The Oct. 7 episode of "19 Kids & Counting" showed that a lot of things have been happening inside the Duggar household, including the building tension between Jessa and her suitor Ben Seewald, Jill's wedding preparation, as well as their "brush" with the authorities.
The episode revolves around the 30th wedding anniversary of Duggar parents Jim Bob and Michelle. To celebrate their big day, the parents planned to go on a triple date with their soon-to-wed daughter Jill and her fiancé Derick Dillard, and their other daughter Jessa with Ben, who recently moved in with the family to court her. However, Jim Bob planned to make their date more exciting by asking one of his friends for help.
The triple date had a rough beginning for the three pairs, as Jim Bob drove them around "recklessly" on a quiet road which got the attention of a police officer. Then, the officer pulled them over and asked everyone to step out of the car, then handcuffed the younger couples together. Apparently, this is Jim Bob's idea to teach the future husbands and wives to work as a team.
Then, Jim Bib and Michelle brought the handcuffed couples to a picnic. Since they were literally attached to each other, the couples had no choice but to learn how to make sandwiches with hands tied. After the difficult eating part, the Duggar parents brought their daughters and their partners to an obstacle course that they had to finish while still attached to one another.
As their final task, the young couples had to take archery lessons with hands still handcuffed. This was Jim Bob and Michelle's way of teaching the future husbands and wives to communicate well with each other and work as a team in order to have a successful relationship. Michelle told the young ones that they make wonderful teams, and that she is happy that her daughters found the perfect men to be their future husbands.
Speaking of future weddings, fans of the show are still waiting to see the wedding between Jill and Derick that happened last June. Though this episode failed to show the much awaited event, fans were treated with the footages of the pre-wedding preparations wherein Jill and her bridesmaids went on a quest to find the shoes that they will wear for the wedding. Did the future bride and her entourage find a modest dress that matches the wedding's vintage theme?
Also, Jessa and Ben struggled to follow the strict Duggar rules about courtship. Since Ben decided to stay with the Duggars to court Jessa, the couple was having a hard time distracting themselves from being physically attracted to one another.
Fans of the show know that there are strict dating rules inside the Duggar household. The girls are not allowed to date without a chaperone, and that a couple is only allowed to have a "side hug" during the courtship period.
As Jessa struggled with her feelings for Ben, the couple tried to veer away from temptation by being surrounded by the younger Duggar children. They even brought the kids to a local arcade. The trip made Ben realize that he wants to start a family with Jessa soon.
Will the fans finally see the Jill and Derick wedding next episode? "19 Kids and Counting" season 9 has a new episode every Tuesday, aired on TLC.
