Darian Derrico may have applied to NYU after her mom 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 began with Darian, 18, anxiously waiting to hear back from the university after she applied for their music program. Darian admitted she was “nervous” and worst-case scenarios began to appear in her head. However, while chatting with her parents, they attempted to give her a pep talk.
“Whatever God has for you, it is for you,” Karen Derrico, who encouraged Darian to apply to the program, told her daughter as Deon Derrico quipped back, “Says the one who intervened.”
Karen, 44, reiterated her point that what’s 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, but I’m also looking at some other colleges just in case, you know, like [a] backup,” she shared. “So I’ve booked the time to go take a tour of UNLV.”
Darian told her parents that she would love it if they came with her to check out the campus, as long as they didn’t try to sway her opinion. Meanwhile, Deon was ecstatic that Darian was considering going to school closer to home while Karen was happy Darian was looking into other opportunities.
“Honestly, I don’t even know if I want to go to college, but it’s been stressful knowing my parents have been at odds about my college applications,” Darian said in a confessional. “So I just want to explore my options and try to keep the peace between both of them.”
Later in the episode, Darian and her parents take a tour of UNLV and it seems like Darian had a good time while on campus. However, the visit only strengthened her desire to go to New York and live her dreams.
Sometime after the tour, Darian finally heard back from NYU and shared with her parents and grandmother that she did not get in. While Darian was ultimately disappointed, Deon, Karen and Gigi comforted her.
“I am so proud of you for going on this journey. You worked your butt off and I just love you for that,” Karen said. “So you go upstairs and you’re going to rest your little tired mind giving this your all.”
Despite her family’s support, the rejection hurt Darian and she admitted that now she’s rethinking 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 doesn’t feel like she “wasn’t good enough.”
As Deon and Karen worried about Darian and her future plans, they also had to deal with the fact that their primary home wasn’t ready to move in yet, which was preventing renters from moving into their additional home. In addition to the financial hardship of having to pay two mortgages, Deon was also worried about his mother Gigi’s health as she discontinued her chemotherapy treatments.
Despite the family’s home not being 100 percent ready, Deon and Karen planned on moving into the home as soon as they could. To make a good impression on their neighbors, they decided to host a BBQ at their home for everyone on the block.
Deon and Karen continued to work together to get everything ready for the day of the BBQ, including the pair preparing the menu, which included Deon’s family recipe called the “what up though” beans. Deon and Karen schmoozed with their neighbors, seemingly winning them over, while their 14 children formed friendships with some of the other kids on the block.
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At one point during the BBQ, Darian chatted with her parents and their neighbor Amy about her plans after high school. Darian confessed she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to college and instead wanted to focus on her budding music career. Darian’s admission was not what Deon and Karen hoped to hear from her, which led them to ask her about her next steps.
Darian shared that she was going to get her “name out there” via social media and search for opportunities to showcase her voice. Deon thought part of his daughter’s plan was good, but she needed to do more, especially after finishing high school. The family decided they would discuss the topic more after the party.
“You know, [Deon] and I, we both agreed we’re going to step back and let her do this,” Karen said in a confessional with Deon. “However, I’m just super concerned, to be honest, as far as what this plan of action now looks like for Darian, like we need to have a conversation with her.”
Doubling Down With the Derricos airs on TLC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
