Trophy Wife: Kate Plans Bert's Birthday

I enjoyed this episode, but I might have been partial because my bridal shower had an Aladdin theme. And, although I understand Pete's reasoning behind granting Bert any type of birthday party he desires, I think the result might have been a bit too Outrageous Kid Parties. The giant pillows in the living room were fine, the costumes were great, the cake was very cool, and I could handle the pony. But the huge dance performance? That was a bit much.

ABC/Eric McCandless

Especially when you consider that all Bert actually wanted was some Neapolitan ice cream. I'm also going to nitpick that Kate should have stuck with the book theme over movie, just because it was reading that earned Bert this privilege in the first place. Plus, how believable is it that his favorite move is 20 years old??

Trophy Wife "Happy Bert Day" (S01E15): Kate is being shut-out of the soccer moms group, so when there's an opportunity to plan a big birthday party for Bert, she uses it to impress the moms. [haha at Jackie pretending that she was at the whole soccer game!] However, they think she's a former stripper because of a rumor Jackie started. The truth comes out and Kate is accepted, but when the moms just want to bad-mouth Jackie, Kate asks them to leave. Hillary is crushing on a backup dancer at the party, but when he has interests in common with Warren, he tries to steal him as a friend. [and, Chris Harrison, seriously?]

When Pete and Diane go to the bakery to exchange an erotic cake, Diane pulls an illegal turn on the way home to avoid traffic. [hello, the same thing happened on Friends!] When she's pulled over, she pretends that Pete is having a heart attack, and they get away with it. However, the cake falls to the ground when Diane runs into the glass door, so it's ruined anyway. [that would have made me SO ANGRY! I went through so much trouble and missed the party for nothing?!?]

Outrageous Kid Parties Season Finale: Ninjas & Alligators

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Two more episodes this week; the second is the season finale. This season was twice as long as the first one, but combined they still only have twelve episodes. It becomes quite clear that the producers are pushing parents to do certain things (like have a competition to "earn" an invitation, though it's obvious that 100 or more children are invited to each bash), and I'm rather tired of seeing all of the episodes come in around $25,000-$35,000. I still think a $10,000 party would be outrageous, but maybe that's just me...    

Outrageous Kid Parties "Nadir's Ninja Spy Party" (S02E07): 
The Background: Tomika and Sy are the parents of Nadir and Eliza, and they live in King of Prussia, PA. Nadir is turning eight. Tomika and Nadir dress up to meet with the party planner ($2500), whose parties generally START at $30,000. [This is fairly problematic, considering this party's starting budget is $10,000.] Nadir wants a sword-swallower, sumo wrestlers, hamburgers and hot dogs, and a life-size cake thats half-chocolate and half-vanilla, shaped like a ninja. [honestly, those requests aren't too outlandish, given the crazy things we've seen this season.] Tomika wants sushi, and the planner pushes for serving the sushi on a model's body ($750), but Tomka doesn't think it will be appropriate. [and she's right. This party IS for an eight-year-old.]
The Invitations: At Nadir's karate class, Tomika wants to pass out the invitations. She announces that not everyone can be invited, so the kids need to fight it out to earn a spot to win the right to attend the party. Nadir decides to invite everyone after the round of fighting, and Tomika seems very surprised that he did that. [There were some sad faces in the crowd, so I'm glad that they can all come, but at the same time, how can a mother PUBLICLY invite some kids and not others? That's like sending your kid with valentines for some friends and not the entire class.]
The Outfits: $250 for Ninja costumes for Nadir and his dad. [again, fairly reasonable - especially if they're quality.]
The Entrance: He wants a "cool arrival." He wants to be able to break a board in karate. [this doesn't require a ton of money, and it's the child who needs to make the effort... sounds good on the outside...] Except Nadir isn't doing so great with breaking the board during practice, so Tomika takes Nadir to get some acupuncture to de-stress him. [here comes the strange...] He fights it at first, but gives it a try. $175 there. The planner suggests that they rent a Rolls Royce Phantom to take Nadir and Tomika to the party. [no price given, but you KNOW that wasn't cheap! PLUS, why is the planner the one suggesting all the crazy??] When it comes time to break the board at the party (which looks thinner than the practice board), it works fine.
The Location: The venue is $5,000. Another $1500 for the decorations.
The Food: The baker (from Bredenbeck's Bakery) isn't sure about a life-size cake. Then, the cake is damaged in transport, and is only like three feet tall... but still costs $2500. Nadir punches the cake and it hits the wall. People just started grabbing handfuls of cake, which grosses out the baker. [why was she even still there?] Oh, and $5000 for catering [which sounds insanely high, given what they served...].

The Entertainment: Jousting Ring for $800, Flip Book Photo Booth for $2200, Ninja Chicken for $350, a fire-breather for $1500, a sumo wrestling ring for $575, a DJ for $750, and a Chinese dance troupe for $1500. [The ninja chicken was weird. Otherwise, I just think there were too many options... would a kid even have time to do everything?]
The Gift: Nadir wants a bike and he and Tomika test some in the store. But Tomika thinks that they need to get something more special for the occasion. In the end, he receives 2 mini-motorcycles ($1250) so his dad can ride with him, though the mini-bikes look too small for either of them. [why not get him one mini-bike and the bicycle that was reasonable and that he wanted?]
The Favors: There looks to be a candy station of sorts for $475.

Thoughts on the party itself.... Well the fact that the caterer arrived two hours late on the morning of the party was odd. But when you find out that they came without a way to prepare the food and wanted to use the grill on site, it's ridiculous. Oh, and I applaud the parents who wanted to keep the kids away from the near-naked model.... for someone who was originally against the model, Tomika enjoying seeing people's reactions to the sushi-covered body was a bit disturbing.

Total Cost of this one: $32,250.


Outrageous Kid Parties "Swamp Girls Party" (S02E08):
The Background: Valerie and Scotty have two daughters - Victoria (turning 9) and Kaitlynn (turning 7). They live in in Lafayette, Louisiana. Their birthdays are combined every year so they have big parties. Kaitlynn likes sharing the day, but Victoria wants her own party. [perfectly sensible - I wouldn't have wanted to share with one of my younger siblings! though I shared my 16th with my best friend and that was a good time! AND her name is Victoria, haha.] Victoria thinks Kaitlynn is too girly. Both girls like alligators and want them to be the basis of the party, though before long it's clear that Kaitlynn might not be the biggest fan of alligators after all. The girls want air boat rides, live alligators, and a Cajun band. Because it's the biggest party they've ever done, they got a planner, but usually Valerie handles it all herself. The planner is $1200.
The Invitations: They rent out Cajun Field at University of Louisiana for $2000, and pass out invitations at a dance-off. It was a big surprise after school, and.ten girls try-out to earn one of just six invitations. [yeah. a party of this size with less than a dozen guests? I don't think so.] The Gator Girl Cheerleaders showed up (another $3,000), plus they paid another $1200 for the invitations themselves. In the end, everyone ends up being invited. 
The Outfits: For $150, the girls get spray tans the day before the party. Victoria doesn't like it because it's "too girly." The girls sprayed their mom, but there's spots and stripes on her skin. [the employee looks angry!] $450 for hair and makeup: Victoria gets her hair curled and Kaitlynn gets hers straightened. [no idea why it was so pricy for hair and makeup!]
The Entrance: They want a big entrance, so they take an airboat, and Victoria drives. [I guess they own the airboat since no price is given.] $400 to carry live alligators (wearing tutus) into the party. Kaitlynn got scared and wouldn't carry one. [can't say I blame her. why not have a fake one for Kaitlynn to carry if they knew she'd be scared? She certainly seemed rather skittish around them the entire episode...]
The Location: $3,000 for Palmetto Island State Park. Another $2600 on decorations. [no idea what the decorations entailed, though.
The Food: They want a seven-foot alligator with an open mouth for the cake, which will be $3,000. [Once they started rough-housing, why didn't their mother stop them?!?! They damaged some displays!] The girls also caught some of their own catfish for the party. [that was cool and pretty down-to-Earth.] "Chef Bobby" was $3500 for the catering. 
The Entertainment: Dance floor and stage for $1150.  $3000 for the splashpad/waterpark part. $1500 for the Gator Girl cheerleaders. $350 for the Gator Girl mascot. Throw in an

Photo: TLC

alligator petting zoo for $200. [I think they're petting the same two alligators that the girls carried in.] $1500 for a live band, and the girls help out with some little accordions.
The Gift: They get two four-wheelers, a mini four-wheeler, and a dune buggy... $5200. Scotty thinks they went overboard here. [yep. I agree with him.]
The Favors: Gator Girls bags, bracelets, koozies for $2500.

When the girls were out catching catfish, they also catch a gator, which they play with in the boat. [did NOT seem safe to me, but the parents seemed to know what they were doing.] The morning of the event, every single vendor is running late, including the planner. [wow. that's so unacceptable!] The planner wishes she could have done more, since Valerie took the lead on most of it. [I kind of expected that, since she's not used to using a planner for her parties, plus she seems accustomed to extravagant costs for events.]

Total Cost of this one: $38,616.09. [seems like we're not doing any rounding this time, LoL.]

Outrageous Kid Parties: Egypt & Hawaii Themes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Outrageous Kid Parties "Ava's Queen of the Nile Party" (S02E05):
The Background: In Fairfield, NJ, Mom Maria has a 5-year-old names Ava and an 18-month-old named Leah. She is having a party to celebrate Ava going to kindergarten. They meet with the party planner at a spa. They want a camel, a snake charmer, and a 20'x20' sand pit.
The Invitations: doesn't look like anything fancy. [they're talking about the party as "for starting kindergarten" but the invitation itself says for "graduating kindergarten" ...what's that about??]
The Outfits: They take a $700 limo to NYC for Ava and her friends to get stuff to wear for the party. [I was weirded out by how into shoes these kids were!] $1287 total for clothes. She gets her hair and makeup done like Cleopatra for $1,000. [this I don't understand at all. Unless that headpiece was like $750...] The family also has costumes to wear - $1500.  [what??!? Dad was in a robe for crying out loud!]
The Decorations: Gazebos for $600, custom bench for $200, custom "Ava" sign for $275, pyramid props and decor were another $4200. [...you're kidding, right?!?]
The Entrance: The idea is that Ava will be carried in like Cleopatra, so the family auditions guys to see who is the "hunkiest." Rather than giving the guys number ratings, Ava and her friend hold up signs they made that have a smiley face, a heart, an X, and a question mark. They even measure some of the biceps. [this was the craziest thing about "auditioning" the models.] Male models will cost $1,000. Oh, and a $1375 camel led the way. 
The Food: $5,000 for Egyptian foods and desserts. The $3,000 cake looks like a sphinx. [it looks REALLY good!]

The Entertainment: Tarot card reader for $650. DJ. Sanbox for $3,000. Glitter tattoos for $850. [In my day you might have a temporary tattoo in your goody bag and that was considered a great favor!] Massage therapist for $500. [what exactly did that have to do with the theme? And I thought that I read someplace that children shouldn't get back massages?] Belly dancer with snake for another $700. The snake charmer bails. [how long was this party?? There was a LOT offered to do!]
The Gift: $2,000 matching set from the jewelry boutique... revealed by the belly dancer.
The Favors: nothing shown.

Setup totally takes too long and bleeds into party time. We also don't hear from very many parents of the other kids this time, which I thought was strange.

Total Cost of this one: $32,150.
Outrageous Kid Parties "Dasani's Hawaiian Luau" (S02E06):
The Background: In Arlington, TX (near Dallas), single mom Omai wants to have a big party for her son, Dasani, who is turning 10. He's "obsessed with Hawaii." Omai's best friend, Vanna, tries to keep things under control. They plan at a fish store. Omai wants leis, roasted pig, the beach, drummers, 6-foot volcano cake, and hula dancers. Dasani realizes that his mom is going crazy. [that's good. usually the kids don't think that anything is strange.] The original budget is $5,000, but Omai mentions that she has credit cards.  [uh, yeah. If your budget is $5000, why not just GO to Hawaii for a couple weeks?]

The Invitations:  The entire school was invited, so 300+ kids... [but Dasani is pretty shy... why invite people he doesn't even know??]
The Outfits: Omai didn't like the outfit that Dasani chose for himself, so she changes it completely.

Photo: TLC / Kevin Dukes

The Entrance:  $1500 hula dancers lead the way and Dasani rides a surfboard into the party, carried by four models (instead of two for whatever reason). $500 for the models.
The Food: The cake alone is $5,000, but it did spew lava. $1,000 for a roasted pig. $500 for sno-cones.
The Entertainment: $2,000 to rent the area near a lake. $250 for lifeguards. $1500 for a waterslide. $1200 for human bowling. $1,000 for a live band.  $1,500 for the DJ. [why a band AND a DJ??] $750 for virtual surfing. Another set of hula dancers costs another $1500. They also have a fire dancer for $500. [he was actually cool. I liked him.]   
The Gift: He's getting a $750 surfboard. [remember, they're pretty landlocked...] Dasani and a couple friends also get a surfing lesson at an indoor simulator. That's another $500. He also gets an autographed surfboard used by a champ. [price unknown.... but probably pretty high.] AND he gets a trip to Hawaii (that alone is $5,000). Dasani cries tears of joy. [cute kid.]
The Favors: nothing mentioned.

Other things that happened: They take some hula dancing lessons, which Dasani isn't thrilled about. Omai and Dasani get "cupping" done at a spa to prepare for the party, but Dasani walks out before the treatment is over. Later at the party, Dasani gets really nervous and hides in the bathroom, but the guests chanting his name brought him out of it. [I would have thought that would make him more self-conscious.] 

Total Cost of this one: $37,450.

Outrageous Kid Parties: 80s & Magic

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Outrageous Kid Parties "Payton, Kennedy and Reagan's 80s Party" (S02E03):
The Background: Kimberly is throwing a "school's out" party for her three kids. [that's the worst reason yet for one of these extreme events!] She picked 80s as a theme because her kids don't know the 80s. [isn't that totally awkward? Why would you want a theme that you know nothing about? I wouldn't want a StarTrek theme!] Set in Matthews, NC, the family has a large backyard. Payton is 11, Kennedy is 9, and Reagan is 8. Kimberly and husband Joe have an ice cream truck business. [well that's interesting.] Kim took the girls to a roller rink (and they use rollerskates instead of rollerblades). Kim wants 150-250 guests. [I feel as if that's a strange range.] She wants an outdoor roller rink, an 80s cover band, an 80s car with cheerleaders, and a foam pool at the party. She starts with a $10,000 budget. They hit $35,000 FAST. [and, since Kim's friend says that's $15,000 over budget, it must have increased to $20k at some point.] They worry about the rain since chance of precipitation was 50%.
The Invitations: They pass out cassette tape invitations on the last day of school, interrupting a lesson to announce the end-of-summer bash. [though she means "end of school"] You have to bring your tape to get in the party. These cost $500. [the two younger girls are in the same class? and who has a "lesson on rocks" on the last day of school??] 
The Outfits: They go a vintage store to shop. Part of the problem is that Kim steals the outfit ideas the girls have, as she wants to match them. [this woman is SO weird.] Kim wore a cone bra over her clothes for part of the party. Total: $375. Hair and makeup cost another $850.  
The Entrance: Cheerleaders are $1200. 80s Mercedes rental for $250. [um, cheerleaders aren't especially 80s in my opinion, what do you think? And I would have gone for a Trans-Am as the quintessential 80s car!]
The Food: Catering was $3,000 estimated, but $2,000 actual. Plus another $2400 for the rainbow cupcakes and cake. Smashing cupcakes in people's faces got out of control.

The Entertainment: The girls are going to do a live performance so they get an 80s cover band to give them tips. They also have an original song and lessons for $1250. [I don't think an original song was appropriate... that makes it neo-80s, LoL,] They also rent an outdoor roller rink for $2500, a DJ for $850 ($1,000 originally...), decorations for $1100, and props for another $325 (separate from decorations apparently). Also, breakdancers for an undisclosed amount, the roller rink for $2500, a foam pool for $1250, a photobooth for $950, and a caricature artist for $750. Plus, another $650 for the impersonators - Michael Jackson and Tina Turner. [these are lost unto the kids, so useless money spent. I'm also not sure what the Club rental for $1700 was for.] Performing makes the girls nervous. [They're not used to singing and moving around at the same time, they sound out of breath.]
The Gift: They get an ice cream truck for $7,000. [I don't understand this at all. The parents must already own several, and the girls are YEARS away from driving!]
The Favors: none mentioned.

It does rain and they don't have a great backup plan. They keep setting up and it stops raining. [lucky for them!]

total cost of this one: $30,175.00.

Outrageous Kid Parties "Maverick's Mystic Magic Party" (S02E04): 
The Background: Betty has a son, Maverick, 5, graduating preschool in Riverside, CA. She also has Savannah, who is 3. Betty claims that Maverick has accomplished a lot and deserves the party. [...what? He can spell his name... big deal. He's no Doogie Howser!] Maverick loves magic. He wants a dragon cake that blows fire. The whole family, extended and immediate, go to meet a party planner at a magic store. They want a maze, swordfighting, costumes. Original budget is $30,000-40,000, though Dad doesn't want to spend that. [and I can't blame him!] Betty lets the kids pick out whatever they want and it's bought on the spot: $706.37. [and this doesn't exactly seem like a one-time event. Who lets their kids get whatever they want ALL THE TIME??]
The Invitations: They rent out Medieval Times to watch a small show to get invited. [...what?!? How much did THAT cost??] The kids learn some swordfighting and do mock battles to decide who gets invited. [really? you can't invite the whole class to a graduation?? Even the family seems weirded out by this idea.] Shield invitations cost $495. Maverick invited Wyatt and Cara. Then it was decided that everyone can come. [good. because if my kid got invited to audition to be invited to a party, I'd be pretty livid. I might not have even let him try out!]

Photo: TLC

The Outfits: $700 for everyone to take a party bus limo to the store to buy costumes and props. [I'm really getting confused on this mess! This is just uncalled for!] Knight, chair, horse, bows & arrows, costumes, King's Throne ($200), etc. totals $10,000. [!!!] Maverick wants his ear pierced and he gets it done the day of the party. [I don't understand why the grandparents go... they aren't okay with it! Why does this kid even think wizards wear earrings?] That's $75... and he gets a hoop. $950 for the family's costumes, pictured right. [couldn't these have been rented from a local costume shop??]
The Entrance: The idea is that Maverick will appear out of thin air. He appears out of a box, so it works. 
The Food: $1800 for the catering, $2500 for the cake - a dragon that's 4 feet tall, 6 feet long. The dragon had a sparkler in its mouth, which doesn't really count as blowing smoke and fire, so Maverick is upset. It's also really hot out and the cake doesn't fit in the tent it was supposed to sit in, though it doesn't appear to melt, luckily. 

The Entertainment: They audition a magician, who costs $1500. They have to go through a [shoddy-looking] maze to get to the party. That was $600. [which was reasonable given materials and labor, but still not impressive.] Swordsmen for $1200. [one guest saying, "I liked the swordfights because I'm in to violence" was disturbing!] Fortune Teller for $550. [for kids, just get a friend to fake it. c'mon now!] Wizard for $800. [...what did the wizard do, exactly??] Gypsies (who apparently sang) for $600. Water Balloon Launch Station for $218.[the amount being so "exact" amused me.]
The Gift: Scooters are Maverick's big interest, so he gets 5 of them. $595. [FIVE OF THEM. that is all.]
The Favors: none specified.

The extended family members keep expressing concern over what's going on, from the invitation system to the costumes, but Betty just wants to spoil the children. [Savannah is much shyer than Maverick... she almost seems scared of him at times, which I found odd.] Betty is looking forward to throwing something similar for Savannah. Maverick's last words are "I can't wait to graduate from kindergarten." [Boy is this family going to have its hands full!]

total cost of this one: $29,985.00.

Outrageous Kid Parties is Back!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I was surprised to see that Outrageous Kid Parties came back with so little marketing. This is why DVRs are so handy, hehe! Anyway, if you missed it or if you just want a recap, take a look at the fortunes these parents are spending on their children's parties... 


Outrageous Kid Parties "Derek's Candy Fantasy Party" (S02E01):
The Background: Donna wants to throw a big preschool graduation party for her five-year-old son, Derek, who is the middle child of three. [you know, since finishing preschool is such an accomplishment. You have to be able to share and know your colors, and maybe read if you're lucky.] They live in Long Island and will host the party in their backyard. She wants people to feel like their weddings sucked in comparison. [and this totally baffles me. Also, note that she makes no mention of her own wedding during the episode...] Derek loves candy but is allergic to nuts. He wants a rock wall at the party. [I think this is a pretty modest request. yes, it would be cheaper to go to a rock-climbing place, but it's not too outrageous yet.] Donna says she clashes on money with her husband, who is terrified of the party. [the use of the word "terrified" is really amusing.] Carolyn is the party planner. "Willy Wonka Candy Fantasy" is the original theme... it becomes "Willy Wonka Candyland Explosion" later. Donna is even considering having chocolate flowing over the side of the house. [thank goodness this doesn't happen in the end!]
The Invitations: Donna and Derek head to his preschool. The invitations are golden tickets, which anyone could have seen coming. [they aren't very impressive, though they do invite entire families to attend.] The party was April 30th. They also have candy to throw out to get everyone excited about the party. A lot of it was loose and unwrapped. [I couldn't believe how gross that was!] The teacher agrees that it wasn't sanitary. Another mother walks in and is upset that she wasn't told ahead of time about the candy, as her child will now be on a sugar high. Candy: $75.
The Outfits: Donna's sister did all the hair and makeup. Donna had pink and purple in her hair - but Derek doesn't want purple hair. Derek's costume: $350; Makeup: $350.
The Entrance: Donna wants Derek's entrance to be a performance, so they head to a dance studio, where they meet a troupe who will be dancing to a song that Donna had commissioned. The day of the party, Derek gets nervous about performing for so many people. He's able to do it in the end, though the cuts make it look like perhaps he did it twice... Oompa Loompa Dancers: $1500; Original song: $1500.
The Food:  Derek did some taste-testing at a candy store. Donna let him load up on candy as his dinner. [and apparently this isn't a rare thing...] $500 is the candy budget... $1303.50 is what it rang up as in the end. Donna rips up the receipt so her husband won't see the total. At the part they have a Fizzy-Lifting Drink Station as well. The guests find the purple food to be strange. [as do I, really. Purple hot dogs and purple macaroni? I'll pass.] Catering: $5000; Cake: $2500 (for the kids); Truffles: $1250 (for the adults)
The Entertainment: They have Aerial Dancers for $2200, Bounce Houses for $800, and a Rock Wall for $900.    
The Gift: He receives a 40-foot rock wall ($8500) as a gift from his parents. The parents of others really felt that the gift was most obscene of everything. Later, Derek's parents race on the rock wall, and Donna's skirt goes way up. 
The Favors:  T-shirts: $700; Favors: $850


Some of the moms think the party is over the top, especially for a preschool graduation. [that's true. Remember, it's not even a birthday!] They had no big problems, thought some of the giant blowups needed to be moved because they would have blocked the views of the aerial dancers.

I feel like the vast majority of this party was inappropriate for children that young and without a major event going on. Oh, and the Total Cost: $31,838.53.

Outrageous Kid Parties "Sadie's Country Carnival" (S02E02):
The Background: Janine, mother of 4 daughters, wants to have a big party for her youngest's sixth birthday. Janine, Sadie, and family live in Cary, NC. Sadie wants a tattoo for her party "so she can be cool like the big girls." [which I assume means her older sisters - it's implied that Sadie was an accident and that's why she's a bit younger than the others.] While getting her nails done, Sadie talks to a party planner. [and this is where I start rolling my eyes - I wasn't even allowed to paint my nails at 6, let alone get them done professionally!] Sadie mentions dancing on stage, a ferris wheel (her number 1 desire, which she even ran around the salon talking about), a roller coaster, a cow girl outfit, a dunk tank, horses, and cows. Janine adds in a cotton candy machine, a popcorn machine, and a limo for the entrance. Janine's husband barely okay'd a $10,000 budget, and the planner mentions it's more like $23,000 already.
The Invitations: nothing fancy, at least that we saw.
The Outfits: Sadie gets an airbrush tattoo designed and done. [though the commercials want you to think it's a real tattoo.] It costs $80. [I can't even convince myself to get a $15 airbrushed tattoo on vacation, LoL!]  Cowgirl Costume: $175.
The Entrance: The limo was 20 feet long and jacked up, which was absolutely absurd - even Dad agreed. But she rides a horse into the party... so why even have a limo??  Horse: $500; Limo: $600.
The Food: At the bakery, it's decided that they want a five-foot, elaborate cake. Janine suggests a horse, a Ferris Wheel, a Sadie replica. They go with a Ferris Wheel at the end, and she's quoted $4,000. [I thought the cake looked like crap for $4 grand. I see that cake being worth $2,000 tops. It ends up being $3250.] Candy Booth: $700; Catering BBQ: $5500; Carnival Food: $1250. [Candy PLUS Carnival food? they couldn't have done one or the other?]

The Entertainment: They have a dance audition so they can pick three dancers to dance with Sadie on-stage at the party. The instructor really blew this out of proportion, too. Sadie had some stage fright during the dance and forgot part of it. [this is my favorite part about things like this... so much pressure on the kid and then they mess up. haha.] Oh, and those professional dancers? $1800. Plus $1200 for the choreographer. They also had a live band for $3500, a Kissing Booth for $325 (at a party for young kids??), a Bounce House for $500, and Face Painting for $550. Plus, a Dunk Tank for $800, which one of Sadie's sisters got into. [at least she was a good sport!] Oh, and they had some sort of dog show for $675. But it seemed pretty small for such a large crowd, so I have to wonder how that worked?
The Gift: The gift is a giant playset. [That might have been a better gift for the oldest daughters years ago so all of the girls could have used it... especially if Janine says she always wanted one.] Gift: $5700.
The Favors: nothing mentioned.

The Ferris Wheel was struck by lightning so it isn't able to be there. [I was glad that Sadie held it together and had a good time even though her top choice wasn't available at the last minute. Though if it was struck the day before, why did it take them so long to find out?] We don't hear from other parents, though Janine's brother is a bit flabbergasted at the elaborate nature of the event, mostly because he's afraid his daughters will think this is normal. Dad, who was skeptical at the beginning and felt it was over-the-top during the party, said that at the end of the day, the cost was worth it. Janine said that it was so worth it, she'd do it again. Sadie said she wants a bigger party next year. [first person to be featured on this show twice? maybe...]

Total Cost of this one: $32,550.00.

New Course for Wipeout; Duggars Having a Boy

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Here are the rest of the commentaries from last week. Unscripted commentaries this week include: Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Teen Mom 2, Minute to Win It, and Wipeout.

New Baby Valastro, Josie Turns 1, Jenelle to Jersey...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Commentaries this week include: Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Teen Mom 2, and Minute to Win It.

Pirate Party; Kailyn on Thin Ice

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Commentaries this week include: Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Teen Mom 2, and Minute to Win It. Click "keep reading" to see them.

Outrageous Kid Parties Begins

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

How do you know when you're watching and reviewing too many different television shows? You can't tag all of them because of the character limit. I was going to have to take out Minute to Win It, Wipeout, The Middle, and Teen Mom 2 to be under 200 characters. So, I've decided to split my Friday commentaries into scripted shows and unscripted shows. I considered splitting by days instead, but ultimately found that this will probably work better. Now, I should clarify that this is a new idea and I may have to play around with it some, but for now, commentaries and reviews will be broken down as follows:

Scripted: The Middle, The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Sunshine, Better with You, Hot in Cleveland, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, South Park, Terra Nova, Futurama, Melissa & Joey


Unscripted: Minute to Win It, Wipeout, Teen Mom 2, The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Kate Plus Eight, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant 

This breaks it down fairly evenly, and I think that, with the stigma against "reality shows," it may be a little less annoying for those of you only interested in sitcoms and stuff.

Commentaries this week include: The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Teen Mom 2, Minute to Win It, and Wipeout. If you are interested in any of these, click "keep reading" ... if not, you won't have to scroll forever to get to the next post. :)