One of the most heavily-scrutinized aspects of life in the Duggar clan is the courtship process by which young people find suitable spouses.
Casual dating, premarital sex, and divorce are all forbidden in the Duggars’ world, so there’s a lot riding on every courtship.
Despite all that, the process moves fast — very fast.
Often, Duggars get engaged just a few weeks after they begin courting, and they’re married a few weeks after that.
So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the family has its mate selection protocol down to a science.
Believe it or not, the process involves a written application that’s designed by Jim Bob to help weed out the losers and ensure that his grandkids are bred from only the best stock.
We sincerely wish we were joking/
As you might expect, the whole thing is intensely creepy.
Check out some of the more bizarre highlights from the list of 423 questions (!!!) that are presented to potential Duggar suitors.
It’s believed that both male and female courtship partners are forced to fill out the questionnaire, and of course, the responses are reviewed by the all-powerful shot-caller himself, James Robert Duggar.
Somehow, this family keeps getting weirder by the day.
1. Derick Spills the Tea
As you’re probably aware, Derick Dillard has been feuding with Jim Bob Duggar for quite some time now. It’s a messy situation, but on the bright side, it’s yielded some interesting revelations about life in the Duggar clan.
2. Going Back to the Archives
Of course, as some fans recently realized, Derick has been taking shots at Jim Bob for quite some time now. Take, for example, the Counting On episode in which Dillard spoke out about the infamous Courtship Questionnaire.
3. Bonding Brothers-In-Law
At the time that the episode was filmed, Jeremy Vuolo was still courting Jinger Duggar, and Derick shocked him with an unexpected question.
4. Truth or Der
Derick asked Jeremy if he had been “drill[ed]” on his “financial situation” by Jim Bob, adding that such questions can be found “on the 45-page application,” he said. “Page 27, section B, line four.”
5. Jim Bob In the Middle
It might sound like Der and Jer were just having a laugh at Jim Bob’s expense, but it turns out the application is not only real — it’s also much longer than they described.
6. Does the Fun Ever Start!
Around that time, there was a disagreement about the length of the application. Jessa Duggar claimed it’s only 30 pages, while Jeremy said that he “got sent a 50-page questionnaire.” It turns out, the current model clocks in at 423 questions — and we have all the highlights below!
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