However, it is interesting that some people are calculating the reverse psychology attraction of Josh Duggar. Although TLC seems to be worried that his presence in the 'Counting On' show would melt away the crowds, there is another strain of thought, which feels that putting him on the show would actually help to boost their viewership.
The Duggar series' financial shape is getting affected, according to In Touch Weekly. Just because Josh Duggar is not around, the financiers are not feeling too good about filing in their advertisements.
It is a carry-over from the first season, which also did not have Josh. More than a dozen advertisers told TLC that their advertisements should not be aired during the Duggars' time slot. Even now at least two advertisers have recently asked for their ads to be pulled out.
"The Gerber Life ad was inadvertently shown during the premiere of Counting On," a rep for Gerber Life said to In Touch. "We have been assured that Gerber Life ads will no longer be shown during this program."
The rep of another company, Hotwire, agreed that their discount travel website too would remove TLC from their advertising plan. Other companies repeated that they would follow suit. They said they "buy ad space for networks or groups of networks, not particular TV shows."
The latest Jinger Duggar courtship hasn't got the tills ringing for "Counting On". Although Season 1 finale brought in 1.1 million viewers, that pales in comparison to the 3.5 million viewers that the earlier final season of '19 Kids and Counting' used to average. The second episode has brought in only 1 million fans, leaving out about 140,000 viewers from the August 23 premiere.
Will bringing in Josh Duggar revive the interests? It does seem possible. "Josh will appear on the next season of his sisters' series. The plan is for him to address everything he's done," a source told In Touch Weekly last July.
The risks are high for that, as viewers may be drawn in by the curiosity factor initially - but not after that. They are more likely to be repelled than attracted.
