The Chateau Diaries #12 Carry on grifting

[OhIDontKnow...]

You bet, something just ain’t right. We have been discussing that for a while now and though you are wise to only trust what you see, it’s kind of a good idea to also weigh the fact that she is editing herself, so basically only showing you what she wants you to see.
A lot of it is plain irresponsibility, not so much criminal intent of actually conning people out of their money, she truly believes she’s entitled to it for the “work” she’s putting in, a.k.a. the editing of contributions other people are giving to her lifestyle. She brags about her Oxford education but has never been in a situation where she had to actually work for money coming in. She’s the type of girl that, even in this day and age, thinks a man having dinner with her is supposed to pick up the tab “for having enjoyed her company”, an actual quote.
Have you watched her latest vlog? She seems to be thinking it’s completely normal to announce they are going to travel around multiple chateaux for their amateur version of ‘come dine with me’, never mind the pandemic, not even a side note they will wait till Covid is better controlled. It’s just unreal, the current situation is still alarming, even in the area she lives in, but hey, she can travel. France has ordered all home made masks to be obsolete and has banned them, so she might have to think twice about leaving the chateau without her fashionable accessories. She will though, better believe it.
Also, her self proclaimed ‘best friend’ has gotten himself in to a lot of legal trouble, the kind of thing all superfans and their sites are exploding over at the moment and she does nothing to publicly align herself with him? Sure, she made a statement about ‘being in it together’, but that was intended to piggyback the money train and to reroute it into her corner by pretending she’s been horribly bullied online too, poor thing. Seem to have worked if you look at all the comments by drooling fans.
No, we’re not all on here bitching. There’s a lot of genuine concern. It’s not okay to let the alcoholic man the liquor store and look away, just because she’s providing free booze and a compelling narrative. That's called enabling misery.

Well CB I have to agree with you about MPK. He’s a grabber for sure and hasn’t lived up to his end of the bargain at all. He’s probably going to be in some trouble for what he’s done. And there’s not a more vicious or vindictive creature than a pissed off gay man. (That is said with respect by the way). He’s reached way back for his latest drama. It doesn’t track. Unless he thinks that all of the nastiness is coming from the Strawbridges. Or that he has to explain that Doing It Ourselves never meant he was doing It, that it meant they were doing their own TV show. And to be so sore about not being in the show anymore. That’s just stupid. Talk about a disgruntled ex non employee.

 

[Allen]

The family is very wealthy, I know this for a fact - directly. What they have in the bank I'm unsure but we are talking millions! Multiple properties all over the place, 7 that I can recall. Very sizable incomes - alimony payments, pensions, trusts, inheritance, rental income, the list is endless. Money most of us could only dream of.

They have no money issues you are just paying for things they don't want to pay for.

Wow, you the ex, right? Do tell Mr Clark how much exactly was the alimony payment?

 

[Krypgal]

I totally agree Pa Petherick doing all the work....the sons doing zip all. Awful.

Oh but they do..They film him doing all the work!

 

[NorrisCS]

I just saw the latest CD. Although I like the idea of "Come Dine With Me" concept between the chateaux. I feel it's rather tone deaf to do it now, amid the pandemic...

LOL... just seeing your avatar!!!

 

[Rory]

Update on Dick and Angel - after a puzzling level of no action in 48 hours or so since MP2 launched his missive, in the last hour their instagram has been cleared of approximately 70 actual comments, accusations and threats of lost custom. Also lots of "likes" therefore views, one nasty comment had 112 likes.

 

[Krypgal]

I have no idea. My knowledge only goes as far back as the early- mid-2000s.

I just wanted people to be aware that it's not right to represent yourself as someone who is in a huge house in the middle of France as if it was an inherited burden or you are financially struggling. The family has money, the boys invested have money, they all have enough to run the chateau without any support. This is someone wanting the Catherine Palace but not wanting to bankroll it. Excusing any external and structural work (there doesn't appear to be any? Other than cosmetic) this is all mere vanity. If you can't upkeep the property (which they can) but if not, sell it or sell your countless assets to bankroll your lifestyle.

I have looked at the chateau Patreon and it appears that monthly, via "fan" subscriptions £18,000 is being generated which equates to over £200,000 per year, meaning in 5 years (if this continues) they would have extracted over £1 million pounds pre-tax, is it taxed? Not including the additional private income, brand deals, and Youtube revenue. If they receive the latter two, it's not clear?

£200,000+ per year. WHAT?

Just as I was getting up pops Clara deux! Welcome! And tell us more!

 

[Kickintheass]

Update on Dick and Angel - after a puzzling level of no action in 48 hours or so since MP2 launched his missive, in the last hour their instagram has been cleared of approximately 70 actual comments, accusations and threats of lost custom. Also lots of "likes" therefore views, one nasty comment had 112 likes.

Still lots of comments on YouTube.

 

[66carola]

I am not sure if he made up his mind before at all about what he wanted to achieve with this video, but am sure he will regret it. Lawyers are getting busy writing letters right now

 

[Clara Burnett]

Well CB I have to agree with you about MPK. He’s a grabber for sure and hasn’t lived up to his end of the bargain at all. He’s probably going to be in some trouble for what he’s done. And there’s not a more vicious or vindictive creature than a pissed off gay man. (That is said with respect by the way). He’s reached way back for his latest drama. It doesn’t track. Unless he thinks that all of the nastiness is coming from the Strawbridges. Or that he has to explain that Doing It Ourselves never meant he was doing It, that it meant they were doing their own TV show. And to be so sore about not being in the show anymore. That’s just stupid. Talk about a disgruntled ex non employee.

My point: if the bargain is false to begin with, there are no ends to live up to. Same goes for SJ, I do hope you'll let the jury come in soon about her too

 

[Kickintheass]

I must rewatch (now that I am armed with knowledge from Tattlers) SJ's vlog 'The monthly costs of running a chateau'.
To be taken with a large pinch of salt me thinks.

 

[66carola]

You may be right but from where will they claim compensation ? MP has no money (er ... only Patreon income) And Is Billy married to Gwen (can’t remember and can’t be bothered to look back) Michael said that it was Billy who called out the Strawbridges in the first place ... therefore could Billy also be named and shamed in any legal action with the knock-on effect that Chateau Basmignee could be an asset that was at risk ?

I doubt Michael has any sort of insurance to claim against. He must be cray-cray not to take that vlog down. If I was his barrister defending him I’d say ‘my client is not of sound mind’ !

The Strawbrdges are no doubt already receiving legal advice .....

I believe to D&A it is just some kind of "there is no bad publicity" thing but they will sue him just to demonstrate they can....

Ma petherick threw diesel on the pier

Only to be rounded off with super fans wanting any merchandisers the strawbridges are currently using
Jigsaws ect

Then total

Sir trotter adores .... read it yourself he got there first Stephanie ..... he was there FIrst




Support ... mmm 221000 on YouTube
Fb any message less than 500
YouTube 8 k

Where is everyone???

At least people would get something in return if they buy his art.

Couldn't

Thank you friend! This is what I needed to hear. I’ve been a patron of Stephanie’s for a while and I started contributing thinking that she had some means, but couldn’t finance the big stuff. I have wealthy family and I could see how maybe you can have some money but not be able to get $100k worth of structural work done, etc. She does work pretty hard to get all the videos out so it didn’t bother me to pay a bit to spur the work along.

Over time though, I started noticing things. Like fabric that costs $500 a yard for wall coverings. Magnum bottles of Moët at dinner. Hotel rooms that are probably $600-$1000 a night. Manolo Blahniks. Dior couture. Certain fragrances. Zipping to New York, London, Venice, Norway. Liberty advent boxes.

But also, Isabelle has never flown 1st class? Steph can’t buy a car? Steph covers the holes in her cashmere with stickers? The courtyard looks like tit? She buys clothes at the charity shop? They can’t afford a gardener? They can’t afford to fix the heat? They can’t afford an admin person? They couldn’t afford a new lawn mower? She actually gives people hotel soap as a present? Marie buys all the flowers? She has tit internet and will sit in a car for three hours to upload a video? The shutters are falling off?

My spider senses were going off a while ago. I thought again, maybe she has enough inheritance to live comfortably, but sort of shabby broke. But these other things indicate a person who has always had access to expensive things. I thought maybe she actually made some money singing for a while, or her workshops were fairly lucrative, or something. Apparently not. It’s all family money.

Now I don’t fault her for the ad revenue she’s earning with the videos. They are mostly lovely and entertaining to watch. The Patreon thing is a little bit cray cray though. If indeed they have the means to really fix this place up, it’s wrong for them to poor mouth. I think the elusive Nick has already come down on her for it. I don’t blame him for putting his face in a bag frankly. I would too.

Without knowing 100% about the other dodgy things alleged here, I can’t judge anything other than what I see. Bottom line right now is that I think they have money but are cheap. Cheap people do weird things. I can see Mummy being cheap.

On the surface though Stephanie seems to be witty, charming, funny and intelligent. She cheers me up when I watch the videos. So this is disappointing. I do think though that her father dying had some to do with the lack of direction or work for quite a few years. She now seems to be willing to work hard on the videos to raise money and the rennovations to give us something to watch. You have to admit it’s compelling. Hell, we’re all on here bitching. That’s saying something. Jury is still out for me. But something just ain’t right.

Couldn't describe it better

 

[Clara Burnett]

At least people would get something in return if they buy his art.

You are right about that. A big difference between MPK and SJ. He actually has something to sell.

 

[Jeeves]

You are right about that. A big difference between MPK and SJ. He actually has something to sell.

My concern would be that he doesn't actually stick at anything - Hairdressing, make up artist (not sure that he actually trained as such), aga installer, renovator, vlogger etc. My feeling is that as soon as it sounds like work he's off. If he was really serious about this line of work, he needs to realise that it is work and not purely a hobby. It's great if you can combine both, but you do need put in the work.

 

[66carola]

Oh but they do..They film him doing all the work!

Actually Dad is the only smart one who recognised that working benefits you in the first place. He is 70 or even older and so fit, working keeps him healthy. No such thing as a depression for him. I know many young men who would not be able to bend over like this and make the boarder for that hole.
So ridiculous, three adult men - one of which the owner - discover the hole and first thing they have to go and ask dad what to do with it. I can imagine they probably didn't even check if there are more of those.

 

[NorrisCS]

I have started numerous businesses. Including one where we invested capital in products/inventory and got a bankruptcy eventually handed to us. So, yeah, I unfortunately know the perils. I agree with you. I never said Michael should invest money in inventory, in fact he absolutely should not. I suggested licensing his designs to others who produce product. And as we know there are so many online businesses that sell product and people can order your design on a mug, t-shirt whatever various thing made in China (ugh) on a per-order basis. That is what I would suggest to test the waters.

Once you get enough of a following, you will eventually hear from businesses that want your name on their product because they think they can sell more. But I think those businesses want to see some savviness and strength in you first, because they are tying their reputation to your reputation.



You are right I should have posted that in the Petherick's thread and it might be more likely to be seen there. Can I move a post? Or I can cross-reference it. I do not want to re-post on YT because I don't want the trouble of setting up yet another gmail or YT account to post there without tracing me. I already have 4 gmails for various things in life.

I’m not going to get into the ins and outs of MP setting up business etc and what that may or may not involve. You seem very measured and kind and concerned and I think you’ve given MP a lot of good advice here if he’s reading it. If will take a lot of work on his part. I’m not sure there’s much traffic on the Petherwick thread (I’ve never looked at it). Not a Petherwick fan, just find them insufferable and Sadie and her genuinely from the heart VILE comments on FB about Muslims and immigrants really put the nail in the coffin for me. We are openly talking about MP here currently due to his ill advised expose on D&A so I think it’s fair that you can comment here on MP, while we’re all talking about this episode but keep it on topic. Just my thoughts.

 

[66carola]

My concern would be that he doesn't actually stick at anything - Hairdressing, make up artist (not sure that he actually trained as such), aga installer, renovator, vlogger etc. My feeling is that as soon as it sounds like work he's off. If he was really serious about this line of work, he needs to realise that it is work and not purely a hobby. It's great if you can combine both, but you do need put in the work.

Yeah, work is when you do it even if you don't like it or you don't feell like it or it's late or it's sunny or it's after breakfast or you are tired....

 

[ploppityplop2]

It is not just the fact Marie has to cook 5 days a week, it is the amount of alkergies and food preferences which create the work. Gluten free by choice is different to being celiac. Vegetarian by choice is different to an allergy. And SJ is paying for all this "alternatives" from different milks, pastries, eggs, biscuits, etc which is expensive. I mean for godsake Mandy the vegan doesn't like mushrooms! Did you note that both Philip and Mandy have multiple serves at dinner as they are so hungry. If I was SJ i would supply a protein, a sauce/gravy, a carb like rice or pasta, and 6 vegetables, 2 fruits, for dinner each night. That's it. Make do.

I’m concerned about cross contamination in that kitchen!

 

[Clara Burnett]

My concern would be that he doesn't actually stick at anything - Hairdressing, make up artist (not sure that he actually trained as such), aga installer, renovator, vlogger etc. My feeling is that as soon as it sounds like work he's off. If he was really serious about this line of work, he needs to realise that it is work and not purely a hobby. It's great if you can combine both, but you do need put in the work.

You can easily give SJ the same speech!

 

[Espe]

I’m also shocked at how accommodating Stephanie is of everyone’s (sometimes voluntary) dietary restrictions.
With my friends and family, if you have a special diet you eat what you can and then buy and make your own food.


Oh really......tell us more
Alimony payments? From where? Stephanie was divorced years ago. If she’s as rich as you say her husband wouldn’t owe much alimony.

Known Jarvis properties -
1. Sussex house
2. London flat
3. La Lande
4. South of France flat
5. South Africa house

There are two more?

I’m not counting grand mere’s place, because that’d be co-owed with Isabelle’s family, therefore not a Jarvis property.

Framlingham is in Suffolk, (not Sussex).

 

[66carola]

You bet, something just ain’t right. We have been discussing that for a while now and though you are wise to only trust what you see, it’s kind of a good idea to also weigh the fact that she is editing herself, so basically only showing you what she wants you to see.
A lot of it is plain irresponsibility, not so much criminal intent of actually conning people out of their money, she truly believes she’s entitled to it for the “work” she’s putting in, a.k.a. the editing of contributions other people are giving to her lifestyle. She brags about her Oxford education but has never been in a situation where she had to actually work for money coming in. She’s the type of girl that, even in this day and age, thinks a man having dinner with her is supposed to pick up the tab “for having enjoyed her company”, an actual quote.
Have you watched her latest vlog? She seems to be thinking it’s completely normal to announce they are going to travel around multiple chateaux for their amateur version of ‘come dine with me’, never mind the pandemic, not even a side note they will wait till Covid is better controlled. It’s just unreal, the current situation is still alarming, even in the area she lives in, but hey, she can travel. France has ordered all home made masks to be obsolete and has banned them, so she might have to think twice about leaving the chateau without her fashionable accessories. She will though, better believe it.
Also, her self proclaimed ‘best friend’ has gotten himself in to a lot of legal trouble, the kind of thing all superfans and their sites are exploding over at the moment and she does nothing to publicly align herself with him? Sure, she made a statement about ‘being in it together’, but that was intended to piggyback the money train and to reroute it into her corner by pretending she’s been horribly bullied online too, poor thing. Seem to have worked if you look at all the comments by drooling fans.
No, we’re not all on here bitching. There’s a lot of genuine concern. It’s not okay to let the alcoholic man the liquor store and look away, just because she’s providing free booze and a compelling narrative. That's called enabling misery.

To me it was so weird why she would mention in a comment on somebody else's channel that trolls stated her beloved dad was sexually abusing her. She could have named all of those others speculations: her being rich, her being lazy, her being childish, her showing boobs, her exploiting people, etc.
Why on earth choosing the worst of all? At least she could have mentioned it on patreon and it would leak then soon enough to make superfans comfort her.
I would never ever put in writing the name of my dad in the same sentence with words like 'sexually abused'! And this to stay forever on Internet?
What was she thinking? People will go in crowds now to tattle.
She completely changed her strategy of ignoring the bad and smelling only the roses to throwing sh... around. I don't believe at all that anything like this happened but people at so stupid out there and awful things like this keep sticking.

Or am I just not getting it?