Colton Winder is gone.
But he hopes not to be forgotten.
As previously reported, Seeking Sister Wife Season 4 got underway this past Monday, but it did so without a few familiar faces:
Those belonging to Colton Winder, Tami Winder and Sophie Winder.
Indeed, while Dannielle and Garrick Merrifield are back for new episodes -- and the same can be said for Sidian and Tosha Jones -- Colton and company were not asked back.
The polygamous family sounded okay with this in April, back when TLC confirmed the Season 4 cast members.
“As some of you have seen, we won’t be back for season 4 of Seeking Sister Wife," the Winders wrote on Instagram at the time, adding:
"It makes sense to us why we weren’t picked back up, as we’ve seen the show is taking a different path."
Continued Colton and his spouses:
“We wish the other families well, and we’re grateful to TLC for the opportunity we had to tell our story, and we’ll continue to tell our story on our social media, faithfully, and honestly.
"Thank you to all that have followed and supported us, and to those who continue to!”
The Winders were featured on Season 2 and Season 3 of Seeking Sister Wife.
Their absence has spawned a push for a Winder Family spinoff, while Colton surprised some followers the day after Season 4 premiered by sharing a new and lengthy statement online.
Wrote the plural marriage advocate:
“I hope, when all is said and done, that our legacy on Seeking Sister Wife will be that plural marriage lived with a higher intent can be a beautiful relationship, full of love, growth, and progression for both men and women."
Sure, we guess. Maybe.
We're not sure if polygamy is really gonna catch on -- but we can safely say that Colton is a better avatar for the arrangement than someone such as Kody Brown.
"It’s a sacred relationship for us," continued Colton.
"While we didn’t necessarily intend to inspire anyone else to live as we do, I hope that we at least portrayed that between consenting adults, it shouldn’t be criminal.
"That’s the only reason we chose to take up the invitation to be on television, when it was offered. I know there are many that found us, our relationship, and our religion unappealing.
"Our experience with television has shown us, and reinforced for us, that if we appealed to everyone, we wouldn’t be true to ourselves.”
In response to his latest message, fans flocked to Colton's Instagram page to praise how he's handledd the whole situation.
"I loved watching ‘normal’ and I loved watching Colton… the only man on the show I feel like wasn’t just in it for sex,” one fan wrote, for example.
Another remarked:
“Yours was the only loving functional family on the show – drama free which is why they probably didn’t have you back on which is sad."
