MovieChat Forums > Sister Wives (2010) Discussion > Janelle

Janelle

posted 8 years ago by canadianpuppy
25 replies | jump to latest

This is something that REALLY stood out to me on the show and I thought was quite telling about Janelle's attitude. When they were planning the wedding shower and Janelle was saying "I really wanted to get involved in every aspect of helping with the wedding so I took the reigns on planning the shower", Then they show her wondering downstairs, completely disinterested, and commenting everything that the two girls were doing (Dezi and the neice).

Then 2 minutes later she's was talking about the wind picking up and everything getting blown around the yard and she say's "I felt so bad for the girls, they had spent months and months planning every detail of the shower, I don't know what they're going to do about the wind *shrugs*."

Janelle is one of those people who talks a good talk, but don't actually contribute anything. I think she's just a good BSer and that's about it. She seems completely useless to me.

~Oh look... a room full of men that have NO idea how to satisfy a woman.~

[–] geezwhatnext 8 years ago

Janelle strikes me as someone who needs to be told what to do. She's no self-starter. I think that if Mindy or Dezi had simply asked her to do specific things, she would have been of more help. Type B personality maybe?

[–] canadianpuppy 8 years ago

I think she just BS's her way out of everything. How many times have we heard about her "comfort zone"?

She excuses everything as being out of her comfort zone and that's her way of getting out of doing everything. She just likes sitting on the sidelines.

[–] Patty1234 8 years ago

Janelle reminds me of myself in some ways. I don't like to lead anything, but ask me to help (and tell me what to do) and I'm more than happy to pitch in. Just don't ask me to do anything creative - or at least give me paint-by-numbers instructions to do it!

[–] geezwhatnext 8 years ago

I tend to be a follower. I can relate.

[–] terriecoleman 8 years ago

She seems completely useless to me

That's a tad too harsh. I don't think you would like it one bit if someone referred to you as being useless.

Janelle just doesn't like stirring the pot. And with that bunch, there's someone that always has to be in charge and be leading--be it Meri, Kody or anyone else. Therefore she sits in the background and waits to see if she's needed to do anything. I'm positive if she'd been asked to do anything she would have done it.

[–] ciara99 8 years ago

...why should she have to be asked to help in planning her own daughters wedding?!

[–] terriecoleman 8 years ago

Because that's Janelle's personality. She sits quietly in the background until asked to do something.

[–] Juliegirlj4 8 years ago

Janelle is a low energy person that can't make a decision to save her life.

[–] Heygirl215 8 years ago

I find her weird and detached. She immerses herself into work so she can be at home as little as possible. She also seems lazy when it comes to home life. How many years has she been sitting behind a desk all day and then come home and kick back while Christine has been dealing with her kids and Janelle's all day. Any wonder she's the size of a mini van. Im watching seasons 1-2 now and Janelle looks like a cream puff with blonde hair and limbs.

[–] cinles 8 years ago

Janelle had to work. No one else was bringing in any money but Kody. I don't think she works anymore, in the way that we think of work and hasn't since the show started which was 5 or 6 years ago. However, she does have issues with food.

[–] canadianpuppy 8 years ago

She's just such a bullsh*ter- going on and on about how important it is to her to plan the shower, making a BIG deal out of letting us know that she went *out of her comfort zone* just for her daughter - then in the next breath you hear that infact Dezi and *whatsherface* have been planning it alone for months and that Janelle has nothing to do with it.

I can see now why her and Meri have such a horrible relationship- they're polar opposites. Meri must have wanted to strangle her while planning that wedding.

~Oh look... a room full of men that have NO idea how to satisfy a woman.~

[–] desertdude1953 8 years ago

I have a question: since when does the mother of the bride plan or give the shower? Isn't that the role of the Maid/Matron of Honor and the bridesmaids?

In that case it was Dezi's job to plan the wedding shower.

I have always said that Janelle is a doer, not a planner. She has always been the worker-bee in the family, but that doesn't necessarily mean she is a great planner. If you want creativity you don't turn to a person with a degree in accounting, you look to the person who is creative and artsy (like Meri) and also a type A personality (like Meri).

[–] kem7696 8 years ago

I'm with you, I've always known the bridesmaids to throw the shower not the mother. It's very apparent that Janelle is as you say a doer, not a planner. She has always worked and wanted to work. To me artsy/crafty stuff is not her. It doesnt come natural to her no matter how hard she tries. I guess I don't understand where all these hate or dislike for her comes from these posters.

[–] maya-912-366050 8 years ago

Bachelorette party yes would be maid if honor.

Bridal showers tend to be a more family event, and it is not stranfe at all a mother or other family would host.

[–] kem7696 8 years ago

I've never been to a bridal shower where the family threw it. Mine along with all my friends showers were done by the bridal party. Sure some can be done by families but I dont think its as common.

[–] desertdude1953 8 years ago

Maya, a bachelorette party is a new thing that is a reaction to the bachelor party. Most traditional weddings do not have a bachelorette party, but they do have a bridal shower, which is totally different.

The bridal shower is given by the bridal party, not the family.

[–] maya-912-366050 8 years ago

I guess it depends where you come from. Bachelorette parties have been around for decades. And bridal showers are a time got women to get together and give items fir the house, and yes at times lingeray. It is an event gif women, and is very often hosted by mothers, aunts, or so on.

Especially when the bride is young. Do you expect a college student to plan and got the bill, have a place to host a bridal shower? May be different with an older bride with older friends who have a place to host and so on.

[–] cinles 8 years ago

Janelle would not be involved in the bridal shower planning and this must be an age thing because bachelorette parties are new to me. Also, why does a bridal shower have to cost a lot of money? You have it at someone's house and yes, you serve refreshments and sometimes food. A cottage industry has grown up surrounding getting married. My opinion is sometimes there's way too much emphasis, activity, and money spent before a couple gets married than afterward. I think a lot of Janelle's behavior during the wedding planning was a lack of experience. Let's hope Kody and the wives get it right by the time Ari gets married.

[–] canadianpuppy 8 years ago

My point was about the shower specifically, or who should be planning it. My point was why on earth would she go on and on about how much planning she's doing when in fact she wasn't doing any at all, and no intention of it.

Janelle may be more of a doer, but I didn't see her actually doing much to help out, besides giving a cringe worthy speech.

~Oh look... a room full of men that have NO idea how to satisfy a woman.~

[–] jonnieblack 8 years ago

It is the wedding party who gives the shower. Sometimes that is the bride's sisters or cousins, if they are in the wedding party. Not the bride's mother, who is not in the wedding party (usually).

I agree with you about Janelle. I don't get the hate. She does not enjoy domestic things, and especially not creative things like party planning. Those things are more in Meri and Christine wheelhouse. Why not use their talent?

[–] desertdude1953 8 years ago

Frankly I am in Janelle's camp, lets go fishing and leave the girly planning to "the girls".

[–] Juliegirlj4 8 years ago

Janelle is emotionally detached in most of her relationships. Bridal showers are traditionally held by close friends of the bride to be ( avoids impropriety of family members soliciting gifts for the bride). Almost every bride nowadays also has a bachelorette party- which the mother of the bride does not attend ( one last whoopee for the bride and her friends). Janelle's horrible speech at the wedding adds to the idea that she couldn't be bothered to be very involved. She seems to want to stay in her little comfort zone and not give from her heart.

[–] jmerrilee-138-891989 8 years ago

I'm surprised she cried at all. She is and always has been very emotionally detached. It's one of the reasons she works so well in the polygamist relationship, she just doesn't get jealous like the others do and want to be involved with the drama. I always took her to be one of those hands-off parents who is a mother and does the mother thing but lets her kids become their own person and make their own choices in life. It's not a bad thing it's just who she is. As for her working, she did have a job and I'm sure she's the type who loves to work and stay busy. Her weight has nothing to do with that, it's not a sign she's lazy. I know it's hard for some to believe but just because you're overweight doesn't mean your lazy and vice versa. Robin is usually skinny and I get the feeling she's pretty lazy, especially with all that whining she does constantly.

Yes I do think she tried to take more credit for the party then she should have. She did show up, she did do some of the decorations and maybe to her that means she planned it, who knows.

[–] geezwhatnext 8 years ago

I think you are right. Janelle had to quit a job she liked and was good at when the family moved to Vegas. She had relied on Christine as the stay at home mom to do a lot of the daily kid stuff, but her contribution was the money she earned for the family. I don't see her as lazy just because she's overweight.

Dear Robyn, on the other hand, has Mindy as a nanny, and Aspyn lives at Robyn's house as well, so she has a lot of help with her kids. I remember Robyn saying that she worked when she was a single mom of three, but I don't think it was ever said what her job was?

Maybe that Strive With Janelle that she started will help her stay busier and lose weight as well. At least I've never heard that Janelle trolls for romance online...

[–] cinles 8 years ago

Robin is usually skinny and I get the feeling she's pretty lazy, especially with all that whining she does constantly.

It's all that whining that keeps her skinny - burns a lot of calories. 