Seeking Sister Wife stars Dannielle Merrifield and Garrick Merrifield welcomed a beautiful baby girl in 2023, but, sadly, their marital problems will likely continue. The Merrifields made their television debut during Seeking Sister Wife season 3 and returned for seasons 4 and 5. Their search for an additional wife to add to their family has led to multiple relationships with various women throughout the years, several of whom spoke no English.
During a recent episode of Seeking Sister Wife season 5, as 40-year-old Garrick traveled to Brazil to marry Nathalia, his 26-year-old girlfriend, Dannielle, announced her pregnancy to Garrick on a video call. Garrick looked shocked, although he recovered quickly, and Garrick said all the right things about this being a blessing. The Merrifields have two teenage sons together, but it was no secret that Garrick wanted to have more children. Now that 35-year-old Dannielle has given him a baby, will Garrick drop his desire for additional wives?
Garrick and Dannielle were on the same page during Seeking Sister Wife seasons 3 and 4, but Seeking Sister Wifeseason 5 found the Merrifields at odds with each other more often. Though Dannielle was mostly on board with the plan to transition their marriage from monogamy to polygamy, she has been less passive this season. When Garrick told Dannielle that he was ready to propose to Nathalia, Dannielle argued that it was too soon. She also ganged up on Garrick with Nathalia when they found out he hadn’t deleted his online dating profile.
According to People, Garrick and Dannielle’s adorable baby daughter, Leia Lilly Melisa Merrifield, was born on May 17, 2023. Due to the season not being aired yet, the couple had to keep their baby a secret all this time, which could not have been easy. TLC posted adorable photos of the Merrifields and their baby to Instagram in April 2024, with the caption that read, in part, “A baby surprise.”
After making their television debut in Seeking Sister Wife season 3, the Merrifields married Roberta Pache during season 4. Roberta lived in Brazil, spoke zero English, and could only communicate with the Merrifields via translation apps. Despite all that, Garrick ended his 13-year marriage to Dannielle, so he could legally marry Roberta for immigration purposes. She never immigrated to the United States, so it was nonexistent.
Dannielle was a little gun-shy after their experience with Roberta, which is understandable. She wanted them to slow down in their search for a sister wife, but Garrick was even more determined to move fast and break things. He almost immediately found another Brazilian woman who spoke little English, except she was almost 15 years his junior. Garrick proposed to Nathalia with a ring that he realized wasn’t her taste, but she still said yes.
During the Seeking Sister Wife season 5 premiere, Garrick explains the unique biblical reading that led him to choose polygamy. With Dannielle seated beside him during an interview, Garrick revealed that God came to them once, in the garage, and told them to become polygamists. Garrick went on to say, “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.”
As Dannielle struggled to keep from laughing out loud, Garrick 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 […] But yet the woman can’t transfer her DNA back to the man. So it, like, showed the proof of how Christ was with his church. Like he transfers to us, we don’t transfer to him.”
The last episode that aired, ended with the pregnancy announcement, so it’s unclear whether Garrick went through with his wedding to Nathalia after hearing the shocking news, or where Nathalia fits into this new family dynamic. She’s not mentioned in the People exclusive interview and makes no appearances on Garrick or Dannielle’s Instagram accounts. That being said, if they can keep the baby a secret, they could easily keep a new Brazilian wife under wraps too. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Nathalia walked away from Garrick upon hearing about the baby.
Regardless of the status of Garrick’s relationship with Nathalia, he’s unlikely to stop looking for new wivesand making Dannielle miserable. In an interview with producers during Seeking Sister Wife season 5, Garrick says, “I really feel like God promised our family, uh, more than just Dannielle.” He added, “I mean, I had a vision years ago that I had five wives and they were good.” Garrick appears determined to continue down the polygamous path. Though there’s a chance that his beautiful baby will inspire him to focus on his existing family, that’s not Garrick’s style.
Sources: People, TLC/Instagram