Jim Bob Duggar Has A 50-Page Courtship Questionnaire For His Daughters' Suitors

It's well-known that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar take courtship seriously. The stars of TLC's hit reality show Counting On have strict, conservative beliefs that inform their views on relationships. And that means each of the Duggar children — in particular, the daughters — have to go through a drawn out dating process in order to choose the partner they plan on marrying and having children with. Part of that process includes a long questionnaire suitors have to complete. So what are the Duggar "courtship questions"? They cover everything from religious views to personal finances.

Patriarch Jim Bob's courtship questionnaire first became a topic of conversation back in 2016, during an episode of Counting On: The After Show, according to The Daily Mail. At the time, members of the Duggar family were discussing the intense "vetting process" that potential suitors have to go through in order to "court" and ultimate marry one of Jim Bob and Michelle's children. But before a boyfriend can ask for their daughter's hand in marriage, they must fill out a 50-page questionnaire, The Daily Mail reported.

You read that right: A 50-page questionnaire. That means if you plan on popping the question, you'd have to write an autobiography first.

Jim Bob revealed the perplexing tidbit about the extensive — and what I could only imagine is also intrusive — questionnaire to the amazement of Counting On producer Scott Enlow, who was interviewing the show's cast, according to The Hollywood Gossip. Seemingly shocked, Enlow asked the crowd, "I'm sorry, wait a second Jim Bob made you guys fill out questionnaires?"

Jessa Duggar, who is married to Ben Seewald, laughed at the question, and responded, "I think that questionnaire is pretty thorough," according to THG.

Jeremy Vuolo had recently become engaged to daughter Jinger Duggar at the time the Counting On: The After Show episode aired in 2016. During the show, he recounted his own experience with the 50-page questionnaire, telling Enlow, according to the Stir,

I got sent a 50-page questionnaire, I sent it back at 105 pages. The major question, where I spent most of my time was ''tell me about how you became a Christian, how you came to the Lord'."

But the questionnaire wasn't always a part of the courtship process. The 51-year-old patriarch didn't introduce the questions until after Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald entered into a relationship, The Daily Mail reported. The couple exchanged their vows in November 2014.

Seewald still had to fill out the courtship questionnaire, despite successfully courting Jessa, he told Enlow, according to The Daily Mail. At the time, he only had to answer 30 pages of questions. That means in less than five years, Jim Bob had bumped it up by 20 pages.

Seewald said during the Counting On: The After Show episode,

I had already passed inspection, so to speak, but this was something he wanted to start doing in the future.

Of course, it isn't surprising that Jim Bob would force potential boyfriends to fill out a ridiculously long questionnaire in order to "pass the test." After all, he has to fully vet and approve each suitor before they can even make eye contact. OK, that last part was sarcasm, but the fact is, Jim Bob has a very heavy hand and watchful eye when it comes to his daughters' relationships, which is ridiculous no matter which way you slice it.

But if this is what a guy wants to go through in order to marry a Duggar daughter, so be it. Hopefully they're actually honest in their answers because, you know, typing something up doesn't make it true.

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