Uncle Jim, the Sound Guy: 19 Kids & Counting Crew Speaks for the First Time

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Uncle Jim, the Sound Guy: 19 Kids & Counting Crew Speaks for the First Time"

The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast | October 15, 2025
Hosts: Jinger Vuolo, Jeremy Vuolo
Guests: Jim ("Uncle Jim the Sound Guy") & Michelle

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Episode Overview

This heartwarming and nostalgic episode invites "Uncle Jim the sound guy"—a beloved crew member from "19 Kids & Counting" and "Counting On"—and his wife Michelle onto the podcast. Jinger and Jeremy dig into behind-the-scenes stories of filming the Duggar family reality shows, exploring the unique dynamic between the crew and the Duggars, life on and off set, and how the long-running series impacted everyone involved. It’s the first time a crew member has publicly spoken at length about their perspective, offering new insight and plenty of laughter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet Uncle Jim: Life Before and After Reality TV

• Jim shares his professional background, starting from university in North Carolina to working in broadcast television and eventually freelancing in Raleigh-Durham.

  “…things they had to say were important. So we taped it and it went to a shelf and it probably stayed there...” – Jim (04:02)

• His transition into reality TV included working on hundreds of Duggar episodes over nearly a decade.
• Michelle reflects on how Jim's career meant frequent travel, sometimes away for weeks, and raising six kids at home during those periods.

2. Life as a Sound Guy—Hot Mics, Secrets, and Discretion

• The job required constant, close interaction—literally getting "up in people's business" to mic them up, leading to humorous (and awkward) moments.
• The “hot mic” concept: Jinger recounts the paranoia and embarrassment after forgetting her mic was still on.

  "It's always on, but it's not always recording." – Jim (07:22)
  "But you're listening. You probably heard more than you wanted to hear." – Jinger (07:27)

• Jim discusses the importance of discretion as a crew member.

  "As a professional, you have to be discreet, you know?" – Jim (08:02)
  "Discretion." – Jim (08:23)

• Michelle notes Jim never brought gossip home, highlighting his professionalism.

3. The Crew Becomes Family

• The panel reflects on the unusual closeness between the Duggars and their production crew, forged by years of daily filming, travel, and shared life events.
• Jinger gets emotional recalling how the crew was present for milestone moments—weddings, engagements, morning routines, and even stressful hair and makeup sessions.

  “You guys were so present for, like, when we're engaged… that's like two seconds after we're engaged… we get a selfie with Scott and uncle Jim.” – Jinger (14:36)

• Jim reciprocates, emphasizing the rare authenticity and hospitality of the family compared to other shows he’s worked on.

  "What you saw was the way you were all the time. And that really spoke to me..." – Jim (15:40)
  "I love them like family. I really do. And I still do.” – Jim (16:46)

4. Professionalism Versus Personal Beliefs

• Jim and the crew often discussed the family’s beliefs and culture in hotel lobbies but always respected those differences on the job.
• Jim was often the most theologically informed crew member; others found the Duggars’ lifestyle “fascinating.”

  "I was probably the most theologically informed of the crew. Some of them were just like, what… what's that guy talking about?” – Jim (25:57)

• Navigating the tension between news headlines, public scrutiny, and day-to-day filming required separation of personal opinions from professional conduct.

5. Comic Relief & On-screen Moments

• Jim’s signature deadpan humor made him the “comedy relief” during long filming days.
  • Recounted jokes:

    "What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef." – Jim (23:05)
    "What do you call a woman with one leg shorter than the other? Eileen." – Jim (23:18)

• Eventually, he became a minor celebrity himself (“Jim the Sound Guy”), fielding autograph requests at book signings and getting recognized in public—even overseas.

  “At Jana’s wedding… you had the crew in there with you because you guys are family. That was amazing.” – Michelle (41:26)

6. Favorite Memories, Pranks, and Life Lessons

• Jim and Michelle share favorite moments:
  • Off-camera: Being included in family photos at Jana’s wedding.
  • On-camera: Jokes at the Duggars’ expense, memorable events (like Jeremy dressing as Payne Stewart for a golf episode), and the privilege of holding newborn babies.
  • Pranks: Duggar kids, especially James and Josiah, were notorious pranksters (e.g., fake baby drop on a People magazine photographer).

    “…Josiah’s got this baby wrapped up in a blanket… and the photographer turns around… Josiah goes, oh, and he drops the baby. And of course, it’s not a real baby…” – Jim (46:00)

• Jim’s snapshots from behind the scenes became treasured mementos for the family, like a visual diary of their years together.

7. Behind the Scenes: Reality TV Production

• Typical crew days included early calls, battery checks, prepping gear, and jumping into the Duggars’ spontaneous lives—often with in-the-moment, unscripted filming.

  "That was one show that was not scripted because we couldn’t do scripts… you know, six or seven little kids? It ain't gonna happen.' – Jim (51:09)

• Safety and danger: Hanging off trucks to grab shots, near misses, but no real injuries.

8. Legacy, Impact, and Final Reflections

• Jim credits the Duggars with a “positive impact, both professionally and personally”—setting a counterexample to pushy faith encounters, instead “walking the walk.”

  “They were actually a really good example of a family that walked the walk.” – Jim (35:45)

• The crew’s close bond with the family blurred the line between work and family life.
• When asked about writing a book, Jim jokes it would just be a collection of anecdotes rather than drama-filled because of the family’s calm and genuine environment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's always on, but it's not always recording." – Jim (07:22, 22:24)
• "I was proud of you guys ... I love them like family. I really do. And I still do." – Jim (16:46)
• "You were more part of our lives than anybody else that I know." – Jinger (15:02)
• "That was trust. You know, here’s a bunch of goobers hanging around, and your mom Michelle lets us hold these little teeny babies." – Jim (44:21)
• "At Jana’s wedding… you had the crew in there with you because you guys are family. That was amazing." – Michelle (41:26)
• "There was a trust between us ... On other shows, not so much. But with the Duggar family and the crew, we'd been together. We knew each other. We trusted each other.” – Jim (42:43)
• "You always keep it like that." – Jinger on Jim's discretion (08:24)
• "Was that good? ... Okay." And [the governor] walked out. So he's the governor. He does what he wants." – Jim (05:21)
• "What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef." – Jim (23:05)
• "I would always, you know, it was upon me to be nice, to be professional, to be smiling, to do nothing in any way, negative that would reflect badly on the family, the show, the production company, on the crew, nothing like that." – Jim (32:03)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introductions & Jim’s Career Start: 00:00 – 04:12
• ‘Hot Mic’ Paranoia & Sound Guy Secrets: 06:33 – 08:26, repeated at 07:18 – 08:08
• Long Absences & Crew Becomes Family: 09:51 – 15:32
• Crew’s Perspective on the Family: 15:32 – 20:15
• Humor, On-Screen Cameo, and Fame: 22:27 – 24:05; 31:04 – 33:09
• On Faith and Navigating Differences: 24:11 – 29:14
• Favorite Moments and Pranks: 41:02 – 48:08
• Behind-the-Scenes Reality TV Production: 49:17 – 54:09
• Legacy and Final Reflections: 54:32 – 55:46

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, irreverent, and deeply nostalgic.
• The episode is laced with inside jokes, references to tender memories, and heartfelt tributes.
• Humor and candor are ever-present, thanks to Jim’s dry wit and the hosts’ willingness to reminisce with openness.

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Conclusion

In this special reunion episode, listeners are treated to the untold story of life behind the cameras of reality TV—not the drama, but the deep bonds, awkward bloopers, and day-to-day joys and struggles that made the Duggars’ shows unique. Jim and Michelle’s reflections capture the rarely-seen human side of reality show production, making it clear that, for this crew and this family, those “counting” years truly meant something lasting.

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For Those Who Missed the Episode:
Expect laughter, old jokes, touching behind-the-scenes moments, and an honest, tender look at how even reality TV can foster real family ties—on both sides of the camera.

Transcript

[Jeremy]

We have a very special guest, actually two very special guests with us in the house today.

[Ginger]

Oh, yes, it's Uncle Jim the sound guy. His dear wife Michelle is here as well. When you're first getting started, like, you'd almost forget it was on and then you'd be like, oh, no, this is hot mic. What did I just say? And it might have been something fine or it could have been something really embarrassing and you were just hoping. I really hope that it's off. Was it off? No, it probably wasn't.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

It's always on, but it's not always recording.

[Jeremy]

But you're listening.

[Ginger]

But you're listening. You probably heard more than you wanted to hear.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I went back for Jana's wedding.

[Michelle]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

All the little kids are just, holy cow, they've grown up. That was great.

[Michelle]

My favorite off camera moment, because that's all that I have, was at Jana's wedding. And after the wedding, I'm going to tear up. After the wedding, when you were taking family pictures, you had the crew in.

[Ginger]

There with you because you guys are family.

[Michelle]

That was amazing.

[Jeremy]

What's going on, guys? We are back for another episode of the Ginger and Jeremy podcast and we have a very special guest, actually two very special guests with us in the house today.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

You.

[Jeremy]

You know him as.

[Ginger]

Oh yes, it's Uncle Jim the sound guy and his dear wife know him.

[Jeremy]

As Jim the sound guy.

[Ginger]

Yes, his dear wife Michelle is here as well. So we are so excited to get into this one because I have been wanting to have one of the crew members on for a very long time. It has been something that we've talked about. We've said it's gonna happen and now it's happening. So welcome to the podcast, guys.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, thank you so much. It's great to be here and reconnect with you guys.

[Ginger]

It's so fun, so, so fun.

[Jeremy]

We have said, well, Ginger said for years and then when I jumped on the show, for six years I was on the show. But you were on the show watching Ginger and her family grow up.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

That's correct.

[Ginger]

You knew me way before Jeremy came to picture. So we're gonna get into all of it today. Guys.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I gotta say, you turned out pretty good.

[Ginger]

Oh, thanks.

[Jeremy]

We want to hear your story, how you got involved on the show. We want to get like a behind the scenes what was the show like from a crew member's perspective all those years. But why don't you kick us off, tell us a little bit, introduce yourselves, tell us a little bit about yourselves. Your story and then eventually we want to get to like Jim. I looked up your imbd and you're on a ton of shows, and probably the most on the Duggar shows over the years, hundreds of episodes, but we'll get into that. So give us a little bit of a biography of the two of you.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, I went to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

[Ginger]

Let's go, Tar Heels.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yes. And my first job, I moved to Houston. I worked at a television station there, and I was a broadcast station. I worked there for about 11 years. I was on the crew, did audio, and then I worked my way up to director and then production manager. And I got kind of tired of sitting behind a desk and so I wanted to. I wanted to do stuff. So I moved back to North Carolina, started freelancing, did a lot in the Raleigh, Durham area. Doing a lot of commercial work, did some public service stuff, did some. A fair. About a fair amount of corporate stuff. There were a lot of corporate headquarters in the Raleigh, Durham area. And they thought that things they had to say were important. So we taped it and it went to a shelf and it probably stayed there and it's probably still there.

[Jeremy]

So a lot of people listening are going to think, well, that's just a normal explanation of a job he had. And they're not going to hear the deep undercurrent of sarcasm.

[Ginger]

It's amazing from Uncle Jim, because you have to know him.

[Jeremy]

They thought that stuff was important. And you filmed it and put it on a shelf.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah, we just. I mean, some of these people think they're important. I mean, we. I remember doing one CEO of a certain pharmaceutical company and he was. He came in, he was only 40 minutes late, but that's okay because it's his company. And I was putting the microphone on his tie and don't put that on my tie, that's a $300 tie. Okay, well, how do you want me to put. Never mind. I'll just fake it. So. And whatever they wanted, they got, they did it and they left. And that was it. We did one piece, public service announcement with the governor of North Carolina. He was late, but we were in his office and I was playing around with his official stuff, you know, found the seal, the state seal of the state of North Carolina. I was stamping my book, all my stuff, and now I have one of those. And then he came in and he sat down and we had his thing, his speech on teleprompter. So he sat down, looked up at the camera, said, three, two, go. He Read it. Fine. The producer said, well, that was real good. Can we do one more for safety? The governor said, was that good? Producer said, yeah. Governor said, okay. And he walked out. So he's the governor. He does what he wants. That's just fine. So people in power.

[Jeremy]

Hey, that makes me think, because this is something in showbiz or in any kind of media, the sound guy has the unique job of, you got to get up in people's business and put the microphone.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Absolutely.

[Jeremy]

You've probably had some fascinating interactions with different people trying to get them mic'd up.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, I don't care how famous they are. They probably have bad breath.

[Jeremy]

Poor sound guys.

[Ginger]

This is what I always thought about. So, like, with the sound guys, you put the mic on, and if you're in, like, even in reality tv, so you're not just sitting down for like, one interview, like, with a boom over you, Right. And you have that thing connected to you with that mic pack, and you're walking around all day half the time or half a day, you know, and so half the time, when you're first getting started, like, I remember just being like, you'd almost forget it was on. And then you'd be like, oh, no, this is hot mic. What did I just say? And it might have been something fine, or it could have been something really embarrassing. And you were just hoping. I was like, I hoping. I'm hoping that Jim's not listening. I'm hoping that Bill's not listening. This would be terrible. I really hope that it's off.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Was it off? No, it probably wasn't.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

It's always on, but it's not always recording.

[Jeremy]

But you're listening.

[Ginger]

But you're listening. You probably heard more than you wanted to hear.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

You hear a fair amount of gossip and commentary that perhaps should not be made public.

[Ginger]

As long as it wasn't about you. There was nothing said bad about you.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

You know, if you see me going.

[Jeremy]

Okay, you know what's funny is I would look over at you or Bill to see your reactions.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Or he'd just whisper to you. He'd be like, jim, are you listening? Jim, are you listening? Yeah, copy, copy. Come in, come in.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

But, you know, as a professional, you have to be discreet, you know?

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I never heard that comment about so and so.

[Ginger]

No, never seen. And then, Michelle, would he come home to you, and he'd be like, did you hear what they said? Oh, my word.

[Michelle]

Actually, he did not.

[Ginger]

There you go. That's professional of him. Very professional.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Discretion.

[Ginger]

You always keep it like that.

[Jeremy]

Okay, so being the wife of the sound guy on the Duggar show, they traveled all the time.

[Michelle]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

So it was like all the time, weeks at a time. Right.

[Ginger]

Months.

[Michelle]

Well, usually he would leave on a Monday morning and come back on a Friday night, but then there were many times where it went for longer than that and was gone on weekends and stuff, too.

[Ginger]

So there was a season right in the height where I guess for some time the crew would come in and you guys had, like, a place where you would stay and you guys would just. You had your. Your stuff there, and then you guys were filming all the time. Because I think as the family exp. Expanded, it's hard for me to, like, remember exactly what windows of time that was, because I remember us starting out filming. We went from filming maybe like three days a week to four days a week, and then it went from four days a week to five days, six days. And then I feel like different ones in the family were filming. So you may. I probably wasn't filming seven days a week, but there were times where you guys were working, just going from couple to couple to different members in the family or traveling. So I don't remember how long that season lasted. Where it was. Where it was more like intense filming.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I was away from home for extended periods. I felt bad for Michelle because we had six kids at home and she was working full time and wrangling the charming children that we had.

[Ginger]

That's a sweet way to put it, too.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Teenagers.

[Ginger]

That's a lot.

[Michelle]

And especially.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Child. And she did it without complaining.

[Ginger]

She's a superhero.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And. And I gotta give her props. She did a phenomenal job.

[Ginger]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Nanit.

[Jeremy]

Do you know where our son Finnegan Charles is right now? He's actually in bed and he's being monitored by Nanit. It is the world's number one smart baby monitor system that allows parents to get. You know, they calculated this. 36 more nights of sleep.

[Ginger]

Let's go.

[Jeremy]

Because, honestly, it lets you rest easy. It monitors your child while they're sleeping. It alerts you if there's any change in their sleeping pattern, and it'll wake you up. So it really allows you to rest easy, knowing your child is being cared for.

[Ginger]

And it has breathing, motion monitoring, no wires or sensors needed. Nanit's custom breathing mirror fabric pattern is uniquely designed for the monitor's camera to detect the rise and fall of your baby's chest.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. With sound, motion, cry, and cough detection. Nanit tells you precisely when and why you are needed. Nanit is truly the one baby item we can't live without. Right now, NANIT is offering 25% off just for our listeners. So get 25% off your first order with code BABY25. Go to nanit.com that's N A N I T.com and use code BABY25 to save. That's nanit.com use code BABY25.

[Ginger]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Cure.

[Jeremy]

Ginger has been drinking cure every single day.

[Ginger]

Every single day. So I am all about hydration, and I typically only drink water or coffee. Like, that's it. And primarily I try to drink a lot of water. Like, yeah.

[Jeremy]

Because it's the cleanest way.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

And especially in this season, I feel like I keep feeling like I was feeling dehydrated for a while, so I wanted to add in electrolytes, but then I wanted something that was a little bit healthier.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. And cure is made with clean ingredients, zero added sugar, giving you pure hydration without any of the junk, which is everywhere today. Right. So only 25 calories per serving. No added sugars or artificial sweeteners, just clean, natural hydration that keeps you feeling energized without a crash.

[Ginger]

Cure is doctor approved and safe for the whole family, from adults to kids ages 1 and up.

[Jeremy]

So for our listeners, for the Ginger and Jeremy podcast, Cure is offering 20 off your first order. Stay hydrated and feel your best by visiting cure hydration/ginger and using promo code ginger at checkout. That's curehydration.com ginger and use code ginger at checkout for 20 off your first order.

[Ginger]

Now back to the episode. She's incredible. She really is. I think that's part of it. Where, you know, we always, we would always think about that. Like, there were times where, you know, we'd be like, oh, so and so's traveling or whatever. And, yeah, we missed the crew because you guys became like family. And I think I probably will tear up. There's a box of tissues sitting here waiting for me. You guys were like, you are like family to us. I don't even say were like, y' all are like family. I've said this so many times because it's fascinating how you are professionals and at the same time, you were at. You were in our world so much as kids. So we had relatives, we had friends that would, like, come in and maybe they lived nearby, but you guys were there for the major life events. I was just showing Michelle some Of these pictures I pulled up today, and you were there in the jacuzzi when we're fixing our hair in the morning, you're standing there. It sounds really bad, but. No, There you are. I'm getting my hair and makeup done at my wedding. And you're. You're standing there, you know, and you're cracking jokes because, you know, I'm stressed. Yeah. And so. And then here you all are. Here you are. You're taking pictures. Oh, yeah, the camera. There's the camera. I was trying to find that for you earlier. There's the camera. You're always sitting there behind the scenes, because Scott's probably holding little Felicity, it looks like. And there you are on the couch. You're there. This is in Laredo as we're doing interviews. And then there's another picture. This one. Where to go? One more. I was going to show you. It's really sweet because you think about that. You guys were so present for, like, when we're engaged. Look, this is a picture from our engagement. And there you are. That's like two seconds after we're engaged, right. We come down off the rooftop, and we get a selfie with Scott and uncle Jim. So that's just. It's such a. Such an interesting thing to think.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Wow.

[Ginger]

Like, you were more part of our lives than anybody else that I know. Like, when I think of friends who have been there, they've. They've been there for a season, then they're gone. There's something so special about the crew because you guys didn't choose to show up. You were hired on. You didn't know what you were getting yourself into. There's a lot of ups and downs. It wasn't all easy, I'm sure, for you. But at the same time, at the end of the day, I look at you guys as family.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, that's how I in particular, looked at you guys.

[Jeremy]

We.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I particularly thought that you guys thought of you guys as family. I worked on a lot of shows, and a lot of participants in those shows were one way on camera and another way off camera. They were, you know, acceptable on camera, and off camera, they were perhaps not so pleasant. You guys, your whole family, no exception, were completely genuine. What you saw was the way you were all the time. And that really spoke to me as the kind of people you were. And your faith made a whole lot of difference in the way you presented and the way I looked at you guys. And I was very. I was proud of you guys. People would talk about you. Well, are they really. They always do that.

[Jeremy]

Now.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I said, no, they are absolutely genuine. I enjoy working for them. They are my friends. I love them like family. I really do. And I still do.

[Ginger]

That's so sweet. And I do, too. I just think that, like, having you guys on this podcast is such a treat, because I was telling Felicity before you came, she's like, oh, wait, now who's coming? Or is it my friends that. I told her that it was the crew, and she said, now, wait, is it the ones that were in the book? She started watching some, as she calls them, the Duggars. She started watching some of the Duggars recently. In the past couple months, we pulled up some old shows, and she sees different crew members, so she was trying to figure out which one was coming. And I said, well, you've met. You've met them before, and, you know, at Jana's wedding or whatever in Arkansas and stuff. So she's like, well, maybe I can look at my memories book and see if they're in there. So it was sweet because she was trying to figure out which. Which friends were coming. But it's interesting because you see, like, we grew up having so many of these interactions, and for her now, looking at, you know, you guys, she's trying to figure out, like, mom, now, wait, were they there every day? How did you, you know, how are you friends with them? And so she's like, were they there, like, when you were brushing your teeth? Were they there when you were getting up from, you know, from a nap? And I'm like, well, maybe not then. I didn't happen at 10. But, yes, it's that same thing. Like, you guys literally were there almost all the time. And it's. It's such a fascinating thing. I just. I don't even know so well, it's.

[Jeremy]

A phenomenon that wouldn't ever happen except with reality tv.

[Ginger]

Yeah. And I think that probably because we were kids and you guys were in that space, you were just. You became our friends so easily because it. Yeah, my parents, they didn't know what the crew was going to be like, and we didn't know how long the show was going to go.

[Jeremy]

And some crew came and went. Right.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

There were a few.

[Jeremy]

There were some turnover. When, for you, did it become just another job? Because I mentioned you're IMBD and you've got a long list. You've done a lot of shows, but when did this become, you know, like, you're hearing. And it's really sweet to hear you talk about Jim and the other crew and Michelle. But when. When did. When did you realize this was something more or something where you would look at them and say, I love these guys. And they're. Because I'm assuming it wasn't that way on every show.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Right? It was very much not that way on every show. There were some that I was glad to say goodbye.

[Ginger]

Right.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

But with the Duggars, you know, I was on the show almost 10 years, and it did not take long for me to figure out that these are real people. They're not putting on a facade for the camera or anything. They are. They are what they seem, and I appreciated that very much. They were. I won't say professional because that makes them sound like, hi, we're professionals on camera. No, they were genuine is what I'm trying to say.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And I could really relate to that, and I. I enjoyed it. I really liked hanging out with you guys.

[Ginger]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Rocket Money.

[Jeremy]

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[Ginger]

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[Jeremy]

Yeah. Rocket Money has saved users over $2.5 billion, including over 880 million in canceled subscriptions. That's insane. We are paying so much that we don't even realize.

[Ginger]

So go ahead and cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney.com Ginger today.

[Jeremy]

That's RocketMoney.com Ginger RocketMoney.com Ginger we want.

[Ginger]

To take a break from this episode to tell you about function health.

[Jeremy]

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[Ginger]

Yeah. That's why we love Function Health. And I know you guys are going to like it as well. Learn more and join using our link function is a near 360 view to see what's happening in your body. And our first 1000 listeners get a $100 credit towards their membership.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. So join Function Health by going to functionhealth.com ginger use code ginger100. That's J I N G E R100. And sign up to start owning your health.

[Ginger]

And. Okay, we have to just say this too. Jim was always the comedy relief because there were some times when it's like, you know, you're doing an interview or it's. Something comes up or you're traveling and it's a long day. And he would always have a joke. I literally, before we turned the camera on, he cracked. He. He said a joke and I finished it.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

You've heard it before?

[Ginger]

Yes, because I've heard it before. So I. I was just telling Jeremy, like, I told him three of your jokes. Like, I. And I. I think it was like, what do you call a cow with no legs?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Ground beef.

[Michelle]

Ground beef.

[Ginger]

And then it's like, what? I think there was like, one about. What do you call a cow with, like two legs, two legs shorter than the other than the other Eileen?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Lean beef.

[Ginger]

No, lean beef. But there was.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

There's what you call a woman with one leg shorter than the other Eileen.

[Ginger]

That was it. See, I didn't get it. What do you. Jumper capers. Walk into a bar and the bartender.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Says, don't start anything.

[Ginger]

Don't start anything. And when you told that one, I was like, he walked. They walk into a bar. But he had like, five of them.

[Jeremy]

Said that around the Duggars Gym.

[Ginger]

Five of those.

[Jeremy]

What are you doing?

[Ginger]

Uncle Jim was just audience.

[Jeremy]

They're gonna go, what's a bar?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I was trying to, you know, introduce them to the real world.

[Ginger]

The real world. Do jumper cables. We know what jumper cables are. That's who we lived off of.

[Jeremy]

That's an interesting question. What was. When did you start with the Duggars? How many kids did they have?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

14 or.

[Jeremy]

Oh, so you're at the start.

[Ginger]

At the beginning. He was there. He was there, like, right at the beginning.

[Jeremy]

What was your first impression when you walked in and saw this massive family? What was your first reaction to that family?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, I was not unfamiliar with conservative theology. Okay. So I was acquainted with where they were coming from. It's not Necessarily that I agreed with all of it. But, you know, like they say, I will respect your beliefs. Okay? I'm not going to argue with you. I'm not going to disagree with you if you genuinely hold these beliefs. They may be different than mine, but that's your right. Okay? And I got to say, as time progressed very slowly, they loosened up. Okay, like we won't notice, but Ginger's wearing pants.

[Ginger]

You know, Is she, though? Is she though?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And, you know, it's almost a philosophical question. What is the lemon? How much can you isolate your kids from the world? You know? You know, it says in the Bible you can be in the world but not of it. That's the choice that every parent has to make for their children as they raise them. You know, my perspective might be different than other people's perspective, but it's their children, their job, and I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna argue unless they want to start.

[Jeremy]

So did you guys, as the crew ever go back and be sitting in the hotel lobby late at night and as you were being introduced to the family or you often filmed at, like, the Bill Gothard conferences, and would you guys ever talk about it and go, that was so fascinating. Or sit there.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And I got. How do I say this? I was probably the most theologically informed of the crew. Okay. Some of them were just like, what. What's that guy talking about? You know?

[Jeremy]

Right.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

They all respected your. The family's perspective, but they didn't necessarily have a. An understanding of it, you know, a deep perception of where it came from and where it was going. And you gotta admit that Bill Gothard, when you first run into him and he. And see him, if you're not familiar with it, it can be kind of. How do you say this? He definitely has a different perspective from mainstream. And if you're not familiar with any with a background on that, you're going to go, I don't get it. And that's the position that some took. Now, that is not in any way interfered with their professionalism and their attitude toward the family. But it was like, huh. They did not necessarily concur with his particular perspective on a lot of things. How.

[Jeremy]

This is another fascinating thought. I was just thinking, how do you. Or did you have to kind of divorce your own personal opinions from work? Especially when things, you know, got more interesting? The kids got older and there were headlines, and then there's international headlines. Things got involved and you're still filming. And of course, everyone has opinions. They have to. So different. So Is it like, okay, I'm going to work now, I have to put on my work hat and I'm not gonna, you know, engage on these. Give my opinion on certain things. Was that difficult or did you have to consciously think. Think that way?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, I would get approached by people who knew that I worked.

[Jeremy]

Right.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And I would pretty much, you know, give the standard, I'm not involved with that. I'm not going to comment on that. You know, that's what's happening in their world. That's not my. I may work with them, but I'm not particularly involved in what was going on. So, you know, I have nothing to offer on that. Right.

[Michelle]

But I think he thought of all of you as family, so he maintained that.

[Jeremy]

Right.

[Michelle]

Regardless on, you know.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

On the job, off the job, I love that.

[Jeremy]

Well, I'll just say, speaking of the. The guys over the years, and then obviously, when Ginger and I got married and then I got to know you and the other crew, we would have a lot more conversation that you wouldn't have had with a 10 year old ginger. Right. Like, because you're, like, not gonna. You're gonna be very professional and.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Absolutely.

[Jeremy]

But then if her and I, as a married couple, wanted to engage you guys and say, hey, what are your thoughts? So we'd have a lot more conversation.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Absolutely.

[Jeremy]

On that. And it was fascinating to me, like, because each of the different crew members would have had different opinions. And the Duggars are very polarizing. Either you strongly agreed or you strongly disagreed. Right. And so you have crew members who have different opinions. And they were all professional. They were all like, consummate professionals who did their job phenomenally well. But then they also had a deep love for the family. And so I know there was this tension of. It's almost like a National Geographic photographer sometimes, where you have to think, so do I save the rabbit from the coyote or do I get the Pulitzer picture of the year or not? Pulitzer. The Nat Geo picture of the year. And just photograph what's happening and let nature take its course. And it's like almost in a sense, where maybe you're filming some very intimate conversations and like Ginger said, milestone moments in our lives. And you're seeing family members make decisions, and yet you're there, but you're not there because you're not able to interject.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, my position was that unless one of the kids or somebody was in physical danger, you step back. Yeah. You allow them, because that's what we're doing. We're presenting them. It's not my. It's not my take on their actions. It's what they're doing.

[Jeremy]

Yep.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I'm presenting it. Okay. As a professional. I let it happen unless somebody's going to get hurt. And that's it.

[Ginger]

That's good.

[Jeremy]

Okay. That opens another line of questions because at some point you did become on screen talent.

[Ginger]

Oh, man, he was known, but he was getting recognized more than the family was. They're like, oh, this. Who is this? Oh, it's Uncle Jim. It's the sound guy. Jim the sound guy.

[Jeremy]

When did you break that barrier?

[Michelle]

When you came to Raleigh for a book signing?

[Ginger]

Yes.

[Michelle]

People were getting.

[Ginger]

They were getting his autograph in the book. It was so awesome. That was amazing.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, I enjoyed it because.

[Jeremy]

Well, at.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

By that point, I. I basically love the family. I felt integrated with them and both. Well, you know, as friends and as family, and I respected them, but I still was able to maintain a professional separation and do my job, you know, from a neutral perspective. But when people would come up and say, I know you. Yeah, hi, you know, I would always, you know, it was upon me to be nice, to be professional, to be smiling, to do nothing in any way, negative that would reflect badly on the family, the show, the production company, on the crew, nothing like that.

[Ginger]

You did such a good job of that. I actually had another picture which I will have to pull up later, but I think we're at the Alamo and I took a picture of like three little girls coming up around you, and they're looking at you and. And then you put the head. You put your headphones on. One of the girls, one of them's holding the boom. And it was just one of those moments where it was really sweet because you would get approached. And when we were filming, they wanted to meet the family, but they just as much wanted to meet Jim the sound guy, because it was so cool. And you were very engaging and you did an excellent job of that. Like, with all of your fan base, they're coming up and they want to meet you and talk to you. And so did that happen? Like, even when you weren't filming, did you get recognized even aside from the show, in. In your town?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I remember once a story, too, we went, I gotta hear it to Disney World. And we were doing something about that. And some lady just looked at me and she's. She just. And I said. And she just, you know, she didn't engage, but she recognized.

[Ginger]

Awesome. That's so great.

[Jeremy]

What's your story?

[Michelle]

We went on a mission trip to Hungary this past summer, and there was a missionary there from North Carolina.

[Ginger]

Okay.

[Michelle]

And so when we were meeting her, and she, you know, we were going around the room, and she looked at Jim and she said, I know you from somewhere.

[Ginger]

And I said, well, did you watch.

[Michelle]

The 19 Kids and Counting show? Yes, that's him.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Wow.

[Ginger]

Oh, wow. I love that. Wow. That's incredible. So in another country, you're just, like, getting recognized. That's amazing. That's so sweet, man. I'm telling you, it was. Man, that was. It's just. It's so crazy how many years I think you were highlighted. So this is how it would go. We're gonna piece back to a couple. A couple clips of Jim, because there would be something said, and we'd all be standing there, and they would always just pan to Jim. So, like, it's kind of like.

[Jeremy]

Kind of like the Jim Halpert.

[Ginger]

Yeah, I was gonna say it's like the office. Like, it's. Someone makes a comment, and then over we go, and you're just, like, over there, and you're like, standing in the background with your boom.

[Michelle]

And it's.

[Ginger]

It's. There's Jim.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I remember one. I forget where it was. We were in a. Like a metal shop or something, and we're making a tree and had a.

[Ginger]

Metal tree, and it had the family.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Tree, it might have been, and had a little acorns with all your names on it. And your dad said something, said, wow, this looks just like our family tree. And I said, yeah, it's full of nuts. And your dad liked that.

[Ginger]

That is awesome. It's classic Jim joke right there. Just throw it in there.

[Jeremy]

Okay, here's a couple. So we asked the people who listen to the podcast. The people who listen to the podcast.

[Ginger]

Our listeners.

[Jeremy]

Our listeners. That's what you'd call them. To send in questions. And there's so many questions for you.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Oh, really?

[Ginger]

Get ready.

[Jeremy]

Oh, so many questions. So we won't be able to get to all of them, but Lindsay Florence asked, how did the Duggar family impact your life?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

They were a very positive impact, both professionally. One thing, they kept me employed for 10 years, so that's a good thing. Also, they were actually a really good example of a family that walked the walk. You know, they expressed their faith and they actually lived it. They did not back down, but they were not in your face about it. They did not. Even when they had the opportunity, they did not get in people's face and offend them. You know, a lot of people I know who Try and spread the word will basically, I think, do a disservice by really offending people, getting in their face and annoying them, which is, to me, counterproductive. Yeah, they were a counter example to that. And also, I've got a whole lot of really good pictures that I love taking pictures. And I've got. They're all friends. Like, when we. I went back for Jana's wedding.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

All the little kids are just, holy cow, they've grown up. That was great.

[Ginger]

You said you sent all of us. We were talking about today because you sent us a thumb drive. Michelle reminded you of that, but it was. It was so special. When I opened that up, I was like, oh, my goodness. The years of photos from behind the scenes of us filming that you just kept and you stockpiled for us and then sent it to us. I was like, that is a treasure more than, you know, you could possibly put a price tag on. Because that's something like, we're gonna. We're gonna be able to have that. Those moments when we weren't able to, like, take pictures because, like, we're in the moment. You. It's fascinating because we're. We're filming, we're thinking, okay, we're just living our lives. But after it's over, you realize how special it was to have you guys there all the time. And. And we knew it in the moment. We'd always say that, like. We'd always say that the crew was like, family and stuff. But then when you're there, like, capturing those moments behind the scene. And then when I saw it, after the show is done, we were done filming, and you sent all of that. It's like a journal entry from all these different moments in China. Here we are in El Salvador. Here we are, like, wherever we are just, you know, learning to drive. It's like all those moments compiled. It just. It just, like, makes me emotional thinking about it.

[Michelle]

And the reason we. We did that, and I urged him to do that, was at. After Jana's wedding, when we went over to the house, your mom was taking us to every room and showing us pictures hanging on the walls of. You know, look, here we are with the crew here, and here we are with the crew here, and they've got crew pictures, you know, in their house. And I. And that's when he was saying, oh, I've got all kinds of pictures. And, you know, when we came home, I was like, you need to send.

[Ginger]

Them all those precious. It's the sweetest memories.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I sent you Guys, like, It was over 500. And that's about half of what I have.

[Ginger]

I want the rest of it.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Just in my own defense, I wasn't taking pictures all the time. I was actually doing my job.

[Ginger]

No, for sure. Okay, so this is what I love. Like, Jim, he got here and he's saying hello to all of us, and then he sees an awesome moment and he snaps it. He has a camera. It's not like, you know, it's just a digital camera. A classic. I don't even know is a Canon. Is it like a small?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Like it's a high grade small Canon?

[Ginger]

Small one. Yeah. So it's amazing. So he just always would have it. And it was like, it was in the. The sound. See, I. I should know what it's called. I. It was just your gear and you had that on. He'd wear this. Yeah, it was like a harness thing that he wears and it carries, like the sound where he mix the sound.

[Michelle]

And that's.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

That thing was heavy.

[Jeremy]

You were. You were carrying that around for eight hours a day.

[Ginger]

Very heavy, man. And so in there that we always had his camera. And when there were special moments when there were, like, things that he wanted to remember, you'd see him in the background. Like, I had this one of, like, interviews, and you're sitting there and you pull out your little camera. And I was glad because it was like, you know, we're already on camera, but you would get the behind the scenes moments like that.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, that's cool.

[Ginger]

There you are with your camera.

[Jeremy]

And I just love that through the lens of the crew.

[Ginger]

It's amazing.

[Jeremy]

Carissa, one of our listeners, asked. And then Steph Croaker asked two similar questions. Carissa asked, what was your favorite off camera moment with the Duggars? And then Steph asked, what was your favorite on camera moment with the Duggars? Or memory?

[Michelle]

Yeah, well, he's thinking, I can say mine, I gotta hear it. And I wasn't there. But my favorite off camera moment, because that's all that I have, was at Jana's wedding. And after the wedding, I'm gonna tear up. After the wedding, when you were taking family pictures, you had the crew in.

[Ginger]

There with you because you guys are family.

[Michelle]

That's amazing.

[Ginger]

Oh, I love that because you guys are like, I like I said, you guys have been there more than anybody else has. Even like our closest friends. I think of, like, I have awesome friend groups here. But it's fascinating because you've lived like, we've lived 10 lives with you. Guys there because it's like, yeah, we were kids, but there was so much life that we lived in those years.

[Jeremy]

And, you know, for Ginger, one of the things that she's wrestled with through the years because of the show has been being able to open up and be vulnerable with. With people. And you're always wondering, you know, is if I share certain aspects of my life, are people gonna think less of me or take advantage of that? And I think one of the reasons there's such a deep connection with the crew is because it was completely vulnerable. There didn't need to be that guard because you guys understood it. You were there, so she didn't have to explain. Oh, should I explain how we went on this trip? Or we had this special privilege because of the show? No, you guys were there in it, and so you could just be yourself.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I think there was a trust between us. Yeah, it's a good way to put that trust. On other shows, not so much. But with the Duggar family and the crew, we'd been together. We knew each other. We trusted each other.

[Ginger]

Yeah, for sure.

[Jeremy]

So, favorite memories, Jim?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I've got several memories. I remember you when one morning we were going to play shoot some. You guys playing golf, and you came, and we were all out there waiting, and this golf cart comes up, and this guy steps out. He's got on this little hat, and he's got on these plus fours, plaid plus fours, high socks, and, you know, big bow tie. And it's Jeremy. He's just looking like, you know, he's just stepped out of a 1930s movie and he's killing it. He looks so good.

[Jeremy]

I dressed up like Payne Stewart.

[Ginger]

Could he play golf? Could he play golf? No.

[Jeremy]

No, he doesn't. I remember he could. No chance.

[Ginger]

He couldn't play.

[Jeremy]

I was. That was the first time I think I'd ever swung.

[Ginger]

He dressed the part, but that was his first time.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

It didn't matter. He looked perfect.

[Ginger]

He did look pretty dapper there.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

He was good. He gave Payne Stewart a run for his money, let me tell you.

[Ginger]

That's awesome.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

That was good behind the scenes. Well, it was really special, especially when some of the. When the babies were born, you know, and we got to hold the babies. I mean, that's trust. You know, here's a bunch of goobers hanging around, and your mom, Michelle, lets us hold these little teeny babies, and we're going, oh, hi. Look, you know, just going bad, bad, blah, blah. And they're smiling at us, and that is so great.

[Ginger]

And then you Got to watch him grow up.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yes.

[Ginger]

Those tiny babies grow up.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

That was great.

[Ginger]

Can you even believe it?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Like, I mean, I saw Josie at Jana's wedding going, holy cow. She's a. You know, she's like, quadrupled in five times her height. That's amazing.

[Jeremy]

Kids grow up faster.

[Ginger]

It's insane. Those are some special moments.

[Jeremy]

One of our listeners, Patsy, asked about pranks. Did the kids play pranks on you?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

There's an occasional. James was not above doing something.

[Jeremy]

We know where that's going, always.

[Ginger]

And Josiah.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Josiah.

[Ginger]

Did he play the baby prank on you, or was it on the other.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

No, it was the photographer from People magazine.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness. Bless them.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

See, the.

[Ginger]

Bless them.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

People magazine photographer was there. I said, who was. It had just been born. I'm not sure.

[Ginger]

One of the babies.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

One of the babies.

[Ginger]

One of them.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And Josiah's got this baby wrapped up in a blanket, you know, and the photographers taking pictures were all indoors, you know, and. And Josiah's walking over and. And the photographer turns around with his camera, and all of a sudden Josiah goes, oh. And he drops the baby. And of course, it's not a real baby. It's just a doll wrapped up in a towel. And this photographer goes.

[Ginger]

We almost had a heart attack there, you know, and.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Big laughs all around, you know, except for the photographer.

[Ginger]

I'm telling you, that could have gone real bad. It really, really could have. Well, that's Josiah. And that was James. James. Just those pranksters, you know, there's always one my mom probably was trying to put a stop to, like, oh, I'm so sorry. She feels so bad, you know, but kids will be kids. Oh, yeah, there was a lot of that.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

There was.

[Ginger]

Were there times where you saw kids climbing all over things and you're like, I saw. Ready to catch them?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Was it. One of them was trying to build a trap in the backyard? He had this crate with a stick on it. He was trying to build a bear trap.

[Ginger]

A bear trap. Was that when the bear. Were you there? When the bear was, like, in our front yard and they. They said it was, like, in the valley, like in between the shop and the house.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

There was. I heard stories about that. Yeah, this guy was one of them. Who was it? Jackson was trying to build a bear trap. He had a crate and he had a stick on it, and he had something in there, and he was, you know, it'll pull this. The. The meat off the stick and the. And it'll fall down and I'll catch a bear. That's probably Not a really good idea.

[Ginger]

You're gonna catch a little kid in there is what you're gonna do.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

He didn't catch anything. I thought he was gonna catch a cat, but he didn't catch anything.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness. Okay, what was your favorite Arkansas restaurant? Was there one?

[Jeremy]

Great question.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, I like the barbecue joint. I'm. I have a soft spot for barbecue.

[Ginger]

I like it.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Did you like the Marketplace?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yes.

[Ginger]

You guys would. You were. You're probably living next door to that.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I was. We were living next door to that for a while. That was good.

[Ginger]

Did you get sick of it? Well, those chicken tenders. Chocolate message.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

An appetizer, you know, it was a plate of melted butter with bread in it.

[Ginger]

Yes.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And you just goop up the butter.

[Ginger]

Oh, my word. I forgot about that run down your.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Cheeks, you know, and that was so good. That was good. I'm sure it was really healthy too.

[Ginger]

Wasn't there an appetizer they would light on fire there. Cheese something. There was a cheese appetizer. They light on fire.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

It wasn't bad, whatever it was.

[Ginger]

I don't remember what that was, but I felt like you dipped the bread in that and that was pretty good.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Good. Wow.

[Ginger]

Chocolate Mess, though, is my favorite Marketplace. What a place.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Wow.

[Jeremy]

What a journey. So you were on the show 10 years in total. What was a normal day in the life of a crew member look like?

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Well, let's see you get up. Scott, the producer, would say, okay, wheels up, 8:30. You know, so I mean, get up, go to the hotel, scrounge whatever they have, you know, and we get in, you get my gear, make sure all the batteries are charged because I, you know, set everything up the night before, charge batteries, line up everything, make sure all the audio, all the sound cards are blank, everything's ready to go, everything's indexed and all that. So all you do, you put it in the. In the van, eat, and we go. We didn't get there till around nine because perhaps some of the Duggars were not early risers.

[Ginger]

Always on Duggar time.

[Michelle]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Yes, yes. I apologize now.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

And we didn't knock, you know, we just wander on in. And then Scott would say, well, today we're gonna. And sometimes he would just see what's going on or sometimes we would have a plan.

[Jeremy]

Yep.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

You know, okay, today we're going to go shopping for so and so's birthday. You know, for shopping expeditions, things like that. There would be pre planning because we have to get permission from the store. We can't just show up and say, hi. You know, we have to get everything set up. They have to expect us. We have to get permission, you know, from corporate and all that. So to that extent, things were planned out, but we didn't have things scripted. That was one show that was not scripted because we couldn't do scripts.

[Ginger]

Could you imagine trying to script, you.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Know, six or seven little kids? It ain't gonna happen. No. So it kind of organically developed, I think, as they would say. And we'd go, let what happened happen. And then sometimes Scott would kind of encourage it along. We're at the store. Okay, well, for the birthday, do we have, you know, ask, do we have candles?

[Ginger]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

We need birthday candles. And, you know, six little kids scrambling around trying to find candles. You know, things like that. So there was some adult guidance, but it wasn't perfectly planned.

[Ginger]

Yeah, especially in the early days, because you guys would just show up. I remember you guys just showing up, and you kind of be like, okay, what is everybody doing? And they would ask. They're like, what are y' all doing? We're like, well, we just want to do what you're doing, actually. So you tell us what to do. But there'd be so many of those days, and we could just be sitting there doing our school, or we could be practicing music, or somebody's going off to, like, fix a tire on a truck and, you know, go, like, wherever we were headed. You guys would just show up and.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Go up to the shop because they'd be working on a car, or John Day would be going, bam, bam, bam. Or something like that. And because these guys were competent, you know, it is not necessarily that they were planning out how to do something. Let's go fix this today. Okay, well, let's go build this. Okay. They could do it. You know, they weren't necessarily following A, B, C, D, but it would get done and.

[Ginger]

Okay. I do have a question, though. Did you ever feel like there was a time where you were trying to. You were, like, literally in danger. We put you in danger because of something you were trying to get the sound for with the boom. Because there were times where. See, there were times where we'd be miked, you put a mic on us, and you were like, run wild. Go do something crazy. Jump out of an airplane. But then there were times where, you know, we'd be filming another scene, and you'd have to follow us, and you're trying to keep up with your. Your boom, and you're trying to, like, reach over. Yeah. In the Bag, which is so heavy. What was the most dangerous situation we put you in?

[Jeremy]

I don't.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

There wasn't anything particularly dangerous. Sometimes, you know, hanging out the side of a car or a truck, like when we're.

[Ginger]

Yes.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Driving around, you know, looking at, oh, look, there's a camel. You know, well, let's hang out the side of the truck while, you know, Janice feeding the camel a bagel. Okay. But let's hang out and get that. You know, I don't think anybody was ever actually hurt on the show.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Michelle]

Didn't you fall in the water and grease.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

What's that?

[Ginger]

You're like, remember that.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Who's.

[Ginger]

I'm trying to remember who was in Greece. Joe and Kendra were. Greece. Okay. I was trying to remember if it was Jess and Ben, but I think that they were Paris, weren't they?

[Jeremy]

Paris, Rome.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Right.

[Jeremy]

Jim, I've got a question. Do you think you would ever write a book of your perspective on filming the show?

[Ginger]

I'd read it.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah. It would mostly be a book of anecdotes. There's no particular conflict. There's no drama. There's no. Except perhaps, you know, when Josie was born, that was the only scary part. But nobody was fighting with each other. There was no anger. There was no friction. There was no. There's no conflict. You know, and they say you need conflict for a good book. Well, you could just write stories about it. Okay.

[Ginger]

I would love that. You should at least do that for us, for our thing. You just sit there and just.

[Jeremy]

Autobiography.

[Ginger]

As you know. You're retired now. That's the question.

[Michelle]

Right.

[Ginger]

So you can just sit there and. And write out your favorite.

[Jeremy]

We'll put you in touch with Ginger's literary agent, and we'll get this. We'll get this project moving.

[Ginger]

We're going to get it moving. Don't worry.

[Jeremy]

Guys, Jim and Michelle, thank you so much for hanging out with us.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

It's been great.

[Ginger]

This has been so fun.

[Jeremy]

Love that trip down memory lane.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

I think we're going to have to go for part two.

[Jeremy]

Well, you know what we should do is we should pull up some of the episodes that you're in and do a react episode where you're watching Jim in China.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

Yeah, I still remember that spider that I ate.

[Jeremy]

Oh, my goodness.

[Ginger]

Okay, we're pulling that one up. That's on the next podcast.

[Jeremy]

We'll have to figure that out.

[Ginger]

You guys need to come back to see that, because that was.

[Jim (Uncle Jim the sound guy)]

I think it was a little salty.

[Jeremy]

Well, we love you guys.

[Michelle]

I wasn't crazy about seeing that either.

[Ginger]

No, no, for sure not. You did what? You're sick. What? Did you get sick? I don't know. We'll find out on the next one. Thanks.

[Jeremy]

Well, thanks for hanging out, guys. Thanks for tuning in and we will see you next week. This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Lifelock has tips to protect your identity. Use strong passwords, set up multi factor authentication, report phishing and update the software on your devices. And for comprehensive identity protection, let Lifelock alert you to suspicious uses of your personal information. Lifelock also fixes identity theft, guaranteed or your money back. Stay smart, safe and protected with a 30 day free [e-mail] Podcasts Terms apply.