TLC's hit reality series, OutDaughtered, introduced the world to the Busby family, who welcomed
the first all-female set of quintuplets in the United States.
While Adam and Danielle appear to lay it all out on the show, things aren't always what
they seem.
Here's what you can stop believing about OutDaughtered.
While there's no denying the fact that landing a reality TV show can certainly be lucrative
work, not everyone on TV lives strictly off a paycheck from the network.
The Busbys definitely don't, although many people probably assume they do.
According to E! News, reality show families like the Duggars have made between "$25,000
to $40,000 per episode."
That means the Busbys could be making anywhere from $200,000 to $520,000 per season for filming
8 to 13 episodes of the show.
But, considering they have six kids to provide for, that isn't all they do to bring home
the bacon.
"I'm gonna have to photoshop all this chocolate off their faces."
Along with running a cycle studio, Adam started working for himself in 2018.
And an episode of the show featured him landing a pretty great work opportunity in media.
"This is Riley, say hi.
That's Mr. Ryan.
This is Blayke."
"Oh!"
"Daddy's on a call."
Additionally, Danielle launched two online retail stores; children's clothing store Graeson
Bee Boutique, and a fitness line in collaboration with her sisters.
The Busbys obviously work hard, and clearly don't rely on OutDaughtered as their only
source of income.
While many people love to watch reality TV, some fans can't help but wonder how healthy
it is for a family to have cameras following their young children around at all hours of
the day.
But as Danielle wrote on her blog, It's a Buzz World, that she's used to people thinking
she's somehow harming her family, even when it couldn't be further from the truth.
She wrote,
"There are so many people who think the life of a reality show is just ridiculous and full
of exploiting your family."
"Oh, that's a lot of toilet paper."
Danielle explained that she and her family feel like they've been destined to share their
story on national TV.
She said,
"Is it wrong to say that we feel called to show the world God's amazing works in our
life?
We do share publicly, but that is because we feel God called us to do so."
"Being the first set of all girl quintuplets in the country, the girls have been on local
and national news and most of them love the attention."
Still, some viewers believe that Adam and Danielle force their kids to be on camera
for the series.
In an interview with USA Today, Danielle said that they were very honest with their kids
about the show and how they would never make them appear on camera, if they didn't want
to.
She said,
"We've had to get more explanatory to Blayke and the older cousins that this is very different
and it's definitely a different type of life.
We respect all the kids' wishes and if they don't want to be on camera at certain times,
we don't make them.
And we'll do that with all our kids."
If any of the Busby kids say that they don't want to be on camera, then they simply don't
have to be.
As a fan of the show, you might have noticed just how natural both Adam and Danielle seem
in front of the cameras.
They are charming, sweet, funny, and honest, and it almost seems like they were made to
be reality stars.
But that isn't exactly the case.
In fact, the Busbys never really wanted to be reality stars at all.
In a post on the family blog, Danielle wrote about how shocked she is about her fame.
She claims,
"I…still think it's crazy we have had a reality TV show…and yes!
I still think to myself 'who is gonna watch this?'"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry girls!
Good job!"
She also explained that while a lot of people think the Busbys carved out a reality career
out of their own sheer will, they had a sort of higher influence, writing,
"We prayed about direction and the Lord showed us a path so we said yes!"
Ever since Hollywood came knocking, the Busbys have been making the most of it.
For regular viewers of OutDaughtered, it certainly seems as though the Busbys have it made when
it comes to finding help for their kids.
However, Danielle doesn't always get assistance with the quints and older daughter Blayke,
and the couple has struggled to keep up.
On one episode, Adam was home alone with the quints and was shocked at how Danielle does
it.
He said,
"Without Danielle here to help, I'm reminded how difficult it is to keep up with all these
kids and keep the house in order at the same time."
When Adam first went back to work after the quints were born, he was already stressed
about the care situation, admitting,
"I'm going back to work, and she's gonna be at home by herself with six kids."
Of course, they have family and friends who help out, but that doesn't mean Danielle has
it easy.
Considering there's no such thing as being "just" a mom, the fact of the matter is, on
top of raising six daughters and taking care of her house and her husband, Danielle also
has two side businesses to manage.
"I love mommy because she takes care of me, and she loves me every day.
You're the best, Mommy!
Love you."
Clearly, Danielle is a total boss in every sense of the word, and she has no intention
of slowing down any time soon.
With six girls at home, Adam and Danielle are somehow able to juggle it all, while tending
to each of their daughters' needs.
However, some viewers assume that the busy parents have a favorite among their girls.
And fans even think they know who.
After Season 5 aired, mom-shamers came for Danielle after she and Adam had to make a
difficult decision regarding their children's education.
"It was scary to go to a new class, and my sisters aren't in the class."
Specifically, daughter Riley did so well on her class placement test that the Busbys decided
to move her up a grade level, without her sisters.
According to People magazine, a user commented on Danielle's Instagram,
"Why does it seem like the entire family revolves everything around Riley?"
However, Danielle told the outlet,
"In the instance of letting Riley move up before her sisters, that was based strictly
on her."
"They'll each get there when they get there, in their own time."
The Busbys certainly don't favor Riley over her sisters, no matter what viewers think.
Since the Busbys star on reality TV, it's only natural for viewers to assume that the
show might sugarcoat the family's bigger issues.
After all, who would want their marital problems and all of their personal business aired for
a national audience?
Well, not only does OutDaughtered accurately portray the Busby family, the show even highlights
some of the family's problems, and that's exactly how they planned it.
In 2017, Adam opened up about his struggle with postpartum depression, which wasn't easy
for him to do.
But he knew he had to be honest, telling People magazine,
"I have a big responsibility with the platform that I have been given.
I want to make sure that I bring awareness to the realities of postpartum depression
and other mental health issues."
"If me being vulnerable, and talking about this on national television, if that's gonna
help one dad, then it's all worth it."
The Busbys make sure to show both the highs and the lows of their life on OutDaughtered,
which is just one of the many reasons fans adore them.
Viewers can easily see how great of a parent Danielle is.
She speaks to each of her children with love and kindness and is able to care for all six
daughters with patience and humor.
But a lot of viewers think that dad Adam isn't as involved in parenting as his wife is.
"I'm always the bad cop and you're like the…"
"Good cop?"
"No, you're not even a cop."
The reality is, yes, he works outside the home more than Danielle, but he still cares
for their daughters.
Adam told Parade he has one special skill when it comes to parenting, saying,
"Usually the mom takes on most responsibilities having to do stuff like fixing hair, picking
out outfits and matching hair bows with outfits for the girls.
When you have six of them, you find yourself right in the middle of that.
I'm better with a round brush than Danielle!"
"When you're in a house full of girls, you gotta do what you gotta do."
Adam is a very involved dad, and the girls have the quality time to prove it.
With six children, it's a wonder that Adam and Danielle aren't constantly overwhelmed
as parents.
But on the show, they make it very clear that, even though their lives are hectic, they've
totally got everything under control, for the most part.
The truth is that, even though the family can handle the mayhem, it isn't always easy.
"Here, you try.
Look, try it."
"No."
Fortunately Danielle was already a wiz at staying organized even before she had the
quints, and that didn't change after they arrived.
"This is our timer.
So everyone's gonna find a toy, and then we're gonna switch."
Danielle explained how her naturally killer organization skills helped her, telling Channel
Guide Magazine,
"Obviously I had a hard time learning what to do and how to do it with five, but to detail
and to plan this and schedule that and to make a system, that I was good at.
When I say I was created and made for this, I honestly was.
When I was given five babies, I just had to take those skills and adapt it to baby things."
On just about every season of OutDaughtered, the Busby family takes a trip, usually with
their extended family, and always to a family-friendly destination.
"This is how you start a Hawaii vacation."
On Season 4 of the show, the Busbys went to Hawaii, and on Season 5, they took a Disney
cruise.
All of their trips seem super fun and sometimes a little extravagant, but that doesn't mean
the Busbys are leading lives of leisure.
The truth is that a family vacation for the Busbys can often be more stressful than relaxing
at home.
"This is the quint chaos right here."
Danielle recounted everything she has to think through, blogging,
"How do we keep 6 kids occupied on a plane for 8+ hours, airport layovers, jet lag, sleeping
situations, transportation…carseats and a van big enough to transport us, how many
bags can/should I bring, snacks…the list goes on!"
While it may seem like the Busbys are always kicking it on the beach, they have to hustle
hard to make those once-in-a-while family trips happen.
Even though Adam and Danielle have their hands full with six daughters, there's no denying
the fact that their family was meant to be big.
But while some people get the impression that the couple are done adding to their clan,
that might not be the case.
While fans will remember the drama between Adam and Danielle when he revealed he didn't
go to his vasectomy post-op appointment to make sure the procedure was a success, that
isn't to say the couple is done growing their family.
In an interview with Us Weekly, they revealed that they're still open to more kids.
Danielle claimed the quote "shop's closed" but added,
"There won't be any more children unless one day God ever put in our hearts to adopt."
Their house may be full, but their hearts are still open.
Since the Busbys didn't snag headlines until after they found out they were pregnant with
the first all-female set of quints in the U.S., it makes sense that the record-breaking
babies would get a lot of attention.
But in the Busby house, that doesn't mean the quints get more love than their older
sister, Blayke.
On an episode of the show, Adam and Danielle expressed their concern for Blayke's potential
feelings of neglect, and discussed what they're doing to help.
Danielle said they enrolled Blayke in gymnastics classes, and added,
"I feel bad for her having to deal with how wild and crazy the quints are right now.
She has to be, like, stressed."
Clearly, the Busbys care for all their daughters equally, and are absolutely crushing reality
family life.
They make it work, despite the beautiful chaos that makes OutDaughtered so much fun to watch.
"I don't know what the future holds for us, but right now, I can't help be proud of every
one of them."
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