Sister Wives: Janelle Brown Marvels At The Fact That The Darger Family Lives Under One Roof

Over the course of 10 years on TLC’s Sister Wives, Kody Brown and his four wives – Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown and Robyn Brown – have made two major moves. First, they moved from Lehi, Utah, to Las Vegas, Nevada, before settling in Flagstaff, Arizona.In Utah, the Brown family was active in their fundamentalist Mormon sect, the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB). After their moves to Nevada and Arizona, they lost touch with many of the polygamous families they once knew.

In a new sneak peek for the Feb. 21 episode of Sister Wives, the Browns try to make up for that loss with a trip to Utah to visit the Darger family. Joe Darger and his three wives (Vicki, Valerie, and Alina Darger) are also fundamentalist Mormons. They have made previous appearances on TLC, both in Sister Wives and in their special, My Three Wives.

Sister Wives: Janelle Brown Marvels At The Fact That The Darger Family Lives Under One Roof

Sister Wives fans know that the idea of living in one house as a family unit is a sore point for the Browns.

Kody Brown desperately wanted to build a big house for his four wives and all his children in Coyote Pass, the Browns’ property in Arizona. Kody Brown’s second wife, Janelle, was strongly in favor of the idea. Meri and Robyn were open but uncertain about the notion, while Kody’s third wife, Christine Brown, flatly refused to consider it.

In a new Sister Wives sneak peek on TLC’s official Instagram account, the Browns’ concerns about their family divisions due to living apart come to the forefront once again during their trip to visit the Dargers. Janelle tells Lifetime producers that she is impressed with the Darger family’s ability to work through their issues and achieve unity. “The Dargers live under one roof,” Kody Brown’s second wife says, adding that they also share one kitchen. “They just have figured out how to make it work. A lot of families can. A lot of people do.”

In the preview of Sister Wives, Kody Brown tells Joe that he has a “homey feeling” with other polygamists that he misses in Arizona. There aren’t many fundamentalist Mormons in their new hometown, which makes it difficult to relate to other couples and families. “I think one of our biggest problems is that we don’t have other polygamists to fellowship with,,” the Sister Wives patriarch complains.

Kody Brown’s first wife, Meri Brown, agrees with that assessment. In Utah, the Browns were close to many other plural families. Now, she thinks they have been heavily influenced by “monogamist culture.” “Our family, we’re separating and separating,” Meri Brown tells Lifetime producers. “It’s almost like we’re interacting more with people who are not a plural family, so they don’t get it, so we’re starting to react more like an individual family.”

Whereas the Browns used to “stay together and fight together,” she explains, they now deal with their problems each on their own. Christine Brown chimes in, reflecting, “We could really benefit from being with other polygamists. We’ve lived in a monogamous world for so long, and it’s hard.”