TLC Risking It All : Mid-Season Finale Recap

Well, I finally got caught up on episodes 5 and 6 of the TLC Show Risking It All, which began airing in early November. These episodes marked the mid-season finale of the first season and closed the chapter on all three families. I have to say I was rather surprised at how it ended! We’ll take a look at what happened with each of the three families first.

As a warning, for those of you who haven’t actually seen the ending yet, there will be spoilers! Read at your own risk.

The Kemps

Well, I have to admit this family is the one I really thought was going to make it out of the three of them. Not only did they seem to be doing it for really good reasons (to become closer as a family and live a more simple life) but they were also the best prepared, with a garden that produced veggies in the last couple of episodes, and a great family dynamic.

However, in the last episode we discovered that the mother, Shay, suffers from uterine prolapse which was made worse by all of the physical labor required in living off the grid. After talking with their doctor, Shay and David decide that her only option is surgery–which cannot happen while living off the grid.

The family decide that the best course of action is to move back to the grid in order to take care of Shay, who will have to be out of commission for around 8 weeks because of the surgery.

The slideshow at the end of the episode stated that Shay went through the surgery just fine and the family has every intention of moving off the grid again once Shay is recovered. The children, before the decision to move, even expressed that they felt more at home off the grid–so clearly, it was working for them. The show said they will return in the spring and their next goal will be to make the property livable during the winter.

The Wattfords

This family, by contrast, I pegged as the least likely to make the move as the parents, Callie and Brett, were experiencing serious marital issues and they lied to the kids about it being a permanent decision. The last couple of episodes really showed the parents beginning to work together on their relationship, and the kids had pretty well adjusted to the lifestyle–the oldest son even built a fishpond.

In the last episode, Callie and Brett told the boys that they were going to make the off the grid lifestyle a permanent one and, surprisingly, the boys were totally fine with it with absolutely no drama involved. I personally find it hard to believe that wasn’t edited at all, but it IS a reality show–I’m sure the whole thing has been heavily edited.

At the slideshow at the end of the episode, they said that Callie is pregnant, and I read on TLC’s forums that the family has moved back to Charleston for the pregnancy. However, I didn’t see that anywhere on TLC, so I’m not sure. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised–pregnancy isn’t something I’d want to try and handle off the grid if I didn’t have to!

The Elliotts

Last, but not least, the family dubbed “hippies” by most TLC viewers had some heartbreak as their eldest daughter Lily went off to college at KU. Throughout the last few episodes, they have had some trouble getting a building permit and tried to retrofit the existing building. However, in the last episode, they decided that they weren’t getting anywhere retrofitting the building and the father began looking into the idea of building cabins that were 14’x14′ and therefore didn’t require a building permit.

Tina’s health was improved slightly and she has officially stopped taking her medicine in favor of natural herbs. She went from around 33 pills a day to nothing but natural remedies. While I’m a fan of natural medicine, I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to make that kind of a leap.

In the slideshow at the end of the episode, surprisingly, it said that Tina and Blake moved to an entirely different plot in Oregon, where they are going to actually build their new house and start over.

Season Thoughts

So, to recap it in a much shorter fashion, of the three families that started out, only one of them (the Elliotts) did not temporarily move back to civilization, and even they are now on a different plot of land than what they started with. Granted, I haven’t confirmed that the Wattfords have moved back to their on the grid lifestyle, but with a baby on the way I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.

While I enjoyed the show greatly, I can’t help but be a little disappointed by the abrupt ending. I’m not really sure if they are going to continue the show or even if they will continue to follow the same three families, but I certainly hope they do. Of course, with way that it ended, I’m not really sure how it would work.

What do you think? Was it worth it? Do you think the families will all stay off the grid? Let me know in the comments, or join us in the forum for discussion on the show and other tips for living the old-fashioned lifestyle!