28 replies to this topic

[carolinagirl81]

I caught the tail end of the first epsode of this show tonight. They've gone to Yemassee, sc and all of the womem go to the hotel for a week while the men and children fend for themselves. I don't get the premise for this show.

[Bastet Esq]

If it's any good, it will illuminate the "second shift" women are still working - and thus shut up some of those who have used the phrase "post-feminist" with a straight face - but I read an article about it which revealed a lot of manufactured storylines, so I don't have much hope. It sounds much more like yet another crap reality show than an actual documentary series, so it's probably well-placed in this forum. But several of the men interviewed did proclaim they had their eyes opened as to just how much of the parenting and housekeeping burden their wives were bearing, so maybe it still serves a purpose.

[carolinagirl81]

Yeah that's what I think will happen from what I saw. But we shall see those kids were brats well except for the babies.

[CoyoteBlue]

Jesus, how co-dependent are these people? It's one week. One! FFS, they aren't going into battle; they're all coming back alive. Honest.

OMG, that creepy smother that babied her 21-year-old son!! "My relationship with Justin is beyond a mother and a son. I do everything for him, except I don't wash him. (pause) He wanted me to, that might be another story." And she had a smirk on her face, like 'yeah, I'd like to get a piece of that...' Ew ew ew ew ew ew.

I would have told that pageant granny to stick that pageant planning where the sun don't shine. What kind of ass move is it to dump that on him when he has no idea what's involved and already has two young kids to care for? At the end it sounded like the pageant was made up just for this "experiment" though, which, seriously, do they need more drama?

Young Marine guy, run. Run now. Those kids are brats and old enough to behave better.

[wematanye]

I tuned in for this and it's got a Season Pass® on my TiVo after the first episode. So much to snark about, and what a PSA for birth control!

Let me assure y'all that not all of us in the South (I'm in NC, on the border of SC.) are religious, unlike what this show depicts. Three references to church and/or the bible w/in the first minute! It's a personal bugaboo; I always have a kneejerk reaction to how Southerners are shown on TV. I guess I should've expected us to be portrayed as toothless hillbilly snake-handlers as soon as I heard Jeff Foxworthy doing the narration. I don't find him funny at all.

The Christina Applegate lookalike who had three kids at age 31 (the oldest of whom was 15, next was almost 13, youngest was 7-9?) was dating the Marine(?), and he was only 24. I kept thinking he was only nine years older than her oldest kid. He and Christina Applegate (I don't remember most names yet) had been dating only seven months. I'm forecasting they're not going to be together after the week's over. Oh, and him giving the kids lollipops for breakfast?? Just NO. He's got no peanut butter and jelly? Cereal? Power bars? WTF does he eat?

The mother of the fireman is creepy and gross. He's a fire chief at 21, which is great--take that initiative and move away and move up in a fire company in neighboring town! Good luck, future wife, to ever live up to mommy dearest!

The men who bunked together with all of their kids were smart to do so.

Ellie is fantastic--she's the blonde (w/braids) four-year-old who is very verbal. I'm not okay with her being allowed to drink coffee(!!), but she's hilarious. Her dad seems to be keeping things under control (for the first day, anyway), and he's grateful for having the time off work to spend with them, which is sweet.

[scarlett45]

I have a question- have ALL the women in the town left or just the ones that are mothers? Is "woman" defined as "female over 18"? Thank you.

[wematanye]

scarlett45, I think it is the women 18-plus-years-old. The woman who runs the seafood restaurant mentioned having two daughters. I spaced out a little during that portion, but I think they showed her older daughter working in the restaurant. I specifically remember that her 13-year-old daughter was going to be left in charge, so I assume the older daughter was 18+.

Also, the newly engaged (to the 21YO fireman/mama's boy) woman went, and as far as we were told, she doesn't have kids.

[scarlett45]

Thank you for the info!

[Bastet Esq]

At the end it sounded like the pageant was made up just for this "experiment" though, which, seriously, do they need more drama?

Yes, that was mentioned in the article I read as one of the things producers had them do (two fathers teaming up was another). With how many things they freely admit were manufactured, I don't think I can watch. I love documentaries, and just standing back to see what would happen to many fathers if they had to do all the housekeeping and parenting for a week could make for a good one. To throw in a bunch of contrived drama is unnecessary, and why I hate 99% of "reality" television.

[TV Diva]

I have it on a season pass for now, but I'm not sure it will stay. MAN, those are some spoiled brat kids! Back in my day (said the ancient granny) a swat on the behind would have taken care of most of that.

As for the older ones, take their phones away until they behave. That'd do it.

[JezHo]

I didn't realize it was going to be a Real Housewives type of show. As soon as I heard Jeff Foxworthy's voice I knew the whole thing was a redneck goof. I felt like it was too fake. That pageant thing was definitely thrown in by producers as was the two men that moved in together.

[ButterQueen]

Could someone help me out with a channel, day and time? Thanks!!

[BessieLimpet]

Lifetime on Tuesdays. Not sure of the exact time. Sorry.

[ButterQueen]

Thanks Bessie!

[sugarbear76]

There was a BBC and Canadian version of this show.

I remembered when it first aired. Just pissed me off that yet again my tax dollars were paying for this shit. Stick to sports and news CBC.

[wematanye]

As for the older ones, take their phones away until they behave. That'd do it.

Call me "granny" too, but I miraculously survived w/o a cell phone until I was in my mid-20s (granted, cell phones weren't in wide use until then), and periodically since then made the decision to have mine cut off in difficult financial times. I still don't have a "computer in my pocket"--my phone makes and takes calls and texts; it's not "smart". I'm "only" 37, and I don't believe kids must have phones. Like Louis C.K. (age 44) says, we used to have "the phone", and it was in the house! ::shaking cane::

[vvh3]

How creepy is it to have a woman who can't stop crying when she is away from home for TWO DAYS? Depressive and co-dependent? These men are useless. Brandon; you want a car, get a job.

Edited by vvh3, Aug 22, 2012 @ 10:39 AM.

[Evs]

You know, as a wife and mom, I thought this show might have potential. I love the idea of men developing an appreciation for what women do. So far, it's kind of boring. Some stuff is ok, but the added fake drama of tea parties and beauty pageants is just lame, IMO. Also, the cast is a little too big for me.

[TommyD]

This show is stupid.

[AH39]

I think Ellie should have her own show...she wanted that coffee like a boss!

[wematanye]

How creepy is it to have a woman who can't stop crying when she is away from home for TWO DAYS?

This disturbed the hell out of me. Her creepity creep husband was even worse. I don't care if they met in the hospital nursery (they met when they were 12!), or that her friends swear he's not controlling (coughyeahrightcough), the whole thing was weird and...creepy!

"Some of the women 'broke the rules' by calling home." So, why didn't the producers not allow/take away their cell phones? They do it on Jersey Shore. ::shudder:: The hotel could have a list of the home phone numbers that they can block to call out. (They could've had parents'/siblings' as emergency numbers.) I'm calling BS on that whole deal.

On that note, though, I don't really mind the tea party/pageant set up things. It's a "reality" show, and I'll accept that some things are manufactured for "drama".

I do want Jerome, the 18-year-old pothead, off my TV now. He likes the "older ladies", but then he shows up at a party with 14- and 15-year-old girls? And he brings his 25-year-old friend? The Marine was trying to wrangle the kids, which got considerably harder when the boys showed up. He should've made them leave immediately, and if they didn't, call the cops.

[TVJunkie76]

This disturbed the hell out of me. Her creepity creep husband was even worse. I don't care if they met in the hospital nursery (they met when they were 12!), or that her friends swear he's not controlling (coughyeahrightcough), the whole thing was weird and...creepy!

That creeped me out too! The women hadn't even been gone 2 days yet! At first I thought that maybe she had little kids and then I see the teenage boy and girl. From what I recall the creepy husband heard rumors that the ladies were drinking and partying. And then he called and demanded she come home, sent someone to pick her up from what I remember.

Does anyone else get a stripper vibe from the Marine's girlfriend? I'm curious on how the two met. That dude should run and run now! Those teenage girls were brats!

Stoner Jerome needs to get off my TV as well.

[wematanye]

Does anyone else get a stripper vibe from the Marine's girlfriend? I'm curious on how the two met.

I think there's definitely something up with the 24-year-old Marine's girlfriend: she's the 31-year-old mom with a 15-year-old daughter and an almost-13-year-old daughter and a son under 10. She dresses provocatively and "too young" like my little sister does, who also had two kids very young. It's like they're trying to now have the youth they didn't have when they were raising babies as teenage moms/moms in their early 20s. There also seems to be a lack of discipline with the woman's daughters on the show, which is another thing I see w/my sister: when there is young parenthood, there's a tendency to try to be the kids' friend rather than their parent. Just my observation.

[interestedg]

What bothered me was that a father, an adult, could not put a child to bed without that fit, Then instead of stopping it, he played into it. I took it as a child whose parents have never taught her how to mind. Also giving a child that young coffee because she demanded it, shows a lack of parenting. A parent teaches their children respect & some of these children lack it.

When the women come back, the 24 year old should tell her goodbye & save himself. Those kids are brats

[GrrlPower]

What was up with Timmy "sending for" Misty? That was hella scary as I see signs of domestic abuse (the emotional kind). That sort of possessive, controlling behavior is definitely a flaming red flag! He didn't miss Misty, he got tired of watching his daughter do the dishes and laundry while he and his son sat on their thones, so he sent for his wife to come resume her duties.

Speaking of the girls taking the place of the women...the men are clearly not learning anything if, in the absence of the women, the girls just do what the women did. I have yet to see a boy have to pick up the slack left by the women's exit, it's the girls who have to keep up the houses, run the businesses, and tend to the children. Poor 6 yo Bailey is raising twins.

ETA: I wrote that about Misty in the middle of watching the show, so it was hilarious 10 minutes later to see Misty's friend deny all that I had just written about my impression of the situation. The friend even used the word "possessive" in her description of Timmy. That solidifies my conviction about my impression of Misty and Timmy's relationship b/c why else would the friend go out of her way to vehemently deny Timmy's controlling behavior if it wasn't true?

On that note, though, I don't really mind the tea party/pageant set up things. It's a "reality" show, and I'll accept that some things are manufactured for "drama".

Agreed. I kinda like the tea party/pageant thing b/c women don't just have the second shift of house management, we also have an additional part-time job of being active in the community, keeping community traditions like "ladies societies" and doing those special event things for kids like sewing costumes for school plays, baking for bake sales, organizing b-day parties, etc. It's not just groceries and laundry that overwhelm, it's the extra events that often fall on women to organize that get to be too much sometimes. So I get the point of making the guys plan and execute something that mimics the stress of these "extra" events.

Edited by GrrlPower, Aug 28, 2012 @ 8:49 PM.

[wematanye]

Last night's show: when the men went to the nearby African village, I hope it made them drop their preconceptions and fears about the villagers. They seemed like awesome people, especially when they came to help in reconstructing the train station. I think I'd much rather hang out with the villagers than the rest of the people of Yemassee.

When the girls were trying on pageant dresses at the firehouse, it was...interesting. The Marine and his girlfriend's daughter were barf-inducing. He told her, "Short and tight, short and tight!" when she was looking for a dress. WTF? Then when she was trying on a dress later, the consultants assumed she was his girlfriend (hello, danger in having your girlfriend's daughter be only nine years your junior). ("She looks older than she is!") ::dry-heaves::

The little girls trying on dresses were cute. The dads were so lost, which is sad. It's so apparent they do very little in terms of day-to-day care of the kids.

[oldandbrown]

Last night's show: when the men went to the nearby African village, I hope it made them drop their preconceptions and fears about the villagers. They seemed like awesome people, especially when they came to help in reconstructing the train station. I think I'd much rather hang out with the villagers than the rest of the people of Yemassee.

"like Indians, from Africa"? Really?.

[wematanye]

I think I'm going to have to give a big grumpy "Bah!" to this "experiment", after all. The women are coming back after five days, not a week. (It isn't The Business Week the Women Went.)

Giving Bailey the win in the pageant (for her age group) had to be fixed, considering her awful spray-painted dress, and that all other age groups had totally polished "pageant girls" win.

I do enjoy Bailey's dad (the bald guy w/the goatee) and his seeming unflappability.

Creepy mom (of the newly engaged son) looks like she goes to the hairdresser and says, "Give me the salad-bowl special". She and the son's fiancee arguing about who was going to hug the son first when they got off the train was just beyond.

I tried to hold out full judgment, but after four episodes, I'm ready to say that Yemassee is like Village of the Damned.

[JezHo]

I fast forwarded most of last night. Really uneventful. The women came home to messy houses.

Who predicted that?