Who is Rachel Butyter? Here's why 'The Blended Bunch' star Erica Shemwell is nervous around Aimee's mother
Erica and Spencer Shemwell and their blended family of 11 children feature on TLC's latest offering, 'The Blended Bunch'. The series' premiere episode aired last week introducing all the children as well as the couple and audiences also got a glimpse of Erica and Spencer's deceased partners Tony Means and Aimee Wohlfahrt respectively. Audiences even met Erica's parents and her siblings and now it's time for the show to introduce late Aimee's mother Rachel Butyter into the show.
Rachel will be seen on the second episode airing on Tuesday (March 23) night and Erica who is a bundle of nerves, spirals and struggles ahead of her arrival. Wondering why Rachel is still involved with the Shemwell and the reason for Erica's struggles? Continue reading below for the answers.
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Who is Rachel Butyter in 'The Blended Bunch'?
Rachel is Spencer's late partner Aimee Shemwell's mother. Since the passing of the mother of his four kids, Spencer had grown very close to Rachel who continued to support him and the kids. "My wife, Aimee, passed away three years ago," Spencer explains in a preview clip of the upcoming episode. "Since Aimee's passing, I've gotten really close to [Aimee's mom] Rachel. She is like a mom to me; I really look at her as a mother figure, and we all just can't wait. We're excited to see [Aimee's family] — can't wait 'til they get here," he said.
In another preview of the episode, Erica is seen discussing a couple of issues she battles on the regular with her brother Quinn. She tells him about feeling like a failure sometimes when things don't go as she envisioned with the kids and feels it's her fault and immediately thinks about Aimee who could have aced the situation. With Rachel coming to town, Erica's worries are at an all-time high and she begins to clean and prep the house soon after Spencer leaves to pick up Rachel who will be seen visiting her grandchildren in the episode.
"I always get a little nervous when Rachel comes to town, because we still have a new relationship, and I'm still getting to know her, and she's still getting to know me," Erica says in a confessional. "I wanna make sure that she is happy with how things are here at our home when she comes and visits, and so there's a little bit of pressure to make sure everything's ready."
Erica does not want to replace Aimee but the comparisons weigh heavy on her and she struggles with keeping up with the legacy left behind. "Anytime anybody talks about Aimee, whether it's Spencer or Rachel ... they're like, 'Aimee was the epitome of a mother. She was born to be a mother.' It's just this weird limbo where you want to be good — I'm not in competition with her, I don't wanna be a better mother than her, because that's ridiculous to say, but I don't want to not live up to her potential at least," she said.
'The Blended Bunch' airs Tuesday at 9 pm ET on TLC.
