Much to the delight of many, the first American all-female quintuplets – Ava Lane, Hazel Grace, Olivia Marie, Parker Kate and Riley Paige – graced the small screen when they were featured in the reality series, “OutDaughtered.” It premiered on 10 May 2016 and aired for eight seasons, as the cable network TLC chronicled their births and growing-up years. Its loyal viewers had been waiting for news on when the next season would air, and they were surprised to learn that the Busby family had taken a break from filming.
Get to know the Busbys
Adam and Danielle were from Lake Charles, Louisiana, but only met in 2003 when they both worked at the same Target store. There was mutual attraction, so they gravitated toward each other, with Danielle later sharing how funny it was that she ended up with the guy who ditched her on what was supposed to be their first date, and when it finally pushed through, he brought his family along. Actually, it was his sister’s birthday dinner, and he brought Danielle along for that, and it was that night when he asked her to be his girlfriend, and she said ‘yes’. On Christmas Eve 2005, Adam asked her to marry him, and several months later, they exchanged their wedding vows in an intimate ceremony, moving to League City, Texas after their honeymoon.
Both were drawn to children, and it was, in fact, one of the things that convinced Danielle that Adam was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. When the couple felt that they were ready to start a family in 2009, they discovered that they had infertility issues – she wasn’t ovulating regularly, while he had low motility and sperm count. Upon their doctor’s advice, they underwent intrauterine insemination (IUI) to help them conceive, a process which was stressful, not to mention time-consuming and expensive, because there were no guarantees. It took two years and several tries before they received a positive pregnancy test, so it was all worth it in the end; their first child, Blayke Louise, was born in 2011.
Growing their family meant that they would have to go through the same process again, even each time. Being Christians, they could only pray to God about their situation, and hold on to their faith even if they couldn’t help but wonder what God wanted from them. At one point, Danielle asked her husband, ‘WHY does it have to be so hard for people who love children and who can raise them in a loving home?!?! WHY US!?!’
Adam said that whatever God blessed them with, it would be enough for him. Danielle was hoping for twins if this was going to be their last chance to have children, and that’s how it turned out. By entrusting them with this huge responsibility, Adam said, ‘God must really think we are some special parents,’
At 28 weeks, Danielle gave birth via cesarean section to the quintuplets on 8 April 2015, at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas. Olivia and Ava were identical twins, while the rest were fraternal. As they were born premature, they remained in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until they were strong enough to be brought home. In the early days, the Busby parents had a tough time figuring out the logistics of caring for all the babies at the same time, without neglecting their four-year-old daughter. They were able to manage it with the help of loved ones, friends, and people from their community.
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From blogging and vlogging to reality TV series
Adam was fondly called Buzz by Danielle, so it wasn’t a surprise that when they created a blog site and a YouTube channel in 2014, they would call both “It’s A Buzz World.” When they were expecting multiples, they wanted to document their journey, and keep their family and friends updated. They never thought that their incredible story would be shared in the way that happened, and reach millions of people. Adam said, ‘God is going to use our story in a pretty awesome way, and our responsibility is point it all to His glory.’ “OutDaughtered” premiered in 2016 on TLC.
An update on the Busbys
Danielle’s autoimmune disorder
Adam’s wife had been experiencing pain and extreme migraine for quite some time, often accompanied by numbness or tingling in the arms. At one point, she felt that her heart was going to explode, that she was having a heart attack, so she was rushed to the emergency room. She was later discharged, but still had no clue on what was going on with her body, a she still had the same symptoms, so finding answers to her health issues had become an uphill battle. Danielle consulted several specialists, including a cardiologist who diagnosed her with a small hole in her heart, which had no long-term clinical implication, and nothing to do with what was bothering her.
Some people who were initially concerned about what she was going through began to doubt that it was real, because she had been unable to give a definite answer to what was really wrong with her. They thought that she was faking her illness for the show. Most reality TV series were suspected of being scripted or staged to create drama and make it more entertaining for the viewers, and some believed that “OutDaughtered” was no exception.
The couple opened up about the criticisms that Danielle received over her mystery illness. They said it was hard to explain when they themselves didn’t know exactly what was going on; they could only rule out possible causes of her condition thru various tests. She underwent a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which was causing her pain whenever the cysts that formed in her ovary ruptured. However, it was only one of many problems that they were able to address.
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Finally, it was identified that she had an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the immune system that acts as a guard against viruses and bacteria will attack the body because it can’t differentiate one’s own cells from foreign cells. There are about 80 such disorders, and the severity ranges from mild to disabling, depending on which body system is affected and to what degree.
Danielle’s autoimmune disorder has not yet been determined; there is generally no cure for this, but the symptoms can be managed. According to Adam, they have been making adjustments to her diet as well as having routine blood and hormone levels checks, to monitor her condition, and do what it takes to make everything at optimal levels. On days when she wasn’t feeling well, she would just take it easy and refrain from vlogging or producing Instagram stories. However, on days when she felt great, she would be up and about, doing a lot of things. As they were posting mostly positive and fun videos, it would seem that she wasn’t sick at all, or her condition wasn’t affecting her as much. Adam would often defend his wife, and would tirelessly explain the nature of her condition. He said, ‘It isn’t something that is going to keep her from living her life to the fullest and enjoying her family.’ Danielle commented that she would one day blog about her experience and get into the details of it; she wanted to share her story, to be of help to others who might be going through the same thing.
The quins’ seventh birthday
Time went by so fast, as the Busby quins turned seven in April 2022. It was an important milestone in a child’s life, as it’s at this age that one is no longer treated as a baby, and would enter grade school. On their special day, their parents took them to an amusement arcade center, and then had the traditional family birthday dinner, but since it was a school day, their grand celebration was held on a weekend. The girls all loved puppies, so that was their theme for the party. There were inflatable slides and an obstacle course as well as lots of balloons and cakes. All their friends from school were invited, so the celebrants had a blast.
Back to face-to-face classes
After the kids were homeschooled during the covid-19 pandemic, they were back to face-to-face classes for the school year 2021. As Blayke, their eldest, would be in fifth grade and the quins in first grade, it would be the only year that they would share the same school. Danielle believed that it was in the best interest of the quins to split them up, but since it was a new school with new faces, she gave each of them the option of being in a separate or same class with a sister; they chose the latter. In Olivia and Ava’s case, they didn’t want to be in the class or room together because people kept mixing them up, as they were identical twins.
Danielle usually brought the girls to have their nails done before the first day of school, but this time around, she treated them to a mini spa for children. It was a fun and relaxing time for them, as they were pampered like grown-ups with manicures, pedicures, facials, and make-up. A back-to-school Q&A with the kids had also become a family tradition, as their parents wanted to hear about their favorite things, and what their first day was like.
As of August 2022, Blayke was in middle school and the quins were in second grade.
Grand opening of Graeson Bee Boutique
The Busbys launched the Greason Bee Boutique, a one-stop online shop offering affordable apparel for boys and girls as well as coordinating looks for the family. They came up with the name “Graeson” from the son they thought they would have, when they found out she was having quintuplets. Since it turned out that their babies were all girls, they used the name for their business, ‘making this shop our son,’ Danielle said. They held their first annual holiday fashion show in late 2021, and the girls modeled some of their clothes.
The grand opening of their store in League City was in June 2022, and this was a dream come true for Danielle – she was quite overwhelmed, and couldn’t contain her happiness, as she said, ‘I felt so loved and supported by SO MANY and I just feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life to push me, motivate me and encourage me to reach my goals.’
graesonbee is launching in just ONE MORE DAY! Just in time for back to school!
🐝 WHO & WHAT IS Graeson Bee….. 🐝
*Graeson Bee is my new online boutique that was created to be a one stop shop for family coordinating… https://t.co/zxV61CfulZ— Danielle Busby (@DanieBuzz) August 8, 2019
16 years of marriage
Having quins was certainly life-changing for the Busby couple. Raising them along with their eldest daughter turned their home into what Adam described as ‘an extremely high-stress environment.’ There was always something going on, that it was easy to imagine how they could lose sight of each other. However, they kept their marriage strong because they made their relationship as husband and wife a priority. If things weren’t going well between them, the whole house suffered, as the kids would see and feel it.
They set a date night each week, so that they could focus only on themselves. However, they were criticized for this, and whenever they were seen having fun without the kids in tow, some felt that it was too much time away from their children. Danielle said, ‘Just because we have our kids doesn’t mean that we should not go out and have time together.’ Adam took to Instagram to express his dismay toward parent shamers, saying, ‘There’s nobody out there who knows the intricacy of the decisions we make. It’s just crazy that somebody out there is criticizing us about something they have no idea about.’ Some people were quick to judge based solely on what they saw on social media or TV, with no such experience of their own.
As they celebrated their 16th anniversary, Adam greeted his wife on Instagram as he posted a series of photos of their moments together, captured as the sun was setting behind them, and captioned it with ‘No other person I want to spend the rest of my sunsets with.’
Is “OutDauhtered” canceled or renewed?
Viewers witnessed the joys and struggles of Adam and Danielle in raising their girls. It’s been a while since the last episode was aired, but there was still no official statement from the cable network regarding the status of the reality TV series. People have been left wondering if it had been canceled.
In July 2022, Adam and Danielle finally broke their silence, and addressed the concerns of their avid fans thru the family’s YouTube channel. The couple explained that the reason why no new episodes were aired was because they took a break from filming. The covid-19 pandemic put a strain on everyone, as everything was shut down due to the restrictions imposed by the government for the safety of all, and there was only so much they could do inside their house. Adam said that it would have been boring, not just for them, but also for their audience if every single shot was done in their home. That year, filming for one season dragged on, and took a year to finish, instead of the usual three to five months. Once filming wrapped up, they felt that everybody including the crew needed a break.
Since the couple brought their miracle babies home in 2015, being in front of the camera had been their life. The quins didn’t know anything different, so it was a great opportunity for them to experience what it was like without a camera crew following them around. The family needed a change of pace, and the freedom to pursue other interests or to do the things that they had been putting off because of their commitment to the TV show. When filming stopped, they took a trip every month, a much-needed break, and one that gave them renewed energy and strength.
As to when they would resume filming, they weren’t sure, as there was no set date or anything like that, but they were in talks with TLC. There was no animosity between them and the producers or the TV network. Adam said, ‘We’re not saying no…we’re just not saying right now,’ as they were still figuring out what their next step would be. They even gave assurance to their fans, saying, ‘we’re not going anywhere, so we’ll see you around real soon.’
In the meantime, those who were missing them only have to check out their YouTube Channel, as they post videos of their trips and smaller adventures. Adam and Danielle were aware that there were people who didn’t understand why they continued to shoot videos, and post them on various social media platforms when they were supposedly taking a break from filming. They said that the moments they captured on their personal cameras were family footage, and they just chose to share them with the public; it wasn’t about preferring to do one over the other. Some were still confused by their explanation, while others could only speculate that the Busbys wanted to film at their own pace, and to have more creative control over the content. Also, if their YouTube channel, which they launched prior to appearing in “OutDaughtered,” had been monetized, their income would have been huge, as it’s accumulated close to two million subscribers, with videos that garnered over 400 million views.
So, for more on the Busbys, just check in to their channel, and enjoy!
