<p>Apparently reality TV has paid very well. One of the homes they looked at this week on the show. Sweet.</p>
<p>[The</a> Mechanicsville Local - news](<a href=“Mechanicsville-local”>Mechanicsville-local)</p>
<p>I was going to post this!!! Does anyone know where they went on vacation? I want to go there. The house was very nice.</p>
<p>The show is a scam from what I’ve heard. Off camera, they have nannies, housekeepers, and their own organic chef. They have a large bank account (subsidized by a family member) and that doesn’t even include the money that they’ve made off of the show.</p>
<p>Despite knowing that most of the show is “staged”, I watch it once in a while just to see how witchy the Mom can get at times. It’s pretty entertaining. Actually, there have been times when I wanted to climb through the TV and scream back at her. How about when she wouldn’t let the boys eat their birthday cupcakes? How about when she made all of the kids throw out their ice cream because it was dripping?
Oh my.</p>
<p>nysmile, can you provide some, well, source for what you have said above? My 14-year-old is a big fan of the show, and if what you say is true, well, it does take the shine off a little, doesn’t it? </p>
<p>If it is true that, in particular, they have a huge bank account from a family member, that surprises me, as I read previously online (in newspapers) that Kate went to court trying to get extended nursing coverage/disability after she had the quintuplets. Why would she have to do that if she had so much money already? The newspaper article that I saw seemed to indicate that the couple really knew how to work the system to get free stuff, including the giant van they use to carry the kids around.</p>
<p>I think they were in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Jeep tour they took said Corolla Tours, or something like that, and Corolla is a town with a light house in the Outer Banks. </p>
<p>$1.7 million?? Does anyone want to do a reality show about the chintzys?</p>
<p>They went to the Duck area on the NC beach. Very nice. Near Kitty Hawk etc.</p>
<p>How about a reality show about CC members. Say three storylines a week. I want a multi-million dollar house and feel quite entitled.</p>
<p>Can’t wait till those twins are teenagers and watching themselves in reruns…they’ll get theirs in the end.</p>
<p>There are so many blogs (Jody has one) and message board threads about them. There’s one entilted something like JKWOP (Jon & Kate Without Pity) where the folks who post (and apparently have no life) sit and take notes when watching the show so they can trash them on the board the next day.</p>
<p>Do you think the 6 little ones will all apply to the same colleges? If they each apply to 8 schools, that will be a lot of applications! ;)</p>
<p>Would that be considered an application “hook”? I have 5 siblings that could also be attending… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I actually love the show. I’m a total sucker for cute kids, and some things about Kate remind me of myself. I am not grabby though.</p>
<p>NotMamaRose, there was a full page article about them in the July 6, 2008 National Enquirer. I know that it’s just a junk paper but they also broke the Edwards affair so I tend to believe that there’s some (probably a small amount) of truth to the story. Here is a quote-“When Kate was confronted about their large savings account, she said they shouldn’t have to use their own money to support their family because it was society’s obligation because they have eight kids.”</p>
<p>The article also states that Jon and Kate get paid for picture sessions with the congregants of the church. Remember Aunt Jodi who was on the show a lot in the beginning? The article states that she was forced to leave the show after TLC offered her a salary and Kate objected to her being paid. It also said that Aunt Jodi was receiving tons of mail from fans of the show and Kate “hit the roof” because she wants to be the star.</p>
<p>I watch the show from time to time, and I’ve seen episodes where Kate has hired a cleaning lady and various sitters. She’s definitely a controlling person, but with 8 kids, I don’t blame her! (And zoosermom, I see things in Kate that remind me of myself, too.) But I do worry about the effect on the children as they get older. Does anyone know if they intend to keep doing this, year after year?</p>
<p>They are estranged from Kate’s parents. Her did is a minister, the church helped put on the addition of the first house, and helped bring in donations of the first 6 cribs, Kate was not happy that they didn’t match. There were lots of donated new clothes from the church, they also didn’t match. When Kate proclaimed that they really just wanted cash to buy what they wanted for the 6, it pushed a wedge between the church (including Kate’s parents) and the family. John’s father was a dentist. He died a few years ago. The dental practice that you see in the show is his dad’s old practice. His dad brought in a partner who now runs the practice. I do not know if his mom is involved much. </p>
<p>My sister lives nearby. She attended a church appearance. John and Kate used to do these inspirational appearances. They sold autographed pics, they told a moving story of their struggles, and took “love offereings” from the attendees (in addition to the $10 they paid at the door.) This was still going on when Kate got her free tummy tuck. The show was just a special here and there. My sister was turned off by the love offering, with folks having way less than this family contributing while the family was now getting paid from the show and generating lots of donations. My sister said that they were even getting paid by the network for these appearances as they talked up the show. </p>
<p>Aunt Jodi and Uncle Kevin are no longer on the show. Jodi used to watch the 8 kids plus her 3 and they camera crew would show up to film. (She had the twins the lions share of the time when Kate was in the hospital pregnant with the 6.) Apparently, when the network offered to pay Jodi once the show became a regular program, Kate intervened. There was friction after the “gum” epidsode (Jodi gave the kids gum and Kate found some on a sock), and Jodi and Kevin are no longer involved in the show or helping care for the kids. Apparently Jodi’s sister (its Kevin that is related) has a blog about the family. </p>
<p>Much of the cost of the trips they take are paid for or donated. John no longer works at an office, he works “at home.” </p>
<p>My sister said he recently had hair plugs done–donated as well. She said something as well about the organic chef that cooks for them. </p>
<p>While visiting recently she had me watch the show, telling me all “about” the family. All I remember about the episode was that the phone rang during dinner, and Kate refused to answer the phone, as it was a local number but one she didn’t recognise. SHe kept saying “whose is that calling, you answer it. I am not going to answer it. Who has this number?” Madi murmured something about a friend calling. Kate insisted that the helper that was there for the kids answer, and when it was a friend from school for Madi, Kate told the helper that they did not take calls from friends, that Madi could not come to the phone, that Madi had all day at school to talk to her friend and that first grade was entirely too young to be talking with friends on the phone. She told the helper what to say to this child. </p>
<p>Madi seemed to me to be a brat, until I saw her face when her mom said no she could not talk on the phone, and that there was no place for first graders calling their friends. Then I felt sorry for her. She had given her phone number to her friend, and her friend has called to talk to her, and her mother went on this spiel… That was when my sister told me all she knew.</p>
<p>I watch the show because I love watching the kids. It’s been fun to see their personalities develop and having a glimpse into a family situation that none of us will ever experience. There are many things about Kate that bother me but that doesn’t minimize my enjoyment of the kids. It is disappointing to hear about her treatment of Jodi but I’ve always thought that there were issues there with her family as her parents are not involved in their lives. That, to me, is insane. What grandparents would stay away from those 8 beautiful grandchildren? My guess has always been that this was Kate’s decision. </p>
<p>There have been many uncomfortable moments watching her, but the absolute worst for me was the little ones’ birthday episode where she would not allow all of the kids to eat their cupcakes on their birthday! The constant squawking at Jon and the crazy obsession with keeping the kids’ clothes clean are annoying, no doubt about it. </p>
<p>The fact that they’ve made money from the show? I have no problem with that. Why else would they do the show? Did people honestly think that they were doing it for free? I did notice on this week’s episodes, when talking about looking at houses, Kate mentioned that they have always wanted to move somewhere with warmer weather. That didn’t sound right to me, as I know that they have looked at properties in Pa. in previous years. I also thought it didn’t make sense, why on earth they’d want to move away from Kevin and Jodi’s family, in addition to their friends Bob and Beth, whom they’ve always seemed so close to, and who have been a tremendous help with those kids. Just weird to me.</p>
<p>I live in the general area - nysmile is spot on.
She is exploiting her children. I fear for them. Twins were not enough for her - she needed multiples. Those kids have increased their standard of living tremendously.<br>
When they were born - Jon had gotten laid of and she cried poverty - it was easy to feel for them then (a little) but not now.<br>
She definitely has a “society owes us” attitude. Okay I need to stop now.</p>
<p>Apparently a free new multimillion $$$ home awaits them near the production offices in North Carolina. If you believe vicious gossip ;-)</p>
<p>I wonder if the private schools nearby will be good enough.</p>
<p>(okay, I am definitely stopping now - ;))</p>
<p>This post has been the biggest reality dosage I have seen on CC in a long time, hahaha.</p>
<p>While I do feel they are definitely exploiting the system (is there really a need to get hairplugs for Jon?!), I really can’t help but watch the show. Those kids are so cute!!!</p>
<p>I just hope that they are able to deal with the fact that their entire childhood was something of a spectator sport for a good portion of tv viewers. That is definitely something I would not be too keen on, myself.</p>
<p>I don’t begrudge them the money they have made doing the show, but at some point (maybe the twins’ age) I also believe it is not healthy for children be exploited in this way. They know when they are “on” and behave accordingly. I just don’t think it is a good idea. </p>
<p>We happen to live in the general area where they live and the word is that they are moving to North Carolina. Just a few days ago I was in the mall with DD (she had gone to restroom) and I had to quick text her because the twins and two of the little ones were in line for a pretzel. Have to admit, mom looked really pulled together and was very patient with her brood. I wouldn’t have had a shower by that time in the day if I had all of her kids!!!</p>