Seeking Sister Wife: Did Watching Sister Wives Motivate Dannielle Merrifield To Seek A Sister Wife?

Summary Dannielle Merrifield is adamant her relationship won't end up like Kody Brown's from Sister Wives.

The Merrifields' quest for a sister wife continues with challenges in their relationship with Nathalia.

Garrick Merrifield will persist in searching for at least five wives despite warnings from fans.

Seeking Sister Wife star Dannielle Merrifield is adamant her relationship with her husband, Garrick Merrifield, will not end up like Kody Brown from Sister Wives. Since its third season, Garrick and his wife, Dannielle, have been part of the Seeking Sister Wife family trying to find someone who can spice up their marriage. Luckily, the couple met Roberta Pache, a Brazilian woman who couldn't communicate with them effectively, and later broke up with them before meeting Nathalia Lima in Seeking Sister Wife season 5. Like Roberta, Nathalia is Brazilian, and the couple often communicates with her via language apps.

The Merrifields quest to find a sister wife is still as strong as before, with the couple going through challenging times with Nathalia and still trying to make it work. Dannielle seems to dislike her husband's polygamous tendencies, even though she claims she's fine with it, and has often admitted to being jealous. With Dannielle admitting to watching Sister Wives, it seems like her mind was programmed into that lifestyle before meeting Garrick, refuting claims polygamy was only Garrick's idea.

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Dannielle Was A Fan Of Sister Wives

Sister Wives debuted in 2010, and Kody was leading a polyamorous relationship with his three wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine Brown. At the time, Kody was pursuing a new relationship with Robyn Brown, who became his fourth wife. Dannielle said she has been a fan of Sister Wives since she was in high school, following the Brown's journey from season 1. When asked if she thought her relationship with Garrick was similar to Kody's and his wives, Dannielle stated there were differences in their unions.

Dannielle was answering Q&A questions from the fans on her Instagram page and said that using Kody's relationship to determine how all polyamorous relationships would wind up was a "moot point." Dannielle was quick to note that just because some monogamous couples end up divorced, that doesn't mean marriage is a scam. The mom of three said she had nothing against the Brown family, stating the bond Kody created with his wives was incredible.

"I feel like Kody and his wives had a great thing for a long time. I watched that show for a long time. I think I started watching it when I was a senior in high school. I think they had a lot of problems. It's a lot of work, relationships are hard."

A lot of fans have questioned whether Dannielle was fine with polygamy or if Garrick is forcing her into it. Many feel Dannielle is trapped by her husband, who seems obsessed with fulfilling his role of getting five wives. Garrick alleged that God told him on the mountain that he would send another rose into their family. In Seeking Sister Wife season 5, the Merrifields' new rose was Nathalia, who appears to have left the family and moved on with her life.

Dannielle And Garrick Are Different From Kody

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During that session, a fan asked Dannielle if there were any similarities between her union with Garrick and what Kody and his four wives had. The Seeking Sister Wife star noted that her relationship was nothing close to what the Sister Wives family had. She rejected the comparison between her drama-filled situation with Garrick and the Brown family, adding that Kody's marriage failure didn't mean all polyamorous relationships were doomed.

"I feel like in any relationship there's struggles, there's trials, there's things you have to work through. And some relationships work and some don't."

However, the unions are alike since Kody and Garrick have similar personalities. Both patriarchs linked their polygamous tendencies to religion, although Garrick seems to overuse the religious aspect too much. As Garrick is searching for his next potential sister wife to join the family, Kody is now divorced from Meri, Janelle, and Christine. He remains married to his fourth wife, Robyn. Nonetheless, Garrick and Dannielle's marriage sounds similar to Kody’s spiritual marriage with his wives. At the moment, Dannielle is legally divorced from Garrick but remains in a spiritual relationship with him.

Dannielle And Garrick Kids

Custom image by César García

In the same Q&A, the Seeking Sister Wife fans wanted to know if she and Garrick plan on having more kids. Dannielle confirmed they welcomed a new child in May 2023, and although the couple was excited about their new addition, it was clear they didn't want more. She, however, added that Garrick could have children with other potential sister wives.

"The shop is closed. If Garrick has more children, it will be with one of his other wives."

In Seeking Sister Wife season 5, Garrick is pursuing a relationship with Nathalia, whose wedding plans were canceled after the judge refused their marriage proposal. When the trio reunited in person in Brazil, Dannielle revealed to Garrick and Nathalia that she was pregnant. However, Nathalia seemed disappointed and shocked by the news.

Later, Dannielle told the cameras she felt Nathalia thought she got pregnant on purpose to keep Garrick around. On the other hand, Garrick was surprised by the pregnancy announcement, and fans got to know why the news might not solve their marital problems. On Seeking Sister Wife season 5, episode 10, it was revealed that Garrick and Nathalia were trying to get pregnant while he and Dannielle's pregnancy was a "total accident" (via TLC).

Will Garrick Merrifield Stop Looking For More Wives?

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Garrick will continue to look for at least five wives no matter what. Despite multiple warnings from Seeking Sister Wife fans to Dannielle urging her to leave Garrick, she seems fine with their arrangement. Garrick is still obsessed with foreign, non-English-speaking women from South America, so he may continue to look for his next wife there.

He revealed he didn't mind having one wife but said he had a dream where he had four wives, and they were all loving and close friends. Garrick also said there was no jealousy among his wives in his dream and talked about bringing a fifth younger wife into the equation. Garrick will keep looking for a sister wife until he gets one; there is no stopping him from making his dream come true.

Seeking Sister Wife airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT on TLC.

Sources: Dannielle Merrifield/Instagram, TLC/Instagram