'Who's the Most Romantic' Recap

Counting On "Who's the Most Romantic?"

• Four of the married couples arrive at Jim Bob and Michelle’s house. Jessa is about halfway through her pregnancy with Ivy. Garrett is eight months old. John and Abbie are enjoying being newlyweds. Josiah and Lauren are still grieving the loss of their first child. “Through this past year we’ve faced some pretty hard times,” says Lauren. “We miscarried. It was definitely heartbreaking and still something I cry about every day.”
• “We feel like it’s really important for couples to have a date night,” says Michelle. She and Jim Bob are going to watch the grandchildren while the four couples go out on dates, with a little bit of competition mixed in. Who can come up with the most romantic evening out? Each couple can only spend $60 and must stay within one hour of the Duggar home. They will take photos and videos and return after four hours.
• “I don’t remember the last time we had five in diapers at once here,” says Jim Bob. “We’ll have to get an assembly line going.”
• Joe and Kendra head out on a penny flipping date. At each major intersection, they flip a coin. Heads means go right, tails means go left. “…That’s kind of like life,” says Kendra. “You can’t really plan your future. So it’s good to just enjoy each moment and to have the right attitude all the time, no matter where you end up.” On their last flip, they end up at a gazebo, where they stop for a picnic.
• Jessa and Ben spend their date at the KYYA chocolate factory. “We love one another, and we both love chocolate,” says Ben. Then they take a walk outside and sit down by a lake to enjoy the chocolates they made.
• Josiah and Lauren head to Fort Rock Family Camp, owned by Austin’s family, to ride horses. Horseback riding is something that Lauren grew up doing and that Josiah enjoys, as well.
• John and Abbie take to the skies for their date. “We play to win,” says Abbie. They stop at a lake to grill steak.
• “Most of us didn’t really see the romantic side of John, so it kind of has surprised all of us, I think,” says Jana. “I think [Abbie] brought out the best in him.”
• While the couples are on their dates, they also go through discussion questions that Jim Bob and Michelle gave them to help them grow closer together. The questions spark conversation on topics like finances and romantic gestures.
• “[Abbie] worked a normal 8-5 job,” say John. “As most of us Duggars do, we are self-employed, so we’re going to go out, and we may tap ourselves out investing in something to get a return on that. So that’s a completely different perspective for her, versus just getting a paycheck every week.” Abbie says they have had a lot of conversation about finances but that she trusts John’s judgement because he has made many wise investments.
• Back at the Duggar house, Jim Bob is out in the yard running around with some of his kids and older grandkids, while Michelle has the little grandchildren in the house. “My goal when Michelle and I are babysitting the grandkids is to be the fun grandpa,” says Jim Bob. 
• Meredith bites Spurgeon, and Spurgeon bites her back. Spurgeon calls Meredith a bad girl, and both of them end up in tears. Jim Bob explains why biting isn’t allowed and then tells both toddlers that he is going to tell their parents what happened.
• Jeremy is in Los Angeles for a conference and picks Jinger and Felicity up at the airport when they arrive. The Vuolos are preparing for their move to LA. “I’m really excited about the decision to move to LA,” says Jinger. “I’ve always thought it would be neat to live in a big city. I love hustle and bustle.”
• “Jinger’s always loved big city,” says Jessa. “Any time we would take a family road trip and end up in Chicago or New York, she was always like, ‘This is awesome. I would love to live here one day.’ And all the rest of us were like, ‘No, I want to go back to the country.’”
• While the other Duggars love the country, Ben admits that he wouldn’t mind living in a big city.   
• “[Felicity] is going to be a Cali girl,” says Jeremy. But life in LA is going to be an adjustment, especially considering the traffic and high cost of living. “…There will be some culture shock, but I’m ready for it,” says Jinger.
• After the couples return, Jim Bob and Michelle watch the footage of the dates and announce the winners:
• Most romantic date: Joe and Kendra
• Thriftiest date: Josiah and Lauren
• Date we’d go on: Jessa and Ben
• Most original date: John-David and Abbie 

'Love is in the Air' Recap

Counting On "Love is in the Air"

• Jinger’s due date is almost here, and she hopes to have Felicity soon so she can avoid having an especially large baby like some of her sisters. Jeremy cooks a spicy Indian dish to try to get things going. The spice is so strong that Jinger, Jeremy, and all the cameramen start coughing and sputtering.
• Back in Arkansas, the other siblings try to stomach different levels of hot sauce. Jason wins the challenge.
• John and Abbie have been courting for a couple months, and they are ready to take their relationship to the next level. “Within the first week, it was like we had already known each other forever,” says John, who introduced Abbie to the family as his “girlfriend” within two weeks of knowing her.
• During their courtship, John has visited Abbie every weekend. “He’s very steady,” Abbie says of John. “Nothing much riles him. He likes to have fun.”
• “The more I get to know Abbie, the more I love her,” says John.
• Now it’s time for John to plan the proposal! He has enlisted the help of a photographer, Lori Blythe, who works near the Fredericksburg, Texas, airport, which is where John will propose.
• On proposal day, John and Jana fly to Ada, Oklahoma. “Jana’s been my wing woman for years,” says John. “She’s been a great blessing to me.” 
•  Meanwhile, Abbie and her twin sisters, Maggie and Carinna, are at home making peach salsa. “John is very romantic,” Abbie says of John. “He buys me flowers. He paints my nails.”
• While Abbie is in the kitchen cooking, John walks up behind her and surprises her. John tells her to pack a bag so they can go on a journey.
• While the group flies to Fredericksburg, photographer Lori is at the airplane hanger setting up for the proposal.
• When they started their relationship, John and Abbie sat down to decide on their courtship standards. Their courtship is different than John’s siblings because they are allowing themselves to share more side hugs and show more affection than the others have. "Mine and Abbie's courtship standards have been slightly different than some of my siblings, although we all get to make the decision on what our standards are,” says John. 
• When John, Abbie, Maggie, and Jana arrive at the Fredericksburg airport, they eat dinner at the Airport Diner, and then they walk over to the hanger, where everything is set up for the proposal. Jana and Maggie hang back, and John leads Abbie to a pile of rose pedals in the shape of a heart.
• John and Abbie are both smiling and giggling as John shares a few words: "Life's been wonderful since about, May 6th. I wanted to know if you wanted to keep flying with me. I'm kind of wondering, wanting to know, do you have anything going for the next, say, rest of your life? Cause if you don't really have any big plans, I'd love for you to spend the rest of your life with me. Will you marry me?" 
• “I would be honored to marry you," replies Abbie. The couple shares a few frontal hugs as they rejoice over what has just happened. John is giddy with excitement as he recounts the engagement. 
  Right after the big moment, the photographer does a photo session. “I think the world must have stopped at that moment cause I don't remember much except for John being there," says Abbie. 
• During Jinger’s 38^th week, the Seewalds, Jana, and friend Laura arrive in Laredo to help the Vuolos set up the nursery. The first order of business is to remove the bed and move Jeremy’s soccer jerseys to the garage. The Vuolos have four bedrooms—a master, office, guest room, and now nursery.
• “I wasn’t actually prepared for the jerseys to be removed…” says Jeremy. “I think I had flashbacks of my precious books being locked in a closet.”
• When asked by the producer if she feels bad for Jeremy, Jana says: “No. He’s getting a girl added to his life. He’s getting his first daughter. That’s way more precious than your soccer jerseys.”
• “I really don’t have a vision,” admits Jinger. “So that’s why I leave it to the girls.” The nursery theme will be Southwestern.
• Later, Jinger and Jeremy travel to San Antonio for a visit with their midwife.
• Jinger’s birth team will consist of Jeremy, Michelle, Jana, Laura, and Jeremy’s mom. Jeremy’s dad will be at the hospital but not in the room.
• “I really wanted my mom there because she’s been through this countless times, and I think that would be one of the biggest comforts for me,” says Jinger.
• Three days before Jinger’s due date, she heads to the hospital to be induced. “I am not nervous and anxious for her,” says Jeremy. “If anything, I’m anxious for myself. I hope I can…be the strength I need to be for her.”