LDS Millionaire

[pogi]

Has anyone else seen the billboards and heard about this?

https://www.ksl.com/article/46576848/2-women-share-their-experience-at-the-lds-millionaire-event

As much as I love The Bachelor show , this promises to be even more entertaining!  I can't tell if there is going to be a show made out of this, or if this is just a marketing gimmick of the matchmaking company. 

Besides the fact that they used "LDS" in the title (I guess that ain't goin' away), this just feels distasteful to me personally on so many levels.  The phrase "LDS Millionaire" itself just feels so dissonant to me.  Not that there is anything wrong with being a Latter-day Saint millionaire, but the dissonance comes in the appeal to wholesome faith being combined with a more carnal appeal to greed.  It sounds like the guy is around twice the age of most of the contestants too, which just makes it that much more icky.      

I joked with my wife that the FLDS should do a polygamy version of the Bachelor.    "21 contestants, but there can only be ONE...looser!"

What do you think, is this a sign of diminishing values in our culture and a cheapening of the most sacred institution of marriage, or is this innocent fun?   

Edited June 19, 2019 by pogi

[Duncan]

I've wondered about this, could be  a scam too. There was video of these ladies meeting him or something but who knows if we'll ever know

[MustardSeed]

Is this in Utah? 

Let me guess, no one else has seen the billboard.

Ill be there tomorrow.  Will pipe in then about all my observations no doubt😂

Edited June 19, 2019 by MustardSeed

[MustardSeed]

Adding separately because the editor is fighting with me..

i do think it’s a cleaver schtick but it is a sad commentary. 

[Amulek]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

Besides the fact that they used "LDS" in the title (I guess that ain't goin' away), this just feels distasteful to me personally on so many levels.  The phrase "LDS Millionaire" itself just feels so dissonant to me.  Not that there is anything wrong with being a Latter-day Saint millionaire, but the dissonance comes in the appeal to wholesome faith being combined with a more carnal appeal to greed. 

I don't think it was meant to be off-putting.

There used to be a show called The Millionaire Matchmaker, and I think that's all they were going for (see, e.g., the website name in the billboard for additional confirmation).

 

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It sounds like the guy is around twice the age of most of the contestants too, which just makes it that much more icky. 

My wife told me that, in the unlikely event that she dies before me, I am allowed to remarry a hot, younger woman...for time only. 

Personally, I don't see a large age gap as being a deal breaker; maturity seems to make a much bigger difference.

I've known couples who were perfectly happy together even though one spouse was nearly twice as old as the other. 

 

Quote

What do you think, is this a sign of diminishing values in our culture and a cheapening of the most sacred institution of marriage, or is this innocent fun?   

I think situations like this one are legitimate attempts to bring people together.

Admittedly, it's not exactly the kind of dating format anyone can participate in, but if it works out - great!

 

Quote

As much as I love The Bachelor show  [...]

Don't forget The Bachelorette!

P.S. Luke P. ruins everything. 

 

[rpn]

For some guy who couldn't identify a partner any other way, it beats not trying everything.   As one of the women said,  if it were to work, it beats having to tell our children that I meet on an app (paraphrased).

[nuclearfuels]

3 hours ago, pogi said:

Has anyone else seen the billboards and heard about this?

https://www.ksl.com/article/46576848/2-women-share-their-experience-at-the-lds-millionaire-event

As much as I love The Bachelor show , this promises to be even more entertaining!  I can't tell if there is going to be a show made out of this, or if this is just a marketing gimmick of the matchmaking company. 

Besides the fact that they used "LDS" in the title (I guess that ain't goin' away), this just feels distasteful to me personally on so many levels.  The phrase "LDS Millionaire" itself just feels so dissonant to me.  Not that there is anything wrong with being a Latter-day Saint millionaire, but the dissonance comes in the appeal to wholesome faith being combined with a more carnal appeal to greed.  It sounds like the guy is around twice the age of most of the contestants too, which just makes it that much more icky.      

I joked with my wife that the FLDS should do a polygamy version of the Bachelor.    "21 contestants, but there can only be ONE...looser!"

What do you think, is this a sign of diminishing values in our culture and a cheapening of the most sacred institution of marriage, or is this innocent fun?   

I see the show as an attempt to make money within the LDS culture.

As for the polygamous version, I've already acquired the rights to it.

Taking early investments from interested parties now.

[pogi]

7 minutes ago, Amulek said:

I don't think it was meant to be off-putting.

There used to be a show called The Millionaire Matchmaker, and I think that's all they were going for (see, e.g., the website name in the billboard for additional confirmation).

I don't think it was intended to be off-putting either, some people are just naturally that way 

According to the KSL article, it was the bachelor's choice.  Maybe he was afraid women wouldn't like him if he wasn't rich?  Or, maybe he just likes to flaunt his money?  Either way, it is off putting to me.

Quote

 Both women told KSL.com that the bachelor chose to put the word "millionaire" on the billboard.

14 minutes ago, Amulek said:

Personally, I don't see a large age gap as being a deal breaker; maturity seems to make a much bigger difference.

I've known couples who were perfectly happy together even though one spouse was nearly twice as old as the other. 

I agree, I do think it depends on the couple - it's not always a deal breaker.  What feels icky about this situation is that EVERY single contestant was WAY younger than him - by his choice.  The fact that he doesn't have ANY women his age just makes this feel like an old dude trying to catch some young meet by dangling a million dollar hook - that's just nasty to me.  Apparently it worked.  He had young women turn down jobs and fly from New York to participate.  And even though it was supposed to be a low drama event, the claws came out.  I somehow doubt that would have happened if he didn't flaunt his money.  It all just feels so cheap.  It makes it feel less about finding a worthy eternal spouse, and more about hot young sex (for him) and money (for them). 

 

[Calm]

46 minutes ago, pogi said:

What feels icky about this situation is that EVERY single contestant was WAY younger than him - by his choice.  The fact that he doesn't have ANY women his age just makes this feel like an old dude trying to catch some young meet by dangling a million dollar hook - that's just nasty to me. 

This.

Two people meeting each other and hitting it off, age no big deal.  This looks more like he is targeting that age group intentionally and refusing to consider women his own age.  Which generally means he cares more about physical appearance or wants to dominate or have a wife who adapts to him, all of which creates an unequal dynamic and sets up his wife for worrying that she may get dumped if he considers the upper age as an expiration date.....which may be why he is not married.

[Tacenda]

5 minutes ago, Calm said:

This.

Two people meeting each other and hitting it off, age no big deal.  This looks more like he is targeting that age group intentionally and refusing to consider women his own age.  Which generally means he cares more about physical appearance or wants to dominate or have a wife who adapts to him, all of which creates an unequal dynamic and sets up his wife for worrying that she may get dumped if he considers the upper age as an expiration date.....which may be why he is not married.

Which brings to mind, why didn't JS target women more his age and not ones that needed to mature or at least have their youth for a while.

[Duncan]

27 minutes ago, Calm said:

This.

Two people meeting each other and hitting it off, age no big deal.  This looks more like he is targeting that age group intentionally and refusing to consider women his own age.  Which generally means he cares more about physical appearance or wants to dominate or have a wife who adapts to him, all of which creates an unequal dynamic and sets up his wife for worrying that she may get dumped if he considers the upper age as an expiration date.....which may be why he is not married.

for some people age is just a number BUT for others 911 is also a number and jail is just a room🙂

[Calm]

28 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Which brings to mind, why didn't JS target women more his age and not ones that needed to mature or at least have their youth for a while.

One reason was probably opportunity to get to know them, those living in his home might be more comfortable with the idea after having been up close to observe the family and the man.  But many of his relationships with women were because of friendships with their male relatives, such as Helen's father (the men's wives, sisters, daughters).  It wasn't about age of the bride, but the fact she was his daughter.

Given Helen's comments, she was being given time to mature, but back then maturity was seen as coming earlier, being a teenage didn't exist.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Calm

[ksfisher]

39 minutes ago, Calm said:

This.

Two people meeting each other and hitting it off, age no big deal.  This looks more like he is targeting that age group intentionally and refusing to consider women his own age.  Which generally means he cares more about physical appearance or wants to dominate or have a wife who adapts to him, all of which creates an unequal dynamic and sets up his wife for worrying that she may get dumped if he considers the upper age as an expiration date.....which may be why he is not married.

Perhaps he would like to have children. 

[Calm]

22 minutes ago, ksfisher said:

Perhaps he would like to have children. 

Good point. 

[MustardSeed]

Maybe JS was attracted to girls that age. 

Maybe he wanted lots and lots of kids.  

Maybe both.  Either way, if he were my neighbor today, I would not want much to do with that. 

The shows motivation is to make money, of course.  The female participants motivation is possibly to get rich or get infamous.  The mans motivation is possibly status or pride. Just possibilities of course. 

Motivation to watch could be about curiosity, rooted more in greed and vicarious living.  Possibly. Or a hunger for drama and chaos. 

Sounds gross to me. 😕 but I’ve been known to indulge in trash tv before so I wouldn’t necessarily judge anyone getting into it.  As a whole, I do judge society for such drivel though. 

[Amulek]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

Maybe he was afraid women wouldn't like him if he wasn't rich?   

Hey, if you're going to put up a billboard advertisement for a spouse, you might as well lead with your strengths. 

And let's be honest, lots of women would love to be married to a wealthy man. So much so that they would be willing to compromise on some of the other characteristics that they might normally desire in an ideal partner (e.g., sense of humor, physical appearance, etc.). 

Nobody is going to end up with a perfect spouse, so these are all trade-offs one has to make when it comes to choosing a companion.

Maybe one guy is really short, but he's also really funny. Or maybe he doesn't have a sense of humor at all, but he's really intelligent. Or maybe he's super cute, but he doesn't make a lot of money. Or maybe he happens to be loaded but is also slightly older than what you might otherwise prefer.  

 

Quote

What feels icky about this situation is that EVERY single contestant was WAY younger than him - by his choice.  The fact that he doesn't have ANY women his age just makes this feel like an old dude trying to catch some young meet by dangling a million dollar hook - that's just nasty to me. 

Well, we don't know that every woman was way younger than him. The younger woman interviewed in the article indicated that the oldest woman she personally spoke with was 31, but she didn't know how old the oldest candidates were. And the 31 year old only indicated that "most" of the women at the event appeared to be younger than she. That leads me to believe that there were probably at least a couple of "older" women present. 

But yes, my guess would be that the majority of those in attendance were probably ten (or more) years younger than him - though we don't actually know how old he is. 

 

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Apparently it worked.  He had young women turn down jobs and fly from New York to participate.  And even though it was supposed to be a low drama event, the claws came out.  I somehow doubt that would have happened if he didn't flaunt his money.  It all just feels so cheap.  It makes it feel less about finding a worthy eternal spouse, and more about hot young sex (for him) and money (for them). 

I don't see anything inherently wrong with a man who desires youth and beauty in a companion, nor a women who desires maturity and financial stability. 

Attraction has to start somewhere, and those seem like perfectly reasonable characteristics to pique one's initial interest in a potential partner. 

 

[MustardSeed]

The heart wants what the heart wants I guess. 

It’s information for me, at least enough info for me to run the other way from any contestant.  I don’t have much respect for participants.  Judgemental as that is, it’s how it is for me. 

Edited June 19, 2019 by MustardSeed

[Amulek]

51 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

The shows motivation is to make money, of course.

It isn't a television show. It's a professional matchmaking service. 

 

[MustardSeed]

1 minute ago, Amulek said:

It isn't a television show. It's a professional matchmaking service. 

 

Oh.  Geez.  Well then, here’s to love.  My mom always said it’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich one as it is a poor one. 

I snagged the poor one.  He’d borrowed his friends vintage convertible for the first date.  I fell in love before he took me home.  Then I found out how poor he was.

[Hamba Tuhan]

8 hours ago, pogi said:

"21 contestants, but there can only be ONE...looser!"

I'm not sure 'looser' is what you meant to write here ...

[mrmarklin]

4 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Which brings to mind, why didn't JS target women more his age and not ones that needed to mature or at least have their youth for a while.

Really?  Eliza Snow, one of his most prominent wives was older. 

Given JS had no issue from any of his plural marriages, I acquit him of “targeting” anyone. 

[Calm]

3 hours ago, Amulek said:

don't see anything inherently wrong with a man who desires youth and beauty in a companion,

As long as that's not the only thing they desire or the most important thing, otherwise the marriage is destined to end or end in dissatisfaction and resentment and maybe even hate.

Same thing with a woman marrying for money.  What happens if he loses it?

[webbles]

5 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Which brings to mind, why didn't JS target women more his age and not ones that needed to mature or at least have their youth for a while.

I ran some numbers based off of the list from Todd Comptom (grabbed form https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joseph_Smith's_wives).

Out of the 33 marriages after Emma Smith, 9 of them (27%) were to woman older than him.  The women older than him were on average 10 years older.  The women younger than him were on average 13 years younger.  All the women were on average only 7 years younger than him.

Using the "half age plus seven" rule of thumb on dating and marriage, 19 of the women (58%) were within that range.

So, it does look like he was "targeting" women across a wide variety of ages and most of his marriages (58%) would be acceptable under the "half age plus seven" rule of thumb.

[The Nehor]

By millionaire do they mean “worth a million dolllars”? That is a low bar and can just mean “owns their house”.

[pogi]

1 hour ago, The Nehor said:

By millionaire do they mean “worth a million dolllars”? That is a low bar and can just mean “owns their house”.

Net-worth of a million dollars is a low bar?  I must be a huge underachiever!