New year, new crop of relationships that need saving! On the season 7 premiere of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, the couples wasted no time airing their dirty laundry. The lineup included Mob Wives alum Renee Graziano and her boyfriend, Joey Gambino; Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star PreMadonna and her fiancé, Buck Thomas; Bachelorette married couple Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum; Bad Girls Club vet Gabi Victor and her boyfriend/baby daddy Victor Tarrats; and 19 Kids and Counting alum Amy Duggar and husband Dillon King. After everyone arrived at the house, they shared a bit about what brought them to boot camp in the first place.
Despite the fact that they’d been dating two entire years, Renee and Joey had kept their relationship a secret because he wasn’t ready to fully commit to her. He was also friendly with her dad, which further complicated matters. The major point of stress between PreMadonna and Buck was that they had been engaged for over a year but hadn’t set a wedding date yet. Amy and Dillon struggled to fight fair, and their arguments often ended with one of them saying something they both regretted later. The top thing Amy regretted saying? “I don’t want to have kids with you.” (Yikes — don’t let Jim Bob and Michelle hear that!)
Gabi and Victor were at each other’s throats from the moment they walked in the door. In their video packages, he said he felt they had no relationship together beyond their child, and called her a bitch. Then came JP and Ashley.
Baby Might Break JP and Ashley
Despite a storybook courtship and wedding, followed by the birth of their son, JP and Ashley were struggling to keep their marriage afloat. He felt that since they had a baby, she didn’t pay attention to him, and she didn’t like his continual condescending tone.
During a staged press conference, Ashley admitted, “After we had our son, Ford, life tore us apart.” JP added, “I don’t even feel like I come second to Ford.” He went on to say he didn’t even feel that he came third, fourth or fifth. Though Ashley first said he did come second, upon further prodding she conceded that after Ford came her mother and her sister, so he was … fourth? Ashley estimated he held the slot marked 3.5, but even by her own count, that wasn’t exactly true. (Just for the record, for whatever lamentations JP had about Ashley being too focused on their son, since the show taped, they welcomed their second child, a daughter named Essex.)
Amy and Dillon Reveal History of Alleged Violence and Animal Cruelty
Another dramatic moment in the “press conference” came when Amy and Dillon inadvertently revealed they had an alleged history of violence and borderline animal cruelty. “Amy sometimes takes a swing at me,” Dillon said in a pre-recorded video, which was aired for the press. This prompted Amy to explain that she had hit him only once, after he “slammed” their cat on the table. “If you’re going to treat a poor little innocent kitten like that, I do not want kids with you,” she said.
Pressed by reporters for more details about the time she hit her husband, Amy sighed and said, “You had to be there.” Dillon’s video ended with him calling her a “bitch.”
Victor Accuses Gabi of Being a Bad Mom
During the conference, Victor pointed fingers at Gabi for her mothering abilities (or lack thereof). “Your mom has to remind you every day when to put your son to sleep and when to change his diaper,” he said. She insisted that wasn’t true, and he was “delusional.” Then she added that just because he saw his son every day didn’t make him a good dad.
When they got back to the house, Gabi broke down in tears, and Renee comforted her. Making matters worse for Gabi, she whined that she has the “ugliest cry face” ever.
Ashley Is Weirdly Enchanted With Their Kids-Themed Bedroom
Each couple’s room had a theme that reflected their current issues. Ashley and JP’s room was outfitted more like a nursery than a suite for adults. Not surprisingly, JP didn’t like it, but Ashley was smitten. She thought it was “fun” and called it a “reminder” of Ford.
It seemed there was a pretty big disconnect between them, however, because Ashley commented that their day-to-day lives were “very happy.” When she saw JP’s face after she’d made that remark, she added, “Or I’m very happy.” JP didn’t say anything, and his silence spoke volumes.
Tell Us: Do you think JP and Ashley’s marriage is in trouble?
Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars airs on WE tv Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
