‘Sister Wives’ star reveals enduring ‘dumb’ polygamy jokes during ‘painful’ dates, until she met one charming man
Meri Brown is officially stepping into a new chapter and this time, it’s all about love. The ‘Sister Wives’ star (54) took a big leap on the latest episode of the TLC series (aired Sunday, Oct. 5). She ventured into the world of speed dating in Salt Lake City, as per PEOPLE. Accompanied by her best friend and confidant Jenn Sullivan, Meri entered the night equal parts nervous and hopeful. Before the event kicked off, Jenn helped her prepare, offering moral support and a few pep talks to ease the tension. But as the rapid-fire dates began, it became clear that finding the right match wasn’t going to be easy.
Meri’s first match, a man named Lee, turned out to be less than talkative, delivering one-word answers to nearly every question she asked. “Maybe I wasn’t asking quite the right questions,” she told the cameras. “There were some painful moments for sure.” Her next date, Jeff, fared even worse. Within moments of sitting down, he made a jab at her reality TV fame, quipping, “I guess you’re the house celebrity, huh?” The conversation soon took a sharper turn when Jeff made a not-so-subtle joke about Meri’s polygamist past, saying, “Married twice, only one at a time.” That didn’t sit well with her.
“I don’t like dumb jokes,” Meri said later. “I mean, a dumb joke has to be a good dumb joke if it's going to be a good dumb joke. And it has to actually be a joke, not something that has to do with my family structure.” Things finally began to look up when Meri sat across from Daniel, a 37-year-old. Their chat flowed naturally, until Meri did the math. “I have a 29-year-old!” she laughed, referencing her child, Leon Brown. According to E! News, she shares Leon with ex-husband Kody Brown. “You could almost be my kid. This is weird!” Then came Ron and the vibe instantly shifted.
Meri perked up as soon as they started talking, later telling producers she was impressed by his confidence and appearance. “He likes dogs, he likes to travel and he's six feet tall and he's handsome, so there's that,” she joked. The two discussed their love languages and favorite vacation spots, their connection flowing naturally as the timer ticked down. Afterward, Ron couldn’t hide his excitement in his solo interview. He even revealed he planned to write her name on his survey card.
After the event wrapped, Meri and Jenn sat together to unpack the whirlwind of the evening. Jenn then dropped a little secret: she’d already pre-screened Ron when he arrived late to the event. “You want me to go get his number?” Jenn teased. Meri chuckled, replying, “I think that’s Emily’s job!” referring to the event host. Before they left, Jenn encouraged her to complete her match form, ensuring potential connections could reach out later. Meri obliged, smiling as she admitted that Ron was the only “real candidate” she’d consider seeing again.