Life as an Olympian can be lonely, as I’ve learned while watching Douglas Family Gold. Gabby Douglas adores her life and is grateful for all the opportunities she’s been given, but being away from family is tough — and giving up romantic companionship is equally challenging.
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Having a boyfriend just isn’t realistic for Douglas, who likes to joke that she was once in a relationship with a guy named Jim… “Jimnastics.” In all seriousness, though, it’s just not fair for some poor guy to be neglected because his famous girlfriend is constantly globetrotting. Rio is just around the corner, so for the time being, boys can wait.
Douglas understands the importance of giving up on romance as she focusrd on her gymnastics career, but she’s sad that this choice has, until now, also meant giving up on cuddle time. Fortunately, her sisters have her back. During a visit with her siblings, Douglas realized just how desperately she needs a boyfriend replacement in her life — a furry, four-legged boyfriend replacement! Her amazing sisters took her to search for kittens, and I have to say, it was the most enjoyable reality TV scene I’ve had the pleasure of watching in a long, long time. Who doesn’t love seeing a world-class gymnast hanging out with cuddly kittens?
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Naturally, drama is going to be at a minimum any time an episode’s focus is on kitten shopping, but there was a little tension when Douglas realized how upset her mother might be — after all, Natalie Hawkins did command her daughter to wait until after 2016 to get a pet. Although not nearly as terrible as your average reality mom, Hawkins has a tendency to be a bit overbearing, and the kitten issue is a perfect example of this. Fortunately, she eventually relented. Who could say no to such an adorable ball of fur?
If there’s an overarching theme for this series, it’s that with great performance comes great sacrifice. Douglas has missed out on a variety of teenage milestones and, sometimes, she wishes she could just do normal things like chill with her mom at home or cuddle with a boyfriend. But she has a goal and she’s determined to reach it. If that means substituting boyfriend drama with a kitty, well, that’s not such a bad deal.
More: Douglas Family Gold‘s Natalie Hawkins puts other reality moms to shame
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