Who knew making fun of mom was such a bonding experience? On the Tuesday, December 13, episode of Kate Plus 8, the Gosselin family ventured out to the Poconos to try adventures like tubing, rafting, archery and calling Mom dramatic. As a chaperone of one, Kate Gosselin brought her kids and a family friend on the trip, admitting, “It gets exhausting.” After screaming throughout the majority of activities and getting called out by her brood, we imagine it sure did.
Kate Plus Canines
As if watching all the kids wasn’t hectic enough, Kate brought the family’s two new dogs along for the vacation. “It was like having two infants again,” she said. Before even getting in the car to leave, the screaming ensued when the kids almost left home without the dogs. “No, I’m serious!” a frazzled Kate yelled, telling them to look for the pups.
“I guess I was just, like, yelling at the kids. … For once in their lives, they listened,” she said. When they got out of the car, the pooches had diarrhea, and she frantically demanded, “I need the poop bag!” Woof.
Unqualified Lifeguard
Kate, who can’t swim, took it upon herself to be the lifeguard of her kids’ water activities. “The one who can’t swim has to be lifeguard,” she said. Then her daughter Leah called her out for her hands-off approach in helping the kids with their swim gear. “My goodness, you’re not very much help,” said Leah. Kate replied, “No, I’m not.” Crushed it.
Tubing Turbulence
Kate couldn’t deal with the tubing situation and totally admitted it, saying, “I wasn’t fond of this whole setup.” Soon enough, the state of Pennsylvania knew it, as she screamed at the top of her lungs throughout most of the experience. “She does everything over-dramatically and screaming,” her daughter Mady said after mocking her.
Kate’s son Joel chimed in separately, saying, “She screams over everything.” But, hey, at least she wore it proudly. “I was screaming at high decibels,” Kate said. The kids’ eye rolls said it all.
The Hunger Games of Shade
Once the family kicked into activities like archery tag and water rafting, the shade became next level, as the Gosselin kids just couldn’t deal with Mom’s antics. Picking teams for archery was dramatic in itself. “Mom, you’re trying to make this fun. But no one wants to be on your team, so this isn’t fun,” Hannah said. Icy.
Then again, Kate did have a hunch that would happen. “It always turns into a fight,” she said of picking teams. Hannah wasn’t having her mom’s chaperone skills and yelled, “I hurt my thumb, and no one cares!” Later, she and her sister Alexis bonded while mocking their mom’s screaming to the camera. Kate’s son Aaden came in hot with shade when explaining the rafting route. “We were on the easy course for Mommy,” he said. No shame.
After spending a few days being one of the kids (kind of), Kate held a silent dinner because, ironically, her “ears just needed a break.” She looked back on the trip, saying, “I really enjoy watching them have fun.” We just don’t know if the kids enjoyed her screaming as much as she did watching them.
Tell Us: Should Kate have tried harder to control her shouting on the family vacation to the Poconos?
Kate Plus 8 airs on TLC Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
