Doubling down on Derricos’ summary: Darian weighs college options

Darian Derrico may have applied to NYU after her mother encouraged her, but she’s not sure what the future holds for her after graduation.

The Tuesday June 25 episode of Doubling down with the Derricos started with Darian, 18, anxiously awaiting a response from the university after applying to their music program. Darian admitted that she was “nervous” and that worst-case scenarios began to appear in her head. However, while they were talking to her parents, they tried to give her a pep talk.

‘What God has for you, it is for you too’ Karen Derricowho encouraged Darian to apply for the program, her daughter said Deon Derrico joked back: “Says the one who intervened.”

Karen, 44, reiterated her point that what is meant to be will be. However, Deon, 53, added that everyone also has the “freedom of choice.” Darian took her parents’ words to heart and decided she wanted to consider some other options in case NYU didn’t work out.

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“So I don’t want you to get your hopes up too much, but I’m also looking at some other colleges just in case, you know, like [a] backup,” she shared. “So I booked the time for a tour of UNLV.”

Darian told her parents that she would love it if they came with her to explore campus, as long as they didn’t try to influence her opinions. Meanwhile, Deon was ecstatic that Darian was considering going to school closer to home, while Karen was happy that Darian was exploring other options.

“Honestly, I don’t even know if I want to go to college, but it was stressful knowing my parents disagreed on my college applications,” Darian said in a confessional. “So I just want to explore my options and try to keep the peace between the two of them.”

Later in the episode, Darian and her parents take a tour of UNLV and it looks like Darian had a good time on campus. However, the visit only strengthened her desire to go to New York and make her dreams come true.

Sometime after the tour, Darian finally heard back from NYU and shared with her parents and grandmother that she wasn’t getting in. Although Darian was ultimately disappointed, Deon, Karen and Gigi comforted her.

“I am so proud of you for going on this journey. You did the best you could and I just love you for that,” Karen said. “So you go up there and rest your weary little mind by giving it your all.”

Despite her family’s support, the rejection hurt Darian and she admitted that she is now reconsidering her ‘choices’. While Darian didn’t tell her parents that she wasn’t handling the news well, Deon and Karen discussed how they wanted to be there for their daughter so she didn’t feel like she “wasn’t good enough.”

While Deon and Karen were concerned about Darian and her future plans, they also had to deal with the fact that their main home was not ready for them to move in, meaning tenants could not move into their additional home. In addition to the financial struggles that came from having to pay two mortgages, Deon was also concerned about his mother Gigi’s health when she stopped her chemotherapy treatments.

Even though the family’s home wasn’t 100 percent ready, Deon and Karen planned to move into the house as soon as possible. To make a good impression on their neighbors, they decided to organize a BBQ at their home for everyone in the neighborhood.

Deon and Karen continued to work together to get everything ready for the day of the BBQ, including the couple preparing the menu, including Deon’s family recipe called the ‘what up though’ beans. Deon and Karen chatted with their neighbors and seemingly won them over, while their fourteen children made friends with some of the other kids in the neighborhood.

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At one point during the BBQ, Darian talked to her parents and their neighbor Amy about her plans after high school. Darian confessed that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to college and instead wanted to focus on her budding music career. Darian’s confession was not what Deon and Karen hoped to hear from her, leading them to ask her about her next steps.

Darian said she would “get her name out there” through social media and look for opportunities to make her voice heard. Deon liked part of his daughter’s plan, but she needed to do more, especially after graduating high school. The family decided they would discuss the subject further after the party.

“You know, [Deon] and I both agreed that we were going to step back and let her do this,” Karen said in a confessional with Deon. “Honestly, though, I’m very concerned about what this action plan looks like for Darian right now, like we need to have a conversation with her.”

Doubling down with the Derricos airs on TLC Tuesdays at 8pm ET.