What Happened To Dannielle & Garrick Merrifield After Seeking Sister Wife Season 5?

Aspiring polygamists Dannielle and Garrick Merrifield appeared in Seeking Sister Wife season 5, and it’s time to talk about what happened to the couple after the season wrapped. 40-year-old Garrick and his long-suffering wife, 35-year-old Dannielle, made their television debut during season 3. The show chronicles polygamous families searching for new wives. The couple had been in a monogamous relationship for 13 years, and had two children together before deciding to open their marriage up to an additional spouse. The Merrifields failed to find their new spouse during season 3, so they returned for seasons 4 and 5.

The Merrifields dated multiple women during their time on Seeking Sister Wife. During season 3, they dated Roberta Pacha, a Brazilian woman who spoke no English and needed a translation app to communicate with the Merrifields. They continued to date Roberta during season 4, but after they brought in Lea, Roberta left them. Lea left them soon after, and Seeking Sister Wife season 5 found the Merrifields dating Natalia Lima, another Brazilian woman who spoke little English, but the relationship didn’t last either. The season ended with the Merrifields considering converting to Islam to be with their new girlfriend, Miriam.

Dannielle & Garrick Are Still Together

“A Baby Surprise”

Despite a difficult and tumultuous few years, Seeking Sister Wife season 5 stars Dannielle and Garrick are still very much together. Danielle recently posted a video to Instagram in which Dannielle, Garrick and their baby daughter enjoy a backyard barbecue together. The middle-aged couple already had two teenage sons when they were surprised by an unexpected pregnancy, which was revealed during Seeking Sister Wife season 5.

Dannielle broke the news of her pregnancy to a shocked Garrison during an online FaceTime chat that appeared on-camera during the season finale. Garrick had left for Brazil over six weeks earlier to marry his girlfriend, Natalia. According to Dannielle, the couple had barely spoken since he left. Dannielle had initially planned to travel to Brazil with Garrick, but the two weren’t in a good place, so Garrick went alone. Just as it looked like Garrick and Dannielle’s marriage was on the rocks, the Merrifields learned they were pregnant with their third child.

After the episode aired, TLC posted adorable photos of the Merrifields and their baby on Instagram, with a caption that read, “A baby surprise.” According to People, Garrick and Dannielle’s adorable baby daughter, Leia Lilly Melisa Merrifield, was born on May 17, 2023. Due to the fact that the season hadn’t aired yet, the couple had to keep their baby a secret from the public until the season finale aired.

Why The Merrifields Chose Polygamy

A Bizarre Reading Of Scripture

Before appearing on a reality TV show, the Merrifields were in a monogamous marriage for 13 years. The couple’s decision to try polygamy stemmed from Garrick’s unusual interpretation of the Bible. Contrary to popular belief, not all polygamists are of the Mormon faith. Garrick and Dannielle are Christians, and Garrick was inspired by the Bible to try plural marriage. During an on-camera interview, Garrick said, “A lot of the scriptures, the terms where it says he fills you with the holy ghost, it’s actually a sexual term.”

It actually means, like, sperm going into, like, intimacy that way
.”

With Dannielle seated beside him looking sheepish, he continued, “And even scientifically, we’ve found that, you know, when a man and a woman become one, and his sperm goes into a woman and his DNA becomes part of her.”

Dannielle And Garrick’s Journey On Seeking Sister Wife

They’re Technically Divorced

After dating Roberta during Seeking Sister Wife seasons 3 and 4, Garrick wanted to bring Roberta to the United States from Brazil. Therefore, for immigration purposes, he had to divorce Dannielle to marry Roberta. Dannielle was devastated, sobbing while signing the divorce papers ending her 13-year marriage.

With their legal marriage dissolved, Dannielle would have no claim to Garrick’s estate should anything happen to him.

In the end, Roberta strung them along then dumped them via text, so Garrick broke Dannielle’s heart and jeopardized his family’s financial security for nothing. It’s unclear if Dannielle and Garrick legally remarried after their failed relationship with Roberta. Considering they’re such devout Christians, it’s hard to imagine that they’d allow their daughter to be born out of wedlock.

Will Dannielle And Garrick Return For Seeking Sister Wife Season 6?

He Wants Five Wives

During Seeking Sister Wife season 5, Garrick fell in love with Nathalia, but when a Brazilian judge learned that Garrick was a polygamist, he pulled the wedding license and Garrick had to go home. Dannielle tried to hide it, but she was obviously thrilled about the turn of events. Regardless of Garrick’s current dating status, he’s unlikely to stop looking for new wives and making Dannielle miserable. In an interview with producers during Seeking Sister Wife season 5, Garrick said, “I really feel like God promised our family, uh, more than just Dannielle.”

”
I mean, I had a vision years ago that I had five wives and they were good
.”

Though Garrick remained determined to take a second wife, Dannielle changed her mind about plural marriage. Despite Dannielle’s feelings, there is little doubt that Garrick is the one who wears the pants in the relationship. It’s clear that if Garrick decides he wants to take more wives, he will do so, and Dannielle will have to accept it. The Merrifields were one of the show’s most popular couples, so there’s little doubt that producers will ask the couple to come back for Seeking Sister Wife season 6, and there’s even less doubt that the Merrifields would eagerly accept.

The Merrifield’s Romantic Prospects:

Seeking Sister Wife seasons 1-5 can be streamed on Discover+.

Sources: Dannielle Merrifield/Instagram, TLC/Instagram, People