Joe's TV List Completely Freaks Out

#46: Jon & Kate Plus 8
(TLC, 2007-present)

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I might wash my kitchen floor once a week, and I only have one child, who takes normal naps. Kate Gosselin washes hers three times a day. On her hands and knees. So what is wrong with me as a parent? That, in a nutshell, is the core message of J&K+8: if a high-strung woman with OCD, germophobia, a chronically half-asleep husband, and a crippling fear of magic markers can raise eight well-adjusted children (well, seven, plus Mady), then why should I complain about my daily stresses? I’ll tell you why: because we have to pay to go to Disney World. So stick that in your massive, blinding ceiling lights, Kate. On a positive note, thanks for not killing Collin's teddy bear right in front of him. Um, lighten up. It’s gum, not anthrax powder. Even Aunt Jodi doesn’t have access to that.

Comments

[Dawn]

LOL! I love that show. I love that they are totally real & not all "scripted" (like you could script 8 children under the age of 7). I love that they bicker. I love that Kate's OCD reminds me of my long-ago ex-boyfriend's sister, who was my favorite person in that family. It's the only reality I will watch because it's believable. Like they say: they aren't always at their best, but they clearly love each other. (Plus with my daycare experience, I can totally grasp how she feels on some level.)

[Joe]

Yeah, if you read enough of this blog (and you have), you know my wife and I respect and even feel fond of Kate, even when we sort of want to throttle her. As we were telling our neighbors tonight, raising one is hard enough. But seriously ... three times a day? Off your knees, woman! How much dirt can there be? You don't even have dogs!

[Dawn]

Oh definitely. I think that's what makes the show so likable. That you wanna smack her but not for being fake. You want to smack her because seriously? There's 8 little humans right behind you undoing all the scrubbing you're doing right now. LOL.