World's Strictest Parents: Mark and Ariel Answer the Call (Family) of Duty
On tonight's World's Strictest Parents, two out-of-control teens spend a week with a by-the-book family and end up realizing that things like respect and responsibility are to be valued—after pissing all over said family's toilet, that is.
Tonight's episode begins in Peachtree City, Georgia and introduces us to Ariel, a 16-year-old self-described "princess." Ariel brags about not having any responsibilities, shows us her $5,000 ring—that she probably got at Claire's for $25—and makes sure we see a shot of her smoking a cigarette, to round out her edginess. From there, we travel to O'Fallon, Missouri and meet Mark, another 16-year-old who thinks he has it all figured out. Mark's motto for life? "I don't have a motto, I leave those to douchebags." Nice.
Cut to Moab, Utah, home of the Calls. Russ and Kim Call, that is. And, guess what? They have 12 kids! The question of whether or not the Calls are Mormon, heretofore unmentioned, is immediately resolved. Only five of the 12 kids currently live in the Call house, though, and nothing is said about the other seven. Maybe they're touring the country and trying to take away the right of gay people to marry, or something. Who knows.
Mark and Ariel arrive in Moab and are greeted by the Call gang. Pleasantries are exchanged, judgmental glances are given and everyone gathers in the living room to go over the house rules. Most of them are pretty standard: obey Russ and Kim, don't swear, and so on. Kim decides to throw a curve ball, though, and announces that everyone in the house—men included—must pee sitting down. You see, Kim doesn't like "piddle" on her toilet seats. And while Larry David would be thrilled to obey such a rule, Mark isn't as happy. How does he deal with the new rule? Watch below to find out.
After Mark's little piddle incident, Russ sits him down and lets him know that, while he was voted nicest in high school, he also had a nickname: Killer. And, Mark, it's best you don't mess with Killer, because "if we have to get down and dirty, I'm not a fun person to be around."
Prayer time! As the family gathers, once again, in the living room to observe the sabbath, it's clear that Mark and Ariel are not used to such practices. Their reactions, below.
Following the daily devotional, everyone gathers in the kitchen to make a meal for a family friend that just had surgery. It becomes evident at this point, to Russ and Kim at least, that Mark and Ariel do not know anything about cooking. Or anything else, really. Shocking, right?
The Call family business—cleaning offices and other buildings—requires them to get up at 4:00 AM. And on the next morning, Mark and Ariel have the distinct pleasure of joining in on the fun. In the following clip, we learn that Ariel really, really, really does not like cleaning toilets.
Things can't get much worse, right? Right. Because, as is with any other show like this, it's come time for the miraculous turnaround!
The morning after Ariel's toilet cleaning meltdown, Kim asks her to stay behind while Mark joins the rest of the family and heads to work. Why was Ariel asked to remain at the house? Because Kim wants to show her that being a homemaker isn't as easy as she thinks it is. So, Ariel cooks breakfast, does laundry, cooks lunch, does laundry, cooks dinner and does more laundry. At the end of it all, she has a better appreciation for Kim's grueling schedule, and—you guessed it—they bond. Russ and Mark bond, too, over a talk about what kind of example he wants to set for his little sister. He wants to set a good one. Problem solved!
The show wraps up with visits from Mark's parents and Ariel's mother, more sappy counseling sessions, "I'm going to be a better person" type speeches more befitting an after school special, and the inevitable goodbye/we'll see you again moments. Have Mark and Ariel changed for the better? Will the reforms last? Hell if we know, because the hour is almost over and the credits need to roll.
At the very end of the show, Russ looks back on the experience and says, "That I've been able to play a small part in impacting the lives of Mark and Ariel, makes me feel as though I've been part of a miracle."
No, Russ, you were part of a reality show. If you want someone to label it a miracle, call Sarah Palin. Or just flail your arms—she can probably see Utah from her house if she uses her super-zoom binoculars.