Max Kallschmidt found a bit of fame when he became part of the popular American reality-television series, “Welcome to Plathville.” Viewers were curious about his relationship with one of the main stars, especially since Moriah Plath broke every rule in her home from the moment she met him. It didn’t end well, so his stint with the show was cut short, which disappointed many people when details of their break-up were revealed.
A background on “Welcome to Plathville”
The TLC network found another goldmine when they aired “Welcome to Plathville”, as it accumulated a loyal following. Viewers found it addictive because most of the characters in it formed the perfect ensemble that would give its viewers a weekly dose of drama and entertainment.
The premise of the reality-TV show
It featured a married couple who raised their children in a Christian fundamentalist household, sheltered, and home-schooled them on the family farm. Their nine children were given strict guidelines on how they should live their lives, which included limited access to technology such as computers and exploring the Internet. The Plath couple made sure that their kids grew up healthy, and so they forbade them to partake of anything containing processed sugar such as sodas, ice cream and the like.
Meet the Plath Family
“Welcome to Plathville” chronicled the lives of the Plath family, headed by Barry Plath, a transportation planner, and Kim Plath, a naturopathic doctor. They had 10 blond-haired, blue-eyed children, but in April 2008, they lost one of their boys, 17-month-old Joshua, in a tragic accident. The remaining children were six girls (Amber, Cassia, Hosana, Lydia, Mercy and Moriah) and three boys (Ethan, Isaac and Micah). At the time of the filming of the first episode, the children’s ages ranged from six to 21; the eldest recently married Olivia Marie, who was also featured in the show. Not all of the Plath children were included as regular cast members; Hosana only appeared briefly, preferring to live a more private life in Ohio with her husband, Timothy Noble.
TV premiere and overall look based on its first episode
On 5 November 2019, the TV series opened with a view of the 55-acre farm of the Plath family located in a rural part of South Georgia. The younger kids were playing on the swings in the playground, and the older boys were talking while tinkering under the hood of a vintage car. Some of the older girls were picking up wildflowers under trees, everyone was busy doing their own thing, but the moment the bell rang, they all went home to eat together. It was pretty apparent from the get-go that most of the children, especially the younger ones, lived in seclusion, as the nearest town was 10 miles away. They practically had a quiet life with only the sound of animals roaming around in the woods disturbing the peace around them.
The eldest son, Ethan, lived with his wife in a separate house, which was about 15 minutes away from the farm. Of the nine children, Moriah, who was 16 at that time, was described as the opinionated one in the family – it was quite obvious that she was pretty much on the verge of rebelling against the traditional ways that their parents taught them. Viewers could also see that Kim didn’t appreciate her daughter-in-law’s influence on Moriah, who before the end of the premiere episode, asked their permission to be allowed to assist Olivia in a wedding photo shoot in San Francisco, California. They reluctantly agreed, because they knew that the moment they said no to her, she would definitely do something just to prove that she could.
Max’s brief journey in “Welcome to Plathville”
The impact of Max Kallschmidt’s presence in “Welcome to Plathville” while short was great, as viewers were caught up in his relationship with Moriah Plath. Most people thought that whatever drama ensued between the former sweethearts was completely overblown.
His first appearance in the show
Max made his first appearance in “Welcome to Plathville” during its second season, when Moriah started dating him. At that time, she was already living away from home with her brother Micah, when he fetched her on their first date. It was all so surreal on Max’s side, as he shared that it was quite hard to even get a text message from her. He initially thought that she hated him, so it came as a surprise when she agreed to go out with him. Moriah explained that it was only because she was never good at communicating with others. After all, they were never allowed to do so while growing up.
He met her parents, Barry and Kim Plath
Having been raised in the South, he insisted on meeting her parents even when they were still just friends, because he wanted to show how important she was to him. Apparently, he was the first guy that Moriah brought home for her parents to meet. Kim said that her daughter introduced Max as her best friend, but she didn’t buy that for one second. She realized that her daughter wasn’t yet ready to announce that she already had a boyfriend, but they appreciated that Moriah trusted them enough to bring Max home, and shared that part of her life with them.
Kim and Barry Plath: It Really is Over After 24 Years of Marriage! https://t.co/GMyTzOuKy9 pic.twitter.com/z2hANXDDi2
— The Hollywood Gossip (@thgossip) June 29, 2022
Max and Moriah had communication problems
Communication was one of the things that Max and Moriah had problems with – she would completely shut him out whenever they had issues. He was used to talking about a problem openly to resolve it, while she kept everything bottled up and didn’t want to talk about it, which led to one of their break-ups that he initiated. He wanted to ultimately make her more open, as he knew that the problem was rooted in the way she was brought up by her ultra-conservative parents. The two remained friends, but eventually reconciled as she slowly learned how to share her feelings and views.
Max gave her a promise ring
“Welcome to Plathville” fans were quite surprised when they all thought that Max and Moriah were engaged as she was seen sporting a ring on her finger on her social media posts, however, during the third season of the show, they revealed that it was just a promise ring. While many were excited about the natural progression of their relationship, some of the viewers were relieved that it wasn’t an engagement ring. Apparently, some fans commented on social media that they felt that the two were still too young to jump into marriage.
His disapproval of her clothing choices
Just like regular couples, Max and Moriah had disagreements and one of the most significant was his disapproval of most of her wardrobe choices – she would often be dressed in what others might refer to as skimpy clothes including booty shorts and cropped tops. Viewers were divided on this one; some of them praised Moriah for using fashion as a means of self-expression despite her sheltered upbringing, while others were shocked that she continued to push boundaries by wearing revealing clothes. The couple often argued about this, but in the end, Max apologized via social media and shared that in hindsight, he felt that it was his insecurities that led to his criticism of her fashion choices. He admitted that he thought that he wouldn’t be good enough for her, and each time she wore clothes that would show off her body, he was afraid that somebody would snatch her from him.
Max and Moriah broke up
During the off-season of “Welcome to Plathville,” rumors went around social media that Max and Moriah finally broke-up, with no chance of reconciliation. She wasn’t seen wearing the promise ring in the photos she uploaded online, and there were no recent posts of him on her Instagram account. Fans were only able to confirm it when the teaser for the fourth season aired, because Moriah revealed that they’d called it quits.
His truth about the breakup
Max uploaded a video onto his YouTube channel, with his version of what transpired between him and Moriah. According to Max, they weren’t communicating well, and he wasn’t satisfied with what was happening in their relationship. When Moriah moved to Tampa, Florida, he felt that he was kind of being pushed to move down there as well, even if he wasn’t ready yet. He claimed that he wasn’t comfortable with Eric and Olivia, because he believed that they weren’t really supportive of them as a couple. Combined with the stress he underwent from the demands of his work, he made some poor choices that eventually led to the break-up, which happened while they were talking over the phone.
Her truth about the breakup
In one of the episodes of the latest season of “Welcome to Plathville,” Moriah wasn’t happy with her ex-boyfriend’s video confession on YouTube. She felt that he evaded the real reason for their break-up, which was his unfaithfulness. She stressed that she could have revealed more, but didn’t want to embarrass him with the details. Moriah was even more disappointed that Max included her family unnecessarily in the picture, as to why they ended things.
Max came clean with Moriah’s brother, Micah
Initially, fans thought that Max would no longer appear in the fourth season of “Welcome to Plathville” due to what had happened between him and Moriah. However, between the break-up and the filming of the fourth season, he somehow ended up having a talk with Micah Plath. During that episode, Micah said that he was quite sure that Max cheated on his sister, but he planned to pretend not to know anything when they meet up. Apparently, during a family get-together, Moriah couldn’t even disclose that she’d already broken-up from him, more so that it was because he cheated on her. Max was nervous, because while he was friends with Micah, the latter left for Los Angeles and was away for some time, so they never had a chance to hang out again.
When Max met Moriah’s brother, he was emotional when he told him what happened. He said that he went to a party with one of his buddies, and they were all celebrating and drinking. Initially, there were only guys who were partying but then his buddy invited some girls over and he ended up kissing one of them. He knew he shouldn’t have done that, and fully acknowledged that it was his fault but was clear that it didn’t progress to another level. Micah said that he felt angry because Max not only hurt his sister, but it was also some sort of betrayal of their friendship. He knew that the former couple’s plan of moving to Tampa to be with Eric and Olivia would mean trouble for the two, but he never expected things to end up this way.
Cleared things up about “Welcome to Plathville” during a podcast
Max had an exclusive interview on a podcast called “The Sarah Fraser Show” to clear things up. He talked about his stint on “Welcome to Plathville”, and was candid in sharing his opinions on several rumors about the reality-TV show and its stars.
His experience of being filmed
Being on reality TV was a great experience for Max, as he was quite comfortable being filmed. It didn’t really bother him that there were cameras following him around, and it even came to a point that he forgot about them. There was no awkward moment for him, even if a camera crew was there recording everything that went on between him and Moriah.
His two cents about the show’s portrayal of Kim and Barry Plath
There were talks online that Moriah’s parents weren’t portrayed well in the show, which alluded to the ‘evil editing’ that some characters in a reality-TV show suffered from, and in the end became the resident villains. Max said that there were many variables involved in analyzing the behavior of Kim and Barry, saying that when he met the two in 2020, they were quite different from the Kim and Barry of today. They changed a lot as they became more accepting of the world in general, and they also became a lot less certain with the thought that they knew everything. They acknowledged several things now that could be beneficial to their children and themselves.
Why did the Plath family continue to sign up with TLC amidst the rumors?
It was a general assumption that most viewers of “Welcome to Plathville” hated Kim and Barry, as per most of the online discussion about them, so fans wondered why they continued signing up for another season with the TLC TV network. Moriah’s parents told him that they were willing to put up with it because it was a great opportunity for their kids and their future. Max also revealed that the Plath family would take a vote whenever a new contract was offered to them, and if there was an announcement of a new season, it would mean that the majority of the family wanted to continue doing the reality-TV show.
The reason why he asked for help from Kim and Barry after the breakup
When Max and Moriah separated, Max went to personally inform Kim and Barry about it. He said that he was taught that it would be best to come clean with Moriah’s parents, especially since his ex-girlfriend had a hard time advising her family. Fans were surprised that Kim was still supportive of him, even though he broke her daughter’s heart, and advised him to seek professional help if his mental health issues escalated. It was much-needed advice, as he had a rough time dealing with the break-up as well, which wasn’t captured on film.
Did the cheating happen during the Vegas trip?
Max owned up that he cheated on Moriah, but claimed that it wasn’t what the fans all thought it was – it was just flirting and kissing someone else, and he reiterated that he never had sexual relations with another woman. He cleared up the rumors, and denied that the cheating incident happened during his Las Vegas trip, but refused to give further details.
Who was Max Kallschmidt, before he became a reality-TV star?
The former reality-TV star was born in Perry, Taylor County, Florida, and was raised in a Catholic household with three sisters and four brothers. Initially, the Kallschmidt children were home-schooled by their mother, but later on, Max matriculated from Taylor County High School in June 2019. He took up a degree in Construction Management at Tallahassee Community College, and was included on its Dean’s List in the Spring of 2020. He and his brother were supposed to establish a business in construction together, but an opportunity associated with marketing made him switch plans. He then went on to educate himself through BAMU, an online business and digital marketing university.
In 2020, Max founded a firm called Anchor 23 Marketing based in Florida, which provided digital marketing services such as customer service, sales, lead generation, and social management all over the US. His company is also now involved in selling solar. When asked if he would go back to participating in reality-TV shows, he said that it wasn’t on his list of priorities right now, but he wasn’t closing his doors on the possibility.
