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| Jon & Kate Plus 8 | |
|---|---|
| File:JKP8logo.png | |
| Created by | Figure 8 Films |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 92 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jennifer Stocks |
| Running time | approx. 23 minutes; specials approximately 46 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Discovery Health Channel (2007) TLC (2008-present) |
| Release | April 16, 2007–present |
Jon & Kate Plus 8 is a reality television show produced in the United States by Figure 8 Films about the Gosselin family, consisting of parents Jon and Kate and their eight children—a set of fraternal twin girls and a set of sextuplets (three girls and three boys, all fraternal). The show follows the family through their daily lives, focusing on the challenges of raising multiple children. The show originally aired on Discovery Health, but has aired on TLC since season 3. It is consistently one of the highest rated shows on TLC. The family originally appeared in a one-hour special titled Surviving Sextuplets and Twins.
Family history
Kate Irene Gosselin is one of five children. She has three sisters and a brother. Jonathan Keith Gosselin is the middle child of three boys. The couple met on October 5, 1997 at a picnic. They were married on June 12, 1999.
The Gosselins' desire to start a family was met with infertility. Kate underwent medical testing and was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. The couple turned to fertility treatments and immediately began intrauterine insemination. In February 2000, Kate became pregnant with twins. On October 8, 2000, Cara Nicole and Madelyn "Mady" Kate Gosselin were born, six minutes apart.
They began thinking of having another child and, according to Kate, a biracial infant of a teenage girl became available to adopt while Kate was an obstetrics nurse. They decided not to adopt the baby, but instead returned to fertility treatment. In October 2003, Kate became pregnant again. Five weeks later, (after being hospitalized for over-stimulated ovaries) at the initial ultrasound, the doctor announced that there were six sacs with seven yolks (embryos). According to Kate, this was emotional news for them. The doctor suggested selective reduction, but the couple was strongly against it.
The sextuplets were born on May 10, 2004 at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. All six children were delivered within a span of three minutes with more than fifty doctors, nurses, and other specialists involved. Since the sextuplets were born in Hershey, they were called "Hershey Kisses" by the nurses and doctors who delivered them. In late 2008, the family moved from their Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania home to a larger residence in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.
Gosselins
Parents
- Kate Irene - born March 28, 1975
- Jonathan "Jon" Keith - born April 1, 1977
Twins - born October 8, 2000
In birth order:
- Cara Nicole
- Madelyn "Mady" Kate
Sextuplets - born May 10, 2004
In birth order:
- Alexis Faith
- Hannah Joy
- Aaden Jonathan
- Collin Thomas
- Leah Hope
- Joel Kevin
German Shepherd Dogs - purchased prior to Christmas 2008
- Shooka (male)
- Nala (female)
Production
Discovery Health started filming the show in the form of two hour-long specials, then TLC continued the filming for a weekly series around Jan 1, 2007.
Between the specials and the series, permanent light fixtures were installed in the Gosselins' home to facilitate filming, and prevent the children from tripping over the wires and cables of temporary lighting. Jon & Kate Plus 8 is filmed three days a week, with one day set aside for the interview sessions where Jon, Kate, and occasionally the children, discuss the events which take place in each episode. In the house that the family lived in before their move in late 2008, the "interview corner" was located in the basement, and was transformed from the playroom when needed. It was painted green, unlike the rest of the playroom. In their new house, the interview set was reproduced and constructed in an unfinished area of the basement.
Jon and Kate also work closely with producers to decide what themes will be presented in each episode. Jon and Kate have remarked that over the years the production crew has become part of the family.
Multimedia
Kate Gosselin has written two books, one called Multiple Blessings which was released November 1, 2008; it entered the list of New York Times best-sellers a week after its release. Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson co-authored the book, however it credits Jon as a co-author as well. The other, Eight Little Faces, will be released in April 2009.
Seasons 1 and 2 were released on DVD on July 16, 2008, distributed online only by Discovery. It was released to mass market on September 9, 2008 (October 21, 2008 in Canada), to be distributed by Genius. After this, TLC started selling Season 1 and Season 2 on separate DVDs. Season 3 was released in November 2008 by TLC and was available to the mass market on February 3, 2009. Season 4, Volume 1: The Wedding will be released on DVD, May 5, 2009 but will only contain episodes from the first half of the fourth season.
The Gosselins are managed by Media Motion International in Los Angeles.
Episodes
Main article: List of Jon & Kate Plus 8 episodes| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | May 14, 2006 | January 23, 2007 | |
| 1 | 8 | April 10, 2007 | May 14, 2007 | |
| 2 | 12 | October 15, 2007 | December 17, 2007 | |
| 3 | 31 | January 7, 2008 | June 16, 2008 | |
| 4 | 41 | June 23, 2008 | March 23, 2009 | |
References
- Gosselin, Kate (July 3, 2008). "Naptime Musings From Jon & Kate Plus 8". Orato. Retrieved on July 3, 2008.
- Mosteller, Rachel. "Celebrity Dish: Jon and Kate Gosselin". ParentDish. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ "Our Story". Sixgosselins.com. Retrieved June 14, 2008.
- Woo, Michelle (May 2008). "JUST THE 10 OF US". KoreAm Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
- "Eight Little Faces: A Mom's Journey". Christianbook.com. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- "TLC and Genius Make Some Changes to Their 4th Season DVD Plans". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- Media Motion International client listing. mediamotionintl.com. Retrieved on July 3, 2008.
External links
- TLC: Jon & Kate + 8
- Gosselin Sextuplets & Twins - The official family website
- Figure 8 Films - Surviving Sextuplets & Twins
- Jon & Kate Plus 8 at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com
- Articles needing cleanup from December 2008
- Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field from December 2008
- Misplaced Pages pages needing cleanup from December 2008
- American reality television series
- Discovery Channel
- TLC (TV channel) programs
- Multiple births
- Television shows set in Pennsylvania
- People from Pennsylvania
- People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- 2007 television series debuts