Counting On "Duggars in Quarantine"
- As the show opens, the Duggars are discussing how they have been impacted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arkansas is still open, while California is closing down.
- “I tend to become an optimist by nature anyways, but there are times when even I can think about and start to worry about all the things that are going wrong and could go wrong,” says Ben. Jessa is already very familiar with grocery pickup, but the time slots are so limited that she sometimes has to go to the store.
- “I have literally gained five pounds,” admits Jessa, as she discusses buying ice cream as a comfort food when other items are not available. “It’s not even funny.” Ben is in his final six weeks of school, and it has been difficult for him to have to study at home rather than at coffee shops.
- The grocery store limits have been especially challenging for Jim Bob and Michelle and the kids still at home. “I’m finding that I have to order like every three days, and we you can’t always get your order in, so we just are doing without certain things and trying to make it work,” says Michelle. Ben, who helps with the teaching, has been video chatting with the kids during schooltime. Arkansas is encouraging residents to limit their gatherings to 10 people, but Jim Bob and Michelle say there are 13 or 14 still living under their roof. They are doing a lot of sanitizing.
- “We’ve realized that most of the world doesn’t homeschool, but now they are,” says Michelle. “And we can identify with those challenges. It isn’t easy. There’s a lot of effort and patience that goes into that.”
- Jim Bob adds a little comic relief: “It’s been a very interesting time in our nation, and I think families are spending more time together. Husbands and wives are spending more time together. Probably people are getting on each other’s nerves after a while.”
- In Los Angeles, the Vuolos have been quarantined for a month. They spend a lot of time in the backyard and on walks around the neighborhood. Jeremy is still studying at home, so it’s challenging for Jinger to keep Felicity from disturbing him. Meanwhile, John and Abbie are busy building a garden outside their mobile home while Grace sleeps in her bassinet.
- At the big house, Jana does an art lesson with the four youngest girls in her glass greenhouse. Josie covers her entire paper with blue paint. “Josie, I think…I’m gonna just go ahead and say you’re done, okay?” says Jana. She asks Josie to go wash her hands.
- Later, everyone gathers for a virtual family fun night. Jim Bob and Michelle moderate trivia questions, both about the family and random other topics. “I’m pretty generous with the points,” admits Jim Bob.
- “I am pretty particular when it comes to keeping points,” says Joy. “And my dad’s like, ‘Everybody’s a winner.’ And I’m like, ‘No, not everybody’s a winner.’”
