KATE GOSSELIN: HOW SHE FOOLED THE WORLD - THE RISE AND FALL OF A REALITY TV QUEEN (22 page)

Kate also
made suggestions about what to do for “the little kids birthday party”. She said that the kids wanted a bouncy house party and they could do that at a park and “invite preschool friends who are willing to sign NDAs and agree to be on camera ONLY.” She said: “We can forbid all cameras at the party and make area secure according to Steve who obviously would orchestrate all security.” Kate also noted that the party should be held as close to May 10th as possible.

On April 3, 2009, at 8:13 AM, Jeff, the series producer, wrote to Julie May about scheduling some more episodes of the Gosselin family’s life:

April 9 - Cabinets

April 22 - Invisible Fence training

On Monday, May 25, 2009, Wendy Douglas sent Jon and Kate the following schedule for their real and unscripted life for the week:

Tuesday -  arrive Gosselin Home @ 9:30 AM

1
. Shoot Beach + Cabinet Set-up + Slice of Life      9:30 -11:00

2. Status of Cabinets/kitchen will no cabinets - Jon/Kate   11:00-11:30

3. American Chopper Interviews  1:00 - 2:00

4. Kate packing for beach  3:00 -4:00

Wednesday - arrive Gosselin House @ 8:00 AM - 5:00PM

1. Merilatt crew begins install - Jon

Wednesday - Kate & Kids @ Beach - 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

1. Arriving to house

2. Beach

3. Dinner

Thursday - ar
rive @ Gosselin House - 8:00 AM

1. B-r
oll/status of cabinets - NO JON

Thursday - Kate & Kids @ Beach - 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

1. Slice of Life beach

Friday - arrive @ Gosselin House @ 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

1. Jon checking in on cabinet construction

PLAY
CHEESE FOR THE CAMERAS, KIDS

In September 2008, Wendy Douglas sent an email to Jon and Kate and the series producers to provide them with information about working some paid product placement from Hasbro into the show. She explained that Hasbro toys had to be integrated into two separate episodes. The toys were the Tonka Bounce Back Racers (8 of them) and the Dreamtown Cherry Blossom Market (2 of them). The market included the following accessories that are sold separately to the mediocre: the Cherry Blossom Produce Stand, the Scoop & Smile Set, and the Fruit & Cheese Plate.

Wendy said
the goal was to see the sextuplets “playing with the games naturally” and to make it look “as organic as possible.” She suggested that they shoot the Bounce Back Racers the next morning because “they are smaller and easier to get out”, and then shoot the Cherry Blossom Market episode on Saturday October 4th because the market needed some assembly.

Wendy
then told producers Jen and Jeff that Kate said it would be okay for a production assistant or someone to arrive earlier than 8 AM the next day so they could take out the racers and set them up for the kids. She also instructed Jen and Jeff to have someone get batteries for the remote controls ahead of time. Doesn’t everyone in real life have people come to their home to set up toys for their children to play with and to make sure there are plenty of batteries?

It should come as no surprise by now
that Wendy wanted the sextuplets to look fake natural while they were fake playing with their free toys.

MEDIA TRAINING

Kate was freaked out after word got out that there was trouble in the Gosselin marriage. The tabloids got wind of it and were requesting interviews. Kate certainly didn’t know what to say or do, so she waited for Discovery to give her the approved “messaging” that they “could all live with.”

On April 29, 2009, at 10:48 AM, Laurie Goldberg wrote to Kate that she had talked to Steve Gray, Kate’s media trainer, and wanted to get him on the phone with them ASAP to go over how to handle the mess and come up with messaging they could all live with and help them move forward.

Laurie
told Kate that Vicki from
People
magazine wanted to talk to her. She said they wouldn’t do it right away, but they would have to cooperate because
People
had been good to them, even if it was in a week or two after the ugliness had died down somewhat.

SEND IN THE
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

In the yard sale episode of
Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht
, Kate and Jon appear to be doing everything themselves. There is absolutely no sign of them getting any help from production assistants (PAs) or anyone on the crew, but an email from Maggie of Figure 8 Films gave away what really went on during the day’s shoot. Kate must have really been exhausted typing her instructions for the “pa’s.”

Maggie
wrote that they had gotten official confirmation from the Community Fellowship Church that the yard sale could be held there on Saturday, September 20th. She said they could arrive at any time to start the setup outside, and someone would open the church from 8-12 so they could use the facilities. She also said that if the weather was bad, they could hold the sale inside the church, and someone would be there to open the door earlier than 8 to accommodate the setup.

Maggie explained that the
church did not have any tables that could be brought outside for the sale, so they would look into renting some. She said that if the sale was held inside due to bad weather, however, there were 10 round tables they could use.

Kate replied to Maggie to give her the following instructions. She first told Maggie to include the words “rain or shine” in the newspaper ad for the sale. She said they should rent 12 tables that are 8 feet long, but if only 6-foot-long tables were available, to rent more. Kate
said, “We have SOOO much stuff it is unbelievable.” She then asked Maggie if she could also rent a “medium to large Uhaul/ Penske/ whatever brand moving truck to transport the stuff.” Kate said she thought it would work best if the “pa’s” that day went to get the truck, then went to get the yard sale stuff from the storage unit, and then came to their house to load what was in the garage.

Kate told Maggie that she wanted
to be at the church at 6 AM to set up, so the production assistants would have to be at her house at 5 AM. She said “they better get lots of sleep the night before!!!! :)”. She then pondered what they would do with any stuff that was left over. She told Maggie “It is not at all junk so we should think of what to do in the way of getting rid of it because it is NOT coming back here!!!”

Finally, Kate asked Maggie to
have Kinkos make signs reading “Proceeds to benefit Pediatric Cancer Research” and told her that she would have Mady and Cara make their own sign for their juicebox/soda/ water stand.

NANNY-GATE

When the Gosselins appeared on the
Dr. Phil
show, they were offered free nanny service from a company called Nannies 4 Hire. In a Season 3 episode called “Kate Hires a Nanny,” Kate was supposed to select a nanny from candidates chosen by Candi Wingate, the owner of Nannies 4 Hire. It turns out that the nanny Kate ended up hiring didn’t work for Nannies 4 Hire, but they had to pretend she did. The nanny that was hired even had to wear the Nannies 4 Hire T-shirt on camera during the episode, despite the fact that she was not found through Nannies 4 Hire.

Kate must not have been happy when Candi Wingate apparently used the episode to promote her business, and a little brouhaha ensued. On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:10 PM, Maggie
from Figure 8 Films wrote to Kirk Streb, also of Figure 8 Films, to give him information about Candi Wingate.

Maggie
told Kirk that Candi Wingate had participated in a shoot for the Season 3 episode “Kate Hires a Nanny” on Saturday September 22, 2007. She explained that the Gosselins had won free nanny service from Candi’s company on Dr. Phil, and the episode was about Kate selecting a nanny from a small pool of candidates chosen by Candi. Maggie recalled that, in the episode, Kate watched Candi interview the girls on closed-circuit TV in the next room. She told Kirk she was going to watch the episode and let him know if she saw “anything about it that comes up as a red flag.”

Maggie then told Kirk the name of
Candi Wingate’s husband, and said she attached her release and “a picture (just for kicks).

About 16 minutes later, at 2:26 PM,
Maggie sent another email to Kirk telling him she had glanced through the episode. She remembered that the babysitter the family ended up hiring did not come from Nannies 4 Hire.

On May 19, 2009, at 3:39 PM, Laurie Goldberg of Discovery jumped into the fray
and sent an email to Kate to let her know that Candi Wingate had said “lovely things about you guys and your parenting” and that her sources told her it was a very positive “(and probably very self-promoting)” piece.

I
n a great example of the pot calling the kettle black, Kate chimed in to personally attack the woman. She said, “she is such such such a publicity whore.... good things said, great but her need to promote her business is appalling...”