifted to UT after she almost died a few babies ago.

Nice for TLC to put them up at that nice cabin for their night of "sweet fellowship." And so much for their thrift shop clothing; Kelly was packing a brand new onesie with the tag still on it (could be TLC's, could have been sent by a fan, I guess...still new and f&K were "honeymoonin'" but wasn't sure if they were making cards or doing actual schoolwork.

[chainey]

The Bateses are smug waiting to happen.

[WhitneyWhit]

The Bateses are smug waiting to happen

It already happened. Who could forget Erin turning down a free college education out of fear she may have to sit next to someone with green hair!

I think if I had went into this show having never seen them before and knew nothing about them, I may have found them likeable. But considering Gil takes money from his son to support his family and Erin is Ms Priss I just can't.

[lanorigb]

Ok, I hate to admit it but I liked the Bates family. I think they're actually pretty musically inclined, especially the three older girls. Loved that they really seemed to like each other and that Alyssa spent time with her Dad doing something stereotypically "male". I found her to be very sweet and I thought it was cute she brought her one little brother along for her birthday trip. Also LOVE that Momma Bates had an epidural! Have lots of respect for those who do it natural, but can't stand the women (like Michelle D) who act as if suffering is required and equals good mother.

[lillybee]

I think the family's singing would be so much better is they left Gil out. I think his voice is flat.

[Pauline Fowler]

It already happened. Who could forget Erin turning down a free college education out of fear she may have to sit next to someone with green hair!

That was her justification after she had to stand next to Gil and listen to him tell a national TV audience that she was essentially forced to turn down a full ride at UT because they didn't believe in college (yet). I think criticism changed that to a certain degree; Zack and Michaella do some sort of Christian internet "college" and Erin takes one or two classes a semester (nothing near a full load) at Crown College, which is not accredited, so while she may be the "music major," other than play at a church for money or teach (to like-minded kids, of course), she's not going to be doing much with her "degree."

I also noticed that in one of the early family pictures at the beginning (they had four or five family poses) that Michaella wearing a top that depicts the "Stars and Bars" Confedereate flag (I rewound to find it again; it's at the 3 minute mark). Since they've been caught red-handed with a picture of Nathan Bedford Forrest in the boys' "Patriot" room, this shouldn't be surprising.

Edited by Pauline Fowler, Mar 14, 2012 @ 12:53 AM.

[lillybee]

I noticed that the Bateses were using plastic bowls and cups. That gives them an edge on the Duggars.

[Virginia Plain]

The Bateses are smug waiting to happen

I don't think a quiverfull family can not be smug.

[Meimeikittycat]

Hate to say it, but I like the Bates a lot better than the Duggars. The Duggars seem bat-sh*t crazy, while the Bates are just plain old crazy. And the music is much better (I kind of like yodeling).

What is irritating about both families is the constant, unnatural joyful attitude. It's so phony, and it grates on my nerves. I would be more interested in a mega-family that showed their trials and tribulations in a human way, rather than everyone grinning about everything. It's like watching Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.

[talktothemoose]

I like these kids, but Gil and Kelly grate in the same manner that Jim Bob and Michelle do.

It's interesting to note that although they're still quite frumpy, the kids' dress has changed a little since we first saw them with the Duggars. Alyssa, especially, looks like she's been the producet of a Duggar-style makeover. Erin's hair is more in control. There are still just so many that are unattractive, though...

Loved seeing Dr. Vick and the crew- he's the doctor of choice for all my friends and me- TRULY a great man.

[McKay]

Lawson's horse is one sad sack of bones. I find these people mildly less obnoxious than the Duggars - and I have moments of genuinely liking them, like when Zach starting crying after Sarah Reith accepted his courtship proposal. They really do see to genuinely like each other more than the Duggars do. And I have to admit, Addallee's "Addee loves Mommy and Daddy!" sign melted me into a puddle. (That poor kid, though, she's Gil's clone.) That said, it bugs me enormously that they neglected to mention the week Jeb spent in NICU.

Is it me, or does Trace look exactly like Butthead (as in Beavis and)?

[carried away]

The Bates family is miles ahead of the Duggars in the entertainment and relatability arenas but I predict a quick deterioration of that impression. I did notice that the children are more well-spoken, more musically inclined, seem to have a better relationship with their parents and each other, etc. Seeing the difference in interpersonal familial relationships between the two families is shocking. Just highlights how twisted the Duggars actually are. I really enjoyed Alyssa.

Edited by carried away, Mar 14, 2012 @ 1:58 AM.

[Pauline Fowler]

They're already signed for 8 episodes to air this summer, so as well as increasing the "ick" factor, they'll have some bucks.

Hopefully Gil pays Lawson back for all those groceries and finances Erin's tuition. If she's living at home by force of their religion, lest she be shunned like Susanna Bates for leaving, her parents should be paying her expenses, including her "college" class.

[Nuthatch1]

Just like the run on families with multiples (how many sextuplet shows were there for awhile?), now we have to give airtime to another family using up too many of the earth's resources.

Why does too much procreation mean "tv star" (I always love when the Boob and DQ announce that they are the "stars" of "TLC's 19 Kids and Counting")?

No longer do we reward people who actually contribute something to society. We simply have to gawk at weirdos who think delivering more than a litter of puppies is something to admire. Ick. I won't be watching this train wreck, as the backwoods, hillbilly Bates will surely become just as smug as the Duggars. By the end of their VS 8 episodes, I presume.

[chickieloveknit]

lest she be shunned like Susanna Bates for leaving

I don't know much at all about the Bates family so please do tell about this!

I found the kids to have soooo much more personality and individuality than the Duggar's. I could almost buy into this whole "aw shucks", simple, country way of life too if I didn't know of the true horrors of the lifestyle that exist just under the surface.

Ma Bates has that same lobotomized sweetness as Michelle. However, she seemed warmer and more in touch with her children.

The level of blue/black that the baby was made me practically have to look away from the screen! Yikes!

[blubld43]

Erin takes one or two classes a semester (nothing near a full load) at Crown College, which is not accredited, so while she may be the "music major," other than play at a church for money or teach (to like-minded kids, of course), she's not going to be doing much with her "degree."

I'm pretty sure any degree Erin gets will be about on a par with Anna Duggar's "degree" in Christian education she supposedly obtained at age 16.
Every time I see the Bates kids, I picture some of the outfits they first appeared in public wearing: prairie clown couture.

[cissyboo]

lest she be shunned like Susanna Bates for leaving

I don't know much at all about the Bates family so please do tell about this!

I think the original poster meant Susanna Keller, Anna Duggar's sister, who wears shorts and has been 'disowned' by the family for breaking away from the crazy.