Table for 12

Table for 12 is the latest entry into the large family reality TV genre. The series features the Hayes family of New Jersey and the adventures they experience raising two sets of twins and one set of sextuplets.

Reality TV sets the table for 12.

Jon, Kate and their eight have nothing on the Hayes’. The newest members of the TLC family are the antithesis of the drama-filled Gosselins. Eric and Betty Hayes are unassuming folk from Marlboro, New Jersey. Eric is a police officer and Betty is a stay-at-home mom trying to keep up with 10 extremely active children; Twin boys Kevin and Kyle were born in May 1996, twins Kieran and Meghan were born in September 1998 and the Hayes’ sextuplets were born September 13, 2004. They are:

• Tara Rose
• Rachel Ann
• Rebecca Mary
• Ryan Peter
• Connor James
• Eric John, Jr. (E.J.)

Table for 12 is a TLC production. This is the same network that is responsible for bringing the world Jon & Kate Plus 8 and 18 Kids and Counting, two reality series that follow families with a large quantity of kids. The Hayes family was first introduced to TV viewers during a one-hour TLC special, Twins, Twins and Sextuplets. The special drew enough attention that TLC decided to give the family their own show. Season one of Table for 12 premiered on March 23, 2009, and season two premiered on September 22, 2009.

If you are looking for over-the-top drama like Jon & Kate Plus 8, don’t come knocking on the Hayes’ door. The middle class family is remarkably grounded and the show takes you back to a time when reality TV families looked like people who could be your neighbor.

The series' muted quality comes in large part from matriarch Betty’s reluctance to put her clan on television. Betty initially declined TLC’s offer to star in a reality TV show, but her husband talked her into it by pointing out that their participation might help their young daughter, Rebecca, who has Cerebral Palsy.

Now that Betty is onboard with having her family’s every move captured by cameras, her hope is that the series will inspire other moms who have children with Cerebral Palsy. The mom of 10 says she tries to use the show to share her knowledge about the disease and is confident that her story, and Rebecca's, might be useful to other families raising disabled kids.

Fans of the show may notice a striking difference between Betty Hayes and other reality TV moms. For starters, Betty doesn't act like a TV diva. She's friendly, down-to-earth, and really appears to have her priorities straight. Rather than show Betty pursuing her 15 minutes of fame in Tinseltown, the series focuses on how she and Eric feed, clothe and keep their brood of 10 in line.

Some episode highlights include:

• Special Strides: Eric and Betty take their daughter Rebecca to a horse farm that caters to special need kids. The other kids come along for support, and end up having a blast too.

• New Year's Eve: Instead of hitting a fancy New Year’s Eve party to ring in the holiday, the Hayes family goes out bowling, with Eric, Betty and both sets of twins playing against the sextuplets. Later the show follows the little kids as they try to stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year.

• Road trip: The Hayes family hits the road for a 420-mile road trip to Canada.

• Dentist visit: The Hayes kids make a trip to the dentist—all at once. The show details what it takes to have 10 sets of teeth examined in a single morning.

• Eric's project: Dad Eric decides to build a wheelchair accessible ramp and door for Rebecca without the help of professionals.

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