And they probably agreed to allow them to film whatever happens to them for the duration of the contract. The only time they can't film is when it's beyond their control (i.e. when the cameras couldn't follow the girl into the abortion clinic because the clinic wouldn't let them in, but they followed her right up to the door)

On most of the earlier shows, it seemed like each episode had something planned, like going to the zoo or having a party or something. On both Jon and Kate and the Duggars this week, it was pretty serious life issues. Well, Jon and Kate was a weird mix, with a birthday party edited in between the shots of Jon and Kate talking to the camera about how they might be getting divorced.

Also, on Jon and Kate, there were a few times that Kate mentioned the date (because it was unseasonably cold, and she was trying to figure out why it was this cold) and it was just filmed this past weekend. The past few years, there have been holiday specials which were obviously filmed weeks if not months in advance, so the family had a "Thanksgiving dinner" for the cameras sometime in October, which was aired the week before Thanksgiving, and then, I presume, they had their own Thanksgiving dinner actually on Thanksgiving without the cameras there.

I'm really uncomfortable with the way the media is jumping on Jon and Kate and judging them. I can't think of anything more horrible than having other people examine your marriage and grade you.

I'm really uncomfortable with the way the media is jumping on Jon and Kate and judging them. I can't think of anything more horrible than having other people examine your marriage and grade you.

Yeah. I mean, I've watched their show, actually most of the episodes (I have a weakness for really bad reality TV, I admit), and when I saw them on the cover of People magazine, it was just, "Huh? When did they go from reality show on cable to People magazine material?"

I can't think of anything more horrible than having other people examine your marriage and grade you.

Started the moment they went on air. They came to us with their relationship.

Who are Jon and Kate? I mean, would I know them from some other place/cultural touchstone? Because they're all over the place now, and it seems like they just came out of the aether, like bandom.*

*(Okay, when *I* became aware of bandom's existence, it seemed like one day it wasn't there and then the next it was, like some collective brain decided all at once that MCR was LJ icon-worthy. [Which they are.] I realize that bandom existed before I knew of it; but with most fandoms, I became aware of them gradually, not all at once. But with bandom, it was all at once. And that's how Jon and Kate seem also. But not as pretty as MCR.)

They were the subject of a couple of documentaries on TLC for having popped out multiple sprog.

Then it became a series, in part because Kate is a raging shrew.

Started the moment they went on air. They came to us with their relationship.

I don't care. I don't think that justifies the type of arrogance and contempt that I'm seeing. This may just be my opinion, but the marriage thing is hard enough without millions of unqualified people judging your interactions.

They had twins, and then sextuplets. And for the past few years, have had a weekly reality series on TLC. Which, until this year, was usually things like fun outings while Kate freaked out about every bit of dirt. (When they were in Disney World, and a three-year-old girl spilled some ice cream on her shirt, Kate was crying, "She's ruined! She's ruined!" as she tried to clean her up.)

Yeah, but Dana, they can't have it both ways. They can't parade their crap on television, then whine about the public intruding on their private lives and not expect fallout.