Josiah Duggar

Derick Dillard: I Had to Fill Out 423-Question Application Before Jim Bob Would Let Me Court Jill!

Tyler Johnson Ben Seewald

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

Jill duggar and derick dillard back in arkansas
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

Derick dillard on xmas
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

Jinger duggar and jeremy vuolo in 2021
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 dillard on insta
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

Jim bob duggar father of the groom
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!

Jessa duggar and ben seewald video pic
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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Duggar Family Tree: How Many Courtships, Marriages, and Grandkids Are There?! [UPDATED]

Tyler Johnson Claire Spivey

Large sections of the Old Testament are devoted to genealogies – lengthy lists of couplings and the biblically-significant offspring that they begat.

Given the Duggars’ love for the Good Book, we’re sure someone in the family has compiled a similar compendium of the courtships and marriages that led to the creation of Jim Bob and Michelle’s many granchildren.

It might seem like it would take a monastic scholar to keep track of the rapid expansion of the Counting On clan, but we tried. We tried.

THG has managed to create a complete list of the #LittleDuggars without locking ourselves in an abbey with a quill and parchment.

But that’s not to say it was a simple task.

After all, Jim Bob and Michelle have a lot of kids, and those kids are very dedicated to the task of populating Northwest Arkansas with Duggars.

So sit back, grab a Duggar-friendly snack (might we suggest a jar of pickles?) and explore the family tree of TV’s most beloved Baptist brood.

[The Duggars keep breeding, so we keep updating! Scroll down for the latest on TV’s most fertile family.)

1. Meet the Duggars

Duggar family photo a classic
The Duggar family seems to get bigger by the day. In fact, the Counting On clan has welcomed so bundles of joy in the past decade that some fans might find it difficult to keep up.

2. Humble Beginnings

Michelle and jim bob 1984
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar had their first child, Josh, in 1988. Needless to say, they didn’t stop there.

3. Fame Comes Calling

Duggar family picture
The family first rose to national prominence with a series of Discovery Health and TLC documentaries that mostly focused on Michelle’s last five deliveries.

4. A Bunch of Stars Are Born

Michelle duggar and jim bob duggar in silver dollar city
Viewers couldn’t get enough of the wholesome Arkansas clan, and it wasn’t long before the Duggars had their own show.

5. On the Grow

The duggar family photo
Initially titled 17 Kids and Counting, the series documented the adventures and unorthodox customs of the still-expanding Duggar clan.

6. Overlapping Generations

Josie duggar image
That expansion occurred in more ways than one, as Jim Bob and Michelle welcomed their youngest child (Josie Duggar, now 9) AFTER welcoming their first grandchild.

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The Duggar Courtship Race: How Soon Will Justin Duggar Marry Claire Spivey?

Tyler Johnson Anna Duggar

By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Justin Duggar is courting Claire Spivey.

Fans only learned about the relationship last week, but already, many of them are asking the same question:

When are Justin and Claire going to get married?

For the answer, we look to previous Duggar courtships.

As you know, Counting On is basically the reality TV equivalent of Game of Thrones:

On each show, there are roughly four million characters, and it’s often difficult to keep track of who’s doing what … or whom.

The Duggars take a slightly more conservative view on coupling than the residents of Westeros, but all the same, courtships, weddings, pregnancies, and births are a big part of what keeps their core audience tuning in.

So here’s a rundown of what some of Jim Bob and Michelle’s kids (including Justin) are up to these days.

Don’t worry – unlike Thrones, the Duggars won’t be leaving your TV screen anytime soon. Not as long as they continue to make sure Earth’s population growth continues unabated.

1. Justin and Claire: A New Beginning

Claire spivey and justin duggar photo
For the most part, all Duggar courtships are the same. But in several key ways, Justin and Claire are in uncharted territory.

2. The Young Ones

Justin with claire on instagram
For one, they’re very young, even by the standards of a Duggar couple. Claire is 19, and Justin is only 17.

3. Across State Lines

Justin looks at claire
On top of that, this is an interstate love affair (Claire lives in Amarillo, Texas), and it seems that most of the courting happened remotely during the cornavirus pandemic.

4. Freedom!

Justin duggar with claire
These days, Justin is living with Claire and her family in Texas — which must be quite frustrating for his older siblings who had to be chaperoned by Jim Bob during their courtships.

5. The Big Day

Justin looks at claire
Duggar courtships almost always result in marriage, and Justin and Claire are several months into this thing. So it’s not surprising that fans are dying to know when they might tie the knot.

6. Predicting the Future

Claire spivey with justin duggar
Duggar weddings are massive affairs, so the nuptials will likely be delayed as a result of the pandemic. Still, the best way to figure out a timeline for these two is by looking at past Duggar courtships.

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Where Do the Duggars Live? Tour All Their Homes (And Find Out Who Lives In a Windowless Warehouse)!

Tyler Johnson Amy Duggar

Where do the Duggars live? For many fans of the famous and controversial family, the Duggar homestead is a familiar sight.

Jim Bob and Michelle built a 7,000-square foot Arkansas pad with the proceeds from their first TLC specials way back in the day.

Thirteen years and three more kids later, the house serves as the setting for two reality shows – and very large family gatherings. 

Of course, 13 years is a long time and much of the younger Duggar generation has grown up and moved into homes of their own.

Some of the adult Duggars are just starting out – while some are already living the good life on some very enviable property.

Others … well, not so much. Sit tight, we’ll get to that shortly.

The folks at celebrity gossip magazine In Touch took a look at all of the Duggar homes, and you might be surprised by what they found.

So where do the Duggars live? Take a look:

1. The Compound

Dh 1
Every Counting On fan is familiar with the massive Tontitown property known as the Duggar compound. But these days, several of Jim Bob and Michelle’s kids have left the nest to establish homes of their own.

2. The Beginning …

Dh 17
The Duggars’ story begins here, in this much more modest home in nearby Springdale, Arkansas. Not the kind of place in which you would want to raise 19 kids.

3. A Humble Start

The duggars in 2004
When the Duggars made their TV debut on Discovery Health, the network helped them with construction costs for their new home in Tontitown. Execs also filled up the family’s pantry, something Jim Bob and Michelle had difficulty doing in those days.

4. The Living Room

Dh 16
The Duggars love the great outdoors (especially their big backyard) but when they’re inside the compound, this sprawling living room — with its sky-high ceilings — serves as the site of more Counting On scenes than any other.

5. The Master Bedroom

Dh 15
And this — as they used to say on MTV’s Cribs — is where the magic happens. Jim Bob and Michelle’s bedroom has been the site of an awful lot of baby-making.

6. The Master Bath

Dh 14
And this is the bathroom off of Jim Bob and Michelle’s room. We’re guessing this was roughly the size of the living room in their first house.

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