Before he died, dad Dwight Lewis called on Supernanny to ask if she could help his wife Antoinette cope with parenting alone while she grieved his loss. Can Jo help widowed Antoinette Lewis find a routine – and peace of mind?

Lewis Family

Jo Frost

James Family

Howat Family (U.K. Family)

“We’re at a total loss,’ says mom Gina Quinn, who’s having to control four out-of-control tweens and teens who swear like sailors, refuse to do their chores and are verbally aggressive with mom and with dad David, who just laughs at the kids’ antics…

Quinn Family

Dorothy and Kip Baulisch of Papillion, Nebraska, are deaf parents raising four hearing children. They rely too heavily on their eldest daughter, Melissa (18), who understands sign language, as a surrogate "hearing" parent, and it's put a huge strain on her relationship with them. She's giving up her youth to be a full-time interpreter in her own house. The three youngest daughters are nightmares -- Jessica (8) and Jennifer (7) challenge their parents to the point where they simply give up trying to control them; the youngest daughter, Kristin (5), ignores her parents completely because she can't understand what they're saying, and constantly throws temper tantrums. On a typical evening in the Baulisch household, it takes Kip and Dorothy at least three hours to get the younger girls to bed, as they run amuck through the house, refusing to settle in.

Baulisch Family

The oldest Park child, Kyle, 6, has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but his parents took him off medication when they didn't feel it was working. So he terrorizes his nanny, Alejandra, who cannot control him, as well as his younger siblings, Farley, 4, and Pierce, 2. All the children act out, refuse to follow instructions and take dangerous risks, such as playing in the swimming pool when it's forbidden, but the parents, Heather and Michael, are clueless about establishing control or maintaining boundaries. The kids not only smack each other with abandon, but hit their parents and Alejandra at will.

Park Family

Chiropractor David often acts like a big kid, laughing at the kids' antics even when they cross the line, and leaving Gina, a personal trainer, to referee on her own. She admits, "We are at a total loss." 14-year-old Casey, who is a wrestler at school, is very physically and verbally aggressive at home with his siblings and parents. He punches, shoves and hits, and has a bullying style, whether dealing with his big sister, Cally, 16, or younger sibs Corey, 10 or Carli, 9. All of the children swear like sailors and refuse to do chores, stubbornly saying that they're not paid enough per chore! Gina admits that she doesn't enjoy being around her kids, and husband David erupts in nervous laughter whenever the children defy him. His physical horseplay with Casey results in Dad getting injured, but he laughs it off, to Jo's amazement.

Winter Family

In today's economy, you can have it all one minute and lose everything the next. This is what has happened to single mom Blythe Newsome. For 12 years she was married and lived with her six children in a huge suburban home. But, for financial reasons, the house went into foreclosure. Blythe tried to keep her marriage together, but eventually she took the kids and filed for divorce. Fast-forward to today-- Blythe hardly recognizes her life. She's moved with her children into a tiny house and has totally lost control of the kids. She's now the breadwinner for a family of seven.

Newsome Family

John and Sarah Manley have been separated for over six months. John has his own apartment but has tried not to disrupt his children's lives, so he has daily meals and spends every weekend in the family home, but overnights in his own apartment. The children, Max, 7, and Claire, 4, can't quite figure out what's going on, but they handle their worry and confusion by acting out with anger, backtalk, fighting and tantrums. A simple trip to the grocery store is so fraught with the kids' antics that Sarah cannot keep track of their whereabouts, and shoppers won't even go down the same aisle as the Manleys. Sarah finds it hard to hold her ground in the power struggle with her kids, partly because she's nearly as confused as they are about the state of her marriage.

Manley Family

Jo travels all the way to the UK on a rescue mission to help a single mom who has lost control of her children... and her own temper. Tara Howat is at her wits' end, overwhelmed by the daunting task of raising three children by herself. When she is at the breaking point, Mom's mood can be explosive. Tara's youngest son, Rhys, is a handful -- kicking his mother and swearing like a sailor. Even middle-child Shannon joins in to gang up on mom.

NBA guard Mike James faces off against a foe more formidable than his opponents on the court � Supernanny has a bone to pick with him. Mike plays for the New Orleans Hornets, but his family lives in Houston, Texas. His wife, Angela, just gave birth to their fourth little girl, and Mike has dubbed his wife Super Mom, but parenting isn't a slam dunk for this family. These parents are making one technical foul after another. Angela admits the kids are out of control; eldest daughters Jadon and Amaya totally ignore her, and push, shout and shove each other for Dad's attention. When Mike is home, they're so excited to see him that it becomes absolute chaos.

Wisconsin parents Shawn and Shannon thought it would be fun to have a baby. They were only 18 at the time, and were stunned to discover that Shannon was pregnant with twin boys. The early years with Bryce and Brandon were relatively easy with the help of both sets of grandparents, but now those days are a distant memory, with the addition of a daughter to the mix. The twins, now four years old, have outgrown toddler stage and know how to flip their parents the bird, hit, kick and curse like sailors when they are told "no." Their baby sister, Brenna, 18 months, is often the victim of their violence, and she mimics her brothers' aggressiveness, hitting them as well as other children. Mom and Dad know they were passive for too long, but now they're begging for help and don't know where else to turn.

Kerns Family

Jo handles two sets of twins at once for the first time when she returns to the UK on a mission to save a family on the brink. The Gormley-Brickley household is in desperate need of help. Usually one set of twins spells trouble, but two sets, all under five years of age, is chaos. These children are treated like babies by parents who don't want them to grow up, but that's only half the problem. Mom is at the breaking point and seriously needs relief, but Dad is exhausted as well.

Gormley-Brickley Family (U.K. Family)

Amy always dreamed of having 12 kids, but she had no idea how hectic it would be. With husband Dale on the road most of the week as a truck driver, and 10 kids ranging in age from 6 months to 15 years old to take care of at home, Mom is so overwhelmed that she's unloaded half of her parenting responsibilities onto her teenaged kids. The younger children couldn't care less who is disciplining them; whether it's eldest brother Logan, 15, or their own father, the six kids under 12 have no respect for authority, barely do chores and revel in the chaos. Meanwhile, Logan and his teenaged sister, Carley, 14, have little time with their own parents or friends because they're wrapped up corralling their younger siblings. In the midst of this, an unexpected family secret is revealed that affects everyone in the house.

Costello Family

Phil Davis smacks his children and curses at them. He expects Debbra, a working mom, to handle all childcare responsibilities for their family, as well as cleaning the house, but she can never meet his standards and he offers no help. He ridicules stepdaughter Morgan, 15, for dressing provocatively when she dresses modestly. Chaotic mornings filled with yelling and lots of childcare duties have resulted in Morgan, an excellent student, being late for school almost every day this term. Jo tells Phil that his behavior is going to break his children's spirits.

Davis Family

Greg and Fanci Sachs work long hours to provide Ryan, 5, and Jonathon, 3, an Upper West side childhood, but their guilt over time away from the boys weakens their resolve in the face of Ryan's tantrums. The youngster will have a complete meltdown in public when he doesn't get his way and it's making a big impression on Jonathon. The apartment is stuffed to bursting with kid gear and toys, since Mom buys toys three times a week at the boys' request, and the family owns 7 strollers, 4 of which are strewn around the cluttered home. Ryan's got separation issues with Fanci -- whenever she leaves the house, he clings and cries, and she unwittingly plays into it by prolonging her departures with lots of discussion and reassurance. Bedtime is a nightmare, and usually ends with both parents lying down with the boys till they eventually fall asleep. Later the boys join their parents in bed anyway, leaving everyone exhausted the next day.

Sachs Family

Jo returns to the UK on a mission to save the Williams family from absolute mayhem. With four children under 10, life is hectic and stressful for mom Natalie and dad Martin. Natalie does the majority of the childcare while Marin sits on the computer and watches her struggle. The strain the kids put on their parents' relationship leaves mom and dad arguing constantly about how to raise them. Natalie is at the breaking point, and Supernanny is her last hope. But it's not only the children who need disciplining--Martin is in for a shock too!

Williams Family (U.K. Family)

Adele Del Re of Staten Island, New York, grew up fantasizing about motherhood. She had visions of herself as a serene caretaker and contented, quiet children, but the reality couldn't be more different. The Del Re household is the wildest one of the block. Mom and Dad both yell at ear-splitting levels to control their misbehaving kids. The four-year-old twins throw daily tantrums and engage in biting, slapping, throwing or hitting everyone in the house. Mom has a new fantasy for her household and she hopes Supernanny can help. In this version, it's not perfect, but there's much less yelling and fighting, and occasionally a babysitter and a night out.

Del Re Family

It may be sunny in Tucson, Arizona, but there's stormy weather at the Goldberg house. Parents Adam and Shelby have their hands full with their three young children. Although the kids act tough, in other ways they refuse to grow up. Jacob, 6, still sucks his thumb and will not let go of his "blankie," while little sister Jayden, 3, clings to her binkie and throws temper tantrums at the mere suggestion she give it up. Jacob has violent outbursts and, together with his twin, Joshua, plots attacks against their sister and mother. Neither parent knows how to control the kids or give them consequences for their actions, and Dad finds it hard to control his temper.

Goldberg Family

Elyse is a stay-at-home mom and Big Eric is a double shift-working dad who says his third job starts when he gets home. Little Eric, Ashley, Luke and Lily rule in a home with no rules. Add them all together, you get the Sacco Six. Two-hour tantrums at bedtime, fast-food dinners, and entire loads of laundry dumped in the shower for storage. On top of this, Jo discovers condoms in the 13-year-old son's bedroom and prompts Dad to confront him.

Sacco Family

Jo returns to the UK to rescue the Porter family, who are being held ransom by their nine-year-old daughter. Princess Maddison is a terror, ruling with a heavy hand and throwing tantrums like a toddler to get her way. To make matters worse, seven-year-old Harry is quickly following in his sister's unruly footsteps. With both parents treading on eggshells, can Supernanny restore order -- or is this one battle of the wills that can't be won?

Porter Family (U.K. Family)

It's been called hell on earth, and parents Don and Diane admit they are living with "little devils." With kids who delight in demolishing the house and are prone to fierce rages, Don and Diane don't know how to control the physical and mental torture the kids impose on their own siblings and parents. Don has to psyche himself up to enter his house, while Diane is running out of energy trying to keep up. Her time is so tight due to the kids' misbehaving that cooking dinner or even answering the phone seem to be impossible tasks.

DeMello Family

Shannon and John both have high profile jobs at a large church, but their home is a far cry from a peaceful sanctuary. All four of their children fight with each other so viciously and so frequently that mom usually intervenes only if someone has drawn blood. That happens regularly because the kids bite, pinch, kick and pull hair for all they're worth. Mom's yelling isn't working, and Dad says he spanks to discipline, since he doesn't believe that timeouts or talking work. But in spite of the hardline tactics, neither parent has much authority.

Krolikowski Family

Jo Frost, a modern day, tough-love "Mary Poppins" is placed with families in need of guidance or care. She spends an extended period of time with a family, observing their issues and then, using a series of her own tried-and-true methods, offer solutions. Problems can range from discipline to sloppiness or anything in between.

Lewis Family

Seasons8

Season 5 Episodes21

Cast1

Discussion

Episode Summary