E+J - Extreme Makeover: Ice Palace Edition / Part 19

[lmmomSD]

I usually read here without posting but it becomes more and more obvious that Mormonism is less of a religion and more of a cult.

Everything you just said is right, Mormonism is only considered a religion in the United States not in the rest of the world. I live in Europe and they are considered a cult just like Scientology or Jehovah Witnesses and everyone avoids them when they see them in the streets when they're on their "mission" (that alone screams we're in a cult)

Mormonism is considered a religion in the US, but trust me, most of us know it's a cult Just a few months ago, I was sitting here thinking about all the Mormon Youtubers I know of and I was just completely BAFFLED of how they all (especially the men) look and act the same!

I'm hoping a picture-perfect LDS couple doesn't win. I know someone earlier said that it shouldn't matter, but the fact is, that would 100% be Ellie and Jared choosing someone based on religion. Which is sickening. This contest (ugh) should be based on need and the experience couples have gone through, not if you wear special underwear to church or went on a mission as a young lad. I am honestly thinking a Mormon couple will win...Mormons are SO exclusive. There are stories of non-Mormon kids going to school in Utah and having no friends because the Mormons won't be friends with people outside of their religion :/

I'm sure there are very nice, loving Mormons in this world, but Ellie and Jared have ALWAYS struck me as the "we're so nice because we're going to the BEST dimension of Heaven!!!" type of people.

The facts that E&J are picking the finalists, and that the production values of the video and what _they_ deem a "compelling story" are criteria, means that we are almost guaranteed a homogeneous Mormon couple. I'll be hugely surprised if the finalists are non-white, or (gasp) mixed race.

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[HelloSweetie]

[quote="lmmomSD"]

I would love to see diversity. Part of me wonders if maybe they'll read here and make a conscious effort to be more inclusive since they know people are watching for that.

The whole thing is disgusting to me. Someone said they feel sorry for Ellie because of her struggle. That she almost lost Cal 3 times. My immediate reaction to this as someone who had repeat losses is... only she didn't. Almost losing a child is nowhere near as painful as actually losing one. This is where the competition becomes a problem. Pain should not be compared and/or dismissed. Her struggle is real, and so is her pain. The competition doesn't feel right. Who am I to decide which pain is greater? Who are E&J to decide which couple has struggled the most? It's nothing more than the Pain Olympics and a popularity contest. It's distasteful at best, and very exploitative. E&J have exhausted their own story, and now they are going to borrow others. They have an option to not monetize the videos. I made a comment saying I hope they wouldn't, and it was deleted almost immediately.

E&J have struggled, but this doesn't make them an authority on who deserves a child the most. Although Ellie seems heartfelt today, I can't help but think of the two children she has and doesn't take proper care of. Actions speak louder than words. Is not enough to want a baby... you need to want a child too.

[crowmtmom78]

How do you get 4,000 subscribers in 2 hours Jared???? How many of those were bought????

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[ellay]

The facts that E&J are picking the finalists, and that the production values of the video and what _they_ deem a "compelling story" are criteria, means that we are almost guaranteed a homogeneous Mormon couple. I'll be hugely surprised if the finalists are non-white, or (gasp) mixed race.

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Or gay ? Oh no, sorry, I mean "people who need to be saved". That would have made my day if they didn't get to pick the finalists and people voted for a gay or mixed race couple. I'm legit willing to pay just to see Ellie and Jared's face.

[Vincere]

If a gay couple gets selected to be featured on the channel I will pay 5 dollars to buy likes for their video!

[tintin15]

I feel like if a non-white, mixed race, or unmarried couple won, Ellie and Jared would go through with it with clenched teeth.

But if a gay couple won, I think something would go "wrong" and they suddenly wouldn't be able to give the money. Either that, or make their distaste VERY obvious, with lots of "we're praying for them" except you would 100% be able to tell that they're praying the gay away and not praying for the IVF to work.

But, so long as they pick the couple, it can be a Perfect Mormon Couple™ and they can be completely, honestly joyful about it, and everyone can think they're just the best people ever.

[HelloSweetie]

How do you get 4,000 subscribers in 2 hours Jared???? How many of those were bought????

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They had a huge spike yesterday too that had me suspicious. Honestly, this happens a lot, and rarely is reflected in increased views. Unless they are losing viewers faster than they get new ones, he's buying subs.

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[lmmomSD]

Well, they did make the announcement yesterday, right? And you have to subscribe to "compete", soit does follow that there would be some spike in subscribers.
HS, I find it very telling that your comment about not monetizing the videos got deleted right away. Using someone else's struggles and pain to make a buck is just disgusting. They will make far more from views than they will spend, especially when you consider the tax write off they're getting.

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[tratra58]

I would love to see diversity. Part of me wonders if maybe they'll read here and make a conscious effort to be more inclusive since they know people are watching for that.

The whole thing is disgusting to me. Someone said they feel sorry for Ellie because of her struggle. That she almost lost Cal 3 times. My immediate reaction to this as someone who had repeat losses is... only she didn't. Almost losing a child is nowhere near as painful as actually losing one. This is where the competition becomes a problem. Pain should not be compared and/or dismissed. Her struggle is real, and so is her pain. The competition doesn't feel right. Who am I to decide which pain is greater? Who are E&J to decide which couple has struggled the most? It's nothing more than the Pain Olympics and a popularity contest. It's distasteful at best, and very exploitative. E&J have exhausted their own story, and now they are going to borrow others. They have an option to not monetize the videos. I made a comment saying I hope they wouldn't, and it was deleted almost immediately.

E&J have struggled, but this doesn't make them an authority on who deserves a child the most. Although Ellie seems heartfelt today, I can't help but think of the two children she has and doesn't take proper care of. Actions speak louder than words. Is not enough to want a baby... you need to want a child too.

I agree she was fortunate not to lose Calvin, but she did have some struggles with fertility and Calvin's pregnancy which a couple of us garnered a bit of sympathy and it made me remember a different Ellie than today. It was just a moment.

Ellie issues for me is how she treats others. I agree with you this isn't the best way to give back and your comment was deleted because they are doing exactly what you stated you hope they wouldn't do...monetizing on this contest.


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[just_me]

With Youtube now being more cautious, or whatever you want to call it, about monetizing videos that are not deemed "advertiser friendly", I wonder if the vlog announcing the contest as well as any future vlogs about it will get unmonetized (by Youtube). If we (us here on the boards) can see how bad it looks to have a contest to see who is deemed most worthy of receiving IVF treatment by those who make the best video, wouldn't advertisers see it the same way?

[kittypurry]

I wonder if the Mormon church has a hand in this, the contest was announced on the first day of their "Light the World" program. Maybe it's really funded by E&J but the timing is interesting, and we know E&J are part of the advertising for that campaign. It could just be that the campaign inspired them, or this is their way to be the most generous members in their ward, who knows

I'm just gonna post this here on the chance that E&J read here, and that the teachings of the Bible are actually important to them

Matthew 6:1-4
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."


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[Vincere]

Can we all tweet that paragraph, Matthew 6:1-4, to EJ?

They are "entertainers" and "creators".
What they are making is an untasteful version of Xfactor, where instead of voting for the best talent people will vote for the saddest story.
Really tragic.

Yes, they will give a lucky couple a nice gift but their motives are so so wrong. They can't give anything without seeking something in return, which defeats the whole purpose of being charitable.
Imagine if the treatment will work, they won't stop bragging on how they changed someone's life!
I was hoping that Jared's parents would put some sense into them, but it isn't the case.

"If you get a pregnant from our treatment you give us all the rights to vlog the baby for the rest of his/her life."

[IceCreamCone]

Lurker here, but I wanted to weigh in on this competition thing. It truly is distasteful to me. I'm very disappointed in them. I used to love E&J (even bought their t-shirt), and actually met them once in SLC. Jared was nice and very polite. I believe he appreciates his fans, and desperately wants to be liked. Ellie was annoyed that Jared was talking to us, and didn't try to hide it. People say Missy is socially awkward, Ellie made her look charming! You know when a wife tries to be really nice to make up for her asshole husband (or try to hide it)? This like that dynamic, but gender reversed. I don't know if she was feeling territorial about Jared, or if she had better places to be, but it really opened up my eyes.

Anyway, I decided to share this because someone a few posts back mentioned Ellie's use of "giving back" as really meaning spreading the message. Based on our meeting I think this might be right. The first thing I said to them was "I really love your vlogs" and her response was "I'm so glad we're able to change people's lives." That always felt odd to me... almost condescending? I didn't say watching was changing my life. My life is fine, I just watched for entertainment! I somehow still liked them after that, but haven't been able to see Ellie in the same way since. Whenever I see other people commenting that they saw them and exposing their lies unintentionally, part of me wonders how unintentional it really is. Maybe more fans have had these weird encounters too.

[WTFoxtrot]

I'm just gonna post this here on the chance that E&J read here, and that the teachings of the Bible are actually important to them

Matthew 6:1-4
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
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I love this, like Vincere said, can we all tweet it to them? Lol
However, isn't their "Bible" The Book of Mormon? Really makes me wonder what the teachings are in that, if the Bible makes it so clear giving to others is NOT to be about ass pats!!



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[yoyo16]

Anyone from this forum in the Utah area go to their meetup tonight? Ellie tweeted that someone flew in from California to meet them!! Why would someone do that?!!


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[lmmomSD]

I wonder if the Mormon church has a hand in this, the contest was announced on the first day of their "Light the World" program. Maybe it's really funded by E&J but the timing is interesting, and we know E&J are part of the advertising for that campaign. It could just be that the campaign inspired them, or this is their way to be the most generous members in their ward, who knows

I'm just gonna post this here on the chance that E&J read here, and that the teachings of the Bible are actually important to them

Matthew 6:1-4
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."


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That is EXACTLY the verse I was thinking of, when I said that the Bible says not to brag about your charity. Good on you for getting the exact verse. If we tweet that to them, we'll be blocked so fast!
But tbh, I thought this verse related to them long before this: last year when they "donated" the toys KMart gave them, "giving back" to their parents by giving them their old cell phones, and Ellie paying for that woman's groceries. Every time, they boasted about it. If they were quietly giving back, I think we would be able to tell by the type of people they were. People who give to others without expectation of recognition or reward don't show off their material goods the way E&J do, and they don't respond to criticism the way Ellie does. My parents gave to others so much that when my dad died, the church was overflowing with people. But he never ever said, "look at all the great stuff I did! Give me a pat on the back!"

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[lmmomSD]

Lurker here, but I wanted to weigh in on this competition thing. It truly is distasteful to me. I'm very disappointed in them. I used to love E&J (even bought their t-shirt), and actually met them once in SLC. Jared was nice and very polite. I believe he appreciates his fans, and desperately wants to be liked. Ellie was annoyed that Jared was talking to us, and didn't try to hide it. People say Missy is socially awkward, Ellie made her look charming! You know when a wife tries to be really nice to make up for her asshole husband (or try to hide it)? This like that dynamic, but gender reversed. I don't know if she was feeling territorial about Jared, or if she had better places to be, but it really opened up my eyes.

Anyway, I decided to share this because someone a few posts back mentioned Ellie's use of "giving back" as really meaning spreading the message. Based on our meeting I think this might be right. The first thing I said to them was "I really love your vlogs" and her response was "I'm so glad we're able to change people's lives." That always felt odd to me... almost condescending? I didn't say watching was changing my life. My life is fine, I just watched for entertainment! I somehow still liked them after that, but haven't been able to see Ellie in the same way since. Whenever I see other people commenting that they saw them and exposing their lies unintentionally, part of me wonders how unintentional it really is. Maybe more fans have had these weird encounters too.

Maybe she read comments on the Shaytards vlogs (some people actually say Shay helped them with depression, or that they have bad lives, and the vlogs are the bright spot in their day-- not commenting one way or another on that) , and assumes those comments apply to her too? LOL


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[tratra58]

Anyone from this forum in the Utah area go to their meetup tonight? Ellie tweeted that someone flew in from California to meet them!! Why would someone do that?!!


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Someone who has time and money. I don't get it either.

[tratra58]

Lurker here, but I wanted to weigh in on this competition thing. It truly is distasteful to me. I'm very disappointed in them. I used to love E&J (even bought their t-shirt), and actually met them once in SLC. Jared was nice and very polite. I believe he appreciates his fans, and desperately wants to be liked. Ellie was annoyed that Jared was talking to us, and didn't try to hide it. People say Missy is socially awkward, Ellie made her look charming! You know when a wife tries to be really nice to make up for her asshole husband (or try to hide it)? This like that dynamic, but gender reversed. I don't know if she was feeling territorial about Jared, or if she had better places to be, but it really opened up my eyes.

Anyway, I decided to share this because someone a few posts back mentioned Ellie's use of "giving back" as really meaning spreading the message. Based on our meeting I think this might be right. The first thing I said to them was "I really love your vlogs" and her response was "I'm so glad we're able to change people's lives." That always felt odd to me... almost condescending? I didn't say watching was changing my life. My life is fine, I just watched for entertainment! I somehow still liked them after that, but haven't been able to see Ellie in the same way since. Whenever I see other people commenting that they saw them and exposing their lies unintentionally, part of me wonders how unintentional it really is. Maybe more fans have had these weird encounters too.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It really gives insight to what they are like outside of their vlogs and you would think in public Ellie would be on her best behavior. Ellie saying "I'm so glad we're able to change people's lives" ...let's put the facts out there, they are two twenty year olds that have had limited life experiences and they are not changing people's lives.

I wonder if Jared worries that Ellie could hurt their wholesome image since over time she has received negative remarks. This is a business where you do have to be polite to viewers since they are indirectly paying your bills. While Jared can be over the top annoying loud, he does seem sincere with recognizing his viewers and knows their business depends on them. It is possible Jared edits more of Ellie's bad behavior out of the vlogs than we think and we are just seeing a glimpse of her less than charming behavior.

[RecklessDisregard]

I'm just gonna post this here on the chance that E&J read here, and that the teachings of the Bible are actually important to them

Matthew 6:1-4
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
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I love this, like Vincere said, can we all tweet it to them? Lol
However, isn't their "Bible" The Book of Mormon? Really makes me wonder what the teachings are in that, if the Bible makes it so clear giving to others is NOT to be about ass pats!!



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Mormons do follow the Book of Mormon, but they also are a subset of Christianity and follow the doctrines of the Bible as well. I think BoM is considered an addition to the Holy Bible, rather than a replacement. Their founder, Joseph Smith, is believed to have been a prophet in modern times.

I'm generally agnostic, but I'm not really down with Mormon-bashing in around here (not necessarily referring to the post I replied to). The Mormons I've known in real life have been very kind, big-hearted people. Yes, a few tried to convert me, but I kind of enjoyed learning a bit more about their religion, and it didn't really bug me. I don't agree with their doctrines, but I don't think E+J are a fair representation of all Mormons. We have members of this board who are Mormons and think E+J are nuts.

But that is a great quote from the Bible.

I feel like E+J should take a cue from Bonnie. She did the school donation video, and in a recent vlog she mentioned the Roy meet up. She said there was a toy drive at the same location and donations of coats and blankets were needed, but she didn't say it in a high-pressure way, and was clear that a donation was not required.

When Bonnie mentions charitable stuff, it's in a low-pressure way with the goal of raising awareness and getting others to donate. It's not "wow, I loaded up the van with 2 bags of donations, aren't I the most generous person ever?"

I think E+J consider themselves philanthropists at this point. I believe Ellie was not raised to be generous in giving, so she thinks small donations of canned food are super generous. Which, I suppose makes sense, if you look back. Ellie's parents built not 1 but 2 houses, and I'm sure they tithed 10% faithfully. Add in a SAHM and five kids... I guess it would be hard to maintain their standard of living with all those obligations, even on a decent income. Charity (not including tithes) was probably not taught or modeled.

It's really Jared who is enthusiastic about helping others. Ellie just kind of pastes a smile on and goes along with it. Though she did seem excited about the IVF contest, which was odd.

To the poster who met E+J and got that bullshit "we're so happy to change lives" line... It's so typical of her! She says that all the time. Clearly she has either let the praise from positive comments and gushing fans at meetups get to her head... Or she's nervous, anxious, doesn't feel connected or really "in" the moment, and doesn't know what to say, so she parrots one of the lines she's been taught.