Throughout all three seasons of Seeking Sister Wife, audiences have been introduced to a handful of families that approach plural marriages differently, but not every family has exhibited polygamy in the most flattering light. While some Seeking Sister Wife stars, such as the Winder family, have won over audiences, most of the clans featured on the reality series leave a bad taste in viewers' mouths due to their toxic relationships and scandals. From the hypocrisy of the Merrifields to the alleged crimes of the Snowdens, these are the families that make fans critical of polygamy's functionality.
One reason why several families featured on Seeking Sister Wife opted to join the show was to destigmatize polygamy. Plural marriages are still considered taboo, with polygamy still being illegal in all 50 states. The stars of Seeking Sister Wife chose to star on the reality show in hopes that their stories will change the public's mind about the polygamist lifestyle. While some of the families have succeeded in opening audiences' minds, others have only made fans even more skeptical of polygamy.
The Snowden Family
The Snowden family is easily the most controversial set of polygamists featured on Seeking Sister Wife. The Snowdens were sympathetic reality TV personalities at first, with fans wishing for the best when it came to Dimitri and Ashley Snowden's endless search for their sister wife. Unfortunately, the couple's most recent sister wife, Christeline Petersen, alleged that Dimitri and Ashley were actually abusive behind the scenes. Fans rallied behind Christeline and some viewers even campaigned for the entire show to get canceled because of this plural family's behavior. Dimitri and Ashley's alleged abuse makes them extremely poor examples of polygamy.
The Merrifield Family
Garrick Merrifield and his plural family haven't been accused of crimes as serious as abuse, but fans still view his marriages as a cautionary polygamist tale. Before starring on Seeking Sister Wife, Garrick and his wife, Dannielle, were in a conventional monogamous marriage. Things changed when Garrick was inspired by the Bible to have multiple wives. Dannielle was hesitant to agree to transition to a plural marriage, but she ultimately gave in. The Merrifield family proved to be a bad demonstration of polygamy because fans felt like Dannielle wasn't happy in the plural marriage as Garrick neglected his wife for his new romantic pursuit, Roberta. The Merrifields made it seem like polygamy is a one-way street that rewards greedy husbands and leaves sister wives lonely.
The Clark Family
Jarod Clark is one of the newest additions to the Seeking Sister Wife franchise, but his family has already discouraged fans. Like Garrick, Jarod was in a monogamous marriage with his wife Vanessa before starring on reality TV. The couple branched out into polygamy when he met Kaleh at a club they both worked at. Jarod, Vanessa, and Kaleh didn't work out because of the patriarch polygamists' unrealistic demands. Jarod Clark wanted his wives to treat him like a king, meaning they would do chores around the house all day and not have jobs of their own. Ultimately, Kaleh ran away from the life Jarod set up for her because she wanted to be independent. During their time on Seeking Sister Wife, The Clark family gave off the impression that to be in a polygamist marriage, the wives must be completely submissive to their selfish husband.