The Winders snuck their way into the hearts of “Seeking Sister Wife” fans with their laid-back nature, maturity, and genuine affection for each other, but the qualities that endeared them to fans became their undoing when they were cut from the lineup for the show’s fourth season. Fortunately for their fans, the Winder family has continued to share updates on their family Instagram page and on their podcast. Here is a quick recap of their time on the show, and what they’ve been up to since their last episode on “Seeking Sister Wife” aired in June 2021.
“Seeking Sister Wife”
The Winder family made its reality television debut on TLC’s “Seeking Sister Wife” in 2019. It comprised Colton, a pharmacist, his first and legal wife, Tami, her sister wife and Colton’s spiritual wife, and Colton and Tami’s daughter, Sadie. Colton, Tami, and Sophie are Mormons who believed in a polygamous family, and knew early on in their lives that they wanted to live and raise their children in a similar setting. They consider their polygamous life a spiritual practice. Colton and Tami were married in 2010. while Sophie ‘married’ into the family in 2017. When the family first appeared on the show, they were in the delicate and formative stages of their relationship with Sophie, who had just married into the family and was gradually being integrated into its way of life and traditions. The maturity with which all three partners in the marriage handled her integration, and the simplicity with which they lived and made the relationship work earned the Winders the admiration of the show’s audience.
Third Sister Wife?
The Winder family were fan favorites, but their luck didn’t extend to their search for a third sister wife. Tami had expressed some reservations over adding another woman to the family early in the show, but Colton insisted that expanding the family was the will of the Lord. She reported struggling with the addition of Sophie into the family before eventually accepting her and her place within the family, which influenced her doubts over Colton’s decision to seek another wife. Her wishes came to fruition when the family couldn’t find a potential sister wife who was compatible with Colton, and who and fitted in with the rest of the family.
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Although the Winder family did not find a third wife in the show, the family gained an additional member when Sophie had her first child in the third season of the show. Sophie struggled with infertility and recalls responding to constant questions about when she planned to have children while filming the show, until Tami stepped in and shut down the questions by telling the interviewers that the children would come when they came. Unknown to most people, Sophie had suffered pregnancy loss and was trying some fertility treatments. When she finally got a positive pregnancy test, Sophie shared her fertility journey with viewers and went on to have a healthy pregnancy. The family welcomed its second child, Sophie, and Colton’s daughter, in the third season of the show.
The family’s good fortune lasted long after the season aired since the Winders announced that Sophie was expecting her second child. Unfortunately, the celebrations didn’t last long after fans reflected on the third season of the show, and realized that the producers featured the Winder family less in the third season sparking sad rumors that the family would not return for the fourth season. Colton put the rumors to bed by promising his family’s return to the show, but confirmed them in a later post when he revealed that the producers had cut his family from the cast of the fourth season. The family took the news graciously, put out a statement acknowledging the decision, and added that they understood the show was taking a different direction.
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Beyond “Seeking Sister Wife”
After their two-year stint on the show, the family promised big things ahead and invited fans to follow the Winders on Instagram. One of the things the family has dedicated its time and energy towards is growth. The sister wives, Tami and Sophie, have both reported having fertility problems, and welcomed fans to follow their journey to motherhood. The women share their experiences on the journey in their family blog.
After being on fertility plans for over two years, the fertility gods smiled down at Tami and Sophie, who both announced their pregnancies on their Instagram page. The family announced Tami’s pregnancy on Christmas Day through their family picture captioned #Itsagirl and #Perfect gift. In the picture, Colton has his arms around his wives, who are wearing matching pajamas with all three children. Tami is holding a onesie with the words “Made with love” close to her belly.
Fans had barely finished congratulating Tami on the big news that she was expecting a girl after years of fertility treatments, when the family made a second announcement. On New Year’s Eve, the family announced that Sophie too was expecting her third child. Unfortunately, her joy was short-lived, since a few weeks later, the family announced that Sophie had a miscarriage. The announcement was accompanied by a YouTube video of Sophie in her hospital room sharing her experience after her second pregnancy loss, adding that she would remain positive. While most fans shared words of encouragement, some felt that the loss was well-deserved, adding that Colton and Sophie should have focused on taking care of Tami first before having a third child. Colton called out such comments in a long rant educating them on polygamy and chastising them for celebrating Sophie’s grief.
All through the Winder family’s efforts to expand, Tami and Sophie started a podcast and sourced and featured other women’s stories in their blog. Their podcast, “Winder Wives,” educated listeners on plural marriages using the experiences of the two sister wives and their guests. Colton, Tami, and Sophie have also appeared on other podcasts together and individually to educate people about their lifestyle. Unlike the podcast, the Winder family blog is primarily dedicated to the family’s fertility journey. Sophie and Tami dive deep into their treatments, the comments they get from family, friends, and strangers over their small family, the unsolicited advice they get from presumably well-meaning people on conception, and the impact their fertility struggles have had on their relationships.
For now, the Winder family is dedicating its time and energy to ensuring that Tami has a healthy pregnancy. Fans can only wish her and the rest of the family good fortunes as they look forward to meeting their sixth member later in the year.
