Alaskan Bush People

The first two episodes were somewhat believable, but when daddy Brown was so ill and recuperated within hours, to find that the town's people he had just met came and completely built the cabin they filmed (for five grand, ha)...well it was just too much.

That's when I decided to do a search and found their official website. To say the least I was a bit surprised to find out they own their own publishing company, and that Billy Brown has written dozens of children's books and several others on his adventures (and to think I was suckered into feeling bad that his kid had a toothache).

This last episode that closes with them grieving over their capsized boat, while several of the boys are trying to poke inside of it with sticks to salvage anything they can find, including a poor, sopping wet pink teddy bear takes the cake. As they close the episode the patriarch of the family announces "we have lost everything we own" and "now we are homeless". It made me question why anyone would chose to live like they do.

Now I know why. THEY DON'T. They have a mountain home with a greenhouse, and each of the seven kids has their own bedroom, the mother is getting ready to publish her cookbook.

And they bartered some salmon for a tooth filling? They lost everything they own? The brand new generator that was sitting in the junk yard pretty much gave it away.

Like I said, I feel like a sap.

ROTFLMAO! This show is actually campily entertaining. Yeah, probably the fakest thing in reality TV, even nudging aside Hardcore Pawn and Amish Mafia, but the fact that the old man is currently staring at some serious hard time along with the adult sons makes this must-see TV! I can't wait to see how the fraud charges are portrayed, probably a plot by some neighbors who resent the helicopters.

Only thing is that Discovery was once known for quality. Sad. TLC was once known as The Learning Channel, too.

Here's hoping that Nat Geo doesn't turn into trash-TV too. We need some of these networks to keep churning out actual quality, no matter how much fun these fake-fests are.

This show, while it may be staged, is uber cringey and horrifyingly entertaining; much like a train wreck.

They leave all of their idiotic, uninformed, asinign decisions/choices up to "The Good Lord" and take absolutely no personal responsibility (because the "Good Lord will take care of us") Then they make up ridiculous excuses for every single thing that fails (ie: everything.) They seem to be immune to learning from their mistakes which they make over and over again, often in the exact same way) yet they have gigantic egos and would die before they'd admit they were wrong.

At every opportunity the parents proclaim that they live this way in order to be free yet they've created an unhealthy codependent demi-cult out of their kids who have absolutely zero freedom. Can you say Stockholm Syndrome?

None of them have the ability to survive in the real world or to live independently- isn't that the antithesis of freedom?

Adults playing with dolls? A grown man acting like a hyperactive four-year-old? Declaring that you are the modern-day Leonardo Da Vinci?

Billy and Ami are so excited to finally have grandchildren. They must have forgotten that they already had two grand daughters from Twila, the daughter Billy abandoned before marrying Ami. Billy was supremely selfish in all that he did while consistently claiming it was all for the family. He groomed under-aged Ami for brainwashing and raised their children the same way.

To be fair, never once do they claim to be year-round "bush people" so I don't have a problem with that as some do. Another plus is they produced some of the best quotes I've heard on any tv show: Mr. Cupcake, get out of my teepee! (But don't even get me started on how horribly trained that dog is.) And: (Bear) I don't mind leaving all my weapons because I AM a weapon! (Gabe responds) No, you're more of a tool.

Yeah, Gabe. Astute as always. (Look it up.) Oh, and great drinking game potential: drink every time Bear days Extreme, or every time Billy says I really am, or every time Bam is negative or every time someone says the good lord or every time their hair-brained psudo-plans go off the rails or every time they mispronounce a basic word or use a long, drawn out nasal Uhhhh as a sentence filler. (Warning: the above suggestions will definitely result in alcohol poisoning.) PLEASE BIRD- GET THEE TO A DENTIST! If Gabe deserves braces, so do you. Your parents both have full dentures but there's still hope for you.

After seeing how socially incompetent they are, I also understand if some of it was staged with the "townies." Normal people would need to be forewarned about these people so they wouldn't just run away upon meeting those boys.

Ugh, the wives. They are just overbearing enough to make the boys feel like they're marrying their mother (or their sister,) but whatever. You do you.

I've wondered how they'd do on an actual survival show such as Alone (Jordan rules.) I doubt any of them would make it a single day. It would be more interesting, maybe, to see them try to live in the real world but without the "wolfpack." I think the youngest daughter, Rain, is the only one with any potential.

If any of them escape to live a truly free life it's going to require years of therapy. Shame on Billy and Ami and shame on Discovery. Exploit idiots much?

I watched a little of this show. I know some people claim it's fake, but I would be far more concerned if it was real. The kids have speech defects. They don't appear to have social connections outside the family. Some of the children are old enough to be married. The whole thing seems like a desperate attempt to control one's children and keep them at home. It looks like a cult. Is this really legal?

It's hard to enjoy the sensible, good things the Browns accomplish because they are constantly doing so much more destructive, stupid, ignorant stuff that people just don't normally do while living/surviving in the wild with the bare necessities. For me, all the ignorance overrides the good stuff. I can't begin to express the letdown, so I usually just shake my head & change the channel to get my head back together. This makes their show just a big joke most of the time. The show raises the question of how much is real & how much is played up due to all the misfortune that occurs, especially since they are supposed to be living in an environment that is so harsh & has so many obstacles on a constant basis. This repetitive break & fix lifestyle just doesn't fit any way of life & especially the Alaskan way of life. If it does, then these people need to find another way more suitable for their mentality. I watch all the other Alaskan shows & this show looks like a "Three Stooges" version as compared to others! Maybe that's what they strive for, who knows! I am an older person that grew up on a farm doing farm work by hand & with horses so I am quite familiar with basic means of survival & I am quite proud of it. Success was based on doing things correctly the first time for numerous reasons & we did not constantly fix stupid/drastic mistakes or take so lightly of them if something did go wrong. Granted, this was West Virginia & not in Alaska, but it was still rugged & offered a lot of lessons to be learned about life. I've probably seen every episode of the Browns so I'm not just basing my statements on lack of info. Enough said I guess. I felt as if I had to vent.