Amy Roloff In Utah with Habitat For Humanity

Amy Roloff is in Utah this weekend for Habitat for Humanity of Utah County's Women Build Week.

"She is here to kick off Habitat for Humanity of Utah County's Women Build Week on Saturday. After picking her up from the airport, Habitat staff members took her to dinner at a local Salt Lake hotspot and then headed over the Hatch's Family Chocolates for dessert. Ms. Roloff is very gracious and lots of fun! Amy truly appreciates the Provo Marriott for providing her a nice room with a beautiful view of the mountains. Tomorrow, Amy will be appearing on some local television and radio stations to help promote the special build week!"

You can follow it and see the full article and more pictures on Habitat for Humanity - Utah County on their blog:

http://habitatuc.blogspot.com/

Is TLC bringing back Little People, Big World?

So, everyone is asking "Is TLC bringing back the Little People, Big World series?

This has been a typical comment/email we've received:

Spiritswander,

Did you see Matt Roloff's latest facebook post about LPBW returning? Do you have any insight on this?

For the last month or two, Matt has been suggesting TLC has been beating down the Roloffs door to bring back the show. It reached a fever pitch yesterday, April 25th, when Matt posted on his Facebook Fan Page:

"Art, I thought we already announced that the show would be back. If not... Well do that soon as well" And "Amy and I just worked out a tentative filmIng schedule for the lpbw episodes we'll be filming this year".

For her part, Amy has sent mixed signals in her public postings and statements about the subject. When fans have asked in her live internet talk show Amy has said there is a possibility maybe of a Christmas or holiday update special. However, more recently, on April 13th when a fan wrote to Amy that she misses seeing the Roloffs on television, Amy replied "Thanks Laurie for the kind thoughts. you never know. not anytime soon I think." However when people confronted her that she and Matt were sending two different messages to fans - Amy denied that anyone was misleading the fans and said there is a possibility. On April 18, in response to fans excitedly telling her they are glad to hear "the news" that LPBW is returning, Amy wrote: "Wow! I so appreciate all of the positive feedback regarding the possibility of something LPBW back on TLC. Have no idea yet. it's media, network, and things to work out. We shall see."

On the same day, Matt "confirmed" the show was coming back, April 25th, within hours of Matt's posting, Amy wrote on her Facebook Fan Page: "Ok, you all are asking what is this about LPBW 'specials' - a lot of talk is going on and we shall see. Calendars, schedules, more discussions need to be had.... ".

So this is the Spiritswander take on the issue after consulting with our sources that are connected with the show on the latest:

People that have been lead to believe by Matt's hints that the *series* is returning, fans who are now posting excited comments such as "Season 7 will be the best ever" might be disappointed.

We are told a handful of specials are being talked about, probably about four or five specials. The idea is that they'll quickly film and produce them in lightning quick speed by LPBW standards to get them ready for air by the summer. It was stressed to us that it's a few specials and *not* the series returning for an entire season (typically a LPBW season was 40 episodes, split into two parts). It was also stated to us in terms that were not official or definite quite yet.

So there you have what we're hearing from our sources that are not Roloffs -- it is actually very similar to what Amy had to say about it yesterday 'talk going on about 'specials' and still in talks, although that is the idea in mind.

As for the way Matt presents things, a lot of the same elements remain relevant as we stated in our article about TLC cancelling Little People, Big World.

http://spiritswander.blogspot.com/2010/08/tlc-cancelled-little-people-big-world.html

Matt's M.O. is that he suggests things to get people talking; hoping something comes of it. Also it's not in Matt's personality to *ever* give the perception that he is desperate -- he will always make it sound like he's the one being sought after. Always.

The specials are always something TLC had a right to when they cancelled the show. As readers of our site know -- despite the Roloff spin - TLC did cancel it when the Roloffs thought the show would continue for another 80 episodes (and Matt is on video in July 2010 stating the show would go on for at least 2 more years -- then TLC decided to end the series after only 20 episodes which they announced in August.

There were several factors that went into TLC's decision then -- here are some of them according to our sources.

*The ratings had declined. TLC needed to slash the travel budget. Compare how much travel you saw in 09 -- Europe -- compared to '2010? If any travel was shown it was done by "Roloff cam" -- we're told the Roloffs requested certain vacations for 2010 but were turned down because of the slashed travel budget.

*The Roloffs were more demanding -- both financially and in seeking control. Matt and Amy becoming producers made things more difficult. There were an increasing amount of "real" things that they needed to avoid or couldn't include.

*Matt has been referred to as being difficult to work with. There was a once prominent Little People, Big World producer whose departure, was said to be primarily as a result of a dispute with a certain Roloff. You might recall when Amy had Zach on her coffee chat live internet talk show, she asked him who was his favorite crew member? Zach leaned into Amy and whispered "Am I allowed to say?" before answering "Eric". Why do you suppose Zach would wonder if he was allowed to give his answer to a rather harmless sounding question? We were told that's the explanation and the reason for the dispute between said producer and said Roloff is cloaked in "I'd have to kill you if I told you" type TLC secrecy...

So despite the warm and fuzzy way that Matt always presents it, things didn't finish that well. And yes, we are well aware of Matt's public comments praising TLC. I think a lot of people are wise enough to understand that what is said publicly between the stars and a network don't usually represent what really was happening (Charlie Sheen notwithstanding!). You might recall in the summer of 2010, Matt posted a few times about how TLC executives were dropping in at Roloff Farm for coffee and biscuits just to tell the Roloffs how much they loved them...then in late August they dropped the bomb that they were ending the show immediately -- so you can decide for yourself if you believe Matt's version of the visit to be completely accurate.

However, most of these things come down to ratings and the fact is LPBW ratings were in decline. You can follow the links below for a detailed analysis of ratings for Season 5 Part A, Season 5 Part B and Season 6.


Season 5 Part A: http://spiritswander.blogspot.com/2010/01/television-ratings-for-finale-of-little.html


Season 5 Part B: http://spiritswander.blogspot.com/2010/06/little-people-big-world-finale-roloff.html

It was after the conclusion of Season 5B airing and the start of Season 6 that TLC decided the show would come to an end.

Season 6: http://spiritswander.blogspot.com/2010/12/television-ratings-for-finale-of-little.html


In the glory days as the lead in to the hit show Jon and Kate Plus 8, the Roloffs would often get ratings in the 2's. As the Jon and Kate show fell apart, you can see what happened to the LPBW ratings. In Season 5A -- which were the episodes that included the extensive travel episodes (The almost month long European vacation) LPBW ratings fell to where they were often 1.7's. You can see in Season 5B, they fell even more drastically. Premiere episodes were higher and then the season finale received 2.2 rating, however "normal" episodes (no dramatic cliff hangers, not hyped as the finale) were usually in the 1.1 - 1.3 range.

That's a considerable drop off from what LPBW received in the past. The highest rated LPBW episode ever was in Season 3 - Matt's DUII trial episodes -- they were ratings in the 3's. The highest rated episode in season 4 were the episodes about Mike Detjen's death -- those received ratings around 2.4.

However, as stated, when episodes were not centered around dramatic plots like a highly publicized trial or the death of a person seen on the show or the series finale (a 2.2 rating), the ratings had often fallen to between 1.1's and 1'3's. To put that in perspective, a current show on TLC such as "Extreme Couponing" most recent episode received a 2.265 rating. Obviously shows like that are much cheaper and easier to produce than LPBW. They don't have the salary demands of the Roloffs who are veterans of 6 seasons and over 200 episodes. They don't have the same power struggle issues.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of the people that worked on the show, have already moved on to other shows.

Finally, another factor people should be aware of when observing Matt's public comments about this is the realization that the Roloffs are basically at the mercy of TLC in a lot of ways. Matt can talk about all these other offers he has all he wants, but TLC has their exclusivity rights to the Roloffs -- which we are told actually runs longer than most people think -- which is common practice for networks and reality TV stars.

We just wanted to lay that out there to give people who might be wondering why wouldn't TLC want to bring LPBW back for an entire season, an idea of some of the real reasons because things aren't always as Matt presents them. If you rely strictly on Matt for your LPBW info, you would never know the fact that ratings for normal episodes had fallen quite a bit (even the *series finale* didn't bring ratings as high as finales in previous seasons), and of course Matt always presents things as though the Roloffs and TLC were one big happy family.

Our goal is simply to relay what we know accurately. We don't have an agenda. If we knew things that completely meshed with Matt's version then we would have no trouble reporting that. Basically there are only two outlets that are still actively posting news about the Roloffs. Matt's own Facebook Fan Page (and to a lesser degree Amy -- mainly when fans ask her about what Matt is saying) and our site. If we know certain things that contradict the way Matt presents them, we feel obligated to let people know so they don't have their chains yanked rather than just sitting on what we know.

So although we aren't hearing as of this minute that it is set in stone, there is a little bit for LPBW fans to be excited about. There are talks regarding a few specials and they could be hitting TV screens fairly soon. However, the entire series is not actually returning.

There's often a few kernels of truth in what Matt says, but people in the know always advise to be leery of Matt Roloff spin -- because things are quite often not exactly how Matt makes them sound.

Jacob Roloff will have homeschooling

This was in the Amy Roloff Fan Facebook section, but we thought we would make a separate item for people that don't follow the Facebook fan pages.

Amy just announced on her page that Jacob will have homeschooling the rest of the year.

If you haven't kept up in the last week (Matt and Amy posted on their public Fan Facebook accounts) Jacob was expelled from the school prominently featured through 6 seasons on LPBW. All 4 Roloff kids had attended Faith Bible.

Matt Roloff's wording on his website was that Jacob had "struggled" this year and had "lost interest in school". He stated that Faith Bible has grade standards and if students don't meet the requirements they cannot continue at the school. Matt and Amy expressed anger and frustration at the school for making this decision a month and a half from graduation. Matt said they were frustrated at the school's lack of flexibility.

On Matt's Facebook page this Saturday, he lashed out at Faith Bible with some verbal shots. Matt said Jacob was a brand new and better person. Matt stated Jacob can be the free spirit that he is, and Matt wrote that he "never liked that school".

He also agreed with a fan that told him the problem at her son's school was a "screwball teacher". Matt responded that he thought that might be the exact problem at Jacob's school and there was something definitely broken at the old school. (by the way, Molly gets straight A's at Faith Bible and just traveled to Haiti on a Mission trip with Faith Bible during March break).

Matt said Jacob was very excited to join the engineering club at his new school.

Today, Amy just announced that Jacob will be home schooled for the remainder of the year.

Amy Roloff: Oh the plans this week. Jacob and homeschooling the rest of the year - so much better for him, cleaning my office and Women's Build week for Habitat for Humanity. A house for a single mom and kids. Couldn't imagine spending a weekend any other way. What's your week like?

Matt Roloff: Just picked Jacob up from 4 hours of independent academic testing. It's been at least 2 years since I've seen him this happy !! Apparently he can go straight to high school in the fall.. But Amy and I going to homeschool the kid to his maximum potential... Molly Jo here comes Jacob at your heals :).

Edit: Amy Roloff added this on April 27.

Amy Roloff: "I'm so proud of my Jacob and how great he is handling this transition in his life. Matt and I are so 100% behind him. He just went through 4 hours of testing the other day and we went to get the input today. He did great. A few areas he needs to work on so four days a week he is in 'school'. He'll be even more ready for High school. He's a good kid. Love my Big Guy"

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-J-Roloff-Fanpage/191460144200528

http://www.facebook.com/RealMattRoloff

Matt Answers Some Questions From His Staff

Matt did another round of question and answers with his chosen moderator on his mattroloff.com website.

You can read all the answers via:

http://mattroloff.com/talk/showthread.php?t=6051

We will highlight the more interesting answers here: Among the more interesting things is that Matt reveals that Jacob appears to be on the verge of being expelled from the private Christian school the Roloffs have sent all 4 of their kids to all of their lives.

As is his habit with these questions and answers, Matt obviously refers to us --and I must point out the irony in Matt once again expressing his disdain for internet screen names while doing a Q&A with a person that only goes by "Disruptive Spirit". Let's admit, it Matt is not bothered by screen names as long as he approves of what is being said -- or as long as he is in control of said person. However, very shortly we will have an item that will shed a little more light on the subject of interviews, Spiritswander and the Roloffs and an event about a year ago that most people don't know about.

Also, as requested from our readers, we will be sharing what we've been told by our sources that were connected to the show regarding the "TLC bringing back LPBW" rumors that Matt floated around about a month ago and alludes to in these answers. Our readers always count on us to share what we're hearing that is not covered in Matt Roloff spin :)

However, first, Matt's Q& A:


=======================

I was wondering about your latest dirt project, filling in an 80 acre swampland near the farm to create a pumpkin field.......how is it that the DEQ allowed the filling in of a wetland? Did you have to jump through any hoops to be able to do that? Or are the laws less strict in Oregon concerning wetlands?

Well first off, our project is not a ‘wetland’. It's just a very soggy flat field. There is a huge difference. A wetland has a very, very specific protected status. What we're working on is simply a very flat farm field. Which means it doesn't drain well. You can only farm it about two months out of the year because it absorbs so much water from the rain and the neighboring properties and all the water just kind of sits there. So by putting in a "belly" you raise the ground up about 4-6 feet in the middle and then you taper it off on the sides and create ditches so that you basically can extend your farming season from maybe 2 months to maybe 5 months out of the year. This also allows you to grow additional variety of crops. So you're actually improving this farm field.

As for jumping through hoops, there were about 8 or 9 agencies involved and every one of them had to approve our project. It was what we call a type II permit application. Agencies such as the county, ODOT, clean water service, conservation, DEQ, Sewer line , Gas line etc etc. They All had to give us their blessing.

How are you enjoying your time away from cameras? Do you think the family will ever be interested in doing another series similar to LPBW?

We are enjoying it immensely. However, it's never a black and white thing. People think you either love the cameras around or you hate them. But the truth is, it's very much a love hate relationship. It’s sometimes very gray. We have good days and bad days like any job, sometimes you like going to work some days you don’t.

Even though we've done a few projects with cameras, such as the little documentary about the dirt project, they've been around on a limited basis which is very different than having them there almost 24/7 for such a long period of time like we have in the past.

The types of projects we’re exploring now will have a much different “invasive” factor if we proceed. Even the LPBW proposals that we’re currently evaluating are being structured in a much different way, more like an 8-5 type of responsibility.


We know you are still finishing up the final editing for the pumpkin movie. When will you release it for public viewing? How do you plan to release it? Youtube? iTunes?

I'm very pleased to announce that the pumpkin movie is officially finished as of about a week ago. The movie score, credits corrections, etc. have all been added and everything is now complete. I'm not overly proud of the movie. It was my first attempt and there's a million things I would do differently. In fact I am already working on other projects and hope to take my experiences and greatly improve the final results, I am a very quick learner.

I will be trying to enter the Pumpkin movie into some film festivals. However, with film festivals they usually like to be the first to show it before you play it to a broad audience so I need to go through that process for the next 6 months to a year and then I will release it probably on like iTunes or maybe Youtube. When this happens we will definitely let our fans know. I’m excited to show you all and I think you’re all going to like it.

Is there anything we don't know about you that you think most people would find surprising or out of character?

Hmmm, I don't know if I've covered this before but I don't like mushrooms and onions. When I was young and in the hospital they used to shove mushrooms down my throat and force me to eat them. So ever since then I've just had a real distaste for them. Mushrooms are offensive to me. I don't even want them in the same room. Of course Amy loves them and loves to cook with them.

Other than that, I think people for the most part have a good sense of me. But there are people who are surprised to know how much experience I have in the software field and how successful I was in software because that wasn't ever really covered on the show. So that's one thing people (who only know us from TV) may be surprised about with me.



Matt do you have any lost episodes hiding anywhere? We'd loved to see them.

Yes, I'm sure that there are. But I don't know whether the timing will work out to show them or if the content is too old now to be good. Last season there was quite a bit of content that was picked over and never used but, there's always a ton of other stuff that doesn't air or doesn't fit in to the storyline and therefor gets cut.

Can you tell us a little about the author of www.roloffworld.blogspot.com? Why did you agree to let her write it when you could have easily just promoted this forum more?

Dallah is a friend (never been employed by us), who works in Hillsboro who has been encouraging me for several years to try and do a blog. She helped me get up and going with my Facebook and her company works with us on our t-shirt and stuff. She convinced me that there is a difference between what she does on the blog, what you do on the forum and what I do with my facebook. Her blog is more for story telling and the forum is more for this type of conversation. So we’re giving it a whirl.

Matt your favorite poster (Cute) is asking "When" or "IF" your family are ever going to be able to post on your board freely? That includes Sven, woohoo hey Sven. As well as Pop and Honey.

Well technically we were free for about 6 weeks, based on our contractual obligations. But now, maybe not so much. However as social networking has taken hold. TLC has gotten a lot better over the years with allowing us to speak more freely to and with our fans. Mostly everyone in the family pretty much leaves it up to me to keep our fans informed of what's going on with the family because I have the facebook, the forum and whatnot. Amy keeps her facebook updated as well.

What people don't realize is, it's can be a very slippery slope when we get involved so personally and directly like we do. Someone may ask a question and we answer it. But then someone else asks another, but we miss it for whatever reason, and don't answer it. Then that person may get angry or feel slighted and get their feeling hurt. Or people may interpret your words differently than you intended. Try as we might, we just can't answer everyone's question and what we say is not going to please everyone. But we do appreciate our fans and wish we had more time to devote to everyone.


Have you ever really given us your honest opinion of what you think of those "silly bloggers"? Let's not pull any punches either. Also, have you ever been contacted by or have you tried to contact that blog writer who seems to be so critical of your family?

It seems that most of the blogs or blogging about the show has faded away. As far as the “Silly” bloggers used to go, I only referred to them as that because often anonymous people would conjure up the silliest (stupidest) stuff and they would write it like it was true. Some people make assumptions and then would write about it so much that they start to actually believe it themselves. We learned to laugh at it when it was brought to our attention and take it in stride, but mostly we learned to ignore it. Worrying about what a few people say is far too time consuming.

It takes all kinds to make the world go-around and we tried to appreciate everybody's opinion. TLC certainly told us many times that the “crazier the chatter” the more interesting we are for filming.

I think that Amy and I have always been up to an interview with any news source on the internet or not, we done hundreds of interviews. The only requirement that (and this was recommended by TLC since day 1) we don’t conduct interviews with anonymous sources. The reason for that should go without saying, it’s just common sense.

[Spiritswander note: we will have a more detail response/information about this in the coming days -- but to give you an idea; Matt made the proclamation that 'Roloffs don't duck interviews/questions' and that simply is not true. As I'll explain in detail, it is the Roloffs right and prerogative to conduct interviews with whomever they choose - Matt prefers it being only him or Amy speaking and usually with staff/employees/friends that are following his orders. Or they interview with bigger, more mainstream outlets that unfortunately barely know the basics about the Roloffs and don't really have the knowledge of the Roloffs to do a compelling interview. So it's the Roloffs right to avoid interviews where they might be asked 'tough' questions, however when Matt claimed Roloffs don't duck interviews -- that's simply not true.]

Would you be able to share any details about your stalker issues?

I'll give a little bit of detail, but it will be covered soon in greater detail over at www.roloffworld.blogspot.com. We have multiple stalkers and we take them all extremely serious. The FBI is involved and multiple agencies. Don't get me wrong, we don't call the police for every little thing we get, but there are just some things that go beyond the norm and need to be taken seriously and addressed. But we do have about 5 open cases right now.

Since some of us don't stalk, I mean, keep up with you and the family on facebook (lol), can you tell us a little about what Jeremy, Zach, Molly and Amy have been up to lately?

Amy has been working her charity very hard and continues to work on that. She's also been busy with her speaking engagements.

Jeremy is preparing to likely transfer to Brookes in the fall. I don't know if it's 100% yet because he still has to work out his living arrangements but it looks promising. Honestly it won’t be easy having him move so far away, he’s a big part of the farm and the work that goes on here. I’m trying not to be selfish, but it is hard.

Zach is still going very strong at the indoor soccer club where he works. He also carries a full load, like Jeremy, at the local community college. He's so involved with his work that he has yet to talk about transferring over to a 4 year college. He just may stay at the community college an additional year before he makes a decision about where he wants to go. He would, however, eventually like to go to a campus that has a girl's soccer team where he could take some sports management courses and possibly coach a women's soccer team.

Molly continues to get straight A's and is looking at various colleges. Everything from local stuff to Stanford to Pepperdine. She's definitely on the fast track to college and will most likely spend a lot of time touring some campuses this coming summer.

Jacob has struggled this last year. He's a very, very smart guy, and always had good grades, but this past year he seems to have lost interest in school. His grades are to the point to where he will very likely not continue in private school. The school has a very strict grade point average standard that has to be met consistently, and if you don't make that average, you no longer qualify to be enrolled. Amy and I are frustrated with the schools lack of flexibility or concern and encouragement for Jacob so close to his eighth grade graduation. It would be very disappointing if Jacob could not continue, but it actually may wind up being for the best. It may be exactly what he needs, AND what we need to yank him out of his rut so he can move on and thrive. We are pleased that as of today his grades are on the rise.

You mentioned possibly buying a train for the farm's pumpkin season. Are there any other projects or new attractions planned for this next season? As any progress been made on the Ark? Will people be able to tour through it in the future?

You won't be able to walk through the Ark because it's just not big enough. It's just there as something to look at. We also have a few other projects that we're looking at doing such as a haunted hayride/house type thing. But we're not sure yet if we're going to do it. We have a few other things in mind but we'll just have to wait and see which ones make sense when we discuss and plan things over the summer. Which is usually the time when we work on projects for the Fall.

Still 2 more years until he's 16 but do you and Jacob have any thoughts yet about a car for him? I thought he'd get the Camaro, but you recently said it was sold. Any plans on restoring an older car like you did for Molly?

Well, right now Jacob needs to get his grades up first and foremost. So there are no discussions about cars right now. But at some point we'll get him a car that's appropriate for him. He talks about maybe wanting and old Volkswagen Rabbit or something. But right now we are shifting his attention away from any notion of getting a car and on to how he needs to get his grades back up to where they were a year ago.

You have inspired so many people with your story, who has inspired you? Do you have any notable heroes or mentors in your life?

Years ago I read a book about a private detective names JJ Arms who had no hands, and that was very inspiring to me. Tom Sawyer was also inspiring. And my father too. He was hard working and has great integrity. That's always been very inspiring to me.

You recently mentioned possibly taping more shows for TLC. What exactly does that mean? Were they interested in more LPBW shows or different ones with you guys altogether?

About possibly doing more LPBW episodes. I actually have a conference call coming up in about 20 minutes with TLC. We haven't made any decisions yet, but we listen to the ideas being bounced around. Having said that, we will never go back to having cameras in our house 24/7 as we did before. It was just way too stressful on us. A project that has the cameras around on a very limited basis is way different than having them there all the time.

When do you take a break from doing all that you do to have time to yourself, and, with the family?

Well, I try to take Sundays off. And Amy and I go out to dinner together when we can. We try to spend time with Jacob. Like going to the movies or the mall and helping him with his homework and we like Friday nights on the couch watching TV. We try to take time for the whole family and for ourselves.

Could you really leave your beautiful house and land that you've worked so hard on to move to Arizona?

No. Absolutely not. What we may do is have an investment house down there and maybe during the really rainy months we could go spend some time down there. There's also some business opportunities that I'm entertaining down there. With an investment house I could also rent it out during the off season. The housing market down there is very depressed. So it may be a great time to take advantage of the market right now.

There are a few places that were set up for me to look at down there, and I was actually supposed to go there straight from here, but there are more pressing things at home, so I’ll do it later.

Where is the enchilada recipe??



Hehe, Amy's working on a cookbook and I'm sure it's almost done. She's working on proposals for publishers right now and has some really good contacts. I'm pretty sure that enchilada recipe will be a prime recipe in that book. So, hang on and wait for that. It’ll be worth it!

Matt Roloff's Blog on the Freebies given to the Roloff Family on LPBW

It was suggested by some of our readers that we do an item on the same subject to give people a chance to express themselves if they choose (since there is a lengthy list of posting rules on RW). On the Matt Roloff blog -- Roloff World http://www.roloffworld.blogspot.com the most recent item was about the "free stuff" the Roloffs received.

"... it was suggested that the Roloff’s were rolling in the dough as “Highly Paid Reality TV Stars” and then asking companies for free this and free that. This perception bothered me for a multitude of reasons, mainly of course being that it’s simply not true. I thought it was a strong statement from someone who does not have a clear understanding of both sides of this coin. Have companies provided products and services in exchange for showing those products and services on Little People Big World? Yes. Was it free? Not necessarily."

First, about the Roloff World blog, we previously expressed what we thought people should know about it. I just think people should be aware that despite the efforts and insistence that it is completely separate and independent of Matt Roloff -- it is basically a Matt Roloff project. Matt has identified the person posting as Dallah; who he previously thanked on his Facebook page for "helping Admin" his Official Facebook Page -- so a person that does work for Matt -- Matt's staff.

What you should know about Matt is something that we've had explained to us by several friends of the Roloffs. Matt is very paranoid and very controlling of what friends say publicly about the Roloffs. Which basically is nothing unless it's under his direction (hence, why you've never seen even Jeremy or Zach do an interview on their own with someone that's not under Matt's control despite their advancing adult age). Matt has even spoke about that subject himself in his past Q&A's -- talking about how the Roloffs would cut friends out of their circle if they found out they would talk about them on the internet.

So, suddenly Matt is giving a friend free reign to talk about whatever she wants and talk to any Roloff or any staff she wants, yet Matt is not in control? Not buying it :) So I think it's wise to assume that nothing is said or brought up unless previously cleared with Matt. I still don't understand why Matt didn't put it on the notes section of his own Facebook Page or even on his own website -- since basically a blog is a website aside from the url. However, I suspect Matt wants to give the appearance that it's not coming from him and he wanted to have one blog that he controls.

With that out of the way, Dallah blogs about the subject of the Roloffs receiving free stuff (which by the way, sounds a lot like the start of the "misconception" list Matt mentioned on his Facebook page months ago).

Anyhow, Dallah does nicely and accurately explain how trade-outs work in the industry. That's correct. Actually, the much maligned Kate Gosselin, early in the Jon and Kate Plus 8 series explained the same process on an episode where they answered viewer questions. That is exactly how it works for the Roloffs and pretty much all of the shows like that.

A lot of fans get upset when they see these families get all this free stuff, free services and free vacations. Personally, I don't see the problem. As explained, it's a business deal. The business makes the decision to exchange their product or services in exchange for the advertising of having their product seen or mentioned on a television show. I suppose the issue for some is that these families start out just like themselves -- real people working to get by and then they get showered with all these free products and free vacations and it makes them unrelatable -- but I think that's a whole other subject

I only have two issues with regard to the Roloffs and this subject. One, Dallah puts Free Stuff in quotes and sort of objects to the notion that the Roloffs received free stuff. Yes, it is a business deal, product/services in exchange for advertising on the television network, but make no mistake, it is free stuff for the Roloffs.

Secondly, unlike Kate Gosselin (love her or hate her) and the way the Jon and Kate Plus Eight show dealt with the subject of "free stuff" or Trade-Outs -- Little People, Big World and the Roloffs weren't so honest. The Roloffs...well, lied about it. I'm sure viewers can recall the many times they heard Matt on the show say "I have a friend" (one example of that was the yellow VW being completely restored by the company in Bakersfield, CA)....well, those were trade outs.

One of the best examples was the luxury vacation home the Roloffs stayed in during their trip to Orlando. The General Manager of Global Resort Homes kindly contributed his thoughts to our site after he watched the episode. He expressed his disappointment, stating he didn't get the return he thought they would considering they comped a luxury vacation home for the Roloffs -- the sign was shown once from a distance, Amy made a comment in the episode about not liking the kitchen and actually the company name wasn't even flashed up in the closing credits -- it was the marketing firm of one of their associates. So the GM admitted he was disappointed, but did mention that at least Amy did leave a "Thank you" note in the guest book saying they enjoyed their (free) stay. That was a trade out. However, trusting viewers weren't told that. If you ever see that episode again, "Escape to Orlando", listen for the exact quote from the mouth of Amy Roloff during a voice over: "I must say, it's the first time we rented a home while on vacation. It's kind of nice." Well, that was a lie. It was a trade-out.

The GM wrote this blog prior to the episode airing, it explains the thought process from the business side of the trade out process:

http://blog.globalresorthomes.com/2008/05/05/little-people-big-world/

So that summarizes the trade-out process on LPBW. They were trade outs, but on the show they were presented as lies straight from the Roloffs.

As I said, personally it does not bother me one bit. It's a business. Businesses make the decision that they feel the advertising they'll receive will be worth it. But as for the Roloffs, let's call it like it was -- they did get "free stuff".

Matt Roloff Facebook Fan Page Updates -- April and Beyond

May 23
Picked Jacob up at school today, he's blowing us away with his success (more on that later). Then we went motorhome rental shopping. Considering doing another road trip this summer... Then we went out to dinner together, Where I read all the short stories he's been writing in class. This kids got talent.. And brains. Must take after Amy.

May 22
QUOTES: Finally published favorite quotes from you all. Too many great ones to list... I tried to narrow it down to 10... ...then 20.. but just couldn't do it. It's as narrow as it's going to get. So many I loved but just couldn't keep them all. Sorry if I got names wrong.. I apologize in advance for any errors and omissions. how fun! I asked Dallah to post them on http://roloffworld.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!


May 22
plan for tomorrow. mike uses 240 on pad 4A. Camerino in 295 on pad 3, Jer on pad 4B with 215. Jeff on the D6 from pad to pad clearing material back. Brian maintain the road. Ron logging.. Allen said expect a big blast. Ill be onsite early am meeting with the engineers. Rock trucks will cap road with 6" of clean 2" minus throughout the day. Will require some dozer support from cam, or Jer while mike hogs dual pad 4a

May 22
Posted a video today on my YouTube channel. Themattroloff. It's a quick snapshot of how I spent at least part of my day. Let me know if you cant find it.

youtube.com/themattroloff

May 21
Left Vegas at 9:00 this am (spent slightly more than 13 hours there) landed in Portland at noon.. Quick change into my work jeans and was on the job site moving dirt by 1:00. That makes for a long ... Last 24 hours.

May 21
Dave, the super hero from The Cape . What a great guy.. And... After almost 50 years I'm finally getting the hang of how to party and have a great time ... And still get up in the morning feeling fabulous.. and catch an early flight. Love Vegas .... But get me out if here before I try that again. Thank marty for a unforgettable experience!!

May 21
Wow! Marty knows how to have a party. 50+ guys flew in from all over the country. Many from his grade school days... A true testament to marty's dynamic personality. How fun was that? Now need sleep before early flight home. Ew



May 21
Up... Up... And Away! I'm off to Vegas to keep marty out of trouble. Not. Next time I go Vegas I'm bringing jeremy and zach to teach me how to party. Errr... maybe not.

May 19
Work hard ... Play harder. When I was screaming in pain as a young boy and crying when I couldnt play baseball with the other kids because I was in a body cast... I never in my wildest dreams believed my life would be so blessed. Despite the hardship.. I never lost faith or hope. I always stayed positive. That spirit is paying off on spades. I know it will for you too!

May 18
Btw. .. I'm still compiling my quote list from you all.. One of my own favorites.. "The fight's out There!". Brian Dennehy, The sherriff in Rambo First Blood. I love that movie.

May 18
Need to schedule a new family meeting... To sort out the last family meeting..

May 17
Just had a family meeting to try and plan out our Summer.... Talk about complicated!

May 15
When I get into sumptin'. I get in all da way... ....And then I get into sumptin else. That's just the way I am!



May 15
Did I mention I'll be turning into an ole' goat soon?

May 15
Molly's was doing some Spring cleaning of our on-line store and asked me to post a 'plug' to make some room for the new designs they want to order this Summer. If you want any of the old legacy Roloff Farm Collectables before they're gone... ..Click here.

www.shoproloff.com

May 15
To all of you that think I'm a mischievous character... I don't hold a candle to these new friends of mine... I call these goats.. Fred and Ethel.

May 15
want to talk a minute on this relaxing, raining Sunday afternoon... to THANK-YOU all... for being my friends and readin' my FB posts. A big Welcome to all the new people that have recently joined us.. and Continued Warmest Regards to all those that have been part of this FB family for awhile. All the Best, to you all!

May 15
I just re-read all the 580+ quotes from my post on Thursday night. So many great ones. I've copied 28 of them to my note pad. I'm trying to narrow it down to my top ten but it's impossible to choose. I'll post my choices soon as I figure this out.

May 14
So many great quotes. I'm speechless ! Now what do I do? Too many to choose from. Arg

May 12
I need a new favorite quote.. Any suggestions?

May 12
How happy can one little man be?? Too many blessing to even count... My boys celebrated their 21st birthday out having dinner with their mom...how Cool is that!!!

May 11
.. Back on the job. ... And king of the dirt.

May 11
I some of u won't get the humor. But for those that do... Here is my really BIG photo! It the Sky in Montana ! :))


May 10
Tomorrows photo will be the biggest of the big.. Any guesses?

May 9
This photo was taken earlier this evening showing Jeremy on top of the water truck we use to wash the road into our dirt project. He recycles rain water from holes we dig and pumps it into the truck and then uses it to rinse clean the road ways.



May 9
I'm so excited about attending the Special Olympics in Montana tomorrow! :))))) Just thinking about this trip has me pumped!! Jeremy and Zach gonna celebrate their 21st Bday.. with Amy tomorrow.. Sad I'll miss that but for a great cause. These boys are both Amazing young men! Anyone who knows them will agree.

May 9
The entire gang celebrating Amy on mothers day



May 8
H A P P Y M O T H E R S D A Y. To all the moms in the whole wide world.

May 8
I just downloaded some movies to watch tonight.... I'm going to try to stay awake till midnight so I can be the first one to wish all the Mom's out there Happy Mothers Day.. (I know.... I'm talking West Coast Time.. but still..) The idea that counts! Right? I wonder if i'll make it?? I feeling sleepy already.. errr

May 8
My Brother Sam and I had a Lunch today with my mom. Happy Mothers Day mom!!



May 7
One of the many blessings... Amy and I receive .. is the honor to volunteer our time at events like this.. Here I come MONTANA! Hope to see everyone out supporting this incredible organization and these amazing Athletes! I'm sooo excited about this one. :)

May 7
This was taken 20 min ago.. Jeremy working the dirt project like a mad man. Even Jacob been working weekends logging trucks whole papa been out of town. This project has been a big time family affair. For those that still don't know what were doing... look for an update on www.roloffworld.blogspot.com soon




May 6
Everybody wondering why I wish it was monday.. Look at the 97124 weather forecast
It's much harder to move dirt in the rain.. Not to mention getting all the chores done around the farm.. Oh well it rained hard this afternoon but is supposed to get nice again on Monday. At least it was wonderful sunny all this past week

May 6
Now It's Friday...and I wish it was Monday... What the heck???

May 5
For those that think I work and never relax... This was taken a few weeks ago in Maui. I definitely know how to get my play time... And family time.. And reading time .. And news time.. And spiritual time .. And of course .. My facebook time. :)))




May 5
Back to back to back to back meetings all day long... Dirt..surveyors .. Pumpkins..speaking.. Editors.. Carpenters ..marketers ...and on it went

May 4
Yesterday my core pumpkin team held our first brainstorming meeting of the season.. Lots of ideas were thrown on the table.. Within hours of making a master list of new ideas I was building the Goat Walk. Anybody have ideas to at add to our long list? Somebody suggested a stairway to heaven.

May 4
Ok..ok.. I can't hold my excitement any longer... IT'S A ' GOAT WALK'. :)))
Go to google images and look them up.. Sooo cool.


May 4
Building a new surprise on the farm.

May 4
Wow.. just noticed hit 42k friends... Maybe a fun goal would be 50k by my 50th Bday Oct 7th. There's going to be a fun party at the Pumpkin Patch on Sat Oct 8th. and you're all invited to celebrate with me. You better pass if you don't want to be seen on TV parting with Matt Roloff. Make your plans. :))

May 4
We originally expected this dirt project to last 4-6 weeks but our site has become extremely popular so the beat goes on .. Indefinitely :)). This is a good thing.. I guess

May 4
Is it the weekend yet? ... Nuff said.

May 3
Kudos to all the brave men and women serving our great country! They got the bad guy.

May 2
Zach and I were out having lunch yesterday.. And he told me a cute story: in one of his soccer classes for 4-5 year old's. One of the little girls suddenly asked out of the blue (after 6 weeks of class) "coach Zach, are you a real man".. Zach answered... "yea.. I'm coach Zach".

April 29
Jacob test results went very well. Knew he was very smart just got lazy. Amy and I were thrilled to see his standardized scores. As Amy noted he has two areas to focus on so he starts Monday at a academic "training camp". Writing was his low point. He takes after his dad in that. I made him create and write a full blown story today as practice before he left for the church retreat. Prediction: he'll do great in HS.

April 29
Laying in bed on my iPad reading about the horrific tornados this week. Prayers to all those effected.

April 29
On one of my farm tours today... A couple made an interesting observation that I thought some of you might appreciate as well. They found it intriguing the difference in perspective they had seeing our farm in real life vs. Through the lens of TV cameras. I reflected on how that might apply beyond mere physical aspects and layout of our farm/family. Perspective, via a narrowly focused lens can be deceiving indeed

April 29
I had lunch with Kaine... the heart-sick father of a young boy that's been missing for almost a year. We want to keep getting the word out for any leads/info --Bring Kyron Home--- http://bringkyronhome.org/

April 28
Amy's in Utah, Zach's at a Soccer game, Molly and Jer went to a Church event.. soooo Jacob and I had dinner together.. and now we're holding down the fort.

April 28
I took this photo from inside the bucket of the excavator. Camerino lifted me up. BTW- The dirt project was supposed to be winding down but not happening. Still going very strong.

April 27
Love that show modern family.

April 27
Almost time to get the buggy out for the Summer YAY!!!


April 26
My buddy marty Klebba bachelor party coming up in Vegas ... Oh boy .. This going be trouble

April 25
Just picked Jacob up from 4 hours of independent academic testing. It's been at least 2 years since I've seen him this happy !! Apparently he can go straight to high school in the fall.. But Amy and I going to homeschool the kid to his maximum potential... Molly Jo here comes Jacob at your heals :).

April 25
Amy and I just worked out a tentative filmIng schedule for the lpbw episodes we'll be filming this year.

April 25
OK... good job everyone! MBBPB = Matt's Big Birthday Pumpkin Bash. My 50th... And You are all invited 10/8/2011 to attend! If you are unable to make the journey... I'm hoping to do a live video stream that day. I would love to celebrate my Birthday with you if you can make it. Hope to see you this Pumpkin season..... More details on www.roloffworld.blogspot.com

April 25
I've been researching Educational ideas.. Someone sent me this. I've ALWAYS believed creativity rules in the end. What do others think?http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

April 25
Matt Roloff: Going to make a big announcements this week... And it's probably not anything you expect. Stay tuned.

April 24
Very nice Easter Sunday service with the family. We were all there together except Jeremy who is now an Usher at Solid Rock Church.. That's a little far for the rest of us to attend but he loves it ...and volunteers there quite often. This truly was a week of miracles is so many ways. God is good!

April 23
Dirt came in so heavy again today. We just keep on finding places to put it... You ever feel like a huge dark cloud has gone away. Jacob seems like a completely new person... So alive and better! I never liked that school. Now Jacob can be the free spirit he is. :))). Amy and I totally on the same page finally about this school thing!! :)). Jacobs soo excited about joining the engineering club at his new school.

Candy: Sometimes it's not the school but a screwball teacher... Glad you were proactive and intervened on his behalf. Our children need us to do this sometimes. We did this for our son when he was 12. Witnessed his teacher belittling him in front of his peers and watching his self esteem go south. The teacher warned us hes going to be trouble down the road. Hes been out of her class for 4 years now and the last three years he has made on honor roll,excelled in music/ youth symphony, & has been achieving great things in swimming & boy scouts. Love ♥ to hear parents doing what's right for their kids & grateful that we have choices. Kudos to you all!

Matt Roloff: Candy. Thanks for your post. I think that might be exactly the issue we were having. It all seems to be changing now faster that a blink. Something was definitely broken where he was.



April 20
Cutting travel trip short. Postponing leg through southwest. Too many important things waiting for me back home. Be home by midnight tonight.

April 19
Bumped into George Lucas this morning. Reminisced about meeting him and having lunch 29 years ago while working as an Ewok. He remembered our conversation about ways to cool those very hot Ewok suits. He's as nice and friendly now as he was 30 years ago. :)

April 18
Touchdown Maui. Highlight so far... Visiting with one of the Founders of Google, meeting his family and talking about his latest venture. Couple more meetings tomorrow up north then some vitamin D intake.. Then Back to the mainland. Nice thing about all my accumulated miles from last year. Swinging thru Maui for a couple business meetings is easy breezy.. I think this is my 6th trip here since last spring. Trying to compare Investments in AZ vs Maui. AZ next

April 17
Im in my home town of san francisco .. It's foggy here... Surprise surprise.

April 16
Sometimes People accuse me (as if it's a bad thing) of being a Glass Half Full type person. I'll take that! ...It's sooo fun to feel like your life is always burning perfectly on all cylinders. I love my family first and foremost! I hope everyone can focus on the lights in their life. :))

April 16
Been trying to connect on the phone with my moderator over at www.mattroloff.com for a week now to do a long awaited Q&A session.. but our timing just hasn't worked out yet. I'm going to try and catch her while i'm traveling this week. I'm getting away for some business meetings (lawyers, agents, bus mngrs and Dirt deals) and a ltl RnR in Maui. Q&A out soon.. I promise.

April 15
Another... long, and productive week bites the dust. Next week back on the road

April 14
Fascinating interview with Diane lane tonight on jay Leno. Do people really look for the bad in others to make themselves feel better?? I would agree that sometimes...that's true.. But not everyone dwells on negativity. .. Only a very small insignificant minority in my opinion.

April 13
Any cool Suggestions for a family Summer Vacation?? ...need TLC friendly ideas to kick things off

April 11
Just when I thought this dirt thing was going to winddown.. 3 new accounts come rolling in. I guess I'm in the dirt broker business for awhile yet

April 9
Finally...dirt from intel project here in Hillsboro starting to wind down... Now asking about Chandler az fab construction. Always wanted to have a pumpkin patch near my buddy at Amex in AZ. I Know. ..our life is confusing. :)

April 7
So much to think about. Stay here in OR or move to AZ To work on next monster intel deal? Both being filmed for pumpkin patch documentary
Could I truly franchise Roloff pumpkin patches all over the west coasts?? Seems ambitions. Even for me.

April 5
I'm so proud of All my kids. I just had dinner with a friend of mine and made me realize how blessed Amy and I are with all our amazing children. Very very proud of the way they handle themselves.

April 4
Question of the day: "Should people that don't know what they're talking about ...keep their mouths quiet... Or should they speak up and make fools of themselves?" I love that twisted question. :))

April 3
At least one more week of heavy dirt hauling.. then it should (hopefully) slow down to a nicer steady pace through May. I'm ready for it to wind down so I can spend time on my other projects. I had to slip my trip to LA back a week. Oh well... too many balls in the air can be exhausting.. lol .. I wouldn't have it any other way.

April 3
Wow! Thank You ALL for so many kind and supportive comments. You're all the BEST! I'd be kidding myself not to think your encouragement will not have some influence on our decisions. xoxo

April 2 Amy and I had a nice dinner together tonight. We're still discussing if we want to do future LPBW shows or not.... errr... not an easy decision. We're lovin' getting back to normal. TLC's asking.. but not pressuring.. I love those guys for being so cool to us all these years.

===================================================

The above content is from the Fan Facebook page of Matt Roloff located here:

http://www.facebook.com/RealMattRoloff

It was suggested that we open this up because some fans aren't active on Facebook, but still want to express themselves on some of Matt's updates and information, and some people just don't feel comfortable saying what they really want to say or what they think about a particular Matt Roloff posting because his Facebook page is strictly a fan page and some people don't feel comfortable expanding on their thoughts beyond "That's wonderful Matt, you're the greatest Matt" which is the response to most everything Matt posts on Facebook. You can find the log of Matt's previous comments before April 2011 and subsequent discussion about them located here:

http://spiritswander.blogspot.com/2011/01/matt-roloff-facebook-fan-page-updates.html

Amy Roloff Coffee Chat Summary; April 1st

This week on Amy's coffee chat, she mainly talked to guests -- a person from Dress For Success and Miss Oregon.

In our summaries, we usually stick to the things that fans are more interested in about the Roloffs, so this chat will be very brief.

No other Roloffs made appearances this week.

Amy said she had a teenager/early 20 year old that was up late late late and was still in bed (it was assumed she was talking about Jeremy). She said he will be in for a rude awakening when he goes to college. Amy said "well, he (the unnamed, still sleeping 20 year old) is in college, but when he goes *away* to college. That will hopefully happen in the fall -- Lord willing (said somewhat sarcastically). No, we're planning on it."

"As a parent, I have to do my work in getting him to college and that's filling out his

FASFA (Free Application for Student Financial Aid) thing. From what I've heard, it is complicated, there's so much information, but I'm going to have to just face it, get on the internet and do it. If your kids are going to college, it is necessary -- whether you think you don't make enough money or if you think you make way too much money and you're not going to qualify for anything, it's good to go ahead and do it".

The kids were not ready to go back to school after spring break. The weather in Oregon over spring break was terrible. March wasn't a good month. Flat dreary clouds. Out of 31 days, they had rain 29 days.

People were asking about the camping trip that Jeremy, Zach and Mueller went on last weekend. Amy wished they were there to tell people about themselves, but they weren't. She said they had a fabulous time. Amy said about eight of them went.

Every time they go on a trip like that something harrowing happens. They were down by the river and they were legal to do all of that because they had their permits.

According to Amy, Zach had his car parked. Washington County called the Roloffs asking "Whose car is this? Your kids... Amy said there's a panic and she's thinking why are we in a panic? Amy said she tried to keep calm, but it sent certain members of the family into a panic. There was no problem, but the sheriff still came to them. So the boys and their group got kind of nervous when the Sheriff came to them questioning what they were doing, but they whipped out their permits -- they thought they were lost, they had a lot of rain, the river was up. She said maybe it's good Washington County took a pro-active approach, but the Roloffs didn't call them to say something was wrong so.... They just assumed. Amy thinks someone was trying to make a problem when there wasn't one. Amy thought "Do we really have that kind of reputation so far?" But everything was fine and they had a great time.

Amy just had her hydrostatic test done -- the body fat reading. She said she didn't do well. She gained a few pounds. It woke up her that even though she has a personal trainer she still needs to watch what she eats, when she eats and how often she eats.

You can watch the recording on Amy's Ustream channel:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13705637