Mellie Stanley is back!

The beautiful, brawling breakout star of TLC’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding — plus her mother-hen older sister Nettie, domestic goddess cousin Kayla and Kayla’s sister-in-law Laura (best known for conditioning her tresses with mayo and whitening her teeth with Clorox) have scored their own TLC series Gypsy Sisters, which premieres Feb. 10 at 9/8CT.

When we last left the ladies after their hit summertime special The Stanley Sisters, wild-child Mellie had taken up — then sworn she’d sworn off — stripping. She even told Channel Guide that she was considering marriage with her “musker” (that’s gypsy-speak for cop) beau.

My how things have changed. Or possibly stayed the same.

When we check back in with the Martinsburg, W.Va., women, there’s no sign of the marrying musker, and Mellie’s still stripping and partying to the point of fearing she’s alcoholic — which reaches a head on a disastrous chick trip to the racetrack in a Pepto-pink limo.

Turns out, Mel’s also lawyer-shopping in the hopes of avoiding jail on a bar-brawling charge. She says it’s the legal fees that keep her taking off her clothes for cash.

But there’s a bright spot on Mellie’s horizon in the form of her former beau Robbie, a gypsy boy she dated when her first marriage ended badly. Fearing she was too independent for another gypsy union, Mellie dumped Robbie and decided she’d only date gorgers.

Now Robbie’s back and Mellie’s changed her mind. Well sort of.  “Hell no, I’m not ready to be married!” she says. “But I’m not letting him go, neither. If I have to marry him to keep him, then I’ll do it.”

She makes it to the tattoo parlor, but will she make it down the aisle?

And the other ladies have more to worry about than planning a wedding for the black sheep of their family (and not killing each other in the process). Nettie’s 17-year-old daughter Dallas has also accepted a proposal — from her baby sister’s ex. Kayla’s teen daughter’s crushing on a gorger. And Nettie and Mellie’s con-artist mom Lottie Mae — who, Mellie reveals, was once #4 on America’s Most Wanted‘s top ten fugitives — is finally released from a Texas jail.

Get ready for more brawling, bling and don’t-try-this-at-home beauty secrets (like how to get a 10W-40-watt glow) when Gypsy Sisters premieres Sunday, Feb. 10 at 9/8CT on TLC.

Images/video: TLC

The post Mellie Stanley is back in TLC’s “Gypsy Sisters” appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

When we left the Gypsy Sisters last week, everybody was suffering from major family drama. Mellie and Nettie were struggling with their emotions about mama Lottie Mae’s release from prison — and about each other. Kayla and her husband Richard were struggling with their emotions about their daughter’s growing interest in boys — especially one particular gorger boy. And calm and sunny Laura was pretty much stuck in the middle of all it, as per usual.

That’s right where we pick up for episode 3, aptly titled “Last Fling Before the Ring.”

Mellie alternates between snuggling up to her mama like a kitten and telling her to butt out of her business. Nettie wants Lottie Mae to acknowledge that Nettie was more a parent to her siblings than was Lottie — Mellie especially — but all Lottie can do is point out how she might have done a better job of reining the girl in.And Lottie keeps begging both girls for cash.

Meanwhile, it’s time for Mellie and Robbie to go shopping for wedding rings, where the bride’s growing ambivalence about the whole affair becomes evident. Same goes for Nettie’s announcement that she plans to host a traveling bachelorette party to Ocean City for the ladies.

Over at Kayla and Richard’s, the couple are relaxing with Laura and Gus after Danielle’s party, relieved that the night turned out to be a success. Later, Laura reveals her plans to surprise Kayla and Richard with a dinner outing for their 15th anniversary, to thank them for letting her and Gus bunk at their house.

As the RV loads up for Mellie’s bachelorette bash in Ocean City, a special guest arrives with Kayla and Laura — Kayla’s sister Annie. Mellie is delighted, though she fears for what the equally wild Annie’s presence might do for her vow not to drink, per Robbie’s wishes.

Will Laura’s surprise dinner for her in-laws go off without a hitch? Will Mellie keep her vow of sobriety? Will Mellie still be engaged when the RV heads for home? And exactly how much butter CAN Laura eat?

Find out when Gypsy Sisters: “Last Fling Before the Ring” premieres Sunday, Feb. 17 at 9/8CT on TLC.

Video/images: TLC

The post Gypsy Sisters preview: Last Fling Before the Ring appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Having watched screener after screener of Gypsy Sisters, trying to come up with a preview that didn’t give away everything, I’ve decided the hell with it — ’tis better to recap than blow the show beforehand because I’m too inclined to yak about it. So here we go.

We married off our little Mellie last week in an expletive and physical comedy filled, pink-and-leopard-print bonanza. Though all of the ladies professed doubt that mom-to-be Mellie would even go through with it, she did, moving the conversation to how long the marriage will last.

Turns out, not very long.

One month later, Nettie is on her way to the hospital to fetch Mellie who has been an inpatient thanks to hyperemesis gravidarum — HG for short — the same sort of incessant vomiting that felled Kate Middleton, too. Nettie says she’s the only one who visited her sister in the hospital the whole two weeks she was there.

After Mellie hops in the truck, Nettie asks her what gives with Robbie and she reveals that the marriage lasted a whopping six days. The newlyweds moved in with Robbie’s dad and stepmom and Robbie promptly resumed going out, leaving Mellie at home with her in-laws. And we all know how well Mellie does with parental figures. Plus, she’s pretty sure Rob was cheating.

Kayla and Danielle go to the nail salon, where Kayla uses the nice, neutral territory to confront Danielle about rumors that she’s been talking to a Romany boy. Danielle says yes, she has been talking to George for almost three months now. I get the impression that “talking to” is the equivalent of “going out with” in gypsy lingo, given Kayla’s stricken reaction. Kayla says the whole family has known George for a long time, but she still doesn’t seem terribly happy about the budding romance. She gives her daughter one of her patented finger-waving “not havin’ it” lectures about having to tell her dad about George, but Danielle proudly declares, “I’m woman enough to do it!”

Man, at 14 I wasn’t woman enough to do anything, and nobody knew that more than me, so I salute the kid’s confidence. And hope she survives the discussion. Kayla hints that the worst that could happen is she’s going to “get her phone took,” and Danielle says not texting George would kill her dead. Yep. She’s still 14. Kayla softens and says she sees herself in her girl.

Nettie brings Mellie home to her house, where it turns out that she will not be the only expectant mother under the roof. Nettie’s daughter Dallas is also in the family way, courtesy of her new boyfriend Tyler. Or maybe not. Tyler claims he’s not the papa and leaves Dallas in the dust.

Dallas’ first baby Demi is turning one, so Mellie comes home to cake-filled festivities. Dallas and Mellie compare pregnancy notes and Nettie decides Mellie should try caring for Demi for a day to get an idea of what she’s in for. Both Dallas and Mellie look alarmed.

Back at Kayla’s, it’s time for Gypsy Juliet to ‘fess up about her familiar Romeo. Papa Richard stays pretty calm and Kayla does her best to run interference to make sure it stays that way. Danielle says they don’t want to run off and get married — they just want to hang out. Richard decides because boy George is Romany and they’ve known him for so long, he’ll give the romance a chance. Kayla tells Danielle to invite her beau for dinner.

At Nettie’s, it’s time for Mellie to give baby Demi a bath. Demi is a perpetually fretful kid to begin with, so baby lessons go pretty much the way you’d expect. Dallas never really lets her baby leave her sight. Meanwhile, Tyler calls Nettie to present further evidence that he isn’t the dad of Dallas’ bun in the oven. None of the Stanleys are having his arguments, though, and Nettie calls his denials a total gorger move, because Gypsy girls are mindful of who they’re sleeping with and keep the body count low, so as to always know for sure who fathers their kids.

Next day, Laura and Kayla meet up with Nettie and Mellie for lunch. Mellie tells the girls that she and Robbie are no more. Kayla argues that Mellie will need his help with the baby, so she should rethink that decision. Mellie concedes that she would probably be a different person if her own dad had been in the picture, but she thinks Robbie is too fond of trouble to be a good dad.

Then Kayla and Nettie compare notes about their daughters and their Romany boys. My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding fans will recall that Nettie’s 14-year-old Nukkie ran away with gypsy Pookie and has yet to return, so Nettie hopes Kayla knows what she’s in for and is properly on guard.

Then Laura announces that she and Kayla have decided to go into the kids’ clothing business. Nettie says that was her idea and they cribbed it and, plus, they have no talent for fashion. Laura says she can be the jewelry person, but Nettie says no. Her idea. She should be part of the business.

Oh hey! Hearing baby’s heartbeat? There’s an app for that! And Mellie is demonstrating it for Lottie Mae, who’s back in town for a visit. Then Lottie tells Mellie about the horrors of prison and tells her she wants to avoid going there at all costs, because you can’t eat what you want and girls kiss girls right in front of you. When did Mellie get so squeamish about girls kissing girls?

To see what she can do about that, Mellie goes to visit her attorney, Mr. Christopher Collins, about the aftermath of her assault charges. He tells her that they’ve been offered a deal — two weekends in jail. Mellie asks if she can do the time after the baby’s born and he tells her no. Then she asks him if he can help her with an annulment and he says yes. Then she asks him if he could help her find her dad, because her mom won’t cough up any info. All Mellie knows is his name and his birthdate and that he looks like Beeltlejuice. Well, that should make him easy to spot!

Mr. Collins wants to know why Mellie suddenly wants to meet her dad so bad, and she says she just wants to know why he ran off for good. “A little bit of closure,” says Mr. Collins. Yes, says Mellie, and then that’s it. Mr. Collins agrees to help. Mellie meets up with Lottie again and they discuss Nettie and Mellie’s dad. Lottie says if she keeps talking about daddy dearest, Lottie is leaving right this minute. And she does, asking God’s help as she goes.

Nettie and Mellie go shopping for maternity clothes and assorted other baby items. Nettie swears that Mellie is having a boy and says she is never wrong about these things. To get her off the baby talk, Mellie tells Nettie that Kayla and Laura are moving ahead with their business with Heather who spells her name Hathir. This is a new one on me, but a Google search reveals plenty of other Hathirs in the world, so there you go.

At Kayla’s, the family is preparing for a backyard fire-pit cookout to welcome officially George into the fold. The family is clearly comfortable with the kid, because Danielle’s younger siblings vie for a spot in his lap. Outside, Danielle claims that real estate and Laura is appalled. Kayla just thinks it’s cute. Sure, it’s cute until Danielle pulls a Dallas or a Nukkie and a Pookie and then what? Kayla has faith.

Robbie calls Mellie from some guy named Donald’s phone, because she doesn’t pick up when he calls from his own. Robbie wants to get together to talk about their future for the sake of the kid. Mellie says she’s over it and has told her lawyer so. Robbie says she has to grow up and let him coparent now that there’s a kid on the way. She gives in and agrees to meet up the next day.

At Kayla’s house, she and Laura discuss the business. Laura says she’s good at ideas but bad at assembly. Kayla says she wants to do tank tops for little girls with a G on the back for “gypsy.” And just like magic, Nettie calls to further protest her exclusion from the enterprise. She and Kayla get into it — can I get another big finger-wavin’ “Haowwww no!” my brothers and sisters — and Kayla cuts the conversation short.

Then Laura and Kayla realize that all Nettie needs is a little love. They call her back and invite her to join in. Nettie will design the hell out of some tutus, ya’ll. She’s glad they came to their senses.

Mellie finally meets up with Robbie at a diner with hog’s legs and a stripper pole. The sight of Robbie’s food makes Mellie barf and the direction of the conversation does, too. Robbie trods his point about Mellie needing to grow up and Mellie calls him out on the cheating. Robbie doesn’t deny it but says she’s a cheater, too. Stare down. Mellie says she hasn’t been with another man since they split up. Then they argue over who will raise their child. Robbie says he wants his kid to have a father so his kid doesn’t have the kind of childhood he did, and Mellie gives him a coy smile.

Maybe Mr. Collins has one less job to do, after all.

Next week, the clothing business keep moving forward, Mr. Collins finds Beetlejuice, and Robbie and Mellie get physical … and not in a good way.

New episodes of Gypsy Sisters air Sunday nights at 10/9CT on TLC.

Images/video: TLC

The post Gypsy Sisters Episode 5 recap: Who’s Your Daddy? appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Wait, what? Season finale? Already? After only six episodes? <sigh> I suppose I can soothe myself with the notion that we have an all-new season of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding starting up next week. But still. I’m going to miss me my Mellie and “Nenny” and the other Gypsy Sisters.

Speaking of Mellie, she’s on her way to a job interview, because she says she doesn’t trust Robbie to support her and the baby. And she says it right to Robbie’s face because he is chauffeuring her to the interview. And that’s not her only bone to pick with her husband. Seems he hasn’t come to a one of her doctor appointments either, even though she tells him about everyone.

Then she wants to know if he’ll make an appearance at the baby shower that Nettie is throwing for her. Robbie says he wants to come, but he doesn’t want to be a joke to her family, which Mellie lets happen. They get into it a little about how their past behavior makes them both joke-worthy and Robbie says they need to let bygones be bygones or they’re never going to make it. Mellie will let bygones be bygones right after we watch a couple of cellphone vids capturing her hair-pulling battle with one of Robbie’s ex-girlfriends, with whom she’s pretty sure he was cheating. But she’s never going to trust him.

Meanwhile, Kayla, Nettie and Laura meet at gorger Hathir’s to talk about their clothing business. Hathir is tasked with bringing their creations to life, which is going to be some kind of task. Kayla says she wants to make the kind of kids clothes that they have to create for their own children, because the stores don’t sell such things. For example: bustiers for babies that look like angel wings … only in the front. The back will lace up. That should be fun to nap in.

Because she is venturing into such uncharted territory, Hathir wants the ladies to sketch out their ideas, so if she makes a creation and they have a problem with it, she has their sketches for evidence. Unfortunately for Hathir, no one here is an artist. From the looks of it, Laura wants her to make a crown of thorns and Nettie a maypole. Mercifully, Hathir is visionary and says she can work with what they’ve drawn.

Mellie is walking across a parking lot toting a baby seat, so I’m guessing she’s done with her interview and doing a little shopping. Plus, she’s getting into a car, even though Robbie dropped her off, so I’m not sure what exactly happened here. In any case, she also gets a call from Mr. Collins who says he’s found papa Beetlejuice. He wants to meet for coffee to discuss his findings.

After she hangs up, Mellie says she will never leave her child like her dad left her. Then she drives off with the baby seat still on the roof of the car … and then in the street. Better now than when there’s a kid in it, no?

At Kayla’s, she is giving the newly-in-love Danielle gypsy housewife training, just in case of spontaneous marriage. For us Gypsy Wedding veterans, the revelations that the smell of bleach is like perfume for gypsies, and that apple cider vinegar in the dishwasher makes glass sparkle is not new. Using furniture polish to make stainless steel appliances shine is a new one on me though. Kayla says Danielle will make an excellent gypsy house frau.

Mellie tricks Nettie into coming to the coffee meeting with Mr. Collins, because she doesn’t want to do it alone. Nettie says that out of all of her stepdads, Mellie’s dad was the best one she had and that she had fun with him. She thinks Mellie’s hesitation about meeting him stems from her fear of being rejected by him again. While they wait for Mr. Collins, Mellie says her job interview didn’t quite go as planned and Nettie says she doubts Mellie will ever have a full-time job. A non-stripping one, anyway.

When Mr. Collins arrives, he tells the ladies that sometimes you’re better off without certain people in your life, but Nettie protests that Beetlejuice was a decent guy. Mr. Collins begs to differ and produces Beetlejuice’s rap sheet as evidence.

Instead, the rap sheet makes Nettie happy because she says that Mellie’s dad and their mom were another Bonnie and Clyde, going from town to town and pillaging them, and the charges on the rap sheet match the ones they faced when they were caught. So yay! We’ve got the right guy!

Nettie says the reason she’s shrugging off the domestic violence charges he received for abusing her mom are no big deal because all gypsies have at least one domestic violence charge. They’re fighters. What do you expect?

Mellie tells Nettie to call daddy dearest, so she does. When she gets his voicemail, she tells him to return her call or she and Mellie will just show up out of the blue.

Mr. Collins has additional news. Mellie will be doing her first weekend in prison at the end of the month. Nettie is indignant and says Mellie needs anger management classes, not jail.

To blow off some steam, Kayla, Mellie and Annie have a girls’ night out, only this one with sodas. They discuss the baby, clothes and Nettie barging in on Kayla’s clothing business. Just then, Nettie calls and says she wants to plan a tubing trip for the kids. Mellie says she and Dallas should be invited, too, since they have kids in utero, but Nettie says no. Then Mellie tells Nettie what Kayla said about her barging in on the business and Kayla knows there’s trouble a’brewing.

There sure is. Nettie wants to know what kind of theme Mellie wants for her baby shower. Mellie suggests some rated-R decorations, so Nettie says she’ll just do it herself. Then the pair revisits the previous night’s conversation, and Nettie says Mellie should have defended her. Mellie decides she’s right and calls Kayla to pull a better-late-than-never. Probably better never … but it’s too late now. The two households are off to the verbal races.

Yelling. Yelling. Yelling. In front of scowling children in Hello Kitty jammies. Kayla says the hell with it — Nettie can have the damned business because she’s done with her. And she’s not going on any tubing trip ‘neither.

Next day, Nettie, Mellie and Dallas take the kids to Bryce Resort themselves. Though the place clearly made their snow, you can still see everyone’s breath — but Mellie decides to go down the hill in the bikini top she just so happens to be wearing. Of course she does.

The family has a wonderful time, and Mellie appears to have avoided a case of frostbite..

Next day, only Nettie shows for a scheduled meeting with Hathir. Hathir calls Kayla to see where she and Laura are and the duo say they’re not coming and that Nettie can have the business. Nettie’s just fine with that. She wants to see a newborn in a corset full of bling. Um, ow. Owie. Corset onesie? Bustiersie?

Mellie is headed to the doctor for her first sonogram. Mellie says Robbie wants a boy, but she doesn’t care as long as he’s healthy. Meantime, Nettie has planned the shower for a boy —she doesn’t need any doctor to tell her she’s right. Turns out she is right. Mellie has it painted on her torso, complete with boxing gloves on her boobs. Then Mellie tells Nettie that she made up with Kayla and Laura, so she has to make nice at the shower.

Oh Lordie. Baby Demi is actually wearing a baby bustier, which is pretty much a pink satin cummerbund on the wobbly tot. The other little girls model the outfits Hathir brings with her and everyone is momentarily happy.

Much to everyone’s surprise, except those of us who saw it on the commercials, Robbie shows up at the shower. Everyone is pleased as punch. The cake is in the shape of boxing gloves, just like the ones painted on Mellie’s na-nas. Nettie says everyone knows that Mellie can’t see a cake without shoving some in somebody’s face and she’s right. Robbie gets a mush full of frosting and chocolate crumbs.

At the shower, the talk turns to Mellie’s dad and Nettie and Kayla seem to bury the hatchet over the prospect of a road trip to find the slacker. Mellie decides now is the perfect time to let everyone know the adventure will have to wait because she’s off to prison.

Nettie isn’t impressed. Seems she once gave birth and then immediately went to prison for 72 days. She says Mellie just wants attention. Mellie says she knows she isn’t Robbie’s dream girl and he’s not her ideal man, but she’ll make the best of it because of the baby.

Next day, Kayla delivers Mellie to the pen as Nettie reminisces about everything they’ve been through over the course of the last six episodes. And then she promises the Gypsy Sister drama has only just begun.

 Images/video: TLC

The post Gypsy Sisters recap: All is Fair in Gypsy War appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

This week on My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, it’s all about twins and sins.

Plymouth, North Carolina, best friends Romanichal gypsy Lottie, 21, and gorger girl Courtney, 18, are preparing for their Big Fat American Half-Gypsy Double Wedding. Lottie is engaged to Courtney’s gorger big brother Lee, 30, and Courtney is marrying Lottie’s gypsy cousin Danny, 21. Both couples have been dating for two years and are ready to make it official in the biggest wedding Plymouth has ever seen.

Before they can get to walking down the aisle, though, Danny has some business to attend to — a three-month stint in the pokey for being part of a gypsy home-improvement scam. Dreamy, girly Courtney says she has no idea how to even act when her man is not around, so it’s up to Lottie to lead her buddy through the wedding plans.

The duo settle on a shiny silver-studded wedding cake and a monster truck to drive them to the ceremony. Courtney says she was raised redneck, hence, that’s the wedding transpo of her dreams. The Old Fisherman’s Social Club will serve as the wedding venue/reception site. And Sondra Celli — of course — will provide the over-the-top frocks.

Celli decides to make the girls “sister dresses,” similarly decorated super-floral frocks accentuated in complementary colors — Courtney’s neon green, Lottie’s neon pink — with crowns and shoes to match.

All the wedding plans are falling nicely into place — except for one enormous hitch in the giddy-up. Danny’s mother, Gail, is bound and determined that her boy will marry a proper gypsy woman who can get things done, not the dipsy non-gypsy bonbon that is Courtney.

Meanwhile, in rural Acworth, GA., bedroom-eyed Romanichal gypsy twins Teddy and Tommy are gearing up for their blowout 18th birthday party. While Teddy is still perfectly happy to play the field with freewheeling gorger girls, Tommy thinks it might be time to find himself a wife — and, like Gail, the boys’ mama, Diane, is also adamant that her boys marry within the Romanichal bloodline. She says if they marry gorger girls they will not have a peaceful life. I don’t think Diane has watched even 2 minutes of Gypsy Sisters if she thinks that. But what do I know?

Tommy — who is sporting a dooze of a scratch on his forehead — says being sexy is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Also, someone has to cook him a hot breakfast every morning, which is why he plans to appease his mother and marry a Romanichal girl. One with pretty feet. Because a girl with pretty feet takes care of herself and THAT is the truth.

Teddy, the decidedly less suave of the duo, says he prefers playing the field with his cousin Big Joe, enjoying the freely doled-out favors of gorger girls.

The two will have to go it alone for a month, though, because Tommy is also headed to jail for a month for a variety of offenses. He says the police just don’t like gypsies and the gypsies don’t like police.

Back in North Carolina, it’s time for Danny’s homecoming. Courtney and Lottie have secured an enormous white SUV limo to transport him from the courthouse. Except he’s not at the courthouse. He never was at the courthouse. Who knows where he is. Lottie and a weepy Courtney says it’s because the Beaufort County Courthouse hates gypsies that all this confusion is happening.

Tommy has had better luck. He gets sprung from jail after only one week of his monthlong sentence, thanks to brother Teddy. PARTY TIME, twin bro’ style.

Meantime, Lottie and Courtney have located the missing Danny and are on their way to get him at the prison at 1 o’clock in the morning, in jammie pants and without the limo. Lottie gets the first hug. Courtney gets to keep him, ‘cause God she loves him so.

To prepare for their birthday bash, which is finally a go, Tommy and Teddy — shirtless, with enormous dollar-sign medallions around their necks and crowns on their heads — pose for photos that will be blown up poster-size and mounted on the walls of the party site. Tommy also wants a banner that says “Stylin’ and Profilin’” because that’s how he chooses to live his life.

As proof, two large boxes arrive for the boys. They open them and discover their party wear — matching, blinged-out, monogrammed cloaks that proclaim them Romany Royalty. The cloaks will be accessorized with matching sleeveless shirts and pimp canes. The boys say people are coming from all over the country to celebrate the big day.

While the twins make themselves beautiful, the crowd is beginning to gather at the Electric Cowboy. And drink at the Electric Cowboy. Some of them not quite of legal age to do that. The manager shuts the party down. The gypsy men think he has overreacted and begin to take their frustrations out on each other and the TLC cameramen. By the time the birthday boys arrive, the cops have cordoned off the area and are clearing it out. So much for the party.

In North Carolina, the wedding is mere days away, but Gail has come up with what she believes is the perfect plan to run it off the rails. She plans a bachelor party at a local strip club, thinking that will make Courtney so mad that she’ll give Danny an ultimatum. Gypsy Lottie takes the news of the outing in stride, but Courtney is enraged.

Meanwhile, Tommy is making sure there is a decent selection of potential wives at his rescheduled birthday to-do. Or at least a decent selection of party princesses. He calls to specially invite gorger BFFs Alexis and Erica, telling the giddy Alexis that she’s going to be his future “wifey.” He tells Teddy that he’s mostly inviting them so he has a backup bride-to-be should the gypsy candidates prove unworthy. Oblivious, Alexis thinks it would be fascinating to be a gypsy wife. She tells Erica she loves Tommy. Get in line, sister.

Word is clearly out that Tommy is looking for a bride, because the girls battle for a chance to dance with the Gypsy King. American Gypsy Wedding faithful, remember last season’s “Queen of Hearts” — and daughter of Pat Baby — Priscilla? That’s her with the big ol’ doe eyes, tight red jeans and impossibly flat abs, declaring herself the human version of a fine piece of jewelry from a very, very expensive jewelry store. Yay! I vote Priscilla, Tommy! More Pat Baby!

Nope. Tommy decides nobody at the party will be Mrs. Tommy. At least not tonight. Teddy’s happy to keep his brother to himself.

With four days to go before the wedding, the bachelor party is headed out on the town. Gail tells Danny’s best friend to make sure he has a good time, wink, wink. Gorger Lee maintains a respectful distance from the dancers, settling for a few too many drinks instead, but Danny dives right in. When the other men head for home, he heads for the home of a dancer named Mindy. Who for the rest of the episode will be known as Mindy the Stripper. Clearly not the least bit ashamed of his transgression, the next morning, Danny smiles straight into the camera while Mindy the Stripper nibbles his neck outside someone’s trailer home.

Then he’s totally surprised when Gail lets news of her son’s extracurricular nookie fly and Courtney and her family go berserk. Even Lottie thinks Courtney should leave Danny in the dust. Outside of Danny’s house, Courtney’s clan shows up to rumble. Again the TLC cameramen bear the brunt of the men’s wrath. Courtney’s dad pulls a blade. The mothers go nose-to-nose. Courtney gets hauled away in a cop car.

Danny goes back to sucking face with Mindy the Stripper.

The double wedding is called off and a month goes by, during which Danny decides he wants Courtney back. With both Lee and Lottie at odds with Danny, Lottie tries to talk some sense into her friend. No deal. Courtney’s half of the wedding is back on no matter what anyone says.

With the rest of her family protesting the union, Courtney gets some unexpected help getting into her enormous dress. Deciding the girl must really love Danny if she would take him back after he strayed, Gail shows up to be a proper mother-in-law. She says Courtney passed her test. And what an icky test it was.

Having lost weight thanks to the stress of the past month’s events, Courtney also needs to be taped into the skirt of her dress to keep it on her. And shoehorned into her ride to the event. When she gets to the adorable little church in the countryside, the poor girl discovers that there are no other guests in attendance besides Danny’s family.

With her neon-green fabric wrist corsage a’flashing, she marries her man anyway and heads off for her long-awaited wedding night. That is, if Danny can find her underneath all that tape.

New episodes of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding air Sunday nights at 9pm/8CT on TLC.

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding recap: ‘Double Wedding, Double Trouble’ appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Last night’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding was all about coming back home. Eden is planning to remarry her bad-boy husband Elvis, and teenage Savannah must choose whether to make her home in Hawaii with her free-spirit mother or return to Chicago to her minister dad.

Eden is a 20-year-old gorger and former cheerleader/pageant girl who gave up her All-American, good-girl life to marry Elvis Boswell, a 23-year-old, alarmingly tattooed Romanichal gypsy. Eden says she was drawn to Elvis’ dark and dangerous charms and the gypsy penchant for living in the moment. The pair had a daughter, Arial, and Eden did her best to blend into the gypsy way of life, but having Elvis on the road working five days a week — and then complaining about her lack of homemaking when he was home — caused the pair to throw in the towel not long after. Much to the delight of Elvis’ glamour-puss mom, Tammy, who looks like a cross between Lisa Welchel and Christie Brinkley.

Tammy’s delight was short-lived, however,  because even though reconciliation is not the gypsy way, Elvis took Eden back. Much to the delight of Eden’s gorger mom, Melissa, who says that even though she’s pretty sure her daughter could do better, the  pair just go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Since he already gave Eden a ring the first time around, Elvis presents her with something equally impressive for betrothal No. 2 — a shiny dark grey sports car.  He says he can afford it because he is:

And apparently impervious to pain. Owie, eyelid tattoos. Owie.

Even Tammy is impressed with the gift and she hops in with her former-and-future daughter-in-law to go for a spin.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Pastor Anthony Lee, a Roma gypsy minister, is planning a blowout bash for his 15-year-old daughter Savannah to lure her back into his household after she ran away a year ago to live with her mom, Sherry, in Hawaii. Savannah says she wanted to have gorger friends but her dad refused to allow it. Pastor Anthony says his ex-wife — who looks about the same age as their daughter — drinks and smokes and dances and does fortune-telling and doesn’t lead a Godly life. And now he fears that Sherry will lure Savannah into the same.

Savannah agrees to come home for the party and Sherry tags along on the trip, even though Roma culture says that a divorced couple should never speak again. Sherry says she wishes she had the resources to throw the party for her daughter, so she wasn’t put in the position to possibly lose her daughter to her ex again. Savannah feels like no matter what she decides to do, no one really wins.

Meanwhile, Eden and Arial are off to Sondra Celli’s Boston compound to see Eden’s sky blue bridal gown and Arial’s matching mini-bride dress for the first time. Celli says if Eden has her heart set on becoming a gypsy girl for good, this is the dress to make it happen.

With three days to go before the wedding, Elvis decides to renege on his vow to not have any sort of bachelor celebration. Eden says he needs to stay home and be a husband. Elvis says he’s a gypsy first and foremost and he’ll go out if he wants to. And he does, raising the front wheel of his motorcycle high into the air as he roars off with his cousins.

Back in Chicago, Savannah, Pastor Anthony and Savannah’s stepmom Gina are checking out the Paris-themed party’s venue with the Roma’s event planner of choice, Harpo. Savannah says she going to take advantage of her dad’s generosity and have as blinged-out a party as she can possibly manage. Pastor Anthony says he has an additional ulterior motive for the celebration beyond luring his daughter back home from Hawaii: he wants to attract a nice gypsy boy from a nice gypsy family to marry his girl.

Pastor Rick has also decided he will heed the word of God and allow Savannah to invite her mother to the party if she wants to. But Sherry’s current husband won’t permit her to attend the event without the requisite married-ladies chaperone, no matter how much his missus pleads.

Back in West Virginia, Tammy is headed to Eden and Elvis’ house to give Eden some remedial lessons in being a proper gypsy housewife. Like never, ever put $100 t-shirts in the dryer. You line-dry them. And then you iron them. Period. Or you do not remarry her boy. To shake off Tammy’s irritating visit, Eden and Arial go to visit Eden’s mother at her nail salon. Melissa tells Eden it’s up to her if her marriage works out the second time around — she needs to stay home and cook and clean and not question what happens when Elvis leaves the building. Eden says she’s already doing that, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

In Chicago, Savannah’s dress will also be made by Sondra Celli. She wants it pink, black, silver, Paris-y and unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Celli plans to run a blinged out Eiffel tower right across the girl’s body.

Meanwhile, Eden reveals that she is not quite five months pregnant and the family troops off to find out the sex of Arial’s impending sibling. Elvis is hoping for a boy to make his birthday extra-special. He gets his wish. There will be a Boswell prince.

Days before the Sweet Sixteen soiree, Sondra Celli decides to hand deliver the Eiffel Tower dress to Savannah.

It’s a doozy, and Pastor Anthony says so, too. Then he says it’s also too short and wild for a proper Roma girl. Celli says she has never had anyone refuse a dress before, and Pastor Anthony says that’s because she usually deals with Romanichals and they’re impostor gypsies who don’t even know the language. Celli says he may not appreciate the dress, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Seeing his daughter’s crestfallen face, Pastor Anthony says they will get another, more proper dress that she can change into after making her grand entrance in the Eiffel Tower dress. And we have compromise.

On the day of the party, Pastor Anthony has a proper gypsy marriage on his mind, but Savannah just wants to make it to the party with her ginormous dress intact. The party is packed with guests and the girl’s dress is a smash-hit. Given the response, Pastor Anthony decides that he may have overreacted to the gown and lets her keep it on a while longer.

Savannah keeps her eyes peeled for her mom, but Sherry’s husband is holding firm on his refusal to let her attend the party. Meanwhile, Savannah dances with the elders in the Roma community, because dancing with boys her own age is a no-no. Finally, Sherry walks in with her dad as a chaperone. Pastor Anthony moves to the back of the room and lets his ex-wife have some time with their daughter.

At dinner, white boxes are passed around in order for male party guests to contribute to Savannah’s future dowry. Meanwhile, Sherry pulls Savannah aside and asks her if she has decided where she is going to stay. Savannah says she has. She will stay in Chicago where she has more friends and a (reasonably) normal teenage life. Sherry says it is like giving her baby up all over again, but she wants her daughter to be happy. Then she glides away.

Pastor Anthony is pleased with his victory. He gets to work introducing Savannah to the most prominent Roma families with potential-husband sons.

In West Virginia, it’s Elvis and Eden’s wedding day. Elvis shows up at Eden’s mom’s to fetch the cake, sending Eden scurrying out of view. Then it’s time to load her into her dress. Which is a splendid undertaking. So is trying to figure out a way to get her 8-foot-wide skirt out of the house and into the limo.

Arial takes her flower-girl job seriously. Tammy says Eden looks like a proper Rumney girl and she will be proud to accept her back in the family again. The wedding goes off without a hitch.

And then it’s time to party. Except that Eden’s dress weighs 95 pounds, which makes it hard to do much of anything. Mercifully, the massive skirt comes off and can be replaced with a miniskirt.

While Eden is altering her attire, a festive gypsy tradition called “cake fighting” has begun in the reception hall, and Elvis is the primary target. But that’s not the only sugar flying around the room. Both the bride’s and groom’s beaming mothers predict that this time, the marriage will be happily ever after. Looks like the second time’s the charm for Eden and Elvis.

New episodes of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding premiere Sunday nights at 9/8CT on TLC.

Images/video: TLC

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Elvis has left the marriage appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

This Sunday on My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, yet another gorger girl prepares to become a proper gypsy wife, a gypsy teen sets her sights on a singing career — and Mellie Stanley’s mama, Lottie Mae, scores more time in the spotlight.

In Princeton, WV, gypsy Timmy, 24, is so proud of his Romanichal heritage that he has an R for “Romani-” tattooed on one side of his face and C for “-chal” on the other. Nonetheless, Timmy has found his match in Kayla, a beautiful, levelheaded gorger.

Timmy’s mom, Linda, says Kayla must learn to be a good gypsy wife in order to deserve her boy, so she’s out to make sure that happens — a process known as “cooking” in the gypsy community. Linda turns to her sister-in-law Tammy from last week’s episode — in which Tammy’s gypsy son Elvis remarried gorger Eden — for advice on getting the job done.

Kayla’s family refuses to acknowledge the union, which Kayla says makes it extra important that she becomes a proper part of Timmy’s clan, but Timmy tells his bride-to-be that she has to stand up to the women in his family or they’re going to eat her alive. Which becomes even more apparent when Kayla’s dream of a sleek and tasteful wedding gown clashes with Linda’s determination to see her daughter-in-law in a duly massive and blinged-out Sondra Celli confection

Celli floats a solution: her first-ever 24-kt-gold-gilded wedding dress. Mermaid style at the top for Kayla. Poofy at the bottom for Linda. We have a tentative winner.

Meanwhile, down the road in Blacksburg, VA, 16-year-old Jackie Dee Small is a proper gypsy cleaning machine, but she really dreams of becoming a pop sensation. Though it goes against the norm for gypsy girls, Jackie Dee’s dad Harry and mom Dovie gives her permission to give it a go. The family packs up for a trip to Nashville in order for Jackie Dee to meet with Madd Talent record producer Charles and shoot a video for her self-penned debut song.

Harry and Dovie are excited at the prospect of their daughter’s fame, but they also worry that if Jackie does become a pop star in the gorger world, she’ll attract too much attention from boys — a situation not helped along any by the video’s artistic director wanting to move a few additional bodies into the shoot for visual interest.

Also in the episode, we get some further insight into the first days of freedom for Lottie Mae Stanley of Gypsy Sisters fame. The mother of last year’s American Gypsy Wedding breakout stars Mellie and Nettie Stanley scammed over $1 million, mostly from car dealerships and banks, using bad checks. Finally released from prison after ten years and with her sisters’ help, Lottie Mae has a few goals: to reunite with the compassionate detective who ultimately brought her down with the help of America’s Most Wanted, and to reunite with her 11 children and meet the scores of grandchildren born while she was in prison.

Will Kayla make it down the aisle in her golden gown — or are Linda’s cooking efforts too much for her to bear. Will Jackie Dee’s daddy pull the plug on his girl’s career even before it begins? And how many of Lottie’s children will show up to greet their mom?

Find out when an all-new episode of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding airs Sunday, April 14, at 9/8CT on TLC.

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding preview: Mamas and Dramas appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

On this Sunday’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, my favorite Traveller, Pat Baby, reveals what happened since his Season 1 appearance — plus a same-sex gypsy couple decides to make it official and a Romanichal woman shunned by her community for marrying a gorger hopes their daughter’s elaborate christening will mend fences.

In Huntsville, Ala., Romanichal gypsy Tommy and Roma gypsy Ivan are planning their wedding. Both left their communities behind after being bullied by family and friends for being gay, and together they’ve built a happy life and a close-knit family of gorger friends.

In proper gypsy-wedding fashion, Tommy plans to order a Sondra Celli suit for the occasion and surprise his groom with one of his own. This will be a first for Celli who says that most gay gypsies hide their sexual preference behind a traditional marriage. Because of the unusual circumstance, she plans to hand-deliver the suits and attend the wedding, too. Then the men begin the agonizing process of convincing their families to be there.

Meanwhile, in Bremen, Ga., 20-year-old Romanichal Angelina was also turned away from her gypsy community for falling in love with gorger Chad. The couple’s daughter, Bella Rose, is about to turn 1, so Angelina is planning a proper gypsy christening in hopes of reuniting with her family and friends. Angelina says this is make or break — if the community still shuns her and her family, they will make a fresh start elsewhere. To display her gypsy loyalties, Angelina has ordered baby Bella an appropriately blinged-out dress, pacifier and stroller for the big day.

Back in Alabama, Ivan arranges a meeting with his mother, Helen, to convince her to be a part of his and Tommy’s wedding. But Helen sends Ivan’s tough-cookie sister Connie (a Stockard Channing lookalike) in her place. Connie says gypsies believe that homosexuals are possessed by demons, and she tells Ivan he’s shaming the family. Ivan tells her that gypsy women like her are the reason he’s gay.

In Douglasville, GA., we learn that since we last saw Pat Baby and his wife Louann at their daughter’s Halloween party in Season 1, the couple hit a rough patch and divorced. In the past year alone, Pat Baby lost his sister, his father and his best friend, and the overwhelming grief caused him to turn to drugs and alcohol for comfort. Fed up and heartbroken, Louann took their two children and left — sending Pat Baby on a further downward spiral that landed him in prison. Since gypsy women typically don’t hold jobs, Louann must figure out how to support herself and her children with no income and a sixth grade education, so the trio move in with Louann’s mom, Karen.

But that’s not the only worry on Louann’s mind. If she breaks from Pat Baby permanently, she will likely be shunned by their Traveller community, because women are expected to forgive their men’s transgressions. Mindful of this, Louann decides to pick her wayward husband up when he’s released from prison and the man is clearly thrilled. Seeing a second chance at happiness, Pat Baby launches a campaign to put his life back together and win over his wife and her skeptical mother.

Meanwhile, Ivan and Tommy discover that Tommy’s West Virginia family is proving no more open to their union than Ivan’s — until one crucial member comes around.

Will Angelina’s community attend her celebration and accept her family — or is a move in her immediate future? Will Tommy and Ivan have any family members on hand for their wedding? And is the second time the charm for Louann and Pat Baby? Find out on an all-new episode of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, Sunday, April 21 at 9/8CT on TLC.

Images/video: TLC

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding preview: taboo romances and second chances appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Coming this Sunday on TLC’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, there is no wedding at all. Instead, we discover that three families featured in the past are actually interconnected. And none by much of anything good.

To get you prepped, here are the basics.

Aspiring pop singer Jackie Dee from a couple weeks back is a member of the Small clan — and, it turns out, the sister of Pookie, the boy who convinced Nukkie, the 14-year-old daughter of AGW and Gypsy Sisters star Nettie Stanley, to run off with him at the end of Season 1.

As the Small clan prepares for a blowout birthday bash for siblings Jackie Dee and Pookie, we learn that the bloom is off the rose for Pookie and his girl. Though they are considered unofficially married, Nukkie has yet to have her big fat gypsy wedding and it’s looking less and less likely that she’ll get one.

Meanwhile, in Princeton West Virginia, we find out that Tammy Boswell, mother of the remarried Elvis from a few more weeks back, married one of the eight children of jovial 74-year-old Romanichal Mildred Boswell.

The Boswell clan is a formidable presence in the town of 6,000 — and the mortal enemies of the aforementioned Smalls, a feud triggered when Pookie battled one of Mildred’s grandsons some years back. We find this out because the Boswells are also planning a party — one to cheer up their matriarch, who has recently lost both her beloved husband and a daughter. And they’re worried that the Smalls may crash it.

Turns out, the Smalls are equally concerned about the Boswells creating havoc and Jackie and Pookie’s party, so they’re taking their show a whopping 300 miles down the road from their Christiansburg, VA., home to Suffolk.

In the midst of all this family feuding, Sondra Celli has been tapped to create a rainbow of party dresses for Mildred, her daughters Maxine and Linda — whose daughter-in-law Kayla received this season’s gold-gilded wedding gown — and daughters-in-law Tammy and Lisa. She’s also decking out the Small siblings — Pookie in a bedazzled white tux and Jackie Dee in a crystal-encrusted bustier, shredded jeans and enormous, feathered angel wings that light up.

With the Small’s affair so far away, the only guest who feels unwelcome is Nukkie, who is being ignored by her birthday-boy beau. As Pookie enjoys the attentions of another girl, Nukkie heads back to the hotel alone and contemplates returning to her family, even though her reputation will be sullied and she’ll miss her best bud Jackie Dee.

Will the Boswells crash the Small party? Will the Smalls crash the Boswell party? And if Nukkie does decide to head to home to Mama, will Mama take her back?

Find out when an all-new episode of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding airs Sunday, April 28, at 9/8CT.

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding preview: Family feuds and angel wings appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

It’s time for a two-hour, two-episode Season 2 finale, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding fans, and it all begins Sunday night, May 5, at 8/7CT.

In the first, “All Bets Are Off,” we have the dual tales of Romanichal bachelors Rodell Stanley, 20, and Teddy Lee, age and last name unknown.

Rodell isn’t going to be a bachelor much longer, though, because he’s planning to marry 16-year-old Dorothy Martin, baby sister of the birthday-king twins Tommy and Teddy from the “Double Wedding, Double Trouble” episode a few weeks back.

Even though Rodell professes to have lascivious thoughts about every woman he sees and dictates Dorothy’s every move, Dorothy is a placid girl who is willing to do everything for her man (including fishing his boxers out of the toilet when they accidentally fall in). The two will have a Las Vegas wedding, funded by Rodell, with Tommy, Teddy and the Martin’s mother Diane in tow.

Rodell has even designed Dorothy’s Sondra Celli wedding dress to suit the Sin City theme. And it’s a doozy.

Meanwhile, Teddy Lee is a traveling paver who professes to have a girl in every port, er, town he visits. But right now, he’s in Coleman, Alabama, with his pregnant gorger girlfriend Megan.

Even though he’s about to be a family man, Teddy Lee demonstrates his snappy pickup techniques for the camera.

Then he demonstrates how well they work at a local nightclub.

Teddy says his father always told him you gotta be like Tarzan: you don’t let go of one vine until you’ve got ahold of another. Teddy’s other vine is a wild gorger girl named Corrie. Soon enough, Vine One gets wind of Vine Two and Teddy Lee has more problems than just the Coleman locals getting wise to his less-than-upstanding business practices.

Meanwhile, in Vegas, Rodell, Tommy and Teddy decide to venture out and sample the Vegas nightlife, leaving Dorothy and Diane to bunk together in the honeymoon suite until it’s time for the actual honeymoon. Eventually Mama Martin succumbs to the lure of the slot machines and the bride-to-be is left alone to clean her already-clean hotel room.

Finally, Dorothy has had enough solitude and goes in search of her groom. She finds him admiring the, uh, talents of the waitresses at Gilley’s Saloon. Dorothy is mortified and isn’t sure she should go through with her vows. Diane, however, decides the scantily-clad servers have nothing on her girl. She takes the demure Dorothy for a top-to-toe makeover to show Rodell what he’s about to lose if he doesn’t shape up.

Will Teddy Lee settle down with Megan, run off with Corrie or just plain run off? Will Dorothy’s makeover cure her fiancé’s wandering eye? Find out when My Big American Gypsy Wedding: “All Bets Are Off” premieres Sunday night at 8/7CT.

Immediately following, the series’ blowout season finale, “Love Is a Battlefield,” features four teen girls — including My Big Fat America Gypsy Wedding favorite Priscilla Kelly — pinning their various hopes for the future on the annual Romanichal Valentines ball in Nashville. It’s the biggest gypsy event of the year, drawing Romanichal families from across the country to have a good time and find prospective mates for their children.

Georgia rebel Chelsea wants to defy her super-strict (and slightly hostile) grandmother Mary Ann and go to the ball because she’s hoping to run off with a boy she met on Facebook a few days before. Chelsea’s mom and aunt are in jail, and Mary Ann makes no bones about planning to keep her lively granddaughter from the same fate. Finally, worried that her granddaughter will take off for Nashville without her, Mary Ann agrees to accompany Chelsea to the event — but she’s wary.

In Huntsville, Ala, 18-year-old Heather still attends high school, even though most gypsy girls her age have dropped out to find a man. Heather’s mother, Connie Small, says that even though most gypsy men want their women uneducated and subservient, her girl is going to learn. Heather hasn’t told her classmates that she is a gypsy, until one of her study partners asks why her sisters are always with her and she tells him, “Remember Hitler and the Nazis, how they killed all the gypsies and Jews? Well, they didn’t kill all of ’em.”

For Heather, the Valentines Ball will serve as the deciding factor in whether she will go on to college or follow gypsy tradition and marry an appropriate boy. And she has a boy in mind, hoping he will meet her at the dance.

In Memphis, Brandy, 18, is severely sheltered by her family. Brandy is a “first class” — meaning she stays properly at home and has never been touched by a boy. Still, Brandy has managed to talk in secret with a potential suitor via phone for  the past couple of months. She says the relationship is serious and she’s hoping her mystery man will meet her at the dance. Even if he does, it’s going to be tough to get anywhere near her. In addition to her over-protective immediate family, Brandy’s cousin, Teddy Lee — yes, the same Teddy Lee — has been called in to help guard the girl.

Meanwhile, in Hampton, GA, Pat Baby’s girl Priscilla is suffering the effects of jealous rumors that are threatening her reputation. Pat Baby and his missus Louann are livid about the gossip and hoping to match Priscilla up with her 28-year-old fourth cousin, Harry, to preserve her good standing in the gypsy community. Priscilla is all for the match, saying that she and Harry sometimes spend 22 hours a day on the phone. She’s hoping he will propose at the ball.

Because the event is such a big deal, Sondra Celli has been tapped to create dresses for all four of the girls, even though the gorger-fied Heather would prefer something a little — OK, a lot — more understated. But when her light-up, Connie-approved, sky-blue confection arrives, she’s thrilled to bits.

And the girls aren’t the only ones getting blinged up for the party — to sweeten the deal, Priscilla’s family plans to buy Harry an outfit for the ball, too.

So much to wonder about as party time arrives! Will Chelsea’s man show up to whisk her away from Grandma? Will Heather opt for college or fall for her gypsy prince? Will Harry pop the question to Priscilla? And who is Brandy’s mystery man — or will Teddy Lee ruin the party for everyone before we find out?

Find out on the My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 2 finale, Sunday, May 5 at 9/8CT on TLC.

Images: TLC

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 2 finale preview appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

The brawls, bling and teenage brides are back and bolder than ever as TLC’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding premieres eight new episodes beginning Thursday, April 3 at 9/8CT. Ellen K. returns as narrator along with Boston’s bling queen Sondra Celli, the go-to designer for even the most far-flung gypsy communities. The Season 3 premiere, “A Love Worth Fighting For,” revisits a love story that blossomed in the Season 2 finale, when spiral-haired, whip-smart Romanichal Heather Small, 18, met her long-distance, online suitor, 16-year-old Brandon Boswell, at a Valentine Ball. Turns out it was love at first sight. Brandon … Continue reading →

The post Video: My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 3 preview appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

On tonight’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, a pair of thoroughly modern gypsy sisters plan a double wedding to their gorger fiancés, and a 34-year-old Irish Traveller tries make a splash in the world of rap music. Louisville sisters Kayla, 21, and Kandace, 20, already live with their fiancés, much to their traditional Romanichal mother Sandy’s dismay. Evan, 19, is Kayla’s man; they’ve been together for three years. Steven, 22, is Kandace’s man. Together five years, they already have two kids. In addition to fretting over their living in sin and having babies out of the bonds of matrimony, … Continue reading →

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding preview: sister brides and Al Burke raps appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Even after many years spent designing over-the-top fashions and blinged-out accessories for her vast American gypsy clientele, Boston designer Sondra Celli says she never tires of a good challenge — or runs out of dazzling new ideas. “It is a blast to do work for the show,” Celli says. “It is blast of energy in the midst of all the baby dresses.” Celli says that her synergy with her gypsy clientele is based on a very simple premise: mutual respect paired with mind-blowing creativity. “They make me feel like a movie star,” Celli says. “They treat me so well. I … Continue reading →

The post Sondra Celli: sparkling gowns and crazy love stories appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

If last night’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding episode featuring the union of 16-year-old Nukkie Stanley and 18-year-old Pookie Small stirred up your hankering for a new season Gypsy Sisters, happy news. The wild and wooly reality outing featuring Nukkie’s mom Nettie Stanley, her loose cannon aunt Mellie Stanley and other members of the vast Stanley clan will return for a new season at the end of the summer. Fans of the Stanleys will recall the Stanley Sisters special in which enraged mama Nettie, pregnant Mellie and other female members of the family headed off in a camper to reclaim the then 14-year-old … Continue reading →

The post Ready for more Mellie? A new season of Gypsy Sisters premieres later this summer on TLC appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

On last week’s My Big American Gypsy Wedding, we got to see longtime faithful teen lovers Nukkie Stanley and Pookie Small finally tie the knot, bringing a momentary truce to their famously warring families. • RELATED: Are you ready for this Mellie? Gypsy Sisters returns this summer • RELATED: Channel Guide interviews My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding‘s Sondra Celli! It’s a little different story on tonight’s all-new episode, “Wedded to Disaster.” Though they have two kids, 22-year-old Alyssa has frequently cheated on her longtime gypsy boyfriend, Lacy — more than a dozen times, according to Lacy’s doting mother Mary. … Continue reading →

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding preview: Can cheating Alyssa change her ways? [video] appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

The beautiful, brawling Stanley sisters and their extended clan return to TLC in the two-hour Gypsy Sisters Season 3 premiere, Thursday, August 21 on TLC. And it looks like Nettie and Kayla may have mended their fractious relationship — at least for the moment. Unless Mellie’s wearing a helmet for reasons that don’t involve skydiving or motorbikes. According to the press release for the new season, Stanley family ties are more tenuous than ever as Kayla’s 17-year marriage to Richard is tested even as she and Nettie try to put the fist-flailing and social media scandals of the recent past behind them. And while baby Richard … Continue reading →

The post Gypsy Sisters Season 3 premieres Aug. 21 on TLC appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

After the girls had all kinds of man trouble (and the usual each-other trouble) in last week’s Gypsy Sisters Season 3 premiere, Kayla, Nettie, Mellie, JoAnn and Annie have decided to make a ladies-only trek to the Big Easy to reconnect and rejuvenate. • RELATED: We talk Gypsy Sisters Season 3 with Kayla and Nettie! We start the episode with Kayla celebrating her newfound freedom with an ice cream date with Danielle and Sissy … and a brand-new white luxury sedan that she proudly notes breaks the Romanichal tradition of driving a trusty pickup. Kayla, temporarily encamped at a hotel while … Continue reading →

The post Gypsy Sisters Season 3 episode 2 recap: Big Fun in the Big Easy appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

With one week to go until the Gypsy Sisters finale, Kayla calls the gang with some happy news. All their prodding for her to reestablish communication with her estranged husband Richard has done the trick and the two are planning to recommit to one another. • MORE: We talk a new season of Gypsy Sisters with Kayla Williams and Nettie Stanley! “It’s just been a rough road with Richard for the past year, but it’s all extremely self-explanatory for the very beginning of our season clear to the end,” Kayla told us in a recent interview. “It wasn’t easy filming … Continue reading →

The post Exclusive clip: Mellie returns to the pole (sort of) in an all-new Gypsy Sisters appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

It’s been a festive and feisty — albeit short — Season 3 for TLC’s Gypsy Sisters. And on tonight’s season finale, the ladies are gearing up for Kayla to recommit to her’s and Richard’s marriage in a beachside ceremony in Ocean City, MD. • MORE: Channel Guide talks Gypsy Sisters Season 3 with Nettie Stanley and Kayla Williams! But first — in true Gypsy Sisters fashion — a few high jinks must ensue, this time beginning with the two (and in the case of the cautious bride-to-be, four) wheel variety. Predictably, Annie and Mellie take to their new rides like … Continue reading →

The post Gypsy Sisters season finale: Will Kayla, er, segue back into married life? (exclusive clip) appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding returns to TLC for a fourth season on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 9/8CT — and in the season premiere, Small-family teen Julie does her (literal) level best not to ring in her Sweet 16 celebration. In keeping with her ultra traditional family’s customs, Julie will have bells sewn into her lavish party dress. Asked to walk a straight line when she enters the festivities, Julie’s dress must stay perfectly quiet as a sign of her purity or she’ll face the wrath of her grandma Tils. And from the looks of it, you do not want to get … Continue reading →

The post My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 4 preview: You can’t ring my bell…. appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.