Risking it All Recap: Episode 4

TLC’s new show “Risking It All” is a sort of reality television show following the journeys of three families as they move away from their tech-embedded lives to live ‘off the grid’ out in the middle of nowhere. All three families have several children and their own reasons for moving. The show is on TLC every Tuesday at 10/9 Central. Until I can get my cable set up, I’m going to be a week behind the actual airing of the episodes. So, for those of you who DO have cable, I’m going to do a brief recap of what happened the week prior so what when you watch tonight’s episode it will be fresh in your minds!

So, here’s a brief recap of what happened to each family in Episode 4, which aired on Dec. 9:

The Wattfords

Brett & Callie Wattford and children (left to right) Parker, 10; Cullen, 3; Lawson, 7; Tyler, 13

The Wattfords, you might remember, decided to make the move off the grid in order to save their marriage. Parents Callie and Brett have had some…misunderstandings in the past and this episode was no different. They seem to be working through their issues slowly but surely, but it is definite slow progress.

In this episode, they celebrated the 4th birthday of their youngest son, Cullen, and gifted the boy a set of tools, a powered weed trimmer (which seems grossly inappropriate for his age in my opinion) and a slip’n’slide, which all four kids played with. They also bought a chicken coop (vs building one) and set it up and the father built a bath house where the family can take hot showers (with the aid of a old fire stove).

This family is probably my least favorite and the most reminiscent of your traditional reality TV show, with a lot of drama between Callie and Brett. They seem the least likely to make it, and both the mother and father complain about the situation and the rest of the family pretty frequently. You might remember that they also lied to the four boys and said it was only for the summer, instead of a permanent change. From the previews for tonight’s episode, it is looking like we’ll see how that pans out in the next couple of episodes so that should be fun. The preview also showed the family dealing with issues related to a really heavy rainfall in the already-muddy campsite, which will no doubt cause some issues for their running water solution.

The Elliots

Blake & Tina Elliot and children (left to right) Grace, 13; Caroline, 11; Lily, 18

The Elliots have been sort of dubbed the ‘hippie family’ as they decided to move off the grid for the health of Tina, the mother, who wanted to use natural herbal medicine and live in a more natural and self-sustaining way. The father, Blake, is very supportive of his wife, but seemed in the earlier few episodes to have some trouble letting technology go, as he brought his own solar panel to power electronics.

You might remember that in the last episode they discovered that they would have to wait an additional month in order to get the building permits to start their house. This episode, they decided to start making the existing abandoned house livable by pulling up carpet and trying to clean it out. Tina had some issues with her medical condition and wasn’t able to help as much as she wanted, which was kind of sad but not surprising as she’s likely adjusting to the herbal medicine regiment.

The middle daughter, Grace, began to advertise at local feed shops for her rabbit business, which apparently died down after the move, and the youngest daughter (Caroline) learned how to fish with her father, although they caught nothing. In tonight’s episode, it’s looking like the oldest daughter, Lily, will be leaving for college and as she is one of the driving forces it will be interesting to see how they deal with that.

The Kemps

David & Shay Kemp and children (left to right) Miriam, 13; Lydia, 8; Elizabeth, 3; Joseph, 15; Benjamin, 11

The Kemps are the largest family and, ironically, probably the most likely to succeed. They all work together really well, and seem to be taking this opportunity to become closer as a family. I suppose this shouldn’t be too surprising as the whole reason they moved out in the country was to come together again as a family and so that the father, David, was able to spend more time with his children.

In this most recent episode, the family finally finished their domicile, which is a large platform with a very heavy-duty tent set up with different sections for different things. They worked together really well to get set up, and the mother, Shay, even decorated and made it seem more homey. This makes the Kemps the only ones who have their living situation pretty  much set.

This episode also marked the 18th anniversary of Shay and David Kemp and they celebrated with a romantic dinner where the kids waited on them and they were able to just relax for an afternoon. The oldest daughter, Miriam, spent some time with one of her younger sisters, Lydia and overall, the family just seems to be coming together. I really enjoy watching this family as they seem far more down-to-earth and…well…normal. I didn’t really see any indication as to what this next episode will bring–since they have their housing settled, I’m not sure what the next step will be. Farm animals and a garden, perhaps?

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And that’s pretty much it! Now you’re all ready for the next episode, which airs tonight. Interested in a discussion? Why not leave a comment and let me know what you thought? Or, visit our forums! Didn’t see the first three episodes? Check out my massive recap and overview in preparation of tonight’s episode!