Cullen and Katie: Blame the Mailman Part 7

[Lovethesnark]

One other thing people aren't taking into account, the detox thing, what personal connection did they actually have with that? None. This however seemed deeply personal. We saw how much Cullen loved and respected his father, and I can't see him using that as a ways of extorting money.

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

[MommaLindsey2]

One other thing people aren't taking into account, the detox thing, what personal connection did they actually have with that? None. This however seemed deeply personal. We saw how much Cullen loved and respected his father, and I can't see him using that as a ways of extorting money.

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

Many people diet and then fail. In the south it's so hard where everything is fatty and deep fried. I know I've gone on diets and then failed. I am a Georgia girl and I am overweight as well it's very hard.

Can someone direct me to what video they discuss the money from the fundraiser? I must have missed it.


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[lmmomSD]

One other thing people aren't taking into account, the detox thing, what personal connection did they actually have with that? None. This however seemed deeply personal. We saw how much Cullen loved and respected his father, and I can't see him using that as a ways of extorting money.

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

Many people diet and then fail. In the south it's so hard where everything is fatty and deep fried. I know I've gone on diets and then failed. I am a Georgia girl and I am overweight as well it's very hard.

Can someone direct me to what video they discuss the money from the fundraiser? I must have missed it.


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You can also get fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. There's fatty deep fried foods everywhere. That's not a comment on your struggles. Just on excusing them for not sticking with it because they live in the South.
If this was in remembrance of his dad, why did they pick breast cancer? Just curious.
And on a totally other topic, what is with the vlogging and driving so much? It's not safe. Period. Even hands free phones take your attention off the road. It's been shown that they reduce your peripheral vision. I thought Katie was better about it than Cullen, but today, she spent the whole drive home vlogging and talking about her feelings. Sounded like the laughing gas was still in her system too, although not making her laugh.

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[FakingIt_MakingIt]

So she was so tired on the way to the dentist she couldn't hardly keep her eyes open, had laughing gas at the dentist, then not only drove home but vlogged the whole time? Yikes. That doesn't seem safe.

[HashtagBlessed]

One other thing people aren't taking into account, the detox thing, what personal connection did they actually have with that? None. This however seemed deeply personal. We saw how much Cullen loved and respected his father, and I can't see him using that as a ways of extorting money.

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

I also thought it was particularly dubious that they claimed their friend who was struggling with IVF and fertility problems did the detox and got pregnant. Cullen said something about how once people start working out and eating right they get pregnant. I thought it was a cruel marketing ploy since their infertility journey was a big part of their channel and I'm sure many of their followers are in the same boat.

[Lurker4Life]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]
You can also get fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. There's fatty deep fried foods everywhere. That's not a comment on your struggles. Just on excusing them for not sticking with it because they live in the South.
If this was in remembrance of his dad, why did they pick breast cancer? Just curious.
And on a totally other topic, what is with the vlogging and driving so much? It's not safe. Period. Even hands free phones take your attention off the road. It's been shown that they reduce your peripheral vision. I thought Katie was better about it than Cullen, but today, she spent the whole drive home vlogging and talking about her feelings. Sounded like the laughing gas was still in her system too, although not making her laugh.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk[/quote]

I may have been mistaken, I know they said it was some family member but his dad was the only person I could think of.

[HelloSweetie]

One other thing people aren't taking into account, the detox thing, what personal connection did they actually have with that? None. This however seemed deeply personal. We saw how much Cullen loved and respected his father, and I can't see him using that as a ways of extorting money.

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

I also thought it was particularly dubious that they claimed their friend who was struggling with IVF and fertility problems did the detox and got pregnant. Cullen said something about how once people start working out and eating right they get pregnant. I thought it was a cruel marketing ploy since their infertility journey was a big part of their channel and I'm sure many of their followers are in the same boat.

This could actually be true though. I had repeat miscarriages/IF until I dropped 10 pounds and started eating better. Got pregnant right away and it stuck. Your blood glucose can be a major contributor to fertility issues.

Saying it COULD help is a lot different than saying something WILL.

[hking224]

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You can also get fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. There's fatty deep fried foods everywhere. That's not a comment on your struggles. Just on excusing them for not sticking with it because they live in the South.
If this was in remembrance of his dad, why did they pick breast cancer? Just curious.
And on a totally other topic, what is with the vlogging and driving so much? It's not safe. Period. Even hands free phones take your attention off the road. It's been shown that they reduce your peripheral vision. I thought Katie was better about it than Cullen, but today, she spent the whole drive home vlogging and talking about her feelings. Sounded like the laughing gas was still in her system too, although not making her laugh.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk[/quote]

I may have been mistaken, I know they said it was some family member but his dad was the only person I could think of.[/quote]

Both of Katie's grandmothers had breast cancer.

[nutbagmcgee]

GMother did as well.

[Playsinrain]

Maybe some of her grandmothers sisters as well? I know there were several she mentioned along with Cullen's dad. They have done some fundraising walks for ACS in the past as well.

[HelloSweetie]

Cancer sucks no matter which one it is. I've lost loved ones to cancer, but donate indiscriminately. A cure for one cancer could be good for them all.

[Ducklings4]

Cullen she response to Katie's reaction makes me believe they did this to win the trip.

I like these two, I really do. But I don't understand why they aren't held just as accountable as any other couple would be in the same situation? If E&J or the lumps did this they would be totally under fire.

I can kind of understand the tax write off, I still think they could have had the proceeds go directly to the charity and not donated through their own bank account. But whatever. The trip and Katie's reaction really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

They could probably do the trip for less money than they donated. I don't think the trip is a big deal.


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[Lovethesnark]

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

Many people diet and then fail. In the south it's so hard where everything is fatty and deep fried. I know I've gone on diets and then failed. I am a Georgia girl and I am overweight as well it's very hard.

Can someone direct me to what video they discuss the money from the fundraiser? I must have missed it.


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I understand the struggles of weight loss. I've joined Weight Watchers several times. Most people start diets with good intentions. It's not surprising that they failed to keep up the lifestyle, but it's clear that their real motivation behind the detox was to sell the expensive products. They could have been upfront about it, but they chose to lie. It's hard to look at the situation and think that anything was sincere.

[HashtagBlessed]

That was one of the most offensive things about the detox scam. They sat and cried about wanting to change their lives following his dad's death. They wanted to be healthy for Gaines. It turns out they were being dishonest.

I also thought it was particularly dubious that they claimed their friend who was struggling with IVF and fertility problems did the detox and got pregnant. Cullen said something about how once people start working out and eating right they get pregnant. I thought it was a cruel marketing ploy since their infertility journey was a big part of their channel and I'm sure many of their followers are in the same boat.

This could actually be true though. I had repeat miscarriages/IF until I dropped 10 pounds and started eating better. Got pregnant right away and it stuck. Your blood glucose can be a major contributor to fertility issues.

Saying it COULD help is a lot different than saying something WILL.

True, there is evidence that statistically obesity lowers success rates of IVF. I don't know if the friend they mention was obese or not. But the connection between weight and fertility varies between individuals, as underweight, overweight, and obese women alike can get pregnant without a problem or struggle. It seems dubious to me for them to draw that connection considering they were marketing the product for their personal gain and making claims to their viewers about the health benefits when they can't know individual's situations. I thought they were reaching, when trying to sell people on the benefits of the program.

[Ducklings4]

But see how do you know this??? From one vlog and statement you gathered their whole plan? I rewatched the bit where she made that comment again and honestly, I probably would have said the same thing, especially if I was planning on donating 10%-20% of what I actually did. I took it as a joke, if it was malicious why would they have kept it in? They wanted people to donate, not for people to see that and have the reaction that's going on here.

And this is for everyone, but on the website can you actually see how many were sold? I thought I checked and you couldn't so don't you really think that if they wanted to keep some money and not donate as much they would have said less were sold and broke even/spent less than they did.

Because that's what she said, lol she was not happy about having to fork out the money, she even wanted to keep the profit and not just what they were going to match. Cullen brought up winning the trip.

It's no different then saying how do you know she's joking? How do you know Cullen didn't come up with this because he wanted to go on a trip and Katie said no because they need the funds to go towards house renovations and moving?

What they've done is shady. And if it were any other couple they'd be called out for it. Especially since it's not the first shady thing they've done.

I never said she was joking, I've said I took it as a joke, because to me that is more logical and that is what more evidence points toward. Once again, you did the exact same thing that I was calling people out on with your first line. There are such things such as 'joking' 'sarcasm' 'context' 'tone' etc that need to be taken into account for, otherwise, by your logic of "she said it so she must mean the words exactly as what they are", if someone says "I'm gonna kill you' we should all be fearing for our lives.

I took it as a joke as well, but I have a sarcastic and dry sense of humor and I believe C & K do as well. That is why I like them.


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[RecklessDisregard]

Just a thought, but it seems like a lot of people have a threshold for the amount of "blessings" (good luck, whatever) they actually want to see others recieve. The threshold varies from one individual to another, but as all the good fortune piles up for these YT personalities, the vloggers are seen in an increasingly critical light.

Katie and Cullen started out as very small-time vloggers, and though K has certainly always been privileged, their life seemed balanced. She was getting her degree, Cullen worked, they had losses, and were generally likable.

Now they have two beautiful, healthy children, at least one of whom is quite advanced. Both C&K stay home without sacrificing an above-average income; she has expensive purses and he has whatever toys are needed to keep up with the other vlogdads. They vacation more frequently than most folks, without the necessity of planning ahead or making any sacrifices. K drives a Mercedes. They're updating the house in anticipation of buying a new home... Which will probably be grand. And now they're getting a tax write-off and a free vacation while many of us here in the real world are struggling, or at least not enjoying that level of freedom from responsibilities and sacrifices. The better their life gets, the more critical the audience gets. And this isn't a YT phenomenon... It applies to people in real life equally, particularly in the Age of Facebook/Instagram.

Personally, I am not bothered by the issue with the fundraiser. One of my biggest criticisms of other family vloggers is that I feel like many of them are wasting so many opportunities and so much time. A lot of them just laze around the house and focus on their own happiness instead of taking the opportunity to enrich their childrens' lives with activities and socialization. I don't feel like most of them care about the world or their fellow humans (outside the bubble of their family/community/religion) and we don't see much volunteering or donating or raising awareness for important causes. While C&K are very far from perfect, I feel like they are way above average as parents, vloggers, and human beings.

My understanding of the situation was that they came to participate in this fundraiser by way of a friend or acquaintance who brought it up to them. They thought it was a good cause, and were sympathetic to the cause, which I can understand. I guess it never crossed my mind that the loss of Cullen's dad wouldn't be an adequate motivator because he didn't specifically have breast cancer... I really believe they saw a chance to do something good, and went with it. If that "something good" came with some benefits (their channel logo out there on 500 shirts, a prize, generally good publicity), that's not a problem in my opinion.

Several years back, I worked in an area of medical administration that dealt with charitable endeavors - those our hospital system staged, and the constant barrage of invitations for our staff to participate in fundraising campaigns benefiting every cause under the sun, in addition to requests for corporate donations. This contest format is very common, and so is "upping the ante" to motivate participants mid-campaign. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the prizes were donated, especially the high-value prizes. The prize donors are thanked in a brochure or letter, and often at the ceremony, which earns them publicity and clout.

Not having ever dealt with Teespring, I can't say for sure what factors went into their decision to handle the payout the way they did. There could also be issues with accounting and timing. But it strikes me that a $3500 payout from Teespring, with a separate check from C&K personally for the remaineder of their donation, may not have qualified as the "largest donation," being two separate transactions. Just speculation.

The tax deduction? I'd have taken it. It's a bit more nuanced generally than "they wrote a $10k check and are getting $10k off their taxes." And I guess it seems like they don't "need" a trip to Costa Rica. But the trip wasn't awarded based on need, if indeed anyone can be said to "need" a trip to Costa Rica. The runner up, the second highest donor, isn't likely to have needed the prize either. These fundraisers have always had a self- congratulatory air about them, where the people who are the most well-off get recognition and prizes... But it seems unfair to hold Cullen and Katie accountable for the perceived unfairness involved in the charity scene. It's not like they were Googling charities to find one with a vacay prize... They didn't expect to raise so much money (ergo, win) anyway.

I suppose I look at it as, I wish the other vloggers we discuss here would volunteer or donate... So I'm not going to throw C&K under the bus for what seems like a well-executed use of their platform to do something good. It's not the cause I personally would have chosen to support, or the exact way I might have gone about it... But there's no pleasing everybody when it comes to selecting a cause. They got a lot of comments about "you should support XYZ cause instead for various reasons that are personal to me." The suggestions varied wildly, because people all care about different stuff... But I was happy to see C&K participate in the fundraiser, and I think the engagement with their subscribers will benefit their channel.

I mean... They could have bought an unnecessary couch from Restoration Hardware instead.

I was one who saw Katie's reaction to the large number of shirts sold as... Unflattering. I don't hate her for it or anything - in fact I can understand. I have a husband who sometimes, off the cuff, doesn't say the best or most flattering things. Real people don't always say the right thing, and I imagine it's hard to try to maintain spontenaity and be true to yourself, while generally trying to be your best self, on camera every single day. Personally I wouldn't have included that bit in the vlog, editing it out if necessary. Of course, editing out genuine reactions and possibly having to re-film the scene... That's stuff we all hate!

I wondered if they left it in because they were concerned about becoming too unrelatable. Appearing to have so much spare money that they could painlessly absorb a very large, unexpected charitable donation would mark them as being quite noticeably different from their average YouTube viewer. It's kind of a minefield, really - if you're never seen to support charitable causes, people can see you as stingy and self-absorbed, but being seen to have so much disposable income presents its own set of problems.

I didn't criticize Katie at the time because I don't really blame her for having that reaction at all. It was a lot of money! It was just not her best moment. I still generally think highly of both of them. Sorry for the novel.

[KitKat 01]

Could someone explain the "detox" issue? I only watch them occasionally. I came on here to read the comments after watching yesterday's vlog where they were given the free trip. It rubbed me the wrong way because I feel like they shouldn't be so quick to accept a freebie like that when they are supposed to be in it for the charity.

[KitKat 01]

double post, sorry

[mblant99]

Cullen she response to Katie's reaction makes me believe they did this to win the trip.

I like these two, I really do. But I don't understand why they aren't held just as accountable as any other couple would be in the same situation? If E&J or the lumps did this they would be totally under fire.

I can kind of understand the tax write off, I still think they could have had the proceeds go directly to the charity and not donated through their own bank account. But whatever. The trip and Katie's reaction really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

They could probably do the trip for less money than they donated. I don't think the trip is a big deal.


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Yes!!!! Totally agree.


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[Lovethesnark]

Could someone explain the "detox" issue? I only watch them occasionally. I came on here to read the comments after watching yesterday's vlog where they were given the free trip. It rubbed me the wrong way because I feel like they shouldn't be so quick to accept a freebie like that when they are supposed to be in it for the charity.

Last year, shortly after Cullen's dad died, they made a video announcing that they would be doing a 28 day detox using Arbonne product. In the video they talk about how the loss of Cullen's dad was a wake up call and they needed to get healthy. They encouraged their viewers join them on the detox and to buy these products from their "friend". If they purchased the products from their friend, the viewers would be added to a special facebook group where they could chat with C&K and go through the detox together. They say that they aren't affiliated with Arbonne. The video wasn't a sponsored ad and that they wouldn't be making any money from Arbonne. For the entire 28 days, they went on about how great they felt and how the products were the greatest thing ever. When people started signing up to buy the detox products, they learned that the friend C&K spoke about was running their account. They wouldn't be buying products from the friend. They would actually be purchasing the products from C&K. They lied about not making any money by promoting the products. Once they were caught, they continued to lie by saying they were always upfront about being consultants. That was absolutely not true.