Tuesday, December 30, 2014

"Bringing Up Bates" Episode Summaries

The all-new UP original series Bringing Up Bates premieres in two days! Let's see what's in store for the Bates family in the first three episodes...

Thursday, January 1, 9:00pm ET
Bringing Up Bates “Meet the Bates” (60 min) 
Meet the super-sized Bates family: Parents Gil and Kelly Jo Bates have 19 kids, 3 kids-in-law, and their first grandbaby on the way! The house is buzzing as the family gathers for dinner, including married couples Zach & Whitney -- who are expecting baby Bradley in one month – and Erin & Chad. As Kelly Jo and the girls plan a baby shower for Whitney, Gil and the older boys are off to a tree cutting job. Later, Erin shares that she had another miscarriage and is struggling to get pregnant. On the day of the shower, chaos ensues when Trace gets into a car accident and sibling Alyssa and her husband, John, arrive from Florida with news of their own.

Thursday, January 8, 9:00pm ET
Bringing Up Bates “Courtship and Marriage” (30 min)
Newlywed Erin Bates is adjusting to married life, going from a house with 18 siblings to a house with just her husband, Chad. To help ease the transition to a quiet house and help the heartache of another miscarriage, she hosts her younger siblings for a sleepover. Meanwhile, eldest  daughter Michael is in a courtship with a young man named Brandon, who is away at seminary school in Texas. She wants to surprise him with a visit, but how will that go over with the Bates family’s strict courtship and intimacy rules? Then, at Zach and Whitney’s final ultrasound before the birth, the couple gets honest about having a baby – and if they’ll follow in Zach’s parents’ footsteps in every sense. Later, at an OBGYN check-up, Erin and Chad get news that impacts their desire to start a family.

Thursday, January 15, 9:00pm ET
Bringing Up Bates “Bates Gone Wild” (30 min) 
Nothing like driving lessons and a camping trip to bring out family dynamics. As the Bates family gears up to rough it outdoors – how do they pack for so many and move the troops all at once? – Tori and Carlin’s nerves are rattled by older brothers Zach and Lawson as they practice one last time for their driving test. Later, settling in at the campsite proves challenging, as not everyone is thrilled to be in the wild. Then as Gil, Kelly Jo, and the older kids take a canoe trip, 16-year-old Carlin babysits 8 younger siblings. As daunting as it seems, she fares better than the adults do on the canoe trip.


Photo: Courtesy of UP

Meet Erin and Chad Paine

23-year-old Erin Bates Paine and husband Chad share how they met and fell in love. Bringing Up Bates premieres at 9pm ET on Thursday, January 1st, 2014, on UP TV.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

"Bringing Up Bates"...9 Days!

We are counting down the days until Bringing Up Bates premiers on UP TV. Bringing Up Bates will follow the lives of Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children, who live in eastern Tennessee. The series premieres at 9pm ET on January 1st, 2015, on UP TV. For a sneak peek of the upcoming series, check out these videos:

Bringing Up Bates: A Fun Family Full of Love


Bringing Up Bates: Meet the Bates

Bringing Up Bates: Christmas Greetings

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Another Bates Grandchild

Three weeks after welcoming their first grandchild, Gil and Kelly Bates are thrilled to announce that another baby is on the way. Alyssa and John Webster are expecting!

Alyssa, the sixth oldest of the 19 Bates children, married John Webster on May 24, 2014, and is looking forward to the birth of her first child in April 2015.

Alyssa and John Webster

Photo: Alyssa and John Webster

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Bates Family to Return to Reality TV

The Bates family has two big announcements to make. (Just to clear things up right now, they are not expecting their 20th child...yet.)

1. Zach, the oldest of Gil and Kelly Bates' 19 children, and his wife, Whitney, welcomed the first Bates grandchild into the world yesterday.

first Bates grandchild
 Zach and Whitney Bates with son Bradley Gilvin Bates

2. Do you remember TLC's United Bates of America, which aired in 2012? Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children are set to star in another reality TV series. Bringing Up Bates premieres on UP TV on New Year's Day. Watch a video preview below:



In case you are unfamiliar with the Bates family, here's a family photo:

Birth order: Zach (& wife Whitney), Michaella (& boyfriend Brandon), Erin (& husband Chad), Lawson, Nathan, Alyssa (& husband John), Tori, Trace, Carlin, Josie, Katie, Jackson, Warden, Isaiah, Addallee, Ellie, Callie, Judson, Jeb


Photos: Bates family

Friday, August 1, 2014

New Bates Family Pictures

While driving through the hills of eastern Tennessee yesterday, we dropped by the Bates' house for lunch and fellowship.

Until five years ago, Gil and Kelly Bates and their growing family lived in a 1,700 square-foot house. Now, the Bates clan enjoys 4,600 square feet of living space, which includes a 2,900 square-foot addition built by the Duggars in 2009 as a Mother's Day present for Kelly.


 The Bates family home

Kelly Bates is able to carry on a conversation while keeping an eye on her many little ones and reprimanding as necessary. 

Kelly Bates with Addallee, Jeb, and Ellie Bates
 
Kelly almost always has a child on her lab and at least one by her side, as the younger ones enjoy cuddling with Mommy.
 
 Kelly Bates with Callie and Ellie Bates
 
While we chatted, the kids played in the living room, and although they were full of energy, they instantly obeyed Kelly and the older kids when told to calm down. 
 
 Addallee, Warden, and Jeb Bates

Two-year-old Jeb is the youngest of Gil and Kelly Bates' 19 children. This is the first time since the couple started having kids 25 years ago that they have had a two-year-old and no infant. Everyone is excited to welcome Zach and Whitney Bates' son, Bradley, into the family in October.

 Kelly Bates and Ellie

According to the older kids, Jeb is the spittin' image of Judson, who is one year older.
 
 Judson and Jeb Bates
 
We accidentally deleted the photo of Judson with the cone on his head, but this one is almost as cute.

 Judson Bates
 
Things are changing for the Bates, who have watched three of their children tie the knot over the past nine months.The kids say the house seems incredibly quiet with only 16 children living at home.

 Kelly Bates with Josie, Jeb, Trace, and Judson Bates
 
Zach and Erin and their spouses live nearby, but Alyssa moved all the way to Orlando, Florida, with her husband. Fourteen-year-old Josie, who was Alyssa's roommate and best friend, is looking forward to visiting her sister for two weeks in August.

Josie Bates and Ellie

Tori Bates, 18, is taking college classes while helping her mom homeschool the younger kids. 
 
Tori Bates and Ellie
 
Four-year-old Callie-Anna is as cute as a button with her "elephant ears," as she calls them.
 
Callie Bates

After we left, the kids grabbed their bins filled with school supplies and returned to their studies. Some of the children use A Beka DVDs, and others use traditional workbooks. 
 
Tori Bates instructs Jackson, Ellie, Addallee, and Callie Bates
 
Derick and Jill Dillard have a wedding in Tennessee this weekend and are looking forward to visiting the Bates. Too bad we had to leave just two days before they were scheduled to arrive.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

More Courtship News

Over the course of the past two months, two Bates children (Zach and Erin) tied the knot, and two more started courtships. Alyssa's courtship with John Webster began in November, and the New Year brought news of another budding relationship. Michael, the second oldest of Gil and Kelly Bates' 19 children and the oldest girl, entered into a courtship with Brandon Keilen. Here's a photo:


Photo: Gil and Kelly Bates