Kody Brown and his four wives have had hurdles over the years while sharing their lives on Sister Wives. But nothing has brought more headaches than the land the family bought, Coyote Pass, when they first moved to Arizona. Instead of bringing his family together, the patriarch struck out again with his big plans for the land. Collectively, the Browns spent $820,000 on their slice of heaven. There are two smaller parcels of land and two larger parcels of land that have never been touched.
While Kody was part-owner of all four properties, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown, and Robyn Brown also owned a piece before some sold their share back. The land was split into five plots, but sadly, no one ever was able to break ground, leaving many to believe that the father of 18 never really had a solid plan and bought the plots on a whim.
Janelle Balmes Kody for Not “Prioritizing” Coyote Pass
Us Weekly shared a teaser clip for Season 18 that showed Janelle at her wits end with her now ex-husband. Kody told his remaining wives, “I don’t think we’re going to be building on this property by spring. Coming up with money to pay off Coyote Pass…very difficult. Coming up with a down payment on a house…not hard.” The excuse sounded pathetic even though Kody claimed he could have found a way if he wanted, with Janelle calling him out, noting the 54-year-old was “refusing to do that.”
Janelle actually called out Kody’s issue with finances, claiming, “I think the biggest problem in forward movement is this argument that the family has whether we have the ability to pay off the property or not. We have the money.” Janelle went deeper into her theory, divulging that the polygamous family was “in the same situation we were in when we gave the money for her house and definitely when we gave Robyn the money for her house. I just feel like nobody is watching out for me. Nobody is prioritizing me. It’s not a five-alarm fire.”
Kody Is Punishing Janelle
There is no doubt that Kody is trying to punish Janelle for her outspoken nature by being sneaky about Coyote Pass. During Season 17, Janelle was so frustrated with how slow the family was moving (literally a glacier pace) that she brought a luxury RV trailer onto her plot of land.
The move caused major tension between the former couple. Kody threw one of his famous tantrums, claiming he wouldn’t be helping her with any of it. He then revealed in a confessional that “Buying an RV and moving into it…single woman decision. Going to see your kids without your husband for holidays…single woman decisions.”
Kody has been known to try and play Alpha with his four wives in order to keep them in line. For example, if he became upset with one of them, Kody would often choose to be distant or ignore the spouse he was angry at. It could be that he was angry Janelle didn’t back him on his idea for the entire family to live in one big home like they once did in Utah. However, Kody’s plan clearly backfired, since he is now down to just one wife.
Kody Wanted the Final Say
Obviously, the tax lean and marriage issues didn’t help the lack of building on Coyote Pass, but for Kody to actively choose not to prioritize the plots seemed like a calculating move to have the final say and still hold all the power. It still begs the question, why did Kody decide to buy the barren land if he never had a plan to really utilize it?
In June, Kody and Janelle paid off the remaining debt for Coyote Pass. Janelle had $170,000 outstanding on her plot, with the records also showing she and Kody paid off the plot under Robyn’s name for the same amount. Our guess is like Christine, Janelle will now sell her half to Kody but for way more than $10.
Robyn May Have Said No
Most Sister Wives viewers now know that Robyn is the neck that turns Kody’s head when making serious life decisions. It is quite possible that as the plural family was imploding, the fourth and favorite wife took note and convinced Kody not to throw any more of the family money into the project. While the move would have obviously upset wives like Janelle and Meri, Robyn’s money would have been safe from another blow.
